{Review} Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder

Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

GENRE: Fantasy, Romance, Adventure
THEME: Magic
RECEIVED: For Review from Mira/Harlequin
AUTHORS BLOG: Maria V. Snyder's Site


BLURB:

Laying hands upon the injured and dying, Avry of Kazan absorbs their wounds and diseases into herself. But rather than being honored for her skills, she is hunted. Healers like Avry are accused of spreading the plague that has decimated the Fifteen Realms, 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—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. Because the price of peace may well be her life...

REVIEW:
If you’re a fan of Maria V.  Snyder’s Study Series, then you will be mesmerized her new Healer Series Touch of Power.  It had the same wow factor as Poison Study did to me, with the unique world, the addicting characters and magic that I couldn’t get enough of.

Avry of Kazan has been on the run for many years, she is a Healer, and her kind as been accused of spreading the horrible plague that has taken millions of lives in all the realms. She is finally caught after healing a child and ready for her end, until a man abducts her from a prison because he’s in need of her healing power. He and is group of rogues need Avry to heal a powerful friend. They have to travel a long distance to get to him, all the while trying to convince her to heal their Prince, a man whom Avry despises.

Avry is a smart girl, who loved the life of healing those in need. But once the horrible plague hit, her life turned upside down and soon she had a bounty on her head. As Avry travels with the rogues, she finally feels safeness with them as she learns they aren’t all-bad. Some of her decisions, even though she thought they were the right one, I caught myself wanting to yell at her. It showed how much Snyder’s writing really captivated me that I wanted to help the character myself.

Kerrick, the leader of the rogues, a very rude and stubborn man,  makes it tough for Avry as they travel the realm to help his friend. Though he has his ups and downs I loved this man. He reminded me of Valek from the Studies Series, with his mysterious demeanor.  Kerrick believes his prince and friend can help prevent a horrible war from breaking out between the realms, but he needs to convince Avry that he’s right.  I really enjoyed the love; hate relationship that Kerrick and Avry carried through the book.

The most interesting aspect of Touch of Power was these Lilies that possessed a unique power. One of a death lily and one a Peace Lily, they were almost like characters themselves and hold a huge importance to the storyline and connection to Avry.

Overall, this was top notch for me; I loved every part of it and now really wish that the second book were coming out sooner.  The characters were captivating, each with their own part that I loved, the group of rouges kept me smiling with their humor and wit. While Kerrick and Avry made the novel so addicting, with the own magic that they carried. I highly recommend this series to fans of fantasy, romance, adventure and of course magic!

RECOMMENDATION:
This is a young adult/ adult novel that everyone should get their hands on asap! Fans of Snyder’s Study series will understand why I loved Touch of Power so much. If you enjoyed Kristin Cashore’s Seven Graceling and Fire then this is the book for you!

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