On the Bookshelf

Is it just me or is something different here...? Hey! Lookie at that! I got a new layout! Please bare with me while things are rearranged and links are fixed. Also, please let me know what you think about the new layout by answering the poll over in the right column. Comments are also welcome.

As a glassmaker and a magician-in-training, Opal Cowen understands trial by fire. Now it's time to test her mettle. Someone has sabotaged the Stormdancer clan's glass orbs, killing their most powerful magicians. The Stormdancers - particularly the mysterious Kade - require Opal's unique talents to prevent it happening again. But when the mission goes awry, Opal must tap into a new kind of magic as stunningly potent as it is frightening. And the further she delves into the intrigue behind the glass and magic, the more distorted things appear. With lives hanging in the balance - including her own - Opal must control powers she hadn't known she possessed... powers that might lead to disaster beyond anything she's ever known...

My Thoughts:
It made me so very happy to pick up a Maria V. Snyder book again. I absolutely adored her Study series and I have been eagerly awaiting a chance to pick up he first book in the new Glass series. I had high expectations for Storm Glass and I am pleased to say that it did not disappoint.

Storm Glass follows Opal Cowen, the young and gifted glass maker who Yelena encountered in the Study series. Opal is studying as a magician at the keep but is finding that, despite her unique magical ability with glass, she is stunted at even the most basic of magical tasks. While this is similar to what happened to Yelena in Magic Study do not make the mistake of thinking that Opal is Yelena 2.0. While both go on to discover more about their unique abilities, the journey undertaken by each is unique. Opal reacts differently to situations and has her own background and history.

You could enjoy this book without having read the Study books but having read the previous series will most certainly give you a better understanding of the world at hand and overall deepen your enjoyment. Storm Glass will also give spoilers to what happened in the previous series so I do strongly recommend reading the Study series first. Also, those familiar with the original three books will definitely appreciate the cameos of much loved characters throughout.

Complete with action, romance, and plenty of twists and turns to keep readers on their toes, Snyder fans are bound to be pleased with Storm Glass. I now cannot wait to read the sequel, Sea Glass.

Also Check Out:
Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder
Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Terra