Magic Study
Maria V. Snyder
I really wanted to like this book since the first one wasn't that great but this one disappointed me even more. The first book made Yelena's homeland intriguing but once she arrived there, it seemed so depressing and dull. I couldn't wait for her to return to Ixia because she didn't seem to like it in Sitia, but that never happened. She kept reflecting back on Ixia and the people she missed there and how she wanted to go back, yet in the first book, she wanted to run away to Sitia. Now that she's in Sitia, she wants to go back to Ixia. She's never sure of herself.
I was expecting Sitian society to have very strict structured rules because of all magicians who were capable of different forms of magic, but there wasn't. There were Sitians whom did not have magic capabilities, yet they were living equally among those who had magic. It was too easy to use magic badly yet these magicians rarely went to extreme, except for just a few but then those few never accomplished anything.
I was not too fond of the author's voice and the language seemed off. It didn't match the time period or the world they lived in. The language was too modern. I didn't like the unspoken thoughts from Yelena and sometimes felt they were unnecessary, like when she called one of the less nicer magicians a b*ch. Why not used a different word? One that's fitting for that world. Another thing that bothered me was that Yelena was 20 years old but she acted like a 16 year old. The way she angered easily about trivial things or held grudges just didn't add up as someone who went through so much torture. Also, Valek was a disappointment in this book. I really liked him in the first book. He was mysterious, strong, brave, smart, hot, handsome, everything. In this book, he's just some guy. He didn't even seem like the same person and I was annoyed with him always calling Yelena, "Love" and "My love."
I finished the book because I was hoping to maybe at least enjoy the ending, but that didn't happen. I won't be reading the 3rd book.
I don't think I can read anymore of her books. I really wanted to like her style and writing voice but it's too off. I think I'll stick to Brent Weeks (Night Angel and Light Bringer trilogies) and the likes.