Tuesday, October 04, 2011

Review: Touch by Jus Accardo

Touch
Jus Accardo
Release date: November 1st, 2011
by Entangled Publishing
Format: Paperback/Ebook

When a strange boy tumbles down a river embankment and lands at her feet, seventeen-year-old adrenaline junkie Deznee Cross snatches the opportunity to piss off her father by bringing the mysterious hottie with ice blue eyes home.

Except there’s something off with Kale. He wears her shoes in the shower, is overly fascinated with things like DVDs and vases, and acts like she’ll turn to dust if he touches her. It’s not until Dez’s father shows up, wielding a gun and knowing more about Kale than he should, that Dez realizes there’s more to this boy—and her father’s “law firm”—than she realized.

Kale has been a prisoner of Denazen Corporation—an organization devoted to collecting “special” kids known as Sixes and using them as weapons—his entire life. And, oh yeah, his touch? It kills. The two team up with a group of rogue Sixes hellbent on taking down Denazen before they’re caught and her father discovers the biggest secret of all. A secret Dez has spent her life keeping safe.

A secret Kale will kill to protect.
*A copy was provided by Entangled Publishing for review purposes*

I love it when you don't know what to expect from a book and it ends up being awesome. Touch was the perfect example. I picked this up thinking it would be just another passable YA paranormal, but it was fantastic. It reminded me a lot of the TV show Heroes - people with supernatural abilities get locked up by this agency who want to use them for testing or for their own purposes. The energy vibrating from the book, though, was very much like The Summoning series by Kelley Armstrong - and had a similar plot line as well, but with it's own personality.

From the beginning, this book is exciting and very intriguing with tons of mystery and questions that keep you on your toes. I really enjoyed all of the characters. The protagonist, Dez, is determined and stubborn. I loved how the guy didn't take over for the heroine. The attention was always on Dez's story. There were guys in the novel, of course - just look at the cover! *winks* - but they never down right took over.

The romance was very sweet. I found there was actually a lot of chemistry between Dez and Alex, as well as between Dez and Kale. Most of the book I was rooting for Alex, I found him much hotter. I think it's mostly due to Kale being a bit clueless. It made him seem juvenile compared to Alex. Kale was good for a laugh though. His innocence is hilarious. I loved that he had no sense of censorship; He just blurted out everything.

The best part of the book and what made it a 5-star for me, was the addictive quality of it. They're always on the run or making very risky plans. It was exciting through and through, and it was very hard to stop reading. The climax was also very satisfying. It wasn't abrupt and it wasn't overwhelming. It ended in a way that makes it obvious the story is not over but there is no cliffhanger. So now I can sleep better until the next book comes out. :)

5 Hot Espressos