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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
God I love Maria Snyder's books. I wasn't sure if I wanted to read a fantasy book from her that didn't take place in Sitia but this one was just as good. SPOILER the lily stuff? Genius! Kept me guessing! Can't wait for the next one!!!
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I last read this book 7/8 years ago. Thankfully, it's as enjoyable as I believed it to be years later. It's not perfect to be clear. Some fantasys have left me with an unrealistic expectation for the world building. And that's, a distinction from the language of our world which is directly linked to certain delicacies, beverages, technological accomplishments which doesn't add up in a world that uses horse carriages as the main form of transportation and scones for light but has champagne and hair dye. Notwithstanding the above, the book was very well done. I really loved the character development of Avery. A "too fast" development, was Kerrick's feelings towards Avery. Out of nowhere really.I don't buy it much nor like it. I'm interested in Tahoon's character. I like a complicated psychopath. If only he was a tad more complicated and real?
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really liked this one. The characters were great, even if they weren't very original and the story was captivating despite its inconsistencies. Definitely a series to continue! (and a ship to follow eheh)
I just- this book was so boring. I can't get into it at all and I really didn't care about any of the characters. I even forgot who was who because I just didn't give a shit.
I tried so hard to get into this, I attempted to read it twice and I've failed both times.
Such a shame.
I don’t know if I am used to books which elaborate more, or this book is so fast paced -not in a good way- that everything felt rushed and just i felt like running.
However, i enjoyed it.
However, i enjoyed it.
I like the stubborn sarcastic characters. Entertaining. All the series weave together to give a larger picture. I'd call it a simple, enjoyable read with a unique description-outlook of magic.
I read a review a few posts down that compared Touch of Power to chocolate cake and I think that's a fairly accurate comparison. Touch of Power is like a light, delicious dessert after a heavy meal.
Touch of Power is a fantastic, light, easy read. And there is NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT. It's absolutely lovely to read something that's just fast paced and fun once in a while. It's refreshing to read a fantasy novel that isn't following the Lord of the Rings, Sword of Truth, or Song of Ice and Fire models of fantasy storytelling (speaking of Song of Ice and Fire - this would be a great book to read between volumes as a sort of palatte cleanser).
True, I would have liked more details about this and that and some other things but am I sure it would be worth spoiling the pace?
I really enjoyed the characters and can't wait for the second book so we can find out more about some of them. I really liked Kerrick right away, and Belen. Estrid intrigues me. Is it strange that I kind of really like Tohon? He's a delightful villain. I'm not entirely sure if I like Avry. I don't know why but I can't seem to warm up to main characters the way I do secondary characters, and Maria V Snyder's books always have such wonderful secondary characters so it's doubly hard.
I like the gradual world building. You learn bits and pieces here and there rather than having large chunks lumped in all at once. I love the Death Lilies. I can't wait to learn more about them as Avry researches their strange properties. I love the eleven magic types. You get some of the expected varieties (earth, wind, water, fire) and some less expected ones (sun and moon in particular). I like the earth, rock, and forest magics. I find it's unusual to see the differences between different earth based magics so openly acknowledged. Often I've found one aspect will be focused on and the rest ignored (for example, earth benders in Avatar the Last Airbender mostly manipulate rock).
There are so many things to enjoy about this book and they (to me) vastly outweigh the lack of some things. If we can enjoy light fluffy romantic comedies and plot-what-plot action films why can't we enjoy a light fast paced fantasy? Who says fantasy has to be heavy, weighty, and monstrously detailed?
If you are looking for a thoroughly engrossing feast of a book skip this one, go read Sword of Truth or Wheel of Time or something. If you are looking for something lighter and easy to enjoy this one is great.
Touch of Power is a fantastic, light, easy read. And there is NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT. It's absolutely lovely to read something that's just fast paced and fun once in a while. It's refreshing to read a fantasy novel that isn't following the Lord of the Rings, Sword of Truth, or Song of Ice and Fire models of fantasy storytelling (speaking of Song of Ice and Fire - this would be a great book to read between volumes as a sort of palatte cleanser).
True, I would have liked more details about this and that and some other things but am I sure it would be worth spoiling the pace?
I really enjoyed the characters and can't wait for the second book so we can find out more about some of them. I really liked Kerrick right away, and Belen. Estrid intrigues me. Is it strange that I kind of really like Tohon? He's a delightful villain. I'm not entirely sure if I like Avry. I don't know why but I can't seem to warm up to main characters the way I do secondary characters, and Maria V Snyder's books always have such wonderful secondary characters so it's doubly hard.
I like the gradual world building. You learn bits and pieces here and there rather than having large chunks lumped in all at once. I love the Death Lilies. I can't wait to learn more about them as Avry researches their strange properties. I love the eleven magic types. You get some of the expected varieties (earth, wind, water, fire) and some less expected ones (sun and moon in particular). I like the earth, rock, and forest magics. I find it's unusual to see the differences between different earth based magics so openly acknowledged. Often I've found one aspect will be focused on and the rest ignored (for example, earth benders in Avatar the Last Airbender mostly manipulate rock).
There are so many things to enjoy about this book and they (to me) vastly outweigh the lack of some things. If we can enjoy light fluffy romantic comedies and plot-what-plot action films why can't we enjoy a light fast paced fantasy? Who says fantasy has to be heavy, weighty, and monstrously detailed?
If you are looking for a thoroughly engrossing feast of a book skip this one, go read Sword of Truth or Wheel of Time or something. If you are looking for something lighter and easy to enjoy this one is great.
This was an incredibly consistent and easy read! I wasn’t expecting it to be such a page turner but every chapter was pulling me along, making it rather hard to stop reading.
The world was fun, the characters were great (especially all the boys: Belen, Loren, Quain, Flea and of course Kerrick), I loved the magic system and the journey in general, but I do wish there was more attention to detail and description. Things definitely jumped around a lot, and I wish there was more of an ease into every new situation because it did feel pretty jarring at times.
I really liked the romance between Avry and Kerrick, but I also wish it was handled with more detail and care. I felt like the romance was supposed to be at the forefront of the story, yet it somehow stayed on the back burner. By the time things finally picked up I was already at the last few pages of the book. I was left feeling disappointed that I didn’t get to enjoy more of the romance earlier on, especially considering all of the buildup.
The positive to all this is that I’m hopeful the second book will be full of all the romance that this one was lacking! Plus I’m sure the witty banter and adventure is only just getting started. I was pleasantly surprised by this book!
The world was fun, the characters were great (especially all the boys: Belen, Loren, Quain, Flea and of course Kerrick), I loved the magic system and the journey in general, but I do wish there was more attention to detail and description. Things definitely jumped around a lot, and I wish there was more of an ease into every new situation because it did feel pretty jarring at times.
I really liked the romance between Avry and Kerrick, but I also wish it was handled with more detail and care. I felt like the romance was supposed to be at the forefront of the story, yet it somehow stayed on the back burner. By the time things finally picked up I was already at the last few pages of the book. I was left feeling disappointed that I didn’t get to enjoy more of the romance earlier on, especially considering all of the buildup.
The positive to all this is that I’m hopeful the second book will be full of all the romance that this one was lacking! Plus I’m sure the witty banter and adventure is only just getting started. I was pleasantly surprised by this book!