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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
I have been a big fan of Maria V. Snyder’s fantasy work for quite a few years now so I was really excited to see how she would go about creating a whole new world, after so many people fell in love with her Study series. I was not disappointed. If anything, I may actually be even more in love with this series than the last two.
For me, it all comes down to the world building. Touch of Power introduces us to a wonderful combination of fantasy and dystopian. Things are going badly for everyone and big changes need to be made… plus, there’s magic! I was hooked within the first two chapters.
One thing I have always appreciated about Maria V. Snyder’s books, is that the romance is never too forceful. It tends to be a nice addition to the story, but never shoved down your throat. This holds true for Touch of Power as well, and I really enjoyed it. I was almost rooting for someone else to be the love interest.
All of the characters were pretty fantastic which made for some really heart-wrenching moments. I’m really curious to see how all of the character relationships develop over the course of what I’m sure will be a fairly epic series.
Highly recommended! Also, if you haven’t tried the Study series by Maria V. Snyder yet, check it out! It was originally a fantasy series but was recently repackaged as a YA series, so it has something to offer to a lot of different readers.
For me, it all comes down to the world building. Touch of Power introduces us to a wonderful combination of fantasy and dystopian. Things are going badly for everyone and big changes need to be made… plus, there’s magic! I was hooked within the first two chapters.
One thing I have always appreciated about Maria V. Snyder’s books, is that the romance is never too forceful. It tends to be a nice addition to the story, but never shoved down your throat. This holds true for Touch of Power as well, and I really enjoyed it. I was almost rooting for someone else to be the love interest.
All of the characters were pretty fantastic which made for some really heart-wrenching moments. I’m really curious to see how all of the character relationships develop over the course of what I’m sure will be a fairly epic series.
Highly recommended! Also, if you haven’t tried the Study series by Maria V. Snyder yet, check it out! It was originally a fantasy series but was recently repackaged as a YA series, so it has something to offer to a lot of different readers.
Everything feels superficial. I don‘t have a connection to the characters. The story was interesting though. However the thought of vain 20-somethings, still hung up on high school drama, ruling the world is a little bit ridiculous.
Maria V. Snyder really knows how to grab the attention of her audiences, and definitely knows how to keep them!
Mini-Review: A fast and fun read full of magic, adventure, and unforgettable characters.
My Thoughts:
While I've always wanted to read her books, this is actually my first by Maria V. Snyder, and I have to say I enjoyed her work as much as I thought I would. She always has really interesting ideas and Touch of Power is no different. I loved the idea of a healer who takes on her patients' wounds being asked (or rather told) to heal someone she hates. Throw in some humor, family drama, awesome world building, and a dash of romance and I'm all in.
Though I thoroughly enjoyed it, I did think the book was a bit predictable; that being said, it didn't really bother me. It wasn't as if I was reading a mystery and saw the ending a mile away. On the contrary, I just had a feeling certain events would take place. Also, I'm a sucker for guys like Kerrick, so that really helped.
Touch of Power was a great read, and, although it didn't completely rock my world, I will definitely be checking out more of Maria V. Snyder's books and tuning back in for more of Avry and Kerrick's adventures.
My Thoughts:
While I've always wanted to read her books, this is actually my first by Maria V. Snyder, and I have to say I enjoyed her work as much as I thought I would. She always has really interesting ideas and Touch of Power is no different. I loved the idea of a healer who takes on her patients' wounds being asked (or rather told) to heal someone she hates. Throw in some humor, family drama, awesome world building, and a dash of romance and I'm all in.
Though I thoroughly enjoyed it, I did think the book was a bit predictable; that being said, it didn't really bother me. It wasn't as if I was reading a mystery and saw the ending a mile away. On the contrary, I just had a feeling certain events would take place. Also, I'm a sucker for guys like Kerrick, so that really helped.
Touch of Power was a great read, and, although it didn't completely rock my world, I will definitely be checking out more of Maria V. Snyder's books and tuning back in for more of Avry and Kerrick's adventures.
12/31/18 Review:
I loved this book. I love Avry so much. I love how she risked healing the little baby in the beginning and hated how the family turned her in. I loved Kerrick and his men broke her out of the jail and took her with them. I loved the tension between Avry and Kerrick and his men. I love how after she had been with them for a while, she grew to care for them and loved them. I loved this book and definitely give it 10 stars.
7/7/21 Review
I loved this book! Still one of my favorites. I love Avery and how she only wants to use her healing magic for good. I love that she heals the baby and how she is willing to face whatever comes her way. I love that Kerrick and his goofy men are able to break her out and how they begin traveling together. I hate that they have intentions of taking her somewhere just to use her power. It must suck being used only for your power. I love that after a while of traveling her and Kerrick come to an understanding and how he begins to fall for her. This was an amazing book and I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for some action. 5 stars.
