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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
A fun fantasy for sure. I didn’t love it as much as poison study but it was still super cool with great ideas and characters. Excited to read the next.
I LOVED THIS BOOK!!
The writer takes you into another world and the story is excellent. With. The narration you really feel like you are there with the characters and really experiencing it with them.
The story holds many twists and turns so you are never quite sure how the book is going to turn out which is a blessing. I don't actually like figuring whats going to happen, it sort of ruins the story.
Anyway Avry is a strong, determined female character and all the supporting roles are excellent. I love Kerrick but found him a little too closed off. His change of feelings was more than a little surprising, but felt right.
I sooooo cannot wait for the next book!!!
The writer takes you into another world and the story is excellent. With. The narration you really feel like you are there with the characters and really experiencing it with them.
The story holds many twists and turns so you are never quite sure how the book is going to turn out which is a blessing. I don't actually like figuring whats going to happen, it sort of ruins the story.
Anyway Avry is a strong, determined female character and all the supporting roles are excellent. I love Kerrick but found him a little too closed off. His change of feelings was more than a little surprising, but felt right.
I sooooo cannot wait for the next book!!!
Maria V. Snyder is the author of two of my favorite series ever, now she has added a third to the list. The best part? This is only the first book!
I'm not usually one for books with magic, but this is an exception. Maria V. Snyder takes an idea that seems like it has been done before and makes it something entirely her own. A perfect balance of magic, romance, action, mystery, and adventure make this a flawless story.
This book is almost 400 pages, but it felt like 100. I was glued to the story and devoured it in one sitting. There is a lot of background information given throughout the book and the best thing is you don't even really realize it. Some books clump it all together at the beginning or another point of the story which make it boring and creates those dull sections, but Snyder spreads it out and gives you just enough to be informed and yet still be guessing. This plot is nothing short of a great adventure and kept me on the edge of my seat, there was not a dull moment.
Time and time again Snyder creates some of the best protagonists in YA fiction. I absolutely loved that Avry is not your typical YA heroine, in that she is not even a teenager. At twenty she is one of the oldest characters YA fiction, and also one of my favorites. She is smart, brave, tough, stubborn, and even a little vulnerable; all the traits a great heroine should have. I don't want to talk about any of the other characters to give you a chance to really create your own opinions of them. One of the best things about Snyder's characters is that they aren't always what they seem, and yet sometimes they are.
Overall I believe Maria V. Snyder can do no wrong. TOUCH OF POWER is one of the best books I have read this year. I cannot wait to get my hands on the sequel! If you have not read a book by Maria V. Snyder I highly recommend you do, this would be a perfect choice to start with.
4.5/5
Wow... WOW!
I SO loved this book! I went in with not such high hopes and was instantly swept up in the story from the first page.
The characters were fantastic. I loved Kerrick and OF COURSE Belen who is just so sweet. The 'monkeys' were funny and Flea was fun, Avry was so strong -- the kind of character I enjoy reading about-- while the bad guys were bad in all the right ways. I hate to say it but damn I like King Tohon. Such a great character. I'm hoping later in the books I'll have more love for Ryne.
**** I didn't know this was a series when I started!! UGH this is what I get for blindly checking out books from the library****
The conflict was there. Some things didn't make sense to me fully but, I get the gist of it. The story was pretty straight forward, a journey, so nothing much to expect. There are twists and turns which make it interesting.
The magic system is really interesting but, not memorable. I wish there was more given there. Let me bathe in information!
One thing that really did confuse me was what time are we in?? It is set in mostly a medieval older time era? One I thought was supposed to be reminiscent of the Black Plague that swept through Europe but, then we have words like 'syringe' and 'virus' and other weirdly timed things. Which almost makes me think Steampunk but there just was not enough of it.
I'm still confused and wished there was more but, this is one of those things that I just kind of took in stride. A weirdly advanced society but, only in a medical way. So weird.....
