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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
I love this story. I love the characters and Poison Study has been a great discovery for 2016. The story in Shadow Study is solid, interesting, intense, and has a little twist (though I saw it coming a mile away). So why the low rating?
The editing.
The way this book is edited highlights a peeve of mine which I know others share as I have discussed it with them. I am not an editor and not a grammar guru, but I am a reader. As such, awkward sentence structures are distracting and take away from the my reading experience. That said, if you can read this dialogue (completely made up by me), then this book shouldn't be a difficult read:
"You've a solution?"
"Yes, and I've every reason to think it will work," he said.
If " 've " is an acceptable way of saying "have" in written word and is not distracting for you, this book will read just fine. For me, it's a peeve that I just cannot seem to get over. I know it might seem petty and I know that it's a pretty silly thing to give a book such a low rating for, especially since I admit to liking it and I don't even know if it's acceptable grammar (if anyone does know, please let me know in a comment). However, it was way too distracting for me to read and I would be embarrassed recommending it to my well-read friends because of the grammar.
The editing.
The way this book is edited highlights a peeve of mine which I know others share as I have discussed it with them. I am not an editor and not a grammar guru, but I am a reader. As such, awkward sentence structures are distracting and take away from the my reading experience. That said, if you can read this dialogue (completely made up by me), then this book shouldn't be a difficult read:
"You've a solution?"
"Yes, and I've every reason to think it will work," he said.
If " 've " is an acceptable way of saying "have" in written word and is not distracting for you, this book will read just fine. For me, it's a peeve that I just cannot seem to get over. I know it might seem petty and I know that it's a pretty silly thing to give a book such a low rating for, especially since I admit to liking it and I don't even know if it's acceptable grammar (if anyone does know, please let me know in a comment). However, it was way too distracting for me to read and I would be embarrassed recommending it to my well-read friends because of the grammar.
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I’m glad we got some more information about the takeover, but I wish that was just in a prequel because the dual timeline meant that not much happened in the present until the very end. I feel like the Commander’s betrayal was not explored enough as everything was revealed in the last 40 pages. It should have caused more of an emotional impact but it was sort of glazed over. However, I did like that we got to hear from the POV of different characters.
I don’t see how the series will continue to be interesting for another two books and I fear this will end up another one of those series that continues past its natural ending.
I know this isn’t a big deal but I also hated the random pregnancy reveal thrown in right at the end
I don’t see how the series will continue to be interesting for another two books and I fear this will end up another one of those series that continues past its natural ending.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I always try to have a positive spin on my reviews, but I'm struggling a bit with this one. The things I loved in the first 3 books have been repeated so often at this point that they're...beige. They're not bad, but I'm definitely not getting the same level of enjoyment out of them, and there aren't enough new twists to keep me entertained.
As much as I love Valek and Yelena, I'm ready for a nice happy ending, but each book seems to end in the same place and the prior one...just before a happy ending. And before the happy ending gets here, another major problem occurs.
At this point it's pretty much a guarantee that Yelena will be kidnapped at least twice per book and at the last minute she and Valek will put together enough pieces to defeat the undefeatable villain of the current story.
Some of the side characters are beginning to feel flat. They should have learned or grown in at least some ways by now. We're 4 books into Yelena's story with an entire trilogy in the middle.
I did enjoy some of the new characters and look forward to seeing how they switch things up.
While I want to see where Yelena and Valek's story ends, I don't know if I'll reread this one in the future.
As much as I love Valek and Yelena, I'm ready for a nice happy ending, but each book seems to end in the same place and the prior one...just before a happy ending. And before the happy ending gets here, another major problem occurs.
At this point it's pretty much a guarantee that Yelena will be kidnapped at least twice per book and at the last minute she and Valek will put together enough pieces to defeat the undefeatable villain of the current story.
Some of the side characters are beginning to feel flat. They should have learned or grown in at least some ways by now. We're 4 books into Yelena's story with an entire trilogy in the middle.
I did enjoy some of the new characters and look forward to seeing how they switch things up.
While I want to see where Yelena and Valek's story ends, I don't know if I'll reread this one in the future.
Gaaaawwwd, war das geil!
Ich hoffe so sehr, dass sich das mit dem Commander wieder einrenkt, ich mag ihn nicht als "Bösen" haben, ich mag seinen Charakter eigentlich sehr!
Und ich will Valeks Reaktion wissen!!! Jetzt SOFORT!
