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    Storm Glass
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    Storm Glass
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    Storm Glass
    Ebook457 pages6 hours

    Storm Glass

    By Maria V. Snyder

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    Award-winning author Maria V. Snyder brings readers into a world of molten magic, where storms can be captured within a glass orb and a magician's powers can remain hidden— until challenged by enemy forces. 

    As a glassmaker and a magician-in-training, Opal Cowan understands trial by fire. Someone has sabotaged the Stormdancer clan's glass orbs, killing their most powerful magicians. The Stormdancers—particularly the mysterious and mercurial Kade—require Opal's unique talents to prevent it from happening again. But when the mission goes awry, Opal must tap into a new kind of magic. Yet the further she delves into the intrigue behind the glass and magic, the more distorted things appear. With lives hanging in the balance—including her own—Opal must control her powers —powers that could lead to disaster beyond anything she's ever known.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarlequin MIRA
    Release dateAug 1, 2013
    ISBN9781460316429
    Unavailable
    Storm Glass
    Author

    Maria V. Snyder

    Maria V. Snyder is the New York Times bestselling author of the Study series, the Glass series, the Healer series, Inside Out, and Outside In. Born and raised in Philadelphia, she earned a Bachelors of Science degree in Meteorology from Penn State and a Master of Arts degree in fiction writing from Seton Hill University. Unable to part ways with Seton Hill, Maria is currently a teacher and mentor for the MFA program. Find her on the Web at MariaVSnyder.com.

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    Reviews for Storm Glass

    4/5

    394 ratings32 reviews

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    • 3/5
      This is is the first book in the Glass trilogy and is a really enjoyable read - interesting plot and characters, magic, intrigue and lots of action. Synder has created a rich, colourful and believable world and her descriptions of glass blowing are fascinating.

      Opal is an intriguing character who lacks confidence in her own abilities. The reader watches her evolve throughout the book as she gradually overcomes her vulnerability to reach her full potential through perseverance and determination. She is supported by a number of interesting characters including Kade, Ulrich, Zitora and Devlen. This should be a popular series for a variety of readers.
    • 5/5
      A word of advice: "don't start reading storm glass in the afternoon, or you won't sleep until you finish it."
    • 3/5
      I got interrupted a lot while I was reading this, so I didn't really get into it. OK but not really engaging enough for me. The fantasy world was very creative but I had problems with her rather clunky dialogue.
    • 4/5
      Not totally happy with ending (too long of a wait until next book is released) but overall pleased. Opal is definitely different and I look forward to watching her grow throughout the series.
    • 4/5
      I read this a long time ago, but really enjoyed the story and the characters.
    • 2/5
      the book was okay.?
    • 4/5
      *Book source ~ Purchased at AudibleFrom Goodreads:As a glassmaker and a magician-in-training, Opal Cowen understands trial by fire. Now it's time to test her mettle. Someone has sabotaged the Stormdancer clan's glass orbs, killing their most powerful magicians. The Stormdancers—particularly the mysterious and mercurial Kade—require Opal's unique talents to prevent it happening again. But when the mission goes awry, Opal must tap in to a new kind of magic as stunningly potent as it is frightening. And the further she delves into the intrigue behind the glass and magic, the more distorted things appear. With lives hanging in the balance—including her own—Opal must control powers she hadn't known she possessed… - powers that might lead to disaster beyond anything she's ever known.Guest ReviewersT ~ My 16-yr-old sonK ~ My 15-yr-old sonFirst, we listened to the Study series and really enjoyed it, so we thought continuing in this world be entertaining. Well, it kinda sorta was. We like Opal as the protagonist and some of our favorite characters are back, such as Leif, Yelena, Fisk, Ari and Janco. Unfortunately, no Valek. There are new characters introduced with various results: everyone likes Kade, doesn’t like Ulrich and agrees Devlin makes a good villain. The mystery is twisty, turny and keeps us guessing and the villains are appropriately villainous. The overall story arc is pretty good even though by the end the mystery isn’t really solved and there are some ends not tied up. It is a trilogy, so we know they will be eventually. However, the narrator ruins it for us. Yes, we really, really enjoyed Gabra Zackman’s narration of the Study series, but we were prepared to give Jennifer Van Dyck a fair shot. However, she mispronounced some words, made Janco sound Russian and, in general, we didn’t care for her narration. So we won’t be continuing with the series. K and I have read the books, but T hasn’t. He’s ok with not listening to any more since he’s not a huge Fantasy fan anyway. Plus, Valek is his favorite character and since he won’t be showcased in Opal’s series, it’s no great loss to him.Quotes:“Yippee. I’ve been promoted from fire lighter to delivery boy. I’ll write a letter home to Mother. She’ll be so pleased.” ~ Leif“I know I hated magic for a reason," Janco said. "Congratulations. This is the first time you've had a VALID reason to hate something," Ari countered. "Remember your campaign against sand?""Sand! Horrid little stuff. Gets everywhere. I had a perfectly good argue--""Janco." Ari's voice rumbled deep in his throat.In a heartbeat, Janco switched gears. "Well, this blood magic sounds worse than sand.”“Everyone grieves in different ways. For some, it could take longer or shorter. I do know it never disappears. An ember still smolders inside me. Most days, I don’t notice it, but, out of the blue, it’ll flare to life.” ~ Opal
    • 3/5
      When I first got my Kindle, the Glass books -- or maybe just the first one? -- were on offer, so I got them then, remembering the Study series as fun, easy to read, but vaguely trashy. I just looked over my reviews for the Study books, and I think I remember more clearly what my problems were. And, to some extent, I think they're less in evidence in this book. I don't think I had a particularly deep connection to Opal, the narrator of this book, either, but it didn't jar me either, so that's alright. There are romantic scenes, but again, they didn't bother me as much -- less clichéd? I'm not sure. There's something very hinky going on between Devlen and Opal: he has sex with her under very, very false pretences, so that part bothered me a lot -- or rather, it bothered me, in the sense that it rang false, that she didn't seem more bothered by it. I did like Kade, and actually rooted for the main pairing of this book, so that works.

