Opal's fate and trust is tested beyond measure and she and only she alone can decide who she can and cannot trust in the web of lies that surround her. We return to find Opal in the perils of another storm that rages beyond control. It is difficult not to compare this series with Snyder's previous work with a storyline and character progression similar to that of Yelena but, as I stated above, without the mystery, intrigue and natural suspicions and wariness of the person Opal looks up to so much. Yelena's appearance sparks an interesting twist in the storyline that until this point seemed to flounder a bit as Opal tried to win back trust from the council and set her future in order, which is quite tedious in someone as nice as Opal. Unlike Yelena Zaltana, Opal is still not as capable but she takes strides to try and change it throughout the book but it reminds me all too much of how Yelena went about life but without so much risk and intrigue.īy far the best part of the book was an appearance from Yelena herself and I found it most interesting to see how others see Yelena, and to see how her character changes from the first person perspective in the Zaltana series to the third person perspective in the Cowan series. Opal is still wonderfully naive and you come to see that getting into trouble is a trait that she shares with the protagonist of Maria. Sea Glass was not quite as interesting as Storm Glass was and I found it quite easy to put down when I needed to do something else. This inevitably makes Opal's life harder and causes many more problems than it solves. She makes things worse, however, by directly disobeying an order from the council to return to the Keep and goes off on a quest to prevent the events of the previous book from happening again. Will Opal go it alone without the council and risk having her magic exploited by others for personal gain? Or will she stay with the council and let them exploit her gifts for the benefit of everyone but at the risk of losing her freedom?

In the second book of the Opal Cowan series Opal is finally ready to graduate from the Keep and now must decide whether or not she is going to continue working for the Sitian council, or whether she is going to try and make it on her own.

Sea glass by maria v snyder