Fire Study

I strongly recommend reading Poison Study, Assassin Study, Magic Study, and Power Study all at a go. The two novellas are optional, but canonical and fun.

Snyder's world seems to be made up of just two countries: Ixia and Sitia. Ixia has been ruled by Commander Ambrose and his generals for about a decade when Poison Study starts, after a military coup overthrew the old monarchy. There are no beggars, every child is entitled to an education, nobody has to go hungry or homeless, and promotions are based solely on skill, with no gender or racial discrimination—but every citizen also has to wear a uniform declaring his or her proper location and job function, government approval is required for marrying, moving to a new home, or changing jobs, and anybody identified as having magic talent is killed immediately. Everyone is subject to the Code of Behavior, and there are no exceptions for any kind of extenuating circumstances. If you kill someone, you are sentenced to death, even if you were defending yourself or another.

Yelena has been in the Commander's dungeon for most of a year after killing the son of General Brazell. Valek, Ambrose's spymaster, gives her a choice: go to the gallows, or become the Commander's food taster. The job doesn't have a long life expectancy, as poisoning attempts are fairly common, but Yelena sees a chance at life better than immediate death, and takes the job.

Yelena manages to survive several attempts to murder her. The fact that Brazell wants her dead is understandable, but the other attempts are mysterious. Why would a Sitian master magician try to kill her? Who would slip poison into her wine?

Magic Study finds Yelena in Sitia, learning to cope with a very different way of life. Magic is almost taken for granted, and a strong family/clan structure forms the backbone of the government. But why are there beggars in the streets, and why is it that only those who can afford it are educated? Everyone in Sitia believes that life in Ixia must be horrific, but looking around her, Yelena sees that Ambrose's rule does have its benefits.

Fire Study moves between Sitia and Ixia, involving the leaders of both nations and intriguers who want to bring both of them down by pitching them against each other. Yelena and her friends are trying to prevent a war and reveal the traitors, but they've been declared outlaw and have to sneak around trying to figure out what's going on.

Another reviewer found Yelena too talented for belief, but I found her fairly realistic. She certainly isn't good at everything—she could use a lot of help in terms of social skills!—and the skills that she begins with and gains over the course of the trilogy do make sense. She trained as an acrobat when she was a child, so it does make sense that she is able to learn some types of self-defense without too much trouble. Some of her aptitudes make more sense after she learns more about her family background. She does find that she has magical abilities, but she isn't good at everything, and indeed, cannot seem to master some tasks that other magicians consider rudimentary.

I did find some of the betrayals to be difficult to comprehend, as some of the traitors would have no defense against mental scans. There's a Sitian Ethical Code of Conduct that prohibits non-consensual scans, but it doesn't apply to criminals, and in a war situation, I found it hard to believe that nobody ever did a little telepathic peeking at the people around them.

These were fun books, and they could be useful in looking at the pros and cons of different types of governments with teens. There's some sex in the books, but nothing terribly explicit. The violence is more troublesome, but the author never dwells on it.

So, my main problem with this book is that it doesn't meet the standards set by the previous books in the series. While they were fast paced and fun and entertaining, this one goes on and on without much happening at all. Most of the book is spent with Yelena chasing after Cahil, Ferde and the Daviians, getting captured, injured, never being much successful at whatever she aims to do. The Fire Wraith is so powerful that Yelena is petrified of him. After two books of watching her be brave and confident and always finding her way out of tricky spots, it's quite jarring to watch her here be scared, unsure of herself, afraid to use her own powers. It's only towards the end of the book when she finally realizes the true purpose of a SoulFinder and accepts it, that the book turns interesting and we get our fearless Yelena back. Thanks to Ari, Janco, Kiki and sometimes even the Moon Man, there are some humorous moments which bring comic relief. But on the whole, this is an okay book which has a good ending. Of course, I am still going to read the next trilogy because I just don't want to let go of this gang yet. And I really love Yelena and Valek as a couple.

Officially labeled as a Soulfinder, the council argues over what’s best to do with Yelena. But she will not sit around and wait for their judgment. She knows who she is and there are Vermin left in the plains who continue to seek out souls for their own twisted gains. But when Yelena joins Moon Man in seeking out the vermin, it will lead them down a path of fire and betrayal. And Yelena’s family is caught right in the middle of it.

While family ties may be new to Yelena, she has found the acceptance and love that was taken away from her as a child. To have one of the few good things in her life once again taken away makes for a powerful start to this novel. Throughout this trilogy, Yelena has come from being kidnapped and traumatized to a self-sufficient and loved person. Her ties to others and her need to ensure their safety is what makes this such an intense novel.

Being labeled as a Soulfinder is not easy for Yelena. Many people turn in fear at the mere mention of her magic, and she is judged harshly before she is even given a chance. But Yelena never lets it beat her down. Instead, she pushes on despite all the doubts and rumors, refusing to let anyone or anything stand in her way. Yelena is a character that has endured a number of hardships and trauma throughout the first two books, and her journey throughout Fire Study will be no less treacherous.

Of course Yelena is quick to spring into action without thinking of the consequences. She’s been able to rely on only herself for a long time, and it is hard to break habits that once promoted her survival. But this time around she will be facing more than just one warper. Fire Study dives into the root of the corrupted magic, and those who would steal the souls of others for their own gain. Readers will be swept up in Yelena’s quest to save her family’s souls and her determination to put an end to soul stealing. Even if it costs her own in the long run.

Fire Study brought everything together in an explosive and compelling story. There wasn’t a moment of respite as Yelena raced from one challenge to the next. And Maria V Snyder knows how to pull at the reader's heartstrings as she holds nothing back. The characters readers have come to know and love are not safe in this final book. They will be put through the ringer as the warpers seek out anyway possible way to gain power and steal Yelena’s soul. Out of the three books in this trilogy I enjoyed Fire Study the most and it was a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy. I am eager to see what other stories take place in these lands.