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Magic Study

by Maria V. Snyder

Other authors: See the other authors section.

Series: The Study Series (2), Chronicles of Ixia (2)

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
3,1091364,316 (3.95)116
Fantasy. Fiction. HTML:From New York Times Bestselling Author Maria V. Snyder
Beyond Ixia, the roots of magic run deep...
After the discovery of her magical abilities leads to an execution order, Yelena has no choice but to flee to Sitia, her long-lost birthplace. There, she has the chance to meet the family she never knew. But Sitia is unfamiliar, and she's treated with suspicion and even hatred by the people she thought she could trustâ??including her own brother.
Then Yelena is given the chance to travel to Sitia's capital. In the Citadel, she'll have the chance to hone her magical abilities under the tutelage of master magicians. As she learns the laws of magicâ??Yelena also discovers those who will do anything to break them. And when a rogue magician who targets young female victims emerges, Yelena must put her life at risk to stop him.
Will her newfound magic save Yelenaâ??or will it be her downfall?
The Chronicles of Ixia Series by Maria V Snyder
Book One: Poison Study
Book Two: Magic Study
Book Three: Fire Study
Book Four: Storm Glass
Book Five: Sea Glass
Book Six: Spy Glass
Book Seven: Shadow Study
Book Eight: Night Study
Book Nine: Da
… (more)
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English (134)  Dutch (1)  All languages (135)
Showing 1-5 of 134 (next | show all)
Not as good as the first novel in the series, the protagonist is now a full-on Mary Sue and the author is unapologetic about it. The plot is thin, the world-building vastly less interesting than in Poison Study, the villain is the SISTER of the villain in Poison Study for um no apparent reason?, all the characters progressively get more boring and seem to be more like caricatures than actual interesting people. A lot of the interactions read like a shitty rpg session.

I will read the next novel purely because I already own it. ( )
  73pctGeek | Mar 5, 2024 |
Needless to say spoilers for Poison Study

Again I find myself dissatisfied with the YA cover from Mira (not just because it ruined the color scheme of the other two). Also the UK had two additional covers (one for YA HC and one for YA SC). I prefer the current Mira trade (cover 3) because I think it gives more of a sense of the jungle that Yelena finds herself in now.

So we left off our intrepid heroine having to leave the only home she's known, Ixia, for fear of having her boyfriend cut off her head under military decree (even though she saved the military Commander's life...oh its a hard life). Though self-same boyfriend said that he'd kill her and then himself if he was given the order to end her life. So I guess that's something right?

In the last book she also met a Sitian Master Magician by the name of Irys, who came to Ixia undercover and sort of detoured her way to kill her. Everyone wants to kill Yelena. The good news though was that Irys instead offered to take Yelena back to Sitia and her family and get her trained right and proper before she went and destroyed the world.

I'm not certain if you can call Yelena's adventures easier or harder this time around as the last time. Her life is in danger from practically everyone she meets (again), there's a crazy guy on the loose doing unspeakable things to people (again) and oh yeah let's not forget her brother is the biggest jerk EVER. Seriously. Chip on his shoulder the size of Sitia. I guess family makes things worse.

There's more of a mystery element in Magic Study then there was in Poison Study. The true bad guy isn't revealed in Magic Study right away and even then its sort of like 'Yeah I'm the bad guy...but there's a worse guy!' and there's an awful lot of people who want to either kill Yelena for her power (her very very dangerous power that is taboo) or use her for her power.

Yelena is also very much uncomfortable in Sitia, even though its her birthland. Having grown up in Ixia, in an Ixian way of life, following Ixian rules for well over a decade she finds the relaxed way of life in Sitia irritating. The colors of their garments garish and the sudden family thrown in her lap feels awkward. Half of her wants to embrace this side and be the daughter/sister/cousin that everyone wants her to be, but the other half is almost repulsed and wishes for the simpler Code of Behavoir from Ixia. She misses her friends (Ari and Janco) and Valek (who she thinks she can hear sometimes in her head). She misses the familiar.

