Storm Glass

After selecting Maria V. Snyder's Sea Glass as my pick for this week's Waiting on Wednesday post, I figured it was about time that I post my review for Storm Glass.

Despite being a uniquely talented glassmaker and apprentice to a Master Magician, Opal Cowen is always questioning her magical abilities. When the glass orbs of the Stormdancers begin to explode, killing several clan powerful members, Opal is forced to gain confidence in her own abilities in order to help save these weather-controlling orbs and discover who is behind such sabotage. Before long, Opal realizes that she carries more power than she ever believed. With the help and protection of many others, including Ulrick, a childhood family friend, and Kade, a Stormdancer who lost his sister to a faulty orb, Opal faces her fears in this novel of magic, adventure, and romance.

Maria V. Snyder’s Storm Glass returns to the world(s) of the Study series without the novel feeling repetitive. Though both somehow end up in life-threatening situations, as heroines, Yelena and Opal are nothing alike. I was really intrigued by the importance of weather and the way Maria V. Snyder developed the magic in glassblowing. As much of fantasy nowadays seems dedicated to vampires, this felt refreshing. I also like the way local legend plays into this novel. Though the very beginning is slow, Storm Glass as a whole is packed with action and mystery, so once the story begins the book is hard to put down. There is plenty of violence as well, but it is not written in a gory way that would disgust readers. While the romance is certainly there, I felt that Opal’s connections with Ulrick and Kade are a bit underdeveloped. Unlike Opal’s feelings about her powers, her emotions surrounding these men weren’t explored thoroughly enough. I’m hoping the sequel, Sea Glass, will address this. 9 out of 10.

P.S. If you haven't read Storm Glass yet, you can read chapter 1 right on Maria V. Snyder's site.