Series: Healer #1
Publisher: Harlequin MIRA
Publish Date: December 18th, 2012
Source: ARC via NetGalley
Goodreads

Rating: 5/5 Peace Lilys

Synopsis: 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… -Goodreads

Review: I have been a big fan of Maria V. Snyder’s fantasy work for quite a few years now so I was really excited to see how she would go about creating a whole new world, after so many people fell in love with her Study series. I was not disappointed. If anything, I may actually be even more in love with this series than the last two.

For me, it all comes down to the world building. Touch of Power introduces us to a wonderful combination of fantasy and dystopian. Things are going badly for everyone and big changes need to be made… plus, there’s magic! I was hooked within the first two chapters.

One thing I have always appreciated about Maria V. Snyder’s books, is that the romance is never too forceful. It tends to be a nice addition to the story, but never shoved down your throat. This holds true for Touch of Power as well, and I really enjoyed it. I was almost rooting for someone else to be the love interest.

All of the characters were pretty fantastic which made for some really heart-wrenching moments. I’m really curious to see how all of the character relationships develop over the course of what I’m sure will be a fairly epic series.

Highly recommended! Also, if you haven’t tried the Study series by Maria V. Snyder yet, check it out! It was originally a fantasy series but was recently repackaged as a YA series, so it has something to offer to a lot of different readers.

Buy Touch of Power
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Second Opinions:
@Once Upon A Time
@Book Passion For Life
@The Sweet Bookshelf