[Book Review] Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder

Attempt at a 'proper' review for my first blog post, heheh. Hope its not too bad. I went through this pretty fast so I didn't take notes or anything. 

This book reminds me of Trudi Canavan's Magician's Guild trilogy a little, probably because of the healing abilities of the main character Avry. But while the healers in Magician's Guild become exhausted if he or she uses her magic too much, the healers in Touch of Power actually absorb the sickness or injuries of their patients into themselves!

I've previously read Poison Study and Magic Study, also by Maria V. Snyder and enjoyed them. Therefore, I had expectations when it came to this book and...it did not disappoint. 

When a mysterious plague sweeps through the Fifteen Realms, fingers point towards the healer magicians and they are accused of being the cause and their inability to heal the plague only condemns them more. They are hunted down and killed. Avry, the heroine, is a healer and she is captured after she exposes herself by healing a little girl.  She is then rescued by a band of men led by Kerrick-- who wants her to use her abilities to heal a prince. Together, they travel across the lands while being hunted by mercenaries and other powers who want to conquer the realms.

I enjoyed this book and a thing that sets it apart from other high fantasy novels is the casual language. It threw me off a little when I first started but I got used to it after awhile. The world created by Ms. Snyder is interesting and there is still much unknown about the Fifteen Realms. The main character, Avry is a spunky heroine and no damsel in distress. As she travels with Kerrick and the others, she eventually comes out of her shell and becomes friends with them. She won't hesitate to use her powers to defend herself and her new found friends if the situation arises. The secondary characters like big hearted Belen (who is among the men who rescued/captured Avry) are also likable.

The only issue I have is the romance part...it seemed so sudden and I would have preferred if it had developed more, maybe in another book or two before the characters declaring love for each other.