I'll start off first by saying--omg how much did I want this book? I might be a little biased, since I have adored the series since the very first, but I'm so glad I got a copy a little early. Next, for those of you who haven't yet gotten around to reading Storm Glass (for whatever reason, I don't judge) don't feel that you'll be lost jumping into this second book. The first 100 pages or so of Sea Glass has a pretty intensive overview of what happens in the first book through interactions and conversations. Its not like 'exposition drop', but if you've read or re-read the book recently you'll find yourself skimming passages a little more frequently then in Yelena's books.

The book itself! After the huge revelation in Storm Glass about Ulrick and Devlen's connection, you'd think Opal would be that much wiser. I'm not so certain she is. More cautious, but wiser? Not so much since Devlen manages to trick her a couple of times and Ulrick...well Ulrick is just difficult to deal with. To be fair she has a lot stacked against. Like Yelena, Opal's actions are judged critically through fear, paranoia and the careful manipulation of facts by enemies.

I was happy to see that the whole romance angle was worked out for this book. The synopsis is slightly misleading, but the author purposely had it changed that way so that spoilers for Storm Glass weren't covering the back cover. As much as possible (in a continuous series) MVS tries to keep things vague and 'in the moment' so that spoilers don't ruin a new reader's perception (which is nice since I can't tell you how many times I've picked up the third or second in a series and been spoiled for plot twist major from Book 1).

Janco plays a bigger role in this book then in the previous one. Which made me gleeful. I love Janco (and Ari) and lamented the fact there isn't more of them. Fisk too (a minor character from the Study series that, more or less, worked his way up the supporting character ladder to become pretty important in Sitia) makes several appearances.

What's interesting is to see the unraveling of a society. Between the events of the Study series and the events transpiring around Opal, Sitia is becoming a messy, paranoid country (or at least the leaders are). The Council is making more mercenary decisions, treating each suspicious piece of evidence as hard proof and being secretive. Not for anything, but I can see why the Commander is so reluctant to work with them on allowing magic in Ixia. Ixia might not be the perfect place, but a lot their problems stemmed from magic (Mogkan for instance) and the consequences thereof. The Council stood back for far too long and let things run rampant, their sudden 'we're in trouble, batten down the hatches' attitude isn't being helpful.

If, like me, you pick up a first press release of Sea Glass you're likely to see that on the last page it says 'Stay Tuned for more in Fall 2011'. MVS assured me that the next book is due out in the Fall of 2010, the publishers just printed the wrong year (and forgot her acknowledgements as well). If, also like me, you finish the book and scream that its a pretty important cliffhanger and why are we waiting for a year to find out what happens--take heart in three things:

1) MVS' young adult novel, Inside Out, is due out in the Spring of 2010 from Harlequin Teen. Not set in Ixia/Sitia (but a whole new world), but still. Get a MVS fix where you can.

2) MVS' newsletter (published once every two months or so depending on her schedule) ordinarily has a short story set between the events of books (or concurrent to events from a different character's perspective). Right now a mini-series called 'Ice Study' is under way. E-mail her at any time to get the back chapters and join the list!

3) This is par for the course. Anyone who picked up Luna's original printing of Magic Study and waited for them to put out Fire Study had a cruel awakening when the books switched to Mira (a different imprint), had to be re-released as new trade paperbacks (no more mass market or hardcovers) and THEN Fire Study came out. Almost two years later. Having Storm Glass, and six months later Sea Glass, come out so close together was a wonderful vacation. Welcome back to reality. We still have nothing on the Wheel of Time fans. ( )

very good book, some interesting twists into it. I love the relationship between Kade and Opal. I was wondering if Devlin/Ulrick had really changed his ways or if it was another ploy against Opal in trying to get his old mentor released from prison. I can't believe Opal lost her magic though, that is really blowing me away. Well one more book in the adventure. Guess we'll see what happens next right? ( )

3.5/5 stars

Maria V Snyder's writing is so addictive. I always finish her books so quickly and this was no exception. In Sea Glass we return to Opal Cowan - a glass magician, and the aftermath of Storm Glass. Of course, nothing can go right for Opal, and she can't catch a break, but things slowly start to work out and make sense.

I enjoyed seeing these characters again, especially Janco and the little we get to see of Yelena. Leif is also always enjoyable to read about. I'm not sure how I feel about Opal. She did have a lot of character growth in this novel and I can definitely see how she came about her actions, but she annoyed me a little bit. I'm hoping in the next book, we get to see her grow more into herself and her new situation.

I enjoyed the plot of this novel, although I felt that there was a little too much back and forth of being captured, and escaping. The overarching plot of this is definitely interesting, and I'm curious to see where this goes, because it seems that things have been wrapped up quite well - except for the Bloodrose's.

Overall, this was fun and easy to read. Hopefully I will get to the next book soon! ( )

Man. I don't know what it is, but this series is not Maria V. Snyder's best work. Again, there's some weird past vs. present tenses in here. They're always in places where I can see what she MEANS, but she's not doing it right. Sometimes it's like Opal is in the present, telling us what happened in the past. But really, she's just the generic first person past tense storyteller, so the occasional present tense moment is just bizarre and jars me out of the story.

But then there's the story itself. A lot of it seems... unnecessarily complicated. Instead of the big conspiracy being solved a little by little, one big explanation is thrown out at the end of the book.

I do like Opal's growth over the story. THAT was well done. But her interactions with other characters make little to no sense. "I decided to befriend Eve." Good for you, Opal. How did you do this? I thought you were the character that had no friends. How did you know how to make friends? How great for you that just acting friendly earned you not just one, but two crazily loyal friends for life.

I don't even want to get into the super bizarre love SQUARE. Kade. Ulrick. Devlen. OMG. I've never liked Ulrick. I kind of like Kade, although he doesn't have much of a personality. He's kind of just there with his "long lean arms." Devlen is the most interesting, but also the most bizarre.

Also, what about that time Opal overheard all the people talking about how she and Kade shouldn't be together? And she literally just shrugged it off and it was never mentioned again. Why the heck put that scene in there if it literally has nothing to add to Opal's character or the story? AND those super weird clam/pearl hunting people guys. That was just lame.

Okay I guess I'm done. All that ranting aside, I still enjoyed it in a very weird way. Once I start reading it's hard to put it down even when it's being stupid.

I don't know what happened, because Poison Study is still one of the best books I've ever read. But NOTHING she's written since then has come close to the awesome. ( )

I'm still wavering on my rating, but for now I'll settle for 2 1/2 stars. I loved the Poison Study series and really enjoyed Opal in Fire Study, but this book was filled with too many irrelevant scenes. They complicated the plot and muddied the entire story. Midway through, I'd lost track of how many times she'd been kidnapped or thrown in jail. I also lost track of how many potential villains were out there, who was working with who, and why. It was a discombobulated mess and the possibility of a ghost writer entered my mind. Even Janco felt out of character to me.

If I hadn't been reading this for a challenge, it would've hit the DNF pile. Opal drove me bonkers. Her insecurity and emotional choices led to one problem after another. She was a doormat when she needed to be assertive and hostile when she needed to communicate respectfully. There was an over abundance of childish "bickering" and I still don't understand why she felt attracted to three guys when she claims to "love" Kade. The other two men weren't even good boyfriend/husband material.

I did like her magical gift, but there was nothing new in this book and the ending left me feeling grateful that it was over. I don't mean to be harsh with this review, but perhaps it's time for Ms. Snyder to find a better editor, one who can help her cull the plot bunnies. I'm still a fan, but I know she can write so much better than this. I may pick up the last book, but it'll be awhile.
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