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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
I enjoyed this book. I just wish there was an audio book
Aww...a great start to a new series. In some ways the relationship between Avry and Kerrick reminds me of that of Yelena and Valek from the Study series, which was great because I really enjoyed those books. After devouring this book so quickly, I'm now mad at myself for not getting the sequel while I was in the bookstore as well. Oh well, I guess that will be on my list of books to buy on my next book shopping trip. I very much enjoyed the world and the characters in Touch of Power, and I'm intrigued enough to where I am already eagerly awaiting the third book, which will be released in December 2013 (and that's without having read the second). Yes, I know, I get obsessed with certain authors and/or books/series.
This book was a good start to Ms. Snyder’s new series. Touch of Power emboldens the imagination, developing a completely new world and filling it with characters that are interesting and evocative. The world of the Fifteen Realms is a wide open landscape filled with new joys and dangers, including the allies and enemies that were introduced in this volume.
This book embodied aspects from Ms. Snyder’s Study Series, starting with a heroine who begins the tale under a death sentence. Add an adversary who becomes more than a friend and you have several aspects that work…but I was a little disappointed to see them so blatantly repeated. The introduction of magic in this series I found a bit more refreshing. Healing magic resulting from man-eating flowers—that one I can truly say I never saw coming. I am curious to see where Ms. Snyder goes with this. While the war among nations is not really new, hopefully in the course of the turmoil we discover some new plot points and the crazy psychopath ends up getting his comeuppance.
All in all I found this an engaging read that kept me enraptured until I had finished it, and proved to be a promising start to a new series.
I give this book a high Three Stars
This book embodied aspects from Ms. Snyder’s Study Series, starting with a heroine who begins the tale under a death sentence. Add an adversary who becomes more than a friend and you have several aspects that work…but I was a little disappointed to see them so blatantly repeated. The introduction of magic in this series I found a bit more refreshing. Healing magic resulting from man-eating flowers—that one I can truly say I never saw coming. I am curious to see where Ms. Snyder goes with this. While the war among nations is not really new, hopefully in the course of the turmoil we discover some new plot points and the crazy psychopath ends up getting his comeuppance.
All in all I found this an engaging read that kept me enraptured until I had finished it, and proved to be a promising start to a new series.
I give this book a high Three Stars
A good break from the heavier, more emotional stuff I'd been reading. The writing is mediocre but the plot moves along and it's fun. I would have liked a more transformative experience with the botany--the lilies are really cool, but there's nothing else in terms of flora that differentiates that world from ours. Minimal worldbuilding, in other words.
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
medium-paced
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book was just... awesome? I don't really know how to describe my experience with this book. I love Avry. She's not as bad ass as Mercy Thompson, Katsa, or Rose (from other books I've read), but she does have this toughness about her, despite being a Healer. The world was not complex that you would lose yourself in everything (like in Graceling). Snyder keeps her world simple. I feel like she had too many classifications for magic (rock hound, hound, earth mage). I feel like she could have just created sub-categories for mages instead of just creating different categories all together. I enjoyed the politics of this book and how everyone is fighting for power. I like how the challenge in high school to be king has been brought to the present. It just goes to show how some people never change. I adored Belen and Flea, they were great characters to help Avry adjust. The Healer ability was played well. Instead of having crazy powers of healing, Avry takes the illness/injury of whoever she heals and her body fights against the harm. I love that idea. It gives and takes power from a Healer and prevents characters with that ability from being totally "all powerful". Kerrick I'm iffy on. I mean, I understand he got upset at Avry, but to smack her? Really? That just went against everything in my book. Especially in a book that seems to take place in a time that features courting the girl of your dreams. This is supposed to be all about chivalry and knighthood (or am I too romantic?). Sepp? Yeah, totally saw that ass hole. Although a good portion of this is predictable, it was a great journey.
Like many readers, I adored Maria Snyder's book Poison Study so it was with great eagerness and a little trepidation that I picked up Touch of Power. I'd heard that it was just as good as Poison Study or maybe even better; I was afraid that I would be disappointed. Not to worry. I loved Touch of Power!
I immediately liked Avry. She is hunted by society for her healing powers, yet she can't help using her powers to help the innocent - even if it puts her own life in jeopardy. Lest you think that Avry is a boring do-gooder, Ms. Snyder has given her plenty of other qualities that makes her a full fledged character. As you'd expect from someone who is hunted and who has been on the run for years, Avry is highly independent and slow to trust. This lack of trust and tendency to assume the worst in people can be a little frustrating when the reader is sure that things are better than Avry thinks. However, once Avry's trust is earned it is unwavering and she will sacrifice much for those she loves. On the bright side, Avry has the funny, snarky voice that I love in my heroines.
For our leading man, we have Kerrick. How I love thee Kerrick! He may eclipse Valek...or maybe not, I can't decide. A lot of other reviewers have criticized the book for making Kerrick too rude and mean to Avry. If I look back at the book objectively, I can definitely see that. However, I read the book with the starry eyed viewpoint of someone expecting romance, so Kerrick came off as witty, protective, strong, and someone who had his own reasons to be guarded.
