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Healer #1
Touch of Power
Laying hands upon the injured and dying, Avry of Kazan assumes their wounds and diseases into herself. But rather than being honoured for her skills, she is hunted. Healers like Avry are accused of spreading the plague that has decimated the Territories, leaving the survivors in a state of chaos.
Stressed and tired from hiding, Avry is abducted by a band of rogues who, shockingly, value her gift above the golden bounty offered for her capture. Their leader an enigmatic captor-protector with powers of his own is unequivocal in his demands: Avry must heal a plague-stricken prince, the leader of a campaign against her people.
As they traverse the daunting Nine Mountains, beset by mercenaries and magical dangers, Avry must decide who is worth healing and what is worth dying for.
Stressed and tired from hiding, Avry is abducted by a band of rogues who, shockingly, value her gift above the golden bounty offered for her capture. Their leader an enigmatic captor-protector with powers of his own is unequivocal in his demands: Avry must heal a plague-stricken prince, the leader of a campaign against her people.
As they traverse the daunting Nine Mountains, beset by mercenaries and magical dangers, Avry must decide who is worth healing and what is worth dying for.
390 pages, Paperback
First published December 11, 2011
About the author
Maria V. Snyder
72 books17.3k followersWhen Maria V. Snyder was younger, she aspired to be a storm chaser in the American Midwest so she attended Pennsylvania State University and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Meteorology. Much to her chagrin, forecasting the weather wasn’t in her skill set so she spent a number of years as an environmental meteorologist, which is not exciting...at all. Bored at work and needing a creative outlet, she started writing fantasy and science fiction stories. Over twenty novels and numerous short stories later, Maria’s learned a thing or three about writing. She’s been on the New York Times bestseller list, won a dozen awards, and has earned her Masters of Arts degree in Writing from Seton Hill University, where she is now a faculty member. Her favorite color is red. She loves dogs, but is allergic, instead she has a big black tom cat named…Kitty (apparently naming cats isn’t in her skill set either). Maria also has a husband and two children who are an inspiration for her writing when they aren't being a distraction. Note: She mentions her cat before her family.
When she's not writing she's either playing volleyball, traveling, or taking pictures. Being a writer, though is a ton of fun. Where else can you take fencing lessons, learn how to ride a horse, study marital arts, learn how to pick a lock, take glass blowing classes and attend Astronomy Camp and call it research? Maria will be the first one to tell you it's not working as a meteorologist.
Readers are welcome to check out her website for book excerpts, free short stories, maps, blog, and her schedule at http://www.MariaVSnyder.com.
When she's not writing she's either playing volleyball, traveling, or taking pictures. Being a writer, though is a ton of fun. Where else can you take fencing lessons, learn how to ride a horse, study marital arts, learn how to pick a lock, take glass blowing classes and attend Astronomy Camp and call it research? Maria will be the first one to tell you it's not working as a meteorologist.
Readers are welcome to check out her website for book excerpts, free short stories, maps, blog, and her schedule at http://www.MariaVSnyder.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,508 reviews
January 27, 2016
Just go read this book.
THIS is how a novel should be done. I'll be talking more about it in my January wrap up video because IT WAS JUST SO FANTASTIC!!!!
THIS is how a novel should be done. I'll be talking more about it in my January wrap up video because IT WAS JUST SO FANTASTIC!!!!
October 29, 2012
LOL - Every little star counts! Such shamelessness ;>
Okay - so how weird is this?? I have the audio copy of TOP and it's read by Gabra Zackman, who did a fantastic job on my Study books. So I wanted to listen to a couple chapters of TOP to see how Gabra did the voices and pronounced the character names...
I'm on Chapter 11! I've gotten sucked into my own book - how weird is that? I'll blame Gabra. She brings the story to life - it's a different experience from reading the book as she's acting it out with the various voices and the sarcasm and I've actually laughed out loud - so strange and fun. She reads Quain with a Scottish accent - not quite what I'd imagined...but I've grown used to it and now I can't hear him any other way :) Flea is perfect, and Kerrick's a bit...off, but I'm not sure how he's supposed to sound. Mom is also perfect and Belen sounds just like Poppa Bear.
I'm going to try and make sure Gabra reads all my books from now on! A good reader makes all the difference.
I finished a few days ago - I really loved Tohon's voice his was so silky and dangerous. And now I have all their voices in my head as I write TASTE OF DEATH - book 3!
Okay - so how weird is this?? I have the audio copy of TOP and it's read by Gabra Zackman, who did a fantastic job on my Study books. So I wanted to listen to a couple chapters of TOP to see how Gabra did the voices and pronounced the character names...
I'm on Chapter 11! I've gotten sucked into my own book - how weird is that? I'll blame Gabra. She brings the story to life - it's a different experience from reading the book as she's acting it out with the various voices and the sarcasm and I've actually laughed out loud - so strange and fun. She reads Quain with a Scottish accent - not quite what I'd imagined...but I've grown used to it and now I can't hear him any other way :) Flea is perfect, and Kerrick's a bit...off, but I'm not sure how he's supposed to sound. Mom is also perfect and Belen sounds just like Poppa Bear.
I'm going to try and make sure Gabra reads all my books from now on! A good reader makes all the difference.
I finished a few days ago - I really loved Tohon's voice his was so silky and dangerous. And now I have all their voices in my head as I write TASTE OF DEATH - book 3!
December 4, 2013
On the surface, there is nothing wrong with Touch of Power. Avry, a 20-year old magic healer in a world where healers are persecuted and blamed for spreading deadly plague, is a nice character. She is kind, courageous, smart, strong, self-sacrificing, caring, self-sufficient, moral, a quick learner, a good friend (you see where I am going with it?) Avry's adventure is fast-paced, something exciting is constantly happening. There is no instalove. The magical system with 11 kinds of powers (one of which is the healing power) is fairly interesting. The theme of uniting a plague-torn country is... good.
The problem is, there is nothing below the surface of this story. There is no depth to it. The characters are simple and flat, their emotions and personalities are superficial, juvenile even. Avry is condemned to death in the first chapter, for being a healer, and her only response to the death sentence is to shrug her shoulders and go to sleep. Her calling is to heal people by taking in their pain and illnesses, and never once does she feel resentful towards this ability, she always welcomes other people's bruises, cuts, whip lashes, infections, fevers. Does she enjoy pain? (No, this is not that sort of book, maybe unfortunately.) There is hardly a moment of contemplation or any complex feeling in this story. Why bother with sappy stuff I guess if there is a new adventure or a game of hide and seek or a knife-throwing practice just around the corner?
The world-building is equally thin. It is hard to fully grasp it, especially if you pay attention to the language that is used to describe it. After finishing Touch of Power I have this vague image of a medieval land of 15 Realms, with mages, castles, princes, wooden carts and swords, but then once in a while the author would drop in a "syringe," "toxins," "virus" or "president".
Then there is the familiar dilemma - is this YA/is this adult fic? Avry and her love interest are in their twenties; conflicts, violence and sex are of YA variety; and the writing style is so simple and void of nuance it would better fit a children's book.
But what bothers me the most about this novel is the whole concept of healing. Avry can transfer aches and illnesses from sick people into herself. Then she experiences it and heals, faster than a normal person would. However, a lethal disease will kill her, just like any other person. My question is, if Avry can only take away treatable illnesses, why not allow the patients heal on their own? Are her sacrifices truly necessary?
It is probably time for me to abandon all hopes of ever reading something written by the author that is as good as Poison Study. I sometimes even think that maybe that book isn't nearly as great as I remember it.
I would only recommend Touch of Power to Maria V. Snyder's most dedicated fans and those readers who like books where stuff happens on every page, but who do not expect to grow fond of the characters, swoon at romances or be enchanted by new fantasy worlds and mythologies. Everyone else, try Finnikin of the Rock instead.
The problem is, there is nothing below the surface of this story. There is no depth to it. The characters are simple and flat, their emotions and personalities are superficial, juvenile even. Avry is condemned to death in the first chapter, for being a healer, and her only response to the death sentence is to shrug her shoulders and go to sleep. Her calling is to heal people by taking in their pain and illnesses, and never once does she feel resentful towards this ability, she always welcomes other people's bruises, cuts, whip lashes, infections, fevers. Does she enjoy pain? (No, this is not that sort of book, maybe unfortunately.) There is hardly a moment of contemplation or any complex feeling in this story. Why bother with sappy stuff I guess if there is a new adventure or a game of hide and seek or a knife-throwing practice just around the corner?
The world-building is equally thin. It is hard to fully grasp it, especially if you pay attention to the language that is used to describe it. After finishing Touch of Power I have this vague image of a medieval land of 15 Realms, with mages, castles, princes, wooden carts and swords, but then once in a while the author would drop in a "syringe," "toxins," "virus" or "president".
Then there is the familiar dilemma - is this YA/is this adult fic? Avry and her love interest are in their twenties; conflicts, violence and sex are of YA variety; and the writing style is so simple and void of nuance it would better fit a children's book.
But what bothers me the most about this novel is the whole concept of healing. Avry can transfer aches and illnesses from sick people into herself. Then she experiences it and heals, faster than a normal person would. However, a lethal disease will kill her, just like any other person. My question is, if Avry can only take away treatable illnesses, why not allow the patients heal on their own? Are her sacrifices truly necessary?
It is probably time for me to abandon all hopes of ever reading something written by the author that is as good as Poison Study. I sometimes even think that maybe that book isn't nearly as great as I remember it.
I would only recommend Touch of Power to Maria V. Snyder's most dedicated fans and those readers who like books where stuff happens on every page, but who do not expect to grow fond of the characters, swoon at romances or be enchanted by new fantasy worlds and mythologies. Everyone else, try Finnikin of the Rock instead.
November 24, 2016
It's Maria V. Snyder people. She can do no wrong.
Unfortunately, that is a question many people had to ask themselves in the Fifteen Realms. A plague killed millions of poor souls, and the healers were the ones to blame, despised and on the run, hunted down and executed. The survivors were in no better condition than the dead, kingdoms and governments collapsed and among the ruins rose those who craved power. Avry of Kazan was the last healer alive who was rescued by a strange team with one goal; heal the prince you loathe or else the king who commands the armies of the walking dead will prevail. While traveling in the woods and snowy mountains, fighting mercenaries and carnivorous plants and infiltrating enemy camps, Avry found an unexpected family and a place in the world, and she was the one to determine the fate of this world, even if it meant giving up her own life.
Since Poison Study is one of my favorite books, I already knew that Maria V.Snyder is an extremely talented author. But yet in Touch of Power she didn't fail to amaze me. Her magic system and the world-building are solid and presented in a way you feel like a part of this world. Her writing is rich, with the right amount of detail without tiring the reader, and she handles masterly the element of surprise and the plot twists. I loved her secondary characters, Belen the protective Poppa Bear, Loren and Quain the funny and loyal "monkeys" and Flea the former street rat. Avry is a very kind heroine, she knows some of her decisions are risky or foolish but she can't stop herself from helping people. She bears the weight of the world in her shoulders and she has to put aside her personal judgements in order to undestand the dire situations and make up her mind. And of course, there is Kerrick.