      One of the things I disliked, the sense that all the supporting characters disliked the main character for being special, remains. The thing with Pazia seemed almost a repeat of Roze and Yelena, although admittedly my memories are blurry. And the other thing, my dislike of how Yelena became more and more special, more and more different, seems to be playing out here too. It'd be nice if Opal remained a One Trick Wonder, in a way, and came to terms with it, rather than realising she has massive superpowers.

      All in all, I enjoyed it, though. I know the list of complaints makes that hard to believe! But it's easy to read, and the plot is reasonably compelling, and there's enough up in the air at the end of this book that I want to pick up Sea Glass and get stuck in immediately. I have a lot of criticisms of these books, but less than I did of the Study book, and they do have that same compelling quality that makes me want to read on.
    • 2/5
      Apr12:Characters: No but hell no. I should never have started this series. Maybe Janek was worth it?Plot: Pretty damn crappy.Style: It was good to get back into this world. But man this was a bad way to do that. I suppose the author has veered more down the romance with many paragraphs describing men's eyes.
    • 5/5
      It's been awhile since I read Maria V. Snyder's first trilogy, but this book follows right on its heels, explaining how Opal Cowen connects to Yelena, while leading into Opal's life of glass-making. The whole process is intricately described throughout the book, but without burdening the plot with too much detail.Despite the part that Opal played and her great contribution to Sitia, she does not consider her magical abilities to be anything worth boasting about and struggles with low self-esteem for most of the book. All the while, her abilities grow and blossom in the face of suspense and danger. Her specific talents keep her busy solving one magical dilemma after another, introducing her to new characters along the way, as well as bringing in familiar faces - some welcome and some not.The romantic aspects to the book involve her being torn between two men, Kale of the Stormdance clan, and Ulrick, a fellow glass-maker. While Opal shares qualities with both young men, I prefer her chemistry with the moody, quiet Kale over the self-absorbed Ulrick.One of the more interesting characters in the book aside from Opal is her school nemesis, who also happens to be in the running for becoming a Master Magician. Their interactions teach Opal a few things about herself, both magical and psychological, and they develop into unlikely allies.Theirs is one of several loose ends left in the book that will likely be continued in the next book, Sea Glass.
    • 5/5
      Loved it!!!! After being disappointed with the final book in the Study trilogy, I was a bit nervous about this, but Snyder did it again. Better than Fire Study by far, but not quite up there with Poison Study. Looking forward to the second one - fingers crossed I won't be disappointed!
    • 5/5
      Okay, Miss Snyder, the only reason I'm so hard on you these days is because you made a masterpiece called Poison Study. This is the price of genius. All your following work will be graded much more harshly.Storm Glass is almost up to par with Poison Study, meaning it's much better than Magic Study and Fire Study (not that being better than Fire is really that hard), but there were still a few faults. Miss Snyder did a pretty good job of introducing some new characters and bringing back a few old ones, but sometimes all the characters just felt the same. More individuality would be really cool.Opal herself is a great character though, and not at all like Yelena, and -that- is what I really like about Storm Glass. I was worried they'd be the same character with just a different name and different magical abilities, but they're not.Though I am getting suspicious of the "One-Trick-Magicians" with weird, terrifying magical talents. Seriously, how many -are- there in this fantasy world? Opal's powers are very interesting, but them being unheard of and in the same generation as Yelena's amazing abilities is a bit of a coincidence, dontcha think?Oh, and have I mentioned how much I dislike love triangles? Well, Miss Snyder pulled it off better than most, but that doesn't mean I enjoyed it all. At least the love triangle isn't the main focus of the book.
    • 4/5
      I have to first admit that I really do prefer the US covers to the UK. The whole concept of fusing glass with magic is quite interesting. I can also understand why it ends up in the young adult category, though I don't really see that it is.It would help to read the Study series first to know some of the background and to understand the world a bit more but this is a new story in the world so it does stand on it's own, mostly. Opal is trying to work out what her magic can do, being unique has certain issues, not least of which is she's uncertain about what her magic can do and as she explores it she discovers how scary it can be. She also has to deal with two men and their attraction to her.It was weak in places and lagged occasionally but overall I found it a good read.
