Touch of Death (Touch of Death, #1)

Jan 28, 2013 Giselle rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: arc, own

If I had the touch of death, I'd touch this book.

Did it start off good? When people started falling to their death after coming in contact with Jodi--that's a yes! I love the idea of this book. The inclusion of mythology and the newly discovered 13th sign in the premise are great touches. I loved how Kelly got into the lore of these necromancers and gave us a pretty complex backstory, which was both fascinating and strengthened the world building. This is the part that I liked, but unfortunatel...more If I had the touch of death, I'd touch this book.

Did it start off good? When people started falling to their death after coming in contact with Jodi--that's a yes! I love the idea of this book. The inclusion of mythology and the newly discovered 13th sign in the premise are great touches. I loved how Kelly got into the lore of these necromancers and gave us a pretty complex backstory, which was both fascinating and strengthened the world building. This is the part that I liked, but unfortunately everything else about this book brought tears to my eyes; of boredom that is.

For one, if Jodi accidentally stabbed/scratched/cut/punctured herself one more time whenever she had a run-in with a person or dead animal I was going to spit on this book! I'm not a stupid reader, or rather, I am not Jodi, I don't need to see infinite examples until the point comes across. Especially when these consisted of forced "Oops, look a that! I'm bleeding again. Shucks!" right at the opportune time a dead animal happens to be right there! Oh and did I mention she just wipes it on the poor thing? Because you know, fur = paper towel. Honestly, it felt like a parody. The ones in slow motion with an "OH NOOOO, NOT AGAIN" bubble. Yeah. And maybe--just some passing advice--it would be a great idea to stop touching people when they start, like, dying, after you do. *shrugs*

And what is it with the lack of common sense in this book? Jodi waits until just about the whole world dies before she realizes the problem is her. Then these people who are apparently the rulers of their house/race have been living with a magic-hand Medusa statue for ages and you're going to tell me that no one has ever tried touching both of her hands at once? They were shocked that it actually did something. Yeah… duh! Even with this aside, these characters, man. O.M.G *snores*. They're too oblivious, too bland, too stereotypical, and with a love interest that starts out as a stalker--literally--and becomes increasingly annoying as the book progresses. He, himself, induced so many sighs that could have been oxygen otherwise used by my brain, thus I blame this book for a now decreased brain cellular activity.

This font on the cover: Shoo!

But honestly, nothing happens in this book. People die, *gasp* it's the protagonist's fault! Blah blah, more blah blah, the end.

The last page was good. The one where I saw it was over. I liked that part.

--
An advance copy was provided by the publisher for review.

For more of my reviews, visit my blog at Xpresso Reads

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Nov 24, 2012 Kayleigh {K-Books} rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Touch of Death Review on K-Books

"I want to help you, Jodi, but you have to let me."

WOW! I don't even know where to start with this review. This book is just so incredible and it surpassed all of my expectations. When I first heard about Touch of Death I instantly wanted to read it. I haven't really read many books about Necromancers and let's face it this one sounds amazing from the blurb. This book completely blew me away and I found it extremely difficult to put it down. It is just pure aweso...more

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Feb 15, 2013 Teresa Mary Rose rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: arc, re-readable-books, for-review, ya, blog-tour, paranormal

More Reviews Here: Readers Live A Thousand Lives

Touch of Death was everything I expected it to be and so much more. It had a gripping story line, young romance, a fierce heroine, evil villains, and a swoon worthy hero. To put it simply, I really loved this book. It is a very fast and a very enjoyable read.

Our heroine Jodi is one that readers will really enjoy. She is strong, brave, and smart; but still manages to come across as a teen. She does not appear old for her age and I loved that. I lov...more More Reviews Here: Readers Live A Thousand Lives

Touch of Death was everything I expected it to be and so much more. It had a gripping story line, young romance, a fierce heroine, evil villains, and a swoon worthy hero. To put it simply, I really loved this book. It is a very fast and a very enjoyable read.

Our heroine Jodi is one that readers will really enjoy. She is strong, brave, and smart; but still manages to come across as a teen. She does not appear old for her age and I loved that. I love that she was strong despite her age and that on occasion her teenage side got the better of her. Jodi is the kind of character that tries to be responsible and truly cares about the people around her, but sometimes good intentions do not always have good outcomes. She had some great sarcastic moments and even when things freaked her out, she always rose above it.

The aforementioned swoon worthy hero is named Alex. Added to book boyfriend list: check. He is sweet, sarcastic, and funny despite his initial creeper tendencies. It is very clear how he feels about Jodi and I really liked that. There was no guesswork or mixed messages; for the most part the reader could clearly tell how Alex felt even if Jodi could not.

