Scent of Magic by Maria V Snyder

Scent of Magic (Healer, #2)

by Maria V Snyder

As the last Healer in the Fifteen Realms, Avry of Kazan is in a unique position: in the minds of friends and foes alike, she no longer exists. Despite her need to prevent the megalomaniacal King Tohon from winning control of the Realms, Avry is also determined to find her sister and repair their estrangement. And she must do it alone, as Kerrick, her partner and sole confidant, returns to Alga to summon his country into battle.

Though she should be in hiding, Avry 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 Avry is alone. Unless she figures out how to do the impossible...again.

Reviewed by Leigha on

4 of 5 stars

Share
Avry goes undercover in the second installment of the Healer series.

While I did not enjoy this book as much as the first, it was still really good. Avry remains an intelligent, likable protagonist. The characters throughout the story have strong motivations for their actions, and all of them move the narrative forward in some way. The political intrigue deepens as important players move around the setting. I'm honestly interested to see if she can wrap up all the loose ends well in the last installment.

Probably the biggest departure of this novel is adding alternating chapters between Avry's and Kerricks' POV. It was a tad jarring at first, but I eventually fell into the groove. It probably would not have been as jarring had Avry's chapters not been in first person, while Kerricks' chapters were in third person. A lot happens during their escapades so the need for both perspectives is understandable.

tl;dr Despite a jarring shift in POV, this second installment is a must read for fantasy romance fans interested in charismatic characters and an intriguing setting.

Last modified on

Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 29 December, 2015: Finished reading
  • 29 December, 2015: Reviewed