Storm Glass by Maria V Snyder
This picks up a few years after the end of Fire Study, with Opal as the main character. She's in her final year as a student and she's generally dissatisfied with life as the "One-Trick-Wonder." But things change quickly enough. The Storm Dancers' orbs are shattering and she's called to check them out. There, she meets Kade, the delicious but conflicted head of the Strom Dancers.
There are a lot of weird romance-type things going on in this book. There's Opal and Kade. They have a crazy attraction but he's still unable to commit to anything because of his grieving for his lost sister (a Storm Dancer who died when her orb exploded). Then there's the weird attraction between her and Blue Eyes (later known as Devlan). And lastly, there's Ulrick. Honestly, he's the most annoying of the bunch with his overbearing protectiveness and whiny tendencies.
And Opal gets kidnapped. A lot. It almost presses the realm of believability except for the fact that her "one trick" (making glass messengers that act as communication devices for magicians) is so sought after.
But Opal is amazing. She's a great character and I was rooting for her the entire way. The crap she goes through (kidnapping, torture, more kidnapping) would be enough to make a lesser person break. But not her. She keeps her optimism throughout the entire book.
And, of course, Ms. Snyder's writing is superb. All in all, this book was great and I highly recommend it. 8/10