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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
Firstly, I need to say a huge thank you to the publishers at Harlequin (UK) Limited for allowing me, via netgalley, access to this book early, and for also inviting me kindly to take part in the blog tour surrounding the release date. Unfortunately, I had to turn down that brilliant opportunity, along with going to my local book signing of this release by the author, due to real life commitments…the consequences of becoming a full time adult I guess.
Anyway, I won’t dwell, on the sadness, let’s move on to the cheerful stuff- YAY a book review! And not just any book review, but the review of the first in a new trilogy by Maria V Snyder in her popular “Study Series”, which has had thousands of fans chomping at the bit for more since the original trilogy ended with “Fire Study”. Ahhh, the happiness I felt when I discovered she was writing three new books in the series, you should have seen my reaction! But I’m here to actually talk about Shadow Study- as much as I can without giving spoilers away, so here I go.
We pick up nearly a decade after the whole series began with “Poison Study”, eight years after the original events of the first novel, and the whole motley crew is back in one piece, like the band of merry men…well, kind of, anyway. I did feel this book fell more in line with Magic Study and Fire Study, which I didn’t find to be as strong or intense as “Poison Study”, but still enjoyable nonetheless. Yelena is one of the most memorable female YA protagonists in the fantasy genre and that hasn’t let me down throughout the series at all. The book is exactly what it promises to be, a continuiation. It’s building up to events that will occur in the next two books, but it does so at a nice pace with enough intrigue to keep you turning the pages, with a couple of new characters along the way. I’m not entirely sure, however, you could pick this book up and entirely follow everything without having read the previous books, including those not in the original trilogy. While I read and loved the Study Series, I never did get around to picking up the two spin off trilogies (the Glass trilogy and the Healer trilogy.) I did struggle at some parts where there were strong references to events in those series, and while I could put two and two together, sometimes I got a little confused, which took away from my enjoyment of the book a bit.
While I did feel the story lagged a little at times, admittedly it was because I wanted the narrative to constantly stay with Yelena and Valek, but obviously that is a personal preference and a lot of people do love the secondary characters (sometimes more than the main ones!). While it isn’t my favourite in the series, it’s a solid sequel and it has definitely made me want to continue reading Snyder’s writing.
For more of my reviews, please visit thebookheap
http://thebookheap.wordpress.com
Anyway, I won’t dwell, on the sadness, let’s move on to the cheerful stuff- YAY a book review! And not just any book review, but the review of the first in a new trilogy by Maria V Snyder in her popular “Study Series”, which has had thousands of fans chomping at the bit for more since the original trilogy ended with “Fire Study”. Ahhh, the happiness I felt when I discovered she was writing three new books in the series, you should have seen my reaction! But I’m here to actually talk about Shadow Study- as much as I can without giving spoilers away, so here I go.
We pick up nearly a decade after the whole series began with “Poison Study”, eight years after the original events of the first novel, and the whole motley crew is back in one piece, like the band of merry men…well, kind of, anyway. I did feel this book fell more in line with Magic Study and Fire Study, which I didn’t find to be as strong or intense as “Poison Study”, but still enjoyable nonetheless. Yelena is one of the most memorable female YA protagonists in the fantasy genre and that hasn’t let me down throughout the series at all. The book is exactly what it promises to be, a continuiation. It’s building up to events that will occur in the next two books, but it does so at a nice pace with enough intrigue to keep you turning the pages, with a couple of new characters along the way. I’m not entirely sure, however, you could pick this book up and entirely follow everything without having read the previous books, including those not in the original trilogy. While I read and loved the Study Series, I never did get around to picking up the two spin off trilogies (the Glass trilogy and the Healer trilogy.) I did struggle at some parts where there were strong references to events in those series, and while I could put two and two together, sometimes I got a little confused, which took away from my enjoyment of the book a bit.
While I did feel the story lagged a little at times, admittedly it was because I wanted the narrative to constantly stay with Yelena and Valek, but obviously that is a personal preference and a lot of people do love the secondary characters (sometimes more than the main ones!). While it isn’t my favourite in the series, it’s a solid sequel and it has definitely made me want to continue reading Snyder’s writing.
