Snyder, Maria V.: Storm Glass
Storm Glass (2009)
Written by: Maria V. Snyder
Genre: Romantic Fantasy
Pages: 488
If you've been reading this journal for any length of time, you know that 1) I enjoy Maria Snyder's books and 2) that I actually know her through my graduate school program. She'd have to do something pretty darn atrocious for me to NOT pick up one of her books, so is it any surprise I picked up her latest and devoured it? No, I didn't think so.
The premise: Opal Cowan is known as the glass magician. What she once considered as little glass statuettes of animals actually have magic gleaming inside of them, and her ability also allows anyone with these statuettes to communicate over long distances, much like we do with cell phones. ;) But while Opal's contributions are useful in the magical community, she's a failure in every other magical sense of the word. When her glass-blowing expertise is requested to help the Stormdancer clan, she can't believe it, and soon finds herself drawn to a world where Stormdancers harness the energy and power of a storm into glass orbs, orbs that are suddenly breaking during use and killing the Stormdancer. Opal's got to figure out why this is happening, and in doing so, she'll uncover more power than she ever dreamed of, and more power than she ever wanted.
Characters: I've got to give Snyder credit, and I don't think bias influences my observation. She's crafted likable but flawed characters in this book. I never paid too much attention to her characterization in the Study series, but here I did. Opal has a talent that she constantly downplays, not because she's humble, but because she truly doesn't believe it's worth anything. Any accomplishment she has she brushes off because she thinks she discovered something on accident or she wasn't heroic in making something happen. I like the fact she has esteem issues. It makes her realistic and human and sets her up to make mistakes. The supporting cast also feels pretty well-rounded. Kade is an intriguing character with your typical, moody anger issues, but you feel sympathy for him because he lost his (twin? I never knew for certain) sister. This causes him to push away the people he loves or has the potential to love, just as we learn Opal has (due to the events that took place in the Study books). Ulrick is an artist whose work is never appreciated by anyone, not even his family, and he hungers for something to make him stand out and make him special. His protectiveness of Opal borders on touching and insane, and it's meant to, as Opal's not only struggling to figure out her feelings for him, but she's also trying to find a confidence in herself, something that's hard to do when Ulrick is constantly telling her that she can't trust anyone, that she shouldn't be alone. Of course she shouldn't: she's the victim of multiple and various attacks. You can't blame anyone for wanting to protect her, nor can you blame her for wanting to find ways to protect herself.
The rest of the supporting case is enjoyable, and I liked the cameos of Yelena (it was fun to see her finally through someone else's eyes), Leif, and Ari and Janco. Love those last two to bits. They're the most fun characters of this world. Oh! Almost forgot: I was surprised at how interested I became in Pazia (she seems like such a stereotypical snot at first!) and I can't wait to see how she develops, and Devlin's character also interested me in that he, too, seems to transcend the stereotype, just a bit.
Setting: For the most part, I don't have any trouble visualizing the world, but whether that's a credit to the author or because I've now read four books that take place in the world, I can't say. It's a familiar and fun place to come back to, and I liked learning more about the surrounding territories. Of all the new ones introduced, the Cliffs were the best described and most vivid. The others tended to bleed together as cities/villages/towns, without any real character to differentiate them. Then again, I do read fast, so I'm not looking for anything either.
World-Building: If there's one thing that makes me uneasy in these books, it's the odd mix of medieval life with modern convenience. I'm never really, fully comfortable with what by all rights appears to be a medieval-esque world because there's all kinds of nifty and modern-like things popping up. The mention of alcohol to clean wounds, and not out of a drinking gourd, is just one example, and I'm drawing a blank on the others. Crap, sorry about that. But if you've read these books, I think you'll know what I mean. While Snyder's world isn't steampunk by any sense of the world, there's a certain level of modernity that permeates the world-building, and sometimes, it's a little unsettling.
Voice: Perhaps it's unsettling due to the fact that the narrative voice itself is so modern. I'll give Snyder credit in that Opal's voice sounded, to me, very different from Yelena's voice, and that's a great thing. Opal does a great job in using her worldview and experience to describe what's going on around her, or what's going on within. This comes out in dialogue and becomes a running joke between Opal and Kade, as she uses glass-blowing analogies, and he uses weather analogies. But getting back to the unsettling element, the voice is almost TOO modern. Ulrich, when learning he's borrowed a Sandseed horse meant for the Commander, says, "I'm in deep-shit." That's not an exact quote, but he does use the phrase "deep-shit," which made me laugh even as it threw me right out of the book. On one hand, I like Snyder's use of the modern voice. It's fun and it keeps the pages turning and the humor fresh; on the other hand, sometimes it creates that unsettling experience that wars with the medieval-yet-slightly-modern setting. It is what it is, though while I've always maintained that Snyder's Study books could easily be marketed to a YA audience (and they are, now), this is the first time I've read her book thinking that perhaps it shouldn't be marketed in the romance or fantasy genres at all. That perhaps, due to the ease of the voice and the issues the heroine deals with, Snyder's work should start in the YA shelves. It's just a thought.
