Short and Sweet Book Reviews # 369 - Navigating the Stars by Maria V. Snyder, Sovereign by Jeff Hirsch

Navigating the Stars by Maria V. Snyder
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Lyra Daniels is very upset. Once again she most follow her parents to a new planet. That means she will leave her friends 50 years in the past even though for her it will be just weeks or months. This is a nice twist on Einstein and his theories adding to the plot. The plot gives Lyra more than she expected and puts both her and her family in grave danger. I loved how Lyra finally decided to both keep the past and look to the future. A very interesting coming of age story with many twists and turns. Great start to a new series.


Sovereign by Jeff Hirsch
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Micah Cole is another one mad at his parents for taking him away from his friends. He is stranded on Sovereign, a new planet full of the unknown. I know what I expected Micah to find but was surprised when it turned out I was right. There were clues all along that he was not alone but I just did not catch on. A nice listen in the Audible original. Jesse Einstein does a great job with all the different voices.

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Short and Sweet Book Reviews #73 - Dawn Study by Maria V. Snyder, Close to Home by Lily Everett, Midnight Curse by Melissa F. Olson

Dawn Study by Maria V. Snyder
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Yelena and Valek are still in danger and it just keeps getting worse and worse. This is the final book in the Soulfinders trilogy and a lot is wrapped up by the end of the book. All of the side characters play an important part in the story line. Some are out looking for information about the plants that are producing elements that affect people while others are in the cities gathering information. There are so many highs and lows in the book the review would be pages long to list them all. Just be aware that things often look very grim until the very end. I was a little disappointed by the ending. I felt it was a little anti-climatic but it worked. It was the reason for a four rating instead of a five. I received a free copy of Dawn Study in return for an honest review.


Close to Home by Lily Everett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Tessa and John did not have much of a marriage so while John was working undercover Tessa went off to discover who she really was and she started a divorce proceeding thinking she would free John. Turns out John did not want to be free. This was a lot about learning about yourself and trusting your partner. Both Tessa and John had a lot to overcome and had to discover who the other really was. A nice romance with several premises that are unusual in romance stories. Both were wonderful characters who pulled at my heart strings and had me pulling for them from the very first page of the book. This was not my first visit to Sanctuary Island and it was good to be back. The next book is out soon and it was easy to see who the next two to find an HEA will be. I received a free copy of Close to Home in return for an honest review.

Midnight Curse by Melissa F. Olson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It was great visiting with Scarlett, Molly, and Jesse again. What is even better is the fact that this is book one in a new series featuring Scarlett and her null power. This is a spin off from a previous series but it has enough information about the world where Scarlett lives to keep you from feeling lost. Molly is at the center of the mystery in Midnight Curse but Scarlett and Jesse are the two who have to work hard to keep things from going out of control. The story moves at at good pace. The side characters add to the story line. There is a satisfying ending with the hook for the next phase in Scarlett, Molly and Jesse's life.

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Look Back Wednesday - January 18, 2017 - Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder

LOOK BACK WEDNESDAY IS A FEATURE HERE ON MY BLOG.  I DECIDED TO  FEATURE BOOKS FROM DIFFERENT SHELVES ON GOODREADS.  SOME HAVE BEEN FEATURED ON MY BLOG AND SOME HAVE NOT. 

Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder, Maria V.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Avry of Kazan is a healer. She can take the pain, wounds and diseases into her body healing the patient. While they cause her pain she recovers to heal again. She should be honored but instead she is hunted. A plague came through the land and healers died if they tried to cure plague victims. People did not understand why healers refused to cure plague victims. Instead they decided that healer had spread the plague and most had been killed. Avry has been hiding and moving for years trying to survive. When she is finally captured and sentenced to death she is saved by a band of rogues who value her gift instead of wanting to kill her for having. The catch is that they want her to heal a leader who has the plague, a leader she hates and one she really does not want to die for.

Touch of Power is the first book in the Healer series and while some things are resolved, many are not. I started reading and had trouble putting Touch of Power down. I liked most of the characters. Avry was a strong powerful character. I liked the supporting characters. The one I did not like was the lead male, Kerrick. I never like a man who abuses a woman and in the first part of the book Kerrick was very abusive to Avry. Avry had tried to escape but I just could not see Kerrick as anything but a man who abused his power and for me he was not a very good hero. I will still be looking for book two.


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Stacking The Shelves - November 21, 2015

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books I added to my shelves this week. They may it be physical or virtual. I include books I buy in a physical store or online, books I borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!  Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga at Tynga's Reviews.  Follow the link to see what others have on their shelves. 

Purchased:

Crossways, A Psi-Tech Novel by Jacey Bedford

For Review:

The Pirate’s Tempting Stowaway by Erica Ridley

Night Study by Maria V. Snyder           

Falcone Strike by Christopher Nuttall

Future Shock by Elizabeth Briggs

Shadow Study ( Soulfinders #1) by Maria V. Snyder

Fantasy

From Goodreads:

New York Times bestselling author Maria V. Snyder wowed readers with Poison Study, the unforgettable story of poison taster Yelena. Now she's back with a new tale of intrigue.

Once, only her own life hung in the balance.

Oddly enough, when Yelena was a poison taster, her life was simpler. But she'd survived to become a vital part of the balance of power between rival countries Ixia and Sitia. Now she uses her magic to keep the peace in both lands and protect her relationship with Valek.

