Shattered Glass

Glass #3.5

by Maria V. Snyder

While trying to teach her adopted daughter, Reema, how to work with molten glass, Opal receives a letter from Master Magician Zitora Cowan requesting Opal's immediate help. Zitora resigned from the Sitian Council over two years ago to search for her lost sister, and no one has heard from her since. The letter is probably a trick, but Opal refuses to pass up the opportunity to help her mentor, who may be in genuine trouble. Good thing Opal isn't that easy to fool. With her two soldier friends Nic and Eve providing backup, the three travel to a small town in the Jewelrose Clan. But can they rescue the Master Magician without being caught in the same trap?

Genres: Fantasy, Magic, Young Adult, Novella, Ebooks, Short Stories, Romance

93 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 19, 2016

About the author

When Maria V. Snyder was younger, she aspired to be a storm chaser in the American Midwest so she attended Pennsylvania State University and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Meteorology. Much to her chagrin, forecasting the weather wasn’t in her skill set so she spent a number of years as an environmental meteorologist, which is not exciting...at all. Bored at work and needing a creative outlet, she started writing fantasy and science fiction stories. Over twenty four novels and two short story collections later, Maria’s learned a thing or three about writing. She’s been on the New York Times bestseller list, won a dozen awards, and has earned her Masters of Arts degree in Writing from Seton Hill University, where she is now a faculty member.

Her favorite color is red. She loves dogs, but is allergic, instead she has a big black tom cat named…Kitty (apparently naming cats isn’t in her skill set either). Maria also has a husband and two children who are an inspiration for her writing when they aren't being a distraction. Note: She mentions her cat before her family.

When she's not writing she's either playing pickleball, traveling, or taking pictures. Being a writer, though is a ton of fun. Where else can you take fencing lessons, learn how to ride a horse, study marital arts, learn how to pick a lock, take glass blowing classes and attend Astronomy Camp and call it research? Maria will be the first one to tell you it's not working as a meteorologist.

Readers are welcome to check out her website for book excerpts, free short stories, maps, blog, and her schedule at http://www.MariaVSnyder.com.

Reviews

[Maria V. Snyder · Rating 5 out of 5]

New Glass eNovella featuring Opal, Nic and Eve as they go on a mission to help Master Magician Zitora Cowan, who has been missing for the last two years. This also has the first two chapters of DAWN STUDY as an excerpt at the end.

FYI - The cost is 0.99 US. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to my daughter's friend Araella's medical expenses. Her world was shattered back in August when she was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer - she's just 18 years old! :(

[Kathryn Ford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, this is a strange one. I know it says that this book is number 3.5 of the Opal Cowan -- Glass series, but you can't read it straight after Spy Glass. You need to read it in publishing order, for it to all make sense. So you need to read this after the 5th Study book, Night Study.
It was a nice little story, and I really enjoyed it. Opal again demonstrates her intelligence when faced with a problem.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before I get to my review I thought I would share some words from the author, taken from her blog to explain why we got Shattered Glass.

This story fits in nicely between Night Study and Dawn Study - it actually overlaps Dawn Study a bit so you have to read it ;). Also the eNovella has the first TWO chapters of Dawn Study excerpted at the end.
The cost is 0.99 US. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to my daughter's friend Araella's medical expenses. Her world was shattered back in August when she was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer - she's just 18 years old! :(

For me, any book that is part of the Glass/Study/Ixia series is an automatic purchase for me, but even more so knowing that some of my pennies are going towards helping someone. Shattered Glass was a book I devoured immediately, dropping everything to read this. I never realise how much I miss this world until I am taken back to it. Reading part of the Glass series as time is passed always makes me realise how much the characters have grown, in themselves as well as thier skill. But it's always nice to see that characters haven't changed too much, like Reema, who is still sneaky and tries to get the best out of every situation.

I really liked that we got to see the end of a story that began a while ago, we see how it all played out and how it all ends for that character, whilst also starting on a new adventure. I don't want to say too much about what happens, as this story is set between two books, I do advise you to read previous books in this complete world (Chronicles of Ixia) before venturing into this one.

Shattered Glass is the perfect book to hold of the withdrawal symptoms from not visiting this world, and definitely teases you, leaving you wanting Dawn Study right now.

Final Verdict
Shattered Glass is a must read for fans of the series, it fills in some blanks and also ends on a cliffhanger that has me wanting the next book in my hands right now.

[Alissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed it, but do not read it before Night Study, if you plan to read the second part of the poison study series.

There are a spoilers I would have liked to avoid.