Overall I loved this book and already have the next book borrowed from the library. I'm so ready to devour it but, I have a few other books to get to first.
Wow... WOW!
I SO loved this book! I went in with not such high hopes and was instantly swept up in the story from the first page.
The characters were fantastic. I loved Kerrick and OF COURSE Belen who is just so sweet. The 'monkeys' were funny and Flea was fun,
Spoiler
ugh I had tears**** I didn't know this was a series when I started!! UGH this is what I get for blindly checking out books from the library****
The conflict was there. Some things didn't make sense to me fully but, I get the gist of it. The story was pretty straight forward, a journey, so nothing much to expect. There are twists and turns which make it interesting.
The magic system is really interesting but, not memorable. I wish there was more given there. Let me bathe in information!
One thing that really did confuse me was what time are we in?? It is set in mostly a medieval older time era? One I thought was supposed to be reminiscent of the Black Plague that swept through Europe but, then we have words like 'syringe' and 'virus' and other weirdly timed things. Which almost makes me think Steampunk but there just was not enough of it.
I'm still confused and wished there was more but, this is one of those things that I just kind of took in stride. A weirdly advanced society but, only in a medical way. So weird.....
Overall I loved this book and already have the next book borrowed from the library. I'm so ready to devour it but, I have a few other books to get to first.
I finished this book in a day. I'm unsurprised. MVS books are always such easy, engaging reads. They suck you in like a death lily and refuse to let go. Even now as I write this Scent of Magic sits next to me waiting for me to start reading. This one did have a slow start ironically by rushing through things but once it gained its voice it had me. The magic and world are so interesting. I also like the idea of this being in the years following the aftermath of a devastating plague. I haven't read much in fantasy like that. Scent of Magic calls to me...
I enjoyed Touch of Power almost as much as I did Poison Study. I liked the main character and the love interest and the romance was a nice slow progression instead of insta-love. My only complaint would be that I feel like too many of Snyder's books/series seem to follow the same type of pattern. I plan on reading the next book in this series eventually, but since the synopsis for book two says that Avry and her love interest are apart I can't help but think of the glaring whole Yelena and Valek being apart left in book two of the Poison Study series, and it makes me wary.
reeeeally enjoyed this one! i had totally different expectations, i thought avry would just go and heal the prince and then i didn't know what - but like..there was so much shit happening?? it took them so long to even get close to the nine mountains and it all went wrong and there were problems EVERYWHERE and it was AWESOME!!!! i got kinda a survival story vibe from it (just a lil) and i really liked that!!
loved this, wanna read the next one def.!
loved this, wanna read the next one def.!
I absolutely loved this book. I became a fan of Maria V. Snyder's work back with Poison Study (book one in the Study Trilogy) and I enjoyed this one just as much. The world created for this new trilogy, although not in any way connected, had a very similar feel to it to that of the Study series. It is very similar to our own world in many ways, although without the benefits of our modern technology- plumbing, electricity, cars etc. - but with the added bonus of magic. Lots and lots of lovely magic!
The story had excellent pacing. Right from the first page we were off and running (literally) and before I even realised what I was doing I had inhaled the first 100 pages of the book. If not for that darn pesky sleep thing we humans require, I wouldn't have stopped there either.
One of the best things about Maria's writing is her amazing characters. She writes beautifully forming friendships that really touch you as a reader. Her writing is emotive, I felt my heart plummet several times during the course of the book over something that was said or revealed. But the very best thing of all for me, is the way she sets up the romantic storyline. That is to say, she doesn't set it up in any kind of in-your-face or obvious way. It's so very clever and subtle that you don't even realise what's happening until it creeps up on you. Little actions and gestures. Words said when people think themselves unheard. I absolutely loved trying to read between the lines and hear what went unsaid. This kind of subtlety is so much more enjoyable to me than the insta-love of so many other books.
