Review: Touch Of Power by Maria V. Snyder

                                                                               



Touch of Power
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Touch Of Power

Maria V. Snyder

Paperback 390 pages

Published: December 20th 2011 by Mira

ISBN: 0778313077 (ISBN13: 9780778313076)

Series: Healer #1

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Adventure

Borrowed From Library

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...


Review:  Loved It!! Fantasy, strong female heroine, fast-paced adventure, laced with humor and intrigue.

First, I want to share my thoughts of this book cover, with you. This cover is what first drew me into this book. Loved the colors, flowers, and the castle in the background. I love a good fantasy read especially with a female heroine in it. So, I was excited to finally read this book.

Maria V. Snyder is an author I've never heard of, until seeing and reading this book. I'm so glad I took the plunge and started her book. She drags you into her fantasy/adventure series and has you fall for the characters. This book had all the elements I love in a fantasy book, strong characters, female heroine, adventure, magic, and a growing love story. I'll be looking forward to reading Maria's other books and cannot wait to revisit Avry and the others as their adventure continues!

Avry is a young woman who has the power to heal with her touch. She's smart, savvy, and has alot of heart. Healers, like Avry were once liked and accepted, until the plague. The plague that would kill many in the Fifteen Realms, rumored to have been started by the Healers. Avry must live in exile and must hide her identity, before she is used or killed for her gift. Reminiscent of the Salem Witch trials, ignorance of the people have left them in fear and bounties are placed on the heads of the Healers. Avry is constantly on the run, until one day when she is caught and set to be prosecuted. Jailed and destined for an early grave, she is saved by a group of men. These men have a purpose to finding one of the last healers left in existence, to save their friend, and Prince.

Prince Ryne has fallen ill, with the plague, and is only kept alive in cased in magic in a far off cave. Avry is not a fan of the Prince, and tells the group of men she will not heal him, but she must journey with the men who saved her from death now, that there is a bounty on her head. They continually save her, from groups of mercenaries, looking for her. 

The men and Avry will have to journey to Prince Ryne's hideout. It is a long and adventurous journey, The leader of the group is Kerrick. He is smart, and infused with magic and mystery. Avry and Kerrick don't get along, and he basically treats her with a hard attitude. She in-turn gives it right back too him, and grows to dislike him more and more. As their journey continues, Avry is slowly coming to enjoy the friendship between the men as she is accepted into their circle of friendship. Kerrick is hard pressed for time, but shows heart in the decisions he makes, and slowly you see him falling for Avery, but he never shows his emotions to her. She thinks he is a pompous a**, but she slowly wishes he would like her. Though, she knows his heart could never choose her, and all of his actions are for saving the Prince.

The friendships between Avery and the group, is fun, and shows heart. The secondary characters in this book held my interest, as they were a vital part in the story. The men in the group brought out the lighter side of the ongoing tension Other than, Kerrick(who deep down inside, is mysterious with his feelings toward Avry) the rest of the small group embrace and grow to like Avery, and she and the men enjoy the each others company.

I'm not going to spoil the rest of the plot for you, just know that the book gets better with each turn paging chapter.
The adventure heats up as well as the emotions, as we are introduced to villains, and Avry is thrust into this villains world, he who has the power to control her emotions....

You will not be able to put this book down and will be left with a slight annoyance, because the next book in the series will be published in 2013. Though it's a happy annoyance, I still am highly awaiting their journey to continue and see where it may lead them. I must add one more thought, even though this book is listed under the young adult genre it is highly enjoyable for adults as well as young adults, and should not be overlooked.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

Stacking The Shelves #1

Stacking The Shelves is all about the books we are adding to our shelves each week, sharing with you our excitement for our newest titles and maybe have you discover a new book in the process!

Tynga Reviews: http://www.tyngasreviews.com/ 





Hi everyone! Thanks for stopping by!! Leave your comments and links to your site, and I'll visit, soon. Have a great week!!!

I Finished a few books, and started The Final Days by Rhiannon Frater--Freakin' awesome, so far. Also, check out all the goodie's I got this week!! Thanks ~Lisa


WON:   1st.  WIN EVER!!!  LOL YAY!!  Thanks Harper Teen and Goodreads

 I received for review: Thanks NG, St. Martin's Press, Egmont






Glitch





Timepiece







Bought for Kindle:  Amazon       -Spirited .99

          

                                              

Borrowed from Library

                      

                             

Bought from Library Used Bookstore:  $3.50 total!!