I loved this book. I love Avry so much. I love how she risked healing the little baby in the beginning and hated how the family turned her in. I loved Kerrick and his men broke her out of the jail and took her with them. I loved the tension between Avry and Kerrick and his men. I love how after she had been with them for a while, she grew to care for them and loved them. I loved this book and definitely give it 10 stars.
7/7/21 Review
I loved this book! Still one of my favorites. I love Avery and how she only wants to use her healing magic for good. I love that she heals the baby and how she is willing to face whatever comes her way. I love that Kerrick and his goofy men are able to break her out and how they begin traveling together. I hate that they have intentions of taking her somewhere just to use her power. It must suck being used only for your power. I love that after a while of traveling her and Kerrick come to an understanding and how he begins to fall for her. This was an amazing book and I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for some action. 5 stars.
Another great book by MVS! Parts were a bit...slow, and some characters were so odd that they were so unbelievable. But overall, I really liked it. The storyline progressed really well - and there were enough twists that the ending was far from predictable. Some of the characters were a bit odd and a bit tame, and also some seemed to morph into completely different characters towards the end.
One thing I will say though is I'm not onboard with the domestic-violence type relationship that started out between the two main characters. It's really not okay to trivialise that type of stuff- not even in books. The whole scene added absolutely NOTHING to the storyline so I'm not even sure why it was included - especially considering how the main-male character ended up acting in the end.
But the storyline, and the fact that it was SO well written, made me really enjoy it. I finished it in two sittings - so its quite an easy book to read!
One thing I will say though is I'm not onboard with the domestic-violence type relationship that started out between the two main characters. It's really not okay to trivialise that type of stuff- not even in books. The whole scene added absolutely NOTHING to the storyline so I'm not even sure why it was included - especially considering how the main-male character ended up acting in the end.
But the storyline, and the fact that it was SO well written, made me really enjoy it. I finished it in two sittings - so its quite an easy book to read!
French & English reviews
Le premier livre d'une série qui promet beaucoup =D
Ce que j'ai le plus aimé :
- le méchant !! Tohon a un petit air d'empereur romain psychotique xD
- l'univers qui est passionant !! On a envie de visiter chaque centimètre carré du monde ><
Ce que j'aime moins aimé :
- j'ai trouvé la romance un peu trop facile ... Ca ressemblait à l'histoire Yalek et Yelena en plus rapide ><
Le seul bémol c'est qu'il manque la petite étincelle, le je-ne-sais-quoi qui m'a fait adorer la série Study. Ce n'est pas vraiment la faute de ce livre, je suis dans une période de creux livresque et j'ai besoin d'un livre qui me chamboule ><
Bref, je lirais probablement la suite plus tard parce que je veux vraiment savoir ce qui va se passer et comment les héros vont arriver à s'en sortir =D
Si vous avez aimé les aventures de Valek et Yelena, cette série est pour vous =)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The first book of a series that promises to be great =D
What I liked most :
- the villain !! Tohon looks like a psychotic Roman emperor xD
- the universe that is fascinating !! We want to visit every inch of the world ><
What I like least :
- I found the romance a bit too easy ... It was like the Yalek and Yelena love story but only faster ><
The only downside is that it lacks the little spark, the je-ne-sais-quoi that made me love the Study series. It's not really the fault of this book, I'm in a period of bookish depression and I need a book that turns me upside down ><
In short, I would probably read the next one later because I really want to know what will happen and how the heroes will manage to get by =)
If you liked the adventures of Valek and Yelena, this series is for you =)
Le premier livre d'une série qui promet beaucoup =D
Ce que j'ai le plus aimé :
- le méchant !! Tohon a un petit air d'empereur romain psychotique xD
- l'univers qui est passionant !! On a envie de visiter chaque centimètre carré du monde ><
Ce que j'aime moins aimé :
- j'ai trouvé la romance un peu trop facile ... Ca ressemblait à l'histoire Yalek et Yelena en plus rapide ><
Le seul bémol c'est qu'il manque la petite étincelle, le je-ne-sais-quoi qui m'a fait adorer la série Study. Ce n'est pas vraiment la faute de ce livre, je suis dans une période de creux livresque et j'ai besoin d'un livre qui me chamboule ><
Bref, je lirais probablement la suite plus tard parce que je veux vraiment savoir ce qui va se passer et comment les héros vont arriver à s'en sortir =D
Si vous avez aimé les aventures de Valek et Yelena, cette série est pour vous =)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The first book of a series that promises to be great =D
What I liked most :
- the villain !! Tohon looks like a psychotic Roman emperor xD
- the universe that is fascinating !! We want to visit every inch of the world ><
What I like least :
- I found the romance a bit too easy ... It was like the Yalek and Yelena love story but only faster ><
The only downside is that it lacks the little spark, the je-ne-sais-quoi that made me love the Study series. It's not really the fault of this book, I'm in a period of bookish depression and I need a book that turns me upside down ><
In short, I would probably read the next one later because I really want to know what will happen and how the heroes will manage to get by =)
If you liked the adventures of Valek and Yelena, this series is for you =)
I wasn’t too keen on picking up another fantasy book after reading Froi of the Exiles. But I thought I’d give this book a try anyway because I’ve been a fan of the author ever since I read her Poison Study.
