Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder

Title/Author: Touch of Power (Healer #1) by Maria V. Snyder
Publisher/Date published: Mira, December 27th 2011
How I got this book: received it from the publisher through NetGalley

Goodreads summary: "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..."

I am a HUGE fan of Maria V. Snyder's books and I'm happy to announce this one wasn't an exception to my love of her work! After the high of Under the Never Sky I was kind of scared to read this one after, cause usually after reading a 5 star read, I don't get that same amazement with the book I read next, but this one prooves it can absolutely be done!

I absolutely LOVED the magic system in this book! I mean, lots of times when you have healer's who perform through putting their hands on someone, they just transfer energy and the wound is gone. But in this book the healer actually takes the injuries into themselves and has the ability to heal really fast, so they don't die of wounds that are fatal to other people. Harsh, but brilliant! I also loved that as a sorcerer you pretty much had one ability or some related to your element and you didn't get the all powerful wizards that go around sometimes.

And that's not all to enjoy about this novel, I also fell in love with the characters! Avry, the main character, is a strong, smart, independant woman who knows what she wants and has the snarky thing going on. Basically I just summed up the qualities of my favourite heroines! I was kind of worried about the love interest, but though he seems like an absolute jerk at first, it turns out he's a really great guy and totally swoonworthy! So yeah, the romance made me happy as well :)

Also, I am giving a shoutout to Belen who is a brilliant papa bear and just all around wonderful guy and I just loved him! I also loved to hate some of the bad guys, which is always a bonus :) And I really liked that Avry isn't a teen, but in her early twenties, cause that's a rare age for a main character.
I'm very much intrigued by the world Snyder has created and cannot wait for the sequel, Scent of Magic, to be released so I can find out what happens next!

So, to sum it up: brilliant magic system, loveable characters, intriguing world building, GO READ IT NOW!

My rating: 5+ stars