Shadow Study

February 15, 2015

Yelena is on her way to enjoy a much-deserved vacation with her lover Valek when she is attacked. Believing herself healed from the arrow wound, she later discovers that a poison has stripped her of her magical powers. While Valek is far away in Ixia dealing with political plots against the ruler there, Yelena must find who did this to her and whether there is any way to reverse the damage. VERDICT This new series is a welcome return of the couple who last starred in 2008's Fire Study. As usual, Snyder combines deftly drawn characters with a complex political scene and tops it with a dollop of romance. Although some will be disappointed that Yelena and Valek don't spend much time together in this entry, Snyder has tied in some of the events from her more recent "Glass" series (last visited in 2010's Spy Glass). One bonus for longtime fans is a glimpse at Valek's past and the path he took to become the twisty spymaster and assassin he is today.

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