Maria V. Snyder

As Yelena searches for the person whose poisoned arrow stripped her of her magic, Valek finds his job and life in danger as he attempts to broker peace in Ixia.

Shadow Study

Lack of communication troupe went to far. Ugh so annoying, we had the information each character needed from three different perspectives, it could have been shorter without this.

Mabel Palomera

Alexa Jade

Actual rating: 3.75 stars. 

That ending. 😳🎉

Madelynn snobl

3.75/5 

Great continuation of the story, it took me a while to catch on for the 6-8 year jump. But otherwise, I couldn't put it down !

Laura Kehoe

Originally published on The Book Unicorn

After Fire Study ended, I found myself seriously missing Yelena and the rest of the gang. So, it was such a happy surprise when I realized there were more books in this series. I have really enjoyed Maria V Snyder's books and Yelena is such a fantastic character. As you can imagine, I was pretty eager to read Shadow Study.

That being said, this book was a bit disappointing. The story was pretty good, although a little on the slow side. And the plot didn't seem to flow particularly well, especially with the flashbacks. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed what I learned in the flashbacks, but they seemed to have been put in rather randomly and didn't mesh well with the rest of the story. 

But, the characters were great as usual. I loved getting to see all of my favorites again and meeting some fascinating new ones. I could see some great character development and I'm still so invested in their lives that I really need to see what happens to them.

Overall, despite some complaints, I really did enjoy this book for the most part. I already have the second book checked out from the library and will definitely be delving into it shortly! If you enjoyed the previous books in this series, I would recommend giving this one a read.

Kelly Macquire

Review originally posted on my blog here- https://kelmacsbooks.wordpress.com/20...

So I’m not going to lie, I was very hesitant to read this book and took a bit of a gamble since I really didn’t like Fire Study of Magic Study… But I bought it anyway because of the multiple points of view in the hope that I would get some background info on Valek and Janco and Ari would actually appear…. And I was pleasantly surprised!!

I read this book in about 5 days and enjoyed it immensely. I am a big fan of multiple POV’s in books as I feel it gives you so much more depth not only into the character but into the plot as well. And this time was no difference, having not only Yelena tell the story but Valek and Janco gave you three completely different characters insights and feelings to make the novel rich with info which is what I feel was lacking in the two former books.

I really loved the plot of getting rid of Yelena’s magic as it made her more self aware and a bit more interesting to read about and there is minimal whining from her which made me very happy for that was something that annoyed me immensely in the previous books.

I also got MORE VALEK!!! So much more Valek which is what I really thought was missing in both Fire and Magic Study. We got childhood backstory which was so extremely interesting and then made who he is at the present time so much clearer. And to get his POV meant we got his inner thoughts of Yelena and to just validate that even though he puts his job first; he gets second thoughts and wants to rush to Yelena because he loves her so much and god, that did something to my heart every time he was conflicted like that.

And welcome back to my comedic relief Ari and Janco!! I missed you and your banter so much! Also the addition of Onora, another badass female character made me very happy and I enjoyed her input into the plot immensely… Although the constant calling her Little Miss Assassin grated my nerves ALOT…

 

And although I totally called the ending of this, I really really enjoyed this novel and I am very happy I gave this series another chance since now I am extremely excited to read the next one (especially because of how this one ended).

So if you were like me and were pretty let down with Fire and/or Magic Study and don’t know whether they should pick this one up, I suggest you should! You get more Yelena and Valek and you get more baddass fighting scenes and so much more Janco and Ari!!

Katerina Thorson

BLOG (LINK TO REVIEW): http://therealmof-books.blogspot.com/...


BOOKTUBE (LINK TO REVIES): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Inkg...


RATE: 4.5/5

FINISHED THIS BOOK 2 WEEKS AGO
GIVEN THIS BOOK BY THE AUTHOR FOR A HONEST REVIEW


 After finishing the Poison Study I always felt that there was more to the story. More to Valek and Yelena, more to Ixia and Sitia, more to Janco and Ari, just more in general. I hoped that Maria would create a spin off of Poison Study but had resigned myself because we all know that Authors rarely do such a thing. Just because they liked how they ended there novel. So when I found out that she was coming out with this new study, I freaked! I more than freaked, I was jumping off the wall with joy! I loved the story with Valek and Yelena so getting this opportunity to read this novel was the best thing in the whole world.