Not the typical gallant prince, Kerrick is actually rude and a cold-hearted bastard. His only goal is to save Ryne, their only chance at succeeding against ruthless Tohon and his devious schemes (God I hate that man!) using any means necessary. There was no insta-love with Avry, mostly sarcasm, fights and banters. Yet he came to trust her, to count on her and eventually to put aside his logic whenever she was concerned. And despite his harsh manners, I fell deeply in love with him. Obviously.
If you don't want great characters and great romance and great plot and general greatness , then don't read the Healer series. But if you do, there is a brand new world full of wonders waiting for you!
P.S. Whenever I listen to this song I think of Kerrick!
“I can't decide what's worse. Losing family members or not having a family member to lose.”
Unfortunately, that is a question many people had to ask themselves in the Fifteen Realms. A plague killed millions of poor souls, and the healers were the ones to blame, despised and on the run, hunted down and executed. The survivors were in no better condition than the dead, kingdoms and governments collapsed and among the ruins rose those who craved power. Avry of Kazan was the last healer alive who was rescued by a strange team with one goal; heal the prince you loathe or else the king who commands the armies of the walking dead will prevail. While traveling in the woods and snowy mountains, fighting mercenaries and carnivorous plants and infiltrating enemy camps, Avry found an unexpected family and a place in the world, and she was the one to determine the fate of this world, even if it meant giving up her own life.
Magician, heal thyself.
Since Poison Study is one of my favorite books, I already knew that Maria V.Snyder is an extremely talented author. But yet in Touch of Power she didn't fail to amaze me. Her magic system and the world-building are solid and presented in a way you feel like a part of this world. Her writing is rich, with the right amount of detail without tiring the reader, and she handles masterly the element of surprise and the plot twists. I loved her secondary characters, Belen the protective Poppa Bear, Loren and Quain the funny and loyal "monkeys" and Flea the former street rat. Avry is a very kind heroine, she knows some of her decisions are risky or foolish but she can't stop herself from helping people. She bears the weight of the world in her shoulders and she has to put aside her personal judgements in order to undestand the dire situations and make up her mind. And of course, there is Kerrick.
“Good to know I made a lasting impression.”
“Oh, you made an impression. Like a stone caught in my boot.”
Not the typical gallant prince, Kerrick is actually rude and a cold-hearted bastard. His only goal is to save Ryne, their only chance at succeeding against ruthless Tohon and his devious schemes (God I hate that man!) using any means necessary. There was no insta-love with Avry, mostly sarcasm, fights and banters. Yet he came to trust her, to count on her and eventually to put aside his logic whenever she was concerned. And despite his harsh manners, I fell deeply in love with him. Obviously.
If you don't want great characters and great romance and great plot and general greatness , then don't read the Healer series. But if you do, there is a brand new world full of wonders waiting for you!
P.S. Whenever I listen to this song I think of Kerrick!
March 17, 2014
“We’re really surprised you weren’t caught by the locals sooner,” Quain said.
“We had a list of healers,” Loren said. “But by the time we learned of their location, they’d been executed. We always heard the same gossip. That they had been caught by doing something stupid.”
“Like healing a child,” I said. My obvious weakness.
That awkward moment when you love a book despite hating almost everything in it...
Book chemistry. It is very, very real, and this book is living proof that it exists. There are so many elements of "Things Khanh Totally Fucking Hates" within this book. There is a too-stupid-to-live main character, there is deus ex fucking machina up the yin-yang, there is a motherfucking asshat of a love interest, there is an attempt at a love triangle, there is almost no relationship building (if you thought Valek and Yelena in Poison Study was out of nowhere, wait til you read this book), there is a plot that literally takes you across the entire fucking world with me scratching my head wondering...what the actual fuck is going on.
But I can't lie. I enjoyed this book, and I had a lot of fun with it. I don't even know why, I just do. I'm only human, and my brain can't help overlooking basic common sense sometimes.
The Summary: Avry of Kazan is on the run for her life.
Three years on the run. Three years of hiding. Three terrible years full of fear and loneliness. For what? My life? Yes, I live and breathe and exist. Nothing else.She is a wanted woman. There is a bounty of gold on her head. People want her dead. Why? She is a healer. All healers are to be captured and killed for their crimes.
Five years ago, a plague spread across the land, devastating the Fifteen Realms. People died in droves. So many died that it cast the realms into chaos. Governments were destroyed. Bands of mercenaries and dictators sprung up in their place. There is litle law and no order in the land. For all this, healers were blamed. Why? Because of one false belief.
[The people] considered those times a war. A war that had been started by healers, who then spread the deadly disease, and refused to heal it.All the healers, roughly 100 of them, were graduanlly hunted down, killed. Few remain. Among them, Avry, who has been running and hiding for years. Until, thanks to a soft heart, she healed a sick child---and is caught.
Avry is sentenced to death. She is resigned to die...until a man comes to rescue her. Kerrick has been searching for her---a healer---for years. His rescue comes at a price. Kerrick needs something from her.
"You’re worth more alive than dead.” He paused, knowing he had said the wrong thing. “I meant, I need you to heal someone for me. Once he’s better, you can go back into hiding or do whatever you’d like.”There's just a problem, she can't, and won't heal the person Kerrick wants her to heal, for reasons of her own.
I raised my voice. “Let me make this perfectly clear. I will not heal Prince Ryne. Nothing you do or say will change my mind.”Kerrick and his men won't let Avry go that easily. Avry has been on the run, and she hasn't stayed in one place long enough to realize what's happened. She may not like Prince Ryne, but the alternatives to his rule are far worse. Among the aspiring rules who want to take over the Fifteen Kingdom are an cult-like, fanatical queen.
The High Priestess, also known as Estrid of Ozero was intolerant of other faiths, and required her subjects to be members of her cultlike religion.Even worse than her is an insane, seductive king. Not only is Tohon a despotic dictator.
"Tohon is not trying to help the plague survivors. He’s gathering them into an army so he can invade all those towns that have managed to reform. Towns like Jaxton. All so his army can grow. And if his forces encounter anyone who refuses to join, they kill him or her. Tohon is…mentally unstable, and for him to be king of all...would be a living nightmare."The magic he wields is terrifying dangerous.
Pressing my hand on freezing cold flesh, I summoned my power. Nothing happened. No magic swelled in my chest. Kerrick’s comment echoed in my mind. I don’t feel them.As much as she hates Ryne, Avry may not have a choice but to help him. Avry and Kerrick are in for a long, dangerous journey. One way or another, Avry is sure to meet her death, because what Kerrick wants her to do will kill her.
Horrified, I met the gaze of one of my captors. Death stared back.
The Setting:
1. The Plague: The only thing that works really well about the setting is the plague and the healing magic.
The first stage resembled a stomach bug, and once the person’s stomach and bowels were empty, the symptoms transformed into all-over aches, pains and a high fever, which was stage two. The final stage involved convulsions, delusions and large white blisters on the skin that itched at first, then burned. Many of the victims screamed nonstop in pain during the third stage. They reacted as if they were burning alive.I love plagues. I have a soft spot for horrifying illnesses with a high mortality rate. I'm a really, really strange person, therefore, I absolutely loved the way this book described the plague and how it killed.
I love the way that the magical healing system worked in this book. Healers are magicians, there are 11 other classes of magic within the Fifteen Realms, and Healers work their magic by absorbing the sick person's illness and taking it into themselves. It works for diseases, sicknesses, as well as injuries.
I sent my magic into Belen’s wounds, flooding them.Healers do not die because they heal quickly from the injuries and illnesses they absorb into themselves. There is one notable exception to this rule: the plague.
Pain stabbed deep into my stomach, blood ran down, soaking my waistband. I made it to the small fire before I collapsed. My muscles felt as if they’d been shredded and I couldn’t breathe. The pain increased as acid leaked from my pierced stomach and burned my flesh.
2. The Fifteen Realms: It doesn't work for me. It is a generic fantasy setting that has elements that feel oddly out of place. The dialogue feels too modern, it wouldn't be out of place in today's setting, and there are things in the book that feel they don't belong. Like hair dye.
“The reddish brown sets off your beautiful sea-green eyes better,” Mom said. “But if you choose blond, I’ll give you the dye so you can do your roots.”And champagne.
“A slight chance? Let’s break out the champagne.”Avry: She is similar to Yelena in her character development, only considerably less sympathetic. For one, she is too soft-hearted, and that makes her often too stupid to live. Avry is a kind woman, it cannot be denied. The only thing is that softness almost killed her.
Avry loves children. She hates seeing children sick. She is a healer on the run, she cannot afford to expose herself, but time after time she risks her own life to heal a sick child, knowing that it will expose her and she will have to run away yet again. It is a fault many of her fellow healers took. Avry was rescued from certain death---the other healers weren't so fortunate.
“Heading generally northwest, and stopping only in the bigger settlements. You’d last about...six, maybe eight weeks before healing a child and taking off.” Loren settled on his bedroll next to the fire.Kerrick and his men located her because her pattern of stopping and healing a child was so obvious. Not the brightest move if you wanted to survive.
When I thought about it, he was right. A zing of fear traveled up my spine. If I survived this mission, I would have to be extra-vigilant.
She repeatedly puts herself in danger. She runs away into the forest, not knowing what lurks there. She risks her life and that of her companions for foolish, grandiose missions, like a side trip to save a girl.
Heroic, yes. Noble, yes. Smart? No.
Avry makes ridiculous, improbable plans that fail...
His touch zipped right through me, igniting every single nerve ending. My body responded. Desire flared. I leaned against him and kissed him back.Yet she somehow always succeeds in her mission, however unlikely, however stupid the tools.
So much for my plan.
“How could I do anything, Tohon? All I have left are these.” I reached into my pocket slowly and withdrew my stones.I did like her character development, Avry went from a woman without a purpose, who doesn't really care whether or not she dies.
“What are they?” Sepp asked.
“Juggling stones. See?”
“Do you want to be executed?”To a person who finds meaning in life, who feels that she has something to contribute, who has power that only she can wield.
“Some things are worse than death,” I said.
“Belen, I decide who I heal. Me. Not Kerrick. Not you. Not anyone. It’s my decision. The only one I have left.”The Romance:
With a strangled cry, Kerrick lost his temper. Belen lunged toward Kerrick and I raised an arm to block Kerrick’s strike, but we were both too slow. Kerrick backhanded me across my cheek. The force of the blow sent me to the ground.No. No. No! Motherfucking douchebag!
Maria V. Snyder wrote another series, Poison Study. That series features one of my three book boyfriends, Valek. Kerrick doesn't hold a candle to Valek. Kerrick is not worthy of breathing in the same air.
