Review: Scent of Magic by Maria V. Snyder

Blurb:
The army of the dead are coming…

Avry of Kazan, the last Healer of the mystical Fifteen Realms, has a power that can’t be matched. But in the minds of her friends and foe alike, Avry no longer exists. Now, as the psychotic King Tohon builds an army mightier than any that has been seen before—a league of undead soldiers—Avry must face her toughest, most terrifying battle alone. Fighting to be reunited with her family and her lover Kerrick, Avry must infiltrate Tohon’s troops. But does she have the power, the rare magic; to do what legend says is impossible?

Genre: YA/High Fantasy with a hint of romance
Series: Healer #2
Rating: 4.5☆s(4☆s)



OH.MY.GOD. What did I just read? I can't. Frustration. Shock. Exasperation. Feelings. There is not a gif in this world that can properly express what I'm going through right now. But seriously?
Cliffhanger after cliffhanger--are you trying to kill me here because if you are, I already have one foot and four toes in the grave. How can I feel properly satisfied after reading this book when I want more?

Now that people believe Avry to be dead, her best action is to take advantage of her new status. Avry proceeds to be an undercover agent and takes upon a new identity as Sergeant Irina. She then infiltrates Estrid's camp to train her soldiers in the scared art of blending in with mother nature and tries to reconcile with her sister, Noelle. Meanwhile, Kerrick regroups with Ryne and heads back to his homeland in Alga to deal with the tribes. PAUSE. If they are going their separate ways, doesn't that mean Kerrick is missing throughout the majority of the book? Don't fret because this book alternate POVs. For the most part, I found it irritating mostly because each chapter ended in a cliffhanger. It makes me so anxious that sometimes I find myself skimming through a chapter just to see what happens to the opposite character.

Best part of the book: plot and world building. There is absolutely no way that you can predict what happens next. Scheme over scheme, scamming the scammers, stabbing and twisting the knife on someone's back. I can't even begin to tell you how many times people got betrayed. *spoiler(highlight to read)My favorite scene is when Wynn did the whole surprise attack on Avry in revealing that she is actually Cellina's sister. Then with Cellina revealing how she wanted to kill Avry so she can manipulate Tohon easier, only to have Tohon follow Sepp's involvement in the back-stabbing plan. Then Avry thought she knew Cellina's lie about Kerrick's fake death, so that he didn't die, only to think that he died in the north, but in reality he didn't die at all. That is a big HAHA moment for me.* For me, I felt like it was a soap opera happening within the realm of fantasy. Talk about plot twists. People kept dying and resurrecting back to life. It really makes me wonder if they died for real. I also really love the whole mystery about the death and peace lilies. They are the key to all the whole plague, resurrection, and zombie army in this series!

I love the crew. Though I miss their constant banter in this book, I am so glad to have Flea back*but sad to have Belen missing*!! Avry is an amazing heroine. Always striving to put other people's lives before hers and she is quick to be one step ahead of Tohon. Besides Tohon as the central antagonist, we have the oh so lovely Jael and the itchy, betchy Cellina.  Call me heartless but I felt no remorse with Noelle's final fate. But after reading this book, you can't help but love all of the characters, even the villains. I am always rooting for the good guys but you can't help but admire the bad guys' treachery.

The end of the book killed me, which is part of the reason why I chose not to round up. I cheered for Avry and Kerrick to reunite then I got heartbroken all over again. I absolutely abhorred cliff-hangers. ATTENTION AUTHORS- please stop using cliffhangers as a marketing technique. NO ONE likes them. But at long last, I will be patiently waiting for the last book to this must-read trilogy. :(