OK - 4 stars, despite that ending!I’m the kind of reader that appreciates a short recap of events of an earlier book. Usually by the time I’ve reached the next book in a series some time has passed and a memory jog is helpful. There is a fine art of doing this right and in the case of Scent of Magic, the massive info dump at the beginning of the book was a little distracting. It slowed down the narrative for the first few chapters. Once all the recapping was over, Scent of Magic became an incredibly captivating read. I lost myself in the wonderful world the author created. I literally did not put the book down until my ereader batter conked out. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what I loved. The characters, the plot, the fantasy world – I loved them all! The author writes such complex and interesting personalities. Take Avry, for example. Avry is a young woman with the ability to heal. She is also brave, talented, resourceful, and she has a way of influencing those around her. Each time Avry needed to deal with a difficult situation, she managed to figure out a solution to her problem. Women play a central role in this world and their power and influence is refreshing. From the Purity Priestess (yup, can you believe it?) to General Jael, Estrid and even Avry’s little sister Noelle, each has some sort of influence in this world. The villains in this book are so deliciously evil. I kept picturing Tohon twirling a Snidely Whiplash mustache (sadly, he doesn’t have one). Talk about power hungry and evil – Tohon’s scheme to become King of all the Kingdoms was evil incarnate. I mean, who makes a zombie army complete with zombie wolfish creatures?At times it felt like so many things were happening in this book, yet I still felt like there was a lot of waiting around for things to happen. Not that this was bad, the story did move along. I barely stopped reading. I think that if you enjoy political intrigue and manoeuvering, you’ll love this book.The author creates a fascinating world full of different kinds of magic. Kerrick’s magic came from the forest and he was able to use the vegetation, blend into the woods, and hear changes in the forest. Avry was a healer and used her magic to heal or incapacitate. Others controlled water, fire, life, and death. I liked how the magic had a price. In Avry’s case, when she healed someone, she took on that person’s pain or injury. This world also has some interesting plant life. Peace Lilys and their deadly and identical counterparts Death Lilys were really neat. I loved how they were attracted to Avry's magical abilities. As I was reading this book, I thought that it would make an awesome movie or television series. In a way, Scent of Magic was better than its predecessor Touch of Power. It’s going to be a long wait for the next book. Taste of Death is expected to be published in 2014. I can’t wait! Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for a review copy of this book.
