Helpful Score: 5
This is the first book in the Glass trilogy by Maria v. Snyder. This book follows Opal, the glass maker involved in some of the Poison Study stories. It was an okay book; but the characters lack a lot of the charisma seen in the Poison Study series. I actually listened to this on audio book and the audio book was very well done.
Something is wrong with the Stormdancers' orbs. Storm season has almost arrived and two Stormdancers have been killed by shattering orbs. Opal and her mentor are sent to the Stormdancer clan to see if they can help fix the glass the orbs are created out of. There Opal meets Kade the only surviving Stormdancer in the clan. Upon completion of that mission Opal is sent on a mission with her hated classmate, Pazia, to look into some black market diamonds and also tasked with building a glass shop in the keep. The incidents with the orbs and the diamonds seem intertwined, but how? Can Opal figure out what is going in without getting into too much trouble?
The plot and storyline were very well done. Snyder does well creating intricate plots and has a nice writing style that is descriptive, serene, and easy to read. The world of Citia is well thought out and this series flows seamlessly with the first series. The adventures get a bit overdone; you feel like Opal never has time to take a break she is constantly thrown from one panic to the next. This relentless pace make have had some impact on the biggest thing I didn't like about the book which was the characters.
Unfortunately Snyder missed the mark with the characters in this book. Opal is a hard character to like. She spends much of the book in uncertainty, constantly feeling sorry for herself, and needing constant assurance of how talented she is. For some reason the surrounding characters constantly tell Opal how clever and smart she is despite the fact that Opal is dense and always confused about what is going on. There were a number of times during the book where it took Opal many pages to realize that something straightforward was going to happen. My husband and I listened to this together; and many times we would end up rolling our eyes as it took Opal forever to think her way through something that we figured out instantly. Then Ulrik or Kade would be "Oh Opal you are so smart!" It was ridiculous. The story would have been much better without Opal. The only thing I did enjoy about Opal's character were the increasingly interesting powers she developed as the book went on.
The other characters were not much better. Ulrick, was boorish and selfish. I couldn't understand why Opal liked him, outside of the fact he was cute and could blow glass. The whole deal with Ulrick shadowing Opal was a bit overdone; I understood Ulrick was shadowing Opal, I didn't need as many reminders as Snyder gave. The villains were also fairly one dimensional; minimal time as given to their backgrounds or personalities. The only character I actually found interesting was Kade and he was out of the picture most of the time.
In summary the plot development and writing style were very similar to the Poison Study series. The characters in this book have none of the fire and spirit to them that Yelena and Valek did though. I think the book would have been vastly improved with either different or more in depth characterization. Will I read the second book in the series? I am not sure right now. Opal's character drove me nuts; she was just so dense. But, I do really like Kade, so following the rest of the story for his sake might be worth it. We will see.
Something is wrong with the Stormdancers' orbs. Storm season has almost arrived and two Stormdancers have been killed by shattering orbs. Opal and her mentor are sent to the Stormdancer clan to see if they can help fix the glass the orbs are created out of. There Opal meets Kade the only surviving Stormdancer in the clan. Upon completion of that mission Opal is sent on a mission with her hated classmate, Pazia, to look into some black market diamonds and also tasked with building a glass shop in the keep. The incidents with the orbs and the diamonds seem intertwined, but how? Can Opal figure out what is going in without getting into too much trouble?
The plot and storyline were very well done. Snyder does well creating intricate plots and has a nice writing style that is descriptive, serene, and easy to read. The world of Citia is well thought out and this series flows seamlessly with the first series. The adventures get a bit overdone; you feel like Opal never has time to take a break she is constantly thrown from one panic to the next. This relentless pace make have had some impact on the biggest thing I didn't like about the book which was the characters.
Unfortunately Snyder missed the mark with the characters in this book. Opal is a hard character to like. She spends much of the book in uncertainty, constantly feeling sorry for herself, and needing constant assurance of how talented she is. For some reason the surrounding characters constantly tell Opal how clever and smart she is despite the fact that Opal is dense and always confused about what is going on. There were a number of times during the book where it took Opal many pages to realize that something straightforward was going to happen. My husband and I listened to this together; and many times we would end up rolling our eyes as it took Opal forever to think her way through something that we figured out instantly. Then Ulrik or Kade would be "Oh Opal you are so smart!" It was ridiculous. The story would have been much better without Opal. The only thing I did enjoy about Opal's character were the increasingly interesting powers she developed as the book went on.
