Touch of Power: Book Review

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Book: Touch of Power (Healer #1)

Author: Maria V. Snyder

Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult

Pages: Paperback 390 Rating (out of ten): 8.8

Cover Rating: US - 7.1

UK - 9

Tropes:

• On the run/Being hunted

• Magic

• Mages/Wizards

• Plague

Brief Description:

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.

Initial thoughts: I tried reading this book before, but after 20 pages it just didn't grab my attention, so I moved on to something else. Now, after picking it up for the second time, I was captivated and wanted to read more. I have heard about the book from a reliable booktuber, abookutopia, and was super excited to read this adventurous and great story. I trust Sasha’s, opinion and was super excited to learn more about this story. More importantly, the plot sounded very interesting and unlike anything I have heard of before.

Characters:

Avry: Avry was such a great main character with the faults of any human, but still keeping a fairly pure heart. She is healer who has been on the run since the breakout of the plague, but now, at age 20, has been picked up by a group of strange men on a mission to heal someone. Avry comes from a family that has been lost to the plague and forced to live on her own after the tragic breakout. She has a strong willed and determined personality, while also having leadership skills and an incredible intelligence. She is also very kind, with a nurturing personality, which goes well with her healer abilities. She has made many connections with people and continues to persevere in an unfamiliar and dangerous environment.

Kerrick: Kerrick is a prince who has rejected his throne in order to help bring peace to the other nations and fix their broken society. He is roughly 26 years old and has been searching for a healer for 2 years in order to save his friend, who’s going to potentially save the world. Kerrick has gone through a long character journey throughout this book. He starts out as a person we don't know if we can trust, but soon his true colors are revealed. He is determined and follows rules religiously. Although, it is later shown he has more of a caring side and will not leave anyone he truly cares about behind. He is very level-headed and mysterious, which leaves a lot to wonder about when it comes to his true self.

Belen: I love Belen so much! Strangely, he give me Emmet vibes (from Twilight), but maybe that’s just because of his bear like body and caring personality. He is the brawn of the group, as well as brains, but mostly brawn. He goes by the name of Poppa Bear, who takes care of all the little cubs of his squad. He has been looking out for the other group members, as well as Avry, since the beginning of their journey and has definitely taken on the parent role. He is the most sensitive out of the squad and would definitely be the type of person to give really sentimental gifts. He is willing to do anything to protect those he loves and won't leave anyone behind.

Quain: Quain is another member of the squad and has been traveling, along with his brother Loren, to find a healer to “save the world”. He has been really friendly towards Avry, as she is the newcomer, and has built a great friendship with her. He is normally seen joking around with his brother and the rest of the squad.

Loren: Loren is a part of the squad, and brother of Quain, who immediately struck up a great friendship with Avry. He has been traveling with the squad for quite some time, but was not originally with the group and joined the team a little ways into the journey. He is a jokester and has an uncanny ability to lighten the mood during an intense or somber time.

Flea: Flea is the honestly one of the sweetest boys I've ever read about. He gave me such a good and warm feeling because of his adolescence and childlike personality, while still being mature when it is needed. He is about 16 years old and was picked up by the group, basically being raised by the squad and immediately became friends with Avry. He is determined and truly looks up the members of the squad, as he would do anything to protect them and fulfill their mission.

Ryne: I honestly didn’t know what to think about Ryne in the beginning of the book. He was a conflicting character and I still don’t know what he plans to do. 2 years prior from this book, Ryne got the plague, but was frozen in time in order for his companions to find a healer to save him, so he can fix the messed up world. We don't know his plans yet, but they must be good to be willing to sacrifice a healer for his life. For the most part, I can't say much about him without giving away spoilers, but his complex and mysterious character is yet to be elaborated on.

Tohon: I don’t know how I felt about Tohon in the beginning of the book because after reading Sarah J Maas books, I have trust issues and don’t know who is evil and who is not. Toron is one of the leading powers of the world, determined to take over all 15 realms, but we don't know what he’s planning once he’s in control. It has been revealed he is cunning and manipulative, as well as intelligent and a bit crazy.

*Light spoilers beyond this point, You have been warned!

Conflict:

The Healers, including Avry, are being targeted and killed.

The realms are in chaos and need to be united with peace.

Avry and the squad must save Ryne, but at what cost?

Strengths: This book dived right into the action and immediately immersed me into this new world full of magic and wonderous adventures. The premise of the story was very original and interesting compared to the many plots of other young adult novels, which seem to frequently repeat each other. This story was fresh, new, and a great changes from the generic stories you can find in the young adult section of Barnes and Nobles. I especially enjoyed that this book had well developed and genuinely interesting characters with diverse backgrounds and poignant personalities. Not only were the characters great, but the interactions between them were fantastic, especially the romance. The romance was a great part of the story, but wasn’t the main point and sort of sat on the back burner while the rest of the plot driven story took off. The romance was subtle, but just as spellbinding as the rest of the book. One of the things that sort of surprised me was the timing throughout the book. The characters were on a long journey, but the timing and places the characters traveled was logical and delightful to read.

Weaknesses: There weren’t many weaknesses that impacted the story. The only weakness I would say is the main character was almost unrealistically good. Well, all characters mostly are good, but have to have flaws which make them more appealing and relatable. Avry was such a great character and had some bad parts to her, but not a lot, which isn't a bad thing because it works well with her character, but it would have been nice to see more internal conflict with good and evil in her.

Recommended For: I would recommend this book to anyone who’s into the fantasy genre, or just fiction, because this book was so amazing I bet anyone would like it. This is also a great book for anyone who wants to get into the fantasy genre and doesn't know where to start. If you like Graceling by Kristin Cashore, Poison Study by Maria V Snyder, or the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J Maas, you’ll like Touch of Power.

Overall thoughts: This book has most definitely become one of my top favorite books. This story has it all, the amazing world building and conflict development, along with my favorite, the elaborate and extensive character development and personality. The world and characters crafted by Maria V Snyder have captivated me and added a new book to my favorites list. I can’t wait for the next book in this series and what other books Maria V Snyder has to offer.

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