Magic Study is the second book in the Yelena Zaltana series that started off with Poison Study.

In Magic Study, Yelena is now off on a brand new adventure to learn to control the magic skills that she only recently discovered she had, and to meet the family she was taken away from at six years old and who she has lost all memory of.

This book is really fantastic, and for the most part is very fast-paced as well. Sitia is an extremely different country to Ixia, which is where Poison Study is set and I feel the world building and the obvious differences in each settings is told and built really, really well. Yelena has a lot of cultural differences such as how she talks and dresses to her confusion over beggars which do not exist in Ixia, a totalitarian society.

Yelena’s reunion with her family was really lovely (excluding Leif) and I really liked the way she bonded with her mother and father in her own way. It was just very touching, and lovely.

Yelena’s own journey with her magic is fascinating and the strength of her own power, and her self-acceptance of it is great but i have to admit one of my favourite elements of this series is Yelena’s relationship with Valek. I just think it’s so healthy and one I could root for all day long. Vale believes in Yelena’s strength, and her ability to handle things on her own and he knows she can take care of herself. Their respect for one another is just yes, all the way.

This book also never shies away from tough topics. In Poison Study, Yelena had been raped before the story officially began and we saw her have to deal with her demons and gradually heal from the trauma. In Magic Study, she has to help others to have experienced the same while at the same time not let her memories overwhelm her and it’s just so important and done really well in my opinion.