A Review for Taste of Darkness (Healers #3) by Maria V. Synder

Posted by Donna
Release Date: December 31st 2013 
Finished Date: October 28th, 2013

Publishers: Harlequin MIRA
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Romance
Source: For Review

Format: eBook
Pages: 400

Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US / The Book Depo

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 Review: In Taste of Darkness, we see Avery searching for Kerrick after he mysteriously disappears. No-one knows where he is, he's vanished without a trace, but Avery remains hopeful that there is an explanation to his disappearance. In the meantime it's time to try and win the war against Tohan, however, Avery and the gang are quickly distracted by some of the soldiers becoming sick, and they fear the worse that a new plague has out broke. Can Avery figure out who is responsible for the new plague before it takes any more victims, and more importantly, can she find Kerrick and stop the war?

Maria V.Synder's final instalment to the Healer series is finally here and it's a truly a great read! I was worried before I started this, mainly because I didn't think the sequel was a strong squeal, especially compared to the first instalment Touch of Power. So, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this one and how much everything came together to deliver us a great finale.

I’ve found what I enjoy from Maria's book is her keen eye for detail. She always manages to capture the beauty and the ugliness of the times that her stories are set in. I know with fantasy books there needs to be a lot of details, details like the clothes the people wear, to what the war was like…but every time I read one of Maria's books, I always feel she does it well. I find it very easy to imagine and very believable and I love that as a writer, she takes so much time to get the key and important facts across.

Another thing I love about Maria's work is her ability to write characters that people can relate too. Even though our main character has abilities that people don't really have (well, not that we're aware of anyway) but Avery still goes through normal day to day problems that we all have. What I love about Avery is how strong and brave she is. She faces death every day and doesn't have any hesitation to help anyone who’s in need. She has a fantastic support group who we, as readers, love just as much as she does and more importantly, Avery is a pretty kick ass character. I have to say I do prefer her from Zelena from the Poison Study series. And then we have Kerrick, swoon-worthy Kerrick. I love him! I think he’s one of my preferred male characters from a fantasy novel. He just seems to have this power to draw you in, that makes anyone love him. He has so many different qualities that make you love him, he’s broody, humorous, romantic, loving, generous, tough, and brave and you can really see why Avery loves him. They make a great couple and I was glad that we got so many times where they could just be together. 

The plot of Taste of Darkness really comes together and we see many loose ends tied up. I was nervous about how everything would come together, and while it’s very nerve-racking, it’s done well. All the way through the book you just know that something’s coming and when it does, it’s so, so good. The story flowed at a good pace with enough action, romance, suspense that was needed. And while I do believe that Avery’s journey is over, I do think it’s a possibility for Maria to re-visit this series in the future, like she’s doing with her Poison Study series. I’d be thrilled to have more from the Healer series. 

In all, a great finale!