In Anticipation: Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder

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Maria V. Snyder is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to fantasy novels. Her stories are pretty accesible, even for those who are not really fans of the genre. Her three series (Study; Glass; and Insider) are all kinds of popular and well-received. Now she's returned with a brand new series, Healer. Check out the premise for the first book, Touch of Power:

Laying hands upon the injured and dying, Avry of Kazan assumes their wounds and diseases into herself. But rather than being honored for her skills, she is hunted. Healers like Avry are accused of spreading the plague that has decimated the Territories, leaving the survivors in a state of chaos.
     Stressed and tired from hiding, Avry is abducted by a band of rogues who, shockingly, value her gift above the golden bounty offered for her capture. Their leader, an enigmatic captor-protector with powers of his own, is unequivocal in his demands: Avry must heal a plague-stricken prince—leader of a campaign against her people. As they traverse the daunting Nine Mountains, beset by mercenaries and magical dangers, Avry must decide who is worth healing and what is worth dying for. Because the price of peace may well be her life...

I remember being totally wowed by Snyder in her novel Poison Study. The world she'd created in that book was so lush and well fleshed out, so exciting and unpredictable. The main character was nuanced, her predicament believable even in its fantastical setting. Avry's story looks to be just as promising, with an epic conflict into which the main character finds herself insinuated. Avry's predicament sounds compelling: she has a gift that is at once reviled and revered, and it's her own people that are guilty of the former, the enemy of the latter. That's the stuff of great drama, I tell you!

I love this book cover. It's because of the color palate that I dig it so--purple is my favorite color (which is not at all obvious from this blog's design, right? ^_^). And I like that the imagery tells much of the story: you've got Avry's powers on display in the foreground, with beautiful flowers and a gentle glow around her implying that her gift is life-giving and precious. The lands depicted just beyond her arm emphasize the important connection between her powers and her people (or perhaps other peoples). There are two other iterations of the cover, one for the UK release and the other for the Australian release. They're pretty to be sure, and they have some similar elements (visual representation of Avry's magic, a sweeping vista in the background), but I think that the US cover spoke to me the most. Here they are below:

UK Cover

Australian Cover

At any rate, I'm planning on diving into this book very soon! Look out for a review of Touch of Power early in the new year.

Touch of Power is scheduled to be released on December 20, 2011 by Mira (in other words, get it now!).