 Title: Touch of Power
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This is the first book I’ve read by Maria Snyder. I admit, I was sold on the cover alone, yes, I’m a cover person! You know when some books just work for you? Well, this was one of those books. If a character resonates with me in any way, the story is likely to follow suit. That’s what happened with this book. It was an easy and very entertaining book to read. Touch of Power is fantasy with a touch (a very small one) of romance.
We are introduced to Avry, the last healer to exist. Her kind has been killed and blamed for the plague that hit and devestated the Realms. The healers that didn’t die with the disease, were executed. The opening chapter is filled with reasons why Avry is a likeable heroine. She’s brave, kind and endearing. As a healer, she is compelled to heal, no matter what the consequences. Snyder could have made her helpless, and while she is in some unforeseeable circumstances, her personality is not helpless. She’s smart and resourceful. She is really the strength in this book, the character depth of Avry is the highlight of this enjoyable read.
Enter Kerrick and his rogue crew, who try to convince Avry that she must heal their leader, who has the plague, but has been magically frozen awaiting some kind of miracle or healer. The entire group of characters are all entertaining with individual personalities and character traits and flaws, that make them all likeable and believable. There is great chemistry between Avry and Kerrick which builds naturally.
The world that Snyder creates is interesting and the concept of healers intrigued me. The story weaves itself nearly seamlessly and the pacing is better than okay but not much. There are some parts however, where the pacing completely slows down, and at other instances, the passing of time is covered in a couple of pages. We discover what really happened to the healers, and little bits of Avery are also revealed along the way. There are the fifteen kingdoms, all with their own set of politics, which serves to explain why the comatose king is in the position he’s in. Snyder creates a medieval picture complete with castles and princes, and different types of magic power, all tied to the earth, sun and moon. I especially enjoyed the human eating flowers, great concept and explained well!
There isn’t a lot of backstory, which, in a novel this short in length, works to Snyder’s advantage. She explains enough, keeping it simple, easy to follow and interesting. Ending is predictable, but I was in the mood for a quick and light read, and that is exactly what I got. I will definitely continue with this series.
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 December 18, 2012 |
About the Blogger
I review Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance books with a focus all things werewolf. Based out of Ottawa, Canada
My name is Sue Miller and I live in Toronto, Ontario. I dabble in writing and obsess in reading anything I can, especially fantasy and YA. I spend countless hours on Goodreads, twitter and blog reading. If I fall in love with a book I immediately go to the author’s website and devour details on how he/she writes. I’m also a music junkie and have playlists for all of my favorite books. My guilty pleasure is video games – fantasy of course.
Great review Sue, like you I am a cover whore. I like the sound of the world Synder created and am glad you connected with the characters. I totally agree that sometimes predictability is OK and something I enjoy. This sounds like a fun, easy read.
@kimbacaffeinate Thanks for reading. Lol, I’m taking a Marketing Class and everyone was horrified that I won’t consider a book if the cover isn’t interesting enough. I will consider if it’s recommended of course, but damn it, I want a pretty cover!