Let's not forget the merry band of brothers - Kerrick's gang. Like hanging out with the guys. Each had individual qualities - from young goofy Flea to strong stalwart Belen. They added a lot of humor to the story and helped make Avry trust Kerrick.
I loved the tension between Kerrick and Avry. It definitely started out on the mean side, as I mentioned above. Understandable since neither party had reason to trust the other. Avry in particular had valid reasons to worry about what a potential captor would do to her - kill her or sell her. It turns out to be almost as bad in her mind - kidnapping her to force her to heal someone she despises. So the tension is definitely high. But it gradually changes to wary interest to grudging trust to mutual respect to deep friendship to love. My one complaint is that the love part took too long to develop. So long that we didn't get to really enjoy it.
World building is always a key component of any fantasy novel. Touch of Power has a distinct fantasy world, complete with various magical powers, politics, illnesses, history, and more. Maria did a wonderful job of smoothly and consistently laying out the setting. There was no info dump, neither was I left in the dark for too long. I learned as much information as I needed to know at the time.
Of course, a Maria Snyder book wouldn't be a Maria Snyder book without a fast moving plot. Touch of Power is full of action. The book starts off with a bang when Avry gets caught after healing a child. Then she's kidnapped by Kerrick and his gang. Then there is adventure after adventure. You don't know who to trust or what's going to happen to Avry. The romance and character development is mixed in with actions scenes so you never get bored.
My chief complaint about the book is occasional unrealistic dialogue - Kerrick's gang in particular. They sounded too much like modern teenagers. For example, one of the guys teases "[Piece of clothing] is SO last year!" That mock valley girl talk feels out of place in a fantasy novel. There were other instances where the dialogue was jarring. It took away from the story.
Touch of Power is a delightful novel. If you loved Poison Study, you will definitely love this book. If you haven't read Poison Study, read both books!
Rating: 4 / 5
I immediately liked Avry. She is hunted by society for her healing powers, yet she can't help using her powers to help the innocent - even if it puts her own life in jeopardy. Lest you think that Avry is a boring do-gooder, Ms. Snyder has given her plenty of other qualities that makes her a full fledged character. As you'd expect from someone who is hunted and who has been on the run for years, Avry is highly independent and slow to trust. This lack of trust and tendency to assume the worst in people can be a little frustrating when the reader is sure that things are better than Avry thinks. However, once Avry's trust is earned it is unwavering and she will sacrifice much for those she loves. On the bright side, Avry has the funny, snarky voice that I love in my heroines.
For our leading man, we have Kerrick. How I love thee Kerrick! He may eclipse Valek...or maybe not, I can't decide. A lot of other reviewers have criticized the book for making Kerrick too rude and mean to Avry. If I look back at the book objectively, I can definitely see that. However, I read the book with the starry eyed viewpoint of someone expecting romance, so Kerrick came off as witty, protective, strong, and someone who had his own reasons to be guarded.
Let's not forget the merry band of brothers - Kerrick's gang. Like hanging out with the guys. Each had individual qualities - from young goofy Flea to strong stalwart Belen. They added a lot of humor to the story and helped make Avry trust Kerrick.
I loved the tension between Kerrick and Avry. It definitely started out on the mean side, as I mentioned above. Understandable since neither party had reason to trust the other. Avry in particular had valid reasons to worry about what a potential captor would do to her - kill her or sell her. It turns out to be almost as bad in her mind - kidnapping her to force her to heal someone she despises. So the tension is definitely high. But it gradually changes to wary interest to grudging trust to mutual respect to deep friendship to love. My one complaint is that the love part took too long to develop. So long that we didn't get to really enjoy it.
World building is always a key component of any fantasy novel. Touch of Power has a distinct fantasy world, complete with various magical powers, politics, illnesses, history, and more. Maria did a wonderful job of smoothly and consistently laying out the setting. There was no info dump, neither was I left in the dark for too long. I learned as much information as I needed to know at the time.
Of course, a Maria Snyder book wouldn't be a Maria Snyder book without a fast moving plot. Touch of Power is full of action. The book starts off with a bang when Avry gets caught after healing a child. Then she's kidnapped by Kerrick and his gang. Then there is adventure after adventure. You don't know who to trust or what's going to happen to Avry. The romance and character development is mixed in with actions scenes so you never get bored.
My chief complaint about the book is occasional unrealistic dialogue - Kerrick's gang in particular. They sounded too much like modern teenagers. For example, one of the guys teases "[Piece of clothing] is SO last year!" That mock valley girl talk feels out of place in a fantasy novel. There were other instances where the dialogue was jarring. It took away from the story.
Touch of Power is a delightful novel. If you loved Poison Study, you will definitely love this book. If you haven't read Poison Study, read both books!
Rating: 4 / 5
adventurous
funny
medium-paced