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blissbubbley's review against another edition
4.0
Western meets Fantasy in this book by Howell. But I was infuriated by Llew, why do characters that seem so strong and confident go and do such stupid thing. She really annoyed me. Her relationship with Jonas seemed too rushed for my liking, they then both annoyed me by doing stupid things. It seemed to be a theme for doing stupid things and me knowing that it was going to come back on them eventually.
The steampunk link is weak which is a shame and I wasn't particularly won over by the characters (see above) BUT I really loved how everything was written, this beautiful world that you could picture with ease. I hope there is going to be another book as I have questions that need answering... I want to know more about the history before all of this happened!
Even though the characters annoyed me I still read through this fairly quickly and I do want to know more. Strangely addictive. Weird.
The steampunk link is weak which is a shame and I wasn't particularly won over by the characters (see above) BUT I really loved how everything was written, this beautiful world that you could picture with ease. I hope there is going to be another book as I have questions that need answering... I want to know more about the history before all of this happened!
Even though the characters annoyed me I still read through this fairly quickly and I do want to know more. Strangely addictive. Weird.
blissbubbley's review
4.0
Western meets Fantasy in this book by Howell. But I was infuriated by Llew, why do characters that seem so strong and confident go and do such stupid thing. She really annoyed me. Her relationship with Jonas seemed too rushed for my liking, they then both annoyed me by doing stupid things. It seemed to be a theme for doing stupid things and me knowing that it was going to come back on them eventually.
The steampunk link is weak which is a shame and I wasn't particularly won over by the characters (see above) BUT I really loved how everything was written, this beautiful world that you could picture with ease. I hope there is going to be another book as I have questions that need answering... I want to know more about the history before all of this happened!
Even though the characters annoyed me I still read through this fairly quickly and I do want to know more. Strangely addictive. Weird.
The steampunk link is weak which is a shame and I wasn't particularly won over by the characters (see above) BUT I really loved how everything was written, this beautiful world that you could picture with ease. I hope there is going to be another book as I have questions that need answering... I want to know more about the history before all of this happened!
Even though the characters annoyed me I still read through this fairly quickly and I do want to know more. Strangely addictive. Weird.
quirkey's review
2.0
I'll not surmise the story as so many other reviews have given excellent peeks into what you will find in Howell's book, so I'll just jump straight to what I think. This book had incredible potential, I found Llew's powers (the protagonist) interesting and well thought out, while the world itself was fascinating. Unfortunately, those were the only things that warranted the two stars, as they carried the book long enough for me to finish it.
The main thrust of the book, the romance, the characters, as well as the chase from the 'bad-guy,'let 'Healer's Touch' down significantly. There isn't a single moment to point out, a failing that, if corrected, would shoot this book's rating up. The issue lies, and I'm really sad to say this, with the writing itself. Howell has some wonderful ideas about world building, but that passion is not transferred to her secondary characters, and by secondary characters, I mean everyone other than Llew. They are, quite frankly, boring.
I sensed no chemistry or even real friendship between any of the characters, particularly Llew and her main romance, Jonas (and no, this is not a spoiler because Howell tries to make it look like maybe another character, Al, will swoop in and seduce Llew but anyone who has ever read a romance like this before knows that Llew checking out Jonas' butt when she first sees him is like a giant guarantee stamp from the author than romance shenanigans are happening between these two. Just saying!). We first sense there is something between them when Jonas storms off and Llew chases after to talk to him, only to have Jonas suddenly clutch her and sob (okay, not sob sob, but dry sob? Shudder? You get the picture) on her shoulder. I presume this is supposed to make us empathize with Jonas, and show that that Llew is 'not like other girls' to him, but it's frankly bizarre. It comes out of nowhere, especially as they had zero connection previous to this moment, and nothing to show he even viewed her as a friend, let alone someone he trusted enough to act like this, and the book is full of such moments. It's also, though this happens early on in the book, completely OOC for Jonas. And this happens a lot. Character displaying emotions or acting as if another character means so much/so little to them when there has been absolutely nothing to indicate that they felt like this beforehand or even thought it!
