A review by siglerbooknook
Shadow Study by Maria V. Snyder

adventurous funny tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I always try to have a positive spin on my reviews, but I'm struggling a bit with this one. The things I loved in the first 3 books have been repeated so often at this point that they're...beige. They're not bad, but I'm definitely not getting the same level of enjoyment out of them, and there aren't enough new twists to keep me entertained.

As much as I love Valek and Yelena,  I'm ready for a nice happy ending, but each book seems to end in the same place and the prior one...just before a happy ending. And before the happy ending gets here, another major problem occurs.

At this point it's pretty much a guarantee that Yelena will be kidnapped at least twice per book and at the last minute she and Valek will put together enough pieces to defeat the undefeatable villain of the current story. 

Some of the side characters are beginning to feel flat. They should have learned or grown in at least some ways by now. We're 4 books into Yelena's story with an entire trilogy in the middle. 
I did enjoy some of the new characters and look forward to seeing how they switch things up.

While I want to see where Yelena and Valek's story ends, I don't know if I'll reread this one in the future.