The romance between Jodi and Alex is very sweet and innocent. It really feels like two teens that are simply falling for each other and experiencing a lot of firsts together. Despite everything going on around them, the blossoming romance still shines through. I also loved that this book left a lot of the angst behind. While they still act like teens, there is no unnecessary angst going on in the story in terms of the relationship.

One of my favorite aspects of this story was the Greek mythology that was interwoven throughout. That is actually what initially caught my attention about this book; I am a sucker for Greek mythology. This book places a heavy emphasis on Medusa, but this is Medusa as you have never seen her before. The scary monster we all know as Medusa is nonexistent in this book. This Medusa is powerful and strong and nothing like you expect her to be. Just wait and see what I mean.

While I will admit to correctly guessing who the bad guys were, I also did not care that I did in the least. I really just enjoyed being along for the ride with Jodi and Alex. I loved watching the events unfold and seeing how each character dealt with the situations thrown at them. Also, we all know about my zombie obsession, so I was ecstatic when they popped in. However these are not your normal zombies and this storyline was much deeper than I initially expected it to be. I loved how Jodi handled this situation.

One of the biggest and best aspects of Touch of Death is the necromancy. It was intriguing and the way the powers work is so different from the norm. This power is double sided; it is not just about giving life but also about taking it. It shows how too much power in the wrong hands can have deadly consequences.

Touch of Death is a book that I recommend you read as soon as you are possibly able. You will conveniently forget everything else that you thought you had to do for the day and instead spend your time with Jodi and Alex. Touch of Death is deadly addictive and I dare you to put it down.

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review(less)

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Jan 13, 2013 Suzanne (Paranormal Pages) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Update: To top it off, I've just discovered book 2 introduces a love triangle. I think that definitely made up my mind about reading it. I won't be, in case you hadn't guessed.

Unfortunately, the word that comes to mind to describe this book is "disappointing". Not that it was the worst, my expectations may have just been too high. This is a book I had been highly anticipating and early reviews I'd seen had been quite promising.

This book felt like it had two distinct halves. Before Jodi discover...more

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Jan 07, 2013 Patrice Caldwell rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review comes from my blog, whimsicallyours.com:

As some of you might know, I’m a tad bit in love (*cough, cough – obsessed) with all things mythological. Since mythology seems to be quite the budding field right now, I’ve been having the time of my life. However as someone who knows a lot of myths from various cultures, it only takes so long for someone to get tired of the same myths being retold.

Where is she going with this? (you might be thinking), well, just in case you haven’t guessed i...more

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Dec 18, 2012 Annabelle Marie Veronica rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, paranormal, arcs, books-that-made-me-cry, best-books-in-the-world, blew-my-breath-away-amazing, favorites, gorgeous-cover, i-love-a-guy-in-this-book, i-own, love-triangles, magic, romance

*****FINAL RATING: 4.70 STARS*****

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 t...more

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Jan 01, 2012 Lauren Hammond rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book was fantastic!

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Oct 06, 2012 Gothic Angel rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: arc, from-publisher, to-review, from-author, spencer-hill-press, most-favourite

Review to come on December 3rd 2012. But see my comments if you're interested :D

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Jan 05, 2013 Megan McDade rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

*GIVEAWAY* Win a copy of Touch of Death by Kelly Hashway (INT) Ends 21st Janaury 2013!

http://readingawaythedays.blogspot.co...

Where do I start with how AMAZING Touch of Death is! From the very first page I was hooked, I couldn't put it down!

The story revolves around protagonist Jodi Marshall. Jodi goes from normal teenager, with a great best friend, an great boyfriend, to having all these strange things happen to her. To top it of there's a strange boy stalking her! Jodi soon discovers that she...more

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Apr 02, 2013 Sarah marked it as to-read · review of another edition

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 un...more
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 out how to control her power, history will repeat itself, and her race will become extinct.

....................

Okay, where do I even start? First, blood doesn't WRITHE in veins. I can't even IMAGINE how blood could WRITHE in veins. Writhe means: "to twist or contort in pain." or "to squirm or to struggle." How do these people come up with retarded descriptive mishmashes, anyway? It's like in some YAs when the author uses "marble-like body" or "spicy scent" to describe sexy men. I mean, we have a marble floor at home, but I never thought of our floor as sexy. And garlic and onion are spices, but I don't think a garlic/onion-scented man would be having much luck with girls. I think an onion-scented man just plainly has BO.

AND LOOK AT HER ARM. Does it look like anything's WRITHING in there?

... I didn't think so.

With that said, I'm not being a snobby, looks-down-through-my-nose bitch here. I actually think that the flop is hilarious.

And I like reading just for the sake of reading, so I might read this too.

Ciao.(less)

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Dec 18, 2012 Jessirae rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: for-review, epic-series

Life and death are always intertwined..

