Scent of Magic (Healer, #2)

by Maria V Snyder

[inlibrisveritas]

This book really redeemed this series for me and I’m so happy it did! I had some problems with Touch of Power and while I enjoyed it I had a hard time connecting with the story or the characters. You can see that review here: Touch of Power Review. Scent of Magic really manages to make up for it and I enjoyed it much more than the first.

The plot kicks off almost near the point Touch of Power leaves off and gives you a nice little recap that helped me remember most of the first book before jumping right back into the story. I could tell right away that this one was going to be a much faster paced novel than Touch with much more action through out it, because it starts off strong and I’m happy to say it ends the same way. The war between Tohon and the Realms really gets started in this one and thanks to the two point of views from Avry and Kerrick you get to see two separate conflicts . I have a love/hate relationship with pov shifts because I’m usually more interested in one point of view than the other and being forced to shift over to the least interesting one irritates me, Scent of Magic doesn’t have that problem. Each POV shift is strong in it’s own way and they all kind of end in a way that leaves you dying for more, so it was easy to get lost in both of characters’ stories without feeling like I was being forced to do so. The Lilies are explained more in this one and the mystery surrounding them gets a little lighter but a few more questions are raised at the same time. Kerrick’s pov gives some fantastic insight on the northern tribes that were glossed over in the first book and we find out more about Danny. We also get to see more of Avry in action as well and the political intrigue is definitely thick in this one. Just when I thought everything would be fairly straight forward Synder would add a twist and it would set my mind reeling again.

The characters seemed a bit deeper in this one and I had no trouble connecting with Avry this time around. It seemed like her emotional range really broadened and she didn’t try to play off situations like they were nothing, it seemed like whatever wall was between me and her came down. There is also some great character growth in this one for both Avry and Kerrick, as well as the side characters like Danny. A few people you don’t expect to see much of in this book make a full come back and people really start showing their real potential. The relationship between Kerrick and Avry is one that I can truly get behind now that Avry has opened up more, and with the added tension of the war you can’t help but want the best for them. Tohon is still one of my favorite characters…I love to hate him. He’s so charming and pretty, and at the same time he’s a megalomaniac and a monster. I find myself understanding Avry’s unwilling reaction to him; pure revulsion mixed with a kind of magnetic (and wholly unwanted) attraction.

This is definitely a step up from Touch of Magic and the ending is one of those that make you want to give the evil eye to the author. It’s such torture having to wait to find out what’s going to happen! Needless to say I can’t wait for the third novel to come out!

I received this from Harlequin and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.