    • 4/5
      Poison Study is one of my absolute favorite books of all time, I think I've read it three times now since the first time a couple of years ago. The last two books in that trilogy were disappointing to me, however. I was afraid that this trilogy would let me down as well. I never got too attached to Opal when she appeared in the Magic trilogy and I didn't think she would be able to carry a trilogy all on her own. So I decided to wait until all three books were out, and then try Storm Glass and see how I liked it. I read the entire trilogy in two days (the third book is available on NetGalley!). They are brilliant! I liked this trilogy much better than the first one overall, although Poison Study definitely remains my favorite of the books. Opal made a fantastic heroine. She makes mistakes. Lots of them. In fact, it is safe to say she messes things up much more often than she gets them right. It makes her character growth so compelling to read about, because you can actually see the way she learns and develops.She is The Glass Magician, and even though her powers are absolutely original and she is the only one capable of doing them, she still feels like a "one-trick wonder" and that she is weak and even useless. Regardless of how she feels about her abilities, she gets sent on an important mission and ends up involving herself in quite a doozy of a situation. Besides the magical drama she gets mixed up in, there is also plenty of romance to sink your teeth into. In fact, I'd love to talk about the men in her life with anyone that has read this, there are some interesting twists and turns that I think would make a good discussion.This is a very fast-paced book, it doesn't take long at all to read because you won't want to put it down. I definitely recommend having the others on hand, because you won't want to wait long before picking them up! You can bet that I won't be doubting Maria V. Snyder ever again.
    • 4/5
      19-year-old Opal Cowan feels like a freak. She might be a powerful glass magician, but her skills are limited to just her glass. That and her connection to the events surrounding Liaison Yelena Zaltana four years earlier make her an outsider at the Magician’s Keep. Then Opal is called to investigate a case of Stormdancers’ glass orbs that have shattered, killing the Stormdancer working the magic. Opal suspects there’s a conspiracy underfoot, and between that and the newfound discovery of her magical abilities, she’s got more than enough to worry about.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, Opal’s 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 Opal’s 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 wasn’t too swept up in the fast pacing, and couldn’t 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 Ulrick’s romance began very quickly (and out of troublingly overprotective gestures too), and I wasn’t allowed the time to warm up to Ulrick before they got together. Opal’s traumatic history seemed not to have affected her as much as Opal said it did—and 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 wouldn’t hesitate to read more of Maria’s works. I’d also highly recommend her books to reluctant fantasy readers. The headstrong protagonist, straightforward narration, and fast pacing will appeal to just about anyone!
    • 5/5
      The first in a trilogy featuring characters from the Ixian/Sitian worlds. Opal Cowan briefly appears in the 'Study' trilogy and is given her own series here as she explores her potential as a glass magician. Unlike Yelena, Opal is less confident and feels as though she has no importance. Her unique powers are needed when the Stormdancer's orbs begin to break. Leaving the Citadel allows her to grow as a person. Whilst Opal can be annoying this is an enjoyable book and I'm looking forward to what Opal does next.
    • 4/5
      A fast-paced book with lots of minor tension build-ups and releases that keep you hooked. Opal Cowan is an outsider within the magicians guild and only her familiarity with some of the masters and her exceptional skill with glass magic keeps her there until a problem arises only she can help with.The only thing that bugged me while reading was that sometimes the author glances over two or three weeks, barely using two sentences to overcome that time until the action can start again. Some of that time could have been used by the main character to investigate her own magic, and it makes her seem not only passive, but also unwilling to find out more.Furthermore I would recommend to read the first trilogy (Poison Study, Magic Study and Fire Study) because the many references confused me sometimes and told me most of the previous trilogy between sentences in just the first book. That might have been my mistake by not recognizing this trilogy as a sort-of sequel to another, but I feel reading the previous trilogy won't be so exciting anymore now.But despite these two minor let-downs I've enjoyed the book, finished it in one day and am interesting in the second book, so I would finish with saying it is a good book and a nice and light read for a fantasy reader.
