January 7, 2014

Review: Taste of Darkness by Maria V. Snyder


Title: Taste of Darkness (Healer #3)
Author: Maria V. Snyder
Publisher: Harlequin MIRA
Release date: December 31st 2013
Source: Netgalley
Format: egalley

Rating: 4/5

Buy onAmazon | B&N | BookDepository

You can read my review of Touch of Power - hereScent of Magic - here
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.

The Healer trilogy are the first series that I´ve read from Maria V Snyder and I really liked her writing, I grow fonder with both main characters as much as secondary characters; and with a strong, determined, stubborn, defiant main character that prioritize according to her heart and her conscience, not what others say she should do, Avry is definitely one of my favorite female characters. And something that rarely happens to me is to like the villains, but something about King Tohon make me sort of like him, even though he's the bad guy of the story, but I do not completely hate him.

Taste of Darkness continues almost immediately from where the previous book was left, so we get to see what´s happening with Kerrick and how Avry reacts as something to that, and I liked that she does not lose hope, but she doen´t sit and wait to see what would happen, because life continues and she´s in the midst of a war in which she is a vital and necessary part, so she continues her activities and causing problems when necessary, healing people with her healing powers and rescued those that need her help along with her friends.

About the secondary characters such as Quain and Loren known as the monkeys, they made ​​me laugh more than once, because they are always joking and fighting between them, and nevertheless they continue to accompany Avry in all her adventures and Flea who discovers that he has a new power that he isn´t very happy about it, he feels scared about this new power and he distances emotionally from Avry, but nonetheless he accompanies her wherever she goes. Also in this book we get to know what happened to Belen, who was one of my favorite characters in all the trilogy/series.

On the villains in this book ... in this book we see more of King Tohon through 's dreams, he still  keeps terrorizing her, but that´s a walk in the park compared to the Skeleton King, I really could have lived without having known him, he's really creepy. The scene with Avry...I wish I could erase it from my mind, it gives me goosebumps.

Overall, I really loved Taste of Darkness but not as much as its predecessor, but has everything we saw in this great trilogy/series, such as romance, adventure, action, unexpected twists in the plot (which I should have seen it coming, but I didn´t). The ending was really good and satisfying, maybe it was a little rushed for my taste but it left me happy. I definitely recommend that you read this great trilogy/series.


Book trailer

9 comments:

  1. I have to agree that I like the previous books a little bit more but I still really loved the last book! I loved the monkeys and I loved the ending so much! It was so adorable and perfect. :D

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  2. This is one my most beloved series. I agree with you - the Skeleton King was really creepy and like, the villain of all villains bad. Also, the ending, although it summed up pretty well everything, felt kinda rushed to me too. I'd definitely miss the gang. Great review! :)

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  3. The Healer series is the second series I'm reading of Maria Snyder's. My first was the Study series and I really cant tell which one is better. Loved Scent of magic to bits and I'm dying to read Tate of Darkness. Sounds like the perfect end the series.

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  4. Haven't read this series before and I'm adding it to my TBR list. I always take your reviews as recommendations! Thank you! =)

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  5. Great review! i like the cover and i haven't read this book yet. ;)

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  6. Great book trailer ;)
    Sounds interesting
    Thanks ;)

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  7. I have had the first book of this series on my shelf for a long time, but I haven't read it yet. After reading all of the reviews for all three of the books, and now your review, I am really excited to get started, already!

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  8. I've seen so many books written by this author but never read one which I think I will have to rectify soon. The cover is gorgeous though. I love the dark colors and that cape is amazing.

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  9. This is not a bad book, but I could not finish it. The main problem is the fact that I have read ALL her novels and I am a fan of her first series. Since I have read all her books I noticed something: All her main characters are alike, they just have different names. If I have read "Taste of Darkness" before reading her previous novels, I think I would have enjoyed her latest novel more:-)

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