                                  

                                     

                                  

                                                  

 

Goodreads Links

  

The Temptation   Spirited    The First Days

Everneath      Under the Never Sky      Pathfinder

A Matter of Magic          The Chick and the Dead 

The Black Dagger Brotherhood

Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side

Masquerade           The Smoke Thief  

                                                                                                                                                

Until Next Time by Amy Lignor Tour Stop

Until Next Time: The Angel Chronicles, Book 1

Amy Lignor
eBook ISBN: 9780983741855
ISBN: 9781465992697
Pages: 295
Release: February 1, 2012

The Angel Chronicles web site:
http://www.the-angel-chronicles.com

How does a girl choose between the one who steals her heart and the one who owns her soul?

Matt and Emily were created for a specific job. Raised and trained as the ultimate angel/warrior team, they are sent down to save, defend, judge and forgive, depending on the 'life' they've been assigned. What they don't realize is that the power of human emotions, such as love, anger, passion and fear can take over even the best of souls, causing them to make mistakes and follow paths that lead to confusion and heartache.

When the reason for their training is finally revealed, the angel/warrior team find themselves thrust into a world they know nothing about. Matt takes over the life of Daniel, a young man with a great deal of baggage. Emily becomes Liz, a girl living in a remote village who relies on nothing more than her own strength to survive. A violent storm erupts one night, and framed in the window of Liz's establishment is a frightening face. Let in by the soul of a Good Samaritan, the two visitors bring with them a past full of secrets that could literally change an angel's path and a warrior's plans.




Amy Lignor's Bio:

Amy Lignor began her career at Grey House Publishing in northwest Connecticut where she was the Editor-in-Chief of numerous educational and business directories.

Now she is a published author of several works of fiction. The Billy the Kid historical The Heart of a Legend; the thriller, Mind Made; and the adventure novel, Tallent & Lowery 13.

She is also the owner of The Write Companion, a company that offers help and support to writers through a full range of editorial services from proofreading and copyediting to ghostwriting and research. As the daughter of a research librarian, she is also an active book reviewer.

Currently, she lives with her daughter, mother and a rambunctious German Shepherd named Reuben, in the beautiful state of New Mexico.                             

                                                                    



Welcome Amy, as she talks about  Until Next Time as she sees it on the big screen. With a hot, wish list of actors whom she would want to play as her 'Angels' in Lights.



 With so many great actors out there, whom would you cast as your characters from your book, to the movie screen?

When I think about seeing Matt and Emily up on the big screen I always make sure to look into my dog’s eyes so he can roll them and bring me back to reality, although that is a killer dream.

 

I have to say this is the most difficult question thus far that I’ve been asked because I actually want the girl who is on the cover of Until Next Time.  But unless one of the graphic artists at the publishing company also moonlights as Dr. Frankenstein, I suppose that’s out.

Callan McAuliffe as "Matt"

There are many out there who automatically would shout out that Taylor Lautner should be Matt, my warrior.  Problem is, I need his muscles, Shia Labeouf’s sense of humor, the startlingly blue eyes that Daniel Radcliffe owns, and dirty-blond hair.  And they do have to be the right age.  I just can’t have a twenty-four-year-old play a seventeen-year-old.  As things stand in the industry right now, Callan McAuliffe would be my choice for Matt.  I say this because of his acting ability as well as the long, lean form he has.  I’ve seen him look into the camera and laugh, tear up, stay strong, get angry - so he most definitely has the acting chops to carry Matt off. And he has that innocent face still that looks unharmed by the rest of the world.  I’m looking forward to his turn as young Gatsby in the film adaptation of The Great Gatsby that‘s coming in our future.  This, I believe, will really show his range.  He’s truly a face to watch, and being from Australia he adds that little added-extra kick of the ‘unknown foreigner’ factor.


 

 

The female is even more difficult; I wish that Emma Stone could be ten years younger.  I need Emily to be able to come across with so many emotions.  She needs that anger (without a pout, preferably), and she needs to be able to roll her eyes and fall very hard in love, almost at the same time.  The actresses in the age range are lean.  I like Nina Dobrev and Abigail Breslin, but I would have to go with India Eisley.  (The Secret Life of the American Teenager).



India Eisley as "Emily"



She will need those emerald green contacts, but she has the innocent face - like McAuliffe - that would really show the viewer she’s having a very hard time with all these human emotions, but still seem believable and strong to her soul mate.  And now that India has experienced the Underworld, she should be allowed to come from somewhere a little higher up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 



Johhny Depp as "Gabe"



Kiefer Sutherland as "Mike"



For the older readers, I have to add this one thing.  Mike and Gabe are the teachers, the fire starters, friends, fathers, mentors, etc., so I have to say that Keifer Sutherland and Johnny Depp get those jobs hand down.  Certain types of ‘cool’ do NOT go out of style!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And there is a love interest in this one that Dan Radcliffe would be perfect for!  I hope I’ll see all of you at the movie!

