Storm Glass (The Chronicles of Ixia, #4) (Glass, #1)

by Maria V Snyder

[ladygrey]

I'm glad this isn't the first [a:Maria V. Snyder|445303|Maria V. Snyder|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1224476079p2/445303.jpg] book I read or I probably wouldn't have blindly gone on to read almost everything she's written the way I have.

And I'm really disappointed because such a pretty cover and then an underwhelming book.

First, [b:Storm Glass|6080889|Storm Glass (Glass, #1)|Maria V. Snyder|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327899480s/6080889.jpg|2830002] is heavy on exposition from the Study series ([b:Poison Study|60510|Poison Study (Study, #1)|Maria V. Snyder|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170542921s/60510.jpg|1180409], [b:Magic Study|46202|Magic Study (Study, #2)|Maria V. Snyder|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1308955191s/46202.jpg|1254584] and [b:Fire Study|1966969|Fire Study (Study, #3)|Maria V. Snyder|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1308969176s/1966969.jpg|1970128]). Only about 1% of the information given away in this book is actually relevant to the story, so there's no reason to reveal so much of the earlier novels. And she goes over and over the same information. If this was #4 in a series I wouldn't be complaining (except for the repetition) but it's not. It's #1 in a new series and so spoilers are not fair game.

Second, it's exposition heavy from itself. "It's like that time when..." Yes, I know because I read about that time when less than 100 pages ago. You don't need to tell me about events I just read about. Again and again. Or give me information over and over. "My brother Ahir..." "You know, Ahir, my little brother..." "Ahir, who is my brother..." That's the most non-spoilery example I can think of and also I noticed at some point it was like the 4th time she'd informed me that Ahir was her brother or that her brother's name was Ahir. It's like she doesn't trust her reader to be smart at all or able to comprehend what's happening without her having to explain it to me.

Which makes sense because her main character isn't that smart. She's so full of doubt and recrimination and talking herself out of things that are so obvious right in front of her. It was really annoying. And then it didn't help when all the other characters were telling her how smart and courageous she was. I didn't believe them any more than she did. And I'm not sure what I think of Opal's power. It seems too easy. But since this is a Maria Snyder book, I fully expect an extensive and ongoing debate about the morality of her power in the next book.

I didn't like Opal. And I didn't fall in love with Kade or Ulrick (there is no romance anywhere in this book, really). If it wasn't Maria Snyder it would have faired much worse in my review. But ultimately, she is a good writer and this is an interesting world so it's not a terrible book. It's also not anything as good as she's capable of.