Healers Touch

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I was really excited to read this book. I got to read an early version of the first chapters and enjoyed it and really wanted to know where things went.

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I got into things much more quickly, and everything was more vibrant. The world is intriguing and Howell never fails to give a sense of the surroundings in ways that lend to the whole feel rather than the beat-you-on-th I was really excited to read this book. The world is intriguing and Howell never fails to give a sense of the surroundings in ways that lend to the whole feel rather than the beat-you-on-the-head method some writers indulge in.

Got a sense of the characters in the same way. Cassidy and Alvaro were great secondaries. I did run into some characterization problems with Aris and Anya. Not a big deal, actually, but noticeable because of how well things flowed when everything was just right.

Healer's Touch

Llew, our main character, reminded me just a big of the main character of the Hunger Games trilogy. Just that she had ways of thinking at times that went against the grain of goody-good thinking. And I loved that about her. There were a few wobbles along the way, like at the ball a little over halfway through.

Things continued to be a bit wobbly in the character-actions department for about ten pages, but after that things got rolling more fluidly once more and then it was a race to see what would happen next. To the point I forgot about supper and almost boiled a pot of water down to nothing. And there were so many little character interactions that made me grin and even laugh out loud. Made the people not only completely real, but made them people I wanted to hang out with. I thought the ending was perfect.

The very best kind of ending for a book that has sequels. Maybe that's how I came to picture Jonas looking kind of like Lance Armstrong with long hair. Hey, I bet a syakaran would do great in the Tour de France! This excellent first novel uses some traditional fantasy dynamics, then takes chances in presenting them. That's one of the things I love about reading first novels--it's all fresh, and even if the writing includes some wonky bits, enthusiasm more than makes up for it. Deb Howell's story comes across as new without seeming amateurish.

The pacing and timing are excellent; for example, just as I was really starting to wonder whether Lleu's powers could heal others as well as herself, this came up in the story, and at an important point to boot. The setting has a western feel, but with old world touches--Kiwi Western, I guess? Whatever you want to call it, the story world has a flavor all its own. The dynamic between aenuk and karan, the two races with supernatural powers, reminded me of vampires and vampire hunters. But it's not vampires, but a totally different take on blood with supernatural and dangerous powers.

From peeking at other reviews, I expected more steampunk, but the only real steampunk element is the bad guy, Braph, who's kind of a mad scientist who invented his own brand of magical technology. One thing that struck me was how the male hero and the bad guy, Jonas and Braph, are so alike they're like two versions of the same person.

This isn't lost on Lleu, the heroine, either. She loves one and hates the other, but they're so much alike that she feels a lot of emotional confusion. When you come down to it, both of them want to take Lleu into custody so they can use her power. Do we let Jonas off the hook just because he falls in love with her? But there are strong hints that Braph is in love with Lleu's mother a character whose presence is strong in the book, though she doesn't show up. I was almost disappointed that Braph turned out to have such nasty methods, because I would have loved to see Jonas and Braph as moral equivalents who happened to be on opposite sides.

Lleu is likable as the main character, a seeming orphan who's made a life for herself on the streets before she sets off on her quest. Still, she makes a good female friend in Anya--a friendship that may be important in the next book of the series. She has strong feelings and emotions. The book could have used more careful editing. It was full of punctuation errors and typos, plus a few continuity mistakes. I think this publishing company is new, so maybe I should cut them some slack, but I got the feeling whoever edited the book did it in a hurry.

Healer's Touch is the story of Llew, a young pickpocket living on the streets of Cheer. Whilst Llew is already a pretty kickass young woman, she comes with an ability that is more than it seems. Llew is a healer, but for her to heal, something else dies. Plants and grass are her beginning tools for healing, but as her adventure progresses, so does the need for more powerful sacrifices.

I love the concept of this book, and Llew is the perfect MC to carry it out. Howell has created a fantastic Weste Healer's Touch is the story of Llew, a young pickpocket living on the streets of Cheer. Howell has created a fantastic Western fantasy world complete with awesome name - Aghacia with amazing mythological elements. Some of the bits I loved most about this book were the explanation and history of this world, the wars that had been fought, the powers that had been abused and the prejudices that had come about.

I liked Jonas, though he sometimes really annoyed me. One of my favourite characters was Anya, because she was the pinnacle of everything that Llew had never known. It was a glimpse into the world of the upper class, and provided a rich setting to contrast the stark wilderness the group travelled through.

Cassidy was a favourite also. I really enjoyed the first third of this book, when Llew is by herself and the rules of her healing are explained. I loved seeing how independent she was and how she lived by herself with no one to defend her. The middle of this book lost me a little, but the end made up for it completely, and I was glued to every page. Some very cool, but very creepy, little inventions come to pass which made for a very good visual in my mind's eye. I loved Llew's inner strength in the last few chapters; it added to her character even more.

