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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
I loved Maria Snyder's Study books and was so excited when I saw Touch of Power. Snyder has a way of creating vivid new worlds and intriguing plots and this book is no exception. I enjoyed the chatty feel and quirky humour in the book - that combined with the adventure and twists made for a page turning read.
The story captured me right away. I liked how exciting it was and the mystery around Avry and her healing powers. Avry is a strong character, surviving on her own, but still has lots of room to grow. She is stubborn and smart. She does need some physical protection, especially at first, but she even grows this way as well.
The other characters in the book really made it for me, the band of rogues who kidnapped her were great and diverse and endearing. Kerrick is also good, the leader of this band - I like how he develops, though some of this is predictable. The tension between him and Avry was fun.
One of the things that really made this book good is the dilemma that Avry faces. I won't give this away, but I like that kind of moral dilemma being explored in a book.
Like the Study books, I found this one blurred that line between young adult and adult fantasy. I honestly wasn't sure how to classify this one, though it is probably adult. I really recommend this book to those who like fantasy adventure stories with some romantic tension.
The story captured me right away. I liked how exciting it was and the mystery around Avry and her healing powers. Avry is a strong character, surviving on her own, but still has lots of room to grow. She is stubborn and smart. She does need some physical protection, especially at first, but she even grows this way as well.
The other characters in the book really made it for me, the band of rogues who kidnapped her were great and diverse and endearing. Kerrick is also good, the leader of this band - I like how he develops, though some of this is predictable. The tension between him and Avry was fun.
One of the things that really made this book good is the dilemma that Avry faces. I won't give this away, but I like that kind of moral dilemma being explored in a book.
Like the Study books, I found this one blurred that line between young adult and adult fantasy. I honestly wasn't sure how to classify this one, though it is probably adult. I really recommend this book to those who like fantasy adventure stories with some romantic tension.
Sometimes you start reading a book in the evening, as you wait for your daughter's choir concert to begin. All it took was about a chapter for you to be hooked. You DO put it down during the performance (your choir teacher would be happy to know) but for the rest of that night, you do nothing else. You wake up and read again until you finish. At 8.30 am. Good thing there was no school.
That was my experience with Touch of Power. It is the story of Avry, who is a healer. And healers aren't safe - not since the plague that decimated her land. For this reason, she is more than a little skeptical when a band of marauders captures her for a very specific reason and it isn't to turn her in for the bounty. They want her to do a task that her very heart recoils against and to heal is her own choice. When the aloof and commanding leader of the group begins to slowly teach her what he knows, their experiences make the choice even that much harder.
So. I already said that I could not put it down. I liked Synder's characters and believed in what they were trying to do. I loved her fantasy world with its various magics and the political plot. I knew I would love her romance and I was right, it was fantastic. I liked that she never made me wait too long for more details but didn't shove too much at me either. I'm sure there are reasons why it wasn't perfect but in my reading through this time, I just can't come up with any. And I'm done trying to think of them. Will definitely read the next in the series.
That was my experience with Touch of Power. It is the story of Avry, who is a healer. And healers aren't safe - not since the plague that decimated her land. For this reason, she is more than a little skeptical when a band of marauders captures her for a very specific reason and it isn't to turn her in for the bounty. They want her to do a task that her very heart recoils against and to heal is her own choice. When the aloof and commanding leader of the group begins to slowly teach her what he knows, their experiences make the choice even that much harder.
So. I already said that I could not put it down. I liked Synder's characters and believed in what they were trying to do. I loved her fantasy world with its various magics and the political plot. I knew I would love her romance and I was right, it was fantastic. I liked that she never made me wait too long for more details but didn't shove too much at me either. I'm sure there are reasons why it wasn't perfect but in my reading through this time, I just can't come up with any. And I'm done trying to think of them. Will definitely read the next in the series.