For more of my reviews, please visit thebookheap
http://thebookheap.wordpress.com
I first read the Study series in mid-2013, and it took me up until about a fortnight ago when I saw Dawn Study in a book shop to realize that there was a SECOND series about Valek and Yelena. I was ridiculously excited and bought the whole series for my Kobo when I got home.
In all honest, I didn't really like Fire Study. I LOVED Poison Study, and Magic Study was pretty great too. But I found Fire Study was a bit... convoluted, and hard to follow. Choppy in parts. It was still an alright story overall, but not the best of them. So I went into Shadow Study both hesitant and excited.
I was not disappointed. I really enjoyed having the viewpoints of so many different characters, especially Valek. Actually, I think Valek had the best story in this book... even though Yelena had her magic blocked and had to deal with that. I have been wanting to know about Valek's assassin background since first reading that it existed, and this book finally satisfied that need. And did a really excellent job of it.
Yelena obviously had her own trials to go through, and it was pretty interesting seeing her try to piece together what had happened to her. Though I did eventually lose count of the shear number of people trying to kill her, so hopefully that will become clearer as I read Night Study. I also loved the new introduction - Onora. She's kick-ass, full of wit, and clearly very good at being an assassin. I hope I get a bit of her backstory soon too.
All in all, I enjoyed Shadow Study as much as I enjoyed Poison Study, and I'm really looking forward to reading the rest of the series. The bright side of not realising there was a second series until all of the books were out is that I didn't have an agonizing wait on the cliffhanger at the end of Shadow Study; instead I just stayed up and read the first 5 chapters of Night Study. Yay for catching on late.
In all honest, I didn't really like Fire Study. I LOVED Poison Study, and Magic Study was pretty great too. But I found Fire Study was a bit... convoluted, and hard to follow. Choppy in parts. It was still an alright story overall, but not the best of them. So I went into Shadow Study both hesitant and excited.
I was not disappointed. I really enjoyed having the viewpoints of so many different characters, especially Valek. Actually, I think Valek had the best story in this book... even though Yelena had her magic blocked and had to deal with that. I have been wanting to know about Valek's assassin background since first reading that it existed, and this book finally satisfied that need. And did a really excellent job of it.
Yelena obviously had her own trials to go through, and it was pretty interesting seeing her try to piece together what had happened to her. Though I did eventually lose count of the shear number of people trying to kill her, so hopefully that will become clearer as I read Night Study. I also loved the new introduction - Onora. She's kick-ass, full of wit, and clearly very good at being an assassin. I hope I get a bit of her backstory soon too.
All in all, I enjoyed Shadow Study as much as I enjoyed Poison Study, and I'm really looking forward to reading the rest of the series. The bright side of not realising there was a second series until all of the books were out is that I didn't have an agonizing wait on the cliffhanger at the end of Shadow Study; instead I just stayed up and read the first 5 chapters of Night Study. Yay for catching on late.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I love Poison Study and most of the books that followed.
I just couldn't get into this one - I know this is my fault, not the author's. I entered this world about 8 years ago, and I think I have just been out of it too long to follow this story or even really care much about it. This book relies so much on you remembering past storylines and prior interest in the characters that I just felt a bit lost and never got past the surface. I think if I were reading them all back-to-back, I would love the lack of in-depth re-cap and character development.
I also tried to listen to the audio version (I really wanted to love this!) and did not like the narrator at all. I can see how she would be other listeners' cup of tea, but I couldn't stand her voices, especially of the horses.
I just couldn't get into this one - I know this is my fault, not the author's. I entered this world about 8 years ago, and I think I have just been out of it too long to follow this story or even really care much about it. This book relies so much on you remembering past storylines and prior interest in the characters that I just felt a bit lost and never got past the surface. I think if I were reading them all back-to-back, I would love the lack of in-depth re-cap and character development.
I also tried to listen to the audio version (I really wanted to love this!) and did not like the narrator at all. I can see how she would be other listeners' cup of tea, but I couldn't stand her voices, especially of the horses.
