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Book Review: Scent of Magic by Maria V. Snyder

Dec 3 |07:30

It’s pretty much a guarantee that I’ll read anything by Maria V. Snyder that obviously includes Scent of Magic, her newest book. This is the second book in the Healer series, and I’m loving where things are going.

Book Review: Scent of Magic by Maria V. Snyder

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Title & Author: Scent of Magic by Maria V. Snyder

Genre: YA Fantasy

Release Date: December 15, 2011

Series: #2 in the Healer series

Publisher: Harlequin MIRA

How I Got the Book: ARC via NetGalley

Description:

“Hunted, Killed—Survived?

As the last Healer in the Fifteen Realms, Avry of Kazan is in a unique position: in the minds of her friends and foes alike, she no longer exists. Despite her need to prevent the megalomanical King Tohon from winning control of the Realms, Avry is also determined to find her sister and repair their estrangement. And she must do it alone, as Kerrick, her partner and sole confident, returns to Alga to summon his country into battle.

Though she should be in hiding, Avry will do whatever she can to support Tohon’s opponents. Including infiltrating a holy army, evading magic sniffers, teaching forest skills to soldiers and figuring out how to stop Tohon’s most horrible creations yet; an army of the walking dead—human and animal alike and nearly impossible to defeat.

War is coming and Avry is alone. Unless she figures out how to do the impossible … again.”

War & BFFs

Something that Snyder includes in her books time and time again are awesome friendships. She nails the funny banter, occasional arguments and frequent overprotectiveness that have their place in great friendships.

On that front, Scent of Magic delivers. Avry becomes part of an army that is resisting Tohon’s forces and must prove herself to the group of hardened soldiers.

For me, the relationships are what really drove this story. I’m not one for tactical details and military strategy. The information confuses things for me, especially if the author expects their readers like me to keep up.

Scent of Magic doesn’t have a TON of that, but there are definitely moments were I zoned out a bit due to a slight lack of interest.

Also, I had a bit of trouble reconnecting to the story. Scent of Magic picks up almost exactly where it left off in Touch of Power.

In most books, there’s almost an annoying amount of recap from the previous book. Not so here. If you haven’t just read Touch of Power, I recommend giving yourself a brief refresher to avoid becoming really confused.

Another slight bummer was that Avry actually doesn’t use her healing powers much in this book. She’s trying to hide who she really is to keep her cover, so healing is a no-go. ALSO, don’t get too attached to any characters because Snyder will CRUSH YOUR EMOTIONS!

…that’s as much as I’ll say about that.

Things you can look forward to:

Hilarious dialogue
Romance worth swooning over
Twists and turns

OVERALL:

Snyder does it again – woo me with her solid storytelling, skilled world-buidling and amazing friendships. I definitely recommend Scent of Magic and the Healer series!

Win a Signed Copy of Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder

Dec 20 |01:00

Courtesy of Maria V. Snyder, I’m giving away one SIGNED copy of Touch of Power!

Read more about Touch of Power on the blog:

Check out my Author Interview with Maria
Read my review of Touch of Power

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks for entering the Touch of Power giveaway! Good luck!

Touch of Power Interview with Maria V. Snyder

Dec 19 |00:00

Today, Maria V. Snyder has answered some questions newest book coming out December 20- Touch of Power – and about writing and her future works.Thank you so much Maria for being on the blog!

P.S. I would definitely check out the blog tomorrow…so you can enter to win a SIGNED copy of Touch of Power!

Interview with Maria V. Snyder

1Your characters always feel so fleshed out- Flea, Belen and, not to mention Avry, are all so complex and interesting. Are any of your characters based on actual people?

A) I do borrow some traits from the people I know for some of my characters. For example, Flea is a combination of my son, and his friend, Ben. My son’s soccer team gave Ben the nickname Flea because he was smaller and younger than the other boys, but he was fast and determined.

2So many YA novels involve “instalove,” or the almost instantaneous attraction and falling in love of characters. That is one of the many reasons why I appreciate the slow-but-steady romances in your books. What do you think about the instalove trend?

A) I think there is something fun about instalove – I remember being a teen and seeing that guy! So swoon worthy! And I do know one couple who had that instant, love at first sight romance and are still together. But I like to be more realistic in my books, and the “hate at first sight” is way more fun to write about and I like showing how characters can change.

3The plague in Touch of Power seems very similar to the real plague Black Death that happened during the Middle Ages. How similar are the two diseases?

A) I’m not sure. I did research the Black Death, but I focused more on what the survivors did after everyone died. I didn’t look into the symptoms, I just created my own disease to suit the story, which is why I like writing fiction

4I’m no doctor, but Avry’s experiences healing others’ injuries seem pretty anatomically correct. Did you do any type of medical research to write Touch of Power? Did you see any of the wounds you described in person?

