Review: Touch of Power by Maria Snyder

Publication Date: December 20, 2011
by Harlequin
Genre: Fantasy (possibly YA)
Source: netgalley

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 really like Maria Snyder's writing. Something about her stories keeps me turning pages and I have a hard time putting the books down. There were some similarities between this book and Poison Study, but I thought it was unique enough that I wasn't bothered.

I think the writing could have been a little tighter, but since this was an ARC, the final copy could be a bit better. There were also times when I thought the story was getting predictable, but then something would happen, and my guesses about how everything would end changed.

Maria Snyder's books all feel like YA to me, although I'm not sure that they are. They definitely read like it in style, but they don't follow the typical YA pattern, and the characters are usually older.

All in all, this is a fast-paced fantasy adventure that I would recommend, especially to fans of the author. I'm looking forward to the next in the series already. 
Grade: B+ 

Review: Inside Out

Book Details

Title: Inside Out (Harlequin Teen)
Author: Maria Snyder
Genre: YA Dystopia
Page Count: 320
Publishing Info: Harlequin, April 1, 2010

My Review
Why I read it: Dystopia challenge, had 2nd book on my e-reader for review
The Plot: Trella is a scrub--she's one of thousands of people who live and work on the lower levels of what the reader can only assume is a giant building.  The people who live in the upper levels seem to have it all.  But one day Trella is introduced to a prophet who says he has evidence for "Outside".  Even though Trella doesn't believe him, she sets out to help him find his evidence, if only to prove to her best friend that Outside doesn't exist.  That's when it gets interesting.  Without meaning to, Trella starts a rebellion.
The Characters: I liked Trella.  There were times when it was a bit frustrating as a reader because someone would have information about Trella, things she didn't even know herself, but she never wanted to hear them.  That bit of annoyance aside, Trella was a really strong, smart girl, which is always nice to see in young adult books.  The characterization was done very well in Inside Out, and you can't help but care for these characters.
The Setting: Absolutely fabulous setting.  So much of it is mysterious.  We don't really know where these characters are.  We only know they are in some type of structure that has levels.  We have no idea what it's like outside of the structure, and even though most of the characters don't even believe there is an outside, we, as readers take our suppositions into the story with us, and assume that Earth is outside--but we don't know what state the Earth is in.  It adds some psychological suspense to the story.
Who Should Read This? Fans of dystopia should really like this one. 
Final Thoughts: I tried another book by Maria Snyder one time (Storm Glass, I think it was) and didn't really care for the writing, so I gave up on it.  I'm glad I had the opportunity to give this author another try because the writing was excellent and I really enjoyed this book.  I stayed up really late to finish it, and as a mother of young kids that's something I rarely do.  It was so good that I went on to read the second one immediately.
Grade: A
Cover Thoughts: The cover is okay, although I think it could have been a little more interesting.  It does seem to be fairly eye-catching.