This was not my favorite of the Snyder series. A few key reasons -- while I loved the characters initially, I felt this latest work didn't really tread new ground. Also, I found the ending to be predictable. Finally, I felt Snyder too often relied on "telling" rather than showing me the story as it unfolded.
If you’ve been curious about what happens next, look no further. Snyder totally delivers with Shadow Study and in fact ends the book on a note that had me wanting even more Yelena and Valek and the whole gang.
Read the rest of my review here
Read the rest of my review here
This book with its multiple povs was freaking awesome! It’s like most of the chapters ended with a cliffhanger and wanted you to keep reading!
And my favourite line would have to be about ‘the bulls and the bees’!!
And all the Valek backstory!! I freckin loved it!
This has to be one of my new all time favourite series!
And my favourite line would have to be about ‘the bulls and the bees’!!
And all the Valek backstory!! I freckin loved it!
This has to be one of my new all time favourite series!
I found out that this was a thing last year in 2013, and I was so excited!
Then I saw this again today and I realized that this is 2014. The book is possibly coming out THIS YEAR!!!!
I just really hope it's as good as the first three! The Study Series is one of my favorites and I really don't want to be let down! Granted, I'll probably read all three anyway, but it would be nice if they were just as good as the others. Please don't let me down!
UPDATE
JANUARY 2015?!?!
NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
UPDATE
4.5 stars
I'm so glad I wasn't let down! While Poison Study will always be my favorite in the series, I really enjoyed Shadow Study. I loved having multiple perspectives and they were very well done (I especially enjoyed learning about Valek's past and how he became an assassin). Each chapter would end in a cliffhanger and left me hungry for more. It was hard to put this book down! While many people have said that the book was fairly predictable, this wasn't the case with me. Having not read the other books for a while, I didn't remember most of the things that could have made this book predictable. Besides, I was just glad to be immersed in my favorite series again, instead of trying to predict what would happen, I just enjoyed myself and went along for the ride!
Thinking about this book from a critic's point of view, it wasn't the best book in the world, but I certainly enjoyed it and am excited for the next 2 books!
Then I saw this again today and I realized that this is 2014. The book is possibly coming out THIS YEAR!!!!
I just really hope it's as good as the first three! The Study Series is one of my favorites and I really don't want to be let down! Granted, I'll probably read all three anyway, but it would be nice if they were just as good as the others. Please don't let me down!
UPDATE
JANUARY 2015?!?!
NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
UPDATE
4.5 stars
I'm so glad I wasn't let down! While Poison Study will always be my favorite in the series, I really enjoyed Shadow Study. I loved having multiple perspectives and they were very well done (I especially enjoyed learning about Valek's past and how he became an assassin). Each chapter would end in a cliffhanger and left me hungry for more. It was hard to put this book down! While many people have said that the book was fairly predictable, this wasn't the case with me. Having not read the other books for a while, I didn't remember most of the things that could have made this book predictable. Besides, I was just glad to be immersed in my favorite series again, instead of trying to predict what would happen, I just enjoyed myself and went along for the ride!
Thinking about this book from a critic's point of view, it wasn't the best book in the world, but I certainly enjoyed it and am excited for the next 2 books!
3.5
First let me say that this book is probably more justifiably a 3-star, for me. That extra star up there is pretty much predicated on the basis of "Yay, Valek backstory!" That said, I do wish Snyder would've changed up the presentation of the backstory a bit. Basically, ever Valek chapter* was like, "Something happens which gets Valek reminiscing... and isn't it lucky that these reminiscences are in linear order and tell a full story... and, oh wait, wasn't I doing something?"
My biggest issue with the book is - Actually, there are two things:
1) Nothing much seems to actually happen in this book. There's no resolution of any kind. There's some intrigue and secrets, and some revelations which lead to more questions, and a cliffhangery fuckery of an ending, and it's pretty much all set-up and no resolution. (I honestly can't remember if the first book of the original Study trilogy was the same, but I'm thinking it was slightly more stand-aloneish. Or at least that there was some sense of resolution of something.)
