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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
This was fun, and I enjoyed the characters.
One small thing bugged me, and kept bugging me through the whole book. Avry (the heroine) used 'guys' to refer to the men she was traveling with. I'm not sure why the word felt off, but it did, and it continued to feel off every time it was used. I don't know whether it was just because the rest of the setting didn't fit with the word, or what, but every time, *bang* out of the story I went.
One small thing bugged me, and kept bugging me through the whole book. Avry (the heroine) used 'guys' to refer to the men she was traveling with. I'm not sure why the word felt off, but it did, and it continued to feel off every time it was used. I don't know whether it was just because the rest of the setting didn't fit with the word, or what, but every time, *bang* out of the story I went.
I have had this book sitting on my bookshelf pretty much since it came out. It survived moving between home and school probably twice, yet I didn't read it. Now I wish I had read it sooner! I loved the Study Series and was a little wary about reading this because I wanted so much to love it as much, and I did. Are there some of the clichéd plot twists? Yes, but they really work. I had issues putting it down, which is always a huge plus when it comes to a book. If I could give 1/2 stars, my true rating would be 4 1/2.
Touch of Power provides you with a well-paced, adventurous story that revolves around a strong heroine and includes an intriguing take on magic.
When I say that I was going into Touch of Power with astronomical expectations I wouldn't be exaggerating. I hope that the next books will be even better, but this one was great. Enjoyable, captivating read. My only problem was, that I had too much expectations after reading Poison Study series.
The first half of this book was rather slow-paced, the characters were constantly walking somewhere through the woods and I was slightly bored at first. But halfway through the book, the story finally picked up and interesting things started to happen!
The characters were great.Well, most of them.
Avry was kind and selfless heroine and at first, I expected her to be one of those 'damsels in distress'. But she very much surprised me with her strength, stubbornness and spirit!
“Sorry. An overdeveloped nurturing instinct comes with being a healer.”
Belen 'Alias: The Poppa Bear' was definitely my favourite character. Big guy with even bigger heart! He was sweet, caring and protective of his little group of friends.
“When we reached the door, Belen stepped in the way. 'If any harm—'
'Comes to her, you’ll rip out my arms. Got it,' Kerrick said.
'I’m serious,' Belen said.
'I know. Do you really think I’d put her in danger?'
'Not on purpose, but things happen that are out of your control.'
Kerrick gave him a tight smile. 'You mean I'm not omnipotent?'
'You're not even semi-potent.'
'Is that even a word?' Kerrick asked.
'He probably means you're impotent,' I offered.”
Kerrick. When I say that I didn't like him at first, it would be an understatement. When we meet him in the first chapters, he's definitely not likable character. But I had in mind, that he's not supposed to be likable and that there's something behind his behavior. But through this book, you can see very slow character development on his part. And at the end I understood his actions and even started to like him. Maybe he'll impress in the next book!
“No. I took this job in self-defense. Quain burns everything. Belen thinks jerky is all we need to survive. Flea's idea of a good meal is something that hasn't been in a garbage can first. And Kerrick poisoned us-”
“Not on purpose,” Kerrick said. “The meat looked done.”
Loren and Quain 'Alias: The Monkeys' were funny little duo. Sometimes I tend to confuse these two, because they seemed almost the same.
“Thinking of learning the assassin arts, Belen?” Loren asked.
“Isn’t that a rare flower? Maybe he wants to get into gardening. I hear that’s what older people do when they reach their dotage,” Quain teased.
Belen shook his head. “Two brains and not a bit of intelligence between them. Good thing the monkeys are entertaining or I’d have left them back in Ryazan.”
Flea lived most of his life in the streets. He's funny and curious boy, but also young survivor wise beyond his age.
“Flea stared at us, "I can't decide what's worse. Losing family members or not having a family member to lose.”
And at last the villain of this story - Tohan. Twisted, jealous and psychotic maniac with daddy issues.
“Yes. Living things do well under my care.” He gave me a wry smile, acknowledging the irony. “As long as I care about them.” Then he sobered. “People, on the other hand, are not worth caring for.”
I kind of liked him and definitely need to know what problems will he cause in the next book - Scent of Magic!
The first half of this book was rather slow-paced, the characters were constantly walking somewhere through the woods and I was slightly bored at first. But halfway through the book, the story finally picked up and interesting things started to happen!
The characters were great.
Avry was kind and selfless heroine and at first, I expected her to be one of those 'damsels in distress'. But she very much surprised me with her strength, stubbornness and spirit!
“Sorry. An overdeveloped nurturing instinct comes with being a healer.”
Belen 'Alias: The Poppa Bear' was definitely my favourite character. Big guy with even bigger heart! He was sweet, caring and protective of his little group of friends.
“When we reached the door, Belen stepped in the way. 'If any harm—'
'Comes to her, you’ll rip out my arms. Got it,' Kerrick said.
'I’m serious,' Belen said.
'I know. Do you really think I’d put her in danger?'
'Not on purpose, but things happen that are out of your control.'
Kerrick gave him a tight smile. 'You mean I'm not omnipotent?'
'You're not even semi-potent.'
'Is that even a word?' Kerrick asked.
'He probably means you're impotent,' I offered.”
Kerrick. When I say that I didn't like him at first, it would be an understatement. When we meet him in the first chapters, he's definitely not likable character. But I had in mind, that he's not supposed to be likable and that there's something behind his behavior. But through this book, you can see very slow character development on his part. And at the end I understood his actions and even started to like him. Maybe he'll impress in the next book!
“No. I took this job in self-defense. Quain burns everything. Belen thinks jerky is all we need to survive. Flea's idea of a good meal is something that hasn't been in a garbage can first. And Kerrick poisoned us-”
“Not on purpose,” Kerrick said. “The meat looked done.”
Loren and Quain 'Alias: The Monkeys' were funny little duo. Sometimes I tend to confuse these two, because they seemed almost the same.
“Thinking of learning the assassin arts, Belen?” Loren asked.
“Isn’t that a rare flower? Maybe he wants to get into gardening. I hear that’s what older people do when they reach their dotage,” Quain teased.
Belen shook his head. “Two brains and not a bit of intelligence between them. Good thing the monkeys are entertaining or I’d have left them back in Ryazan.”
Flea lived most of his life in the streets. He's funny and curious boy, but also young survivor wise beyond his age.
“Flea stared at us, "I can't decide what's worse. Losing family members or not having a family member to lose.”
And at last the villain of this story - Tohan. Twisted, jealous and psychotic maniac with daddy issues.
“Yes. Living things do well under my care.” He gave me a wry smile, acknowledging the irony. “As long as I care about them.” Then he sobered. “People, on the other hand, are not worth caring for.”
I kind of liked him and definitely need to know what problems will he cause in the next book - Scent of Magic!
I don't know if I liked it as much as I like Poison Study, but I seriously could not put this book down. There were points that got a little convoluted but I was so swept up in the rest of it that I didn't let it bother me much. Just when I thought it was going to end and be wrapped up with a neat little bow, the book would take you on another twist and it constantly kept me wondering how the hell is Avery going to get out of this or that fix. Definitely picking up the next book ASAP.
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
What I love about Ms Snyder are her fresh and original plots. More review to come later.
1st person point of view, when done well is decent. Snyder captured my attention with the world that she created. The premiss is interesting and held my attention. Avry is a great character that is equal parts sarcastic and caring. I'm a sucker for a slow burn and this had it, all with the adventure embarked upon in this world.
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
fast-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:
No