I also enjoyed all the magical abilities we saw. The healing power of our main character, Avry, is fascinating in that she has to assume the injuries or illnesses into her own body first in order to heal them. Her healing is greatly accelerated over that of a normal person, but that doesn't mean she doesn't suffer. She feels every bit of it and has the scars to prove it. This makes her seem incredibly altruistic at times but that doesn't mean she will heal everyone she is told to on command. And this is the main crux of the story. She is asked by Kerrick, the leader of the band of rogues who abduct her at the start of the book, to heal Prince Ryne. Avry flat out refuses for reasons that she initially doesn't wish to share. As you can imagine this news isn't received well and the plot takes off from here.
There really was not a dull moment in this book. It had me bemoaning each and every one of my responsibilities that kept me away from it during the course of the 3 days it took to read. I am greatly looking forward to the next book and just hope it maintains this incredibly high standard, and that all of the characters I have come to love will be there waiting for me inside.
Review Copy: Received from the publisher for an honest review
The story had excellent pacing. Right from the first page we were off and running (literally) and before I even realised what I was doing I had inhaled the first 100 pages of the book. If not for that darn pesky sleep thing we humans require, I wouldn't have stopped there either.
One of the best things about Maria's writing is her amazing characters. She writes beautifully forming friendships that really touch you as a reader. Her writing is emotive, I felt my heart plummet several times during the course of the book over something that was said or revealed. But the very best thing of all for me, is the way she sets up the romantic storyline. That is to say, she doesn't set it up in any kind of in-your-face or obvious way. It's so very clever and subtle that you don't even realise what's happening until it creeps up on you. Little actions and gestures. Words said when people think themselves unheard. I absolutely loved trying to read between the lines and hear what went unsaid. This kind of subtlety is so much more enjoyable to me than the insta-love of so many other books.
I also enjoyed all the magical abilities we saw. The healing power of our main character, Avry, is fascinating in that she has to assume the injuries or illnesses into her own body first in order to heal them. Her healing is greatly accelerated over that of a normal person, but that doesn't mean she doesn't suffer. She feels every bit of it and has the scars to prove it. This makes her seem incredibly altruistic at times but that doesn't mean she will heal everyone she is told to on command. And this is the main crux of the story. She is asked by Kerrick, the leader of the band of rogues who abduct her at the start of the book, to heal Prince Ryne. Avry flat out refuses for reasons that she initially doesn't wish to share. As you can imagine this news isn't received well and the plot takes off from here.
There really was not a dull moment in this book. It had me bemoaning each and every one of my responsibilities that kept me away from it during the course of the 3 days it took to read. I am greatly looking forward to the next book and just hope it maintains this incredibly high standard, and that all of the characters I have come to love will be there waiting for me inside.
Review Copy: Received from the publisher for an honest review
This was a DNF for me. The story itself wasn't bad, but the kiss of death was the writing style- it was incredibly jarring. The best way I can describe it is that it felt like someone put together a list of bulleted actions/thoughts, then tried to string them together into a story. The writing physically hurt me; I even tried having a few drinks and then reading to see if it bothered me less...nope. Some portions were so poorly done that I thought perhaps this book was originally published in a different language and the translator was subpar.
Aside from the writing: characters were flat, dialog was elementary, and there was nothing to keep me interested enough to push through.
I prefer writing that pulls me along in a seamless, almost lyrical way. This simply was not that.
Aside from the writing: characters were flat, dialog was elementary, and there was nothing to keep me interested enough to push through.
I prefer writing that pulls me along in a seamless, almost lyrical way. This simply was not that.
Reread 2016 December for the 3-day camping trip marathon!
Can I just say, I missed reading a Maria V Snyder book. This totally put me in the mood to start preparing for the next Study sequel!
So the review still applies, but I'm bumping this up half a star to 3.5 stars. Mostly because I re-thought everything I thought previously!
