by Maria V. Snyder
Genre: Fantasy
Paperback: 414 Pages
Publication December 18, 2012 by Harlequin MIRA
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.
Touch of Power introduced us to the world and conflict. Scent of Magic takes the conflict and stirs it up.
Dead to the world, Avry disguises herself and takes on the guise of Irina of Gubkin to infiltrate Estrid’s army and gather information while indirectly fulfilling her promise of helping them fight against Tohon. There, she makes new friends among her fellow seargents. While nobody can replace the group from the first novel, her army friends have their own unique personalities and really brighten the atmosphere whenever they appear. Avry has proved it before, but I’m always impressed by her resiliency and ability to adapt to the situation. Having been on the run a lot since the plague, she’s a fighter and can hold her own in the army.
As Avry settles into army life, Kerrick heads north to meet with Ryne and plot their next course of action. During this time, he also heads home, giving us a look into his relationship with his family and what has passed since he left three years ago to find a Healer for Ryne. He also becomes closer to Danny, one of the children that Avry rescues during her escape from Tohron in the last book. The world building further continues with the introduction of the northern tribes, an interesting people, some of which have unique powers.
I like how the story continues to be told from the alternating perspectives of Avry and Kerrick. Both have something to add to the story, Avry being a Healer and Kerrick being a veteran of the fight against Tohon. In addition, the two of them are separated for much of this novel, and the multiple perspectives allows us to keep up with what’s happening on the different fronts. Avry’s perspective is in first person while Kerrick’s is in third person. Typically, I prefer my multiple perspectives told solely in third person, but it didn’t distract me in this novel for some reason. Maybe it’s because the writing style is fairly consistent between the two perspectives.
There is never a dull moment in Scent of Magic. There is plenty of action to see as Avry and her friends, new and old, prepare for the fight against Tohon. Not everything goes according to plan, and though there is a lot of waiting involved, new developments constantly put them on alert and lives are lost and grieved. Then there is that nasty cliffhanger at the end that has my heart aching.
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Author: Crystal
A story girl at heart, Crystal is a bibliophile who can easily spend the day immersed in a good read. She writes under the name Kristy Wang. You can follow her writing adventures on X and Instagram @_kristywang.
Angelica Joy says
Great review Kris, I love Maria V Snyder's books. I've got Scent of Magic in my TBR, I really must read it asap LOL
Bookworm1858 says
I enjoyed this book a lot too although I was mad that Avry and Kerrick were separated because I adore their romance so much!
Sarah Warring says
This is a great book!
Crystal says
I'm glad to hear that, Sarah. Thanks for stopping by!
Cali Willette says
Great review! I love fantasy books like this. <3 The different POVs must make the story more interesting. 🙂
Crystal says
The multiple POVs does add to the story. I think you'd enjoy Scent of Magic. Thanks for stopping by, Cali!
Sierra says
Yes! It was very exciting and very well plotted. Maria V. Snyder is one of my favorite authors because her writing is just so good 🙂 The cliffhanger…oh goodness it's too painful to think about!! Great review!
Crystal says
Yeah, the writing in the Healer books is really good. I haven't read anything else by Maria V. Snyder previously and need to get on it!! I've heard that I should start with the Study series. Thanks for stopping by, Sierra!
Sierra says
Yes, The Study series is wonderful! I started with The Healer series as well…and then I think I read Inside Out & Outside In. But yes, she's a really talented author! I hope you are able to get around to some of her other books 🙂
Crystal says
I do plan to read her other books as well. They all look so interesting! 🙂