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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
Valek had learned that the best way to distribute information was to classify it as a secret.
I told myself that if this book had a kidnapping in it that it would automatically have a star taken from it as Snyder is way too prone to use this plot line in all of her books. One did happen, in the very end of the book but I was so ensnared in the story that in the end I couldn't take away a full star and I really rate this book as 4.5. Snyder has gotten better about the overabundance of kidnappings in her novels, with the last two I have read only have once each book. Still too many but better.
I loved getting back to Yelena in this third series set in Snyder's realms of Ixia and Sitia. While I liked Opal and many of the other characters in the Glass series, Yelena and Valek and Janco and Ari have a special place in my heart. This novel had many more POVs then her previous novels and I loved every one of them. Janco's in particular. Additionally there is a lot more information on Valek that I absolutely LOVED learning about. I do believe Snyder has to work on her gender ratios in her novels as there are significantly more men the women in them, dispute the apparent fact that woman are more likely to be magicians (a tidbit I re-learned after re-reading Magic Study recently).
Another thing that Snyder does well is showing us, not telling. Certain characters have certain traits and while Snyder, for example, tells us that Janco is an annoying twat, she also shows this to us. The characters that are good at certain skills are shown to be good at these skills. Snyder has gotten a bit better at subtle foreshadowing, but I still wasn't surprised at any of the plot twists. On one hand this is good as it means nothing really comes unexpected and unexplained from left field.
Snyder's novels are not perfect: there were some inconsistencies in this book as all her books have, but they are generally on things you would have to think hard about. The book was action packed and fast paced but also was slower at times then her other works and I got frustrated wondering how the different story lines were going to connect in the end; and they didn't connect until the very last minute.
I will say it is a good idea to read her short stories before you read this novel as things make more sense that way. Also while you don't need to read the Glass series to read this novel (for it to make sense) if you don't you will be spoiled for something that happens at the end of the last in that series.
This book really begins with lots of actions. One chapter and the reader is already in the heart of the story so I really enjoyed that. Plus, we don't only have Yelena and Valek points of view but also janco's and... this is very great. I really love that character, I think I will never tell that enough. The politics in this book became more complicated again and it sounds very promising for the rest of the trilogy.
So glad I re-read this. I had a few issues with the tense changes last time but once you get used to it it's fine.
I really really really wanted to love this book. The original Study series is in my top five trilogies of all time and Yelena is one of my favorite characters. But this book just felt like a cheap knockout to be perfectly honest.
What happened to the tough kickass Yelena who was always the underdog but came up kicking? There was way to little action in this book, it was mostly dialogue and yes we were introduced to a lot of mystery and things that will need to be solved. The commander plot was interesting as were the Valek flashbacks but honestly it all felt rather sloppily put together.
Yelena spent most of this book feeling miserable, and we didn't see a lot of her because of the rotating point of views and Valek spent most of it pining over Yelena and seeming really really old. It felt like both had lost their game. These two have been one of my book OTP's for over six years and know after reading this, I'm feeling king of meh about them. I felt very little throughout the entire book, I laughed maybe twice (both over Janco I think) and I much prefered Opal to Yelena in this (even though she's only in it a little) and this is saying something since the Glass books really didn't do it for me and I despised Opal until I re-read them last year. Onara was rather interesting, I paused somewhere along the way and thought that a story about her would be intriguing which again shows how lackluster the main one was. I paused quite a bit through reading this; mostly to cringe.
Also that ending. Gah! Ok, so I had sort of guessed it about halfway through but I was crossing my fingers and inwardly hoping that I was wrong. I was not. My first reaction after reading that last sentance was to get the book away from me. It was... maybe it's just me but it just doesn't make sense for those characters and well I'm really disappointed.
If this were any other book I'd probably give it two stars but I'm still attached to Yelana and the whole world so it gets that third star because I'm sentimental. I'll probably read the next one but it might take me a while. When this happened in Arcadia Bell it took me months to work up the nerve to read book four after the last page in the third one. Banishing the Dark sat on my shelves for months. Anyways I can hope Night Study will be better.
What happened to the tough kickass Yelena who was always the underdog but came up kicking? There was way to little action in this book, it was mostly dialogue and yes we were introduced to a lot of mystery and things that will need to be solved. The commander plot was interesting as were the Valek flashbacks but honestly it all felt rather sloppily put together.
Yelena spent most of this book feeling miserable, and we didn't see a lot of her because of the rotating point of views and Valek spent most of it pining over Yelena and seeming really really old. It felt like both had lost their game. These two have been one of my book OTP's for over six years and know after reading this, I'm feeling king of meh about them. I felt very little throughout the entire book, I laughed maybe twice (both over Janco I think) and I much prefered Opal to Yelena in this (even though she's only in it a little) and this is saying something since the Glass books really didn't do it for me and I despised Opal until I re-read them last year. Onara was rather interesting, I paused somewhere along the way and thought that a story about her would be intriguing which again shows how lackluster the main one was. I paused quite a bit through reading this; mostly to cringe.