Valeks Geschichte war ja mal geil :D
Ich hoffe so sehr, dass sich das mit dem Commander wieder einrenkt, ich mag ihn nicht als "Bösen" haben, ich mag seinen Charakter eigentlich sehr!
Und ich will Valeks Reaktion wissen!!! Jetzt SOFORT!
Valeks Geschichte war ja mal geil :D
I received a copy in exchange for an honest review
It's been a long time ago since I read Maria v Snyder her study series and I have to admit I was a bit wary when I heard she was writing more books in the series, but I also was excited and when I saw Shadow Study on netgalley I just couldn't resist requesting a copy. After reading Shadow Study I can only say that I am really happy Maria decided to revisit this world. I didn't realize how much I had missed it and it was so fun to be back in Ixia and Sitia.
This story is told form multiple point of views, we get Janco, Valek and Yelena her point of view and this way of telling the story really worked. Then with Valek his point of view we also get flashbacks to his past and it was awesome learning more about his past and how he became an assassin. Janco his point of view was also fun, although I keep having trouble keeping Ari and Janco apart it did got easier as the book progressed. Shadow Study delivers in the same style we've come to expect from this author, a solid story and mystery. There are some predictable parts and a few chapters felt a bit slow, but also some twists and turns which managed to surprise me. The main storyline get's wrapped up, but there are still enough loose ends for later books.
All the characters are so familiar that they almost feel like friends. It was fun to read about these characters again. Even Opal and Devlen make an appearance and play a role in this story. Ofcourse the story focussed on Yelena, Valek and Janco, but the side characters play an important role as well. We also meet a new interesting character and I can't wait to learn more about her. There were some fun scenes between Yelena and Valek and you get a feel for their relationship, but most of the story they spend apart. I really like all the characters in this series and it was nice to read about them again.
There isn't a lot of world building, which is to be expected in a later book in a series, but there are things that change in the world and things we didn't know added. Also even though I didn't re-read the first three books, it was easy to get back into this world and there was enough recap for me not to feel lost.
To conclude: Shadow Study is a great addition to this series! I enjoyed the story and learning more about Valek his past and being back in this world was amazing. This was a comfortable read, but there are no big surprised, although there are some surprising twists and turns towards the end of the book. All in all I am happy to revisit this world and characters and hope Maria writes more books in this world!
It's been a long time ago since I read Maria v Snyder her study series and I have to admit I was a bit wary when I heard she was writing more books in the series, but I also was excited and when I saw Shadow Study on netgalley I just couldn't resist requesting a copy. After reading Shadow Study I can only say that I am really happy Maria decided to revisit this world. I didn't realize how much I had missed it and it was so fun to be back in Ixia and Sitia.
This story is told form multiple point of views, we get Janco, Valek and Yelena her point of view and this way of telling the story really worked. Then with Valek his point of view we also get flashbacks to his past and it was awesome learning more about his past and how he became an assassin. Janco his point of view was also fun, although I keep having trouble keeping Ari and Janco apart it did got easier as the book progressed. Shadow Study delivers in the same style we've come to expect from this author, a solid story and mystery. There are some predictable parts and a few chapters felt a bit slow, but also some twists and turns which managed to surprise me. The main storyline get's wrapped up, but there are still enough loose ends for later books.
All the characters are so familiar that they almost feel like friends. It was fun to read about these characters again. Even Opal and Devlen make an appearance and play a role in this story. Ofcourse the story focussed on Yelena, Valek and Janco, but the side characters play an important role as well. We also meet a new interesting character and I can't wait to learn more about her. There were some fun scenes between Yelena and Valek and you get a feel for their relationship, but most of the story they spend apart. I really like all the characters in this series and it was nice to read about them again.
There isn't a lot of world building, which is to be expected in a later book in a series, but there are things that change in the world and things we didn't know added. Also even though I didn't re-read the first three books, it was easy to get back into this world and there was enough recap for me not to feel lost.
To conclude: Shadow Study is a great addition to this series! I enjoyed the story and learning more about Valek his past and being back in this world was amazing. This was a comfortable read, but there are no big surprised, although there are some surprising twists and turns towards the end of the book. All in all I am happy to revisit this world and characters and hope Maria writes more books in this world!
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Wow, it was really Short. And that hangover, and us waiting a year....
Predictable and ended in a horridly obvious cliffhanger. Definitely not up to par with the first three books in the Chronicles of Ixia.