Touch of Death starts off with an ordinary girl who seemed to be accident prone, nearly killing everything and everyone she comes into contact with. This really blows for a girl like Jodi Marshall, even more so when she can’t even kiss the boy she likes. But Jodi is destined for greater things and not being able to a kiss a boy is the least of her problems. In this book, we are introduced to a whole new world full of necromancers and a twist in Greek mythol...more Life and death are always intertwined..

Touch of Death starts off with an ordinary girl who seemed to be accident prone, nearly killing everything and everyone she comes into contact with. This really blows for a girl like Jodi Marshall, even more so when she can’t even kiss the boy she likes. But Jodi is destined for greater things and not being able to a kiss a boy is the least of her problems. In this book, we are introduced to a whole new world full of necromancers and a twist in Greek mythology’s Medusa. Kelly Hashway creates one book that is pure excellence and will leave you with mind blown goodness.

Jodi was a fantastic character. I loved her immediately because I felt like I could relate to her easily. She was really cool, but was a powerful girl even before everything went down. Jodi was a little clumsy and awkward, but a believable and real character. She had a strong voice in the beginning, but even more so by the end of the book. Jodi was the type of person who was brave and thought ahead. She was definitely funny too. What I admired most about Jodi was how she takes everything with a mature and graceful manner, no matter how weird or unbelievable things felt to her. Jodi had a heart of gold and was an overall good person. She had morals and beliefs and with all the power at her fingertips, she doesn’t abuse it. She uses it for good and is never tempted. I loved how Jodi took into consideration of the feelings of the living and the dead. She truly cared for everything and everyone. Jodi doesn’t brush things off, but takes responsibility for her actions. She embraced her true identity and power and made sacrifices that left me in awe.

Even though Alex spooked Jodi out in the beginning, I knew he was going to be character I was going to fall hard for and boy was I right! Alex was a great guy. He saved Jodi from herself and taught and trained her all the things she needed to know. He helped her and he comforted her when she was feeling down. I loved how Alex continued to encourage and believe in Jodi, especially when she felt like she didn’t have confidence in herself. Alex was a charming, friendly guy and was just a total endearing sweetheart. He is not hard to love. His close relationship with Jodi was a joy to read. I loved seeing them together because they just had a deep connection and wonderful chemistry. Their romance will definitely make hearts flutter.

Kelly Hashway wrote an amazing novel. Her writing captured me and reeled me in. Her writing style was lively and appealed to all the senses. I loved her take on the mythology with Medusa, Ophiuchus and the Ophi. Medusa is usually seen as a bad character, but in Touch of Death, we see a whole new side of Medusa that I absolutely loved. Hashway made necromancers completely fascinating and alluring, but she also made them tough, powerful and extraordinary. I loved every aspect of the storyline that Hashway created and how she explained the powers, history and origin of the Ophi very well. The pacing was just right with the information trickling and dispersing through the story to keep one enticed. Hashway did a great job of keeping things hidden until they were revealed later in a way that you never saw coming. She brought the mystery and suspense at just the right moments and she made sure to keep things entertained so you felt like thing were always happening. The best parts are the plot twists and the dangerous, ominous feel of the whole book. The very last scenes become such a rush, it leaves you with no words.

Overall, Touch of Death was a novel that put me at the edge of my seat, made me swoon and had me itching and begging for more. Kelly Hashway is one spectacular writer and storyteller and I cannot wait to get my hands on more of her books!

More Reviews on my blog: Words, Pages, and Books (less)

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Dec 27, 2012 Lea (Between fantasy and reality) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, made-me-cry, arc, own

Between fantasy and reality

I am seriously in love with this book. It has everything I need to find a book great. Interesting storyline, amazing characters, it is unpredictable and unique, full of fascinating mythology, with amazing writing and a believeable and heartwarmig romance. It also has a lot of blood, tears, pain and betrayal and death so it is frustrating until the end but I think that this book is a great start to what I am sure will be a wonderful series. I must compliment Hashway on...more

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Dec 07, 2012 Eunice rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: arc-netgalley-edelweiss, death-tragedy-suicide, ghost-and-zombies, mythology, out-2012, paranormal, ya-romance, young-adult

3.5 stars

Touch of Death was a fun and quick read. It was easy to get with the flow of the story and with the characters and understand what was really happening. It offered interesting points especially in mythology plus adding some twist about zombies. I actually sped through this! However, comes with its fast-paced writing was the feel that everything was happening in a rush. Thus also makings some part predictable and a little unconvincing.

The main character, Jodi Marshall, was a character t...more 3.5 stars

Touch of Death was a fun and quick read. It was easy to get with the flow of the story and with the characters and understand what was really happening. It offered interesting points especially in mythology plus adding some twist about zombies. I actually sped through this! However, comes with its fast-paced writing was the feel that everything was happening in a rush. Thus also makings some part predictable and a little unconvincing.

