Scent of Magic by Maria V. Snyder

Scent of Magic by Maria V. Snyder

Released: AU January 2013
Series: the Healer Series [Book Two]
Publisher: HarlequinTEEN
Pages: 414
Source: Review
Buy it: Amazon | BookDepository | Booktopia

Read a Chapter Sampler HERE!

Hunted, killed – survived? 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, Avery 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 opponent. 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. - GoodReads

Book Trailer: [Click Here]

Maria’s writing takes you to places that only exist on the page, but that make you wish they existed in real life. The Fifteen Realms are fascinating, yet can also be frightful at times. It’s the kind of place that might be nice to visit, but you wouldn’t want to live there. All of our favourite characters from Touch of Power are back, yet they are separated as we follow along with their adventures. Whilst book one in the Healer series was told through Avry’s voice, Scent of Magic alternates between her voice and Kerrick’s POV (point of view). We learn a little more about the history and people who inhabit The Fifteen Realms, and are introduced to new magic abilities. These include dead soldiers, magic sniffers, tribes’ people, and more.

Tohon and his army of dead soldiers are on the move. Avry has gone undercover to infiltrate Estrid's army, while Kerrick has headed north to reunite with Prince Ryne and rally his troops. But another war has begun in the Northern realms and Kerrick must help defend his people. Avry is kept busy trying to find a way to slay Tohon’s dead soldiers, and discovers some vital information about the Peace and Death Lilies which could change everything. She longs to be reunited with Kerrick once more, but that solely depends on Kerrick’s success against the warring Tribes.

Rating:
The cover is beautiful, and now matches the new re-release of Touch of Power. Scent of Magic was a great second book for the Healer series. At the conclusion of Touch of Power, Avry and Kerrick have just been reunited; and now they are being torn apart once more. Reading both stories at once can sometimes be a little confusing, but you don’t get that with this book. Avry’s perspective is written in first person, while Kerrick’s story is written in third person. Regardless of whose chapter you are reading, they are always pining over each other. Although it originally took time to develop, their relationship is strong and they are a good couple. Not that there are many to choose from in the series, but I’m definitely Team Kerrick.

Learning more about the different abilities of other magicians was fun. While we already know that Avry is a Healer and Kerrick is a Forest magician, we don't know a lot about the abilities of the lesser magicians in the series. Scent of Magic introduces us to a few new people, and they bring more depth to the story. While some authors get caught up in the detail, it is the smaller details that Maria provides that makes her books interesting. I really want to know the secret behind the Lilies and how Avry is the key. But I guess that will have to wait until the conclusion in book 3, due out late 2013/early 2014!

I seem to have found another favourite genre and author. If you've read any of Maria V. Snyder's other works, I'm sure you'll love Scent of Magic; or If you just love magic and fantasy, then I recommend this book.

Happy reading,
Alisa

p.s.
If you could have a magical power from the Healer series, what would it be?