Review: 'Touch of Power' by Maria V. Snyder

Enter a world ripped apart by plague where the very people who might offer hope to the populous are hunted.  Avry of Kazan is a Healer, able to fix injury and cure illness with the touch of her hand.  But this gift is not without a price and each injury or sickness she heals in another taked upon herself.  After being caught and waiting for her dawn execution she is "rescued" by a band of rogues intent on using her gift to heal their king, the only man who they believe can stand against the darkness spreading in the wake of the plague.  Avery had met this king and is not convinced he is worth healing.  But as enemies grow in number, dangers abound and friendships are forged, Avry begins to question her conviction and wonder at the truth.  Can peace be achieved?  Is the chance for peace worth her life?

Snyder's ninth book is as alluring and captivating as the Lilies found in her Fifteen Kingdoms.  This novel as an epic fantasy quality to is yet manages to remain grounded in emotion and character interaction.  Her world is a fascinating blend of beauty and danger, magic and politics with a cast of characters that will win the hearts of readers.  This book is marketed as an adult fantasy/romance, but certainly has wide YA appeal for fantasy readers.  Highly recommended.
Book Source: Local Library
Reviewer: Rebecca
Recommended Ages: 14+ Some violence and political manuvering

Recommended for Readers of:

I Am Not A Serial Killer (but I could be)

"I'm a good person...because I know what good people are supposed to act like, and I copy them.."

John Wayne Cleaver knows that he is different from his fellow teens - he enjoys assisting his mother and aunt with the family mortuary and is fascinated by the dead.  And thoughts of killing.  Despite his inclinations John doesn't want to be a bad person, so he lives by a set of rules he's developed to keep him from doing something wrong.

Don't focus on one person when people watching.

Don't mess with animals.

If you ever feel like hurting someone pay them a compliment instead.

Wells has crafted a young adult novel that stands apart from its literary peers.  The novel is told from John's perspective which puts the reader straight into the head of a budding sociopath, "It stinks pretty bad," I said. "She." "She stinks pretty bad," I said. Mom and Margaret were adamant that we be respectful to the deceased, but it seemed a little late at this stage. It wasn’t a person anymore, it was just a body. A thing...".  The reader should have trouble relating to a main character who is sometimes as disturbing as the villain of the story, but Wells manages to balance the creepiness with a fierce determination to be good.  Sometimes creepy, but always intriguing, this novel ponders the question: what makes a monster?

Recommended if you enjoy:
Kristin Cashore, Jonathan Maberry, Lish McBride, TV Show: Dexter