VeganYANerds: Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder

Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder
Published: 2012 by Harlequin Teen Aus
Source: won from Celine
Rating: 4 paws (Mands), 4 paws (Maree)

From the blurb: 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.

Mands: Hey gang! Today I'm back with Maree for a joint review of Touch of Power!
Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder is the first book in her Healer series. I won’t give a summary as the blurb for this one does a good job of giving you an idea of the story. I won this last year and let it sit on my shelf, for some reason I wasn't expecting this to be very good or perhaps just not for me, and how wrong I was!

Maree: As I've mentioned plenty of times before, I am not a huge reader of fantasy books. The only real fantasy I've read is Seraphina by Rachel Hartman and that was wonderful. When the opportunity to read and review Touch of Power came up I jumped at the chance to read some more fantasy. I also remember my friends telling me to read some of Snyder's other series, so I thought it was the perfect opportunity to try an unfamiliar genre and find a new author. Although, I have to admit I still wasn't expecting to enjoy this as much as I did.

Mands: The plot and world-building were well done and I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed this and how easy it was to lose myself in Avry’s story. I kept guessing at things that might happen, some I was right about, others turned out differently. I really appreciated the focus on the friendship between the gang, rather than the potential romance between Avry and Kerrick.

Maree: I agree, I thought the world building in Touch of Power was excellent and it was so easy to become absorbed in the world. It felt like everything was revealed at just the right time and I never felt bogged down with too much information at once. Snyder did a fantastic job of setting up the background history of The Fifteen Realms, I found it easy as a reader to understand and empathise with Avry's situation.

Mands: You’re so right, the history and info was never boring and it didn't slow the story at all, I felt completely involved in Avry’s world right from the beginning and I didn't want to put this book down.

Maree: Where Touch of Power excelled for me was in the pacing. For me it felt like just the right ratio of action scenes. So much happens in this book that it would be easy to feel overwhelmed, but there was also enough mystery to keep me constantly engaged with the story. The shockingly long time it took me to read this was in no way a reflection of how much I enjoyed it.

Mands: I took my time with this one, too, and I think in a way we were savouring the book, I know I didn't want it to end!

Maree: Definitely! I am really looking forward to reading book two - I can't wait to be with these character in this world again. Avry was such a strong character. I was actually quite surprised when I realised she was in her twenties, but I was also really pleased as I think Snyder gave her character so much more maturity than a young teenager would have had. She has been forced to grow up quickly and is suspicious of people. I felt for her, having been on the run and alone for so long and I was hopeful that she would realise the gang actually really cared for her.

Now head on over to Maree's blog to read the rest of our review!

23 comments:

elena said...: I've only heard good things about this series so I'm glad you both enjoyed it so much! I love that the plot and world building were well done, definitely a plus. Great review, you two!; 15 February 2013 8:51 am
Sarah (Escaping Through Books) said...: I loved this book and its slow building romance and wonderful characters (like Belan!) I'm kind of scared to read Book 2 because I'm afraid it won't live up to my expectations (because while I loved Poison Study, the second book of that series was a major disappointment).

The Australian cover is so much prettier than the U.S. cover... No fair!; 15 February 2013 9:18 am
Maree said...: What a lovely review Mands ;) hehe. I love your cover so much, I mean, I like mine, but I think yours sums of the series and the book so much better! Great working with you again! xo; 15 February 2013 9:25 am
Jasprit said...: Yay I love these joint reviews! I've been getting into fantasy books a lot more lately now too, and even though I had heard of Snyder's books I didn't know where to start, so your praising joint review has certainly given me a push in the right direction to give this book a try! Plus I love the cover, it's so gorgeous! :); 15 February 2013 9:35 am
bigskybooks said...: What a fun review! I can almost picture you two talking to a camera with a fireplace fire crackling in the background...though I guess it's not really fireplace season in the land down under...HMMM.