The main character, Jodi Marshall, was a character that is easy to like. She played a very special and powerful character in the story however I couldn't seem to find some distinctive trait and quality in her that would have compelled me to really really like her and admire her character. Making her a little bland for my taste. Having said that she wasn't really a bad case of a main character. She has good qualities and principle but nothing really powerful or unique.

Alex, the love interest, started as a very intriguing character. I liked the bad boy and wicked side he'd shown in the beginning. I would have loved it even more if it hadn't been that toned down that much around the middle of the book when he and Jodi are finally learning and knowing each other. Still he's probable my most favorite character in this story.

I liked how Hashway combined the idea of Mythology and zombies. Adding to that, the mythological side wasn't really that conventional since it put one of the most known villains in the mythology on the good side. The only problem I had was that it felt rushed and quite predictable. I wouldn't have mind it being a little longer if it would make everything more credible and thrilling.

Overall, Touch of Death is a pretty entertaining and interesting read albeit a little lacking with some elements that might have made it even better. Still, I really did enjoy the overall. If you're looking for a fun, quick and unique paranormal read but doesn't have that too complex and mind-boggling world and plot, this is the right book for you.

Thank you Spencer Hill Press for providing me a copy of this book.

This review is also posted at Book Overdose (less)

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Feb 15, 2013 Danielle rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. DNF

I'm not sure what to say. When I picked up this book I thought it had an interesting premise and reminded me of Jennifer Armentrout's Cursed (which if you like this premise, go check out that book!). At first I was digging the book, I was curious about Green Eyes and found the characters mildly interesting, however I really struggled as the book go on.

First, Jodi accidentally cuts herself and happens to bleed on something about five different times in a matter of a few days. And each time she...more DNF

I'm not sure what to say. When I picked up this book I thought it had an interesting premise and reminded me of Jennifer Armentrout's Cursed (which if you like this premise, go check out that book!). At first I was digging the book, I was curious about Green Eyes and found the characters mildly interesting, however I really struggled as the book go on.

First, Jodi accidentally cuts herself and happens to bleed on something about five different times in a matter of a few days. And each time she does, something insane happens. So that was weird and not very well written, but I was still into the book. Then Jodi accidentally kills her doctor and she's freaking out and Alex tells her what she is and that she is a DANGER TO HER FAMILY AND FRIENDS AND NEEDS TO LEAVE. So here is the thing. Jodi believes him, but doesn't want to hurt her family's feelings by just disappearing. Even though Alex suggests they can call once she is safe, she wants time to say goodbye. Alex STRONGLY suggests she at least cancel her date so she doesn't accidentally hurt her boy by kissing him, however she refuses--deciding the right thing to do is to break it off. So what does boyfriend do? He dies and she brings him back as a zombie and he has to be put down for good. So that is horrific. And the writing in this scene is just oddly clumsy and hard to follow.

So after boyfriend dies, Alex tries AGAIN to get her to leave. But nope, she says she needs to say goodbye. Then accidentally bleeds(AGAIN!) and her mom touches her blood and dies. Luckily Alex is there to save the day.

It was at this point that Jodi annoyed me too much to continue this book. What is disappointing is that this book has RAVE reviews and I don't understand. The writing is juvenile and everything about the plot (through the first 50%) is completely contrived. I feel like I am being harsh and I try not to be so harsh when reviewing books, but I find myself beyond frustrated with the writing and plot.

I'm going to give the book the benefit of the doubt and say perhaps the ending rocks and that is why this book got such high reviews, however I cannot get past the first half of this book. (less)

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Jan 26, 2013 Anna rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: for-review, magic, mythology, read-2012, shouldn-t-have-bothered, ya

Review originally posted at Books to Brighten your Mood

When I picked up Touch of Death in my hands, I have to admit that for some reason I had high expectations from this book. What with those few raving early reviews and a premise that gives glimpses of a really interesting story and I thought that this book would be amazing. And although the potential for a good book is all there, the execution I'm afraid, spoiled things for me.

The first thing that bothered me in Touch of Death, was how slow i...more
Review originally posted at Books to Brighten your Mood

When I picked up Touch of Death in my hands, I have to admit that for some reason I had high expectations from this book. What with those few raving early reviews and a premise that gives glimpses of a really interesting story and I thought that this book would be amazing. And although the potential for a good book is all there, the execution I'm afraid, spoiled things for me.

The first thing that bothered me in Touch of Death, was how slow it was. I mean almost the whole first half of the book feels like an introduction to the story, where nothing crucial happens, only the problem is, that all that place in the narration isn't used to build the world or the plot, but it's rather wasted on extensive descriptions that aren't really helping anywhere or adding anything to the story. The first half of the book is full of some really extensive descriptions of things like an attempt to catch a rat, that to be frank, I think could have been described in far less pages... As it was, the author wastes precious space in her book just to prolong things. At least I felt that way...