Kerrick is a jerk. The romance, or should I say, bromance, in this book isn't between Avry and Kerrick, it's between Kerrick and Prince Ryne. As far as Kerrick is concerned, the sun rises and sets on Prince Ryne.
“Because Ryne is a brilliant strategist, and has outsmarted Tohon before.”Ryne is more important than anyone, more than the fate of his best friend, more than the fates of a girl.
“In case you haven’t been paying attention, if Ryne is more important to me than Belen’s life, then he’s certainly a higher priority than some girl.”Save the Realm? Kerrick has absolute faith in Ryne.
An impossible task.”Throughout the book, Avry finds herself thinking of Ryne, dreaming of him, smelling his "springtime sunshine" scent. I don't buy it for a moment, because there is zero relationship development between Kerrick and Avry.
“Ryne will find a way.”
“You can’t know that for certain.”
“I can.” His gaze burned into mine. “I wouldn’t have spent two years searching for you if I didn’t have utter faith in him.”
Kerrick is a jerk, an abusive jerk.
“No one else has backhanded me, starved me, manacled me to a tree and let me freeze each night. Therefore, I don’t have anyone else to compare you to.”He is arrogant, he is unwavering, he is high-handed. I don't like him one bit, and I can't understand why Avry does.
What can I say? I loved this book anyway. Damned book chemistry.
May 11, 2023
So funny that I had to re-read my own book for my book club. :D I'm glad my friends wanted to read my book and it was interesting to read it after so many years (it was published in 2012). I caught a few mistakes and would have written a few things differently, but overall I was quite engaged with the characters and am thinking of re-reading the next two in the series. Past Maria knows how to tell a story, which is a great sign for present and future Maria. The re-read was an unexpected motivation to keep writing! I'm sure my readers will be happy to hear that!
September 11, 2013
I avoided reading this book for a long time. I’d loved Poison Study but the word on the street was that the rest of the Study series wasn’t great and that Poison Study had been beginners luck. But I was kind of blown away by how much I loved Touch of Power. I simply couldn’t put it down and that flabbergasted me.
This is one of those walking fantasy books where the characters spend a LOOOOOOONNNNGGGG TIIIIIIIIiiiimmmmeee goooooooooiiiiiinnnng plaaaaaaaaceeeees. However, there’s also heaps of action, world-building and just a bit of naughty-no-no shenanigans, so keep that in mind too. In fact, it was the perfect blend of walking, kick something’s ass, flirt and walk again to keep me glued to the page like some kind of junkee holding out for their next hit.
We’re in this recently plague-ridden world that’s trying to pull itself back together and multiple kingdoms are struggling to reclaim power after many of the old ones have collapsed and fallen. Avry’s trying to live in this world but the problem is that she’s this badass healer and everyone is trying to kill her. Enter Kerrick.
He kidnaps her against her will to heal his prince and thus begins our merry adventure. Let’s start with the fact that Avry kicks butt, I love her and I hope that one day I can find a girl just like her to marry and spend the rest of my life with. Kerrick, on the otherhand, can die a fiery death in the Pit of Despair for all I care. Avry was too good for you! Okay, so he eventually became bearable and I eventually stopped plotting his demise. The point is, when you hold all tickets for the Annoying Douche Train then you need to seriously consider riding it all the way to Getthefuckoutsville, dude.
But, luckily, there is this cast of characters that I just loved with the passion of a thousand One Direction fans who’ve just read a Harry/That scrawny one fanfic. Belen and Flea particularly were adorable whilst Loren and Quain tended to blend into each other. It was also the bad guy, Tohan, that kind of helped make this book. He was so psychotic – swinging like a pendulum between titillatingly evil and just plain terrifying.
The writing was certainly fantastic with rich and vivid descriptions of the countryside and people. It was very well paced, never boring or painful to read. The world building was interesting even if there were a couple of strange oddities to construction of Avry’s abilities and the over all way it ties into the story.
But in the end, I was left bereft when this finished. Desirous of the sequel like a widow who just lost her lover. In the end, isn’t that what matters most? Otherwise what are we all here for?
This review, and others like it, can be found on my blog,
October 3, 2023
✅ Magic/powers
✅ Abduction/Captive
✅ Romance / Hate-to-love
✅ Action
✅ Banter / Funny moments
✅ Plot
✅🆗 Characters
🆗 World-building
I had already read the Study series by Maria V. Snyder and I liked it very much. I was not disappointed by Touch of Power.
The storyline may be a little similar to Poison Study: a young woman at the mercy of a fierce warrior/assassin who's loyal to a fault to a prince/commander. The world-building also has some similarities: some people have magic, others don't, Avry and Yelena are both the only ones known to have their special skill set and at some point, they need to hide their power in order to survive. At first, I was a little afraid that it would turn out to be a Poison study remixed, with new characters and few differences, but it is a very good story and the plot is not the same even though there are similarities in the characters and world-building. There are some funny moments too between Avry and Kerrick's group, and I really enjoyed their banter.
The characters are nice, I like the way the author can get us really attached not only to the main character but also to the secondary ones. Belen's protective side is particularly lovely, I really hope to see him more in the next book. Avry is a nice, kind, and resilient woman. She bears the weight of the world on her shoulders, knowing that she is the last surviving healer and that the peace of the 15 realms may depend on her, according to Kerrick (aka the guy who kidnaped her). She has to make hard decisions, but she is not afraid to take action and to sacrifice herself if it's for the greater good.
The downside is that there are some moments when Avry really is stupid; stupid choices, stupid reasoning, or being completely clueless about what is happening around her... But I still like her. Then there is Kerrick, not the typical prince in shining armor. He is ruthless, not to say rude and cold-hearted, but he still managed to grow on me, and by the end of the book I really liked him too.
Obviously, there is romance, but as in Poison study, it is slow and somewhat realistic. It starts with fights, sarcasm, banter, and I would even say hate, and slowly evolves. No instantaneous romance or silly lovebirds being stupid because they are sooooo in love. I would even say the romance almost comes out of nowhere. They literally go from hate to love, but with little interactions. I would have liked to have a better insight into their feelings, and how they changed (besides Avry wondering why she suddenly misses Kerrick and worries about him), but I still prefer this to a cheesy love at first sight romance.
You will not be bored with Touch of Power. From the very first chapter up to the very last, there is action: kidnapping, fights, hard travel, spying and running, with still a good amount of details. Things don't just come easy to Kerrick and his band, they have to fight, they get hurt, they make mistakes... They are not invincible. What I disliked (a little) is the part with the 15 realms and the three leaders fighting for power. It is a little generic, nothing new here and we have almost no information on the realms; we know their names, we know where they are on the map and we know the leaders of some of them. That's about it. This is an important part of the plot that will be present in the next book, but in Touch of Power I did not really care about the 15 realms. The big bad guy also seems shallow and just like every other generic bad guy. We'll see if it changes in the next book.
Still, it is a really good book even though there are some elements that I disliked, the overall product is worth it, and it is a quick read.
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✅ Abduction/Captive
✅ Romance / Hate-to-love
✅ Action
✅ Banter / Funny moments
✅ Plot
✅🆗 Characters
🆗 World-building
I had already read the Study series by Maria V. Snyder and I liked it very much. I was not disappointed by Touch of Power.
The storyline may be a little similar to Poison Study: a young woman at the mercy of a fierce warrior/assassin who's loyal to a fault to a prince/commander. The world-building also has some similarities: some people have magic, others don't, Avry and Yelena are both the only ones known to have their special skill set and at some point, they need to hide their power in order to survive. At first, I was a little afraid that it would turn out to be a Poison study remixed, with new characters and few differences, but it is a very good story and the plot is not the same even though there are similarities in the characters and world-building. There are some funny moments too between Avry and Kerrick's group, and I really enjoyed their banter.
“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.”
The characters are nice, I like the way the author can get us really attached not only to the main character but also to the secondary ones. Belen's protective side is particularly lovely, I really hope to see him more in the next book. Avry is a nice, kind, and resilient woman. She bears the weight of the world on her shoulders, knowing that she is the last surviving healer and that the peace of the 15 realms may depend on her, according to Kerrick (aka the guy who kidnaped her). She has to make hard decisions, but she is not afraid to take action and to sacrifice herself if it's for the greater good.
The downside is that there are some moments when Avry really is stupid; stupid choices, stupid reasoning, or being completely clueless about what is happening around her... But I still like her. Then there is Kerrick, not the typical prince in shining armor. He is ruthless, not to say rude and cold-hearted, but he still managed to grow on me, and by the end of the book I really liked him too.
Obviously, there is romance, but as in Poison study, it is slow and somewhat realistic. It starts with fights, sarcasm, banter, and I would even say hate, and slowly evolves. No instantaneous romance or silly lovebirds being stupid because they are sooooo in love. I would even say the romance almost comes out of nowhere. They literally go from hate to love, but with little interactions. I would have liked to have a better insight into their feelings, and how they changed (besides Avry wondering why she suddenly misses Kerrick and worries about him), but I still prefer this to a cheesy love at first sight romance.
You will not be bored with Touch of Power. From the very first chapter up to the very last, there is action: kidnapping, fights, hard travel, spying and running, with still a good amount of details. Things don't just come easy to Kerrick and his band, they have to fight, they get hurt, they make mistakes... They are not invincible. What I disliked (a little) is the part with the 15 realms and the three leaders fighting for power. It is a little generic, nothing new here and we have almost no information on the realms; we know their names, we know where they are on the map and we know the leaders of some of them. That's about it. This is an important part of the plot that will be present in the next book, but in Touch of Power I did not really care about the 15 realms. The big bad guy also seems shallow and just like every other generic bad guy. We'll see if it changes in the next book.
Still, it is a really good book even though there are some elements that I disliked, the overall product is worth it, and it is a quick read.
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August 28, 2021
Second re-read: 28.08.2021
I do enjoy this book. It is interesting, has awesome characters and the world of the Fifteen Realms is good. I like it. It's a good re-read.
Warning:
Re-read: 05.06.2018
I decided to re-read this book simply because I can't find anything new to read. Nothing interesting me anymore, and the sad part is that most of my re-reads are a complete bust. Luckily, this one actually wasn't so bad. The story is really interesting and the characters are great. The timeline is over months and I liked that; you get to know the characters, you get to feel and get to know the world, and you get action the whole way. The book is not focused on romance, but in healing, friendships, bravery and growth. I recommend everyone who liked high fantasy to read this series. Overall, I'm glad I did the re-read. The book has no slow spots, nor boring spots, things happen all the time, and it isn't incredibly predictable. I still like it.
