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A review by laughlinesandliterature
Shadow Study by Maria V. Snyder
4.0
* I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
Well this is a hard book to review. I’ve loved this whole series, and I really enjoyed Shadow Study for the most part. There were a few things that didn’t work for me, but first let me cover what I loved.
I loved Yelena and her stubbornness. I still can’t believe that she forgave some people as quickly as she did, but I can understand because these are people she HAS to trust. I liked this premise of Yelena’s magic being blocked, it’s an interesting concept for a world so full of magic and especially for Yelena who is like a super magic user. I also enjoyed the addition of Valek’s point of view, and even the flashbacks although in my ARC copy those were hard to differentiate from the regular passages. Valek’s side adds a wonderful dimension to the story, and I feel like it’s a better, more realized version with his side. I, of course, loved Ari and Janco, and I also really loved the addition of Onora.
What I didn’t like was all this nonsense with the Commander. I feel just as betrayed as the rest of the crew, because I believed in his fairness. I knew the Commander wasn’t a good person, but at least he always seemed straightforward and now in this book we’re starting to realize all the slimy, backhanded shenanigans he was up too. I don’t like that. I also don’t like the bringing characters back from the dead etc. A new villain would preferable, but I guess I can understand why this one works to the advantage of the book, it just wasn’t something I liked.
I did enjoy this book overall, although the little cliffhanger at the end annoyed me. This is NOT something I want this first book to end on, even though I probably should have seen this twist coming I just didn’t. I’d give this book 4 out of 5 stars. Maria V. Snyder’s writing is still superb it was just a little bit of the execution and basics that I didn’t totally like. This is something that may be cleaned up in the final copy that is actually published. I have a feeling though that this trilogy is going to be good though, and I can’t wait for the next one!
*This review was first posted to Moonlight Gleam Reviews http://moonlightgleam.com/2015/02/shadow-study-by-maria-v-snyder-review.html*
Well this is a hard book to review. I’ve loved this whole series, and I really enjoyed Shadow Study for the most part. There were a few things that didn’t work for me, but first let me cover what I loved.
I loved Yelena and her stubbornness. I still can’t believe that she forgave some people as quickly as she did, but I can understand because these are people she HAS to trust. I liked this premise of Yelena’s magic being blocked, it’s an interesting concept for a world so full of magic and especially for Yelena who is like a super magic user. I also enjoyed the addition of Valek’s point of view, and even the flashbacks although in my ARC copy those were hard to differentiate from the regular passages. Valek’s side adds a wonderful dimension to the story, and I feel like it’s a better, more realized version with his side. I, of course, loved Ari and Janco, and I also really loved the addition of Onora.
What I didn’t like was all this nonsense with the Commander. I feel just as betrayed as the rest of the crew, because I believed in his fairness. I knew the Commander wasn’t a good person, but at least he always seemed straightforward and now in this book we’re starting to realize all the slimy, backhanded shenanigans he was up too. I don’t like that. I also don’t like the bringing characters back from the dead etc. A new villain would preferable, but I guess I can understand why this one works to the advantage of the book, it just wasn’t something I liked.
I did enjoy this book overall, although the little cliffhanger at the end annoyed me. This is NOT something I want this first book to end on, even though I probably should have seen this twist coming I just didn’t. I’d give this book 4 out of 5 stars. Maria V. Snyder’s writing is still superb it was just a little bit of the execution and basics that I didn’t totally like. This is something that may be cleaned up in the final copy that is actually published. I have a feeling though that this trilogy is going to be good though, and I can’t wait for the next one!
*This review was first posted to Moonlight Gleam Reviews http://moonlightgleam.com/2015/02/shadow-study-by-maria-v-snyder-review.html*