Suddenly, though, they are beset on all sides by those vying for power through politics and intrigue. Valek's job - and his life - are in danger. As Yelena tries to uncover the scope of these plots, she faces a new challenge: her magic is blocked. She must keep that a secret - or her enemies will discover just how vulnerable she really is - while searching for who or what is responsible for neutralizing her powers.

Yes, the days of tasting poisons were much simpler. And certainly not as dangerous,

"Doing full justice to the plot of this original and entertaining epic fantasy is impossible. Suffice it to say that the action is nonstop. The many characters leap to life, particularly Yelena, whose first-person narrative is riveting."

It was great to step into the world of Valek and Yelena again.  This is book one in a new series featuring the two and it is off to a great start.  All of the characters from the previous series are here as the stage is set of future stories.  While there is action and danger throughout the story I found that betrayal is at the heart of the story.  Don’t look for things to be solved in Shadow Study.  Instead, everything is put in place for the series to continue.  Sometimes when that happens in a book I am disappointed.  Not this time.  Snyder has produced a well written story that left me wanting more while knowing that what I just finished reading was just right.

Mira published Shadow Study by Maria V. Snyder in 2015.

I received an ARC of Shadow Study in return for an honest review.

Teaser Tuesdays February 10, 2015

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:"
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book. 

The Teaser:

"If he knows you've been poisoned, he'd probably give us any information he has.  Bur if we're vague and ask about a potential substance, he might clam up."  30% on my Kindle

From Shadow Study by Maria V. Snyder.  This is the first book in a new series Soulfinders.  It features characters from her previous series.  I got the book from Netgalley.  It comes out Feb. 23.  

Taste of Darkness (Healer 33)by Maria V. Snyder

Fantasy

What Goodreads says:

"She's fought death and won. But how can she fight her fears?

Avry knows hardship and trouble. She fought the plague and survived. She took on King Tohon and defeated him. But now her heart-mate, Kerrick, is missing, and Avry fears he's gone forever.

But there's a more immediate threat. The Skeleton King plots to claim the Fifteen Realms for his own. With armies in disarray and the dead not staying down, Avry's healing powers are needed now more than ever.Torn between love and loyalty, Avry must choose her path carefully. For the future of her world depends on her decision."

Taste of Darkness is the third and final book in the Healer series.  Do not read this as a stand alone.  It starts with Avry waking up and finding Kerrick gone.  There is no lead up to the opening, no explanation of who Avry or Kerrick are, and no explanation of what has gone on before.  It is like you have reading a scene in book two and finished that scene in book 3.  There is some backstory worked in later but it was more a reminder of things past for people who were reading the entire series.  That said it is a great finish to the series.

Look for all the familiar character to make an appearance.  There are surprises, a lot of danger, some romance and a lot of edge of your seat scenes in Taste of Darkness.  Right up until the end this book is true to the title and is filled with very dark scenes.  The book is well written and the plot well developed.  The characters stay true to form.  After looking like nothing is going to work out everything comes to a satisfying conclusion and it is easy to say good by to Avry, Kerrick and the whole gang knowing they are headed for a life full of challenges after defeating danger.

Harlequin published Taste of Darkness by Maria V. Snyder in 2013.

I receive an ARC of Taste of Darkness from Netgalley.

Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder

Paranormal/Fantasy

Avry of Kazan is a healer.  She can take the pain, wounds and diseases into her body healing the patient.  While they cause her pain she recovers to heal again.  She should be honored but instead she is hunted.  A plague came through the land and healers died if they tried to cure plague victims.  People did not understand why healers refused to cure plague victims.  Instead they decided that healer had spread the plague and most had been killed.   Avry has been hiding and moving for years trying to survive.  When she is finally captured and sentenced to death she is saved by a band of rogues who value her gift instead of wanting to kill her for having.  The catch is that they want her to heal a leader who has the plague, a leader she hates and one she really does not want to die for.

Touch of Power is the first book in the Healer series and while some things are resolved, many are not.  I started reading and had trouble putting Touch of Power down.  I liked most of the characters.  Avry was a strong powerful character.  I liked the supporting characters.  The one I did not like was the lead male, Kerrick.  I never like a man who abuses a woman and in the first part of the book Kerrick was very abusive to Avry.  Avry had tried to escape but I just could not see Kerrick as anything but a man who abused his power and for me he was not a very good hero.    I will still be looking for book two.

Mira published Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder in 2012.

I have paper copy of Touch of Power even though I also had a copy on Net Galley. 

Teaser Tuesday January 24, 2012

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following: 

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers.

My teaser is from the book I am reading now, Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder.  I just started the book but have already been drawn into the story.


" I touched the back of his neck with my hand."

He arched back in silent surprise before collapsing."


Here is what Goodreads says about Touch of Power.


Laying hands upon the injured and dying, Avry of Kazan absorbs their wounds and diseases into herself. But rather than being honored for her skills, she is hunted. Healers like Avry are accused of spreading the plague that has decimated the Fifteen Realms, leaving the survivors in a state of chaos.

Stressed and tired from hiding, Avry is abducted by a band of rogues who, shockingly, value her gift above the golden bounty offered for her capture. Their leader, an enigmatic captor-protector with powers of his own, is unequivocal in his demands: Avry must heal a plague-stricken prince—leader of a campaign against her people. As they traverse the daunting Nine Mountains, beset by mercenaries and magical dangers, Avry must decide who is worth healing and what is worth dying for. Because the price of peace may well be her life...