    • 3/5
      I went through this one pretty quick. I liked Opal in the Study books so I was interested to know about her later. She's already starting to toughen up - which should make the next books better. I'm not quite sure how I feel yet...I liked it but it didn't thrill me the way Yelena's story did. But I'm still going to move on to book 2 to see what happens next! I was thrilled for the guest appearances of Yelena and some of her folks, and I can really see a similarity between her and Opal. Especially Opal with her boys and other people in the Keep. On to Sea Glass!
    • 4/5
      In the follow-up series to Maria V. Snyder's popular and fun Study series, Snyder returns to the Study universe with Storm Glass. This time, the series follows Opal, a young glass magician and friend to Yelena, the star of the Study series. Young Opal is the daughter of a glass maker who studies magic at the local magician university called The Citadel. Opal is believed to be a "One Trick" who can only do small bits of magic centered around glass. When Opal is commanded by the magician counsel to work with the glass makers for the Stormdancer clan to perfect their glass orbs for taming nasty storms, she finds that there is more to her magic than she originally thought. Though somewhat in the shadow of her now-famous friend Yelena, Opal becomes the hero of her own story.Storm Glass was as well-written and enchanting as much of the Study series. Snyder's writing is just as comfortable as before and the characters are just as enjoyable. The book was a fun read and I'm happy to pick up the sequel, but it's not without a few flaws. I admit that I was somewhat excited to return to the Study universe, but once I got back into it, I found that Storm Glass felt too much like Magic Study. While there are some new elements, many of the plot items felt recycled from the Study series and Opal didn't quite get the chance to shine on her own until the very end. Though it was fun to see what some of the Study characters were up to, it seemed like Snyder spent a little too much time on these old characters in Storm Glass instead of focusing more on new characters.I really enjoyed Storm Glass for the most part -it was filled with magic and adventure. The characters were enjoyable enough for me to care about, and the plot was decent enough to keep me reading, but seemed a little rehashed and somewhat confused at points. Better than some of the other YA fantasy I've read, but not the best.
    • 5/5
      Opal has a skill with glass, it is a unique magical ability that only she possesses, and unfortunately it also happens to be the only magical ability she possesses. The past four years at the Magician's Keep have not been easy for Opal, with little other skill and no friends it has been a hard and lonely time.Now in her fifth year, Opal has been asked to undertake a mission for the Master Magicians, a mission only she can fulfil as it relates to glass, her magical speciality. But one seemingly straightforward mission soon turns into so much more as events begin to unfold and deceptions are played out. Opal is in more danger then she realises, but with so much going on can she discover the truth in time to save herself and those she loves?Storm Glass is not your typical magical girl story; there is a realness to this story that is immediately evident through the history and culture of the land as well as the personal back-stories of the characters. This is not a simple story of one quest leading to a simple outcome, but will instead set of a chain reaction of events so complex and strategic that it will leave you hooked, wondering to the very end. A brilliant new series that is every bit as complex as it is engaging.
    • 4/5
      Very good book - a continuation of the Study trillogy. I enjoyed this very much - I liked the characters and the plot. I look forward to the next two stories in this thread.
    • 2/5
