Historical and fantastical kingdoms are inviting to be enjoyed in today's Mini Reviews post. TOUCH OF POWER by Maria V. Snyder pictures a world where healers are hunted and killed for their talents and a very strong heroine has to be willing to fight to win the war against evil. LEGACY and ALLEGIANCE are book one and two in Cayla Kluver's LEGACY series and should definitely be in the race if you are looking for your next historical fiction read.
Touch of Power (Healer #1) by Maria V. SnyderAvry of Kazan is a healer, she's done only good with her gift, but if people find out what she's capable of, she will be hunted. In the fifteen realms healers are accused of spreading and originally causing the plague that's been bringing misery and death. Avry has been in hiding for quite some time now and her life changes radically when she's kidnapped by a band of men. That's when she starts questioning her sentiments and her loyalties. Can she become friends with strangers who are keeping her hostage, or heal her enemy?
We get to learn much about Avry's healing talent and she learns a different way of living. She falls in love with a man she never thought she could appreciate.
We get to learn much about Avry's healing talent and she learns a different way of living. She falls in love with a man she never thought she could appreciate.
Maria V. Snyder sent Avry on a journey through many hardships. With a group of rogues who will soon feel like friends and one man among them who will mean everything to her. The camaraderie that binds them and their past, their fascinating stories and backgrounds, plus the dynamics of their group are a guarantee for liking them all and wanting to immediately return to the magical world Maria V. Snyder created with TOUCH OF POWER every time you had to leave it.
It was a long read and I enjoyed it so much, it was something entirely different from what I'd read so far. Really familiar characters, that fast became my friends, too.
All in all TOUCH OF POWER is a very satisfiable read with a great historical touch, a romance for Avry that you will come to enjoy naturally and an overall encompassing quest.
It was a long read and I enjoyed it so much, it was something entirely different from what I'd read so far. Really familiar characters, that fast became my friends, too.
All in all TOUCH OF POWER is a very satisfiable read with a great historical touch, a romance for Avry that you will come to enjoy naturally and an overall encompassing quest.
5/5 ***** A TOUCH OF POWER - A fine fantasy read with an excellent historical touch and a fierce heroine.
A read right up my alley when I at least expected it. It's been over a year since I read TOUCH OF POWER, so it's definitely time to pick up the sequel soon. Equipped with a map of the fifteen realms, navigating this new fantasy world full of possibilities is even more fun.
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Publishing Date: December 20th 2011
Length: 390 pages
Keywords: YA, historical, fiction, romance, healer, quest
Length: 390 pages
Keywords: YA, historical, fiction, romance, healer, quest
Source: Netgalley
Author's Homepage
Legacy (Legacy #1) by Cayla KluverSeventeen-year-old Alera will soon be queen of Hytanica. The kingdom is in desperate need of a strong souvereign and so the young princess has to face her fate of marrying the suitor whom her father feels most capable of inheriting his legacy. And while her father is still trying to decide who to name new king of Hytanica, Alera clandestinely falls in love with another man, a Corkyrian, a traitor.
LEGACY is a debut novel with a slow start, overflowing with many redundant and way too many decorative phrases and scenes, and could have well been cut by some pages. Instead of all the irrelevant extra info I could've used more details about Hytanica's history and Alera and Narian's romance, more scenes concentrating on their emotional development and the very fatal war their relationship might be causing.
What always filled me with excitement and girly anticipation, left me cold in LEGACY. The search for an heir to the throne, a husband for Alera, daughter of the actual king. I know that it's a different time and that the story is set in a country with its very own complicated history, but no actual right to a say and ignorance of Alera's feelings made me so angry. The development of her character didn't live up to my expectations either, but other characters like palace guard London fast found a place in my heart.
3,5/5 ***/* LEGACY - A potent YA debut, improvable in writing pace and editing that convinces with its strong world-building and Hytanica's history.
To be honest, it took me quite some time to finish LEGACY. With nearly five hundred pages it's not on the short side of YA books. It was the pacing, the excessive mass of details and additions here and there that hindered me to read LEGACY as fast as I would've liked. Now I'm hoping for a more consistent sequel to the first book.
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Publishing Date: June 28th 2011
Length: 496 pages
Keywords: YA, historical, fiction, war, romance, marriage, kingdom
Length: 496 pages
Keywords: YA, historical, fiction, war, romance, marriage, kingdom
Source: Netgalley
Author's Homepage
"An eighteen-year-old queen in love with the enemy as their countries pass the point of no return...", that's how ALLEGIANT continues the story of Alera and her Hytanican kingdom. The beginning was kind of sluggish and slow, comparable to the first half of LEGACY. Even though I couldn't get a head-start into ALLEGIANCE the world grew on me a lot in this sequel to LEGACY and I felt more at home than in the first instalment.
Her friendship with London was of such a strong presence, I couldn't help to be drawn into their story, his fate and his unbelievable will to survive. London is probably my favourite character in this series including Alera and Narian.
Alera's marriage to Steldor was a bummer. So much bickering (with negative energy), quarrels and coups wouldn't have been necessary to see that these two are not destined to be husband and wife. So Alera's heart is very much torn between her duty and her required respect for her husband and her passionate and undeniable feelings for Narian. You won't get to see too much of him, since this novel seemed to be intended to focus on Alera's relationship with Steldor and the changing bonds and loyalties between her and her family.
The war against Corkyri that has been dormant until now is raging again, turning the second half of ALLEGIANCE into a fast-paced and easily entertaining read. There are many twists and turns to the story, intrigues, much is at stake and our Hytanicans have to think up a good plan to beat the evil Overlord.
4/5 **** ALLEGIANCE - A historical YA read with a slow start, but a very strong outcome. Now give me the next book!
If the first book in this series wasn't your favourite, don't give up on the LEGACY series yet. Alera's story promises to become better with each new book in the trilogy. I'm planning on reading the third book in the series soon, because I want to read it while the events of ALLEGIANCE are still fresh and present in my mind. The three books in the LEGACY series would make good material for a book binge.
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Publishing Date: February 28th 2012
Length: 494 pages
Keywords: YA, historical, fiction, war, romance, marriage, kingdom
Length: 494 pages
Keywords: YA, historical, fiction, war, romance, marriage, kingdom
Source: Netgalley
Author's Homepage
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