Review: Spy Glass by Maria V. Snyder

Summary:An undercover mission leads to danger, adventure and an impossible choice. After siphoning her own blood magic in the showdown at Hubal, Opal Cowan has lost her powers. She can no longer create glass magic. More, she's immune to the effects of magic. Opal is now an outsider looking in, spying through the glass on those with the powers she once had, powers that make a difference in the world. Until spying through the glass becomes her new power. Suddenly, the beautiful pieces she makes flash in the presence of magic. And then she discovers that someone has stolen some of her blood - and that finding it might let her regain her powers. Or know it could be they are lost forever.

Review: I'm a huge Maria V. Snyder fan, so I was really looking forward to this book. I certainly wasn't dissapointed. It was another winner. This is the third and final book in the Glass trilogy and it follows Opal as she tried to earn back her magic, while at the same time trying to stop a power hungry adversary who may be the key in getting her blood and her magic back.

Opal is a pretty good lead charecter, she's no Yelena (from the Study Series), but I feel like this final book really saw her coming into her own. I felt like in the first two books Opal was merely surviving, but here we see Opal (with the help of everyone's favorite assasin, Valek) finally take the reins and go on the offensive. Even though there are points in the book where Opal is unsure of herself and questions who she is, I feel like by and large she has decided to at least try to make decisions for herself, instead of just reacting to the decisions of others. It was really a great look at how she has grown.

My one complaint about the book was that I had trouble recalling some of the plot points that got Opal to this point. There were references back to the Study Series and of course to the first two books int his series. It took me a minute to get back into the world that Snyder has so wonderfully created. That being said, it certainly didn't take away from the experience, but I would suggest a re-read of at least the first two Glass Series books before reading Spy Glass.

Lastly, I have to say I loved all the old friends that turned up in this book. It was great to not only see the players from the Glass series come to Opal's aid (or emerge as enemies), but it was doubly great to see Valek and Yelena and Lief. These are charecters that I loved in the Study Series, so it was awesome to see them somewhat removed from the central drama, but still very much involved.

Overall, this was a great book. I'm a little sad to say goodbye to Sitia and Ixia, and especially sad to say goodbye to Yelena and Valek, Opal and Delvan, and of course Ari and Janco. I'm looking forward to Snyder's next book (Outside In, sequel to Inside Out), but I'll be holding out hope for another adventure into this world as well!

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