Touch of Power is set in the same world – realms, mages and regency dominated the pages. This book didn’t disappoint. In fact, I can readily admit that I liked this more than Poison Study….gasps! I know. The thing is, I’m a romance reader before anything else. I loved the relationships formed in this book better than Poison Study. While both book has no insta-love, I found myself more receptive to Avry and Keering’s relationship. Nothing really happened between them until the last pages, but throughout the book, the tension between them was explosive.
This is the story of Avry, a healer hunted by pretty much every kingdom jockeying for position to rule all of The Fifteen Realms. On the day of her execution, a group of rogue bandits abducted her for the purpose of healing a prince in stasis – a prince who had crusaded against her people. In the mercy of an unforgiving captor, Avry learns that now more than ever, the choices she must make as a healer determines the fate of those who are left of all the kingdoms ravaged by a plague.
This book has most of the makings of an incredible fantasy novel. Devoid of all the clichéd subjects we’d normally see in YA, this book captured my attention right from the start. The plot is well conceptualized and the characters were all written well. It’s the first of the series so the ending, though resolved, made me regret ever reading this book ahead of its release date; because now, I have an even longer wait for the next one to come out.
One complaint: The language used in this book doesn’t seem to match the era from when the book was set. Judging by the wardrobe and the description of the environment, I know that this book is supposed to be historical/fantasy. But it seems the author opted to use simple and modern language to write this novel. I didn’t mind it at all because it made for an easier time in understanding the dialogues and events but I wouldn’t be doing my job properly if I didn’t point it out.
Otherwise, I’m buying myself a copy of this book on its release date! This book had me reading at the office practicing the art of minimizing my screen fast so no one would catch me, well, not working. :)
Touch of Power is set in the same world – realms, mages and regency dominated the pages. This book didn’t disappoint. In fact, I can readily admit that I liked this more than Poison Study….gasps! I know. The thing is, I’m a romance reader before anything else. I loved the relationships formed in this book better than Poison Study. While both book has no insta-love, I found myself more receptive to Avry and Keering’s relationship. Nothing really happened between them until the last pages, but throughout the book, the tension between them was explosive.
This is the story of Avry, a healer hunted by pretty much every kingdom jockeying for position to rule all of The Fifteen Realms. On the day of her execution, a group of rogue bandits abducted her for the purpose of healing a prince in stasis – a prince who had crusaded against her people. In the mercy of an unforgiving captor, Avry learns that now more than ever, the choices she must make as a healer determines the fate of those who are left of all the kingdoms ravaged by a plague.
This book has most of the makings of an incredible fantasy novel. Devoid of all the clichéd subjects we’d normally see in YA, this book captured my attention right from the start. The plot is well conceptualized and the characters were all written well. It’s the first of the series so the ending, though resolved, made me regret ever reading this book ahead of its release date; because now, I have an even longer wait for the next one to come out.
One complaint: The language used in this book doesn’t seem to match the era from when the book was set. Judging by the wardrobe and the description of the environment, I know that this book is supposed to be historical/fantasy. But it seems the author opted to use simple and modern language to write this novel. I didn’t mind it at all because it made for an easier time in understanding the dialogues and events but I wouldn’t be doing my job properly if I didn’t point it out.
Otherwise, I’m buying myself a copy of this book on its release date! This book had me reading at the office practicing the art of minimizing my screen fast so no one would catch me, well, not working. :)
I had a pleasant surprise with this book. I'd been afraid to read more of Maria Snyder's books after an attempt at the Glass series didn't have me immediately enraptured but Healer was above expectations and entirely lovely as a first book. Well worth a read.
Första gången läst 2013 - 4 stjärnor
Andra gången läst 2022 - 3 stjärnor
Andra gången läst 2022 - 3 stjärnor