Scent of Magic (Healers #2) by Maria V. Snyder

Distance makes the heart fonder or does it?

Title: Scent of Magic
Author: Maria V. Snyder
Series: Healers
Publisher: MiraINK
My ratings: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Released: 27th December, 2012
After I read the last page of Touch of Power, I couldn’t run fast enough to get my hands on Scent of Magic. I loved everything about touch of Power, the heroine the character, the pace even it negative points.

Scent of Magic starts with Kerrick and Avry parting ways to take part in the war. The plan is that Avry will remain hidden and help Ryne allies while Kerrick will meet up and gather more forces to launch an attack on Tohon. Most of the book was spent on that. It was Avry trying to teach the soldiers new tactics and Kerrick making the journey to gather his forces. Tohon still has a tight grip on Avry's mind and her physic and keeps visiting her dreams. She is still trying to win back her sister while keeping her identity secret and missing Kerrick.

The story is told in Avry’s and Kerrick’s POV. So even if Avry is not narrating we still get to see what Kerrick’s up to. The monkeys make an appearance and so do old characters. We get to see more new loveable ones worming their way into the readers’ hearts. Things don’t seem to pick up until Tohon makes an appearance or perhaps it’s was just me. The beginning was really slow and it took a while for the story to begin and even if it had it didn’t truly make any waves until Tohon makes them. I’m really enjoying reading about him. I know he is evil and does horrible things but I can’t seem to hate him. He has such bipolar tendencies, cruel at times and tender sometimes that it keeps me on my toes as whet will Tohon reveal now.

I’m a little disappointed, if ‘m being perfectly honest as scent of Magic didn’t appeal to me as much as I thought it would. The things I loved about it in the first books seem to be going against it. Avry didn’t seem all that clever any more nor did the array of new loveable characters did it for me. Maybe I loved the monkeys more and wouldn’t let this new lot replace them in my mind. All the fact that lots of things happen but the story didn’t move forward. This worked nicely when we have a romance developing and we get little events simmering the emotions for us but now it just seemed tedious and I wanted to see more progress.

We don’t see a lot of Kerrick -Arvy but it was essential to the story. However I have to give credit to Snyder to that she has kept the mystery going and I still haven’t figured out the Death Lilies yet. So I’m really interested how she resolves it. She also is not afraid to take lives and do horrid things to her characters and those who’ve read Touch of Power will know.

In the end, Scent of Power felt like a in-between book, where the premise is being set up for the final face off battle, which will decide the future of the Realms. I am guess this will be a Trilogy as I may warn readers this book ends with a cliff hanger. It may have started slowly but at the ending was epic and I truly don’t know where the story is headed. I’m still intrigued by the mesmerising world of Realms Snyder has woven with plagues, magician and weird plants bloom. The story doesn’t lack action, adventure, mystery and lots of friendly banter which will warm up your heart. Add the cliff hangers and my fingers are practically twitching to find the next book.

ARC provided by MiraINK