It has been 8 years since Yelena came into her powers and escaped the fire world. 8 years since she entered Valek's office to because the next taste tester, and 8 years since that fatal night. One would think that things would get easier, but with her being the liason between Ixia and Sitia, her life is anything but easy. Assassins around every corner, old villains returning, and powerful allies becoming potential threats.

Yelena, as always, captivated me. Her emotions always get the best of me; Snyder has created characters that capture your mind and your heart. They come to life before you; capturing your imagination in such a way, that you simply can not put the book down. Yelena has suffered many losses and hardships, one would think she would get a break. Unfortunately, Yelena has a bigger obstacle ahead - losing her magic. Yelena sets out on a journey to not only discover why her magic has abandoned her but to also track down an old enemy. She is left vulnerable and alone as Valek is back with the Commander. 

If you thought you knew Valek, well you might just find out more about him. The biggest thing I enjoy is that Shadow Study delves into Valek's past, a past that he rarely talks about. Old allies show up from out of no where and new allies walk right through the front door. He also has to deal with the Commanders wavering loyalty and wondering if he is keeping deep dark secrets. I love Valek. He is handsome, strong, and just plain awesome! Watching him and Yelena travel through life and grow as characters was simply beautiful!

Another reason why I loved this book so much was that it had three point of views: Yelena, Valek, and Janco's!!! Yes she wrote Janco's POV and I just fell in love with him all over again. It was just simply UGGHHH! 

The plot as always is complicated. You never know what happens next and that is the great thing! The ending...I will just say that...the ending my darlings was simply perfect. My ownly issue is the dry areas. There are a few dry areas that either needed to be spruced up or deleted. Which was not to bad to get through but it definitely needed some pushing. On a positive note BUY/RENT/BORROW this book. You will be blown away by the magic that is laced through the spine.



*This book was given to me by Maria V. Snyder to give an honest review, this whole review/rating is my own opinion and no ones else's.*

Giulia 

3.5 🌟

#stayhomereading - reading rush

Yelena e Valek sono stupendi 💚 
Non pensavo che questi personaggi mi avrebbero fatto lo stesso effetto di quanto ho letto il primo libro della serie (una delle prime letture in inglese, che ricordi 🥺), eppure così è stato. Dopo tanti anni Valek è rimasto un gran assassino figo e lui e Yelena sono troppo bellini 🥰
La trama è stata leggermente piatta, ma divertente e senza dei reali momenti morti. Negli ultimi capitoli si è ripreso un sacco, soprattutto nel finale. (view spoiler)[ baby Valek 💚💚💚 (hide spoiler)]

Also... abbiamo i pov di Valek! *_*

Lauren Robinson

Karen Hinh

Giulia Giacometti

New York Times bestselling author Maria V. Snyder wowed readers with Poison Study, the unforgettable story of poison taster Yelena. Now she's back with a new tale of intrigue. Once, only her own life hung in the balance... Oddly enough, when Yelena was a poison taster, her life was simpler. But she'd survived to become a vital part of the balance of power between rival countries Ixia and Sitia. Now she uses her magic to keep the peace in both lands--and protect her relationship with Valek. Suddenly, though, they are beset on all sides by those vying for power through politics and intrigue. Valek's job--and his life--are in danger. As Yelena tries to uncover the scope of these plots, she faces a new challenge: her magic is blocked. She must keep that a secret--or her enemies will discover just how vulnerable she really is--while searching for who or what is responsible for neutralizing her powers. Yes, the days of tasting poisons were much simpler. And certainly not as dangerous... Praise for Maria V. Snyder: "Doing full justice to the plot of this original and entertaining epic fantasy is impossible. Suffice it to say that the action is nonstop. The many characters leap to life, particularly Yelena, whose first-person narrative is riveting."--RT Book Reviews on Fire Study