Scent of Magic by Maria V Snyder

Scent of Magic by Maria V Snyder

Book Stats:
Reading level: Adult
Genre: fantasy
Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Harlequin MIRA
Release date: December 18, 2012

Series: Healers #2

Source: NetGalley

Reviewed by: Tynga

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

Hunted, Killed—Survived?

As the last Healer in the Fifteen Realms, Avery 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, Avery 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, Avery 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 Avery is alone. Unless she figures out how to do the impossible ... again.

Avry might have saved Ryne in Touch of Power, but the war is only beginning. Tohon is as strong as ever with his army of Dead and Estrid’s army is in training, hoping to defeat the tyrant. Avry will fully exploit her death, keeping her resurrection a secret from even her friends, and try to increase Estrid’s chance of winning the war by training her army while undercover. But will it be enough?

Scent of Magic was a completely different journey for Avry because she is now alone in not-so-friendly territory, left to wonder if her friends and lover are still alive, and she has to fend for herself, with no back-up. She’s used to being alone, being on the run for so long, but with the war brewing, and so many enemies after her, it’s a new challenge. I loved that she was innovative and resourceful, helping everyone as best she could while keeping her identity a secret.

The plot, was a roller-coaster of emotions and the anxiety kept getting higher and higher as the story progressed. As much as I loved every second of the story, I have to say I missed the whole gang being together, and it was hard to see each of them suffer while they were mourning their still-alive friends. Thankfully, there was a couple of happy and magical moments to keep our spirits up and I have to confess I got teary-eyed.

Tohon’s war strategies really amazed me and I have to tip my hat off to Avry’s quick mind. I really think Miss Snyder did a great job plotting the battle aspect because I honestly couldn’t predict any of the outcomes.

Where’s Kerrick you’ll ask me? He is present, though apart from Avry 90% of the book. I honestly really missed him even though he was part of the book, because he wasn’t part of the main story line. I’m sure his actions will have a huge impact on the next novel though, and I’m looking forward to it. Kerrick and Avry being apart really imparted the romance and I hope Maria will make it up to us in the next book, Taste of Death!

All-in-all, Scent of Magic is an highly addictive, tension-filled and breath-taking read. This is the kind of fantasy novel that sucks you in and that you can’t put down even if your life depended on it. To top it all, Maria included her signature scream-and-pull-your-hair-out cliff-hanger, cruelly leaving us to wait for the next instalment. Really, it’s a must read.

Read an Excerpt

Please note… Trailer is pretty awesome! Must view!

Posted by Tynga at 07:06

 Fantasy, Harlequin, Maria V Snyder, Review  4 People left their mark

Tynga is a 32 years old mom of two, from Montreal, working as a lab technician in an hospital specialized in heart disease. In her free time, she enjoys reading all things Paranormal and photography.

Follow Tynga on: Facebook | Twitter