Review: Magic Study (Study #2) by Maria V. Snyder

You know your life is bad when you miss your days as a poison taster...

With her greatest enemy dead, and on her way to be reunited with the family she'd been stolen from long ago, Yelena should be pleased. But though she has gained her freedom, she can't help feeling isolated in Sitia. Her Ixian background has changed her in many ways—and her newfound friends and relatives don't think it's for the better....

Despite the turmoil, she's eager to start her magic training—especially as she's been given one year to harness her power or be put to death. But her plans take a radical turn when she becomes involved with a plot to reclaim Ixia's throne for a lost prince—and gets entangled in powerful rivalries with her fellow magicians.

If that wasn't bad enough, it appears her brother would love to see her dead. Luckily, Yelena has some old friends to help her with all her new enemies.

What can I say about Magic Study that I didn't already say about Poison Study? I read many reviews in which readers claimed that Poison Study was the superior book and Magic Study fell short of their expectations, but for me that was not the case. This book was certainly different from its predecessor and had something different to offer but I found that refreshing. All of the old characters we fell in love with in Poison Study were back along with a cast of new characters who didn't disappoint. We are given a tree climbing mother, a bitter "king" without a throne, "talking" horses, a family of glass blowers, head magicians, etc. While Poison Study was a book primarily composed of "who can Yelena trust?" moments and endless intrigue Magic Study presented us with a story about family and a Hogwarts-esque magic school. In this sequel Yelena had all of her old friends (and her lover) from Ixia to support her. One of my favorite parts of the book was Yelena's ability to communicate with horses. I adored Kiki and Topaz and thought they added a necessary lightness to the book and to Yelena's otherwise complicated and dangerous life. I highly recommend this book and will continue on with the series. I've already got Fire Study, the third and final book in the series (not including its spin off series Glass that is), sitting in my to be read pile.

Rating: 5/5