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!

About Maria V. Snyder:
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Teaser Tuesday & Top Ten Tuesday (2)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

I knelt next to her "You're right. I can't stop fate, but I can stay one step ahead of her."

She squinted at me. "Can you really do that?"

"Already have." I winked

pg 293 Spy Glass by Maria V. Snyder

I resisted the urge to tease you all with an excerpt of my fabulously interesting management text book, but I figured no one would really be tempted to go pick that one up, so I went with Spy Glass instead. You're welcome ;)

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Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted at Broke and Bookish Here is what they have to say: Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the Bookish. This meme was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Each week we will post a new Top Ten list complete with one of our bloggers answers. Everyone is welcome to join. All we ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND sign Mister Linky at the bottom to share with us and all those who are participating. If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Don't worry if you can't come up with ten every time..just post what you can!

This week they are looking for your Top Ten Words, so here are mine- I went with both words I like because they are fun to say and words I overuse on a regular basis.

1. Fontrum: The embarrassment one feels on behalf of people who do not know they should be embarrassed for themselves.

We've all felt this way, we just didn't know what to call it. Now we do.

2. Schadenfreude: enjoyment obtained from the troubles of others.

Another one of those words I didn't know existed, but once I heard it everything made sense.

3. Dude: Sometimes used informally as a term of address.

aka- word I picked up while in middle school back in the day and have not been able to purge from my vocabulary.

4. Serenity: the quality or state of being serene

Something I wish to attain, but fail at repeatedly. "Serenity Now!" as Frank Costanza would say.

5. Doppelganger: a ghostly counterpart of a living person

They say everyone has a doppelganger out there- I want to know who mine is, because if she happens to be rich and successful i may want to switch places.

6. Copacetic: very satisfactory

Because we obviously needed a 4 syllable word to tell someone it's "okay"

7.Cantankerous: difficult or irritating to deal with

The dictionary used the example of a cantankerous mule, but I'm pretty sure I've met more people who are irritating to deal with then any of the mules I've worked with.

8. Frontier: the farthermost limits of knowledge or achievement in a particular subject.

Who doesn't want to reach the farthermost limits...plus I wish I had lived on the frontier circa 1880 and wear awesome clothes.

9. Wild: living in a state of nature and not ordinarily tame or domesticated.

Again, the dictionary picked the very apt example of "wild ducks"- not sure that's what I would have gone with, but at any rate, I love the idea of living in a state of nature and not being tame.

10. Tomfoolery: playful or foolish behavior

Because really, who doesn't love a little follish behavior?

Alright, you're up, what are some of your favorite words? How about a teaser from the book you're reading.

In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren. The idea is to share what books you got your hands on in the last week.Not too many books headed my way this week (but that's okay I haven't finished everything from last week yet!) Only 3 things to add- all of them made of awesome!

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

Magic is dangerous—but love is more dangerous still.

When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London's Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Only the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons, keep order amidst the chaos.

Kidnapped by the mysterious Dark Sisters, members of a secret organization called The Pandemonium Club, Tessa soon learns that she herself is a Downworlder with a rare ability: the power to transform, at will, into another person. What's more, the Magister, the shadowy figure who runs the Club, will stop at nothing to claim Tessa's power for his own.

Friendless and hunted, Tessa takes refuge with the Shadowhunters of the London Institute, who swear to find her brother if she will use her power to help them. She soon finds herself fascinated by—and torn between—two best friends: Jem, whose fragile beauty hides a deadly secret, and blue-eyed Will, whose caustic wit and volatile moods keep everyone in his life at arm's length...everyone, that is, but Tessa.

As their search draws them deep into the heart of an arcane plot that threatens to destroy the Shadowhunters, Tessa realizes that she may need to choose between saving her brother and helping her new friends save the world...and that love may be the most dangerous magic of all.

Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott

Once upon a time I was a little girl who disappeared.
Once upon a time my name was not Alice.
Once upon a time I didn't know how lucky I was.

When Alice was ten, Ray took her away from her family, her friends -- her life. She learned to give up all power, to endure all pain. She waited for the nightmare to be over.

Now Alice is fifteen and Ray still has her, but he speaks more and more of her death. He does not know it is what she longs for. She does not know he has something more terrifying than death in mind for her.

This is Alice's story. It is one you have never heard, and one you will never, ever forget.

Spy Glass by Maria V. Snyder

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 st olen some of her blood--and that finding it might let her regain her powers. Or learn if they're lost forever...