Happy Release Day & Review: A Touch Mortal

A Touch Mortal (ARC) by Leah Clifford
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Pub. Date: February 22nd, 2011
Pages: 432
Age Level: 15+
Source: For review from publisher.

Synopsis via Goodreads
Eden didn't expect Az.

Not his saunter down the beach toward her. Not his unbelievable pick-up line. Not the instant, undeniable connection. And not his wings.

Yeah.

So long, happily-ever-after.

Now trapped between life and death, cursed to spread chaos with her every touch, Eden could be the key in the eternal struggle between heaven and hell. All because she gave her heart to one of the Fallen, an angel cast out of heaven.

She may lose everything she ever had. She may be betrayed by those she loves most. But Eden will not be a pawn in anyone else's game. Her heart is her own.

And that's only the beginning of the end.

Review
I feel I should start this review by informing you all of something. Most of you don't know this but I have a pathological fear of books over 400 pages. Don't give me that look! As strange as it sounds, long books, particularly those over 400 pages, intimidate me. I always worry I'll end up spending too much time on them and I usually do. So I was surprised when I picked up A Touch Mortal and finished it in three days, a very short length of time for me to spend on a book, especially one of this length. Not only that, but all of sudden, those 400+ page books don't seem so scary anymore.

Eden is a bad-ass, lovable heroine filled with sass and spunk. Considering the book begins with her contemplating suicide, I think it is fair to say that she starts out on the weaker side but then grows stronger throughout the book. I was so relieved to see how Eden reacted when she found out what Az and Gabe had done. She wasn't all la-dee-da, all is forgiven because I'm so desperately in love with you. Despite still having feelings for him, girlfriend was pissed, and I couldn't blame her one bit. All in all, Eden proved to be a very realistic and well-developed protagonist. There was a slew of other cool characters as well. I guess I'll start with the guys, cause I know that's what you ladies wanna hear about. Gabe was someone I could easily see myself having as a best friend. I really liked his character and, I gotta say, this one surprised me. Az and Adam are the two romantic interests, both potentially lovable in their own right but neither one really had me swooning. Az is totally charming but also on the selfish side. Adam is sweet but a bit overprotective. However, I liked that Clifford flawed these two guys, because honestly, I'm tired of all that perfect, too-good-to-be-true nonsense; their imperfections made them more believable. Then we have Kristen, who, quite frankly, is a bitch with some serious attitude, not to mention she's a bit wacko. However, I actually really loved her character, especially when her and Eden were around each other. Listening to the two of them go at it could be quite amusing. Now I want to discuss Luke. Luke is a massive, blazing ball of pure smoldering evil. The dude is seriously wicked and I can't even begin to express how glad I am to see a villain who actually emanates the evil he's meant too. Not sure what the deal is with some of these pansies I've been coming across lately. Among some of the other great supporting characters are Libby, James, and Jarrod.

A Touch Mortal is one seriously dark and twisted ride of a book, not to mention highly imaginative. Clifford's concept behind what happens to those who commit suicide was highly inventive and slightly edgy, as was the overall world she created. The beginning easily grabbed hold of my attention and the story pulled me in deeper and deeper the further I went, building suspense at just the right speed. There were a couple of things I had figured out but there were still some excellent curve balls thrown in. The only flaw I found was that some of the plot details involving the Siders, Touch, etc could be a bit confusing, causing me to do a bit of a double take and re-read some parts.

Clifford has a witty, well paced writing style. I thought the third person narrative actually worked well for this book, something that isn't a common opinion of mine. Also, I loved the shifting points of view and how Clifford only switched when it would benefit the plot versus alternating them predictably every other chapter. There was quite a bit of swearing and, for the most part, it didn't bother me. However, and this is just a personal preference, I really don't like seeing g** damn in a book. Thankfully I only saw it a couple of times.

So, about the ending. Here's the thing. Shortly after starting the book, I went to check to see how many chapters there were. While flipping through the last pages to see what number the last chapter was, the worst thing that could happen, happened. I didn't mean to but I saw the last page of the final chapter. I tried to look away quickly and wanted to claw my eyes out but I could not un-see what I saw. Now, fast-forward to me reaching the end after reading everything else. Of course, I wasn't surprised because I'd done gone and ruined it for my self but I can honestly say I would have been shocked had I not...you know. The ending really was awesome. Also, I liked how the ending left me craving more and was a cliffhanger but not a major, I'm-bloody-and-blindfolded-tied-to-a-chair-will-someone-save-me-or-won't-they cliffhanger.

All in all, A Touch Mortal is a refreshing and thrilling paranormal read that helped to conquer my fear of 400+ paged books. Leah Clifford is a very talented writer and I'm anxiously awaiting the sequel to this impressive debut. I highly recommend this one and know it'll be one I'll re-read in the future.

Grade:
Characters: B
Writing: B
Plot: B+
Ending: A-
Enjoyment/Likability: B+
Recommendable: A-

Overall: B+

Cover: B+