This is the third (of now 4) installments in the Study series written by Maria V. Snyder. I was recommended the first book by a friend on WDC, and now I can't stop reading them. The first book caught my interest with a firm hand. Now that I'm on the third book that grasp on me is slipping, but this story still caught enough of my intrigue that I wanted to read it the whole way through.

This book continues to follow the adventures of used-to-be food taster Yelena as she unravels her life's purpose and tries to figure out how to control her magical abilities. People are after her though because she possesses a type of magic that has only ever been used for evil. Together with her friends and the (my personal favorite ) assassin Valek, she must throw down the cult of the Vermin Daviians who are using blood magic to steal power and take control over the land of Sitia.

Fantasy lovers will like this book as well as those who like a bit of a romantic flare tucked in to adventure.

I liked the return of some of my favorite characters, but my favorite part has to be the author's world building. Snyder has done an amazing job of creating a fantasy world with a unique magical source and way of life.

I was a little disappointed with this book because it had to live up to the high expectations put up by me after reading the first two books in this series, but it wasn't as dry as other sequels I have read. The author likes to repeat information a lot, but I guess it's helpful if you haven't read the first two books in a while. By the last few chapter, however, it was getting old. There were also a few parts of the story that could have been left out, but I'll let that pass.

I was pretty content with the ending. The author did a good job of winding down the action without leaving me with a big cliffhanger. This was originally supposed to be the last book of the series, but now the author is up and at it again with a fourth (and maybe fifth) book.

I was excited in some places a bit disappointed in others, but overall, I was content. There weren't any big emotional moments for me, but it wasn't bland.

It's an interesting blend between fantasy and dystopian fiction. The dystopian part of it is less obvious in this book than the other two, but it's still a very interesting mix that I've never seen in a fantasy series before.

I would rate this 13+ for some bloody action, some disturbing motives, and a few very light sex scenes, but nothing too descriptive. Definitely wouldn't recommend this book for a 12 year old, but anywhere from 16+ is fine in my opinion.

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Created Mar 24, 2015 at 5:38pm • Submit your own review...