Touch of power UK blog tour - Review and quickie interview

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Touch of power by Maria V. Snyder

Available now.

Mira ink

What's it about?

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....

My review
5/5
If your looking for a complete gush fest about how much I love this book and the author herself, then you've come to the right place!
It's no secret that Maria's my favourite author and I spent all of 2011 awaiting the release of Touch of power so as you can imagine I tore it open and started reading right away when it arrived and I was not disappointed!
Fans of Maria's previous work, her Study and Glass trilogies in particular will really enjoy this book, it's set in another fantastical world that's described with great detail so I could imagine myself as part of the gang as they travel across the land on a journey full of twists and surprises that had me on the edge of my seat the whole way through.
Avry is another strong women, she's survived on the run longer than any of the other Healers and she will stand up for what she believes in even if it means risking her life. As cold as she tries to be she can't help caring for people and wanting to help anyone she can.
On of the things I enjoyed most was watching her friendship develop with the guys she is travelling with, I really felt, by the end that I was friends with them to because it was written so well, they weren't instant friendships, the relationships grew over time making it believable.
The story itself was a fantastically woven plot that tied up neatly at the end but also left it open for the next book Scent of magic, there were some really interesting elements, some very sad moments that had me near tears and other times that had me swept up in the emotions.
Needless to say, I loved this book! In fact I think I might have already mentioned that I did but it bears repeating, if your a fan of the author then read it! If you've never read anything by the author then read it!
It's a great book, but did I mention the next one isn't out for a whole year! How will I survive waiting that long?!?

My thoughts on the cover
There are three different covers for this book (UK, US and AUS) and I love this one the best out of all of them! Not only does it fit in nicely with the covers of her other books so they look pretty on the shelf together but it's just stunning, the girl looks how I imagine Avry and I love how she's floating, the lightening from her hand, the forest in the background, and the colours are gorgeous. I really can't find anything I don't like.

Favourite quotes

'Disappointment panged until I remembered I hated him.'

"Tohon isn't mistaken." Kerrick traced one of the scars along my shoulder blade. "I would be...upset if he succeeded in luring you away."

Quickie interview:

1. This is the first time I've seen a story where people who can heal are "The bad guys" Where did you get the idea?

The idea came from reading and thinking about bio-warfare. Originally, I planned to make the plague a weapon that one realm leader released as an act of war to kill the people in the other realms and it ran rampant, killing almost everyone regardless of borders. But as I worked on the story, having the plague be a “past” event worked better with my characters.

2. You did such a great job at creating quick, believable friendships, were the relationships in the book based on any of your own personal friendships or people you know?

Flea was one instance where I “borrowed” from life. The name comes from a boy who played on my son’s soccer team. The other boys on the team gave Ben the nickname Flea because he was shorter than them, and younger by two years, but he was also fast and determined. I think the friendships in this book come from the time I worked on hazardous waste sites, doing air sampling. A group of us would spend months working long hours together in somewhat dangerous conditions, yet we joked, had rubber band wars, and even got together when we weren’t working. It was a fun time despite the job.

3. The next book 'Scent of magic' isn't due out until 2013! Do you have anything else in the works to tide us over until then?

I have a couple short stories coming out this year. I’ve a YA dystopian love story (yes, you read that right!) titled Berserker Eyes in the anthology Brave New Love, edited by Paula Guran and being released on 14 February 2012. And another short story titled, Capturing Images in the Bloody Fabulous anthology, edited by Ekaterina Sedia coming out in the fall of 2012.

4. I noticed the world TOP is set in is very similar to that of the Study and Glass trilogies, is set in the same, but a different part, world or is it just coincidence?

It is a similar fantasy world with no electricity, guns, or modern conveniences. I am partial to horses and swords J. However, it’s not part of the Study/Glass world. The magic system, governments, and topography are all different.

5. All of the covers for TOP are so gorgeous, do you have a particular favourite of the three?

You do know if I answer this, I could get into big trouble? Right? *looks over shoulder* However, for you, I’ll tell you that although I love them all, the UK cover by Henry Steadman is my favourite. He did the UK Study books and just nailed it – they were exactly what I’d imagined my Study covers would look like.

Contest:
Maria V. Snyder has teamed up with top teen mag Mizz to give you the chance to win an iPad and be the official book review for MizzMag TV to boot! All you need to do to enter is make a video review of A Touch of Power. MIRA Ink is giving away free review copies to the first 50 people who get in touch, so visit facebook/MIRAInk for more details on how to get involved! Also, check out Mizz Mag TV at www.youtube.com/user/MizzMagTV for an exclusive video of Maria talking about her new Healer series!

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