I'd like to say that I found this book as amazing as I found the Study series but I just don't. It isn't because Opal isn't likable because she is. I think it is because for so much of the story she sees herself as the victim and allows it to happen. And I was so used to Yelena in the Study series who stood on her feet and fought back.

So, opal as a character is likable yet wimpy for a little over a half of the book. But when she finds a backbone she does it well. Will I read t...more I'd like to say that I found this book as amazing as I found the Study series but I just don't. It isn't because Opal isn't likable because she is. I think it is because for so much of the story she sees herself as the victim and allows it to happen. And I was so used to Yelena in the Study series who stood on her feet and fought back.

So, opal as a character is likable yet wimpy for a little over a half of the book. But when she finds a backbone she does it well. Will I read the next book in the series without a doubt, if only to see Opal through her growth. ( )

Snyder also wrote the Poison Study trilogy of books which are similar (being set in the same world) and the stories loosely related to this book (characters from the trilogy show up here). Poison Study, however, is a much more mature book.

The main character, Opal, is supposed to be 19 but she acts like a 16 year old - low self-esteem, lack of self-confidence, a naivete about "romance". And while there are moments where you think Opal has learned from her actions and is maturing, the next scene has her acting younger again.

The whole book has a feel as if the author didn't know where she was going with the story - it starts with one plot, moves into another - the players all acting like the first incident didn't occur and making stupid decisions - then a thread of the first comes back and then another whole sub-plot is added in about 3/4 of the way through the book. Nobody in the story behaves as if any of the previous incidents had even occurred (i.e. someone is trying to kill Opal but later in the story, nobody seems to be concerned at all about this fact). And the end of the story is wrapped up with a deus-ex-machina - very disappointing.

It's fast and easy to read and the concept and world is very interesting. It would have been much better if only Snyder had stuck with one or two of the stories, and/or had come up with a better resolution. ( )

Opal Cowan has always been ashamed of her lack of magical powers; though she attends the magicians’ school in Sitia, her only talent is to make little glass animals and infuse them with magic. Yet when the Stormdancer Clan gets into trouble – the glass orbs it uses to contain the energy from storms have been inexplicably breaking – Opal may be the only one who can help. On her way to help the Stormdancers, she is attacked by a sinister group of rogues who want her powers for their own ends. She thus discovers a frightening aspect of her magical skills and must figure out what it means for her future as a magician. At the same time, she must investigate a sudden influx of black-market diamonds into Sitia, cope with her budding romantic feelings for more than one man, and continue to heal from the traumatic experiences of her past.

I came into this series with fairly high hopes, but so far it’s not measuring up to the “Study” books. Mostly, I found the plot of this book extremely convoluted and confusing. I did race through it, so I’m not sure how much was Snyder’s fault and how much was mine; but I do think that Snyder deliberately left a lot of plot threads hanging so that she could resolve them in the sequels. It’s only been a year since I read the “Study” series, but I probably should have refreshed my memory before starting this book. It is definitely not a stand-alone novel, and if you don’t read the “Study” trilogy first, you will be completely confused! That said, there’s just something about Snyder’s books that keeps me turning the pages, and I definitely want to see how Opal’s story will be resolved. I will continue with the “Glass” books, but I might try to borrow them instead of buying.

Storm Glass is the first book in a trilogy set some years after Snyder's Study trilogy. Nineteen-year-old Opal is a glass maker and magician-in-training, sent to investigate a crisis with the Stormdancer clan's glass orbs.
Despite being the same age as Yelena was in Poison Study, Opal seems younger and less confident. Quieter. Her daily existence isn't threatened by constant danger and suspicion of those around her, and I was just thinking how much darker Poison Study was when... WHAM! Okay, I take back my assessment of it as light-YA-fantasy.
I found the "explanations" about events from the Study books highly irritating (I've just read that trilogy, and if I hadn't you would be spoiling it unnecessarily!) but otherwise I enjoyed this. I felt a lot of empathy of Opal and found her emotional journey really thought-provoking. Appearances by characters from the previous trilogy were amusing (like Leif, about going to see his sister: "I need my danger-fix") and while there was nothing very profound or brilliant about it all, it kept my interest, much in the same way the other books did.
However, I'm still reeling from the this-is-dark-YA-fantasy-too thing (because torture really isn't my thing). And the ending left a lot to be resolved. I'm not sure what to think about these two aspects... except that I desperately want to read the sequel! ( )

It's confession time. When I first read this book blurb it only somewhat caught my interest. It was the cover that really grabbed me. Usually if I stumble across a cover I love but the book blurb doesn't grab me I hold off on reading the book. But one day I'm strolling through the library and what do you know? On the New Books for Teens shelf this book is staring at me so I figured why not pick it up. OMG! Best decision ever. I loved it! This is my first book by Maria Snyder but I do have her other book, Poison Study, sitting in my TBR pile. I will have to move it up in the list because I enjoyed this one so much. I can sympathize with Opal's self confidence issues and desire to be something more. Not to mention you can't help but feel sorry for her at the way she seems to draw trouble to herself like a magnet. It was a joy to see her magical powers evolve throughout the story and interesting to see how the love triangle she becomes involved with will turn out. I love Kade's character and was rooting for him from the start. A thoroughly enjoyable read and am so glad I found this author. ( )