Magical And Adventurous || Review Of Magic Study By Maria V. Synder

After devouring the first book in the Poison Study series by Maria V. Synder, my schedule made it a little difficult getting into the second book. From my last review, you'll know this series is captivating and I can say it gets better with each book.

Like the title states, the first book focuses on the main character, Yelena, who becomes a poison taster to the Commander of Ixia to save her life. While performing her deadly task, she gets involved in the politics of Ixia, falls in love with Valek, the chief security to the Commander of Ixia and discovers she has magical abilities.

In this second book, Magic Study, which continues a few weeks from where the first book ends, Yelena embarks on a life-changing adventure to learn more and harness her magical abilities. She must do these within a year or face a disgraceful death.

Review

This second book is superbly written and way more fascinating than the first book! The adventures are exciting and the fast-paced manner in which the scenes are written kept me on the edge of my seat. Yelena gets her freedom from being a poison taster but must flee Ixia for the discovery of her magical abilities or face death. The only place left for her to return to is her roots—her hometown Sitian where her family reside—and meet the Four Magicians to ‘study’ her abilities. Will the people of Sitian welcome her with open arms?

I like that this author doesn't focus only on the main character's magical abilities but she also creates a subplot that keeps this book full and busy, if you know what I mean. This subplot is so engrossing and ties Yelena back to Ixia even when she thinks she might not return there again. As this young magician learns to control her abilities, she must uncover a secret plot to kill her and take the throne of Ixia.

This book is a page-turner. There's something happening in every scene and my adrenaline pumps as Yelena fights to protect herself, her people in Sitian and also Ixia. I wonder if that's not too much burden on the shoulders of a young adult but Maria V. Synder makes it work!

The character development of Yelena is interesting but unrealistic in some parts. She quickly moves from a poison taster to having magical powers (that are long lost) and within months, she harnesses her abilities and competes with the master magicians in Sitian. Okay, this is captivating, no doubt but on a realistic scale, it makes me do a double take. I wish the author had built Yelena's development slowly without reminding her readers that it's fiction. But I went along with the flow all the same!

Also, I don't like that this character is impulsive in this book, and quick to get into dangerous situations and save the day like a superheroine without giving it some thought. That's why I comment that the author put too much on her shoulders in this book.

In the romance part, the first half of the book focuses on Yelena and a new character, Cahil, who acts like he has feelings for her. I found myself longing to read about her and Valek. Later on, this man makes an appearance bringing some relief to the narrative, literally.

"When I carved this, my thoughts were on you, love. Your life is like this snake's coils. No matter how many turns it makes, you'll end up back where you belong. With me.”

Like the first book, no steamy scenes but their chemistry is believable and touching.

Overall, Magic Study took me by surprise. It's equally riveting and engaging. The adventures and magic displays are fascinating to read about and the author expanded on worldbuilding to include a magical realm. If you love high fantasy, you'll enjoy this one. I'll give it 4.5 stars out of 5.

Thank you for visiting my blog.

Check out my previous reviews:

Political, Magical And Intriguing || Review Of Poison Study By Maria V. Synder

Unexpectedly Bland || Review of The Witch of Willow Hall by Hester Fox

Dark And Intriguing || Review Of Flowers For The Devil

^{Thumbnail Image: Book cover is from my e-library and edited in Canva
Image credit: Darksouls1
Note: Quotes in this post are excerpts from the book}