My mistake unfortunately, I thought it was safe after the glass trilogy and Ice Study and forgot to check the chronology. Better stick to this:

https://www.mariavsnyder.com/books.php

[Jaime (Two Chicks on Books) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another amazing story from Maria and I'm so happy to know what happened to Zitora. I was a good girl and didn't read the chapter sampler for Dawn Study though, I want to read that book in its entirety and a couple chapters would have been a tease lol

[Manisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

A novella that finally explains what happened to Zitora and her sister. It wasn't groundbreaking, but it wasn't boring either.

[Alaina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sometimes novellas make sense and other times they just don't. For me, Shattered Glass did absolutely nothing for me. I wasn't a huge fan of Opal to begin with so I didn't really have high hopes for liking this one. Then it ended way shorter than I thought it would be and we got a sneak peak to the next book.

Other than that, this didn't really have any twists or anything to keep invested or interesting in anything. I'm not sure what the next book will bring me but please be better than this novella. Pretty freaking please.

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this short story much more than Night Study even though Opal was bragging about how brilliant she was every other second.

Opal gets a message from Zitora asking for help. Turns out Zitora and her sister Zelene are trapped by her paranoid husband in a compound under a void. (Hence Zitora not being able to escape.) Opal, Nic, and Eve arrive to help get them out.

[Michelle]

Making my way through this series again and ended up listening to this mid Chronicles of Ixia as I didn’t have Shadow Study ready on my iPod.

Didn’t realise how much I’ve missed this world and I’ve really enjoyed diving back into it again.

[Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now I need more

Maria V Snyder just proved once again why she is one of my favorite authors of all time!! She has pulled me out of the biggest reading slump ever with just a short story!! I'm so excited to see what she has planned next :)

[♡Julalicious Book Paradise♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

review to come.

[Renée · Rating 5 out of 5]

That ending.... Maria you're a horrible horrible person.... Thank god I know I don't have to wait for the release date of Dawn Study. But I still have to wait!


I loved Reema's part. I cant wait for the tales of the Ixia/Sitia squad 2.0 (Fisk, Teegan, Reema and mini Valek/Yelena) I know Maria said she wouldn't write more Sitia/Ixia books, but she's said that before!

This is a must read for every MVS fan!

Now I only need to decide if I'm going to read the first two Dawn Study chapters.... XD

[Jessica (a GREAT read) · Rating 5 out of 5]

As soon as I heard that Maria V. Snyder had a novella out I immediately went to Amazon and bought my copy of Shattered Glass! I am a HUGE fan of Maria’s and if she’s going to have more books/stories out based in her Study world, I am soooo going to be there! Shattered Glass brings us back to Opal at last and we get to go on quite the adventure with her!

It’s been ages since I last caught up with Opal and her story! Though I do remember bits and pieces of it and the more important part of how everything ended and where she was at with HEA ending. She and Devlen are married. The man who had kidnapped her and tormented her, is no more. He’s a changed man and I truly, truly love that! I love seeing characters change like this. But that’s not where our story lies, I just wanted to mention it because I got all swoony with how much Devlen loves Opal. Lol.

Moving on, Opal received a letter from Zitora who she hasn’t heard from in over two years. She was going to find her sister when last we heard from her. She has found her, but things are not quite happy as she would’ve hoped and she needs Opal help in helping her sister. Opal decides right away to make the journey to see her with Nic and Eve in tow, but before they can leave they are waylaid by a pack of soldiers. Narrowly escaping them they travel far to not a kingdom, but what’s almost like an enclosed compound. There they find Zitora and her sister who is sick and being held captive by her husband who’s a bit overly paranoid.

And so begins the action and adventure as Opal and her friends try to devise a plan to help Zelene and her sons escape. Though a short story, Maria still knows how to incorporate everything that I love about her books, there’s spine-tingling romance, a round of laughter, and a heaping amount of kick butt action! It was amazing!! And though I should’ve been warned ahead of time in some ways, I was not prepared for that ending! Things are wrapped up to a nice conclusion for the most part, but Maria couldn’t help but leave us with a cliffhanger! One that just leaves your jaw hanging, no less! From what Maria has said, things will be continued in Dawn Study! So I cannot wait even MORE for that one to come out soon!!

This is a MUST read for all Study and Glass fans! It definitely helps keep me somewhat sated until Dawn Study releases, though I really want more. So I guess in the long run, it only made me need Dawn Study more! Lol! I loved it though, so it’s no hardship. It’s truly a remarkable read!

Overall Rating 5/5 stars

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all, I think it is really great that Maria is using her talent & some of the proceeds from sales of Shattered Glass to help fund her daughter's 18 year old friend's breast cancer treatment. I also love that she has used Opal to do this; Opal is a great heroine for the job because she has had some really dark times and come through the other side really well. I hope that Araella takes some comfort from that.