A) I did have a few interesting conversations with my doctor about various injuries. The Internet was also helpful, but I didn’t work at a hospital or anything like that. Although I used to be a candy stripper when I was younger

5Touch of Power is your 9th novel (woo hoo!!). Has the creative/writing process changed since writing your first novel? How so?

A) One thing that has changed is I have deadlines now so I don’t have as much time to write. It took me three years to write my first book, and six months to write Touch of Power. I also need to write a synopsis before I start the novel in order to get the story approved. The creative process is the same – I’m still a seat-of-the-pants writer and don’t ever follow my synopsis, but my editor is used to that

6You’ve explored some unique types of magic in your books- healing in Touch of Power, glass magic in the Glass series and soul magic in the Study series. Can you give us any hints as what types of magic you’ll explore in future books?

A) I’d like to explore what happens to lightning strike survivors, and would love to write an urban fantasy with that concept.

7When will the next Healer book be released (if you can reveal that info)?

A) Scent of Magic is scheduled for a January 2013 release.

8Is there anything else you would like to add about Touch of Power, writing, etc?

A) I’d like to talk about Avry’s healing powers. She has to take on the injury or illness and then heal herself. Yelena has this power as well, but it was a side effect to her other magic. I really wanted to explore that aspect of healing. The ability to heal with magic is very appealing to me. As a mother, I hate to see my children sick or injured and always wish I could make it all go away. I also have to give credit to an old Star Trek episode titled The Empath about a race of healers/empaths who would can take on the injury or illness of another. I watched all the Star Trek episodes, but this one always stayed with me.

Also thanks so much for inviting me on your blog. If your readers would like more info about me and my books, I have the first chapter of all my books on my website as well as a number of free short stories they can read. Here’s the link: Mariavsnyder.com And my blog is: officialmariavsnyder.blogspot.com

Don’t forget to come back tomorrow and enter to win a SIGNED copy of Touch of Power!

Book Review: Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder

Dec 1 |09:14

Touch of Power was another fantastic book from an author who’s only improving with time.

Book Review: Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder

GoodReads | Amazon| Author Website

Title & Author: Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder

Genre: Fantasy

Release Date: December 20, 2011

Series: 1st in a planned series

Publisher: Mira

How I Got the Book: ARC via NetGalley

Description:

“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…”

Another Hit

I’ve been on a book-reading roll lately. Every book I’ve picked up has been gold. Touch of Power was no different.

One of the great things about Maria V. Snyder is that I feel like I can trust her. I’ve read all 9 of her books and she has wow’ed and surprised me in every one. She has some really original ideas, which she always executes beautifully.

In Touch of Power, it was refreshing once again (like in Outside In) to read about new characters in a new world. I loved the Poison Study and Storm Glass series, but it was nice to sort of have a clean slate reading once again.

One thing you can pretty much count in on Synder’s books are characters who are fleshed out and who feel so real. Avry and her “band of rogues” have a wonderfully hilarious camaraderie, which wasn’t easily won.

Flea and Belen, two of men in her group, are particularly well-rounded characters. They each have interesting back-stories and don’t act in predictable or cliched ways.

She’s got the Pow-ah!

One of the things I enjoyed the most about Touch of Power was Avry’s healing abilities. It’s described so well and is the most interesting way I’ve ever heard healing portrayed in fantasy books.

When Avry heals someone she basically takes on their injury onto herself because her body heals 10 times faster than a regular person. But, she still suffers. If you have a broken leg and Avry heals you, she experiences the same pain and physical injuries that you just had.

Aside from the great characters and interesting fantasy elements, Snyder is just a downright fantastic storyteller. There’s so much depth and interest to her books. Yes, we follow Avry in Touch of Power, but I felt invested in Kerrick’s story (the band’s leader) and the odd things happening with the Death and Peace Lillies.

There’s so much going on but it all makes sense, has it’s place and is well-balanced.

OVERALL:

I am thrilled to have read such an amazing book by one of my all-time favorite authors. This novel was packed with fun friendships, budding romance and intriguing mystery. I’m sure it’s no surprise after this review that I loved this book! Pick up Touch of Power December 20 (it’ll make a great Christmas present, I’m sure! )

Waiting on Wednesday: Touch of Power by Maria V. Synder

Oct 19 |08:00

“Waiting On Wednesday” is a weekly event hosted at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that bloggers are eagerly anticipating.

Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder

Title & Author: Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder

Genre: YA- Fantasy

Publication Date: December 20, 2011

Description:

“Laying hands upon the injured and dying, Avry of Kazan assumes 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 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—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….”

Why I’m Stoked:I have adored all of Maria V. Snyder’s books, and I don’t think this book will be any different.I love the premise- healers aren’t a super popular topic in YA/fantasy. Plus! This book in on NetGalley right now, so request your copy pronto!

What books are you waiting on this week?

Posts Tagged ‘Maria V. Snyder’

Book Review: Scent of Magic by Maria V. Snyder