"Touch of Power" by Maria V. Snyder

Title: Touch of Power

Author: Maria V. Snyder

Series: Healer, #1

My rating: 5 of 5

(Book reread from March 22nd to April 5th, 2014.)  

 

 

Summary:

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.

 

My Thoughts on the Book:

I actually read this book for the first time in 2011, and I rated it 3.5 of 5, which means that I only liked it a lot. Some parts I loved, but some didn't, though now I'm pretty sure that was only because of my mood at the time. So, now, when I was rereading it, I knew I will change the rating, and I kept thinking "What was I thinking?", because this book is so awesome, actually it's pretty much perfect & now it's one of my favs!

First of all, I love the story. From the way it started, to the way it developed, to its very end. It made me smile, it made me teary-eyed, and kept me in suspense, even though I knew what will happen, it was still quite the adventure & I can't recommend it enough.

And of course, I loved the world, and I loved the characters. Avry is such an amazing heroine. She's smart, persistant, quick-on-her-feet, brave, and so, so good, yet she can be bad-ass, too, so of course I loved her. Even after everything she's been through, she keeps going. She's a survivor, and for her to be still alive in her world - she had to be one.

I loved Kerrick, too. Yeah, he acts bad at the beginning, but I just knew there's a heart of gold under there, and his powers are so amazing, and I actually loved all the bickering between him & Avry, as well as between him & Belen, Flea & the rest. They're such an amazing "family", and all of them had captured a part of my heart, especially Belen & Flea.

And then there's our main villain - Tohon. I actually found him quite scary. Why? Well, even though he's so intelligent & so evil & so powerful, what made him more villainous was the way he could use some of his powers, and that he actually doesn't look evil. Apparently he's quite hot & handsome. All of that combined I found plain scary & unfair, and that actually makes him quite the villain in my eyes.

I won't go into details, but if you still haven't read this book and you love fantasy, than this is the book for you & I highly recommend it. Maria V. Snyder is an amazing author, that creates worlds & stories filled with amazing characters that will suck you in & never let you go, and I know I'll never get enough of reading her books!