Synopsis: Despite the odds, Yelena and Valek have forged an irrevocable bond and a family that transcends borders. Now, when their two homelands stand on the brink of war, they must fight with magic and cunning to thwart an Ixian plot to invade Sitia.
Yelena seeks to break the hold of the insidious Theobroma that destroys a person’s resistance to magical persuasion. But the Cartel is determined to keep influential citizens and Sitian diplomats in thrall and Yelena at bay. With every bounty hunter after her, Yelena is forced to make a dangerous deal.
With might and magic, Valek peels back the layers of betrayal surrounding the Commander. At its rotten core lies a powerful magician and his latest discovery. The fate of all rests upon two unlikely weapons. One may turn the tide. The other could spell the end of everything.
Title: Dawn Study
Author: Maria V Snyder
Publisher: Mira
Pub Date: 31th January 2017
Pages: 388
ISBN: 9780778319856
Rating: 
I was given Poison Study as a teenager and loved it. Then, last year, I realised there was much, much more to the story (at least four other books, to be exact). I consumed them all in a very short space of time. Then twiddled my thumbs until the next installment was published.
Last week, the latest book in the series came out and, as you’d expect, I dropped everything to read it…
Well… not everything. Unfortunately, I’m an adult now. Things like work, mortgages, even LIFE tends to get in the way. The next few days were spent in turmoil; I was sure this would be the final book and Snyder would one of my favourite characters off. With countless captures, failed rescue attempts, stupid deals made with the ‘enemy’, and general drama; I frantically turned pages praying ‘not him/her!’ with each chapter.
Snyder is brilliant at bringing the reader back into the story; whether you’ve read the previous books or not, you won’t get lost. Her pacing is insane, and you can’t help but love each characters, warts and all.
My only judgement is that Dawn Study felt a little like an ‘in between’ book. There were, dare I say it, too many capture/rescues to make up for the time she spent bringing all the plot lines into play. With a story so complex, the need for such a book is clear but she’ll need to pick up her game for the next (and hopefully last!) installment.
Overall a quick, pacey read. If you haven’t read any of her books, get to it. NOW!
A Literary Mind 