The book centers around Avry of Kazan (20), who is a healer; she absorbs their wounds and diseases into herself by laying hands upon the injured and dying. Healers like Avry are accused of spreading the plague that has decimated the Territories, leaving the survivors in a state of chaos. So instead of being appreciated, she gets hunted. Avry gets abducted by a band of rogues; must heal a plague-stricken prince, the leader of a campaign against her people, however, though Avry could heal their friend of the plague, she wouldn't then be able to heal myself. Would he be worth her life to save? What they asked of her would be essentially trading one death—swift and certain—for another—slow, painful and just as certain.. The story centers around their traveling to the daunting Nine Mountain, where they meet all kinds of danger mercenaries to magical dangers.
Other characters:
↦ Kerrick of Alga (26), leader of a band of rogues. He is a forest mage. His magic is a gift from the living essence of the forest. The Realm of Alga was north of the Nine Mountains.
↦ Belen ‘Poppa Bear’ of Alga (30), Loren (maybe 35), Quain (close to Avry's age), Flea (16), part of the band of rogues. Kerrick and Belen uses swords, Loren, an arrow notched in his bow, Quain, a nasty curved dagger and Flea, a switchblade.
↦ Prince Ryne of Ivdel Realmm, the one who’s sick and Kerrick wants Avry to heal.
↦ King Tohon of Sogra (25-26?), a life magician and he wants to be king of all fifteen Realms. Magic-wise, Tohon’s probably the most powerful mage living.
↦ The High Priestess, also known as Estrid of Ozero was intolerant of other faiths, and required her subjects to be members of her cultlike religion. She, Tohon and Ryne is battling for the rule?
↦ Noelle of Kazan (14), Avry's sister, hateful little girl.
↦ Jael of Alga, she and Kerrick were betrothed and almost to the altar when a stronger suitor stole her heart. She has air magic; it obeys her. She can even take your breath. Her mother-in-law is the High Priestess Estrid of Ozero. Jael married her oldest son, Stanslov of Ozero. He was first in line for the throne, but he left her a widow.
↦ Inari (looked to be about 13), in a bad situation and trying to survive, is forced to be a servant for the High Priestess’s family to avoid being sent to a training camp.
↦ Sepp, a death magician.
Cellina of Lyady (25-26?)
↦ Danny (12 and 3-quarters) and Zila (8), (maybe) made healers by Tohon by experiments.
Quick basic facts:
Genre: - (Young Adult) High (?) Fantasy.
Series: - Series, Book One.
Love triangle? -
Cheating? -
HEA? -
Favorite character? - Kerrick of Alga.
Would I read more by this author/or of series? - Yes.
Would I recommend this book/series? - Yes.
Will I read this again in the future? - Who knows.
New Rating - 3/3.5 stars.
First read: 26.11.13
Rate: 3/4 stars.
I do enjoy this book. It is interesting, has awesome characters and the world of the Fifteen Realms is good. I like it. It's a good re-read.
Warning:
⋰⋱⋰⋱⋰⋱*Not such a bad re-read*⋰⋱⋰⋱⋰⋱
Re-read: 05.06.2018
I decided to re-read this book simply because I can't find anything new to read. Nothing interesting me anymore, and the sad part is that most of my re-reads are a complete bust. Luckily, this one actually wasn't so bad. The story is really interesting and the characters are great. The timeline is over months and I liked that; you get to know the characters, you get to feel and get to know the world, and you get action the whole way. The book is not focused on romance, but in healing, friendships, bravery and growth. I recommend everyone who liked high fantasy to read this series. Overall, I'm glad I did the re-read. The book has no slow spots, nor boring spots, things happen all the time, and it isn't incredibly predictable. I still like it.
“Oh, you made an impression. Like a stone caught in my boot.”
The book centers around Avry of Kazan (20), who is a healer; she absorbs their wounds and diseases into herself by laying hands upon the injured and dying. Healers like Avry are accused of spreading the plague that has decimated the Territories, leaving the survivors in a state of chaos. So instead of being appreciated, she gets hunted. Avry gets abducted by a band of rogues; must heal a plague-stricken prince, the leader of a campaign against her people, however, though Avry could heal their friend of the plague, she wouldn't then be able to heal myself. Would he be worth her life to save? What they asked of her would be essentially trading one death—swift and certain—for another—slow, painful and just as certain.. The story centers around their traveling to the daunting Nine Mountain, where they meet all kinds of danger mercenaries to magical dangers.
The horrors from the dark years of the plague were still fresh in the survivors’ minds. They considered those times a war. A war that had been started by healers, who then spread the deadly disease, and refused to heal it.
Of course it was utter nonsense. We couldn’t heal the plague. And we didn’t start it. But in the midst of the chaos, no one listened to reason. Someone had to be blamed. Right?
The girl’s screams pierced my heart. I couldn’t stand it any longer. Three years on the run. Three years of hiding. Three terrible years full of fear and loneliness. For what? My life? Yes, I live and breathe and exist. Nothing else.
Other characters:
↦ Kerrick of Alga (26), leader of a band of rogues. He is a forest mage. His magic is a gift from the living essence of the forest. The Realm of Alga was north of the Nine Mountains.
↦ Belen ‘Poppa Bear’ of Alga (30), Loren (maybe 35), Quain (close to Avry's age), Flea (16), part of the band of rogues. Kerrick and Belen uses swords, Loren, an arrow notched in his bow, Quain, a nasty curved dagger and Flea, a switchblade.
↦ Prince Ryne of Ivdel Realmm, the one who’s sick and Kerrick wants Avry to heal.
↦ King Tohon of Sogra (25-26?), a life magician and he wants to be king of all fifteen Realms. Magic-wise, Tohon’s probably the most powerful mage living.
↦ The High Priestess, also known as Estrid of Ozero was intolerant of other faiths, and required her subjects to be members of her cultlike religion. She, Tohon and Ryne is battling for the rule?
↦ Noelle of Kazan (14), Avry's sister, hateful little girl.
↦ Jael of Alga, she and Kerrick were betrothed and almost to the altar when a stronger suitor stole her heart. She has air magic; it obeys her. She can even take your breath. Her mother-in-law is the High Priestess Estrid of Ozero. Jael married her oldest son, Stanslov of Ozero. He was first in line for the throne, but he left her a widow.
↦ Inari (looked to be about 13), in a bad situation and trying to survive, is forced to be a servant for the High Priestess’s family to avoid being sent to a training camp.
↦ Sepp, a death magician.
Cellina of Lyady (25-26?)
↦ Danny (12 and 3-quarters) and Zila (8), (maybe) made healers by Tohon by experiments.
“The heart is a strange beast and not ruled by logic.”
Quick basic facts:
Genre: - (Young Adult) High (?) Fantasy.
Series: - Series, Book One.
Love triangle? -
Cheating? -
HEA? -
Favorite character? - Kerrick of Alga.
Would I read more by this author/or of series? - Yes.
Would I recommend this book/series? - Yes.
Will I read this again in the future? - Who knows.
New Rating - 3/3.5 stars.
First read: 26.11.13
Rate: 3/4 stars.
March 1, 2012
3.5 Stars
Avry is a healer in a harsh world where healers are hunted, because everyone believes they started a plague. In fact, most healers have already been killed, and Avry has been in hiding for two years trying to avoid being murdered. She is soon abducted by a group of rogues who are trying to convince her to heal a prince that she really doesn't like. Throw in the fact that if she saves him, she loses her life and you see why they must convince her that the prince is worth saving. They take a long, wild journey to find the prince.
What I really enjoyed about this book was the adventure and characters. Avry is a sweet, strong, smart, selfless character. Usually when I think about a character so selfless the term "doormat" comes to mind, but this is absolutely not the case with Avry. She's willing to sacrifice herself for the greater good, but if you make her mad she will get in your face with a sharp comeback. Her band of friends are also really fun. Belen was such a sweetheart, and Kerrick was a great leader. I loved the loyalty and bond they shared for each other.
The plot was okay. I would give it stars for originality as I do think it was a unique story. For me it was a nice pace. The story moved quickly, but was easy to follow. Deduct stars for the fact that the plot pretty much goes nowhere, though. More about that in spoiler below.
What I did not enjoy was the predictability and pretty much everything about the ending. This part contains spoilers so more on that is here:
This is my first book from Maria V. Snyder, and I find her to be an excellent story teller. Snyder's world building was exceptional in this book. As they went on their adventures I felt there with them in the forests, caves, castles etc... Her descriptions were raw, and the parts where Avry took someone's illness to herself felt really intense.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book until the last 1/3 of it. Despite my complaints, I feel the book was still quite good, and I'm glad I read it. I will definitely continue to read this series. I just wish we did not need to wait until 2013 for it!
Recommended for anyone looking for a fun, fast paced fantasy that you can just enjoy without having to think.
Avry is a healer in a harsh world where healers are hunted, because everyone believes they started a plague. In fact, most healers have already been killed, and Avry has been in hiding for two years trying to avoid being murdered. She is soon abducted by a group of rogues who are trying to convince her to heal a prince that she really doesn't like. Throw in the fact that if she saves him, she loses her life and you see why they must convince her that the prince is worth saving. They take a long, wild journey to find the prince.
What I really enjoyed about this book was the adventure and characters. Avry is a sweet, strong, smart, selfless character. Usually when I think about a character so selfless the term "doormat" comes to mind, but this is absolutely not the case with Avry. She's willing to sacrifice herself for the greater good, but if you make her mad she will get in your face with a sharp comeback. Her band of friends are also really fun. Belen was such a sweetheart, and Kerrick was a great leader. I loved the loyalty and bond they shared for each other.
The plot was okay. I would give it stars for originality as I do think it was a unique story. For me it was a nice pace. The story moved quickly, but was easy to follow. Deduct stars for the fact that the plot pretty much goes nowhere, though. More about that in spoiler below.
What I did not enjoy was the predictability and pretty much everything about the ending. This part contains spoilers so more on that is here:
This is my first book from Maria V. Snyder, and I find her to be an excellent story teller. Snyder's world building was exceptional in this book. As they went on their adventures I felt there with them in the forests, caves, castles etc... Her descriptions were raw, and the parts where Avry took someone's illness to herself felt really intense.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book until the last 1/3 of it. Despite my complaints, I feel the book was still quite good, and I'm glad I read it. I will definitely continue to read this series. I just wish we did not need to wait until 2013 for it!
Recommended for anyone looking for a fun, fast paced fantasy that you can just enjoy without having to think.
January 30, 2013
Spoilers
I enjoyed Snyder's Study series and I had high expectations for this… suffice to say it didn't deliver.
Avry is a healer, she's been running and hiding for three years as anyone found to be a healer is executed, the healers are blamed for starting a plague that killed millions of people. Avry is in prison awaiting execution after it is discovered that she is a healer… she's saved from death by Kerrick and his friends who want her to heal their friend who is dying of the plague. Avry finds out that the friend who needs healing is Prince Ryne, someone who she refuses to heal as she believes that he is responsible for many deaths and is not worth saving. Avry very reluctantly agrees to go with them to where Prince Ryne is hiding as the alternative would be death and Kerrick and his friends Belen, Flea, Loren try to convince Avry that he is worth saving. On their long journey to Prince Ryne..they are encounter enemies, magicians, killer plants and zombies.
