Publisher: Harlequin MIRA
Publication Date: December 18th, 2012
Hunted, Killed—Survived?
As the last Healer in the Fifteen Realms, Avry of Kazan is in a unique position: in the minds of her friends and foes alike, she no longer exists. Despite her need to prevent the megalomanical King Tohon from winning control of the Realms, Avry is also determined to find her sister and repair their estrangement. And she must do it alone, as Kerrick, her partner and sole confident, 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 opponents. 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.
As the last Healer in the Fifteen Realms, Avry of Kazan is in a unique position: in the minds of her friends and foes alike, she no longer exists. Despite her need to prevent the megalomanical King Tohon from winning control of the Realms, Avry is also determined to find her sister and repair their estrangement. And she must do it alone, as Kerrick, her partner and sole confident, 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 opponents. 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.
(Courtesy of Goodreads)
As with my review of the first book, I can't delve deeply into the story and why I loved it so much without giving up major spoilers (especially if you haven't read Touch of Power yet)... I will say that Scent of Magic picks up right where Touch of Power left off, and the story unfolds in beautifully unexpected ways. Avry, Kerrick, and his men are set on taking down the evil (and VERY sexy) King Tohon and his army of dead (Hi. Zombies in a High Fantasy? Yes, please!). They align themselves with some rather unexpected people and action, adventure, magic, romance, and intrigue ensue.
Where the world building and lush descriptions played such a major role in the first book, characterization and emotion play the central roles here. The settings are still described in Maria's brilliant way, but I got so much more from the characters this time, particularly Avry. The relationships are tangled and messy, and things are never what they seem. Lots of questions are answered, and many more arise. The plot and pacing were spot-on, and I had a very difficult time putting this book down to satisfy even my basic needs.
There is nothing remotely predictable in this book, and I flew through it, never even realizing it was 400 pages until the end. This book has it all, and I cannot wait until the third book in the Healer series, Taste of Death, comes out in 2014. I will be begging the publicists at Harlequin MIRA for a copy, for sure!
If you have not picked up Touch of Power yet, I have to ask you... What the hell are you waiting for? If you have read it, know that Scent of Magic is even better, so you should run right out to get it. Today. That is all.
My Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Grade Level Recommendation: There are a few hot and heavy scenes in this book, and there is some mention of sex. There is also a good bit of violence. I would say this is most appropriate for MS readers and up. Grades 6 and up (ages 11+).
Where the world building and lush descriptions played such a major role in the first book, characterization and emotion play the central roles here. The settings are still described in Maria's brilliant way, but I got so much more from the characters this time, particularly Avry. The relationships are tangled and messy, and things are never what they seem. Lots of questions are answered, and many more arise. The plot and pacing were spot-on, and I had a very difficult time putting this book down to satisfy even my basic needs.
There is nothing remotely predictable in this book, and I flew through it, never even realizing it was 400 pages until the end. This book has it all, and I cannot wait until the third book in the Healer series, Taste of Death, comes out in 2014. I will be begging the publicists at Harlequin MIRA for a copy, for sure!
If you have not picked up Touch of Power yet, I have to ask you... What the hell are you waiting for? If you have read it, know that Scent of Magic is even better, so you should run right out to get it. Today. That is all.
My Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Grade Level Recommendation: There are a few hot and heavy scenes in this book, and there is some mention of sex. There is also a good bit of violence. I would say this is most appropriate for MS readers and up. Grades 6 and up (ages 11+).
