Krista Reviews: Maria V Snyder's - "Power"

Cover: Laying hands upon the injured and dying, Avry of Kazan assumes 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 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—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….

This new series takes place in the same world as Mara V Snyder’s Poison Study series, The Fifteen Realms. The Fifteen Realms has been ravaged by plague and the rulers have deemed the healers responsible. Healers are on the verge of extinction because the rulers have ordered them to be killed.

A group of bandits have saved Avry from being hung and in return she must heal Prince Ryne. The trip they take to reach the Prince is not easy and there are many stops along the way. Each of her decisions becomes a matter of life or death (and for those who helped her). Avery and Kerrick’s interactions with each other are both stressful and apprehensive at the same time. He is the leader of the group and they must learn how to travel together and keep each other alive. He also becomes a love interest later on in the book. There are 5 members of the group and all have great personalities and hopefully we continue see them all throughout the whole series.

Romance is on the back burner in this story and it’s focused more on the building of trusting relationships. As Avry is believed to be the last healer alive, she is in a very tricky position of not knowing who to trust.  We get to see many different characters come in and out of the story during their travels. Avery must lay low, but finds her need to heal those who are sick are constantly pulling at her to help, and she cannot refuse. Each time she heals somebody she takes their illness into herself, she then has to heal herself before they can travel again.

All of the characters are very entertaining. Each has a purpose and a memorable role in the story. The reader will learn to love and hate personality traits in each of them. Avery is very kind hearted, sympathetic and a strong person. I like to think that her life as a healer has made her that way, and at the age of 20 in a time of castles, kingdoms and magical powers she seems wise beyond her years. It is noticeable in this story that more a more modern day language is used. It made it easier to read and understand, but some may miss the historical aspect.

The world-building is so well written, you will be drawn into it immediately. The concepts and ideas of the world were explained flawlessly and easy to understand. Several elements come into play and the way it seems to all revolve around magic, leads to an overall very entertaining read.

It’s fast paced with a lot of adventure, great characters and new challenges every step they take. The book also comes with a map so you can track their travels as they go.

I think that overall Maria V Snyder is known for her world building and well rounded, likeable characters. If you have read and liked her previous works and like fantasy novels, I don’t think you will be disappointed in this new series.

Favorite Quote “…things happen that are out of your control.’
Kerrick gave him a tight smile. ‘You mean I’m not omnipotent?’
‘You’re not even semi-potent.’
‘Is that even a word?’ Kerrick asked.
‘He probably means you’re impotent,’ I offered.”

Paperback, 400 pages

Expected publication: December 20th 2011 by Mira

ISBN0778313077 (ISBN13: 9780778313076)