This is an example of why the library kindle loan programs are such a wonderful thing. Touch of Power had been on my "to read" list for the entire year, but I never thought enough about it to make the jump and purchase it outright. When it showed up as available through my library, however, I grabbed it ... and ADORED it. So much. So I am heading right out to purchase my very own copy. I have never read Maria Snyder before, but I am an instant fan and will rush out and get her other series as soon as I can. She is obviously a tremendously talented writer, and Touch of Power was a treat to read.
This book was such an interesting fantasy book, with elements that I have not read before. The story focuses on Avry of Kazan, a young woman who has the gift of healing, able to pull the injuries and sicknesses of others into herself in order to heal them. After a plague has wiped out most of the population, the people turn against the healers, believing them to be the cause of the plague. Avry appears to be the last healer left, and she has spent several years on the run. Her luck appears to run out as she is captured and is awaiting execution. But her luck reappears when she is rescued by Kerrick and his merry band of followers -- Belen, Quain, Loren, and Flea (weird name, but excellent story to explain so much about why he has this name). The only problem is that they have rescued her in order to bring her to Prince Ryne so that she can heal him from the plague. Avry has always believed Ryne to be one of the bad guys, so she is not so keen on healing him. Add to that the fact that she will die if she tries to heal anyone from the plague, and her desire to work with these five men is pretty low. But this is where the book really takes off. Who is good? Who is evil? Is it worth it to give your life for a greater good? I felt as if I was kept guessing throughout the novel about where everyone stood ... sort of. I was on Kerrick's side from the very beginning, so that kept me reading to see how Avry would come to my way of seeing things. The situations seemed impossible at times, and seeing this band of sort-of-friends find ways to survive and complete their mission was fascinating.
What I loved:
Avry. Avry was a wonderful main character for this story. She was full of strength and knowledge that had kept her alive alone for so many years, and now she used that strength to assist her new companions. She had the right amount of sarcasm and strong will to handle the strong men who traveled with her. I enjoyed puzzling out the mysteries of this book with her as she encountered each new twist of the journey. Could she have done all of this alone? Maybe. She had the right amount of tenacity. But what made her an even better main character was her ability to work with the men around her as well.
Kerrick. Kerrick at first seemed to be cold-hearted and single-minded as he was willing to do whatever it took in order to get Avry to Ryne, even chaining her to a tree to prevent her escape. He did not open up to her as quickly as the other men on the quest, and Avry made no attempt to hide her dislike of him. But as the novel progresses it becomes clear that there is more to Kerrick. I started to like him a long time before Avry did. His little acts of kindness often went unnoticed, at least by Avry, but those who had known him the longest could see that his frozen heart was beginning to crack.
The supporting cast. I loved the group that traveled with Kerrick. Belen (Poppa Bear) was a wonderful supporting character to this story, the perfect blend of kindness and ferocity. Loren and Quain could always add the right comments at the right moment to either bring a truth to light or lighten up a difficult moment. And Flea was such an interesting character to explore with his street upbringing and abilities to find a way to live in such a harsh environment. Once Ryne is introduced to the story, it is apparent that he will be a great addition to the progression of the series. Together, all of these men were the perfect complements to one another as they worked against a greater force.
The bad guy. Tohon was absolutely wonderful as a villain. He was so, so bad. But his ability to influence Avry's emotions through touch made him seem so, so good at times. I loved how Avry was always having a fight between her emotional self and her rational self whenever she was with Tohon. He could be so smooth at times where I felt as if the only thing that was keeping me from being on Team Tohon was the fact that I was reading the novel and had a bigger picture view of all of the events. For me, that is the sign of a perfect villain ... just enough smooth goodness to make his evil all the more chilling.
The romance. The short story of the romance in this book is that there isn't a lot of it. Well, that's not exactly true. Kerrick's actions throughout the book are super subtle, but they hint at his deeper feelings. Because he is so subtle about this, Avry has no clue, so there aren't a lot of romantic interludes between the two. Having said that, however, I have to say that the pacing of the romance in this book was PERFECT. I was pulled along at exactly the right pace, slowly come to fall in love with Kerrick with each new chapter. I can't wait to read more about the two of them as they use their powers together to face Tohon's evil.