Valek is pretty much public enemy #1 in Sitia because of his involvement with killing magic-users and hunting down Sitians in Ixia under the Commander's orders (okay so maybe he's public enemy #2 after the Commander), so its not even as if Yelena can talk about Valek to anyone. She's the prodigal daughter returned with awesome powers and having defeated a renown criminal of Sitia after all. She's distrusted enough as is.

The flow of the story is easier this time around--relying less on plot conveniences and more on character relationships and developments. One thing to note is the addition of Moon Man, a Story-Weaver. He's simply hilarious and so much fun its ridiculous. I love him. ( )
  lexilewords | Dec 28, 2023 |
This review is also featured on Behind the Pages: Magic Study

Given one year to master her abilities, Yelena travels to Ixia to reunite with her family and begin training. However, learning to be part of a loving family will be just as hard as wielding her magic. Especially when your own brother is convinced you're a Sitian spy. Plagued by her brother’s misguided actions, Yelena will also have to contend with an Ixian Prince determined to reclaim the Sitian throne. Surrounded on all sides by those she cannot trust, Yelena will have her hands full as she navigates political tensions and the inner workings of magic.

Readers will be fascinated as they travel Ixia with Yelena. Compared to the militaristic lifestyles of those in Sitia, everything in Ixia is bright and full of excitement. Experiencing the various cultures and lifestyles through Yelena’s eyes was wonderful. Being able to listen to her thoughts and see how she views everything differently adds to the overall world-building. Yelena also brings fresh eyes to situations and a difference of opinion that helps propel the story forward and influences characters to further develop.

Similar to book one, Magic Study also touches on recovering from trauma. Stolen from her home, Yelena and her family have much to process. Having endured years of abuse, Yelena will need to learn how to let her guard down and trust her family. It doesn't help that her brother Leif carries immense guilt for her kidnapping. Plagued by Yelena’s loss, Leif has allowed the guilt to fester over the years. His character is filled with anger and resentment, causing many confrontations with Yelena. But the two siblings will be forced to walk paths together and their complicated relationship will be sure to keep readers entertained.

But while Yelena’s family relationships are thought provoking and emotionally intense, Magic Study falls short once again with relationships involving attraction. One character, in particular, was built up to be harsh and mistrusting of Yelena. Convinced she was a spy, he had little regard for her well-being. Yet as the story progressed, he reached a sudden turning point where his mistrust flipped into attraction. While this could have been believable with enough time and interaction between the characters, it felt sudden and jarring.

Despite how some of the relationships didn't quite fit into the storyline, the plot itself is filled with action and will be sure to keep readers engaged. While there is much for Yelena to learn, several storylines will run parallel to this, forcing Yelena to unlock her magic in ways no one thought possible. There is a great mix of mystery and magical intrigue that are sure to keep fans of high fantasy entertained. ( )
  Letora | Jan 23, 2023 |
I had mixed feelings about this book. I enjoyed it but found something lacking. Maybe I'll figure out what it is while I write this review.

The last book:

Yelena was raised in a country called Ixia as an orphan who was taken in, along with a bunch of other orphans, by a man who had only adopted them because of their potential magical abilities.

Ixia does not allow magicians to live within its borders. They are either killed or have escaped to their neighboring country of Sitia. Or is Sitia the only other country in this world? The author hasn't elaborated.

Yelena, even though she was put through a ton of tests and even experienced strange things, had no idea she was magic. She ended up killing her aggressor and was awaiting her execution when she was called to the Commander's castle. She became is food taster and fell in love with his assassin. When the Commander learned that Yelena was a magician he signed an execution order for her. It's the law under the Code yet the Commander let Yelena slip over the border because he likes her. She had to leave Valek.

This book:

Yelena travels with one of the four Master Magicians of Sitia, along with the surviving orphans, through Sitia on their way to the Citadel for training. They drop off orphans to their families. Yelena was the last to meet her mother, father and brother.

Yelena enters the Citadel as an apprentice and discovers she is a powerful magician.

Most of this book dealt with her conflicting allegiance to both Ixia and Sitia. For some reason, she thinks the strict military dictatorship of Ixia is a better system than the freedom of Sitia. She struggles with the concept of beggars and having to buy food because everyone had a job and the government fed them in Ixia. The author didn't explain what happened to elderly or the disabled. She seems in awe of the Commander even though he kills all magicians. Her thinking bothered me.

