This is the continuing story of Yelena. Once again I truly enjoyed this character, she is a strong woman who isn't afraid to take care of herself and be who she wants to be. In this book she is reunited with her family, who live in the treetops. Could explain why in book one she uses the treetops so well. Yelena has no memory of her family, when she was 6 years old and taken from her family. The magician that took also took her memories from her.

Yelena meets a Mother that clings(as if I wouldn't in that same situation), a Father that spends his time looking for curative powers in the plants of their jungle and a brother that seems to hate her. Yelena is not sure that she wants to know her family it is all so new to her, she is there with her parents taking the time to get to know then for the two weeks she was given before she has to leave to go to school to get her magic under control. Unfortunately her brother tells her they must leave early, the same one that hates her mind you.

Then the real tale begins. I am of the belief that where Yelena goes trouble follows. And I wouldn't have it any other way. Once again this book is a thrill ride. I reserved the next book at my bookstore and I am going to pick it up today. Ms Snyder weaves a tale and I just want to follow it along. The only problem is the next book is the last of the Yelena books, it kind of makes me sad. But there is hope there is a series that follows. ( )

The story of Yelena takes unexpected paths in Magic Study, the follow up to the fabulous Poison Study. While I wasn't as enthralled by this book as the first, it was still enjoyable and imaginative.
The novel starts with Yelena meeting her family for the first time since she was 6 years old. They are a colorful bunch, and while some accept her and thrill at her return, others are suspicious that she is a spy from the north. This accusation follows her throughout the book (and likely into the next as well).
Yelena faces new adversaries and gains knowledge about her powers, finding that they are greater than she knew. There are several new supporting characters who, though interesting, don't have the depth and draw that those from Poison Study had. I found myself missing Janco, Ari, and especially Valek. They have a presence in Magic Study, but I wanted more of them.
Something small that absolutely drove me nuts was the way the horses spoke in Yelena's mind. I liked that they could communicate and I think it added and helped with the story line, but the 'horse speak' came across like baby talk in short, clipped sentences and incomplete thoughts. Like I said, a small thing.
Overall, I loved the book and have very high hopes for the next. She set up the third book wonderfully and I hope it lives up to the first two in the series! ( )

I was immediately absorbed in the story as I was with book 1 in the series. very entertaining. ( )

[WARNING: SPOILERS if you haven’t yet read Book 1, Poison Study!] 20-year-old budding magician Yelena has been banished to the southern country of Sitia. With her magician mentor, Irys, Yelena attempts to reconnect with the family whom she was stolen from 14 years ago, as well as to work on controlling her magical abilities.

The journey to self-discovery and self-control rarely runs smoothly, however, and not at all for Yelena. Against her desires, she gets entangled in national politics, tries to avoids the hostility of those around her—including her brother, Leif—and gets involved in the hunt to bring down a rogue magician who’s been stealing and killing young women. Yelena just wants time to relax and dream of (or be with) Valek, but the life of a young magician in Sitia just cannot stand still.

MAGIC STUDY is a worthy, though incomparable, successor to Maria Snyder’s smashing success, POISON STUDY. In this second book, Snyder continues to effortlessly tell a good story while creating memorable and three-dimensional characters.

All of our favorite characters make an appearance, and new ones are introduced, to varying degrees of success. Yelena’s clan, the Yaltanas, are a rather odd tree-dwelling group, and her parents do not have enough time in the book to be fully fleshed out as characters. Similarly, Yelena’s tense relationship with her brother, Leif, is inconsistent: puzzling in the first half, nearly nonexistent in the second, and too cleanly wrapped up. Fortunately, the people she meets at the Magician’s Keep hold their own against the reappearance of old favorites like Ari, Janco, and, of course, Valek.

While character development may be a little sloppier and more inconsistent in MAGIC STUDY, that is because so much effort is devoted to setting up a complex magical world. We are shown the subtle interactive dynamics between various groups of Southerners, and their motivations for acting the way they do. Each chapter ends on a cliffhanger, which just begs you to read one more chapter, just one more, in a viciously delicious cycle, until you’ve finished the entire book in a blink of an eye. There is never a lack of action and intrigue for hardcore fantasy lovers.

While not as strong as the first book, MAGIC STUDY is still an impressive novel in its own rights. Maria Snyder is a master storyteller, and fans of the first book should not be too disappointed. I know that I am still eagerly looking forward to reading the third book in this spellbinding series. ( )

Magic Study is the perfect sequel, without being a carbon copy of its predecessor, Poison Study. It is completely different from the first in the Study series. Set in Sitia, Yelena's southern homeland, our heroine returns to further learn about her magical powers. Her experiences from Poison Study definitely show in this sequel, how she much she's learned and grown as a character.

Snyder's writing is absolutely fantastic. Although we meet a vast set of new characters, we also come across some old ones along the way. I love how each character has a purpose and their own identity. It is the perfect characterization that weaves each character cleverly into the complex storyline with such ease, and it is also what makes the story so appealing.

I got so caught up in the story, I found myself yelling loudly at Yelena and Valek to "get a room!" (Ha ha. I later laughed at myself for being so emotionally outright.), for those two just can't keep their hands off each other. In Magic Study, Yelena and her lovely Valek are separated for vast periods of time. Therefore, every chance they manage to spend with each other, they definitely don't waste their time. Don't worry. There's nothing explicit. But it is definitely implied, and I swear, Yelena and Valek need to learn to control themselves! Ha ha.

But don't let those two love birds' promiscuous behavior sway you from reading this book ~_^ An engaging plot, surprising twists, witty humor, and a incredible set of characters make Magic Study an absolute delight to read. It definitely lived up to my expectations from reading the first book. ( )