1) Kerrick was still a major ass in this book. BUT. He is also not as smart as I gave him credit for. Kerrick is actually a lot more dense towards Avry than anyone else he's close to. He doesn't see things because he doesn't know what they are. He's too stubborn to see beyond what he wants. Which is a serious flaw in him, but it was also nice to see (well, not how he acted for parts of this book, but later).
2) Between this series and another The Shifters series I've read, the lore is quite different. The healing in this book is on a different level to the other. Similar idea, but also the Healers are quite unique in how they take pain and how it's explained.
3) I still think Avry's reason wasn't very strong to begin with.
4) A quick read. But I think this series is overall a bit darker than the Study series. At the same time, it has the same Snyder flair to it.
---------------------------------------
ORIGINALLY READ 2013 AUGUST 19-31
So I read somewhere in a review that the reader didn't feel the love between Avry and Kerrick, and sad as it is, I also felt that way. Sure there were sweet and mushy moments, as well as moments that were heavy and tense, but I didn't quite feel Kerrick's change.
The Plot
Laying hands upon the injured and dying, Avry of Kazan assumes their wounds and diseases into herself. But rather than being honored for her skills, she is hunted. Healers like Avry are accused of spreading the plague that has decimated the Territories, leaving the survivors in a state of chaos.
Stressed and tired from hiding, Avry is abducted by a band of rogues who, shockingly, value her gift above the golden bounty offered for her capture. Their leader, an enigmatic captor-protector with powers of his own, is unequivocal in his demands: Avry must heal a plague-stricken prince—leader of a campaign against her people. As they traverse the daunting Nine Mountains, beset by mercenaries and magical dangers, Avry must decide who is worth healing and what is worth dying for. Because the price of peace may well be her life....
Plot: full of twists and plots that intrigue. That's what I love the most about Maria V Snyder's works.
Magic: Was cool, but like I've mentioned before somewhere, it sounds like the same healing system in [b:The Shifter|6316125|The Shifter (Healing Wars, #1)|Janice Hardy|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1320382572s/6316125.jpg|6501369]. Then again, it's also different, because Healers in this series are constantly healing themselves, but in The Shifter, if I'm not wrong, the healers could only heal each other and not themselves.
The Characters
Avry reminded me alot of Yelena from Poison Study, they're very similar yet they are also quite different. While liked her overall, I didn't feel like her reason for disliking Prince Ryne was strong enough. I was constantly looking for that reason for her strong hatred, and yet...when the reveal came, I felt hardly a thing. Sure it was a reasonable reason, and I get her pain, but it didn't seem bad enough for her to really hate him.
Kerrick was a bastard at the start. For a smart guy too, he also fails to perceive one of the many reasons why Avry refused to heal Ryne. Yet, while I did say I didn't really feel the change between Kerrick and Avry, I didn't think he was a badly created character, just not the best.
Supporting characters are a bunch of males, fellow soldiers who follow Kerrick and are around to keep an eye on Avry. Belen is Avry's strongest ally despite being Kerrick's man. He watches over Avry, advising her whichever he could. Flea reminded me of a little brother-like figure.
The Setting
The Fifteen Realms.
The Writing
Is exactly like what you see in [b:Poison Study|60510|Poison Study (Study, #1)|Maria V. Snyder|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388519019s/60510.jpg|1180409], simple, yet imaginative. There's no flowery poetry, there's nothing fancy. The language is straight forward, with a strong, female voice.
Overall
I'm intrigued. I do love the adventure I get when I read [a:Maria V. Snyder|445303|Maria V. Snyder|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1224476079p2/445303.jpg]'s works, and I am curious enough to read athe sequels of [b:Touch of Power|10445208|Touch of Power (Healer, #1)|Maria V. Snyder|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1317629193s/10445208.jpg|15349923].
Can I just say, I missed reading a Maria V Snyder book. This totally put me in the mood to start preparing for the next Study sequel!