My next problem was the main heroine, Jodi. She was a bit annoying and too self-centred at times. She just acts in a way I can't possibly understand, like when she totally disregards the fact that her room was searched by a stalker just to go on a date. To be accurate, she just pretends that important and dangerous things haven't even happened, just to go on a date...! She pretends and acts with a total abandon over her own life and the life of people she claims she loves, just because she has more important things to do that evening, like finally kissing her boyfriend. I'm sorry, but I just can't like a heroine who acts like that. Jodi is too irresponsible, too gullible and to reckless for my taste. The way she just chose to believe without a second thought, all the crazy things her "stalker" presented her as the truth, didn't help matters either. I mean, you don't just believe a stranger you presume as your stalker so easily and make plans to go away with him for the sake of the people you love. It's just unbelievable.

And now, time for my main source of problems with Touch of Death which I'm afraid is the core of the whole plot. And that is the fact that for the reader to understand Jodi's powers, the author goes on and describes not one, but five (or maybe six I'm not completely sure) deaths, deaths, Jodi herself was responsible for. It doesn't matter for me that she didn't know about her powers. We are talking about 5 murders here, 2 animals and 3 people. I think that I could understand Jodi's extensive powers without all that killing. After that, I really couldn't sympathise with Jodi no matter what. I just couldn't stomach all those deaths. Call me bizarre, but it bugged me.

The second half of the book though is far better and it's the reason I'm giving this book 2 starts instead of one. The plot there becomes more interesting with the necromancers and Medusa, but still, it was far too predictable and the plot was a bit all over the place.

All in all, Touch of Death was a book that couldn't really hold my attention and one that I had many problems with regarding both the plot and the main heroine that are the core of every novel. It may haven't been the book for me, but for so many reviewers to love it, it must have some redeeming qualities that I failed to notice.

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Feb 21, 2013 Montana G. rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Touch of Death was an awesome book. It had an amazing heroine and a great romance, which I loved. I was never bored while reading this book, and it kept my interest the entire time.

Jodi was a super likable heroine. I could relate to her in a lot of ways, and it’s refreshing to me when I find a heroine I really like reading about. Alex did seem pretty creepy at first, but her became so amazing over time. The romance between him and Jodi is very cute ;)

Also, the mythology in this book was great an...more

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Jan 06, 2013 Michelle Sedeño rated it 4 of 5 stars

UPDATE! Review after this:

Spencer Hill Press surprised me with an ARC + swag(!) of this one last Monday on my doorstep. (Not really. I got a notification slip from the post office and I have to pick it up there.)

Anyway, I was SURPRISED. Because the last time I checked, I got declined. I don't know what happened. But it's a good thing. I'm just saying..thank you. THANK YOU!!!!

I can't wait to read it. I'll finish up my long tbr and read it then post my review on January. Please check it out for me...more

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Mar 31, 2013 Andrea at Reading Lark rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2012, young-adult, arc, greek-mythology, paranormal, 5-stars

*4.5 Rating
Review Posted on Reading Lark 12/12/12: http://readinglark.blogspot.com/2012/...

I'm a sucker for novels inspired by Greek Mythology. This novel lured me in with a pretty cover and it's intriguing synopsis. The beginning was a bit slow, but things started to pick up pretty quickly and from that point on I didn't want to put this one down.

What would you do if every boy you kissed died? What would you do if a single drop of your blood had the power to raise the dead? Life is already stre...more *4.5 Rating
Review Posted on Reading Lark 12/12/12: http://readinglark.blogspot.com/2012/...

I'm a sucker for novels inspired by Greek Mythology. This novel lured me in with a pretty cover and it's intriguing synopsis. The beginning was a bit slow, but things started to pick up pretty quickly and from that point on I didn't want to put this one down.

What would you do if every boy you kissed died? What would you do if a single drop of your blood had the power to raise the dead? Life is already stressful during the teenage years, but adding the powers of life and death to the mix make Jodi Marshall's high school experience less than ideal. To make matters worse, she has no idea what's coursing through her veins until a handsome, green eyed stranger starts popping up. He keeps trying to get Jodi alone to talk; she's pretty sure it's not so he can gaze longingly into her eyes and profess his undying devotion. When tragedy keeps striking, Jodi is forced to listen and what she learns about herself will change her life forever.

Jodi isn't safe - she can't be around humans and animals without the fear of killing them or resurrecting them accidentally. She sacrifices the life she has always known to learn how to control her powers. The handsome stranger, Alex, takes her to his home to begin her training. This portion of the novel felt like a Greek Mythology inspired X-Men and I loved every moment. Zombies, Gorgon blood, Hades' wraith - oh my! This is one heart pounding adrenaline ride and Jodi is a YA heroine worth cheering for as she tries to save the day. I loved her compassion for the souls that were brought back.