The writing was strong, without too much telling without showing and vice versa. It was easy to picture their surroundings, fashions, looks and landscape, which I find I struggle with a lot with some authors. Needless to say, I'm pretty keen for the sequel, Warrior's Touch.

Healer’s Touch (Achievement)

HT left it on a rather forbidding note and I can't wait to see how it progresses. I'd recommend this for anyone who enjoys strong characters, original inventions, alternate fantasy and beautiful settings. Howell is an entertaining mix of fantasy, western, steampunk, romance, and even a bit of horror that provides a refreshing transfusion of new blood to a fantasy genre suffering from a super-saturation of Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings rip-offs. This special power is the ability to heal herself or others by siphoning the life force from nearby living plants or creatures.

Despite being from two different and often-warring tribes, Llew and Jonas are drawn to one another, protect and save one another, and form a romantic bond. This is a highly recommended read. Healer's Touch was an enjoyable fantasy romance novel. The characters were likeable. Each has their own voice. Llew's ability was quite intriguing, especially the fact that it had consequences. I loved Jonas' tattoo and his skills as well. I enjoyed Howell's writing style. For her first book, it's a pleasure to read.

The use of words one doesn't commonly come across, like detritus, was quite refreshing. I appreciated the maps placed strategically in the book, so the reader could follow Llew and Healer's Touch was an enjoyable fantasy romance novel. I appreciated the maps placed strategically in the book, so the reader could follow Llew and the rest of the party to each of their destinations. I enjoyed their world having special races and a history to go with it. I didn't realize this have so much "romance" in it. Thankfully, the love scenes were brief and not overly descriptive. In this same aspect, I disliked the amount of rape actual or attempted in this novel.

In the first 3 chapters alone, there are 2 instances. I understand why the author used this for "plot purposes" but still, it's a bit much.

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It made no sense why he'd do that, aside from being sick and twisted. Other than those few things, I really enjoyed the book and the entire concept. I look forward to reading the continuation of Jonas' and Llew's adventures. I received a free copy from the author for a fair and honest review. Take a bit of steampunk with a flavor of the old West, add lots of adventure and fantasy What do you have?

A page turner that kept me on the edge of my seat for a couple days. I really liked the set up that was woven in this book I never felt lost in this new world as the author has an amazing way of letting you know where you are with great descriptions Take a bit of steampunk with a flavor of the old West, add lots of adventure and fantasy I never felt lost in this new world as the author has an amazing way of letting you know where you are with great descriptions that don't go too far off the deep end. The character development was much more complete in some of the characters than in others If you are a bit squeamish there are parts in this book that might make you want to duck and cover even I However, I still would recommend this book to anyone over the age of Did I say Buy It?

I had originally gotten this as a review copy This book is a page turner that I could not put down. I love fantasy, but have found it more difficult to lose myself in as I have grown older. A lot of books become far too predictable, gladly not so with Healer's Touch. This is one of those books you finish so quickly through sheer excitement, that you wonder if you should read it again immediately to check if you missed any more juicy bits.

Really enjoyed the plot, characterisation, the rich scene, and the use of a western- fantasy cross over This book is a page turner that I could not put down. Really enjoyed the plot, characterisation, the rich scene, and the use of a western- fantasy cross over which I found refreshing. I spent many hours with LLew and her band of travelers.

I really loved this amazing story. I would put it down only to pick it back up again to see what happens next. I loved the way that the author painted a picture so that you could "live" in the story. I felt like I was traveling right alongside LLew. Llew herself is an amazing strong character who is beautifully written. This is probably one of my favorite books. I can't wait to see if there's a sequel because I want to see where the story g I spent many hours with LLew and her band of travelers.

I can't wait to see if there's a sequel because I want to see where the story goes next! Reviewed by Lee of Fae books. I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. This was supposed to be Steampunk? Where's the Steampunk aspect? I mean, there was that thingy Braph had on his arm and all the crazy inventions he did, but how does that one little piece translate into the whole book being Steampunk? I just don't see it. What do I say about this book? I enjoyed it, but it had flaws. It went by pretty fast, but I kept getting stuck at points and needed to take a break.

I I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. I mean, most of this was travelling. There were plot points through out all that travelling, but sometimes you just need something other than "and then we traveled down another road Llew was an interesting enough character. I love the concept of her power. It falls in the equivalent exchange, where in order to get something, you must put in something of equal value to balance it out.