So the review still applies, but I'm bumping this up half a star to 3.5 stars. Mostly because I re-thought everything I thought previously!
1) Kerrick was still a major ass in this book. BUT. He is also not as smart as I gave him credit for. Kerrick is actually a lot more dense towards Avry than anyone else he's close to. He doesn't see things because he doesn't know what they are. He's too stubborn to see beyond what he wants. Which is a serious flaw in him, but it was also nice to see (well, not how he acted for parts of this book, but later).
2) Between this series and another The Shifters series I've read, the lore is quite different. The healing in this book is on a different level to the other. Similar idea, but also the Healers are quite unique in how they take pain and how it's explained.
3) I still think Avry's reason wasn't very strong to begin with.
4) A quick read. But I think this series is overall a bit darker than the Study series. At the same time, it has the same Snyder flair to it.
---------------------------------------
ORIGINALLY READ 2013 AUGUST 19-31
So I read somewhere in a review that the reader didn't feel the love between Avry and Kerrick, and sad as it is, I also felt that way. Sure there were sweet and mushy moments, as well as moments that were heavy and tense, but I didn't quite feel Kerrick's change.
The Plot
Laying hands upon the injured and dying, Avry of Kazan assumes their wounds and diseases into herself. But rather than being honored for her skills, she is hunted. Healers like Avry are accused of spreading the plague that has decimated the Territories, leaving the survivors in a state of chaos.
Stressed and tired from hiding, Avry is abducted by a band of rogues who, shockingly, value her gift above the golden bounty offered for her capture. Their leader, an enigmatic captor-protector with powers of his own, is unequivocal in his demands: Avry must heal a plague-stricken prince—leader of a campaign against her people. As they traverse the daunting Nine Mountains, beset by mercenaries and magical dangers, Avry must decide who is worth healing and what is worth dying for. Because the price of peace may well be her life....
Plot: full of twists and plots that intrigue. That's what I love the most about Maria V Snyder's works.
Magic: Was cool, but like I've mentioned before somewhere, it sounds like the same healing system in [b:The Shifter|6316125|The Shifter (Healing Wars, #1)|Janice Hardy|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1320382572s/6316125.jpg|6501369]. Then again, it's also different, because Healers in this series are constantly healing themselves, but in The Shifter, if I'm not wrong, the healers could only heal each other and not themselves.
The Characters
Avry reminded me alot of Yelena from Poison Study, they're very similar yet they are also quite different. While liked her overall, I didn't feel like her reason for disliking Prince Ryne was strong enough. I was constantly looking for that reason for her strong hatred, and yet...when the reveal came, I felt hardly a thing. Sure it was a reasonable reason, and I get her pain, but it didn't seem bad enough for her to really hate him.
Kerrick was a bastard at the start. For a smart guy too, he also fails to perceive one of the many reasons why Avry refused to heal Ryne. Yet, while I did say I didn't really feel the change between Kerrick and Avry, I didn't think he was a badly created character, just not the best.
Supporting characters are a bunch of males, fellow soldiers who follow Kerrick and are around to keep an eye on Avry. Belen is Avry's strongest ally despite being Kerrick's man. He watches over Avry, advising her whichever he could. Flea reminded me of a little brother-like figure.
Spoiler
His death was pretty heavyThe Setting
The Fifteen Realms.
The Writing
Is exactly like what you see in [b:Poison Study|60510|Poison Study (Study, #1)|Maria V. Snyder|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388519019s/60510.jpg|1180409], simple, yet imaginative. There's no flowery poetry, there's nothing fancy. The language is straight forward, with a strong, female voice.
Overall
I'm intrigued. I do love the adventure I get when I read [a:Maria V. Snyder|445303|Maria V. Snyder|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1224476079p2/445303.jpg]'s works, and I am curious enough to read athe sequels of [b:Touch of Power|10445208|Touch of Power (Healer, #1)|Maria V. Snyder|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1317629193s/10445208.jpg|15349923].