 

 

Daniel Radcliffe as the  "love interest"

 

 

 

 

 

Until Next Time, Everybody.

Amy

                                                 

Thanks Amy, that's one "hot" cast of characters! Johnny Depp is one of my favs! Making his second appearance on my blog in less than a week, makes me happy! Now, what do you think my chances are that I can have him featured for a third time... 

Cover Reveal: Scent Of Magic by Maria V. Snyder

I just finished Touch Of Power by Maria V. Snyder and I LOVED it!  I had to check, to see, when the next book was coming out and whatever info I could find about the continuing Healer Series.
Look what I found, the cover to book #2:  Scent Of Magic 
Expected publication is 2013!

Book #2 in the Healer Series

 

As the last Healer in the Fifteen Realms, Avery 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 winner control of the Realms, Avery 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, Avery 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 Avery is alone. Unless she figures out how to do the impossible ... again.

 

Book #1 in the Healer Series



My Review for the first book in the Healer series, Touch Of Power will be up on the blog as soon as I gather my thoughts...


                                                                                                                                            

Interview: J.A. Redmerski Author of The Mayfair Moon

Look who I have on the blog today!
Author of The Mayfair Moon ~ J.A. Redmerski
The Mayfair Moon is the first book in the Darkwoods Trilogy.





          

                              

 Interview with J.A. Redmerski:

1) Hi JA,  Tell me a little about yourself?

I was born in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1975 and started writing in 1976. Ok, not so much, but it feels like it!  I’ve been writing since I was thirteen, the first time I dove into an actual novel. I can never see me doing anything else. Also, I have three great kids and a Maltese.

2)What book(s) or movie(s) are you looking forward to this year?

More than anything, I'm looking forward to Part 1 of The Hobbit due out in theatres in December. As far as books, I'm hoping that Neil Gaiman will write another fantasy novel like Stardust or Neverwhere - it's been a long time for him!

(I'm looking forward to The Hobbit, too!)



3)Tell me about your book, and what character if any do you relate to?

Let me give you the blurb for The Mayfair Moon, first:

After a nightmarish encounter with a werewolf, seventeen-year-old Adria Dawson loses her sister, but gains the love of a mysterious young man and his legendary family.

Strange and tragic things begin to happen in the small town of Hallowell, Maine: residents come down with an unexplainable ‘illness’ and some disappear. In the midst of everything, Isaac Mayfair is adamant about keeping Adria safe, even from her sister whom he has warned her to stay away from.

As unspeakable secrets unfold all around Adria, impossible choices become hers to bear. Ultimately, no matter what path she takes, her life and the lives of those she loves will be in peril. As she learns about the werewolf world she also learns why her place in it will change the destinies of many.


If I relate to any character, I guess it would have to be Adria Dawson. Our lives 'growing up' are somewhat similar, but not enough that anyone can say that the character was based on me. Adria is stronger than I could ever be!

(Sounds really good, can't wait to start reading this! Look for my review, soon)



4)What new projects are you working on?

Right now, I've been furiously typing away at Book Two in the Darkwoods Trilogy titled, KINDRED. It will be sexier, the love will be deeper, the tragedies will be more unbearable and the ending will be intense!

(Sounds exciting!)



5)What was /is the hardest part of the whole book writing process, writing or promoting?

I think writing and promoting are equally hard, but since I'd rather be writing, I'd have to say that because of this, promoting is the hardest for me. Don't get me wrong, I love all the book bloggers that have helped me get the word out about THE MAYFAIR MOON, but the time that is spent promoting, to me, makes the whole process a necessary evil. It just takes me out of my story and delays the writing and publishing process, but it has to be done.





6)What made you decide to write a story like THE MAYFAIR MOON?

Unlike most YA novels on the market today, the werewolves in THE MAYFAIR MOON are beastly as opposed to shape-shifters that simply turn into wolves. I've always been a huge fan of traditional werewolves as depicted in films like Underworld, Dog Soilders, and Ginger Snaps and when I couldn't find any YA books with werewolves like these, I decided to write my own. I have absolutely nothing against the shape-shifter kind of werewolves, but traditional werewolves, to me are much more complex both in human and werewolf form. I've always had a hard time being afraid, or feel like any real danger is imminent with the canine shape-shifter kind. Once they shift into canines, that intense feeling of struggle disappears for me. Personally, I love the sense of constant danger, that feeling of "What if he lose's control?" and I think it makes for a more interesting story. With the relationship between Isaac and Adria, I hope I have pulled this off, successfully.



Thanks for having me, Lisa!  ~J.A. Redmerski

Thank You for stopping by, J.A.! It was my pleasure.