I loved that the mythology in this one was something different. I am finding that I am over the Persephone and Hades revamps. I've read some great ones, but I wanted something different. I liked that this one features Hades, but is really truly about Medusa's ancestors. I also learned something new; I had never heard of Ophiuchus before so I enjoyed getting to know the lore surrounding him. Researching him is on my to do list to see how much of the lore was taken from existing sources and how much was a creation from Hashway's imagination. I loved this world and the Ophi race. I can't wait for more!

There are so many more things I enjoyed about this novel such as the romance and the conflict, but discussing those elements would ruin the novel. My lips are sealed, but I will say that there are several hot kisses and an epic cemetery battle. Touch of Death does a beautiful job of combining zombies, necromancers, and Greek mythology. This is a strong debut novel; Kelly Hashway has serious writing potential.

One Last Gripe: I felt some of the scenes lacked details. For example, the scene in the library when Jodi is hunting for information on her father just seemed to go too flawlessly.

My Favorite Things About This Book: The Ophi lore and Medusa's scenes

First Sentence: A red light means stop.

Favorite Character: Jodi

Least Favorite Character: Abby(less)

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Dec 04, 2012 Nicole Sobon rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I think the best way to describe TOUCH OF DEATH is to say that it is HALF-BLOOD meets CURSED, and that isn’t meant to be a bad thing. Basically: If you like Jennifer L. Armentrout's work, I think you'll enjoy this book.
TOUCH OF DEATH is about Jodi Meadows, a teenage girl with poison running through her veins. She begins the story as a normal teenager with a wonderful boyfriend and a best friend that she tells everything to. But it isn’t long before Jodi’s peaceful life goes turned upside down.
On...more

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Jan 01, 2013 Ivana rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: arc

Here's one that I've been dying to read ever since I laid eyes on the cover and read the synopsis. Mythology and zombies? Need! Want!

It doesn't take long for this book to capture and gross you out-whatever comes first, and I mean it in the most positive way. The story starts with a bang and it sucked me in quickly. One incident at a time, Jodi comes to realize that everyone she touched either dies... or wishes they died. With a character who has the gift to both kill and resurrect and is complet...more

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Oct 25, 2012 Michelle Pickett rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-loved-it

I can't believe this is Kelly Hashway's debut YA novel. It reads as though she's a veteran author.

I finished reading Touch of Death a few days ago, but it has been hard for me to write the review. Not because I didn't like the book. But because I loved it! There is so much going on, I'm afraid anything I write will be a spoiler! The action starts on the first page and continues to the last. The story held my attention throughout and I was kind of bummed when it ended. I wanted to know more abou...more

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Apr 14, 2013 Catherine Stine rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: teens who like fantasy, paranormal

Jodi finds herself stalked by a handsome but pushy guy named Alex who follows her around at school. She catches him hanging outside of her window at night, and he even sneaks into her room and ransacks it. Her new boyfriend, Matt is mad about it too, and at one point, tackles the guy. As if that isn't scary enough, Jodi finds that everyone she touches dies! The pressing message that Alex claims he is chasing her to reveal is connected to these deaths. She realizes that these tragedies occur when...more

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Mar 15, 2013 Jessica Mangicaro rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed, favorites, young-adult

Let's put it this way: I read this book in the span of a day. It was that good. The story was very well-paced, and I found myself flying through the pages.

Everyone who knows me knows how obsessed I am with mythology: Roman, Greek, Egyptian, Norse... it doesn't matter, I am fascinated by it all. Hashway did an amazing job tying Greek mythology in with her novel. From the summary above, "A branch of necromancers that are descendants of Medusa." How cool is that?!

I really did feel for Jodi, the b...more Let's put it this way: I read this book in the span of a day. It was that good. The story was very well-paced, and I found myself flying through the pages.

Everyone who knows me knows how obsessed I am with mythology: Roman, Greek, Egyptian, Norse... it doesn't matter, I am fascinated by it all. Hashway did an amazing job tying Greek mythology in with her novel. From the summary above, "A branch of necromancers that are descendants of Medusa." How cool is that?!

I really did feel for Jodi, the book's protagonist. We are introduced to her and instantly all of these strange things start happening to her that she can't explain. Animals she thought to be dead, coming back to life. Healthy humans mysteriously dying. All after being in contact with her. Not to mention the fact that a random blonde haired boy with green eyes seems to be following her everywhere she goes.

I liked that Jodi was tough, but at the same time she was also sensitive. Hitting a deer at the beginning of the novel upset her. I like my protagonists to be real and believable. We have a 17-year-old girl who's life is turned upside down and it would be strange if she didn't show her emotions in regards to the death that is occurring every which way around her.

