Magic Study (Study #2) by Maria V. Snyder - Restarting November 3rd 2016

[[deleted user]]

YOU KNOW YOUR LIFE IS BAD WHEN YOU MISS YOUR DAYS AS A POISON TASTER...

With her greatest enemy dead, and on her way to be reunited with the family she'd been stolen from long ago, Yelena should be pleased. But though 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 magic training—especially as she's been given one year to harness her power or be put to death. 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 all her new enemies....

[Helen 2.0]

Might join. I liked the last one but I don't know if I want to keep going with the story.

[Tanya]

I would love to join, might read a little bit ahead but will still be here to discuss :)

[Danii]

Yay I'm glad I found this! Joining (:

[Helen 2.0]

I'm definitely in.

[Tanya]

So I am I :)

[Danii]

I'm going to start a little early on this, I'm just too excited to read it! (:

[Tanya]

I've already started it so you are not alone :D

[Nicole's Book Diaries]

I'll try to start tomorrow but I'm definitely joining.

@Helen I'm reading the second and third book just so I could get to the soulfinder series which is 4-6 of this series. I heard they're amazing compared to the first series.

[Tanya]

@Nicole I'm planning to do the same thing :) Want to buddy read all the books with me?

[Helen 2.0]

@Nicole @Tanya I'll keep going with y'all so we can start the Soulfinders series. Are there different characters or a different setting? How come it's designated as a separate series from Study?

[Helen 2.0]

Up to Chapter 9: (view spoiler)[What do you guys think of Leif? I can't make my mind up about him. I think he has a right to be angry over the loss of his sister and all those years he spent searching for her, but it's wrong of him to take out that anger on Yelena. Then again I can understand his disappointment, Yelena is not at all what he expected.
I also don't know if Leif really intends to work for Cahill from now on. Leif isn't exactly loyal to this troupe of rebels he just met, yet they seem to trust him.

Has anyone here read Snow Like Ashes()? Cahill and his band of followers remind me a lot of the Winter group in that book. Both lost their homeland and are trying to reclaim a throne by searching for support elsewhere. (hide spoiler)]

[Nicole's Book Diaries]

Helen 2.0 wrote: "@Nicole @Tanya I'll keep going with y'all so we can start the Soulfinders series. Are there different characters or a different setting? How come it's designated as a separate series from Study?"

Because it's been 7 years since the first trilogy was finished. I guess it became such a popular series that she decided to make more of it.

[Helen 2.0]

Oh that makes sense.

[Nicole's Book Diaries]

Okay.....I don't know what happened but I finished...

I sat down. Started reading and before I knew it, I finished the book. I'll post my final thoughts when I get home. Sorry guys! I'll discuss it tho!

[Helen 2.0]

I'm still at 30% lol but good for you! I binge-read The Husbands Secret yesterday so today is the day for Magic Study.

[Tanya]

That's great Nicole and I'm glad you've enjoyed it :) It's alright Helen, I'm still on Chapter 4 and I haven't had time to read :(

[Nicole's Book Diaries]

@Helen @Tanya Take your time. Post your thoughts. I'll still reply. I didn't mean to read the whole thing. I was planning on reading only 5 chapters but once I opened the book, I couldn't stop reading. I might actually wait to post my thoughts until you guys get closer to the end because you won't read it till you get to the end anyway lol. I'll just do my review for now.

[Helen 2.0]

Chapter 13: (view spoiler)[ Cahil means well, but he's very naive. He wants to rule a kingdom he hasn't seen in many years, command an army when he's never even been in one battle. He lives around the most powerful magicians in Sitia but doesn't even begin to grasp the extent of their power. I think putting Cahil in a position of power could go dangerously wrong unless he relies on experienced and loyal advisors.
Also, the argument between Yelena and Cahil about the rule of Ixia reminded me of Cold-War-type ideological clashes. I always thought the Commander's structured, strictly monitored system bordered on communism lol xD And Cahil's plan to give Ixia "freedom" sounded very American. That just came to mind, I don't know if Maria Snyder meant for that connection to be in the series.