Characters also only exist to fulfill a role, or to make things difficult for Llew and Jonas to get together. The latter is particularly frustrating as it feels like the romance takes precedence over plot. But what has me gritting my teeth is when an author tries to justify their existence by claiming they have a significant relationship with one of the romancing characters...and it doesn't make any sense. Aris, in this case. He's Jonas' commanding officer, no he's like a father figure, no Jonas trusts him like a comrade, no now's he's just being an asshole for no reason other than to make it harder for Llew and Jonas to get together...
On the topic of characters existing to fulfill a role...Jonas is the romance, Alvaro is the competition, Cassidy is the typical wise cracking friend who breaks the tension (you get a cookie if you guess what his ending is), Anya is just there for when Llew eventually wears a dress, Aris is the 'I stand in the way of your love!' character, Emylia is just...there. Aside from Llew, no one exists because they feel like they should be in the story and they there were already there when I opened the book. They were created to push forward the plot, not because they belong in the story.
There are somethings which also don't really make sense. Like who the hell was Emylia? She just kind of exists even though she's in over half the book. How were they attacked at sea? I know we said magic crystals, but guys that's not really an explanation. The warrior guys (Zaki?) in the forest? Who come and go...just because? Also, the scene with Braph and Llew at the end? Which I won't spoil, and while Howell handled it well, it also doesn't make a lick of sense as to WHY it happened. Or what the purpose of it was other than being used for shock. Also the timeline for the big reveal at the end also doesn't make a lot of sense as it would only have been, what, a week??? Maybe two??
All in all, the book isn't awful, not by a long shot. But it's also not great either. Everyone is different and I know these issues may not seem significant to some people, but they near ruined the book for me. If you enjoyed it, I'm glad you did! But I won't be picking up the second in this series.
The main thrust of the book, the romance, the characters, as well as the chase from the 'bad-guy,'let 'Healer's Touch' down significantly. There isn't a single moment to point out, a failing that, if corrected, would shoot this book's rating up. The issue lies, and I'm really sad to say this, with the writing itself. Howell has some wonderful ideas about world building, but that passion is not transferred to her secondary characters, and by secondary characters, I mean everyone other than Llew. They are, quite frankly, boring.
I sensed no chemistry or even real friendship between any of the characters, particularly Llew and her main romance, Jonas (and no, this is not a spoiler because Howell tries to make it look like maybe another character, Al, will swoop in and seduce Llew but anyone who has ever read a romance like this before knows that Llew checking out Jonas' butt when she first sees him is like a giant guarantee stamp from the author than romance shenanigans are happening between these two. Just saying!). We first sense there is something between them when Jonas storms off and Llew chases after to talk to him, only to have Jonas suddenly clutch her and sob (okay, not sob sob, but dry sob? Shudder? You get the picture) on her shoulder. I presume this is supposed to make us empathize with Jonas, and show that that Llew is 'not like other girls' to him, but it's frankly bizarre. It comes out of nowhere, especially as they had zero connection previous to this moment, and nothing to show he even viewed her as a friend, let alone someone he trusted enough to act like this, and the book is full of such moments. It's also, though this happens early on in the book, completely OOC for Jonas. And this happens a lot. Character displaying emotions or acting as if another character means so much/so little to them when there has been absolutely nothing to indicate that they felt like this beforehand or even thought it!
Characters also only exist to fulfill a role, or to make things difficult for Llew and Jonas to get together. The latter is particularly frustrating as it feels like the romance takes precedence over plot. But what has me gritting my teeth is when an author tries to justify their existence by claiming they have a significant relationship with one of the romancing characters...and it doesn't make any sense. Aris, in this case. He's Jonas' commanding officer, no he's like a father figure, no Jonas trusts him like a comrade, no now's he's just being an asshole for no reason other than to make it harder for Llew and Jonas to get together...
On the topic of characters existing to fulfill a role...Jonas is the romance, Alvaro is the competition, Cassidy is the typical wise cracking friend who breaks the tension (you get a cookie if you guess what his ending is), Anya is just there for when Llew eventually wears a dress, Aris is the 'I stand in the way of your love!' character, Emylia is just...there. Aside from Llew, no one exists because they feel like they should be in the story and they there were already there when I opened the book. They were created to push forward the plot, not because they belong in the story.