                                                                                                                                                                                                            

Cover Reveal: Divinely Ruined by Diane Alberts

DIVINELY RUINED, from Entangled Publishing and the author who brought you ON ONE CONDITION, is hitting the virtual shelves on Thursday, April 26th, but you can get a sneak peek at the cover and blurb here!

She finally meets a decent man--after she's oath-bound never to touch men again!

Rebecca's life sucked before she became an angel. Crappy apartment, awful jobs, abusive boyfriends--it was no wonder she jumped at the chance to escape it all and become a real live angel. The problem is Rebecca's not very angelic, and she'll have to do more to earn her wings than end her love affair with the word f--er, frick.

Especially when she's assigned to save single father Tony Weis, whose less-than-pure thoughts wreak hell on a telepathic angel's nerves. It's all Rebecca can do to keep her hands off him...but when she loses her memory injuring herself to save Tony's daughter, now it's Tony's turn to be her angel and care for her. But will Tony's devotion tempt her from her angelic path, even if it means being human again?

...To learn more about the author and her other projects, go to: www.dianealberts.com

Review: Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Title: Shatter Me

Author: Tahereh Mafi

Edition: Hardcover, 352 pages

ISBN: 0062085484

Publisher: Harper Collins 

Published: November 15th 2011

Genre: Young Adult, Supernatural, Science Fiction

Borrowed from Library



Juliette hasn't touched anyone in exactly 264 days.

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal. As long as she doesn't hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don't fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war-- and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she's exactly what they need right now.

Review:    Well written, intriguing plot, cliffhanger ending

Shatter Me was a total surprise. After reading the first few pages I already saw the author's writing style shine through. I actually thought she paralelled the way the world is today with what could happen in the future. The only annoying  part of the book was the strike text throughout the whole book. Example:  My parents emptied their pockets of me and left me to evaporate on a concrete slab.” Now, maybe I'm just, dare I say not a young adult O-o That could of been the reason that I found this element of the book to be annoying and distracting. I'm sure others will not have a problem with this, but I found it to be an element that I could do without. 

Juliette is a young girl who has lived her existence with power. A power to kill with her touch. She has lived as a "freak" of sorts in a seemingly normal world. Her parents disown her, they are afraid their daughter is an insane monster. Juliette is then locked away, alone, in a strange underground,  building. She sees no one, talks to no one and is isolated from everything, and everyone. She is confined to a cell and is allowed one meal and one shower a day. The world is empty for her and the only solstice she has is her notebook , her diary of everything she feels, experiences, are scrawled into this one thing she has left from her past.

Meanwhile, life above ground has changed as the world has gone through a Apocalypse. Loss of homes, business, everything is now a battle to survive. Food is scarce, death has succumbed many. Now people are kept in groups under watchful eyes of a group of leaders who control everything. These leaders have formed a Communism, and rule with an iron fist. With soldiers who are trained and armed.
They have agendas with what they want from people and control food rations, and life in this "new" world.

Adam is one of the solders who is thrown into Juliette's cell. The first person Juliette has seen or talked to in almost a year. She is surprised, confused, and believes he is sent to her cell to kill her.
But, of course things are not what they seem.... He may just turn out to be the only person, able to help her.

I really enjoyed reading this book! Tahereh has a way with words that have you thinking about the world we live in today and what could happen in the future, though I doubt any of us will have supernatural powers! This book reminded me of X-Men, but only because of the supernatural powers.
The characters in this book will have you wondering what agenda's they have, and who  really is the good guy/bad guy. It had mystery, action, suspense, and a pretty good kick a** chick in it, that I can only see getting more and more powerful as she learns what and how to use the powers she has.
This story had twist and turns and although the ending was getting soo good it ended with a cliffhanger!! Oh, whoa is me, I have to wait till what, like next year to find out what happens... :(
4/5 Stars

                                          



Memorable Quotes:

“The sun drops into the ocean and splashes browns and red and yellows and oranges into the world outside my window.”  A million leaves from a hundred different branches dip in the wind, fluttering with the false promise of flight. The gust catches their withered wings only to force them downward, forgotten, left to be trampled by the soldiers stationed below."

"There is still a chance to change things. We can provide fresh drinking water to all people. We can make sure crops are not regulated for profit; we can ensure that they are not genetically altered to benefit manufactures. Our people are dying because we are feeding them poison. Animals are dying because we are forcing them to eat waste, forcing them to live in their own filth, caging them together and abusing them. Plants are withering away because we are dumping chemicals into the earth that make them hazardous to our health. But these are the things we can fix.
"We are fed lies because believing them makes us weak, vulnerable, malleable. We depend on others for our food, health sustenance. This cripples us. Creates cowards of our people. Slaves of our children. It's time for us to fight back."