Anyway, I've heard so many great things about Snyder's other series, and it's good to know that this one should be good, too!; 15 February 2013 9:37 am
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Reynje said...: Loving the joint reviews ladies :) I've only read Snyder's Inside Out and Outside In books.. but I've heard great things about her fantasy novels.; 15 February 2013 9:20 pm
Renu said...: I love this review, ladies! It was fun to read. :) I loved this book and the 2nd one is just as good. I'm dying to get my hands on the final one now!; 15 February 2013 10:28 pm
Micheline D said...: Thrilled that you ladies enjoyed this one - it's been pretty high up on my reading list for some time now but I'm even more excited to check it out now! I'm a big fan of fantasy so I think I'll love this. I love how you both brought out how you appreciated the world-building & pacing in this one! Brilliant review :D; 16 February 2013 4:44 am
Keertana said...: Yay! I'm so happy you two liked this one. I loved Synder's Poison Study Series, but wasn't a fan of anything else by her. I think I'll give this a try after all. Great joint review!(:; 16 February 2013 6:10 am
Heidi@Rainy Day Ramblings said...: I skipped this one because it got such mixed reviews last year, but then I was sorry when I started to read the reviews for the sequel. I am all about good world building and it seems you both agree this has excellent world building. Looks like I need to rethink this one!; 16 February 2013 6:13 am
Adriana (BooksOnHerMind) said...: Love this gorgeous cover! I haven't heard of it until now (that happens a lot with me). It's by Snyder too! I'm reading Poison Study by her soon.
I just read a review where this girl brought up how there isn't that much focus on friendships in YA which is funny since you just brought it up. I like romance in books but focusing on friendships are a little more rewarding sometimes. The action sounds great. In other books I've noticed when there is too much action in a book and it just messes up the book for me. That's not fair! There's more? I'll have to go check it out. Thanks for letting me know about this book. There is another healer type book that I read awhile ago called Banished by Sophie Littlefield you might enjoy.; 16 February 2013 11:43 am
Book Whales said...: Cute Cat!!! I enjoyed this book and I love your thorough review on this.

-Dannielle; 16 February 2013 12:48 pm
Candace said...: Oh I loved this book! I hadn't read any of her fantasy books until I read this one and completely fell in love. And I'm actually thinking that I might pick up the second book for my next read. It's calling my name right now!

I'm off to read the rest of this review...; 16 February 2013 1:57 pm
Sam said...: Great joint review, ladies! I'm glad you both enjoyed this book. I loved this author's previous novels and look forward to getting into her new series.; 16 February 2013 11:44 pm
Cassie @ KnowsProse said...: Very nice joint review! You guys work great together. I also like getting to see the difference in the book covers. It's been awhile (years, I think) since I read a story that focused on a healer. They tend to be side characters. This one looks like a winner. :); 17 February 2013 3:14 am
Bookworm1858 said...: I really loved this book-didn't think the second was quite as good because Avry and Kerrick are separated :( although Avry continues to grow and be awesome!; 17 February 2013 5:31 am
Livvy said...: I liked the joint review, I'll be off to check out the second half. I really liked the Snyder book I read.

I'm glad to hear the information didn't bog the storyline down at all.

Great review! :); 17 February 2013 7:48 am
Heidi said...: I'm glad to see both you ladies ended up enjoying this one more than expected! As someone who is a really big fantasy fan, I really need to take a time out and read some of Snyder's work--I'm a huge fan of good world building!; 17 February 2013 2:36 pm
Maja (The Nocturnal Library) said...: I've never seen that cover, but I absolutely adore it. It's much prettier than the other one. Such great worldbuilding gives me hope that I might like this one as well. I'm willing to overlook almost anything if the worldbuilding is good enough, so I'll have to try this one sooner rather than later.
Great review(s).; 17 February 2013 9:12 pm
Sana said...: Despite seeing this book all over the internet and then some, I never ventured beyond the cover because it was so not to my liking. However, I like the Australian cover so much better than the US one. Moreover, it's great that the world-building is done nicely and that it is easy to connect to the main character.

Off to check out the rest of the review.

Sana @ artsy musings of a bibliophile; 21 February 2013 2:14 pm
Sharon ObsessionwithBooks said...: I loved this book, fantasy for me has been hit or miss lately but I loved the characters and the world-building in this, I can't wait to start on Scent of Power; I've heard it's just as amazing!

A wonderful joint review! Its great you both enjoyed it. Thank-you for sharing (& also for the copy x); 22 February 2013 8:26 pm
Alexa Y. said...: I'm so glad that you guys enjoyed this one, because I loved it! It was my first experience with Maria Snyder's writing, and I have to say that it was pretty addictive. Hope you guys get to read the sequel soon!; 2 March 2013 7:00 am