Alex, the blond haired 'stalker' is not a stalker at all, but actually is there to help Jodi get a grip on everything that's occurring. After finally getting her to listen to him, he tells her he can help her understand what's been happening to her and help her control her necromancy. He brings her to a 'school' with others who are descended from Medusa, where she will begin training. I ended up really liking Alex and I liked seeing him and Jodi interact. Alex ended up being Jodi's rock, seeing as no 'school' could be complete without your token mean girl! Abby takes an immediate dislike to her and becomes an adversary of Jodi's. Not to mention she also so happens to be crushing on Alex. (Who clearly isn't interested.)

However, Jodi now has a new set of problems to face. She is different from the others and there is a big battle brewing with Hades, who does not like the fact that these Ophi can raise the dead.

Betrayal, lies, and deceit all await Jodi. Can she overcome them and do what she was meant to do? Guess you'll have to read and find out!

The second book, Stalked by Death, will be released later this year. I can't wait to see what happens next!

Review can also be found at my blog (less)

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Jan 17, 2013 Lili rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: disappointing

I couldn't tell you what happened with me and this book. I was eagerly anticipating it and was really excited to be able to trade for my own copy. After all, everyone I talked to has adored it. It has little to no negative ratings on goodreads. But I couldn't get into this book to save my life. I had a lot of problems with it. And, overall, what could have been a really promising concept fell flat for me. I'm honestly all over the place with this one, so I'm sorry if there are any spoilers to f...more I couldn't tell you what happened with me and this book. I was eagerly anticipating it and was really excited to be able to trade for my own copy. After all, everyone I talked to has adored it. It has little to no negative ratings on goodreads. But I couldn't get into this book to save my life. I had a lot of problems with it. And, overall, what could have been a really promising concept fell flat for me. I'm honestly all over the place with this one, so I'm sorry if there are any spoilers to follow.

First of all, the characters. I didn't connect to any of them. Jodi was our main character and I never really connected to her. She was pushed around easily and did what others wanted her to do ninety percent of the time. I also felt like she was over-emotional and she had no common sense. She spent the first half of the book accepting that she had a stalker, called the cops once, and then pretty much welcomed him after that. I couldn't deal with it. If you have a stalker, you don't hide him in your closet and hear him out. You call the cops the second he puts a dead rat in your room and you lock his ass behind bars. I get it, doing any of that wouldn't contribute to the story and it would hinder it, but everything seemed so unrealistic to me. It was hard for me to process it all because her reactions were the complete opposite of what any sane person would do. If your boyfriend dies, you don't hit on the creepy stalker within hours by acknowledged how you really like it when your legs touch. Just, I don't understand your mind, Jodi! You're my age and I truly don't understand your mind. And if you bleed/cry/salivate or anything else of the sort the second you meet a person and they miraculously die and you don't put two and two together with this stupid coincidence, I think I may scream.

Alex was all over the place. Addicted to macaroni and cheese, hard to read, and weird. Sure he was heroic, but he was so strange that I just couldn't get over it. The romance was bland and all over the place in my eyes. For example, he kisses Jodi and then he ignores her minutes later to act all lovey-dovey with her mortal enemy within the house only to hunt her down later and explain that his parents said that he should cut emotional ties with her as to not endanger her. And, of course, any sane parents would recommend doing such a thing by cuddling up with the house psychopath. Again, I don't understand the logic. It's there, I can see that, but it's twisted. And don't even get me started on Abby or Victoria or Troy. They're all just...insane. Yes, they're characterized that way, but again, so unrealistic! I love villains when they're truly vile, but they were just twisted and odd with no motivation to be the way they are. They're not the least bit believable because they seemed more over-dramatic to me than anything else. And all the other characters were pretty much easily led around on leashes. Jodi's mother and best friend from before Alex took her were practically forgotten about half way through the story. I just felt like the loose ends could have been tied up better.

Next, the writing. I really enjoyed the overall tale, it had a lot of potential aside from the cliche of girl suddenly finds out she has magical powers she didn't know she had only to find out the fate of her new race depends on her. And Hashway's writing by no means is bad. But I wish there was more detail. I felt as if events were in too quick of a succession, not enough time to think. I also felt as if I would have enjoyed the book more if I could connect with Jodi better by having greater attention paid to the description of emotions. The writing was very simplistic and while I enjoy simplicity, I do enjoy detail above all else. With the amazing concept of this story, I can honestly say that I think it would have been a home run for me if there was more detail and realistic characterization. The mythology was easily incorporated and the idea of people being born under the thirteenth zodiac sign was both astounding and ingeniously creative because I have never seen such a concept in young adult literature before. I so desperately wish that this story played out differently because I really, truly wanted to love it. It didn't help that the dialogue seemed to be really forced and robotic too.