The Yelena/Cahil pairing? Hmm. I don't know. I kind of saw Cahil's crush coming (another part of why I think he's naive). I love Valek but he's been so far away lately. If Yelena can be happy with Cahil then by all means she should go for it, but realistically, Valek > Cahil in every way. (hide spoiler)]

[Helen 2.0]

Chapter 25: (view spoiler)[ VALEK IS BACK! *happy dance* (hide spoiler)]

[Tanya]

I'm sorry girls but I cannot continue, I can only listen to audiobooks because I've been busy lately and I cannot read physical books. I have to withdraw from this buddy read. Sorry again and I hope you enjoy the rest of the books.

[Danii]

Chapter 1-5 (view spoiler)[ YAY Yalena finally met her family! Leif is an asshole though, calling her a spy and then setting her up in a trap! Her parents, and Nutty seemed sweet though. I don't understand why Yalena doesn't just call Irys to her with her mind and get her out of being a prisoner. (hide spoiler)]

[Danii]

Chapters 6-10: (view spoiler)[ Cahil still sucks. Don't like him at all! I'm just glad Leif didn't set her up, maybe they still have a chance to become real siblings. Love Irys still. And Yalena is finally at the Citadel! Picking a horse :D (hide spoiler)]

[Danii]

Chapters 11-15: (view spoiler)[ Well, I really miss Valek in this book. It's really not the same without him. Don't get me wrong, I love the idea of Yalena in magic school, but I just doesn't feel complete. I liked the Ixia setting better, it had more action and good characters. I hope it gets more exciting ): (hide spoiler)]

[Helen 2.0]

Done. (view spoiler)[ I'm still jealous Yelena can talk to horses! I loved the Sandseed clan and the Moon Man, he was funny. So, the next book will be about Soulfinders, I guess? Honestly I'd be scared of Yelena's magic too, like some of the southerners. She can take over people's bodies with them still trapped inside it! That's really scary. I never want to get on her bad side.
So Cahil's a delusional dick. Too bad, but I had little hope for him right off the bat. Especially when he crushed on Yelena... did Cahil really think that was going to work out? It does suck that his soldiers lied to him all his life though. He must feel totally aimless now.
(hide spoiler)]

[Nicole's Book Diaries]

Helen 2.0 wrote: "Chapter 25: [spoilers removed]"

Yeah I did the same thing lol. (view spoiler)[ He came with friends too but of course they don't know that. The Commander was a shock. I'm so curious about him now! I thought it was only a mind trick thing that he can switch between genders but apparently he can change his appearance too! (hide spoiler)]

[Nicole's Book Diaries]

Helen 2.0 wrote: "Done. I'm still jealous Yelena can talk to horses! I loved the Sandseed clan and the Moon Man, he was funny. So, the next book will be about Soulfinders, I guess? Honestly I'd be scared of Yelena'..."

I get it that he suffered but he wasn't my favorite character. (view spoiler)[ He really did get tricked but I feel like he's too naive and too much of a child to do anything. I pegged him as a spoiled brat from the start and he still is. He says he wants to give people freedom but he seems more resentful about his lifestyle and would rather be sitting on the throne.

I love the Sandseed Clan. Sitians don't seem to like them very much but they're just misunderstood. I'm very curious about Yelena's magic but at the same time, terrified for her. (hide spoiler)]

[Nicole's Book Diaries]

Final thoughts: (view spoiler)[ This turned out so much better than I thought. The main plot was a lot weaker than the first which is why I couldn't give this book a 5 but everything else in this book was amazing! I mean HOLY character developments! Never have I loved characters from a book before and on such a wide range of characters.

I love Yelena's development in this book. She definitely proved that she can outsmart anyone and function without Valek even if she's still facing dangers in every corner. But that's just typical Yelena. Trouble seems to always find her.

I love the world building of Sitia. It was completely different from Ixia and they even added cultural aspects in the world building.

I'm very curious about the Commander though and how things are going to play out for him in the series. He seems to have most secrets in their whole group. (hide spoiler)]

[Nicole's Book Diaries]

Danii wrote: "Chapters 11-15: [spoilers removed]"

You're still early in the story. There's A LOT that happens. Don't worry they're coming.