In order for Llew to heal, she must take life and energy from something or someone else. I love that concept. I love the turmoil it causes her when she wakes up and sees the destruction around her. At least she fights them off. I mean, she gained her super speed and strength after Braph raped her. How do we know the baby isn't his? Maybe it has something to do with their race, but really that's never explained. She just found out she has super speed and doesn't know how to control it. I'm sorry, but I just found that line hilarious. There was one scene in particular that sticks out.

It's when Llew and Jonas finally have their sexy time. It starts in the garden at the ball, then they realize they want more privacy, so head back to Llew's room. Then she ends up pressing Jonas into flowerbeds. Are there flowerbeds in Llew's room? Did they somehow magically transport back to the garden?

What's going on here? There was another line, where Llew stole Jonas' knife again and he came looking for it. What if I went up to a professor and said "Oh, I was preparing for this test, but I'm still not prepared. How can you prepare for something and still not be prepared? I feel like saying that she had been preparing already implies that she should be ready.

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I don't know, really. It just sounds weird to me. Then there was the little exchange between Llew and Jonas where I had a little Avatar moment. You know how there was that scene with Zuko and Mai where Zuko says "I don't hate you" and Mai responds with "I don't hate you, too"? Yeah, that pretty much happened here. I know it's supposed to be all cute and a roundabout way to say "I love you," but it just sounds so hilarious. Finally, the last third or so of the book, the word "niggling" kept popping up. I'd never heard that word before, and then suddenly I saw it maybe five times? Maybe a bit of overkill with a new word.

The second book isn't high up on my to-read list. In fact, according to Goodreads, it's not there at all. There are many questions left unanswered that I hope and assume will be answered in the next book, but I won't be going out of my way to get my hands on it. This was an enjoyable book, with flaws and all, but it ended pretty well.

If I get my hands on the next book, I'll read it. I do recommend this book to people who enjoy adventures and love triangles and magic and turmoil. Feb 09, D. There were several things I liked about this novel and several things I believe could be strengthened.

This is really a fantasy novel in a fantasy world, not a wild-west or steampunk setting. I understand the western themed moniker to give it a semblance of time and setting, but I think that reference in the book blurb is misleading. There are characters with special powers I found very interesting, particularly the healer's touch component that our protagonist, Llew, possesses. Llew is a teenaged orphan, living on the streets of Cheer a misnomer as a boy since her father disappeared.

One night she is attacked when a man realizes she is a woman.

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When Llew tries to fight him off, he starts slashing at her with a broken bottle. However, each time he slashes at her and she touches him to fight off the attack, a transfer of life occurs and Llew is healed. Eventually she passes out, realizing the connection she maintained with the man sucked the life out of him to heal her - and his lifeless body lay beside her. When the townspeople of Cheer realize a murdering witch is in their midst, Llew is forced to flee into the unknown. Along the way, she encounters a group of wealthy adventurers escorting a young woman to another land to meet her betrothed.

They agree to take her on as another protector - and for the time being Llew's secret is safe. But the traveling troupe has many secrets of their own, the warrior Jonas being more than a distraction. This wasn't a story that kept me reading into the wee hours of the morning, but it was one that kept me coming back over the course of several days as I had availability. So without giving away too much, here we go.

The first third of the book was interesting as I got to know Llew and her predicament, her strong and determined personality, and as she grew more aware - and sometimes frightened - of her strange power. The last third was both exciting and heartbreaking as Llew fought for her freedom, her life, and for the lives of others. The main problem I had was with the middle third, as it got bogged down and at times felt as if the author had lost direction.

The characters even changed in odd ways and didn't stay true to what they were at the beginning and end. One of the most irritating was the changing speech patterns of several characters, in particular Jonas. He had disappearing and reappearing accents that varied throughout the story. In the beginning he carried a normal speech pattern, and then suddenly he sounded like a southerner from Texas, then the Bayou, and then back to no discernible accent.

The middle could be cut waaay back without losing any significant aspect of the story. Then, besides Llew, there was little development of any other character to give the reader a sense of depth, motivations, and more than one-dimensional representation. I think this would have helped the middle section from feeling so wooden and would have also made our antagonist feel more like a flesh and blood man instead of a spoiled brat throwing a temper-tantrum.

There were very few editing errors and point-of-view stayed fairly strong without jumping around from character to character in the midst of a scene bravo and thank you, Ms. In the end, I think the story ended on an appropriate note and made me interested in continuing with the next leg of Llew's journey. I have to admit, I was hot and cold for this book. I liked the world it was set in: I liked hearing about the different races, their specialties, and their dark little secrets, but I was left feeling like I wanted more.