The world building was mediocre at best. I did like that Avry suffered every time she healed someone.
I despised Avry's attitude, she was treated like shit and she just forgave and forgot instantly, she felt guilty and responsible for anyone who was hurt even if they had hurt her or stood by and watched her get hurt, she gave her loyalty too easily… it was unbelievably frustrating.
Kerrick her love interest was despicable he slapped her so hard she fell down just because she said she would not heal his friend Prince Ryne, he then goes onto manacle her to tree for weeks at night and only gives her little food and no blanket as further punishment for refusing to heal his friend, he is cold and talks down to her… he only starts treating her better when he realises his tactics to make her co-operate are not working. When he does start to get feelings for her he's not guilty or remorseful about the way he treated her — he just gives a very underwhelming apology and Avry doesn't even mind his past treatment of her!! He's also been grieving for the past 4 years because his ex girlfriend who was the love his life dumped him for someone else… Avry is basically a rebound. He more or less even says at the very end when they're 'in wuv' that he would have rather saved his friend's lives than her's. He's an awful hero and Avry is a crap heroine for getting involved with a man who hit her and then tortured her for weeks… it's a fucked up message to be sending young readers.
I enjoyed Snyder's Study series and I had high expectations for this… suffice to say it didn't deliver.
Avry is a healer, she's been running and hiding for three years as anyone found to be a healer is executed, the healers are blamed for starting a plague that killed millions of people. Avry is in prison awaiting execution after it is discovered that she is a healer… she's saved from death by Kerrick and his friends who want her to heal their friend who is dying of the plague. Avry finds out that the friend who needs healing is Prince Ryne, someone who she refuses to heal as she believes that he is responsible for many deaths and is not worth saving. Avry very reluctantly agrees to go with them to where Prince Ryne is hiding as the alternative would be death and Kerrick and his friends Belen, Flea, Loren try to convince Avry that he is worth saving. On their long journey to Prince Ryne..they are encounter enemies, magicians, killer plants and zombies.
The world building was mediocre at best. I did like that Avry suffered every time she healed someone.
I despised Avry's attitude, she was treated like shit and she just forgave and forgot instantly, she felt guilty and responsible for anyone who was hurt even if they had hurt her or stood by and watched her get hurt, she gave her loyalty too easily… it was unbelievably frustrating.
Kerrick her love interest was despicable he slapped her so hard she fell down just because she said she would not heal his friend Prince Ryne, he then goes onto manacle her to tree for weeks at night and only gives her little food and no blanket as further punishment for refusing to heal his friend, he is cold and talks down to her… he only starts treating her better when he realises his tactics to make her co-operate are not working. When he does start to get feelings for her he's not guilty or remorseful about the way he treated her — he just gives a very underwhelming apology and Avry doesn't even mind his past treatment of her!! He's also been grieving for the past 4 years because his ex girlfriend who was the love his life dumped him for someone else… Avry is basically a rebound. He more or less even says at the very end when they're 'in wuv' that he would have rather saved his friend's lives than her's. He's an awful hero and Avry is a crap heroine for getting involved with a man who hit her and then tortured her for weeks… it's a fucked up message to be sending young readers.
February 7, 2016
Rating Clarification: 3.5 - 4 Stars
I know everyone loved The Study series, which I've yet to finish but honestly... I enjoyed Touch of Power a lot more than I did Poison Study. Unlike the depressed and melodramatic atmosphere that I got from Poison Study, Touch of Power was a breath of fresh air. Don't get me wrong the first scene has the heroine listening to the tortured cries of a dying baby and contemplating whether or not she should heal her. But I loved Avry's "glass is half full" outlook on life. I've been trying to coin a term for this book because at a glance I would place it under the fantasy heading but personally it felt like I was reading post-apocalyptic (the plague) with zombies (the dead soldiers) against a medieval setting. Does that makes sense?
Avry is healer on the run, since the outbreak of the plague and the death of so many, healers are seen as the cause and what's worse it seems as if they decided not to heal any of the plague victims.
That's beside the point though because Avry is the last healer. When she's imprisoned after healing a child, things look pretty bad for her until Kerrick and his band of misfit (LOL) save her... for a price. Kerrick expects Avry to heal a dying (plague) Prince Ryen for his trouble and he isn't nice about it.
"You really have a low opinion of me, don't you?"
"No one else has backhanded me, starved me, manacled me to a tree and let me freeze each night. Therefore I don't have anyone else to compare you too."
I loved Kerrick and Avry's banter, I mean Kerrick was pretty mean and down right cruel in the beginning but I have a weakness for these types...
But I did have a few issues, the author kind of neglected their relationship, so although it was a slow burn, any real progress between them was closer to end, making it seem rushed in my opinion. Be that as it may the other characters like Belen and Flea were fantastic, I loved how they were with Avry, their camaraderie was cute, I loved how protective they were of her, especially from Kerrick.
"No. I hate you. Remember?" I teased.
"Couldn't possibly forget." He grinnerd. "Just so you know, the feeling is mutual."
"Gosh," I said with mock horror. "We actually have something in common."
Kerrick laughed. "Let's not let it happen again."
I'll definitely be continuing this series, but like Poison Study I'm not itching to start the second book (Scent of Magic), so I'll be reading something else. But it was a good solid read.
Read
January 10, 2012
WOW.
Just wow.
There's a famous quote by Toni Morrison: “If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.”
For the past few years I've taken this quote to heart and written the types of things I love to read.
But now I may as well just give up.
Touch of Power is the perfect novel for me.
Sure the writing style is different to mine, and I'd do a completely different approach, and there's nothing in plot, characters or themes that are remotely similar to my own young adult high fantasy but still.
WOW.
I've wanted to read this type of book for years. Because I could not find a book that fit me so personally, I wrote my own stuff. For years.
YEARS.
I mean, sure there’s an over-abundance of men (female characters not exactly lacking but a very obviously skewed ratio in favour of the masculine characters), and for the half the book I wondered why two of the characters even existed because they weren't given much development (which does kick in in the second half, trust me!), and I was mad as hell .
But Avry steps into leadership positions when she needs to, kicks ass when she needs to, and comforts and mothers when she needs to. She's got a great balance of feminine and masculine traits, and she's neither an uber-warrior nor a damsel in distress. She grows throughout the novel as well. She’s like… my perfect heroine that I never wrote.
I didn’t like Kerrick for half the book, until he became gentle and more understanding – but that happened with Tucker in Unearthly as well. I wasn’t supposed to like Kerrick.
The plot is so intriguing. If you like high fantasy and also read paranormal or urban fantasy you should like this. It's high fantasy but it's not purple prose-y, it doesn't overdo descriptions, and the language used is fresh and modern. The infodumps are sparse and cleverly disguised so the mysteries of the world aren't revealed until the exact right time. It's not stuffy and boring like other high fantasy masters who shall not be named. It's very political, with heaps of plot twists - several that I didn't see coming.
The magic system was simply wonderful. I wasn't entirely sure about the other types of mages, but I absolutely love healers that accept the sicknesses and injuries of others. It's so totally cool! It meant that Avry had a weakness, an Achilles heel, that she wasn't some unstoppable force. It was awesome!
In fact, the only issue I really have with this novel (besides Kerrick, but it is REALLY hard to get a place on my 'love-this-boy' shelf) is pacing. It seemed all over the place. Days would rush by while Avry trained or worked, and the whole novel took place over the course of about half a year. But the high speed is good in several ways, because if the novel slowed down it would be boring.
Now normally high fantasy is written in third person and is pretty boring to read. Authors are more interested in describing stuff you don't give a crap about rather than getting on with the story. Touch of Power doesn't have that problem. I believe it would be totally accessible to people who don't normally read high fantasy but still enjoy other forms of fantasy - paranormal, urban, dark etc.
I've never read a Maria Snyder book before but I am eagerly awaiting the sequel. I read an ARC of this but I totally buying my own copy to
Just WOW.
I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley and it has in no way influenced my review.
January 20, 2019
Actual Rating: 2.5 stars
This book didn't make me feel, not really. It was entertaining but that's all. There are plenty of adventurous situations, but no real story for most of the book. Many things happen but nothing traps you enough to want to keep reading. I almost didn't finish it. Not because I did't like it, but because I wan't interested enough and it seemed as if I wouldn't be missing much if I did.
I won't keep reading this series. I am sure the next installments would be pack with action, I just don't trust they would be emotionally engaging enough.
This book didn't make me feel, not really. It was entertaining but that's all. There are plenty of adventurous situations, but no real story for most of the book. Many things happen but nothing traps you enough to want to keep reading. I almost didn't finish it. Not because I did't like it, but because I wan't interested enough and it seemed as if I wouldn't be missing much if I did.
I won't keep reading this series. I am sure the next installments would be pack with action, I just don't trust they would be emotionally engaging enough.
September 3, 2017
I FINISHED A BOOK FOR THE FIRST TIME IN OVER A WEEK!! Since I was sick I fell into the worst slump ever and had absolutely no motivation to read but thank god this book pulled me out of my slump!
It really was just a classic Maria V Snyder book and it was exactly what I needed. I really needed a basic fantasy since I have so many intimidating complex fantasy books waiting to be read that would have put me more in a slump. Thank god for this book, it was great.
It really was just a classic Maria V Snyder book and it was exactly what I needed. I really needed a basic fantasy since I have so many intimidating complex fantasy books waiting to be read that would have put me more in a slump. Thank god for this book, it was great.
January 30, 2020
Touch of Power (Healer #1), Maria V. Snyder
The Healer Series has three books, Touch of Power, Scent of Magic and Taste of Darkness.
Touch of Power: Laying hands upon the injured and dying, Avry of Kazan assumes their wounds and diseases into herself. But rather than being honoured for her skills, she is hunted. Healers like Avry are accused of spreading the plague that has decimated the Territories, leaving the survivors in a state of chaos.
Stressed and tired from hiding, Avry is abducted by a band of rogues who, shockingly, value her gift above the golden bounty offered for her capture. Their leader an enigmatic captor-protector with powers of his own is unequivocal in his demands: Avry must heal a plague-stricken prince, the leader of a campaign against her people.
As they traverse the daunting Nine Mountains, beset by mercenaries and magical dangers, Avry must decide who is worth healing and what is worth dying for.
تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز بیستم ماه ژانویه سال 2015 میلادی
عنوان: لمس قدرت: کتاب نخست از سه گانه ی شفا دهنده؛ نویسنده: ماریا وی. اسنایدر؛
ریویوی فارسی به زودی
ا. شربیانی
The Healer Series has three books, Touch of Power, Scent of Magic and Taste of Darkness.