Also that ending. Gah! Ok, so I had sort of guessed it about halfway through but I was crossing my fingers and inwardly hoping that I was wrong. I was not. My first reaction after reading that last sentance was to get the book away from me. It was... maybe it's just me but it just doesn't make sense for those characters and well I'm really disappointed.
If this were any other book I'd probably give it two stars but I'm still attached to Yelana and the whole world so it gets that third star because I'm sentimental. I'll probably read the next one but it might take me a while. When this happened in Arcadia Bell it took me months to work up the nerve to read book four after the last page in the third one. Banishing the Dark sat on my shelves for months. Anyways I can hope Night Study will be better.
Ehhhhhhhh. Darn. Feeling in the mood to rant, so here we go...
The Poison Study and Glass trilogies were inventive, different, and fun. I enjoyed my reads and found the characters and the world fascinating. The stories really built on each other, raising the stakes (albeit just slightly) each time. While I had a few problems with these first books, I was excited to see how the Soulfinders trilogy could expand on the world even more.... and I was extremely let down. :/
First of all, this book was written with such a strange, choppy writing style. I was initially excited to get to read from Valek, Yelena, and Janco, but found the transitions between each to be really jarring. It felt like 3 separate books published together in a sporadic, strange order. I think each of these perspectives could've been published as their own novellas.
As for the individual POVs themselves--Valek's backstory was woven throughout and, while interesting, it did NOT flow. I often had to turn back pages to remind myself if I was in the past or present. This material should have been a prequel or an extra book rather than included within a larger storyline. The rest of his POV was pretty minimal and could have been left out.
Janco's POV was... boring. I didn't care one iota about him this time around.
Yelena's storyline had the most intrigue, but there wasn't enough momentum toward solving her mystery in this book and I ultimately felt bored. Plus, it was SO similar to Opal's story, it felt very unoriginal, and the "OMG PLOT TWIST" at the end was sooooooooooo predictable and cheap and lame and annoying and I called it from the beginning.
Additionally, the humor in this book was a huge eye-roll and SO not funny. Leif likes food. We get it. It's not funny 200 times. It's hardly funny once. Janco's rhymes are old and tired. He's a lovable dork but I felt like I was being forced to like him... which made me hate him.
My biggest complaint is that this book felt repetitive and stale. I feel like the first 6 books had stories that built on each other, but were kind of smaller-stakes plots. They did a good job of setting up the world, though, and due to that I was really hoping for some bigger stakes in this book. A war, some government overthrowing, big assassin/magician battles, something more than one single person getting targeted (yet again) and having to go on a journey by themselves to figure it out. I'm aware that this COULD happen in the next two books, but I don't have a lot of optimism about it.
The characters here all felt pretty settled in their lives and jobs, and once they get through this challenge they'll just get through another (extremely similar) one. Makes me think they're not learning much since they just keep getting kidnapped and attacked in the same ways. HA! There's opportunity for character growth, but everyone is written in a stagnant way that makes it uninteresting and bland.
The fact that Snyder herself says in the acknowledgements that she felt satisfied with Yelena and Valek's conclusion after Fire Study and hadn't planned to write more about them until fans begged her to... it really showed in this book. I've been struggling to find the words to describe the overall feeling I had while reading, but the word I can firmly use is: FORCED. The whole thing felt forced and did not flow and I just didn't care. There are two more books to read in this series, but I BARELY made it through this one and can't continue at this point... maybe someday, but I don't have much hope in the sequels.
Two stars because I only give one star to books I truly despise, and this wasn't a hate read. More just like a snooze fest with a few interesting moments. Also, two stars because I'm nice? (although maybe that's not accurate after this ranty "review". Lolzzzzz).
Now, if you made it all the way to this point, bravo. Let me say-the first 6 books (Study 1-3 and Glass 1-3) were quite good and you can read those and feel satisfied. I think she should've stopped there. The end.
The Poison Study and Glass trilogies were inventive, different, and fun. I enjoyed my reads and found the characters and the world fascinating. The stories really built on each other, raising the stakes (albeit just slightly) each time. While I had a few problems with these first books, I was excited to see how the Soulfinders trilogy could expand on the world even more.... and I was extremely let down. :/
First of all, this book was written with such a strange, choppy writing style. I was initially excited to get to read from Valek, Yelena, and Janco, but found the transitions between each to be really jarring. It felt like 3 separate books published together in a sporadic, strange order. I think each of these perspectives could've been published as their own novellas.
As for the individual POVs themselves--Valek's backstory was woven throughout and, while interesting, it did NOT flow. I often had to turn back pages to remind myself if I was in the past or present. This material should have been a prequel or an extra book rather than included within a larger storyline. The rest of his POV was pretty minimal and could have been left out.
Janco's POV was... boring. I didn't care one iota about him this time around.