We get a lot of information about their world scattered in bits and pieces across the book instead of one huge package of exposition, which is good. However, I still had lots of I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. However, I still had lots of questions at the end of the book that I hope the next one will answer. The pacing of the book was a bit off for me.

Think of it like being on a roller coaster where you think that last drop is going to be the best and biggest. I was glad to see a female character take the lead in a fantasy novel and I liked how Llew started out. I really did cheer Llew on, wanted make sure she was safe, and to see her keep going. The romance between Llew and Jonas put me off. Yes, their relationship is interesting. Yes, I admit that they are good together. But maybe their romance was rushed for me.

They warmed up to each other quickly, when not long before they were rubbing each other the wrong way. The addition of Al and his petty selfish actions also made me cringe, even if I liked him at first. I feel so conflicted about this book because despite all the things I hate about the characters and their actions, I want to know more. The characters in the book were torn between choices they had to make, and I was torn over the characters. All in all, I did enjoy this book, but not as much as I thought I would.

Oct 20, S. Higbee rated it it was amazing. Howell Looking for something enjoyable and interesting to read, I found this offering languishing in my TBR pile… Llew has a gift. Llew has had a hard time of it. Abandoned by her drunken father and swindled out of her rightful inheritance by the city authorities, she finds herself on the streets dressed as a boy and thieving to stay alive — until she steals the knife of a well-dressed stranger. Basically bugging out the game.

Last edited by Silverquick ; 11 Apr 6: Originally posted by Silverquick:. Last edited by Bowerick Wowbagger ; 11 Apr 6: Healers touch is statistically objectively better in all circumstances based on total health replenished across the whole teams combined health pool given multiple runs with the item. It works like this: So at half health, when someone ELSE needs healing, they have 75 remaining hp, and 75 missing. Thus after healing the other person for ? For the sake of this example, that is the gauranteed value of extra HP that the teams health pool recieves for every use of hand of shalya while on the character who can utilize it best.

All of these conditions drastically limit this traits usefulness. If the med kit gives health, then healers touch and hand of shalya look almost identical long term in raw numbers, but we must account for the very limited circumstances where hand of shalya gives that actual 26 health: The only runs where hand of shalya would out perform healers touch are on excessively dry healers touch runs, and only if the person in question was playing either FS or IB.

That is very rare, and not worth planing for. Healers touch is just another example of objectively better choices in VT2. Abra View Profile View Posts. Try the Kindle edition and experience these great reading features: Share your thoughts with other customers. Write a customer review. Showing of reviews. Top Reviews Most recent Top Reviews. There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later. Kindle Edition Verified Purchase. This was a delightful cross genre book, being a mixture of high fantasy, steampunk and horror, with a dash of romance thrown in.

Llew is a great character who grows throughout the book. At the start, she doesn't know what she is and finding out is something she finds hard to deal with. Jonas thinks he knows how his life is mapped out and who his enemies are, but he doesn't always get it right. The supporting characters are also interesting in their own right. I like that no one is totally evil, or totally good. Even the bad guy seems to have a place where it is possible for the reader to feel a certain amount of sympathy for him.

The world construction was well thought out will differing flora for different continents. I particularly like the certain tree, but can't elaborate as that would be a spoiler. I had imagined the Wild West aspect of the book would put me off as I do happen to live in cowboy country, but it was not intrusive and very well handled. This is a very unique and original world.

I see there has been threads left unanswered at the end of the book that will lead nicely into the second book of the series. I will be looking forward to reading this. The main character is VERY refreshing, and while she can do some of the dumb things heroines are prone to, at least her character is consistently stupid and not really wholly unrealistic considering the kind of life she lead and her age.

The problem is how all characters who by all means were trained professional adults kept acting like preteens throwing tantrums left and right. Healer's Touch is the story of Llew, a young pickpocket living on the streets of Cheer. Whilst Llew is already a pretty kickass young woman, she comes with an ability that is more than it seems. Llew is a healer, but for her to heal, something else dies. Plants and grass are her beginning tools for healing, but as her adventure progresses, so does the need for more powerful sacrifices.

I love the concept of this book, and Llew is the perfect MC to carry it out. Howell has created a fantastic Western fantasy world complete with awesome name - Aghacia with amazing mythological elements. Some of the bits I loved most about this book were the explanation and history of this world, the wars that had been fought, the powers that had been abused and the prejudices that had come about.

I liked Jonas, though he sometimes really annoyed me. One of my favourite characters was Anya, because she was the pinnacle of everything that Llew had never known. It was a glimpse into the world of the upper class, and provided a rich setting to contrast the stark wilderness the group travelled through. Cassidy was a favourite also. I really enjoyed the first third of this book, when Llew is by herself and the rules of her healing are explained.

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