Touch of Power: Laying hands upon the injured and dying, Avry of Kazan assumes their wounds and diseases into herself. But rather than being honoured for her skills, she is hunted. Healers like Avry are accused of spreading the plague that has decimated the Territories, leaving the survivors in a state of chaos.
Stressed and tired from hiding, Avry is abducted by a band of rogues who, shockingly, value her gift above the golden bounty offered for her capture. Their leader an enigmatic captor-protector with powers of his own is unequivocal in his demands: Avry must heal a plague-stricken prince, the leader of a campaign against her people.
As they traverse the daunting Nine Mountains, beset by mercenaries and magical dangers, Avry must decide who is worth healing and what is worth dying for.
تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز بیستم ماه ژانویه سال 2015 میلادی
عنوان: لمس قدرت: کتاب نخست از سه گانه ی شفا دهنده؛ نویسنده: ماریا وی. اسنایدر؛
ریویوی فارسی به زودی
ا. شربیانی
August 29, 2022
Avry of Kazan, a healer, heals by absorbing diseases and pain into her own body, which in turn rapidly heals itself. A band of rogues captured Avry and asked her to journey to a faraway place, the nine mountain, to heal their plague stricken leader. The problem is a healer cannot recover from that, the plague kills healers.
The rest of the story focused on their journey to the nine mountain, forming alliances and friendships, experiencing loss and betrayals, overcoming adversities and all kinds of magical dangers. It was fantastic!👌
However, I expected a bit more romance than I got, there was enough tension between Avry and Kerrick, her captor, and many traded insults but no flirting, no expression of attraction, zero hint at romantic interest until their first kiss 90% into the story. The romance feels like an afterthought to the story.
Besides that, it was an enjoyable read. Avry was a very likable character; she was strong, selfless, compassionate and very brave. I will seek out the second book in the series and see how the story goes.
The rest of the story focused on their journey to the nine mountain, forming alliances and friendships, experiencing loss and betrayals, overcoming adversities and all kinds of magical dangers. It was fantastic!👌
However, I expected a bit more romance than I got, there was enough tension between Avry and Kerrick, her captor, and many traded insults but no flirting, no expression of attraction, zero hint at romantic interest until their first kiss 90% into the story. The romance feels like an afterthought to the story.
Besides that, it was an enjoyable read. Avry was a very likable character; she was strong, selfless, compassionate and very brave. I will seek out the second book in the series and see how the story goes.
January 2, 2017
This book gave me no chance at all to deal with my physiological needs like a normal human being.
I. Couldn't. Put. This. Down.
Giving synopsis is not my strong suit so please don't expect one. And I think it's better to read this not knowing much of the premise anyway.
Avry is my new favourite heroine. She's brave, stubborn, strong, kindhearted, selfless and has a great sense of humor which I appreciate a lot. I gave her an imaginary standing ovation everytime she stood her ground against Kerrick and refused to blindly follow his orders. I couldn't help but root for her.
The romance took a backseat here. Or maybe it's in the trunk because we didn't get to the good parts until the last five chapters. It was a slow burn romance that will make you feel all snuggly and warm inside.
The story was very complex. It was magnificently crafted and built with so much precision you couldn't help but wonder if this world really does exist. The lines are blurred now, my friends.
The writing was unbelievably gorgeous. It was alluring. You wouldn't find its brief paragraphs lacking of vivid descriptions and pragmatic illustrations. Maria V. Snyder's way of introducing us to the characters were more "show" than "tell" which I find very appealing. Her ability to tell a story is fantastic, she knows exactly that a great story shows.
I am one of those people who get easily annoyed with lengthy explanations of character because where's the fun in that? I want to be the one to discover them. Not to be given on a platter.
"Why ‘Flea’?"
A full-out grin spread across Flea’s face. “’Cause I’m fast and hard to catch.”
“Because he’s a pest and hard to squash,” Belen said.
“Because he jumps about three feet in the air when you scare him,” Loren added.
“Because he’s annoying and makes us itch with impatience,” Quain said.
“Thanks, guys. I love you, too.” Flea made exaggerated kissing noises and patted his ass.
~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•
"I taught him too well. Either that or Quain is half eagle.”
“A bald eagle?” I quipped.
Kerrick smiled a genuine smile. One that reached his eyes. Good thing I was already lying down or I would have fainted in surprise. It faded as he studied me.
~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•
He still didn’t trust me. I decided to let him sweat for a bit. “Let’s see. I promised her that Loren and Quain will babysit her granddaughter anytime. That Flea would give her soldiers lessons on how to pick pockets and that Jael can use you for target practice. I offered to keep Jael company for that one.”
The others suppressed their grins, but Kerrick failed to find it amusing. “Avry,” he growled.
~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•
I am very attached to these characters it's not funny.
Definitely a must-read. A solid 5 out of 5 stars.
I. Couldn't. Put. This. Down.
Giving synopsis is not my strong suit so please don't expect one. And I think it's better to read this not knowing much of the premise anyway.
Avry is my new favourite heroine. She's brave, stubborn, strong, kindhearted, selfless and has a great sense of humor which I appreciate a lot. I gave her an imaginary standing ovation everytime she stood her ground against Kerrick and refused to blindly follow his orders. I couldn't help but root for her.
The romance took a backseat here. Or maybe it's in the trunk because we didn't get to the good parts until the last five chapters. It was a slow burn romance that will make you feel all snuggly and warm inside.
The story was very complex. It was magnificently crafted and built with so much precision you couldn't help but wonder if this world really does exist. The lines are blurred now, my friends.
The writing was unbelievably gorgeous. It was alluring. You wouldn't find its brief paragraphs lacking of vivid descriptions and pragmatic illustrations. Maria V. Snyder's way of introducing us to the characters were more "show" than "tell" which I find very appealing. Her ability to tell a story is fantastic, she knows exactly that a great story shows.
I am one of those people who get easily annoyed with lengthy explanations of character because where's the fun in that? I want to be the one to discover them. Not to be given on a platter.
"Why ‘Flea’?"
A full-out grin spread across Flea’s face. “’Cause I’m fast and hard to catch.”
“Because he’s a pest and hard to squash,” Belen said.
“Because he jumps about three feet in the air when you scare him,” Loren added.
“Because he’s annoying and makes us itch with impatience,” Quain said.
“Thanks, guys. I love you, too.” Flea made exaggerated kissing noises and patted his ass.
~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•
"I taught him too well. Either that or Quain is half eagle.”
“A bald eagle?” I quipped.
Kerrick smiled a genuine smile. One that reached his eyes. Good thing I was already lying down or I would have fainted in surprise. It faded as he studied me.
~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•
He still didn’t trust me. I decided to let him sweat for a bit. “Let’s see. I promised her that Loren and Quain will babysit her granddaughter anytime. That Flea would give her soldiers lessons on how to pick pockets and that Jael can use you for target practice. I offered to keep Jael company for that one.”
The others suppressed their grins, but Kerrick failed to find it amusing. “Avry,” he growled.
~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•
I am very attached to these characters it's not funny.
Definitely a must-read. A solid 5 out of 5 stars.
February 4, 2016
My Rating: 3.5
This book was a tiny bit of a let down for me. Having read a few of Maria V. Synder previous works, I was going into this all hype and ready. Seriously...the book started so good, I barely had time to even put an update. I was like:
As I got further into the read the storyline began to drag and bored me to death. What saved this read was that I love Ms. Snyder style of writing and I knew if I soilder through I would definitely get to the pot of goal, at the end of the rainbow.
The characters ( most of them, Kerrick and Belen ) were great and I can say that I like them and even manage to connect with them at different levels. I just found the storyline too predictable and drawn out at times and I'm also kinda of fed-up with the protagonist being the "last" of a particular people and the only hope to save everybody. It literally had me *RollsEyes* and:
It should be noted that my displeasure could also be related to the fact, that I ran out of coffee/tea *Screams* and barely could concentrate...who really knows. Whatever the reason, It has in no way affected my better judgement as I will be continuing this trilogy, because as I've mentioned before, I happen to love this authors writing style and she usually hits the bullseye mark for me.
This book was a tiny bit of a let down for me. Having read a few of Maria V. Synder previous works, I was going into this all hype and ready. Seriously...the book started so good, I barely had time to even put an update. I was like:
As I got further into the read the storyline began to drag and bored me to death. What saved this read was that I love Ms. Snyder style of writing and I knew if I soilder through I would definitely get to the pot of goal, at the end of the rainbow.
The characters ( most of them, Kerrick and Belen ) were great and I can say that I like them and even manage to connect with them at different levels. I just found the storyline too predictable and drawn out at times and I'm also kinda of fed-up with the protagonist being the "last" of a particular people and the only hope to save everybody. It literally had me *RollsEyes* and:
It should be noted that my displeasure could also be related to the fact, that I ran out of coffee/tea *Screams* and barely could concentrate...who really knows. Whatever the reason, It has in no way affected my better judgement as I will be continuing this trilogy, because as I've mentioned before, I happen to love this authors writing style and she usually hits the bullseye mark for me.
June 13, 2015
YASSS! I finished it! I really finished it after being tempted to just DNF so many times.
I had a terrific experience reading Snyder's Poison Study. I remember the writing smooth and the world building vivid, so I expected the same thing from Touch of Power, but damn, I was so wrong. In this book, I found Snyder's writing a little amateurish. I had to check the publication dates of the Poison Study and Touch of Power to see which novel came first, and I was surprised to see that Poison Study was published 4 years before Touch of Power, so I do not understand the decline in quality of Snyder's writing. Her writing was especially unwieldy when describing landscape, fight scenes and even plans, as if she couldn't be bothered to tell us how Avry got to Tohon or how 2 guys can neutralize 6.
Then we have Avry, sweet, kind, pretty, skilled, brave and selfless Avry. What can she do wrong? Nothing and that is my problem with her character. I know she's a healer and that she feels the need to heal everyone sick and is even willing to die for her calling, but shouldn't the human instinct to survive override the sacrifices of her calling? Maybe I am just a selfish little shit and obvs not a heroine, so Avry didn't connect to me at all. Kerrick - I found quite meh. He's a prince and a forest mage, and starts out as a despotic leader of a group in a mission to find a healer but grows softer as the story progresses to the point he says things like "And you broke through the ice around my heart..."
Yup.
Then we have Tohon the all powerful life mage/necromancer, of course, he had to be handsome with a killer smile too, and a Daddy never loved me complex. In the book he tells Avry why he hates Kerrick. I'll skip the specifics, but damn, that was lame, so lame I screamed at my Kindle to grow the fuck up because high school angst should be left in high school! #intensityintensifies
I honestly think that the story will progress in the following books in the series, but, for now, I am done with this series.
