Magic Study, Maria V. Snyder

Yelena has finally escaped Ixia. She's left her job as food taster and Valek, the handsome chief of security. But she's not so sure if she's happy about that. Especially once she meets her long lost family. Most of them seem to love her except her brother whose hatred for her shows. Then to make matters more complicated Yelena finds the former heir to the Ixian throne-whose supposed to be dead- and finds herself entangled in a web of murders.

The novel is extremely interesting, the writing flows and I found myself unable to stop reading. I can only be glad that there's another book, Fire Study-to come out in March.

Magic Study

Maria V. Snyder

Luna, October 2006, $21.95, 384 pp.

ISBN 0373802498

Yelena has left Ixia where she was under an order of execution to return to her birth home of Sitia, where she once was kidnapped when she was just a child. She wants to meet her birth family and study magic at the Citadel under the tutelage of her mentor, Master Magician Irys. Her first disappointment comes when her brother Leif thinks she is an lxian spy. When she is kidnapped by the only living royal who has a claim to the Ixian throne, Leif sides with him.

When she arrives at the Citadel, she is mind raped by the First Magician who admits she is not a spy. Yelena's magic is powerful and doesn't always work the way it is supposed to because she lacks experience and training. Her lover in Ixia, Valek, second only to the leader Commander Ambrose, journeys into Sitia as part of the delegation, and since he is immune to magic, he is the perfect person to save her from two kidnappers and an attempt on her life. However, to save the life of an innocent, Yelena must risk everything. She also knows that failure means rebels will overthrow the lawful government.

Picking up where POISON STUDY left off, MAGIC STUDY is a fantastic fantasy set in a world where magic exists in some countries and is banned in others. Yelena's adventures have forced her to mature, and although she doesn't know the extent of her powers, she knows that she wants to learn to use them to help people. Her time in lxia and her roots in Sitia give her an understanding of both countries that nobody else has, which means she has plenty of options for her future.