Tag: Medieval

Fire Study comes to a clean conclusion, but not without a great deal of turmoil leading up to it. While I was reading, there were many passages I came across that made me feel similar to the way I felt when I was watching Infinity War. I just kept thinking, this isn’t going to end well, there is no way the people I want to live are going to survive. But somehow, some of the people I wanted to live do survive, but there are the expected casualties. Even with the deaths, I was left feeling satisfied, not desiring more from the story but I would of course welcome more. 

I will say, the story moved a little fast for me. It seemed like there was a lot crammed into this one book without there being enough down time, time for the reader to breath and absorb what they had read. I enjoyed the book, but I would not have minded it being slightly longer so it could have had some moments for the characters to relax. The journey that the characters go on needs to be completed in a certain amount of time due to the dangers involved, and the pace definitely induces anxiety, which is what I imagine the characters would be feeling, so maybe this is intentional. 

There are companion books to the series, another trilogy, along with three short stories. I think I am going to take a break from Yelena and the adventures she has in Sitia and Ixia, and begin a new series for next week’s blog. If you have been reading my entries and want to continue the series, the next book to read is Shadow Study. The short story, Assassin Study, follows Valek and takes place after the events of Poison Study and before the reunion of Valek and Yelena in Magic Study.

Fire Study starts off slow, with Yelena continuing her magic lessons, but as of right now, the beginning is the only slow part in this story. A possible trail leading towards Cahil and Ferde is detected, and Yelena and a small crew leave the Citadel to seek them out. You will not get a break from the action and adventure for many, many chapters, the chase is fast paced and a little exhausting. I can’t imagine I would have survived this journey as well as Yelena and her companions did, but they do have magic on their side. So once again, Yelena’s magical training is put on hold as she tries to capture criminals, stop nefarious plans, and keep herself out of harm. Yelena’s life is always in danger, this being a constant since Poison Study, even more so now as her Soulfinder abilities are no longer a secret. The last Soulfinder lived over 150 years ago, and they had to be killed due to their lust for power. Magicians generally don’t trust anyone who possesses these skills as they have had a bad track record throughout history. 

Yelena is supposed to be getting special training from Roze, the First Magician, but I’m starting to doubt that it will ever happen with the way things are going. Until I reached the midpoint of this book, I was starting to wonder if Yelena would ever make it back to the Citadel, the chase she was involved in lasted that long. Just when you think one plot point is going to reach its conclusion, another conflict is thrown in, effectively putting everything already in play on hold. 

I’ll have finished Fire Study by next week, and we shall see if the story has a clean end. I don’t think it will, as it seems there is another trilogy chronicling Yelena out there waiting for me to read.

Life in Sitia is far more exciting than life in Ixia, and a lot of it has to do with magic. Yelena continues to come into her powers, yes powers, as she keeps discovering new abilities day by day. We learn about the many different magical skills that exist, the types of students that are accepted into the school in order to hone their abilities, and the types of magic that exist outside of the school. If you read Poison Study, you may remember the word Soulfinder being brought up. We finally figure out what exactly a Soulfinder is, and why they are both prized and revered for their skills , while at the same time causing unease and fear amongst magicians. 

So many, what I will call juicy, things happen as the story progresses and reaches its end. There is even more deception than there was in Poison Study, as was to be expected, since Yelena was headed into an unfamiliar country, despite it being the country of her birth. Reunions occur, certain relationships begin to mend, and other relationships fall apart as they are just starting to take shape, albeit with a great amount of hesitation. 

If you like intrigue and mystery and waiting to discover answers to questions over the course of several books, I would suggest this series. Next, I will be reading Fire Study, which I believe is the last in the trilogy. Three additional books follow later on, which I will probably read as well considering how much I am enjoying the series right now.

The sequel to Poison Study, Magic Study takes us south to Sitia, the country where Yelena was born, a member of the Zaltana clan, she was tragically kidnapped at the age of six. Yelena, and the other stolen children that were recovered from General Brazells castle, travel through the eleven territories with Irys, who helps to reunite the children with their families. As you can guess, we do get to meet Yelena’s family, but not all of them are elated to see her. 

There are heaps of new characters that are introduced in the first half of the book. Where I left off, an annual event was on the brink of occurring in which I expect will mean the addition of many more new characters. We also get to meet the three other Master Magicians, of which Irys is the Fourth Magician. And, there is a character that was hinted at in the first book that I am guessing will have a considerable influence on the course of the story as it continues. I am eager to finish the second half of this book so that I can move onto the third. 

I don’t want to give too much away for anyone who is considering reading the story. But, if anyone wants to know more, or if anyone wants my opinion regarding if the series is worth picking up, leave me a comment.

The second half of Poison Study is full of a lot of action, a lot more than the first half. If you got started on the book, you will have learned that the Commander has an extreme dislike of magicians. You do find out why, and the reason is much more than just being the sort of things they had done in the past under the rule of the former King. I like how the big reveal at the end of the book makes parallels with a certain issue that is becoming very prevalent in society today.

You also get to see Yelena evolve into a very capable individual, gaining skills and showing talents that go far beyond her post as the food taster. She’s a very likeable character, strong, but she knows her weaknesses and can admit to them, she expresses doubt and can lack confidence. I think overly strong female characters are becoming a little too trendy. Yelena’s slightly less forceful character feels more believable when you factor in all the things she has gone through and the changes that happen during the months after her release from prison. I do love a strong female lead, but I feel like lately I’ve been reading a lot of books that have an almost too able young woman starring in the pages.

Next week I will begin the next book in the series, Magic Study, which I am really looking forward to, as we will follow Yelena to Sitia as she begins to learn how to hone her magical skills. There is also hope that she might be reunited with her family that she was most likely stolen from when she was a child.