Storm Glass

By: Maria V. Snyder

Narrated by: Jennifer Van Dyck

Length: 12 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's summary

As a glassmaker and a magician-in-training, Opal Cowen understands trial by fire. Now it's time to test her mettle. Someone has sabotaged the Stormdancer clan's glass orbs, killing their most powerful magicians. The Stormdancers--particularly the mysterious and mercurial Kade--require Opal's unique talents to prevent it happening again.

But when the mission goes awry, Opal must tap in to a new kind of magic as stunningly potent as it is frightening. And the further she delves into the intrigue behind the glass and magic, the more distorted things appear.

With lives hanging in the balance - including her own - Opal must control powers she hadn't known she possessed...powers that might lead to disaster beyond anything she's ever known.

©2009 Maria V. Snyder (P)2009 Audible, Inc.

Narrator could be better

Narrator was not the best, she obviously didnt confirm how to say certain words from the study series before narrating this book.
Otherwise this is a great book and great start to the glass series!

Narrator is distracting

You can hear the narrator's mouth noises and swallowing which is distracting and annoying. Her pronunciation of words are different from the Poison Study narrator, such as Curare and Ari, Fedre and Gede. Pauses could be overlong.

good book!

it was hard to hear the changes in quiet voices to louder voices which made it difficult to listen to, but otherwise great

I like it

I really like all of Ms Snyder's books- this one is good. I like the world that the story is placed in.
the New Narrator was fine - wished she had check out how to say the words and names from the other three books, it was disconcerting.
Looking forward to the next one

WONDERFUL FANTASY

This set of books was so good. Listen to the first, then the second, and then the third. I started them in the wrong order, didn't have my list and so was confused, until I went back and started with the first and then the right order. They are so good. Love the wizardess.

Love the Author, Confused by the Narrator Switch

Summary:

Keep in mind, I have over 250 books in my audible library alone. I have listened and read many more books than that. So I am comparing this author, story, and narrator to EVERYTHING in my past experience.

The narrator is above average. I wouldn't award her a prize for this reading, but I would recommend her to you.

The story is engaging. It could have gone further, but was well written. Maria is an engaging author.

Narrator Review:

Let me start off by saying I love Maria V. Snyder. That being said, she should always be paired up with Gabra Zachman. That women is narration genius, she could make your work notes sound interesting. I think Maria's other series, Soulfinders, is why this book has gotten so many mixed reviews. It uses Gabra Zachman, but more about that in the next paragraph.

Jennifer is not a bad narrator, she is just competing in this case with a better narrator. She sounds a bit child-like which is probably fitting for this character. There is not enough inflection in her voice, but overall she is a good narrator and my star rating reflects that. The captured my attention enough to get me from the beginning to the end of this book.

Series Review & A Book You Should Read Before this One:

This book is a follow up to Poison Study, you should start with that book. This is important so I will be repetitive: READ POISON STUDY FIRST! You do not *need* to read both series, but poison study is significantly more interesting. It is also where the main character, Opal Cowen, is first introduced to us. The story lines are a complete split. So if you read one series and then the other, you will not ruin anything for yourself, but I'm telling you to read the other book first for three reasons: 1. So you don't think both series suck and give up. 2. Maria spends significantly more time diving into the world of her characters, describing scenery, and introducing you to the nuisances of this particular magical world in the Poison Study series but not In the Glass series. 3. Gabra is a better narrator than Jennifer Dyck.

Or maybe it is better to read this series first, that way you will be dazzled by the next? Either way don't judge the other series based off this one. Definitely read the Souldfinders series.

Story Review:

This story is a mixture love triangle (which is never truly explored), a magical tale, but primarily it is a muder-mystery-adventure. So it has a little bit of everything for everyone, but the only genres that are explored in-depth are the adventure & magic. So if you loved Magic Study, this book has a similar plot line.

I started reading this series after Amelia Peabody and the Parasol Protectorate so the suspense and questioning of who's who was not described, dramatized, or drawn out enough for me.

Read or Not to read, that is the Question:

So now based off my description I bet you are wondering why I gave it four stars; I was admittedly overly pessimistic to under promise and over deliver.

My final recommendation is to read the book. It IS worth the credit.

A Wonderful Suprise

After reading the first three Study books, I wasn’t sure about picking up this book. I had enjoyed Yelena, Valek, Ari, Jenko and the rest of the cast of characters so much I thought I’d be disappointed. I wasn’t. Opal was as unsure of herself as Yelena was confident. I found myself drawn into another emotional roller coaster as I read on. I’m now looking forward to learning Opal’s fate!

Good yet disappointing

3 1/2 star. Usually a writer improves with each novel. Ms. Snyder appears to be doing the opposite. Her first book, the award winning Poison Study is superb and the best of all she's written. The other two Study books are entertaining and tie things together. Now Ms Snyder focuses on a character from the first series. The heroine is called a one trick magician and for now, it seems to be somewhat fitting in comparison to the multi-dimensional skills of her first heroine. There are far too many characters in this new series and is confusing for the thread seems to stop and another starts. It is to be hoped that future books weave threads together and provide a hero as in Poison Study. I had additional difficulty with the narrator. Usually quite good, she does not measure up in this book. I guess I was spoiled by Poison Study ... be sure to ready that series first.

The Narrator is completely wrong for this book

What other book might you compare Storm Glass to and why?

This book takes place in the same world as the Study series, I suggest you listen to those books first and then READ this book series because the narrator will ruin it for you.

What didn’t you like about Jennifer Van Dyck’s performance?

Jennifer Van Dyck is the absolute wrong narrator for this book, she makes the main character (who is 20) sound like a 40+ year old. The mispronunciations compared to The Study series are atrocious and distract from the story. I'm sure she is a fine narrator but she was the wrong choice for this book/series.

Was Storm Glass worth the listening time?

Absolutely not! Read this book don't listen!

Storm glass

The book is interesting as are all of Maria's novels. But it the narrator that is making this painful to listen to. The voices she does for the characters don't fit them at all, her narration is awful!! I don't think she even understands the story she's reading... And it's ruining the story.