      The book has a few interesting parts, and it's usually when there's action. Other than that, it's mostly boring. Opal is supposed to be 19 or so, however she acts and thinks like she's 14. I had to constantly remind myself that she wasn't a young teen.Ulrich comes off as a weird, obsessed, possessive stalker. Maybe I missed it but didn't she just meet him? And then all of a sudden he was just this crazy obsessed boyfriend who wanted to be with her and "protect" her. His behavior seriously borders on abuse. I didn't even understand her connection with Kade. He was there sometimes in the book and then he wasn't. At one point in the book, one of the girls who has been mean and horrible to Opal for all of her four years at the Keep tells her she treats her that way because Opal pushes people away. And Opal agrees with her! What?! Sorry, I wasn't buying that. I would have told Pazia that no, you guys were just jerks (nice way of putting it) and you were mean and everybody else followed you. Get some backbone, girl!*******SEMI-SPOILER WARNING BELOW******Speaking of Pazia, wouldn't it have made sense to just break all of the bee orbs to see if it would release her magic? *******************END OF SPOILER***********I honestly think this book should have been entitled "Ode to Yelena, and what happened to me 5 years ago". That's all we heard about. Her and Yelena. How cool Yelena was. If I took out all of the references to the previous series, then there likely wouldn't be enough for a book. I know it was traumatic, but this is a different series, and the references were kind of overkill.I did give it 2 stars because, like I mentioned earlier, when the action did happen, it was good action. Also, you learn a lot about glass making. I must have missed where she described storm dancing.I wouldn't recommend the book but I wouldn't stop someone from reading it. There were a lot of people that found it enjoyable judging by the 4 star average rating.
    • 3/5
      A fantasy book based on a different premise altogether.I read this as a stand-alone book, without realising there was a full series before this one. This meant I had difficulty understanding the many allusions to the plot and characters of the previous books. I may have liked it more if I had read them, but the cover said 'Book One' so I wasn't aware there were more.Opal can work magic with glass and is sent on a dangerous mission by the Council to discover why a clan of stormdancers are having trouble working their own magic. Along the way, Opal deals with her own perceptions, two love rivals and her growing powers.Unfortunately, she is thoroughly annoying. She whines constantly about her own misfortune and how her powers aren't strong enough. She decides not to pass on important information in case it makes her look bad and generally stomps round self-pityingly.The general concept is a brilliant one. She can use little glass animals she creates to do her bidding and to communicate with other magicians. Glass orbs form the basis of her power, which often makes her the target of ridule from the other, more convential, magic-users. I like this because it is so different from all the other fantasy novels with their usual spells and wands, the glass is a unique idea and it works fantastically.The plot could use a little speeding up as quite a lot of time seems to be spent travelling and being attacked by the same group of people again and again. However, it flows reasonable well with only a few dry spells.The novel is easy to read and flows well. The dialogue seems natural and unstilted and the characters are well rounded, aside from Opal herself.Worth a read, but only if you read the previous series first.
    • 4/5
      While I wished many a time that Opal would quit feeling sorry for herself, it was interesting to see how she (and others, such as Leif) fall in the shadow of Yelena. I prefer my heroines a bit more smart and self-confident, but Opal's misgivings about herself actually seemed pretty reasonable in context, and I found her surprisingly believable, if frustrating. Warning, though: Opal goes through a lot of very dark times when captured, and this isn't as off-camera as it had been in her previous appearance.In the end, despite misgivings, I found myself carried along with the story and the world, and I'm really looking forwards to the next book! Maria V. Snyder writes an excellent tale, and she's quickly becoming one of my favourite authors.
    • 3/5
      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 might 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.
    • 4/5
      I'd like to say that I found this book as amazing as I found the Study series but I just don't. It isn't because Opal isn't likable because she is. I think it is because for so much of the story she sees herself as the victim and allows it to happen. And I was so used to Yelena in the Study series who stood on her feet and fought back.So, opal as a character is likable yet wimpy for a little over a half of the book. But when she finds a backbone she does it well. Will I read t...more I'd like to say that I found this book as amazing as I found the Study series but I just don't. It isn't because Opal isn't likable because she is. I think it is because for so much of the story she sees herself as the victim and allows it to happen. And I was so used to Yelena in the Study series who stood on her feet and fought back.So, opal as a character is likable yet wimpy for a little over a half of the book. But when she finds a backbone she does it well. Will I read the next book in the series without a doubt, if only to see Opal through her growth.
