#42 Storm Glass by Maria V Snyder
One of the nicest surprises in fantasy in the past few years has been Maria Snyder’s Study series. Both Poison Study, and its sequel, 
Magic Study, are well paced, character driven stories, filled with action, magic and just enough romance. Even though Fire Study was a couple steps down, it was still quite an enjoyable read. This year, Snyder brings us back to the lands of Sitia and Ixia but not through the eyes of Yelena again. Our protagonist is Opal Cowen, the glassmaker last seen in Fire Study. Now, four years later, Opal is suffering from self esteem issues while studying in the keep. Despite her heroic role in Fire Study and her creation of glass messengers (think magical cell phones made of glass), no other magic abilities have emerged. She is bullied by other students, especially the talented Pazia, who label her as nothing more than a one trick wonder, and are jealous of her friendship with Yelana. Opal will need a more than a little self confidence if she’s to survive her upcoming adventures. The Stormdancers, people with the ability to funnel dangerous storms into glass orbs, are suffering when their glass spheres are malfunctioning, resulting in the death of two Stormdancers. They look to the Keep for help, and Opal is sent along due to her abilities as a glass blower.
Snyder does a great job in making Opal’s voice different from past protagonist Yelena. Her self esteem issues I feel make her very relatable, especially to young adult readers (like the Study series, this is being marketed to both adults and young adults). Since Mira books is an imprint of Harlequin, Storm Glass also presents romantic side stories. The romance seems a little stronger than the Study series but I was happy to see that it did not overwhelm the main plot, which involves not only the Stormdancers, but an illegal diamond trade as well. There does seem to be a lot going on in the plot, but for most of the book Snyder handles the multiple storylines well. She stumbles a bit between the middle and ending part of the book. There is an incredibly awkward transition, and the book suffers for a bit. Fortunately, things really pick up again when you get to the suspenseful (and sometimes disturbing) ending.
This is the first time that I experienced a Maria Snyder book as an audiobook. The narrator, Jennifer Van Dyck, at times does not feel age appropriate for nineteen year old Opal, but she does a good job at presenting the story in a clear in effective manner.
Although Storm Glass doesn’t quite match the quality found in Poison Study and Magic Study, I found I actually enjoyed it more than Snyder’s most recent book, Fire Study. I was happy to see that a sequel, Sea Glass, is not only planned but coming out in a matter of months!
Rating: Four and a half stars
Length: the print version is 448 pages
Source: theaudiolibrary
TBR Pile: 144 books
Similar Books: Opals magic here is based in glassmaking and in glass- for other fantasy book that focus on magic based in craftwork, try Tamora Pierce’s Circle of Magic books.
Other books I've read by this author: Poison Study, Magic Study, Fire Study
xposted to bookish and temporaryworlds
Magic Study, are well paced, character driven stories, filled with action, magic and just enough romance. Even though Fire Study was a couple steps down, it was still quite an enjoyable read. This year, Snyder brings us back to the lands of Sitia and Ixia but not through the eyes of Yelena again. Our protagonist is Opal Cowen, the glassmaker last seen in Fire Study. Now, four years later, Opal is suffering from self esteem issues while studying in the keep. Despite her heroic role in Fire Study and her creation of glass messengers (think magical cell phones made of glass), no other magic abilities have emerged. She is bullied by other students, especially the talented Pazia, who label her as nothing more than a one trick wonder, and are jealous of her friendship with Yelana. Opal will need a more than a little self confidence if she’s to survive her upcoming adventures. The Stormdancers, people with the ability to funnel dangerous storms into glass orbs, are suffering when their glass spheres are malfunctioning, resulting in the death of two Stormdancers. They look to the Keep for help, and Opal is sent along due to her abilities as a glass blower.
Snyder does a great job in making Opal’s voice different from past protagonist Yelena. Her self esteem issues I feel make her very relatable, especially to young adult readers (like the Study series, this is being marketed to both adults and young adults). Since Mira books is an imprint of Harlequin, Storm Glass also presents romantic side stories. The romance seems a little stronger than the Study series but I was happy to see that it did not overwhelm the main plot, which involves not only the Stormdancers, but an illegal diamond trade as well. There does seem to be a lot going on in the plot, but for most of the book Snyder handles the multiple storylines well. She stumbles a bit between the middle and ending part of the book. There is an incredibly awkward transition, and the book suffers for a bit. Fortunately, things really pick up again when you get to the suspenseful (and sometimes disturbing) ending.
This is the first time that I experienced a Maria Snyder book as an audiobook. The narrator, Jennifer Van Dyck, at times does not feel age appropriate for nineteen year old Opal, but she does a good job at presenting the story in a clear in effective manner.
Although Storm Glass doesn’t quite match the quality found in Poison Study and Magic Study, I found I actually enjoyed it more than Snyder’s most recent book, Fire Study. I was happy to see that a sequel, Sea Glass, is not only planned but coming out in a matter of months!
Rating: Four and a half stars
Length: the print version is 448 pages
Source: theaudiolibrary
TBR Pile: 144 books
Similar Books: Opals magic here is based in glassmaking and in glass- for other fantasy book that focus on magic based in craftwork, try Tamora Pierce’s Circle of Magic books.
Other books I've read by this author: Poison Study, Magic Study, Fire Study
xposted to bookish and temporaryworlds