[Danii]

Chapters 16-22: (view spoiler)[ Is it weird that I picture the Sandseeds at Dothraki from Game of Thrones? xD Well at least things are getting more interesting. Moon Man giving Yelena back her memories could be good! Still missing Valek, I really hope she actually is seeing him in her dreams and it's not just a normal dream about him! When is he and her friends going to come rescue her?! And poor Tulu got her soul taken ): what could this guy possibly want with Yelena? And will she really be able to raise the dead?! I love her abilities so far though! (hide spoiler)]

[Danii]

@Nicole I sure hope it gets more interesting! I think I'm starting to get to the exciting part but I'm not too sure yet...

[Nicole's Book Diaries]

@Danii It took a while to get to the plot. This book is focused more on Yelena's development.

[Danii]

Chapter 24: (view spoiler)[ YESSSSS VALEK OMG OMG OMG AND JANCO AND ARI AHHHH YAY!! <333333 (hide spoiler)]

[Danii]

Chapters 25-28: (view spoiler)[ This book is SO much better now that Valek, Ari, and Janco are back in it! Valek is such a clever little thing switching places with someone off and on. Glad Goel is dead though! Cahil is annoying me, why can't he just let things go? Ugh. (hide spoiler)]

[Danii]

Finished: (view spoiler)[ I'm so bad at updating throughout the book! I get way too into it and can't stop reading! But I'm really glad the story picked up the pace, I was starting to get bored with it! But the ending was an awesome cliff hanger and there were a ton of plot twists! I'll probably read the third book (: (hide spoiler)]

[Nicole's Book Diaries]

@Danii I have a BR set up for the third boo Fire Study on July 10th if you want to join :) will you be reading the soul finder series as well?

[Helen 2.0]

Yes Dani I hope you join us :) I'm so excited to keep going!

[Danii]

Yesss, I would love to join the buddy read for the third one! (: What's the link?

[Danii]

The Soulfinder trilogy sounds cool too! I might read those after the last 3 books on my reading list (:

[Helen 2.0]

Here's the link for Fire Study:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

[Danii]

Thank you! (:

[Anna 'Bookbuyer']

Helen 2.0 wrote: "Up to Chapter 9: What do you guys think of Leif? I can't make my mind up about him. I think he has a right to be angry over the loss of his sister and all those years he spent searching for her, bu..."

Leif was always a question mark for me too and this is about the 3rd or fourth time I've read this. (view spoiler)[ No matter how many times I read about the beginning of their relationship I still get mad a Leif for his resentment of Yelena. I guess I have a hard time connecting with Leif. :/ (hide spoiler)]

[Anna 'Bookbuyer']

Danii wrote: "Chapters 11-15: [spoilers removed]"

I also missed Valek in this book. It's very light on romance compared to Poison Study.

[Anna 'Bookbuyer']

Danii wrote: "Chapter 1-5 [spoilers removed]"

I've always been disappointed that Nutty wasn't a bigger part of the story. I think she and Yelena would be a great team!

[Anna 'Bookbuyer']

Helen 2.0 wrote: "Chapter 13: Cahil means well, but he's very naive. He wants to rule a kingdom he hasn't seen in many years, command an army when he's never even been in one battle. He lives around the most powerf..."

I've never liked the idea (view spoiler)[of Cahil and Yelena together. Form the get go it was Valek for me. :) (hide spoiler)]

[Dr. Andy]

Can I get this reset for August 4th? Please & Thanks!! :)

[Sarah Elizabeth]

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Date Changed. Restarting August 4th 2016. Happy Reading ☺

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[Laura]

Just started the book today :)

Chapters 1 to 3 (view spoiler)[ So far this is really different from what we read in the first book. Now Yelena has arrived to her hometown and is getting to know her family (her mother, her father and her brother Leif). Her parents have received her with open arms but her brother is skeptical. I’m liking the book so far, let’s see where everything goes. (hide spoiler)]
Chapter 5 (view spoiler)[ Yelena and Leif have walked into an ambush because he believes she’s a spy and he had planned it. OMG! The boss of the ambushers is King Cahil Ixia! Wasn’t expecting that. (hide spoiler)]

[Dr. Andy]

Awesome! I'll be starting soon :)

[Jackie]

Going to see if I can join.