*fin*
I had a terrific experience reading Snyder's Poison Study. I remember the writing smooth and the world building vivid, so I expected the same thing from Touch of Power, but damn, I was so wrong. In this book, I found Snyder's writing a little amateurish. I had to check the publication dates of the Poison Study and Touch of Power to see which novel came first, and I was surprised to see that Poison Study was published 4 years before Touch of Power, so I do not understand the decline in quality of Snyder's writing. Her writing was especially unwieldy when describing landscape, fight scenes and even plans, as if she couldn't be bothered to tell us how Avry got to Tohon or how 2 guys can neutralize 6.
Then we have Avry, sweet, kind, pretty, skilled, brave and selfless Avry. What can she do wrong? Nothing and that is my problem with her character. I know she's a healer and that she feels the need to heal everyone sick and is even willing to die for her calling, but shouldn't the human instinct to survive override the sacrifices of her calling? Maybe I am just a selfish little shit and obvs not a heroine, so Avry didn't connect to me at all. Kerrick - I found quite meh. He's a prince and a forest mage, and starts out as a despotic leader of a group in a mission to find a healer but grows softer as the story progresses to the point he says things like "And you broke through the ice around my heart..."
Yup.
Then we have Tohon the all powerful life mage/necromancer, of course, he had to be handsome with a killer smile too, and a Daddy never loved me complex. In the book he tells Avry why he hates Kerrick. I'll skip the specifics, but damn, that was lame, so lame I screamed at my Kindle to grow the fuck up because high school angst should be left in high school! #intensityintensifies
I honestly think that the story will progress in the following books in the series, but, for now, I am done with this series.
*fin*
August 8, 2018
What can I say about this story? I fell in love with all of it. It's epic!! It has it all, adventure, comradeship, romance, betrayal, friendship, loss, magic, sacrifice, evil, set in an amazing fantasy world.
Avry is an amazing character, a heroine so strong, so compationate, so loyal, it was marvelous being in her head.
Snyder weaves an interesting, very complicated fantasy world, similar to the one in her "Study" series. All the characters are very well developed, from the minor ones to the villains, to the ones that form her family in the end.
And of course Kerrick. If you like your heroes brooding, grumpy, not giving the heroine the time of day, then you're in for a treat with Kerrick. First he hits her. Then he ties her in a tree, without food or cloak, every night. Then he insists she gives her life for his friend. Wouldn't you fall in love with a "charming" man like him?
But you just can't help but fall in love with him, just like Avry did.
I wonder where their journey will lead them next and I'm most curious to find out all this mystery surrounding the lilies. Who would have thought that these plants would be so intriguing, they have me speculating all kinds of senarios about their involvement with the plague and the healers and.... I just can't imagine what?
Avry is an amazing character, a heroine so strong, so compationate, so loyal, it was marvelous being in her head.
Snyder weaves an interesting, very complicated fantasy world, similar to the one in her "Study" series. All the characters are very well developed, from the minor ones to the villains, to the ones that form her family in the end.
And of course Kerrick. If you like your heroes brooding, grumpy, not giving the heroine the time of day, then you're in for a treat with Kerrick. First he hits her. Then he ties her in a tree, without food or cloak, every night. Then he insists she gives her life for his friend. Wouldn't you fall in love with a "charming" man like him?
But you just can't help but fall in love with him, just like Avry did.
I wonder where their journey will lead them next and I'm most curious to find out all this mystery surrounding the lilies. Who would have thought that these plants would be so intriguing, they have me speculating all kinds of senarios about their involvement with the plague and the healers and.... I just can't imagine what?
November 26, 2011
I'm definitely coming at this book from a different perspective than a lot of people I know, many of whom have read and loved at the very least Poison Study, and often more of Maria V. Snyder's books. This is my first by her and to be honest, I'm underwhelmed.
The concept is by far the strongest part of this book. Fifteen kingdoms, eleven types of magic, a land recovering from a deadly plague - glorious. While I have certain issues with the varieties of magic (they seem to almost-but-not-quite be elemental, and moon/sun magic sounds basically useless), I like that there were so many different types, and that within them there seemed to be some variation in the strength of mages. I also enjoyed that the Fifteen Kingdoms seemed to have a lot of political variation in them, though as other reviewers have pointed out, some of the systems and terms felt anachronistic.
I guess that's the primary problem I had with this book: strong concepts, but just not enough explanation to make them fit. Would reading 'president' in a world filled with princes bother me if it had been elaborated upon a lot? Probably not. But when you're already asking me to accept moon and sun magicians, giant flowers that eat people, and some really wonky pacing, well, the background needs to be rock solid and putting a democracy on a continent filled with monarchies doesn't cut it.
The other big thing I wanted to mention was pacing. Whee-oo, did I have trouble with the way this book was paced. One page would be a single moment that dragged on far too long, and on the next weeks would skim by. I honestly gave up completely on keeping track of time here, because it was just so erratic and jumpy. Unfortunately, the fact that I had little sense of time also meant that I had little sense of character development.
There were a couple of other things that bothered me - use of modern language throughout, some typos which were far worse than I've ever seen in an ARC (including a they're/their confusion), the really strange and rocky development of the romantic relationship between Kerrick and Avry, and a lot of plot points which were never dealt with. I was disappointed that even the main problem of the book wasn't actually resolved at the end, let alone some of the other plot points that had cropped up along the way. To be honest, the book felt too short in a lot of ways - too short to develop its concept properly, too short to wrap up the plot in a tidy fashion, too short to convey the amount of time the characters spent travelling and changing to the readers. Maybe the sequel can fix a lot of these issues, but I won't go out of my way to find it first and see. It's going to take glowing reviews from other people before I return to this series. I will, however, still seek out Poison Study, since Maria V. Snyder has one heck of an imagination.
Full disclosure: I recieved a galley copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. No external considerations went into this review.
The concept is by far the strongest part of this book. Fifteen kingdoms, eleven types of magic, a land recovering from a deadly plague - glorious. While I have certain issues with the varieties of magic (they seem to almost-but-not-quite be elemental, and moon/sun magic sounds basically useless), I like that there were so many different types, and that within them there seemed to be some variation in the strength of mages. I also enjoyed that the Fifteen Kingdoms seemed to have a lot of political variation in them, though as other reviewers have pointed out, some of the systems and terms felt anachronistic.
I guess that's the primary problem I had with this book: strong concepts, but just not enough explanation to make them fit. Would reading 'president' in a world filled with princes bother me if it had been elaborated upon a lot? Probably not. But when you're already asking me to accept moon and sun magicians, giant flowers that eat people, and some really wonky pacing, well, the background needs to be rock solid and putting a democracy on a continent filled with monarchies doesn't cut it.
The other big thing I wanted to mention was pacing. Whee-oo, did I have trouble with the way this book was paced. One page would be a single moment that dragged on far too long, and on the next weeks would skim by. I honestly gave up completely on keeping track of time here, because it was just so erratic and jumpy. Unfortunately, the fact that I had little sense of time also meant that I had little sense of character development.
There were a couple of other things that bothered me - use of modern language throughout, some typos which were far worse than I've ever seen in an ARC (including a they're/their confusion), the really strange and rocky development of the romantic relationship between Kerrick and Avry, and a lot of plot points which were never dealt with. I was disappointed that even the main problem of the book wasn't actually resolved at the end, let alone some of the other plot points that had cropped up along the way. To be honest, the book felt too short in a lot of ways - too short to develop its concept properly, too short to wrap up the plot in a tidy fashion, too short to convey the amount of time the characters spent travelling and changing to the readers. Maybe the sequel can fix a lot of these issues, but I won't go out of my way to find it first and see. It's going to take glowing reviews from other people before I return to this series. I will, however, still seek out Poison Study, since Maria V. Snyder has one heck of an imagination.
Full disclosure: I recieved a galley copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. No external considerations went into this review.
August 25, 2016
I have absolutely no doubt that this book is going to be amazing!
*After reading it*
Yup, I was right. This book exceeded my expectations :)
*After reading it*
Yup, I was right. This book exceeded my expectations :)
July 21, 2016
This book was great and when I read it I enjoyed it so much but I got bored when I began reading chapter 20 although there are something that I didn't like about this book. But I still quite enjoyed it.
What I didn't like :
With a strangled cry, Kerrick lost his temper. Belen lunged toward Kerick and I raised an arm to block Kerrick's strike, but we were to slow. Kerrick backhanded me across my cheek. The force of the blow sent me to the ground
when I read that I was so angry and I was like"WHAT THE HELL!?!?", because he supposed not to do that because he's a man.
men don't hit women so he's not a man at all, he's an abusive man, Ugh!!
I'm serious if I was her I would totally punch him, I wouldn't just stay on the ground and watched Belen defended me.
- I really love reading books with a cold hearted guy but I really hate reading books with a cold heartless bastard and Kerrick is a cold heartless bastard but sometimes I liked him but most of the time when I read this book I didn't like him because he's too cold and it bothered me so much.
- Oh, and Avry she's a nice woman and she loves children so much and she is a soft hearted woman , and sometimes I didn't like her because she couldn't defend herself from Kerrick and it made me angry and I don't like a weak female character and she is a little bit weak but Avry could hide for years and that was pretty amazing.
- I love reading books with romance but I didn't get what I wanted from this book, and yes there's romance in this book but I just couldn't make myself loved Kerrick and the action was overload and I love reading books with 50% of romance and 50% of action but this book gave me 90% of action and 10% of romance.
What I liked :
The story :
I quite enjoyed reading this book and the story was good and I awake at 02:00 AM because of this book.
This book would be really great if there's more romance between Kerrick and Avry and this book would be really awesome if Kerrick didn't hit a woman too, but I still liked this book because of the story not because of the characters and I pretended that I didn't care about the characters when I read this book and it was so hard because sometimes the characters made me mad.
and I think I won't read the second book or the third book because I don't really care about the characters or the ending anymore.
I know lots of people love this book but I don't and I'm sorry if my review make you angry and I respect people who love this book because everyone has different opinion about books.
ヾ(●⌒∇⌒●)ﾉ
November 14, 2011
I loved Snyder's first book, Poison Study, and since then I've been a faithful reader of everything she's written. I haven't actually enjoyed any of her books as much as PS, and I think I keep reading in hopes of discovering another book like that one. Alas, her most recent effort doesn't come close to PS for me.
Snyder creates the kind of fantasy world I love, which has a nice medieval flavor. Snyder's never been one to info-dump in her stories, which I appreciate, but in this story I felt like the world-building information was doled out in small pieces in such a haphazard function that I spent much of the story feeling like I didn't truly understand the world she had created.
The story is set up in a "quest" format, with the book centered around a journey from one place to another in order to achieve some aim. It's never been my favorite storytelling device, maybe because it can tend toward monotony. (They traveled. They ran into some trouble. They traveled some more.)
The group of men Avry travels with are basically stereotypes (one young jokester who wants to be taken seriously, the hulking "teddy-bear" protector, the ruthless leader), and never felt fully fleshed-out to me. Avry herself feels boring to me, and even when she tries to do something heroic it ends up seeming halfhearted. She wasn't as strong as I like my heroines to be, although that may change in the next two books.
