This is the second book in the Healer trilogy by Snyder. I didnt like this book as much as the first book, it was pretty much a war and strategy fantasy read. Its missing a lot of the mystery, adventure, and romance we saw in the first book. I recommend reading the first book before picking up this one.

Avry leaves Kirran and infiltrates the holy army both to try and catch up to her sister Noell and to do what she can to fight against Tohon. Kerrick is sent back to Alga to deal with a different invasion and battle.

I didn't like this book as much as the first in this series. Nearly the whole book has Avry fighting in one part of the battle while Kerrick is sent to Alga to deal with a battle on a different front. I honestly thought the whole thing was pretty boring. Lots of battle strategy talk and intrigue but not a ton of action. We dont get any of the tense interplay between Kerrick and Avry; the monkeys are split up for much of the book as well.

I didnt feel like any of the characters grew or changed much throughout this book. Avry does learn more about the Lilies and she does grow some in power. Kerrick does finally realize that he neglected his home kingdom while he was trying to find a cure for the Prince. Outside of that it was all preparing for battle and then a face-off between Tohons undead army and the holy army.

There isnt a ton of action. Avry is masquerading as a sergeant and spends a lot of the book teaching soldiers how to move silently through the forest. When she isnt doing that she is trying to hide what she is, and she doesnt do a very good job keeping her secret.

The best part of this whole story is the mystery surrounding the Death/Peace Lilies. Avry does interact with the Lilies quite a bit in this book. Rather than get answers though, we are mostly left with more questions.

The book is decently written, I just had a lot of trouble staying engaged with the story. Not a lot happens and I didnt care much about the characters by the end of it all. Since most of the major characters are separated we dont get the fun rapport between characters that we did in the first book.

Overall an okay addition to the series, but lacking in the adventure, mystery, and romance of the first book. The book is well written but mostly focuses on battle and strategy...not things I enjoy reading about. We dont get the witty dialogue between Avry, Kerrick, and the monkeys since they are separated most of the book. So in the end I had a lot of trouble engaging with the story and caring about these characters. At this point I am uncertain whether or not I will read the final book in this trilogy. I would recommend reading Snyders Poison Study series instead of this one, that is a much better story.

Share/Like this Review?

Summary:
Told in two different perspectives, this book begins with Avery and Kerrick splitting to take care of their own special parts in the war for the territories. Avery tells her story as she travels to Estrid's army, disguises herself, and begins training fighters. Kerrick tells his story as he heads up north to Ryne. Unfortunately, Kerrick ends up in a battle of his own with the tribal people. Battles eventually break out and things don't end up quite as planned (of course). Total surprise ending that leaves us breathless for the next installment of the series. The trip is well worth taking.

My thoughts:
Well, these spilled out a little in the summary. I've loved Snyder since Valek. He is my ultimate favorite male character of all time. It's very hard to find a character that I think comes even close to him. Hello, hot assassin that also is protective and sweet and yummy! Anyways, Kerrick doesn't hold a candle to him, but I love Kerrick anyways. Snyder has a way with developing characters. I like Avery. She's strong, coming into her own, stubborn, and independent. The women that Snyder portrays have this spark about them, but the men far outshine the women. Kerrick is easy to fall in love with in the first book, so getting his perspective in this one is a lot of fun. I'm rushing through Avery's chapters to get back to his voice.

The romance is put on hold through most of this book because they are both doing other things, but I think it makes each character stand out as an individual instead of a couple. Also, I'm so happy that Avery is not a whiny brat when Kerrick isn't around. I dislike romance novels where the female is so attached to the male that all individuality and life stops because they are not there. Snyder is so good at not letting her characters go off the deep end when they are in love. Each female has goals that they are going to reach with or without the hottie!

Anyways, this is a slight dip in the series because there is a lot of set up for the war; however, the end will lead us right into a much anticipate conclusion to her trilogy. I just can't wait!

Share/Like this Review?

This one picks up where the first left off. It sucked that Avry and Kerrick were separated for most of the book. I understand why, they each had something they needed to do. More revelations about the Death and Peace Lillies and the Northern Tribes. A character thought dead comes back, but others die. I'm curious to see how she balances it- I love those characters, but in a war it's unrealistic to think everyone with live. This one ends with a cliffhanger (I think there are with multiple ones). I'm glad I read this, but I probably should have waited until book 3 comes out (should be in Dec I think).

Share/Like this Review?