Scent of Magic - Maria V. Snyder

Hey!

I hope you're all having fun in the snow and it's not causing too much trouble. I love the snow but in my opinion it's a perfect excuse to curl up inside in the warm with a cup of tea and a book and just watch it from the window! As it was snowing I thought it was only appropriate that I read a themed book, so I'm currently reading 'The Snow Child' by Eowyn Ivey which definitely has added to the snowy atmosphere for me.

I find that when I finish a really good book I quite often have to take a while to process it and think it over before I start to talk or write about it, giving it time to sink it and leave its mark - I don't know if anyone else does this or if it is just me? If I don't then sometimes the feeling I have when I finish the book (both sheer love for it as well as sadness that it has ended) gets lost because I have moved on too quickly.

Now with Maria V. Snyder's 'Scent of Magic' I have had a couple of weeks to think over what I was going to write for this and even now I absolutely loved the book from cover to cover.

'Scent of Magic' is the second in the Avry of Kazan, Healer series, picking up from where 'Touch of Power' ended, Avry is alive and reunited with Kerrick but war is still waging in the Realms with King Tohon determined to take control of the Fifteen Realms with an army full of dead -zombie- soldiers. No one knows that Avry survived so she tears herself away from Kerrick and goes undercover inside Estrid's army, Tohon's opponent, both to try and make amends with her sister and to help the army stand a chance against the dead soldiers. Kerrick goes back to his home to recruit his Kingdom into battle. The story is told from both characters' point of view as they work separately to try and save the Realms and *hopefully* be reunited once again.

Check out the book trailer here:

I'm not sure what I fell in love with first about this series: the relationship between Kerrick and Avry or even just the alternative world itself. I'm never normally a great fan of magic/fantasy stories but something about the way it is written and the characters and plot that makes it irresistible and I honestly think that 'Scent of Magic' lived up to the impression that was left by 'Touch of Power'.

I don't want to give away any spoilers as if you haven't read it you should so I will try and be careful with what I say. 'Touch of Power' set up this world with the amazing character of Avry, the last remaining healer and you really connect with her, especially with her relationship with Kerrick, but it also introduces you to the realisation that the Fifteen Realms is in trouble and it's going to take more than just one remaining healer to fix that. 'Scent of Magic' completely explores this idea further. It may not be full of the same romantic sparks that appeared in the first, as Kerrick and Avry spend most of their time apart - believing the other is dead, but it gives more of a perspective on the adventure that is unfolding - time is ticking and they need to find a way to defeat Tohon's untouchable army and work together to win the war. Every page is packed full of action and emotion right until the end and then it still leaves you wanting more.

I also liked that you get to know more about the magicians and magic power in this book. We learnt a lot about Avry's healing and Kerrick's forest magic before but 'Scent of Magic' opens our eyes to how some of the powers develop and watch the character's like Danny and Flea find their feet with them. There is also further development into the importance of the death and peace lillies, we make discoveries at the same time that Avry and the gang do, but still it's not enough information. The plot is thickening and is only making us want to know what happens even more and now have to wait for the third book to find out!

As I said before, if you haven't read it yet you need to! If you have read it what did you think of it? Did you enjoy it as much as I did? 

Let's hope the wait for the third book goes quickly!

Happy reading!

Emily x