My main problem with the story, however, lies in the budding romance that develops. Now, I love romance. I'll generally only read fantasy if there's some romantic element to keep my attention. But Snyder has failed to give me a hero I can root for. (The spoiler below is only really "spoiler-y" in that it reveals who the love interest is, which isn't apparent right away. At least not to me anyway, since I guessed incorrectly at first.)
I don't know if I'll continue on with the series, or even seek out future books by this author. I've been disappointed by this author more than once, and the "romance" in this one left me feeling cold.
Snyder creates the kind of fantasy world I love, which has a nice medieval flavor. Snyder's never been one to info-dump in her stories, which I appreciate, but in this story I felt like the world-building information was doled out in small pieces in such a haphazard function that I spent much of the story feeling like I didn't truly understand the world she had created.
The story is set up in a "quest" format, with the book centered around a journey from one place to another in order to achieve some aim. It's never been my favorite storytelling device, maybe because it can tend toward monotony. (They traveled. They ran into some trouble. They traveled some more.)
The group of men Avry travels with are basically stereotypes (one young jokester who wants to be taken seriously, the hulking "teddy-bear" protector, the ruthless leader), and never felt fully fleshed-out to me. Avry herself feels boring to me, and even when she tries to do something heroic it ends up seeming halfhearted. She wasn't as strong as I like my heroines to be, although that may change in the next two books.
My main problem with the story, however, lies in the budding romance that develops. Now, I love romance. I'll generally only read fantasy if there's some romantic element to keep my attention. But Snyder has failed to give me a hero I can root for. (The spoiler below is only really "spoiler-y" in that it reveals who the love interest is, which isn't apparent right away. At least not to me anyway, since I guessed incorrectly at first.)
I don't know if I'll continue on with the series, or even seek out future books by this author. I've been disappointed by this author more than once, and the "romance" in this one left me feeling cold.
February 19, 2012
So I enjoyed this book, but didn't LOVE it. Poison Study (by this author) is one of my ALL TIME FAVES so I can't help compare all her other heroines to that one, and no one ever lives up to her 100%. I enjoyed the magic worldbuilding, for some reason I just felt one step ahead of the characters frequently. I didn't 100% feel the attraction between the two main characters either, so maybe that made me a bit less invested. I enjoyed the heroine's POV though, and am interested to see the second in the series. Felt a bit young adult-ish in tone, so it would be good for teen readers.
January 2, 2020
I enjoyed ¾ of this story. The setup was fascinating. A plague has recently finished wiping out a substantial portion of the population so there is a lot of civil upheaval as people figure out how to get by on a fraction of the resources they need to support the prior social (and commercial) infrastructure. The book doesn't put it in those terms anywhere, but it's clear that Snyder has thought through the implications and complications of such an event and the actions of the people are completely plausible given their situation—including their hatred and persecution of the healers who failed to save them from the one disease it turns out they couldn't fight.
Avry appears to be the last healer and is on the run. When she is captured by a band of men looking for her special talent, she finds herself in a completely untenable position. She deals with it as best she can, getting to know her captors in the process. These friendships are dynamic, though enough simplified to earn my designation of Young Adult. The leader of the band, Kerrick, remains unsympathetic (to Avry, readers have enough distance to discern his motives much sooner than Avry can), though, putting the whole band in a tough spot—do they support Avry or Kerrick as it becomes clear that neither alone has the solution to the problems they face?
I really enjoyed this part of the story, even though it was pretty obvious that Avry suffered from unfounded assumptions that kept her stupid way longer than was really justified. There were enough events that ran counter to her assumptions that she really should have asked clarifying questions at a couple of points and simply didn't for no apparent reason. It's not like she was playing shy or didn't demand answers to awkward questions at pretty much the drop of a hat all the time, anyway. It was really out of character.
Unfortunately, the last quarter of the book (or so) was an egregious example of authorial manipulation. It's the last bit of the book, so this is going to have to be tagged as a spoiler. Unspoilery summary: the villain is an evil, mustache-twirling fiend except that he somehow isn't, probably because the author didn't want to deal with the obvious consequences if he actually were. Only he really is. Only not. You see the problem...
That last problem with the story completely broke immersion for me and fundamentally broke my willingness to engage with the story. However much I might like Avry and the details of a world decimated by plague, I'm just not interested in a world so casually and obviously manipulated by the author. I'm deeply disappointed in Snyder whose works I generally otherwise enjoy.
Avry appears to be the last healer and is on the run. When she is captured by a band of men looking for her special talent, she finds herself in a completely untenable position. She deals with it as best she can, getting to know her captors in the process. These friendships are dynamic, though enough simplified to earn my designation of Young Adult. The leader of the band, Kerrick, remains unsympathetic (to Avry, readers have enough distance to discern his motives much sooner than Avry can), though, putting the whole band in a tough spot—do they support Avry or Kerrick as it becomes clear that neither alone has the solution to the problems they face?
I really enjoyed this part of the story, even though it was pretty obvious that Avry suffered from unfounded assumptions that kept her stupid way longer than was really justified. There were enough events that ran counter to her assumptions that she really should have asked clarifying questions at a couple of points and simply didn't for no apparent reason. It's not like she was playing shy or didn't demand answers to awkward questions at pretty much the drop of a hat all the time, anyway. It was really out of character.
Unfortunately, the last quarter of the book (or so) was an egregious example of authorial manipulation. It's the last bit of the book, so this is going to have to be tagged as a spoiler. Unspoilery summary: the villain is an evil, mustache-twirling fiend except that he somehow isn't, probably because the author didn't want to deal with the obvious consequences if he actually were. Only he really is. Only not. You see the problem...
That last problem with the story completely broke immersion for me and fundamentally broke my willingness to engage with the story. However much I might like Avry and the details of a world decimated by plague, I'm just not interested in a world so casually and obviously manipulated by the author. I'm deeply disappointed in Snyder whose works I generally otherwise enjoy.
March 8, 2017
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!
September 21, 2011
This review is for an ARC kindly given to me by the Amazon Vine UK Review program.
Touch of Power is Poison Study good!!! *HUGE CHEER* I haven't enjoyed a book by Maria V Snyder so much in a long time (even though they are usually great); I stayed up reading til all hours and was even late to work because I couldn't put it down! I really hope you agree with me when you get a chance to read it. I would definitely recommend this as required reading for Maria fans ASAP!!
I really liked Maria's new heroine, Avry. She is fierce and stubborn, but also kind and brave. I liked her so much more than Opal from the Glass trilogy. She is as engaging as Yelena from Poison Study without being too much like her... both characters share similarities, but they are not one and the same. Avry is a healer, who can take peoples' illnesses from them as a cure, but she must suffer the illness herself. Fortunately she has an advanced speed of healing, or she'd never get anything done!
The story picks up in the aftermath of a devastating plague, which the healers guild were unable to cure without dying themselves. As a result, healers are not revered by society, but rather they are hunted drifters. Avry finds herself incarcerated, awaiting death, but then is rescued by a motley crew who want her to heal their leader, Ryne, who lies in suspended animation in a magical coma in a distant land. He has a bad reputation, and he has the plague; healing him would kill Avry.
The gang (Kerrick, Belen, Vinn, Quain and Flea) do their best to convince Avry, through any method possible, that she should heal Ryne as they believe he is the only person who can bring all the shreds of their plague-ridden kingdom together and restore order. There are several other potential leaders who disagree though, and they all make a play for Avry to varying success. One develops into a wonderful villain, who just made my skin crawl! (Excellent work Maria!!)
Avry travels with the gang for most of the book, and there is a really beautiful camaraderie which grows between them, after some testing times... of course there is a love interest, and the development of that aspect was simply delicious to read. When there was finally some kissing, I was in seventh heaven!!
What I really enjoy about Maria's writing, as a whole, is that she creates characters with believable skills. I know she often learns these skills herself, and this time I really enjoyed reading about juggling and knife throwing! Magic is also woven very carefully through the seams of the book; no one is all powerful, but some people have really interesting talents. I also love how rich her characters are; I really feel like I know Avry, Belen, Kerrick, and Flea.
I was initially completely baffled by the bizarre mention of the peace and death lilies, giant plants which can consume a man whole, but actually it all made sense in the end, and I am totally gutted that I have to wait for the story to continue!! This has all the makings of a really wonderful fantasy trilogy... now... how long do I have to wait for the next one?!
Touch of Power is Poison Study good!!! *HUGE CHEER* I haven't enjoyed a book by Maria V Snyder so much in a long time (even though they are usually great); I stayed up reading til all hours and was even late to work because I couldn't put it down! I really hope you agree with me when you get a chance to read it. I would definitely recommend this as required reading for Maria fans ASAP!!
I really liked Maria's new heroine, Avry. She is fierce and stubborn, but also kind and brave. I liked her so much more than Opal from the Glass trilogy. She is as engaging as Yelena from Poison Study without being too much like her... both characters share similarities, but they are not one and the same. Avry is a healer, who can take peoples' illnesses from them as a cure, but she must suffer the illness herself. Fortunately she has an advanced speed of healing, or she'd never get anything done!
The story picks up in the aftermath of a devastating plague, which the healers guild were unable to cure without dying themselves. As a result, healers are not revered by society, but rather they are hunted drifters. Avry finds herself incarcerated, awaiting death, but then is rescued by a motley crew who want her to heal their leader, Ryne, who lies in suspended animation in a magical coma in a distant land. He has a bad reputation, and he has the plague; healing him would kill Avry.
The gang (Kerrick, Belen, Vinn, Quain and Flea) do their best to convince Avry, through any method possible, that she should heal Ryne as they believe he is the only person who can bring all the shreds of their plague-ridden kingdom together and restore order. There are several other potential leaders who disagree though, and they all make a play for Avry to varying success. One develops into a wonderful villain, who just made my skin crawl! (Excellent work Maria!!)
Avry travels with the gang for most of the book, and there is a really beautiful camaraderie which grows between them, after some testing times... of course there is a love interest, and the development of that aspect was simply delicious to read. When there was finally some kissing, I was in seventh heaven!!
What I really enjoy about Maria's writing, as a whole, is that she creates characters with believable skills. I know she often learns these skills herself, and this time I really enjoyed reading about juggling and knife throwing! Magic is also woven very carefully through the seams of the book; no one is all powerful, but some people have really interesting talents. I also love how rich her characters are; I really feel like I know Avry, Belen, Kerrick, and Flea.
I was initially completely baffled by the bizarre mention of the peace and death lilies, giant plants which can consume a man whole, but actually it all made sense in the end, and I am totally gutted that I have to wait for the story to continue!! This has all the makings of a really wonderful fantasy trilogy... now... how long do I have to wait for the next one?!
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