The mystery. There are still so many things to learn about. What exactly is Tohon planning in his quest to rule the 15 realms of this world? What role do the Peace/Death lilies play in all of this? How can Ryne overcome Tohon's powerful influence in the world? What is the whole story behind the plague's origins, and what exactly saved Avry in the end? So many mysteries, but I don't feel frustrated about the lack of understanding. I feel intrigued and excited to uncover the knowledge right along with Avry, Kerrick, and the rest of the good guys.
I loved this first installment in this new series by Maria Snyder, and I am glad that I will soon be able to pick up the next book. I highly recommend it to those looking for a strong story with strong characters, excellent pacing, good action and adventure, and a well-written romantic element. Five huge stars and an automatic place on my favorites shelf!
This book was such an interesting fantasy book, with elements that I have not read before. The story focuses on Avry of Kazan, a young woman who has the gift of healing, able to pull the injuries and sicknesses of others into herself in order to heal them. After a plague has wiped out most of the population, the people turn against the healers, believing them to be the cause of the plague. Avry appears to be the last healer left, and she has spent several years on the run. Her luck appears to run out as she is captured and is awaiting execution. But her luck reappears when she is rescued by Kerrick and his merry band of followers -- Belen, Quain, Loren, and Flea (weird name, but excellent story to explain so much about why he has this name). The only problem is that they have rescued her in order to bring her to Prince Ryne so that she can heal him from the plague. Avry has always believed Ryne to be one of the bad guys, so she is not so keen on healing him. Add to that the fact that she will die if she tries to heal anyone from the plague, and her desire to work with these five men is pretty low. But this is where the book really takes off. Who is good? Who is evil? Is it worth it to give your life for a greater good? I felt as if I was kept guessing throughout the novel about where everyone stood ... sort of. I was on Kerrick's side from the very beginning, so that kept me reading to see how Avry would come to my way of seeing things. The situations seemed impossible at times, and seeing this band of sort-of-friends find ways to survive and complete their mission was fascinating.
What I loved:
Avry. Avry was a wonderful main character for this story. She was full of strength and knowledge that had kept her alive alone for so many years, and now she used that strength to assist her new companions. She had the right amount of sarcasm and strong will to handle the strong men who traveled with her. I enjoyed puzzling out the mysteries of this book with her as she encountered each new twist of the journey. Could she have done all of this alone? Maybe. She had the right amount of tenacity. But what made her an even better main character was her ability to work with the men around her as well.
Kerrick. Kerrick at first seemed to be cold-hearted and single-minded as he was willing to do whatever it took in order to get Avry to Ryne, even chaining her to a tree to prevent her escape. He did not open up to her as quickly as the other men on the quest, and Avry made no attempt to hide her dislike of him. But as the novel progresses it becomes clear that there is more to Kerrick. I started to like him a long time before Avry did. His little acts of kindness often went unnoticed, at least by Avry, but those who had known him the longest could see that his frozen heart was beginning to crack.
The supporting cast. I loved the group that traveled with Kerrick. Belen (Poppa Bear) was a wonderful supporting character to this story, the perfect blend of kindness and ferocity. Loren and Quain could always add the right comments at the right moment to either bring a truth to light or lighten up a difficult moment. And Flea was such an interesting character to explore with his street upbringing and abilities to find a way to live in such a harsh environment. Once Ryne is introduced to the story, it is apparent that he will be a great addition to the progression of the series. Together, all of these men were the perfect complements to one another as they worked against a greater force.
The bad guy. Tohon was absolutely wonderful as a villain. He was so, so bad. But his ability to influence Avry's emotions through touch made him seem so, so good at times. I loved how Avry was always having a fight between her emotional self and her rational self whenever she was with Tohon. He could be so smooth at times where I felt as if the only thing that was keeping me from being on Team Tohon was the fact that I was reading the novel and had a bigger picture view of all of the events. For me, that is the sign of a perfect villain ... just enough smooth goodness to make his evil all the more chilling.