As far as the novella goes, I read this so quickly. I've been waiting for what seems like forever for a new story from Maria, and this has just whetted my appetite for Dawn Study, out in the UK in early February. I don't mind one bit that some folk might think that you need to read Shattered Glass to help make Dawn Study line up a bit better - to be honest I don't think that is even necessarily true though - and as I said, the proceeds are going somewhere worthwhile (as if keeping Maria writing wasn't enough!).

I always enjoy a trip through the Avibian Plains with a sandseed horse, and this was no different. The purpose for the trip was for Opal to help free Master Magician Zitora, and her sister, from a wealthy member of the Bloodrose clan. It was a good mini-mission and I enjoyed the narrative a lot! I must say I don't hold a short novella to the same standard for plot development as a full novel, which I think would be unrealistic given the short length. So while there were some interesting plot developments, they weren't as fiendish as I'd expect in a full novel. That didn't detract one bit from the story though.

What I absolutely love about Maria's writing was there in spades - it is warm, human, and always raises a smile from me while keeping me entertained. I love how smart the horses are, the thought that goes into talking about the herbal remedies and also the preparation and detail behind the skills the characters show. Her characters are real people in my mind's eye.

Do I recommend this? You betcha! It's a fabulous short story and full of excitement, with some lovely different Sitian towns to explore as well as a nasty villain who for once, sees reason! That doesn't happen often! And what's more, this has me thinking that there hasn't been a better time to have a little reread of the Glass trilogy... it might keep me just busy enough to make it to February. (Probably not, but at least there are lots of MVS books to reread!)

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maria Snyder is an auto-buy author for me, I love everything she's written but her Chronicles of Ixia books (the ones narrated by Yelena in particular) are my favourites so I bought Shattered Glass as soon as it was published. This story is set between Night Study and the upcoming final book in the series, it actually overlaps Dawn Study a little so I'd highly recommend reading this before you get the new one. There are certain revelations at the end that are going to have a big impact on Opal's actions in the final story.

It was really nice to get a chance to catch up with Opal, I'm still not convinced about her relationship with Devlin but I'm glad she's happy and I really enjoy watching her with her adopted daughter Reema. I actually think Reema is a pretty brilliant character and I'd love to have a spin off series featuring her a few years down the line when she's old enough to be off having her own adventures, I can't be the only one thinking she'd be a great match for Fisk can I? Just imagine the trouble those two would cause if they put their heads together? They'd take over the world in no time!

Opal's old mentor, Master Magician Zitoria, has been missing for several years now, ever since she went looking for her lost sister, so when Opal receives a mysterious letter from her requesting her help she immediately jumps to respond. Devlin isn't happy about her going alone but he has to stay behind to look after Reema so Opal recruits her friends Eve and Nic to help her.

I'm not going to say any more about the story because it's fairly short and would be too easy to spoil but I enjoyed seeing Opal in action again and this left me more eager for Dawn Study than I already was. I know not all readers are fans of authors writing additional novellas that are required to understand the full length novels in a series but I think it's worth pointing out that Maria wrote this to help raise funds to pay for her daughter's friend's treatment for breast cancer and I think it's worth buying for that reason alone. Even if you ignore the fact that your money is going to a good cause it's a fab little story and fans are going to love being back in this world.

[Georgie Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

a) how pretty is this cover? b) oh my god it feels good to be back in sitia c) WHAT WAS THAT ENDING

Shattered Glass is a short story following Opal, a character we're first introduced to all the way back in Magic Study. It's been years since I read her spin-off series, which I loved at the time but admittedly have never gone back to, so I was glad to see her again. I found that I remembered so much about her and even with just these few chapters, you can see why she got her own three books, because she's such a great character!

The story is pretty much fully explained in the synposis, so I won't go there. What I will say is that Reema - Opal's and Devlen's adopted daughter - is for sure going to come back and hit us in Dawn Study. She has to. She was an important character in this novella, small as her appearances may have been, and her growing abilities definitely hold promise that I know Yelena and Valek will need at some point! She was adorable and fierce and smart as anything. I love her already.

I also really enjoyed that this is set just before Dawn Study, so everything ties in with what we already know. That's another reason why I think this will somehow link into what happens with the next book - as well as the ending (!!). This novella is a lovely refresher to ease you back into the world, and while you don't have to read this (it'll probably all be recapped in Dawn Study from somebody else's POV), I strongly suggest you do!

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so excited when I heard about this novella! I've often wondered what happened to Zitora and if she ever found her sister, so I was really happy to get that answer in this story! There's also an excerpt for the first two chapters of Dawn Study included which was awesome and made me even more anxious for that book to be released! Shattered Glass was another great one from Maria V. Snyder and a definite must read!

[Louisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yeah, loved this story, loved having more Opal and Devlan, and Zitora!

*First Read November 30th, 2016*
Oh, wow, this was an awesome short story! Loved that we finally got Zitora again and that was so awesome!

[Hana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never a dull moment when reading anything written by Maria! I loved it... can't wait to see how Dawn Study unfolds...

[Nancy The book junkie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to come!

[Sammm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yeah, one of the very few problems I had with Glass was that Zitora was basically just written out of the story; the way it was done felt to me like something you'd do when it's a TV show, and a cast member wants to leave so they have to find a way to send off their characters. Only, there wouldn't be this type of problem for books, so I felt the treatment was odd. This story at least gives readers some closure as to where the heck she went. It wouldn't fit in any of the books so I understand why it was its own novella, though the story itself was just okay. I rate short stories higher. Mainly I'm just happy readers weren't left wondering where she'd been.

[the_queen_of_books24 · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARE YOU KIDDING MEEE!!! That cliffhanger was a whopper and I don’t even know if it’ll get resolved cause the third book is from Yelena’s POV! It took a while to get going though, given that it was only a novella, hence the 4 stars. Still good though!

[Jamie Coudeville · Rating 4 out of 5]

I messed up and read this sooner than I should have. I didn't know it would have spoilers for then next books. O well, I still really enjoyed it. Can't wait to start the next series now.

[Suzi · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice little addition to the series, not essential to overall story so you're not missing anything by not reading but just a nice extra insight.

[Missy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a short story of Opal rescuing Master Magician Zitora who has been missing for over two years. A fun story that takes place in between Night Study and Dawn Study.

[Owlbelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was very disappointed how Zitora was written out of the glass series (and how Opal kind of forgot about her too), so I had high expectations about this book. It was a bit … meh. The writing was solid, the beginning scenes with Reema and Devlen (and I greatly dislike him and Opal as a couple) were very cute and it was nice to reflect on how much Opal had grown since Storm Glass.

And the rest… was OK. Not much happened. Basically, Zitora’s sister was held captive by her paranoid husband. They escape. She talks it out with her husband who comes after her. And then she returns to him because he is good now. And like with Devlen it’s totally OK because they proofed his good intentions with magic. (Not problematic at all...)

I think I just expected a more complex background story for Zitora after what was hinted in the glass series. Still, I think it is a nice addition to the series and 99 cents I gladly spent.

[Ann Bingham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always interesting to read.

Maria Snyder is a wonderful author who creates complex and intreging plots. Magic and assassin's make for good reading. What more can you ask for?

[Sophie Nizynski · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this. It just made all nostalgic and made me want to re read the entire series. Plus I really liked the focus of the novella

[Kirsty Tunstall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic

As always Snyder delivers a fantastic exciting read. I can't wait to get started on dawn study and find out what happens next.

[Maggie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had all the classic Maria V. Snyder plot twists that I love, along with the same loveable characters. Nothing is quite as it seems and any plans they've made all go up in smoke so they have to form new ones. In that respect, I have nothing negative to say about the book. What I didn't like was that, after a lot of speculation, what happened to Zitora's sister seemed a little anti-climactic.

***WARNING SPOILERS AHEAD***
Zitora's sister disappeared eleven years ago. In those eleven years, she never heard from, or of, her sister. Two years ago, Zitora went in search of her and disappeared as well. This story starts with Opal receiving a coded letter from Zitora, asking for help. Of course Opal goes. When she gets there she finds that Zitora and Zelene (the sister) are being held captive by Zelene's husband. Apparently they used to have a loving relationship until the husband's mother tried to poison the husband and he became a paranoid recluse. Now, unless the mother poisoned her son at the beginning of the relationship (in which case it wasn't really one filled with love), there would have still been time for Zelene to write a letter to Zitora saying how she has found this incredible man and has married him and is very happy. She should have been able to write about the birth of her sons (which I am assuming happened before the poisoning as well, since she started poisoning herself once her husband changed and was held prisoner). So why didn't she? Her sons are six and three -- that is a lot of time to remain silent.
I also found the ending too convenient. The husband realises the error of his ways after Zelene runs away with her sons? Opal uses the excuse that Devlen managed to change, but Devlen had to go through a lot in order to change, this man just had his family run away from him. It could be true (and Zitora did read his mind), but it all seemed a little convenient.
And then I read the end.
The only conclusion I can draw is that the events of this book were specifically designed to get Opal out of the way so someone could get to Devlen and Reema. I don't think it did Zitora justice at all, which is a shame because I found her an interesting character in the other books.
For the price and the fact that it's going to a good cause, I'm not too disappointed. I just think it's a shame that readers are forced to read this in order to understand the final book in the Study series.