I wasn't sure at the beginning of this book, and there were a couple of moments in the middle that made me wonder, but this ended up being a good book and the perfect ending to the story.  It is so nice to have conclusions that are actually difficult to get to and people who are not perfectly perfect.  And two of the series that I read this month really made the characters work for their happy ending

I get so bored with the perfect main character (especially when she's female) who meets the perfect mate (especially when they are perfectly fit, absolutely gorgeous, and somehow extremely wealthy) and everything just happens so perfectly easy with them.  Even when bad things happen, it all gets wrapped up so perfectly easy.  Even if it's a good book, when I get to the ending and my first thoughts are "that was too easy," it ruins the whole book for me, and makes me feel like I just wasted a bunch of time.

Now to figure out what I'm going to read next.

I went into this series unsure whether I would like it or not.  The bad reviews I read about it spoke of very unlikeable characters and a lot more romance than history, but I went ahead and gave it a try anyways.

They were right.  There are some very unlikeable characters in these stories, but I disagree with the ones that say there's nothing redeemable or likable about the sisters.  They each have very good parts to them, and have, over time, changed in ways that I did not like at all, making some of my favorite characters not my favorite at all, however I wouldn't say they weren't redeemable or likable, in their own ways.  Horrible things have happened in their lives, as well as wonderful things.

(I'm trying ever so hard to not spoil things for anyone who plans to read the series.  This is hard.)

My favorite part so far is seeing another side to a character I have loathed for almost two books.  To see the change that has come over him, to see him express his feelings, something he's never done in all this story, was just amazing.  When I finished reading what he had to say (it was towards the end of book two), I just sat there, Kindle in hand, trying to digest it all.

This whole series - good parts and bad parts, rape scene and death - is well worth the read just for that one experience.  I can't wait to finish this book, but am also saddened that the story will end when I do.

I will be honest - I'm not exactly sure I like where one character is heading so far in this book.  She wanted so much more, and I feel like part of her thinks she's in the position where she has to settle not finding her true purpose (or maybe she has and I just haven't seen it yet).  As I've learned with the other two books, though, you never know where its going to head.

Quicksilver
by Amanda Quick
Book 11 of Arcane Society
-- Book 2 of Looking Glass Trilogy

Quicksilver was a very quick read, with the same Amanda Quick formula that I love to love.  Owen Sweetwater and Virginia Dean are good people with a penchant for hunting monsters.  Side characters are great and readily likable.  The action and suspense is exciting.  And the romance is sweet and steamy in all the right places.

I'm always intrigued by the new psychic spectrum energies that get introduced with each next book of the Arcane Society, and the truth is, I DO prefer this Looking Glass sub-trilogy more than I do the Dreamlight sub-trilogy--for one thing, this one doesn't require employing the same story line in three different time periods, unlike Dreamlight.  The contemporary time period introduced some important players and names to recognize when we jump to the Victorian era, but then we are also given even more information, and a more in depth look at how glass light is employed.

I think it's and interesting concept.

The Quicksilver Mirror comes into play, and even though we don't get to actually meet or learn more about Mrs. Bridewell, the woman who created some dangerous clockwork curiosities infused with psychic energy, used as weapons, we get to actually meet her as well.  I would have liked for Millicent Bridewell to have had a bigger role in this book, but you take what you can get.

While Amanda Quick books are never entirely memorable, they are certainly always enjoyable.  As I've said, I did love the characters.

So, Quicksilver, was pretty much just another lovely installation to this ongoing series, and I look forward to the futuristic portion of the story arc.

SEA GLASS is the second book in Maria V. Snyder’s GLASS series and the fifth book in her CHRONICLES OF IXIA series. SEA GLASS continues the story of Opal Cowan as she deals with the consequences of events in STORM GLASS (review), like the revelation that she can use her glass magic skills to take another magician’s magic, and struggles with who to trust – even herself.

I found SEA GLASS to be a very frustrating read for most of the book. Not because the story wasn’t interesting and compelling, but because I found some of Opal’s choices and responses maddening. It was like she hadn’t learnt from her experiences in STORM GLASS. Although, to be fair to Snyder, the choices and responses were very in character.

SEA GLASS follows Opal as she tries to locate Ulrick and return his soul to the correct body. Unfortunately for Opal this isn’t an easy task, which is made all the more difficult as it means defying the Sitian Council who have ordered her to return to the Citadel. Opal’s dilemma is laid out from the first page – does she obey the Council’s directive, or does she follow her instinct and try to locate Ulrick? The plot of SEA GLASS revolves around the choice that Opal makes, and the consequences of her choices and the choices of others.

As I mentioned earlier, quite often I found Opal’s choices maddening – especially her inability to ask for help – but it made for a really complex plot. Snyder did a really good job at making the plot of the story both complex and messy, whilst at the same time not overbearing and difficult to follow because there were too many threads. There are a lot of plots and subplots in SEA GLASS, so if that isn’t your thing then you may not enjoy this book.

Character-wise we’ve already met the main players, and apart from a few minor characters no new ones are introduced to the story. I really liked the fact that Snyder didn’t introduce a new character to the mix, that instead I got to enjoy reuniting with Devlen, Kade, Leif, Janco, Yelena, and Zitora. It was nice not to be drowning in characters. I also thought it was an interesting experience to have an idea of who the bad guys were, and to see how Snyder played with these expectations.

Originally posted on The Flutterby Room.

STORM GLASS is the first book in the GLASS trilogy, and the fourth book in the CHRONICLES OF IXIA. It tells the story of Opal Cowan, who first makes an appearance in FIRE STUDY (review). STORM GLASS takes place five years after the events of FIRE STUDY and sees Opal at Sitia’s magic academy, where she is unsure of her place and powers. Opal has a special ability with glass, and events see her travel with a Master magician to discover what is causing the Stormdancer clan’s deaths.

At this point in the CHRONICLES OF IXIA Snyder chooses to switch narrators, which allows the focus of this narrative to switch from Yelena Zaltana to Opal Cowan. By doing this Snyder shows us another side of Ixia, and we get to learn more about another area of magic – glass magic. Although I really enjoyed Yelena’s story, I found Opal to be a really interesting character. She’s very different to Yelena and I think that worked well to separate the narrative voices. Opal is very unsure of herself and her powers, but at the same time she’s very clever and resourceful.

The basic plot of STORM GLASS is that for some reason the glass orbs the Stormdancer clan uses to control storms are breaking, killing members of the clan. If the Stormdancers cannot harness the storms, then people will be killed. However, there is a lot more going on than that. All of which could cause a lot of trouble for Sitia and Ixia, especially as there is rebellion in the air. Snyder does a brilliant job at showing Opal’s unease at the academy, and her growing self-confidence as the story continues. I also liked the fact that although we have a new narrator, there was the return of some familiar faces in this book – and hopefully in the rest of the trilogy.

If you have followed Yelena’s story and enjoyed it, then you should definitely consider exploring more of Ixia with Opal’s story. I’m really looking forward to continuing the story with SEA GLASS.

Originally posted on The Flutterby Room.