HarperCollins Magic Study

The story is great. Book was in very good condition.

4½ Out of 5Yelena has had to leave her home – her kingdom – and flee to Sitia, the place of her birth but a place she knows nothing about. In Sitia, she will train her powers – must train and control them, or else be put to death in one year’s time. And so she goes to the Four Towers of the Magician's Keep, a place where magic is taught to those like her.In Sitia she is also reunited with the family she was taken from so long ago. They are all strangers to her but are welcoming – loving. All except for her brother, Leif, who seems to hate her.Caught up in struggles that are political, magical and emotional, Yelena is already dealing with a lot. The emergence of a powerful magician, targeting young girls, just creates more mayhem.Of course, Yelena gets involved in the investigation. With magic as powerful as hers, she will either flourish here amongst those like her, or... she will perish...Now, I have this habit of writing down quotes as I go through a book. It's a habit I should really stop because it means that when I read a book with loads of quotes I love I end up writing down half the blinking book. I don't even really know why I do it... I think in case I want to use them in the review or make a picture quote of the book... But Magic Study... Well, it was one of those books that was just too good to stop! I literally could not stop. It was that good. Sure, it wasn't quite as good as Poison Study, but there really wasn't much in it.I really loved how Yelena grew in this book: she was so much stronger and such a good person, better than before. She'd really come into her own as both a woman and a magician. Of course, she still has the pesky habit of rushing in without thinking – generally with bad results – but she's growing stronger too. She's able to kick some butt and she uses her family and friends' help when she needs it. Do I wish she'd trust the Council and Irys more? Yes. But I also got her reasons for not trusting them. Yelena isn't perfect and I think that's why I like her so much: she's tough as nails, but flawed and vulnerable too.I missed Valek all the time he wasn't there and then felt my heart do a little flutter every time he reappeared, often in some bizarre disguise. Valek is sweet and hard, protective and trusting of Yelena's ability. He lets her do her thing, but he's always there for her too. Why I love Valek in one sentence?"I'll be close by if you need me, love."I also love this little scene between Yelena and Valek, where Yelena is nervous and Valek is... Valek:"This is dangerous.""I knew falling for you was dangerous, love."Yeah. I melt every time he says 'love'. I think it's leftover from my Spike-addicted days. I always did have a thing for the bad boys...Now, my favourite characters in the previous book, Yelena and Valek aside, were Ari and Janco. You guys can't even begin to fathom how pleased I was when the two of them popped up again! But we were also introduced to a whole range of new, brilliant, evil and sometimes bizarre characters. I really liked Irys – she was a really awesome teacher. The Zaltana clan were brilliant – and so bonkers! Leif intrigued me and I'm so excited to see more of him. Moon Man was brilliant; gotta love the cryptic ones! Dax provided comic relief in the Janco-less times. And then there was Cahil... who I did not like. At all.But I think my favourite character in Magic Study just had to be Kiki. Now who's Kiki, you may wonder. Well, Kiki was Yelena's horse. Weird favourite character, right? Not if you've read this book.I adored the world building in Poison Study. My love only grew as I read Magic Study. Because now there wasn't just Ixia, but Sitia too! A land of magic and clans, a land (for the most part) without poison and secret spying. The cultures of the different clans intrigued me, as did the differences between the two lands of Ixia and Sitia.Maria Snyder's writing and plotting were pure genius – as always. The writing was beautiful and hooking and not too heavy. The plot was addictive and just the right pace (fast and exciting but not neglecting world building). I loved how it built all the time, with plenty of action, and came to an impressive conclusion. I was a bit exasperated that Yelena has yet to learn the advantages of patience and assistance, but she's pretty badass, so it was all cool. And I also liked the way Maria dealt with sex in the book. Yeah, this bit is random, but I need to mention it. Maria didn't just ignore the fact that Yelena's a girl in love with a bad-boy boyfriend (heart mate) who called her 'love'. There was no lengthy description, almost no mention of S-E-X at all, but you knew what was about to happen. I think it's a good way to deal with sex: let us know it's happening, it's natural, but not with all the... graphic details.I adored Poison Study and it really was one hell of an act to follow. Magic Study fell a little short, probably due to the only intermittent appearances of my three fave boys, but it kept me hooked and just as invested. The world building was epic, the action addictive and the characters believable. It also had the best horse in the history of the world – of any world, even.I love Maria V. Snyder and, of course, she didn't disappoint with Magic Study. It was a worthy sequel to one of my favourite magic books. I can't wait to continue with the series – with Fire Study and Shadow Study! Eek! I don't have to leave Yelena and Valek! Yelek? Valena? Someone needs to come up with a shipping name! I would, but I'm too busy grabbing my copy of Fire Study!