Yelena's storyline had the most intrigue, but there wasn't enough momentum toward solving her mystery in this book and I ultimately felt bored. Plus, it was SO similar to Opal's story, it felt very unoriginal, and the "OMG PLOT TWIST" at the end was sooooooooooo predictable and cheap and lame and annoying and I called it from the beginning.
Additionally, the humor in this book was a huge eye-roll and SO not funny. Leif likes food. We get it. It's not funny 200 times. It's hardly funny once. Janco's rhymes are old and tired. He's a lovable dork but I felt like I was being forced to like him... which made me hate him.
My biggest complaint is that this book felt repetitive and stale. I feel like the first 6 books had stories that built on each other, but were kind of smaller-stakes plots. They did a good job of setting up the world, though, and due to that I was really hoping for some bigger stakes in this book. A war, some government overthrowing, big assassin/magician battles, something more than one single person getting targeted (yet again) and having to go on a journey by themselves to figure it out. I'm aware that this COULD happen in the next two books, but I don't have a lot of optimism about it.
The characters here all felt pretty settled in their lives and jobs, and once they get through this challenge they'll just get through another (extremely similar) one. Makes me think they're not learning much since they just keep getting kidnapped and attacked in the same ways. HA! There's opportunity for character growth, but everyone is written in a stagnant way that makes it uninteresting and bland.
The fact that Snyder herself says in the acknowledgements that she felt satisfied with Yelena and Valek's conclusion after Fire Study and hadn't planned to write more about them until fans begged her to... it really showed in this book. I've been struggling to find the words to describe the overall feeling I had while reading, but the word I can firmly use is: FORCED. The whole thing felt forced and did not flow and I just didn't care. There are two more books to read in this series, but I BARELY made it through this one and can't continue at this point... maybe someday, but I don't have much hope in the sequels.
Two stars because I only give one star to books I truly despise, and this wasn't a hate read. More just like a snooze fest with a few interesting moments. Also, two stars because I'm nice? (although maybe that's not accurate after this ranty "review". Lolzzzzz).
Now, if you made it all the way to this point, bravo. Let me say-the first 6 books (Study 1-3 and Glass 1-3) were quite good and you can read those and feel satisfied. I think she should've stopped there. The end.
Let's read more aboit Yelena and the gang, shall we?!
Short Review Cause I should be Studying:
It was so weird to be in Yelena's head after reading all 3 of Opal's books in a row. I was so used to her and was expecting to be with Opal again. Weird? I know right! Anyway, I loved being back with Yelena, she's always a fun narrating, but I feel like this wasn't as captivating because she literally lost her magic. She's still a badass, but vulnerable and less confident.
I really enjoyed reading Valek's and Janco's perspectives. Janco's such a clown and it was nice to laugh when Yelena was kind of sad for most of the book. This book did feel a bit slow compared to the others, but I still really enjoyed it and I definitely saw the cliffhanger in the end coming the second time through. Can't wait to see what happens in the next one!
It was so weird to be in Yelena's head after reading all 3 of Opal's books in a row. I was so used to her and was expecting to be with Opal again. Weird? I know right! Anyway, I loved being back with Yelena, she's always a fun narrating, but I feel like this wasn't as captivating because she literally lost her magic. She's still a badass, but vulnerable and less confident.
I really enjoyed reading Valek's and Janco's perspectives. Janco's such a clown and it was nice to laugh when Yelena was kind of sad for most of the book. This book did feel a bit slow compared to the others, but I still really enjoyed it and I definitely saw the cliffhanger in the end coming the second time through. Can't wait to see what happens in the next one!
THE ENDING GUYSSSSS. I AM SO HAPPY.
I love the world this series is set in and with every new book in the series, it just doesn't disappoint! I loved the two new additional points of view in this book and it is probably one of my favourite books with multiple points of view as Maria V Snyder weaved the stories together and is brilliant at writing as different characters. I also loved that this book in the series gave us Valek's back story of how me became the King Killer and helped in the takeover of Ixia with the Commander.
Maria V Snyder still manages to make every chapter end on a cliff hanger and that is why I love this books so much, they are so fast paced and I get through them so quickly. The new plot twists I enjoyed too as they are believable and it is nice to see how the characters have developed in the four year gap from Fire Study to Shadow Study.
I will definitely be picking up the next one when it come out (which is soooon, so excited!!).
I love the world this series is set in and with every new book in the series, it just doesn't disappoint! I loved the two new additional points of view in this book and it is probably one of my favourite books with multiple points of view as Maria V Snyder weaved the stories together and is brilliant at writing as different characters. I also loved that this book in the series gave us Valek's back story of how me became the King Killer and helped in the takeover of Ixia with the Commander.
Maria V Snyder still manages to make every chapter end on a cliff hanger and that is why I love this books so much, they are so fast paced and I get through them so quickly. The new plot twists I enjoyed too as they are believable and it is nice to see how the characters have developed in the four year gap from Fire Study to Shadow Study.
I will definitely be picking up the next one when it come out (which is soooon, so excited!!).