Plot: Snyder surprised me. While the plot still hasn't completely SETTLED in my head (if you were to ask me to REALLY summarize it, I'd be up shit's creek), I really like how Snyder surprised me by linking the Stormdancer plot to the black market diamonds plot to a certain plot that shall remain nameless but is a part of the Study trilogy. The latter was what really surprised me, and I was really pleased with that development. Not that everything fits together perfectly, but it works well enough for me to be impressed, and it's a good thing the sequel, Sea Glass comes out in September, because I really want to know how the events of the climax will determine Opal's fate.
One thing I will say, in regards to plot, is that I don't feel readers unfamiliar with the Study books should pick this up cold turkey. Opal was a supporting character in Magic Study and Fire Study, and the events that happened in those books are constantly referenced here. At first, I was rather annoyed, because this was OPAL'S story and I didn't want to keep hearing about Yelena. However, some of those elements do come into play in terms of Opal's character growth and the plot, so I'll forgive them for popping up. That said, the backstory isn't woven seamlessly, and it felt a little dumpy. Maybe someone who ISN'T so familiar with the Study books won't have the same problem I did, but until I hear otherwise, I'm going to maintain that this isn't so much a new trilogy as it is a fourth book in a series that features a new POV.
Romance: it's here. In fact, Opal is quite popular among the guys in this book, save for those who are already taken (like Leif) or are best friends (Ari and Janco). It's a little Mary Sue-ish in that regard, though the third party who's interested in her is, well, interesting in his offer, and trust me, you'll know it when you see it. I think in the end Opal made the right and more romantically exciting choice, but her troubles aren't over either, and that's another reason I'm looking forward to the second book.
Nitpicks: The clan names as last names REALLY GOT TO ME this go around. Maybe I just wasn't paying attention in the Study books or maybe it wasn't stressed, but the fact that Opal and her mentor, the Master Magician Zitora, both have the same name as Cowan flipped me out. Once I realized it was a clan thing, I noticed it everywhere, and every time I saw a last name that matched that of a character I already knew, I had, well, a moment of weirdness. Hopefully, this won't prove to be quite as distracting in future books.
SPOILERS: To skip the spoilers, scroll down until you see "My Rating."
One concern, and I saw this echoed in a review on Amazon. If you take a step back and break the story down to its general components, this is Yelena's story all over again. Girl with little to no magic suddenly discovers she has a TREMENDOUS and DANGEROUS power that the Council will want to lock her up over. My prediction is that she'll learn her power isn't as scary or deadly as it seems (like we learned with Yelena) and all will be well in the end, which I'm perfectly happy with, but I hope this doesn't become a predictable formula for Snyder's work, especially in this series.
I also want to say that I believed Devlin when he said the Ulrick really didn't love Opal and that he was just using her to stay at the Keep. That he'd exchange her for the chance to learn blood magic makes perfect sense to me, and I can't wait to see how that plays out, especially if Opal can get Yelena to put the proper souls in the proper bodies.
My Rating
Worth the Cash: let's face it: if you're a fan of Snyder's Study trilogy, this is an absolute must read for you. HOWEVER: do NOT read this book without having Magic Study and Fire Study under your belt, or you'll be spoiled for some of the major events that conclude the Study trilogy, and that'd be a shame. If you want to check out Snyder's work, I strongly suggest starting with Poison Study and going from there. If you've already check out Snyder's work and are ambivalent about it, I'll say that this book has more of the flavor of Magic Study and Fire Study than it does Poison Study, and that should tell you all you need to know. Really, Storm Glass is just the fourth book in a series, only you get a new POV character in Opal. It's a fast read that keeps you turning the pages, and the characters are all damaged in such a way that allows for character growth, and that's a good thing. There's a few surprises in the book that work out rather nicely in terms of enjoyment, but I'm glad the sequel, Sea Glass, comes out this fall, because I'm still trying to sort it all out in my head. Snyder's books remain a fun read for me, so if you enjoy her work, don't miss out on this one (though, I found my copy in the Romance section instead of the SF/Fantasy section, so if you're having trouble finding it, don't forget to look in Romance).
Cover Commentary: Snyder has the prettiest covers EVER. The original just showed the glass orb in the hands, but overall the cover looked awkward, so they zoomed out to show the girl (I'm assuming is Opal) holding the glass orb behind her back, which is quite appropriate. The coloring is lovely, and I like that they've chosen a new design and layout for Opal's books to separate them from Yelena's. Very lovely indeed. And it looks great with the cover art for the sequel, Sea Glass: if you're interested, just click here. It's from Snyder's website.
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