Maria V Snyder begins a new trilogy that has all the magic and adventure she has become known for, in Storm Glass.

Beyond her skill with glass, Opel Cowen, known as a “one trick wonder” by her classmates doesn’t have much magical skill. She doesn’t quite fit in at the Citadel and has no faith in her own magic. She has faced tragedy that colors everything she does, not realizing her own importance in the magical community of Sitia. However, her life is about to change… again.

Someone is tampering with the Stormdance clan’s glass orbs they use to capture the power of the storms, and some dancers have been killed when their orbs exploded during use. Because of her experience with glassmaking, the Master Magicians think Opal is perfect for the mission to find out what is wrong, though Stormdancer Kade doesn’t agree. While the original mission itself seems a success, danger beckons Opal once more. In the midst of it all, Opal discovers a shocking new ability no one has ever seen before. Now she has to get to the bottom of the mystery and learn to control her new powers, before everything she cares about is destroyed, including the enigmatic Kade who has captured Opal’s affection.

Storm Glass is excellent! The premise of the book is incredibly intriguing and if I weren’t already a die-hard fan of Maria V Snyder, I’d have wanted this book. The story is much deeper than the description indicates but I knew that would be the case. So much is always going on in anything Maria V Snyder writes.

Opal has suffered quite a bit of tragedy already in her young life and the circumstances resulting from tough decisions she made during those times colors every single thing she does. She has no faith in herself or her abilities, blaming herself for some of the things that happened in the past. When she is sent on her first mission by the Master Magicians, she starts to come to terms with her past and her gifts. She slowly begins to comprehend her own importance and significance in the magical communities when new abilities manifest themselves and Opal starts to realize there are many things only she can do.

Adventure and intrigue are the name of the game in Sitia and Ixia and in Storm Glass, we get to experience some of these first hand once again. Opal unfortunately keeps getting into scrapes, sometimes by no fault of her own and has to rely on her own resourcefulness to get out of them. She also has the dilemma of being torn between two men who play unique and mysterious roles in her life. There is Kade the Stormdancer who is emotionally distant for fear of getting too close to anyone and losing them. Then there is Ulrick, a young man from Opal’s past who suddenly comes into play and has a few magical tricks of his own no one understands. Suspense is brimming throughout Storm Glass, keeping readers eager for more.

We get a chance to catch up with a few beloved friends from the Study series as well, not the least of which is Yelena herself. I loved the chance to visit her again and find out how things have been going in her life. One thing I especially loved was seeing a much more lighthearted Yelena. She is much more relaxed now, and less serious, which shows us her new life and duties agree with her, giving her more opportunity to overcome her previous struggles.

I loved Storm Glass by Maria V Snyder and can’t wait to read book 2 in the Glass series. The primary storyline is wrapped up quite nicely, while leaving some of the undercurrents and subplots open for exploration in future books.

© Kelley A. Hartsell, April 2009. All rights reserved.

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Posted April 2009