Fire Study (Study, Book 3)
by Maria V. Snyder
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Book Reviews of Fire Study (Study, Book 3)
Book Review: Pretty good but...
Summary: 3 Stars
After reading the previous book in the Study series, I have to admit that I was a little leery of this one. The previous book had Yalena turning into a Mary Sue-esque character where she was always right & always had the right answer to just about everything. This book does improve slightly on that, but unfortunately there's also quite a few things in this book that just mar what could've been a fine ending to the series.
This book finds Yalena on the run from just about everyone in Sitia as her powers as a Soulfinder are discovered. Fearful of Soulfinders due to past events in history, Yalena was initially mistrusted but is eventually thought of as a traitor due to her past history with Ixia.
I did like this book but there were a few things that I just wasn't overly happy with. I did like that Yalena was making mistakes (finally!) & that her stubborn "I can do it all" attitude was tripping her up. In the previous book Yalena's near flawless, so it's nice to see her finally start to mess up some. (Makes her more believable.)
However there were still points in the book where I wondered why others weren't utilized more. There's several points in the book where Leif's magical ability to detect lies could've & SHOULD'VE been utilized, but it wasn't. It was almost as if the author herself had forgotten that Leif posessed that talent. There was one scene where people turned to Yalena to ask if a character was lying & I couldn't help but ask why they weren't turning to ask Leif because like I said- that's one talent that he does have.
The other thing that tended to irk me was that there was SO much happening in the book but there really wasn't enough book time given to either. The stuff in the book could've been stretched out to two books, to be honest & I can't help but wonder if the author was trying to squash as much as possible into one book so she could move on to writing the Glass series & have a bit of a semi-fresh start.
As it is, I did enjoy the book overall & I would recommend it to people, but held up to the wonderful Poison Study, I can't help but think that the author could've resolved this trilogy better before moving the plot along in the Glass saga.
Book Review: Yelena the soulfinder returns
Summary: 4 Stars
I have loved POISON STUDY and MAGIC STUDY, now with FIRE STUDY we have the third novel set in this alternate world where magic and the study of magic is real. I have loved every visit and if there is another I am sure I will buy it. If this new author starts a new series, I will buy it. Novels like this are far and few between. The only thing I found hard to take was the protracted time in which Yelena fears to use her magic. I also got very tired of Moon Man and his inability to give a straight answer. Nevertheless this is good reading, an adventure that catchs you up and takes you on a wild ride. Most cliches and sterotypes were avoided by the author, so what is left is truly a series of the unexpected. I loved it.
Yelena has been studying in Sitia at the Council, she has found allies in Irys and Dax. But Roze Featherstone hates her and is determined to find the evidence that will convict her of stealing souls. Yelena is at study when she gets word from Moon Man that he has found what he was searching for. So once again Yelena must dive into the battle to defeat the "Vermin", the outcast Sandseeds. Especially Cahil and Ferde who escaped at the end of the last novel. But there are other forces at work, forces that hate Yelena, and are determined she will never reach the fulfillment of her destiny. The last soulfinder turned evil and stole the souls of many men before he was destroyed.
Valek meanwhile, has made Maran, Janco, and Ari, his seconds in command. Somehow he is connected to Yelena and finds his way to her whenever she is in great danger. Through his networks he has discovered that there is someone who wants to destroy Sitia and Ixia. His strength and steadfastness bolster Yelena, who has found that she has a great fear of fire and the voices that it brings to her.
Betrayal, blood, and danger are mixed with the story of a woman's growth and the consciousness of who she is. The drama encompasses the scope of a world and opens doors that Yelena must pass through even if she does not want too.
I found the story wonderful, fast-paced, and interesting. The climax was stunning and I very much recommend you do not miss this one.
Book Review: Good ending to the Trilogy
Summary: 4 Stars
I really enjoyed this book, and was sad that this is the end of this trilogy. While not as good ad the first book, "Poison Study," it was nice to find some conclusion for everyone always wanting to kill Yelena plot.
In this book, Yelena is still unable to devote her full time to her studies; instead she gets dragged off from one near death mission to another around her home country of Sitia and even into its neighboring hostile border country of Ixia. Throughout her journey, she begins to learn a little bit of her powers and the meaning of Soulfinders vs. Soulestealers. It was nice to read about a heroin/hero that doesn't become all powerful w/ new magic to defeat the villains. Instead, she defeats her enemies by the skin of her teeth and logical scheming.
