Thursday, 21 January 2016 / 2 Comments
Night Study by Maria V. Snyder
Title: Night StudyAuthor: Maria V Snyder
Publisher: Harlequin Teen Australia
Date of Publication: 25th January 2015
Source: Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley
My review of Shadow Study
Blurb:
Ever since being kidnapped from the Illiais Jungle as a child, Yelena Zaltana’s life has been fraught with peril. But the recent loss of her Soulfinding abilities has endangered her more than ever before. As she desperately searches for a way to reclaim her magic, her enemies are closing in, and neither Ixia nor Sitia are safe for her anymore. Especially since the growing discord between the two countries and the possibility of a war threatens everything Yelena holds dear.
Valek is determined to protect Yelena, but he’s quickly running out of options. The Commander suspects that his loyalties are divided, and he’s been keeping secrets from Valek...secrets that put him, Yelena and all their friends in terrible danger. As they uncover the various layers of the Commander’s mysterious plans, they realise it's far more sinister than they could have ever imagined.
Review:
I must admit I've struggled with this one a bit. I loved the original Study series, and really enjoyed the Glass series (although I do have some issues with it), and I'm thrilled that Yelena has more to her story. But... I found the first half of this book quite flat. It didn't grab me the way previous books in this world have. Shadow Study ended with quite a revelation, and much of the first half of Night Study is spent with Yelena wondering whether or not her suspicions about her loss of magic are correct. I felt it took quite a while for the action to get going.
I enjoyed the second half of the book much more, and I will keep reading, because I like the characters and the world and I want to see how it is all resolved, but I don't know if I'll rush to pick up the next one quite as quickly.
Again we have multiple points of view, including Valek, who has a revelation of his own in this installment.
There is a big confrontation brewing for the next book. Valek's loyalty to the Commander has been sorely tested, and whether they can salvage any relationship at all is yet to be seen.
If I did half ratings, this would be a 3.5. I enjoyed it, but it just lacked a little something for me. Whether that's to do with the timing of when I read it (in the read up to Christmas when things were crazy busy) or the book itself, I don't know.
I've mentioned before how although the books are published under Harlequin's teen imprint, the characters are now adults, dealing with very adult issues.
If you're not familiar with the series, do give the earlier books a go and make up your own mind about these later additions to the series.
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I've been debating on whether to read any of the other books that come after the original Study series, do you think I should? I don't know I just feel like I'm not really missing out on that much? Lovely review :)
ReplyDeletehttp://simplybookishthings.blogspot.com
I binge read the Glass series and then Shadow Study, which was a bit of a mistake as I was quite tired of the characters by the time I got to Shadow Study. That said, the books are really enjoyable and worth a read, maybe just not in the space of a week :)
DeleteOpal is the main character in the Glass series, and she and her family play quite a big role in Shadow Study, so it's worth reading them first, although you could get by without it, you just wouldn't have the full background.
If you're happy with where Yelena's story left off at the end of the first series, then leave it, but if you want to see how she develops with her new-found powers, and how she copes when she loses them, then do give these a read.
Thanks for stopping by and commenting :)