2) Despite these books picking up several years after the original trilogy, Yelena's MO is pretty much unchanged. Meaning she still
Anyway -
That said, I still did enjoy the story, overall. A lot of this, aside from the yay backstory, is because I like these characters and this world from the original Study trilogy. (I never read the Glass trilogy.)
It's written in a way in which you could probably pick this up without reading the original trilogy and being able to sort of follow along with what's happening - but I really wouldn't recommend it. A lot of it felt like you were already meant to know these characters, and I think it would be jarring, not to mention undeveloped, for people who didn't already have that basis.
Also, there's totally spoilers for the other two trilogies, so reading them out of order would be no fun on that account. (As I said, I hadn't read the Glass trilogy, and I got enough of what happened in those stories to understand its relevance to this story, but I also felt like I was missing stuff - which I was.)
So, yeah, I would definitely consider this a continuation to Study and not really the beginning of a new, separate trilogy. (I've seen it sort of listed as both.)
And so - now I have to wait until next year for the release of the next book, and I'll probably be annoyed with it for being more set-up, because middle-of-trilogies are ugh. Damned sure I'm gonna be there to continue the story, though.
* This book switches between three POVs - Yelena's, which is still first person, Valek's and Janco's, which are both third person. I'd've preferred the whole thing to be third person, but I guess since the original trilogy was all first person from Yelena's perspective, I'll take what I can get. That said, while I loved Valek's POV stuff (yay backstory), I found Janco a bit more irritating as a perspective character than he already was normally.)
First let me say that this book is probably more justifiably a 3-star, for me. That extra star up there is pretty much predicated on the basis of "Yay, Valek backstory!" That said, I do wish Snyder would've changed up the presentation of the backstory a bit. Basically, ever Valek chapter* was like, "Something happens which gets Valek reminiscing... and isn't it lucky that these reminiscences are in linear order and tell a full story... and, oh wait, wasn't I doing something?"
My biggest issue with the book is - Actually, there are two things:
1) Nothing much seems to actually happen in this book. There's no resolution of any kind. There's some intrigue and secrets, and some revelations which lead to more questions, and a cliffhangery fuckery of an ending, and it's pretty much all set-up and no resolution. (I honestly can't remember if the first book of the original Study trilogy was the same, but I'm thinking it was slightly more stand-aloneish. Or at least that there was some sense of resolution of something.)
2) Despite these books picking up several years after the original trilogy, Yelena's MO is pretty much unchanged. Meaning she still
Spoiler
runs off half-cocked, gets herself in trouble, and then either gets released by the bad guys for plot reasons (i.e. "She's the protagonist, she has to survive), or she gets rescued in the Eleventh Hour.Anyway -
That said, I still did enjoy the story, overall. A lot of this, aside from the yay backstory, is because I like these characters and this world from the original Study trilogy. (I never read the Glass trilogy.)
It's written in a way in which you could probably pick this up without reading the original trilogy and being able to sort of follow along with what's happening - but I really wouldn't recommend it. A lot of it felt like you were already meant to know these characters, and I think it would be jarring, not to mention undeveloped, for people who didn't already have that basis.
Also, there's totally spoilers for the other two trilogies, so reading them out of order would be no fun on that account. (As I said, I hadn't read the Glass trilogy, and I got enough of what happened in those stories to understand its relevance to this story, but I also felt like I was missing stuff - which I was.)
So, yeah, I would definitely consider this a continuation to Study and not really the beginning of a new, separate trilogy. (I've seen it sort of listed as both.)
And so - now I have to wait until next year for the release of the next book, and I'll probably be annoyed with it for being more set-up, because middle-of-trilogies are ugh. Damned sure I'm gonna be there to continue the story, though.
* This book switches between three POVs - Yelena's, which is still first person, Valek's and Janco's, which are both third person. I'd've preferred the whole thing to be third person, but I guess since the original trilogy was all first person from Yelena's perspective, I'll take what I can get. That said, while I loved Valek's POV stuff (yay backstory), I found Janco a bit more irritating as a perspective character than he already was normally.)
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes