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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
reflective
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:
Complicated
Was a nice easy read
Loved how it’s a different idea to usual fantasy’s and that the romance didn’t take over the whole plot.
I was so confused cause before I read the book I googled and it said Ryne was her love interest so I was waiting and I was so confused when she started liking kerrick.
Not fully my type of writing and stuff but yeah it was a good easy read.
Loved how it’s a different idea to usual fantasy’s and that the romance didn’t take over the whole plot.
I was so confused cause before I read the book I googled and it said Ryne was her love interest so I was waiting and I was so confused when she started liking kerrick.
Not fully my type of writing and stuff but yeah it was a good easy read.
Yikes, I did NOT like the writing of this book. The story was interesting, with the most intriguing part being the Death and Peace Lilies, with their impenetrable petals, group consciousness and toxins with so much potential. I also liked the forest magic and the hints about air magic and rock hounds.
I feel like this book should be an early draft of something that gets edited and lengthened into a really good story. The author rushed over parts I’d love more time spent on, and the diction felt simple and lazy. I don’t think I’ll read anything else from Maria V Snyder, but maybe I’ll read synopses of the rest of this series.
I feel like this book should be an early draft of something that gets edited and lengthened into a really good story. The author rushed over parts I’d love more time spent on, and the diction felt simple and lazy. I don’t think I’ll read anything else from Maria V Snyder, but maybe I’ll read synopses of the rest of this series.
This book was thoroughly enjoyable, however, I did feel it was somewhat derivative of some of her earlier works. This book read a lot like Poison Study (which I found excellent), so if you liked that one, you'll probably like this one as well. It isn't much of a risk for this author and I have a feeling she's capable of a lot more. That being said, Touch of Power doesn't disappoint, it just doesn't have the wow factor either.
As a general note about Maria Snyder, she's an author I quite enjoy. Normally, I stay as far away from YA as possible, but for Maria Snyder I'm willing to make an exception. I found Poison Study amazing, but the two follow up novels after that - Magic Study, and Fire Study - were really not great. I completely skipped the glass series and probably would have stopped there, except Inside Out was recommended to me by my sister. The Harlequin Teen imprint certainly didn't help my impression of the book, but it turned out to be really good. I think Maria Snyder has really hit her stride in the YA department. It's nice to see someone working so well in something they are truly gifted in.
As a general note about Maria Snyder, she's an author I quite enjoy. Normally, I stay as far away from YA as possible, but for Maria Snyder I'm willing to make an exception. I found Poison Study amazing, but the two follow up novels after that - Magic Study, and Fire Study - were really not great. I completely skipped the glass series and probably would have stopped there, except Inside Out was recommended to me by my sister. The Harlequin Teen imprint certainly didn't help my impression of the book, but it turned out to be really good. I think Maria Snyder has really hit her stride in the YA department. It's nice to see someone working so well in something they are truly gifted in.
I really like Maria Snyder's writing. Something about her stories keeps me turning pages and I have a hard time putting the books down. There were some similarities between this book and Poison Study, but I thought it was unique enough that I wasn't bothered.
I think the writing could have been a little tighter, but since this was an ARC, the final copy could be a bit better. There were also times when I thought the story was getting predictable, but then something would happen, and my guesses about how everything would end changed.
Maria Snyder's books all feel like YA to me, although I'm not sure that they are. They definitely read like it in style, but they don't follow the typical YA pattern, and the characters are usually older.
All in all, this is a fast-paced fantasy adventure that I would recommend, especially to fans of the author. I'm looking forward to the next in the series already. Grade: B+
I think the writing could have been a little tighter, but since this was an ARC, the final copy could be a bit better. There were also times when I thought the story was getting predictable, but then something would happen, and my guesses about how everything would end changed.
Maria Snyder's books all feel like YA to me, although I'm not sure that they are. They definitely read like it in style, but they don't follow the typical YA pattern, and the characters are usually older.
All in all, this is a fast-paced fantasy adventure that I would recommend, especially to fans of the author. I'm looking forward to the next in the series already. Grade: B+
I <3 Yelena Avry.
There was something very familiar to this story (uhm... Poison Study anyone?) but I loved it anyway!
There was something very familiar to this story (uhm... Poison Study anyone?) but I loved it anyway!
This book was pretty disappointing. Maria V Snyder is a really hit or miss author for me. I love her Study and Inside series, but her Glass series was a big let down, and it looks like this Healer series is going to be as well. On a lot of levels, Touch of Power is a poor rehash of the Study series--the heroine is a healer who assumes her patients' injuries, she escapes execution with the help of a seemingly cold and somewhat abusive man who later turns into a love interest, and she must fight against the kingdom's prejudice and fear of magicians. This second theme--a cold, distant, and at times abusive love interest--is a recurring theme in Snyder's work that I find particularly troubling. A big part of what I loved about her Inside duology was that it departed from this cycle. That this series is her follow up makes me think that perhaps the Inside series didn't sell as well and her publishers urged her to go back to the formula that worked. Well, it doesn't work for me.
I'm going to give the sequel a shot, since I checked both out from the library at the same time, but I doubt it will redeem the first book for me. If you're looking for a good Snyder read, I recommend [b:Poison Study|60510|Poison Study (Study, #1)|Maria V. Snyder|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388519019s/60510.jpg|1180409] or [b:Inside Out|7059135|Inside Out (Insider, #1)|Maria V. Snyder|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1335383824s/7059135.jpg|6662880].
I'm going to give the sequel a shot, since I checked both out from the library at the same time, but I doubt it will redeem the first book for me. If you're looking for a good Snyder read, I recommend [b:Poison Study|60510|Poison Study (Study, #1)|Maria V. Snyder|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388519019s/60510.jpg|1180409] or [b:Inside Out|7059135|Inside Out (Insider, #1)|Maria V. Snyder|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1335383824s/7059135.jpg|6662880].
I love Maria Snyder books, but it's been awhile since I read one. I'm not sure why because I really liked this one. I kind of like that the relationship between Avry (love that name btw) and Kerrick starts out on a bad note and gets worse. I also love Belen! Go papa bear. I would have liked to have read more about her healer magic. Compared to her other characters I felt like Avry's magic was just there for her.