Title: Touch of Death
Author: Kelly Hashway
Series: Touch of Death #1
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Pub Date: January 15, 2013
Pages: 235 pages
My Copy: ARC from the publisher for Review…
Book Synopsis:
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 how to control her power, history will repeat itself and her race will become extinct.
Book Review:
Definitely different and interesting. This was one of those books that reminded me a lot of other books that have a similar theme, like Touch, Shatter Me, Cursed. The main character goes through a lot of upheavals in this book. Her life is changed because of the things that are happening to her because of something she can’t control.
Jodi is your typical teenager at first, but then strange things start to happen to people she’s been around. People literally start to die around her. She begins to feel that things are getting weird. Matt is also her boyfriend. Matt and Jodi seem to have a very sweet relationship, but then Alex shows up and things get very complicated.
Alex stirs some fear in Jodi as he starts stalking her. I think that any one who has had a stalker in her life would have the same reaction that Jodi did to Alex at first. Eventually Jodi lets Alex explain himself. He tells her that she is descended from Medusa and that her blood is poisonous to regular everyday human beings and that her touch is fatal right now, because she can’t control her abilities. Okay I would find this a little ridiculous and lubricious. Yet Jodi seems a little bit rattled by this. I would be rattled by this as well.
Then there are other things that happen. Other people die and Jodi does something that she shouldn’t be able to do, it really makes things much more intense. I didn’t like the fact that she is so powerful thanks to being a descendant of Medusa. Medusa has claimed her as one of her bloodline and often helps her throughout the book. This was a little far-fetched for me.
Raising the dead and controlling them seems a little bit creepy and just plain wrong on so many levels. Then the fact that there seems to be a lot of things that she don’t know about the group that Alex belongs to. It was a little convoluted. At first, we think these people are good, but then come to realize that everyone has their own agenda. It’s a little confusing at times to keep up.
The mythology aspect was nice and I would have like to have seen it played up a lot more. The appearances of Medusa and Hades was nice for a mythology buff like myself. Hades appearance was a little convenient for my taste. The way the mythology ties into the story was a nice twist, but should have been explored more. Hades is a character that definitely needed some more spotlight time.
Some of the stuff that happens towards the end was kind of predictable. I don’t like predictability in a book at all. I want to see something new and different in my books. This book was interesting for sure, but I like the world and the Medusa Mythology. Yet the predictability took away my enjoyment in the book. When this happens I kind of find the book loses something special. Plus everything comes a little too easy for the main character-another thing that I don’t like. I want my characters to have some real struggles.
A good book if you like mythology that involves Medusa. Yet, I found myself trying to like this book. This book had some promise, but found that it was okay. I’m hoping the next book in this series really works on being less predictable.
Rating:
Darn it! I was so excited to read Touch of Death, but the flaws with the book that you've pointed out have made me less keen on reading it. If it makes you want to like it, then there's something definitely wrong.
ReplyDeleteGah!! I still really want to read this, I'm guess that the Shatter Me phase for "no touching" books still has me fired up for these kinds of books.
Great review! Loved your descriptions of the book's realistic and unrealistic moments.
-Angie @YA Novelties
I totally agree with you! I thought the plot was SUPER predictable, and I was so annoyed with it at the end, but it's awesome that you still liked it in the end! Jodi was a really interesting character wasn't she? :)
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