I've never been much of a reader..... and then I got a kindle for Christmas. It's been 2 months and I've read 35 books. I have to say that Maria Snyder's "Study Series" tops my list. The world that she creates is captivating. I couldn't put the book down, literally. My husband probably felt neglected. I picked it up on a whim and is the sole contributor to my new love of the magical, fantastical genre. Unfortunately, it was one of the first series that I read once I got my kindle and now I compare every other book to it and nothing quite compares. The back story, the characters, the setting, the antagonists, the dangers, the magic - flawless. Obviously, I love this book and would recommend it to any reader. ok, here's the thing. I really wanted to love these more than I did. I think Poison Study is the strongest in terms of well crafted writing. Magic Study I enjoyed more because of character development than anything else. Fire Study is just lazy, I'm sorry to say. By that I mean that all of a sudden, in this gorgeous world Ms Snyder has created, the characters are saying, "ok" and just generally acting smarmy...she settles for hackneyed one liners instead of crafting a reply as she did in Poison Study. But my main issue (although I DID read all three of them, heh heh) is that the main character is attracted to...and gets into intimate relationships with....men who are physically abusive to her in the beginning of the relationship. But this somehow turns out to be acceptable later b/c they "thought she was betraying the Commander" which apparently makes it totally okay to pull her out of bed, slam her up against a wall and then let her fall to the floor in once scene, and then fall in love with her in a later scene. It's subtle and it's ugly and I wish that the literal physical beatings she took at the hands of her later lover weren't dismissed as unimportant b/c he thought she was a traitor. Feh. And yet, I WAS invested enough in the story that I read all three of them b/c I wanted to know how it all turned out, so there ya go!
What do You think about Study Series Bundle (2008)?
Love this series! Each is very different, #1 and #2 were the best ones!
—katnisseverdeen
4 1/2 stars; the first book, Poison Study, was the best overall.
—epicboy
Loved all of these to the point I read them all within a week.
—everydayisagift95
Amazingly put together a must read for anyone who hasn't
—astrid
