Reviews
Plot: 3/5 It’s a Maria V. Snyder book, so it’s got, like, one point straight off the bat. And there was a plot here. It was a’ight. Nowhere near as good or eye-catchy as Poison Study, if you ask me, but it was a good book and I enjoyed it. It just wasn’t extremely exciting. Characters: 5/5 We saw and interacted with Lief, Yelena and Janco! Ari and Valek were mentioned several times. Thus, I am a happy fangirl. Also, Opal Cowan: I’m really liking her as an MC. Except for her somewhat unfortunate romance choices. Pazia: I really sort of hope that she and Opal become good friends, not sure if it’ll happen, but I like their dynamic. Kade: OMG. So attractive. Ulrich: WHAT does she see in this guy? Like, seriously, what? He’s boring, unattractive, predictable, and (view spoiler)[likely to become a villain (hide spoiler)] So, I ask you, why? Devlen: Heh, heh, heh. Wow, Opal. What happened here (view spoiler)[him being your first time, though you didn’t know it at the time (hide spoiler)] must suck so bad. And if there is Not some kind of trauma involved there, well, I don’t where you can get trauma. Ze Romance: 5/5 Three romantic interests. Two of them are good. One of them is my favorite. If you an guess which one is my favorite, than you must know me pretty well. Or maybe you just guessed. Either way, I love him. He’s my fave. 13/15 Not as good as Poison Study, but still quite enjoyable.
3/5 I really, really liked the premise of the story, but the story flow was extremely scattered and hard for me to follow. It moved way too fast without development in some parts, and only one of the characters got very much development throughout the book. I really liked the last couple of chapters, but the rest of it seemed way too hurried. I think that this would definitely be a good book for 10-14 or so age group, depending on their reading level, but it didn't work very well for me.
Maria does it again! Her new series keeps us in the same world as her Study series and once more we find ourselves thrown into mystery, magic, and the intrigue comes from all directions at once. I look forward to the rest of the series.
Opal is certainly different than Yelena, but reading always about the same sort of person can get boring, so I don't mind. I actually quite like Opal. She isn't as bold as Yelena. She has her own inner struggles and deals with things differently from Yelena. She really grows in this book and I'm curious to find out how much she develops in the other two books. I'm glad Yelena didn't take up too much screen time, after all this is Opal's story not hers. The stormdancers are a great idea and Opal focuses her magic through glass in a very creative way. I'm sure she will reveal some other interesting aspects of her powers in the next books. Having the "focus" on another Master Magician this time, Zitora played a greater role and I liked seeing her in contrast to Irys. I didn't like the love triangle too much, probably because that concept is way too popular at the moment. While it sort of worked for this book I hope that it is resolved in the next book and doesn't run through all three volumes of the series.
I really enjoyed the first part of this book. However, the second part I didn't really like. I was hoping for some kind of redemption at the end, but sadly I didn't feel like there was a good enough of a recovery.
3.5 🌟 Sapete da quanto tempo avevo questo libro? Dal 2015... scioccante 😱. Questo è più o meno lo stesso lasso di tempo che è passato dall'ultima volta che ho letto un libro di Maria V. Snyder. In un certo senso avevo paura che potesse non prendermi più come storia, invece il suo stile continua a piacermi! Storm Glass non è ai livelli di Poison Study, ma nemmeno Opal è al livello di Yelena come protagonista 😅. Con questo non dico che Opal non sia un personaggio che riesce a farsi piacere, ma se ogni tanto mettesse un pochino più di raziocigno in quello che fa, probabilmente non verrebbe trasportata come un sacco di patate per metà libro. La storia comunque è interessante, ha ovviamente i suoi alti e bassi ma comunque non annoia il che per come la vedo io è sempre un pregio ;). Detto questo, probabilmente se avessi letto questo libro subito dopo aver terminato la lettura di Fire Study avrei capito sicuramente qualche riferimento in più. Non mi ha rovinato l'esperienza di lettura, però sarebbe stato meglio per certi aspetti. Tutto è spiegato molto bene, ma si vede che è un libro che deve essere letto dopo aver completato la prima trilogia Study, quindi non fate i furbi o vi ritroverete a voler spiegazioni sul sistema magico e, ovviamente, avendole già date in precedenza, non vengono ripetute. DIO GRATIA per questo, perchè va bene darmi un piccolo riassunto della situazione, ma se l'autrice si fosse dilungata a rispiegare tutto probabilmente non avrei retto e avrei abbandonato la lettura 🙊. Spero davvero che Opal nel corso della serie sviluppi un minimo di amor proprio, che non guasta mai, e magari che le vengano lasciate fare più cose da sola (view spoiler)[ se una persona viene allenata al combattimento perchè avrebbe bisogno di una guardia del corpo? Per lo stesso principio per cui il gentil sesso deve essere salvato? COME ON! (hide spoiler)].
