NIGHT STUDY BLOG TOUR: ARC Review--Night Study by Maria V. Snyder +GIVEAWAY

New York Times bestselling author Maria V. Snyder transports readers back to the realms of Sitia and Ixia in an exciting new Study novel full of magic, danger and intrigue. 

Ever since being kidnapped from the Illiais Jungle as a child, Yelena Zaltana's life has been fraught with peril. But the recent loss of her Soulfinding abilities has endangered her more than ever before. As she desperately searches for a way to reclaim her magic, her enemies are closing in, and neither Ixia nor Sitia is safe for her anymore. Especially since the growing discord between the two countries and the possibility of a war threatens everything Yelena holds dear.

Valek is determined to protect Yelena, but he's quickly running out of options. The Commander suspects that his loyalties are divided, and he's been keeping secrets from Valek…secrets that put him, Yelena and all their friends in terrible danger. As they uncover the various layers of the Commander's mysterious plans, they realize it's far more sinister than they could have ever imagined.

I received this ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, I was in no way compensated for this review.

As you all might know, I LOVE Maria V. Snyder’s Soulfinders series! It was pretty much my first fantasy read and remains in my top number of favorite reads ever! So having her write another trilogy for Yelena pretty much made my year last year! And once Netgalley listed it, I nabbed it! Night Study was a sensational and phenomenal read!

Night Study was a well paced read, one that’s not too fast and not too slow. It’s a read that sweeps you off your feet and carries you on a journey to a magical place! I love returning to Sitia and Ixia every time! When we last left Yelena and crew, Yelena had learned that she was pregnant and she was still without her powers. Not to mention the upset that was being caused by her enemies. There’s quite the political intrigue going on in this one, but never once does it become overly confusing.

In this one we get Valek, Leif, and even Janco’s point of view alongside Yelena’s! And let me tell you, I loved being inside Janco’s head! He’s one of my most favorite characters after Yelena and Valek. Each person has a different kind of voice, not even looking at the third person versus first person that we have going on. Only Yelena is in first, which makes sense, as she was our heroine for the first round of books. But even without chapter headers, you could always tell who was speaking or who we were following! Their personalities are all so strong and unique to themselves that they just jump off the pages.

Yelena and her friends are rushing to find Owen before he causes trouble, but what would a story be without a little…or a lot of trouble! And needless to say, chaos ensues for the duration of the novel.

I’ve loved Maria’s books from the very beginning, I cannot get enough of the magical worlds she creates. Her characters are amazing as well! I swear, every time Janco came onto the page, it wasn’t long before I was laughing in hysterics! He just has that way about him. He definitely brings some much needed comedic relief to the dangerous times the group finds themselves in.

Then there’s the romance. I sometimes forget about the rather large age gap between Valek and Yelena. It just never seems to compute for me. I’ve gushed over their romance since the beginning as well. They didn’t mean to fall in love with one another, being who they are. But it happened. That’s always the most spine tingling kind of romance to read about and I love it pretty much every time!

I loved seeing all the familiar faces again! Just the good guys though! It’s like returning home after a long time away! Everything about this book (and series) is just incredible! I can never get enough of Maria’s stories and I truly hope she never stops writing them! Night Study is an enchanting and enthralling read that cannot be missed! If you’re a fan of fantasy Maria V. Snyder is a must read!

To note, you don’t have to read the first Soulfinders trilogy in order to read this one, though you will miss out on the details of mentioned events, and miss out on 3 incredible reads. But you will have to have read Shadow Study in order to read this one as Shadow Study started the new trilogy. Just so you know!


Overall Rating 5/5 stars

Maria V. Snyder changed from being a meteorologist to a novelist in 1995, when she began writing to keep her sanity while raising two children. Since then, she has published numerous freelance articles in magazines and newspapers, and teaches fiction-writing classes at the local college and area libraries. The classes give her the wonderful opportunity to encourage fellow writers, and to keep improving her craft. 

Born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Maria always had a fascination with big storms. Dreaming of chasing tornados, Maria earned a bachelors of science degree in meteorology at Penn State University. But she discovered, much to her chagrin, that forecasting the weather wasn't one of her skills. In order to chase tornados you had to predict where they might form. Creating fantasy worlds where she has complete control of the weather was more agreeable to her. 

Maria's research on food-tasting methods with an expert chocolate taster, her husband, turned out to be a delicious bonus while writing Poison Study. 

Maria has a brown belt in Isshinryu Karate, and enjoys playing volleyball and the cello. Traveling in general and via cruise ship in particular are her biggest distractions from writing. Maria has traveled to Belize, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Europe, Mexico, the Caribbean and through the Panama Canal. 

Maria lives with her husband, son, daughter and yellow lab, Hazelnut, in Pennsylvania where she is at work on more LUNA novels. She is also pursuing a master's degree in writing popular fiction from Seton Hill University. 

Readers are welcome to contact Maria at the following email address: maria@mariavsnyder.com. 

Where you can find Maria: Website | Blog | Facebook | Goodreads

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Tour Schedule:

Week One:

1/18/2016- Dark Faerie Tales- Interview

1/19/2016- The Bibliophile Chronicles- Review

1/20/2016- Two Chicks on Books- Guest Post

1/21/2016- The Moonlight Library- Review

1/22/2016- Read Now Sleep Later- Interview

Week Two:

1/25/2016- Seeing Double In Neverland- Review

1/26/2016- Magical Urban Fantasy Reads- Excerpt

1/27/2016- a GREAT read- Review

1/28/2016- Fiktshun- Interview

1/29/2016- Mundie Moms- Review