There are somethings which also don't really make sense. Like who the hell was Emylia? She just kind of exists even though she's in over half the book. How were they attacked at sea? I know we said magic crystals, but guys that's not really an explanation. The warrior guys (Zaki?) in the forest? Who come and go...just because? Also, the scene with Braph and Llew at the end? Which I won't spoil, and while Howell handled it well, it also doesn't make a lick of sense as to WHY it happened. Or what the purpose of it was other than being used for shock. Also the timeline for the big reveal at the end also doesn't make a lot of sense as it would only have been, what, a week??? Maybe two??
All in all, the book isn't awful, not by a long shot. But it's also not great either. Everyone is different and I know these issues may not seem significant to some people, but they near ruined the book for me. If you enjoyed it, I'm glad you did! But I won't be picking up the second in this series.
zoes_human's review against another edition
It's just too damn rapey.
I DNF'd approximately 30 pages in at which point the protagonist had had her bare boobs oogled by cops, dealt with a "friend" who wanted her to exchange sex for shelter, and almost been raped twice. The icing on the rape-cake being that the story implies her age to be around 14.
I DNF'd approximately 30 pages in at which point the protagonist had had her bare boobs oogled by cops, dealt with a "friend" who wanted her to exchange sex for shelter, and almost been raped twice. The icing on the rape-cake being that the story implies her age to be around 14.
sumayyah_t's review
4.0
Llew is street urchin, skilled in petty theft...and healing. A powerful, ancient magic lives in her skin and, thanks to a certain friend's betrayal, is the cause for a tug of war between two nations. An adventure story with romance and tragedy, "Healer's Touch" will leave you wanting more, especially thanks to its cliffhanger ending.
ravencrantz's review against another edition
3.0
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
This was supposed to be Steampunk? Really? How? Where's the Steampunk aspect? I mean, there was that thingy Braph had on his arm and all the crazy inventions he did, but how does that one little piece translate into the whole book being Steampunk? I just don't see it.
What do I say about this book? I enjoyed it, but it had flaws. It went by pretty fast, but I kept getting stuck at points and needed to take a break. I mean, most of this was travelling. There were plot points through out all that travelling, but sometimes you just need something other than "and then we traveled down another road..." There were many punctuation and continuity errors, so I do hope that the editor will look closer on the next book.
Llew was an interesting enough character. I love the concept of her power. It falls in the equivalent exchange, where in order to get something, you must put in something of equal value to balance it out. In order for Llew to heal, she must take life and energy from something or someone else. I love that concept. I love the turmoil it causes her when she wakes up and sees the destruction around her. I love that she masquerades as a boy to protect herself from being raped, but is that really helpful when people still realize HEY YOU HAVE BOOBIES LEMME JUST RIP YOUR CLOTHES OFF?
At least she fights them off. Usually.
My favorite descriptor of Llew is when she found out she has super speed like The Flash.
"She kept running into trees."
OUR HEROINE, EVERYONE
Okay, I'm not being fair. She just found out she has super speed and doesn't know how to control it. I'm sorry, but I just found that line hilarious.
There was one scene in particular that sticks out. It's when Llew and Jonas finally have their sexy time. It starts in the garden at the ball, then they realize they want more privacy, so head back to Llew's room. Then she ends up pressing Jonas into flowerbeds. Are there flowerbeds in Llew's room? Did they somehow magically transport back to the garden? What's going on here?
There was another line, where Llew stole Jonas' knife (again) and he came looking for it.
"She had been preparing for this, but she still wasn't prepared."
Something seems...off about this sentence. What if I went up to a professor and said "Oh, I was preparing for this test, but I'm still not prepared." Imagine the look I would get. How can you prepare for something and still not be prepared? I feel like saying that she had been preparing already implies that she should be ready. I don't know, really. It just sounds weird to me.
Then there was the little exchange between Llew and Jonas where I had a little Avatar moment. You know how there was that scene with Zuko and Mai where Zuko says "I don't hate you" and Mai responds with "I don't hate you, too"? Yeah, that pretty much happened here. I'm for serious.
I laughed when Zuko and Mai did it, and I laughed when Llew and Jonas did it. I know it's supposed to be all cute and a roundabout way to say "I love you," but it just sounds so hilarious.