The other characters were not much better. Ulrick, was boorish and selfish. I couldn't understand why Opal liked him, outside of the fact he was cute and could blow glass. The whole deal with Ulrick shadowing Opal was a bit overdone; I understood Ulrick was shadowing Opal, I didn't need as many reminders as Snyder gave. The villains were also fairly one dimensional; minimal time as given to their backgrounds or personalities. The only character I actually found interesting was Kade and he was out of the picture most of the time.
In summary the plot development and writing style were very similar to the Poison Study series. The characters in this book have none of the fire and spirit to them that Yelena and Valek did though. I think the book would have been vastly improved with either different or more in depth characterization. Will I read the second book in the series? I am not sure right now. Opal's character drove me nuts; she was just so dense. But, I do really like Kade, so following the rest of the story for his sake might be worth it. We will see.
Helpful Score: 4
I thought this book was a complete mess. After falling in love with the world that Snyder created with Poison Study, the books slowly decline in story and character development. Storm Glass picks up a few years after Fire Study with Opal as the main character.
Using too much dialog and not enough scene setting and description, I had a hard time feeling connected to any of the characters. Using names like Tricky, Sir, Blue Eyes, and Crafty as character names really turned me off. I wanted the author to show us who these people were instead of using their names to describe them.
Since there was such little background (you had to know about the world from the previous books), I felt like I was living inside Opals head. The first person narration gets old since Opal is a very weak character. Her constant doubting of herself gets really tiresome. Also, I had trouble believing her emotions and motives. The pain over her sisters death felt trite. She just didnt feel like a deep character to me. Her falling in love with the Stormdancer after barely getting to know him left me confused. She sleeps with Urick even though she doesnt have strong feelings for him. When you discover that Uricks not Urick, I felt like Snyder just threw that in to forward the plot.
When I finished reading the book, I didnt feel any closure. The antagonists motives were hard to follow or believe. All of this is happening because people want the power from the glass orbs? Opal is kidnapped so she can find the imprisoned Warpers. Opal falls in love with the stormdancer she barely spent time with. Yet she sleeps with someone else. And we get it, glass blowing is neat. Move along. If as much time was spent developing the characters as in describing the process of blowing glass *every time it was done*, then the book would be much better. I will read the next book to see if it gets any better. But Im not hopeful.
I gave it 1.5 stars since I did finish reading the book... I kept hoping it would get better.
Using too much dialog and not enough scene setting and description, I had a hard time feeling connected to any of the characters. Using names like Tricky, Sir, Blue Eyes, and Crafty as character names really turned me off. I wanted the author to show us who these people were instead of using their names to describe them.
Since there was such little background (you had to know about the world from the previous books), I felt like I was living inside Opals head. The first person narration gets old since Opal is a very weak character. Her constant doubting of herself gets really tiresome. Also, I had trouble believing her emotions and motives. The pain over her sisters death felt trite. She just didnt feel like a deep character to me. Her falling in love with the Stormdancer after barely getting to know him left me confused. She sleeps with Urick even though she doesnt have strong feelings for him. When you discover that Uricks not Urick, I felt like Snyder just threw that in to forward the plot.
When I finished reading the book, I didnt feel any closure. The antagonists motives were hard to follow or believe. All of this is happening because people want the power from the glass orbs? Opal is kidnapped so she can find the imprisoned Warpers. Opal falls in love with the stormdancer she barely spent time with. Yet she sleeps with someone else. And we get it, glass blowing is neat. Move along. If as much time was spent developing the characters as in describing the process of blowing glass *every time it was done*, then the book would be much better. I will read the next book to see if it gets any better. But Im not hopeful.
I gave it 1.5 stars since I did finish reading the book... I kept hoping it would get better.
