Kelly Hashway
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Release Date: January 25, 2013
Source: Publisher
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Jodi Marshall isn’t sure how she went from normal teenager to walking disaster. One minute she’s in her junior year of high school, spending time with her amazing boyfriend and her best friend. The next she’s being stalked by some guy no one seems to know.
After the stranger, Alex, reveals himself, Jodi learns he’s not a normal teenager and neither is she. With a kiss that kills and a touch that brings the dead back to life, Jodi discovers she’s part of a branch of necromancers born under the 13th sign of the zodiac, Ophiuchus. A branch of necromancers that are descendents of Medusa. A branch of necromancers with poisoned blood writhing in their veins.
Jodi’s deadly to the living and even more deadly to the deceased. She has to leave her old, normal life behind before she hurts the people she loves. As if that isn’t difficult enough, Jodi discovers she’s the chosen one who has to save the rest of her kind from perishing at the hands of Hades. If she can’t figure out how to control her power, history will repeat itself, and her race will become extinct.
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CATCHALL
I absolutely adored Touch of Death. A hot paranormal romance with memorable characters and a truly unique plot, it is definitely a book that will stay with me for a long time. I honestly could not put it down and basically ran out sharing it with everyone within reach. It was an awesome book, and deserves a lot of praise if you ask me.
THE HEROINE
JODI
Jodi is determined, powerful, and brave. At first, she seems like any normal high school girl. I loved that, and she was extremely relatable. She gets completely confused when strange things start to happen to dead animals around her, but she has no reason to believe that she is responsible. I also love that while she's smart and doesn't make stupid choices, she makes mistakes just like the rest of us.
THE LOVE INTEREST
ALEX
Alex is a fabulous romantic lead. At first, I really wasn't sure how to feel about him, since he is very mysterious and closed-off at first. But as we got to know him better, I got to see the sweetheart behind his tough facade. Raised throughout his life as he was by uncaring parents, it is a pleasant surprise that he turned out so wonderful.
THE PLOT
What I loved most about this book perhaps is the fact that the plot is original. Very much so. Greek mythology has obviously been explored before, but never in quite this way. I'd honestly never heard of the thirteenth sign of the zodiac, so that was really, really cool too. I loved the way Medusa is a central figure in the story as well.
Jodi is living a normal life until she discovers she's being stalked. After that, weird things start to happen to the dead in her presence. Particularly, she notices, when they touch her blood.
There was one death in the book that I have a difficult time being okay with. I know it was meant to show the seriousness and graveness of the situation, but I still somehow thought it was unnecessary. I get why it was put in, but I still really don't like it.
The pacing was fabulous. After reading too many books were it is erratic or simply doesn't exist at all, it was nice to read a book that moves quickly but steadily.
Overall, very lovely. It was honestly impossible not to love.
THE ROMANCE
At the beginning of the book Joci actually has a boyfriend who is not Alex and named Matt, but I chose not to mention him in this review and I will not mention their romance after this as it gets spoilery. I love the way the relationship forms between Alex and Jodi. It seems at first like there are thousands of factors vying to keep them apart, and it looks like they'll never get together. But love has a way of getting around these things.
THE WRITING
I adore Kelly's writing. I really and truly do. The story is told in first person from Jodi's point of view, and it is really awesome to see things through her eyes. Moreover, Kelly give Jodi an intelligent voice with thoughtful insights and doesn't try to hard to make her sound young. Everything obviously comes very naturally and isn't forced, which is awesome.
THE ENDING
I loved, loved, loved this ending, because it was completely an totally unexpected in the best way. I honestly did not see one of the major events coming at all, but it ended up working perfectly. There are certainly some people who I think we'll be seeing again despite their fate at the end of this book. It left it very open to more, but didn't drag things on either.
WRAPUP
Touch of Death was a phenomenal and truly a breath of fresh air in a genre where many books are beginning to sound the same. Jodi's world became mine, and I honestly was kept enthralled. I would definitely recommend this to fans of Jennifer Armentrout as well as anyone who is looking for a read that has real heroes and heroines. I will most definitely be joining Kelly's fan club and continuing this series.
FINE.
*****FINAL RATING: 4.70 RED ROSES*****
