PLEASE NOTE: I had the audio version of the book so I can't be certain all name and location spellings are spelled correctly. 

Yelena finally gets to go home after having been lost for fourteen years in Magic Study, sequel to the phenomenal Poison Study by Maria V Snyder.

After helping to foil a military coup on the Commander of Ixia and revealing her forbidden magical abilities to everyone, Yelena finally is returning home, escorted by her new friend and teacher, Irys, Fourth Magician of Sitia. What should be a happy reunion however is shadowed by feelings of unease and confusion. Yelena Zaltana, as she now knows to be her name, has no memory of her family.

Just as Yelena is adjusting again and preparing to begin her magical training, danger beckons once more. It turns out not all of Yelena’s family and fellow magicians are happy to see her and are determined to prove she is a northern spy. There is also a dispossessed Ixian prince who has sought sanctuary in Sitia with grand plans to build an army to once again claim his rightful throne. All he wants is whatever Intel Yelena, willing or not, can provide.

At the same time, a magical stalker is on the loose, brutally abusing and murdering numerous young magicians in training. This killer is obsessed with power and will do whatever it takes to become the strongest magician in all of Sitia, possibly the world. And it appears Yelena is his next intended victim. In the midst of fending off rival magicians, hunting down a killer, and discovering still more enemies, Yelena learns she is a Soulfinder, a very rare magician, feared for her abilities. Fortunately for Yelena, some old friends have just arrived in Sitia as Ambassadors hoping to begin mending relations with Ixia. But will these few friends be enough to stop a killer, prevent another coup, and save Yelena’s life?

Maria V Snyder has further cemented position as a strong rising star in the fantasy genre with Magic Study.  With magic, mystery, and political intrigue galore, this is one book you will be so engrossed in you can’t stand to set it aside for even a moment. The land of Sitia is so thoroughly developed that I was there in the trees with the Zaltana clan, out in the desert plains with the Sanseed, and in the Citadel with the magicians.

Yelena is not the same person she once was. With no memory of her previous life, she has adapted to the ways of the Ixians and struggled to control and use her magic. So once she finally returns home, she can’t help but feel lost and alone, even surrounded by so many people. It doesn’t help that the Sitians expect her to immediately fall in line with their lifestyle and rules. Is it any wonder they begin to question her loyalty when she consistently behaves in the ways of personal survival? This provides one more source of conflict in the story, as if there wasn’t enough already.

There are plot threads of a wide variety all woven together to seamlessly develop such a compelling novel. We find rivalries in the Magician’s keep as they fear Yelena’s gifts and despise the fact she is so much more powerful then most others. Then there is the story of Cahill, former prince of Ixia, now exiled to Sitia, whose only desire is to go to war and recover his throne. Then of course there is the overarching mystery of who is killing the young magicians and why. This particular development is by far the strongest, and colors everything that happens from beginning to end.

The mix of characters is so eclectic and diverse that the resulting interactions make for some very engrossing reading. Fans of those lovable northerners, have no fear, we get to spend more time with Yelena’s dear friends from Ixia. Valek is even present in all his warrior (and lover) glory. In addition, we make many new friends in Sitia, my personal favorites being Moon Man the Story Weaver and most especially Kiki, Yelena’s friendly and talkative horse.

Magic Study is a wonderfully entertaining adventure. The only fault I can find is that we have to wait SO long for Fire Study, the next book in the series. I for one can’t wait to see where Yelena will next end up.

© Kelley A. Hartsell, February 2007. All rights reserved.