The romance. The short story of the romance in this book is that there isn't a lot of it. Well, that's not exactly true. Kerrick's actions throughout the book are super subtle, but they hint at his deeper feelings. Because he is so subtle about this, Avry has no clue, so there aren't a lot of romantic interludes between the two. Having said that, however, I have to say that the pacing of the romance in this book was PERFECT. I was pulled along at exactly the right pace, slowly come to fall in love with Kerrick with each new chapter. I can't wait to read more about the two of them as they use their powers together to face Tohon's evil.
The mystery. There are still so many things to learn about. What exactly is Tohon planning in his quest to rule the 15 realms of this world? What role do the Peace/Death lilies play in all of this? How can Ryne overcome Tohon's powerful influence in the world? What is the whole story behind the plague's origins, and what exactly saved Avry in the end? So many mysteries, but I don't feel frustrated about the lack of understanding. I feel intrigued and excited to uncover the knowledge right along with Avry, Kerrick, and the rest of the good guys.
I loved this first installment in this new series by Maria Snyder, and I am glad that I will soon be able to pick up the next book. I highly recommend it to those looking for a strong story with strong characters, excellent pacing, good action and adventure, and a well-written romantic element. Five huge stars and an automatic place on my favorites shelf!
I wouldn’t say the book was spellbinding, but the characters were lovable and drew me in. I finished this one quickly and had to learn what happened to them next.
I'm not a fan of Maria V. Snyder's writing style. I've tried to read Poison Study half a dozen times before getting bored and eventually setting it down. Honestly I'm just proud of myself for finally finishing one of her books.
Snyder really does a lot of the "telling" and not much "showing" in my opinion. And the dialogue always seems so incredibly forced that I end up not caring for any of the characters. Speaking of which, all of her characters were the kind that only had brains when it was convenient to the plot. Like they'd go 200 pages completely in the dark and then all of a sudden just miraculously figure something out crucial to the story. I don't have a lot more to say, I was overall just really unimpressed. 2 stars.
Snyder really does a lot of the "telling" and not much "showing" in my opinion. And the dialogue always seems so incredibly forced that I end up not caring for any of the characters. Speaking of which, all of her characters were the kind that only had brains when it was convenient to the plot. Like they'd go 200 pages completely in the dark and then all of a sudden just miraculously figure something out crucial to the story. I don't have a lot more to say, I was overall just really unimpressed. 2 stars.
Solid 3.75. The plot holds so much potential, but the characters and story felt incredibly rushed, as did the romance. Still enjoyed it and looking forward to reading the next one.
Oooh that was nice. I love the idea of people with healing powers taking other people's injuries and illness and having to go through their pain but at a faster pace. The book did a pretty good job in that aspect. The romance was really slow which works in the story's favor. The first half of this book was leaning towards a 4 star rating but then the action and aventure portion started to go away. Which made finishing the book quickly difficult. I still want to read the next book though. :)
3.8 Stars out of 5.
3.8 Stars out of 5.
Currently $1.99 on the Kindle store!
I thought this was a pretty solid Snyder novel, and recommend it to those who liked Poison Study.
I like the Death Lily/Peace Lily part, reminds me a bit of Substance D.
The madman king is kind of a snore, though, in the same way a similar character ruins Graceling.
In fact, I would say this book is very much like Graceling, but I think not quite as good.
Maybe that's because I like a warrior woman more than a healer woman.
I thought this was a pretty solid Snyder novel, and recommend it to those who liked Poison Study.
I like the Death Lily/Peace Lily part, reminds me a bit of Substance D.
The madman king is kind of a snore, though, in the same way a similar character ruins Graceling.
In fact, I would say this book is very much like Graceling, but I think not quite as good.
Maybe that's because I like a warrior woman more than a healer woman.