4.5 StarsMAGIC STUDY was a spiraling world of magic, love, survival, determination, all weaved around the magical elements of danger, betrayal, drama, lies, and murder...MAGIC STUDY was just about everything I hoped for, almost... This book was so much fun and introduced a whole new world to this series that I couldn't get enough of.But the downside to MAGIC STUDY was that I wanted, no, NEED, more of VALEK!! He didn't show up until more then halfway though the book, then when we did, he wasn't there a lot. And that drove me CRAZY. Granted, it all still played out amazing, and had twist and turns that I loved, but I would of enjoyed them a lot more if Valek was there through most of them! ;)Another small issue I had was that in POISON STUDY Yelena and Valek didn't act on they're feelings until almost the end of the book, but when they finally did express they're true feelings for each other, it felt rushed and not as developed as I hoped for. But in a way it was understandable because they were in a dire situation where they weren't able to fully express their-selves.But in MAGIC STUDY, it still didn't really develop the way I wanted. They just picked up with how much they loved each other, but not a lot of talking about their feelings. Really, every time they got together they hardly even talked at all. And that drove me INSANE!!! I LOVE them as a couple. I think they're both awesome characters, and are well developed, but their relationship is not. I know they love each other, I mean it's definitely obvious. Because in POISON STUDY they're feelings built up from the beginning to almost the end, and had plenty of time for those feelings to progress and truly blossom into the love that they have for each other. But once they got together, I wanted more feelings, more talk, more togetherness, MORE OF THEM!! I don't know if that makes any sense, but nevertheless, I LOVE them together and apart, I just wish they had more time together to develop their feels for each other.That aside, the rest of the book was AMAZING!! I loved all the new and old characters that came into play in MAGIC STUDY, and the direction that the plot took. I loved all the magic and adventure, and meeting Yelena's family, and the strong bonds and allies she built. And the new enemies she established in Sitia. I would of liked to visit Ixia again, but that's okay I'm sure we will in the next book, FIRE STUDY!THE PLOTYelena has left Ixia behind, forced to flea or face execution from the Commander for being a magician and having the power of magic pulse through her veins. She's eager, but nervous about returning to her homeland of Sitia, where she will learn how to wield her magic and reunite with her long-lost-family that she was stolen from all those years ago. But Yelena realizes very quickly that not everyone is willing to accept her with open arms in the magical city. Some think she has ulterior motives, some are even willing to kill her for it...Now in Sitia and no longer forced to shield her powers, Yelena is able to let go and let free. But Yelena magic is stronger then she or her magician teacher and closet friend Iris, ever thought. Some are even threatened by her and the power she possesses, which happens to be progressing and becoming stronger with each passing day.But the power is not the problem, she has an enormous power within, what she is struggling with is the control. With her power quickly strengthening at alarming rate, and her displaying unique powers that were once feared, it makes grasping and controlling all this power unsteady and very dangerous. Yelena must learn to wield and control her magic quickly if she has any chance of surviving her homecoming to Sitia.Theirs a powerful magician stealing the souls of lesser magicians and claiming their magic for themselves. And if they're not stopped, not only will innocent lives be lost, but all of Sitia will fall under the control of the Soul Stealers power. Once the Soul Stealer claims enough souls and magical powers, he will be nearly unstoppable...With Yelena's strengthening power, and her unique abilities, she may be the only one equipped enough to stop the Soul Stealer before all of the Country plunges into darkness and evil...Yelena will have to dig deep within to discover who she really is and what she's actually capable of to complete the mission she's set out for. But she's unequipped to go at it alone. She must call on some old friends, including her most strongest ally of all, Valek, and build bonds with new allies in her hometown country of Sitia if she has any chance at stopping this madman before it's too late. But every step she takes seems like their is always someone there trying to keep her from conquering her goal. She will have to be prepared to face all, and determined to overcome the unthinkable if she's going to defeat the evil threatening to claim the country she's grown to love.MAGIC STUDY was almost as good as I hoped for, minus the issue I had with the relationship development, it was perfect! I only knocked a half of star off my rating for the lack of development in Yelena and Valek's relationship. BUT... I STILL LOVED THEM BOTH. No matter how much time they spent together or apart and how deep they're feelings were talked about with each other. I still enjoyed their time together and can't wait to see them reunite again in FIRE STUDY!!Overall, MAGIC STUDY was a magically alluring, and utterly addicting read from beginning to end. Maria V. Snyder captured my heart in POISON STUDY, and owned it with MAGIC STUDY, and I'm sure FIRE STUDY will be the link that ties them all together and completes my heart as whole.

Utterly disppointed. Discoloured cover with damaged edges. Please deliver a better product next time.

I loved POISON STUDY but I was unwilling to pay for a hardback when MAGIC STUDY came out. Now however, I am pre-ordering FIRE STUDY. This is a fabulous tale and I can hardly wait for the next one. The trade paperback is now out for MAGIC STUDY and I encourage you to get it now.Yelena is very leery about going home and meeting her family, she has no memories of them and tho she longs for a family her heart belongs to Valek. Imagine her surprise to find a mother and father who love her and a brother who doesn't. Yelena is still unsettled by her magic and doesn't know what her special magic is. But maybe all the trauma and torture and adversity have honed her talent and she will be surprised where it may lead.Valek is the Commander's Chief of Security, a master assassin and poisoner. The Commander is ruler of Ixia. I love Valek's confidence and the love he has for Yelena, if you haven't read POISON STUDY, you really need to find and read that book also. Although he is hated in Sitia, the country of Yelena's birth, he is willing to take chances to see his beloved. Valek is a null and magic doesn't affect him but somehow Yelena does and only she seems to be able to breech his non-magic.Lief is Yelena's brother and senses the blood she has spilled. He is determined to hate her and seems to betray her at the first oppertunity.Yelena will be taught by Irys, the fourth Master magician. She has much to learn about trust and using her abilities. There is a serial killer, a master magician, stalking young girls and when he turns his eyes on Yelena all bets are off. Yelena is no fifteen yr old, and she has friends who will stand by her. The world of MAGIC STUDY expands and opens up to marvels and wonders Yelena has never seen.I found it a diverse and wonderful journey and I know you will love it as much as I did. Well worth the time and money and I am sorry I didn't get it earlier.