Touch of Death by Kelly Hashway
ARC received from Spencer Hill Press
Release Date: January
15, 2013
Reviewed by: Middle
Sis Jenn
The Sisters Say: Intense and Romantic
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.
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.
I was so excited to start reading Touch of Death by Kelly Hashway.
From the blurb, I knew it would have everything I loved:
Mythology—Check
Sexy, mysterious guy—Check
Girl with strange powers—Check
My Fave Greek God, Hades—Check
Throw all these together with Medusa looming overhead, and
you have Kelly’s book.
I will admit, it did take me a while to get into the
book. For the first 100 pages, the writing
was choppy—simple sentence after simple sentence. There were times I had to re-read sentences
because they didn’t flow well, and that put a real damper on a fun idea. Add to that that there was an abundance of
telling with very little showing, and it made for a rough start. However, after those initial 100 pages, the
writing smoothed out and the romance and suspense took off, leaving me wanting
to know what was going to happen next.
My favorite part of the story was how Medusa fit into the plot. I can’t think of another mythology book out
there that focuses on Medusa or her descendants, so this was completely new for
me; and I enjoyed seeing a different character in Greek mythology emerge. While we learn a bit about Medusa’s past and
her descendants, there is still plenty to learn in the next book, and I look
forward to seeing what happens next.
Jodi was an up and down main character for me. There were times when I really liked her
perseverance and her get-out-of-my-face attitude. She wasn’t the type of person to back down,
and her strength really shows in her actions.
While her attitude and strength were great attributes, I felt like there
were times when she was a bit daft. I
mean, how many people have to die right after she sees them for her to start
wondering what the heck is going on? If
that were happening to me, I’d definitely start to wonder, “Why me?” Now, of course, I wouldn’t jump to the
conclusion that my blood was poison, but I wouldn’t think that it was all
coincidence either. Jodi seems to not
even notice the strangeness of it all until it is pointed out to her. I’m hoping that she will become more aware and
quick-witted in the next book.
And, as always, I must talk about the guy. Alex—good-looking, mysterious, powerful. Just the way I like them, and what makes him
even better? I know he’s hiding
something. Why does this make him
better, you ask? I don’t know…but there’s
just something sexy about a YA guy with secrets. You can think I’m weird, go ahead—but if it
weren’t so sexy, it wouldn’t be done over and over again. Am I right?
You bet your butt I am!!! Alex
has his jerky moments, but there are plenty of swoon-worthy ones, too. Here’s to hoping we can get a few sizzling
scenes in book 2 (because I need way more than there were in this one).
Overall, I enjoyed Touch
of Death once I got into the story and past the writing flaws. It was suspenseful and sexy, and I am really
interested in how Jodi handles Hades in the future. Oh, and Hades is hot—so yay! Hades is by far my favorite Greek God (dark
and uber-powerful---yeah!), so I am really looking forward to seeing more of
him!!!
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