May 2008, Mira Books
Paperback, Personal Copy
Fantasy, (YA possibly)
(I'm from England, so I may spell a few words differently).
Possibly minor spoilers in this review
Summary from Mira Books
Completing her apprenticeship could prove deadly…
With an execution order on her head, Yelena has no choice but to escape to Sitia, the land of her birth. With only a year to master her magic - or face death - Yelena must begin her apprenticeship and travels to the Four Towers of the Magician’s Keep.
But nothing in Sitia is familiar. Not the family to whom she is a stranger. Not the unsettling new facets of her magic. Not the brother who resents her return. As she struggles to understand where she belongs and how to control her rare powers, a rogue magician emerges - and Yelena catches his eye.
Suddenly she is embroiled in battle against good and evil. And once again it will be her magical abilities that will either save her life…or be her downfall.
This is book two in a trilogy I love. The first one, Poison Study, was reviewed here. Knowing Yelana well by now, Magic Study provide a lot more action and suspense. Yelena has enemies in the world (as per usual), but she also has enemies closer to home. When she finds her family, she isn't welcomed by all of them with open arms. The conflict between herself and her brother provide for a lot of conflict in the novel. The first time I read this, I was yelling at Leif a lot. He has quite an attitude, one which I didn't understand until I reached the end. Even then, it isn't full understood until book 3, where everything about Leif is revealed to Yelena (If my memory serves me correctly).
Yelena's powers grow - she finds an opportunity to use her weapons training. But she also discovers (again) what it is like to be helpless without her powers. There is a but: she learns new powers than no one thought she would have.
Yelena's voice makes for a very entertaining read. Although she is far from Ixia (which she thinks of as her home), and missing her friends (especially Valek) she does get to see them eventually. Yelena does put her foot in things, and charges off on her own missions. She has to explore her own personality in this book, and work out other people's. Life is never dull where Yelena's concerned.
Content: sensual to mildly sensual, some violence. Adult situations in here. Tissues will be needed.
1 comment:
Very cool. I might need to pick this one up because I find the idea of the heroine learning about and mastering her abilities intriguing. That parallels the journey all young people make, I think. Don't have time to really read, or review it, of course, but a speedy-read might be educational. Great cover art.
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