Finally, the last third or so of the book, the word "niggling" kept popping up. I'd never heard that word before, and then suddenly I saw it maybe five times? Maybe a bit of overkill with a new word.
The second book isn't high up on my to-read list. In fact, according to Goodreads, it's not there at all. There are many questions left unanswered that I hope and assume will be answered in the next book, but I won't be going out of my way to get my hands on it. This was an enjoyable book, with flaws and all, but it ended pretty well. If I get my hands on the next book, I'll read it. I do recommend this book to people who enjoy adventures and love triangles and magic and turmoil.
This was supposed to be Steampunk? Really? How? Where's the Steampunk aspect? I mean, there was that thingy Braph had on his arm and all the crazy inventions he did, but how does that one little piece translate into the whole book being Steampunk? I just don't see it.
What do I say about this book? I enjoyed it, but it had flaws. It went by pretty fast, but I kept getting stuck at points and needed to take a break. I mean, most of this was travelling. There were plot points through out all that travelling, but sometimes you just need something other than "and then we traveled down another road..." There were many punctuation and continuity errors, so I do hope that the editor will look closer on the next book.
Llew was an interesting enough character. I love the concept of her power. It falls in the equivalent exchange, where in order to get something, you must put in something of equal value to balance it out. In order for Llew to heal, she must take life and energy from something or someone else. I love that concept. I love the turmoil it causes her when she wakes up and sees the destruction around her. I love that she masquerades as a boy to protect herself from being raped, but is that really helpful when people still realize HEY YOU HAVE BOOBIES LEMME JUST RIP YOUR CLOTHES OFF?
At least she fights them off. Usually.
Spoiler
Do we really know that she's preggers with Jonas' baby? I mean, she gained her super speed and strength after Braph raped her. How do we know the baby isn't his? Maybe it has something to do with their race, but really that's never explained.My favorite descriptor of Llew is when she found out she has super speed like The Flash.
"She kept running into trees."
OUR HEROINE, EVERYONE
Okay, I'm not being fair. She just found out she has super speed and doesn't know how to control it. I'm sorry, but I just found that line hilarious.
There was one scene in particular that sticks out. It's when Llew and Jonas finally have their sexy time. It starts in the garden at the ball, then they realize they want more privacy, so head back to Llew's room. Then she ends up pressing Jonas into flowerbeds. Are there flowerbeds in Llew's room? Did they somehow magically transport back to the garden? What's going on here?
There was another line, where Llew stole Jonas' knife (again) and he came looking for it.
"She had been preparing for this, but she still wasn't prepared."
Something seems...off about this sentence. What if I went up to a professor and said "Oh, I was preparing for this test, but I'm still not prepared." Imagine the look I would get. How can you prepare for something and still not be prepared? I feel like saying that she had been preparing already implies that she should be ready. I don't know, really. It just sounds weird to me.
Then there was the little exchange between Llew and Jonas where I had a little Avatar moment. You know how there was that scene with Zuko and Mai where Zuko says "I don't hate you" and Mai responds with "I don't hate you, too"? Yeah, that pretty much happened here. I'm for serious.
I laughed when Zuko and Mai did it, and I laughed when Llew and Jonas did it. I know it's supposed to be all cute and a roundabout way to say "I love you," but it just sounds so hilarious.
Finally, the last third or so of the book, the word "niggling" kept popping up. I'd never heard that word before, and then suddenly I saw it maybe five times? Maybe a bit of overkill with a new word.
The second book isn't high up on my to-read list. In fact, according to Goodreads, it's not there at all. There are many questions left unanswered that I hope and assume will be answered in the next book, but I won't be going out of my way to get my hands on it. This was an enjoyable book, with flaws and all, but it ended pretty well. If I get my hands on the next book, I'll read it. I do recommend this book to people who enjoy adventures and love triangles and magic and turmoil.
lian14043's review against another edition
5.0
I spent many hours with LLew and her band of travelers. I really loved this amazing story. I would put it down only to pick it back up again to see what happens next. I loved the way that the author painted a picture so that you could "live" in the story. I felt like I was traveling right alongside LLew. Llew herself is an amazing strong character who is beautifully written. This is probably one of my favorite books. I can't wait to see if there's a sequel because I want to see where the story goes next! Reviewed by Lee of Fae books.
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