    • 4/5
      Snyder also wrote the Poison Study trilogy of books which are similar (being set in the same world) and the stories loosely related to this book (characters from the trilogy show up here). Poison Study, however, is a much more mature book. The main character, Opal, is supposed to be 19 but she acts like a 16 year old - low self-esteem, lack of self-confidence, a naivete about "romance". And while there are moments where you think Opal has learned from her actions and is maturing, the next scene has her acting younger again.The whole book has a feel as if the author didn't know where she was going with the story - it starts with one plot, moves into another - the players all acting like the first incident didn't occur and making stupid decisions - then a thread of the first comes back and then another whole sub-plot is added in about 3/4 of the way through the book. Nobody in the story behaves as if any of the previous incidents had even occurred (i.e. someone is trying to kill Opal but later in the story, nobody seems to be concerned at all about this fact). And the end of the story is wrapped up with a deus-ex-machina - very disappointing.It's fast and easy to read and the concept and world is very interesting. It would have been much better if only Snyder had stuck with one or two of the stories, and/or had come up with a better resolution.
    • 3/5
      Storm Glass is the first book in a trilogy set some years after Snyder's Study trilogy. Nineteen-year-old Opal is a glass maker and magician-in-training, sent to investigate a crisis with the Stormdancer clan's glass orbs.Despite being the same age as Yelena was in Poison Study, Opal seems younger and less confident. Quieter. Her daily existence isn't threatened by constant danger and suspicion of those around her, and I was just thinking how much darker Poison Study was when... WHAM! Okay, I take back my assessment of it as light-YA-fantasy.I found the "explanations" about events from the Study books highly irritating (I've just read that trilogy, and if I hadn't you would be spoiling it unnecessarily!) but otherwise I enjoyed this. I felt a lot of empathy of Opal and found her emotional journey really thought-provoking. Appearances by characters from the previous trilogy were amusing (like Leif, about going to see his sister: "I need my danger-fix") and while there was nothing very profound or brilliant about it all, it kept my interest, much in the same way the other books did.However, I'm still reeling from the this-is-dark-YA-fantasy-too thing (because torture really isn't my thing). And the ending left a lot to be resolved. I'm not sure what to think about these two aspects... except that I desperately want to read the sequel!
    • 4/5
      It's confession time. When I first read this book blurb it only somewhat caught my interest. It was the cover that really grabbed me. Usually if I stumble across a cover I love but the book blurb doesn't grab me I hold off on reading the book. But one day I'm strolling through the library and what do you know? On the New Books for Teens shelf this book is staring at me so I figured why not pick it up. OMG! Best decision ever. I loved it! This is my first book by Maria Snyder but I do have her other book, Poison Study, sitting in my TBR pile. I will have to move it up in the list because I enjoyed this one so much. I can sympathize with Opal's self confidence issues and desire to be something more. Not to mention you can't help but feel sorry for her at the way she seems to draw trouble to herself like a magnet. It was a joy to see her magical powers evolve throughout the story and interesting to see how the love triangle she becomes involved with will turn out. I love Kade's character and was rooting for him from the start. A thoroughly enjoyable read and am so glad I found this author.
    • 5/5
      Just like her first trilogy, Snyder has written another amazing book. Snyder's writing style and descriptions are engaging. I absolutely loved this book about growing up, self-discovery and learning to trust yourself. I can not wait to read the next book in this series (especially since we have so many unanswered questions). One of the things that I loved the most about this book is that it took place in the same world and overlapped characters from the first books that we all know and love. I hope that we stay in this world, even through spin-offs because it has so much potential. In short, I LOVED THIS BOOK!!!