I was annoyed with all of the detailed magical experiences. Nothing bores me more quickly than tedious details of how a character struggles with their powers and how they can never seem to conquer their powers until they are about to die but until then, the author bombards us with the monotonous details of how the character pulls their powers from within. Ugh! I know we need to know some of it but enough is enough. I skipped a lot of it.

Another irksome thing was how Yelena always had to run off and play hero by herself. She's just that much of a badass, at least, in the author's eyes. To me, she was just reckless.

Okay, I think I figured it out. Yelena is just too cool to be true and she has all the answers to everything.

I'm still debating whether or not to continue reading the series. I'm leaning towards “not”.

www.paranormalromanceslut.com

( )
  dragonlion | Jul 30, 2022 |
After learning all about poisons and then realizing that she has magical abilities, Yelena now has an execution order in Ixia against her. So, she runs off with Irys to Sitia to finally find the truth about her childhood and her family. Even though her parents are ecstatic, it’s her brother Leif whose hatred she can’t understand. Just like Yelena is accustomed to, she is kidnapped again by Prince Cahil to determine if she is a northern spy. When her loyalty is discerned, she become Irys’s apprentice and finally gets a chance to learn more about her abilities. Ixia is trying to establish trade with Sitia, Cahil is planning his occupation of Ixia and there is a new monster magician hell bent on imbibing souls to become the all powerful ruler of the two lands. And Yelena is a Soulfinder – only one in the last hundred and fifty years and trying to figure out what it means. Will she be able to entangle all these webs? How will she remain in Sitia while remaining loyal to her friends and heartmate from Ixia?

This book was again just as fun as Poison Study. Watching Yelena kick ass with both her physical skills and magical abilities is superbly entertaining to read about. She seems quite aloof in the beginning, trying to get her bearings in Sitia but as always, she is extremely confident and compassionate even in the most trying times and manages to make friends with the most unlikely people. However great the story was going, I squealed with delight when the Ixian delegation arrived bringing all my favorite characters along. This book would not have been the same without the brotherly banter of Ari and Janco or the silent love of Valek. I really enjoyed watching Yelena make important decisions and getting close to finding her place between the two lands. Although, I would like it better if she stopped getting kidnapped so much.

Special mention has to go to Yelena’s super awesome horse Kiki. Their conversations are pure fun and the names Kiki gives everyone are hilarious. ( )
  ksahitya1987 | Aug 20, 2021 |
Showing 1-5 of 134 (next | show all)
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» Add other authors (8 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Snyder, Maria V.Authorprimary authorall editionsconfirmed
Hefferman, PhilCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Zackman, GabraNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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Dedication
To my children, Luke and Jenna, a constant source of inspiration and love. You both are truly magical.

In loving memory of Anthony Foster.
First words
"We're here," Irys said.
Quotations
My Story Weaver had to be laughing his blue ass off right now.
-Yelena
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Fantasy. Fiction. HTML:From New York Times Bestselling Author Maria V. Snyder
Beyond Ixia, the roots of magic run deep...
After the discovery of her magical abilities leads to an execution order, Yelena has no choice but to flee to Sitia, her long-lost birthplace. There, she has the chance to meet the family she never knew. But Sitia is unfamiliar, and she's treated with suspicion and even hatred by the people she thought she could trustâ??including her own brother.
Then Yelena is given the chance to travel to Sitia's capital. In the Citadel, she'll have the chance to hone her magical abilities under the tutelage of master magicians. As she learns the laws of magicâ??Yelena also discovers those who will do anything to break them. And when a rogue magician who targets young female victims emerges, Yelena must put her life at risk to stop him.
Will her newfound magic save Yelenaâ??or will it be her downfall?
The Chronicles of Ixia Series by Maria V Snyder
Book One: Poison Study
Book Two: Magic Study
Book Three: Fire Study
Book Four: Storm Glass
Book Five: Sea Glass
Book Six: Spy Glass
Book Seven: Shadow Study
Book Eight: Night Study
Book Nine: Da

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Book description
Yelena is on her way to be reunited with the family she'd been stolen from long ago. Although 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 magical training. 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 her new enemies.
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