Touch of Power

October 10, 2011
In this pallid series launch, Snyder (Spy Glass) attempts to combine fantasy and romance, to the detriment of both. In the Fifteen Realms, healers had once been admired for their lifesaving abilities to remove illness and pain. Then a plague swept through the Realms, and healers were blamed and hunted. Avry of Kazan is the last living healer, and using her power is a hanging offense. Kerrick of Alga, a bewilderingly handsome man, believes that Avry’s powers can be used for good. When he breaks Avry out of jail the night before her execution, Avry is thrust into the midst of political intrigue and romantic entanglement, both of which she finds confusing and exhilarating. The encounters between Avry and Kerrick are bland and only faintly romantic, but hints of intriguing concepts may be fleshed out in the volumes to come. Agent: Bob Mecoy.

January 1, 2012

Avry of Kazan cures illnesses and wounds by laying hands on patients and absorbing the damage into herself. Because healers bear the blame for the spread of the plague that has ravaged the Fifteen Realms, she must hide her gift. After she's arrested for healing a child, Avry is freed by a band of men who need her skill to save a dying prince who had invaded her homeland. Torn between her reluctance to cure someone she hates and her attraction to her rescuer, Avry must decide about her true loyalties. VERDICT The author of the Study (Poison Study; Magic Study; Fire Study) and Glass trilogies (Storm Glass; Sea Glass; Spy Glass) launches a new series, blending fantasy adventure, romance, and intrigue. Recommended for her many readers as well as fans of Ilona Andrews and Robin D. Owens.

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