Helpful Score: 1
Reviewed by http://bibliophile-bestiary.blogspot.com
I was completely in love with Maria V. Snyder's Study Series (Poison Study, Magic Study and Fire Study, so I was excited to read this series, set in the same world. Beginning to book was great. Then towards the middle, it was seriously lacking. While Opal is an interesting character, she is nothing like Yelena. The book tends to jump around and somewhat confuse you on where you are at. It also repeats itself several times, "Opal gets captured, Opal gets away." It is rather boring and annoying during that time. But it does seriously pick up towards the end, where the plot seems to come in. While I wasn't overly impressed with this book, I am still a huge fan of Maria V. Snyder. I have the other two books in this series and I hope they turn out better than this one! 3 out of 5 stars.
I was completely in love with Maria V. Snyder's Study Series (Poison Study, Magic Study and Fire Study, so I was excited to read this series, set in the same world. Beginning to book was great. Then towards the middle, it was seriously lacking. While Opal is an interesting character, she is nothing like Yelena. The book tends to jump around and somewhat confuse you on where you are at. It also repeats itself several times, "Opal gets captured, Opal gets away." It is rather boring and annoying during that time. But it does seriously pick up towards the end, where the plot seems to come in. While I wasn't overly impressed with this book, I am still a huge fan of Maria V. Snyder. I have the other two books in this series and I hope they turn out better than this one! 3 out of 5 stars.
This book picks up pretty much right where _Fire Study_ left off, and while Yelena does make a cameo appearance, the focal point of the book is Opal. At first, I missed the adventures of Yelena, but Opal's story was just as fun! I really enjoyed this book! There was something oddly familiar about it, and while it was maybe not as fresh as _Poison Study_, it was still a lot of fun. Really, my only complaint is that I have to wait until September for the next part of the story!
I loved this book. Was incredible,can't wait for Sea Glass.
Very long interesting story with magic and glass blowing themes. I really didn't like to torture, and was hard pressed to finish the story. I don't know if I will be willing to read any other books from this series because of this unneeded violence against the main character.
Maria Snyder of the Study trilogy fame knows how to write a rollicking, quest-based fantasy, and STORM GLASS is no exception. Despite a few characterization and narration issues, it remains overall an involved read.
Opal is quite a different character than the beloved Yelena. She is shyer, much more reserved about her importance and power. Up till now, Opals life had been defined by her being or feeling inferior to those around her, and one of the most touching themes throughout this book is Opals struggle to be her own biggest fan, a theme that will resonate with lots of readers.
Snyder writes with great attention to suspense and pacing, often ending chapters on a cliffhanger so that you have to keep on reading to know what happens. This is all well and good, and makes her books fast reads, but occasionally I wondered if I wasnt too swept up in the fast pacing, and couldnt slow down and concentrate on the characters or their predicaments if I wanted to.
A couple elements in the story felt forced to me. Opal and Ulricks romance began very quickly (and out of troublingly overprotective gestures too), and I wasnt allowed the time to warm up to Ulrick before they got together. Opals traumatic history seemed not to have affected her as much as Opal said it didand then it rose up to become a significant part of this book in a way that felt, for me, a little like pulling at strings.
Overall, however, I was satisfied with STORM GLASS, and wouldnt hesitate to read more of Marias works. Id also highly recommend her books to reluctant fantasy readers. The headstrong protagonist, straightforward narration, and fast pacing will appeal to just about anyone!
Opal is quite a different character than the beloved Yelena. She is shyer, much more reserved about her importance and power. Up till now, Opals life had been defined by her being or feeling inferior to those around her, and one of the most touching themes throughout this book is Opals struggle to be her own biggest fan, a theme that will resonate with lots of readers.
Snyder writes with great attention to suspense and pacing, often ending chapters on a cliffhanger so that you have to keep on reading to know what happens. This is all well and good, and makes her books fast reads, but occasionally I wondered if I wasnt too swept up in the fast pacing, and couldnt slow down and concentrate on the characters or their predicaments if I wanted to.
A couple elements in the story felt forced to me. Opal and Ulricks romance began very quickly (and out of troublingly overprotective gestures too), and I wasnt allowed the time to warm up to Ulrick before they got together. Opals traumatic history seemed not to have affected her as much as Opal said it didand then it rose up to become a significant part of this book in a way that felt, for me, a little like pulling at strings.
Overall, however, I was satisfied with STORM GLASS, and wouldnt hesitate to read more of Marias works. Id also highly recommend her books to reluctant fantasy readers. The headstrong protagonist, straightforward narration, and fast pacing will appeal to just about anyone!