I agree with a previous reviewer about the style or tone change of the characters of this book. Compared to the previous two books in the trilogy, the writing style & dialogue was very light and contemporary. Yelena, is able to shrug off her near death experiences with a snappy attitude that wasn't there in the previous two books. Of course some maturity is expected from Yelena as the trilogy continued, but her blasé attitude and snappy rejoinders jarred with her previous character details from the other books.
Overall, the plot tied up nicely if pat. But I wish the details would have emphasized the fire magic or even Yelena's Soulfinder abilities and consequences of it more. Other than a brief spiel from the bad guy about fire magic, you never find out exactly how the Fire World, Shadow World, and the Sky World. Instead, it's implied that the fire world is like hell, and you have to be pure to be in the magic of the Sky. Beautiful ending, but it would have been nice to have more explanation on what the Sky really is and how it involves the regular people. If there is no souls in the Sky, would that mean magic would become non-existent?
On a side note, I was disappointed that this was released as a Trade Paperback as opposed to a hard cover book to match the previous two hard covered books in the trilogy.
Book Review: too much going on, not enough really happening
Summary: 3 Stars
From an author like Snyder, who showed us all in POISON STUDY that she has a true gift for subtle, ingenious plotting FIRE STUDY is a tragedy.
It careens at a breakneck pace from one crisis to the next, and nothing is developed fully. Endless summaries of earlier events drag FIRE STUDY down like concrete shoes. The plot is full of holes (Leif, for example, can detect lies...yet his ability is conveniently forgotten when it would be most useful).
Snyder makes a serious mistake by changing all the rules of magic we have come to know in previous books. In POISON STUDY magic is a power blanket lying over the earth, and magicians manipulate its "threads". In MAGIC STUDY, we find out about the Shadow World and the strange magic of the Sandseeds. In FIRE STUDY, we learn about the "Fire World," although it's never quite clear why or how this world exists, and about blood magic.
It's just too much.
The sad thing is, FIRE STUDY could have been great, if Snyder had just gotten rid of all the clutter and focused on the important things. We do find out exactly what the purpose of a Soulfinder is at the end, and it's an incredibly elegant and satisfying answer. Too bad this key storyline gets so little attention. The question of Yelena's dual loyalty is a key dilemma in FIRE STUDY, but it is never adequately resolved.
The language of FIRE STUDY really shocked me. It's written in the sassy, snippy bantering tone found in contemporary-set urban fantasy novels. There's a lot of modern day slang, and characters have become flippant in a way that rings very false.
There's also an odd kind of writerly indulgence in FIRE STUDY. In POISON STUDY and MAGIC STUDY, Snyder's characters were more complex - all done in shades of grey - and she held their competing motives in dynamic tension. There's very little grey in FIRE STUDY. Characters are black or white, and Snyder coddles Yelena - protecting her from harm and leeching dramatic tension from the story.
I think Snyder is just not the kind of person who can crank out a novel a year.
Book Review: May contain spoilers
Summary: 3 Stars
Fire Study the final book in Snyder's trilogy was the weakest link of all three books. The series began very strongly with Poison Study and went downhill from there.
The book could have easily removed 200 pages and would have been better for it. I felt the author lost the passion for the storyline and was just rushing to finish it off.
Snyder left her roots of interweaving a story of magic and a fantasy world where Yelena learns to adjust to her increasing powers and removal from Ixia. Instead we have a repetitious action adventure plot missing the magical world the author had previously created.
Any magic that was used was extremely repetitive (Curare and Theobroma) and the fight scenes which were easily over half of the book were very repetitive. The main characters are out numbered, rendered paralyzed with Curare, captured, escape, Kiki needs to kick someone to save Yelena, and they all meet at the rendezvous point about 20 times. This followed with around 20 pages of repetitive bow staff fighting amongst friends. Not exactly exciting stuff there.
The rogue Warpers motivations seemed disorganized which proved to be a very serious failed opportunity to add a very interesting component to the story.
The main characters did not grow or form closer bonds with each other. Holes within their personal history were not filled in. I did not learn anything new about the fascinating people, history, or culture of Sitia or Ixia. The plot also follows the same line as the first books, children of children being harvested for the power of others. Yelena coming into her own to harvest and control her powers seemed improbable as the challenges put before her were more physical in nature. I did not see a personal growth that brought the story together for me.
The ending was decently strong although it was rushed. Ironically, it opened me up to wanting to know more about Sitia, Ixia, Yelena, and the supporting characters. Had the book started out with the same passion it ended with the trilogy would have ended with a great success.