I seem to be the black sheep when it comes to opinions on this one, but I struggled with it in ways that I haven't really struggled with a book for a while. The concept and creativity were genius, but the writing and characterization were incredibly flawed. I don't know what else to say. If you're interested in this one, it's worth picking up from the library because it is a quick read, but overall, I don't think this story and I were meant to be.(less)

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Jan 03, 2013 Brittany rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

See more reviews on my blog! http://sparetimebookblog.blogspot.com/

When I received this ARC I was worried it was going to be a lot like Curse by Jennifer Armentrout or Touch by Jus Accardo and I was soooo wrong! It was a lot different. So if you have that fear then don't worry about it. Touch of Death drew a lot from Greek mythology. We saw Hades and Medusa. The Ophi are descendants of Medusa who have kind of a curse and a gift running through their blood. Sadly Jodi learns about her gift in a v...more See more reviews on my blog! http://sparetimebookblog.blogspot.com/

When I received this ARC I was worried it was going to be a lot like Curse by Jennifer Armentrout or Touch by Jus Accardo and I was soooo wrong! It was a lot different. So if you have that fear then don't worry about it. Touch of Death drew a lot from Greek mythology. We saw Hades and Medusa. The Ophi are descendants of Medusa who have kind of a curse and a gift running through their blood. Sadly Jodi learns about her gift in a very hard way. People around her start to die and Jodi quickly becomes suspicious. Especially with the mysterious stalker who seems to show up out of no where. After death and heartache Jodi is forced to make a decision Does she stay at home and risk hurting/killing those she loves or does she go to a special school to learn about her powers.

Eventually she does decide to go after an especially hard death. Alex who is helping Jodi figure this out only gives her bits and pieces of information she needs. I feel like the Ophi kept a lot of information from her that could have really helped her. I feel like less death would have happened had they stepped up and did it differently. Jodi quickly learns that she is special and can do things that normal Ophi can't. This leads to a power struggle in the Ophi world because Jodi is so new and doesn't really know how to control everything. Hades is upset with the Ophi for taking soles back from him and he doesn't want to let it continue. Jodi's powers are put to the test. People around her are lying and things are not what they seem. She has to make big decisions in her short amount of time in the Ophi world. Not everyone will survive.

Alex appears to be the "love interest". I had trouble with him sometimes because he was so secretive. Had he been more upfront and tried harder to talk to Jodi things would have been so different. His life was so different from hers though. So I understand why he had trouble with it. I hated the dead servants Ugh, I can imagine why Jodi had trouble with them. Necromancing dead servants...I just don't know. I didn't like it.

It will be really interesting to see what happens next because of Jodi's new role in the Ophi community. Her and Hades are going to have to figure out how to get along!(less)

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Dec 17, 2012 Hannah (The Irish Banana Review) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-paranormal-mythology

Bravo to Kelly Hashway for writing a winner right out of the gate. Touch of Death is a romantic and thrilling spin on Greek mythology that left me pining for more. There are just too many months between me and the sequel!

Jodi is just a likeable character. She had her dramatic moments, her awesome moments, and even her “WTF is the thinking?” moments. She was a very real character in that she reacted to most situations the way I think a lot of people would. There was no overt posturing or eye roll...more

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Nov 07, 2012 Kyleigh rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

So before I signed up to review this, I was a bit hesitant But I thought, hey I'll give it a shot, it could be really good. Well it's safe to say that I was correct in my initial estimate. It wasn't terrible, but it was far from a home run.

I feel like my biggest issue with this book was that the synopsis just gives so much away. There was no suspense or anticipation for trying to figure out just what Jodi was. You literally know EXACTLY what she is, so all the little cues for hinting at her tru...more So before I signed up to review this, I was a bit hesitant But I thought, hey I'll give it a shot, it could be really good. Well it's safe to say that I was correct in my initial estimate. It wasn't terrible, but it was far from a home run.

I feel like my biggest issue with this book was that the synopsis just gives so much away. There was no suspense or anticipation for trying to figure out just what Jodi was. You literally know EXACTLY what she is, so all the little cues for hinting at her true nature are glaringly obvious and in your face and it just annoyed me. I just prefer a bit more subtlety in regards to when a character has a hidden identity/past. I honestly think that if this one little thing was changed about this book I would have liked it a lot more. The lack of suspense and tension was just killing me to be honest.

Jodi as an MC was pretty decent. Little things bothered me about her, but overall I enjoyed her as a narrator. The fact that she jumped pretty quickly from two guys over VERY inappropriate circumstances just really annoyed me. Like seriously, it had been a day, now she's into another guy?! But I won't spoiler anything, so that's all I'll say on the matter. Jodi had a lot of traits that I admired, so overall I enjoyed her.

As far as the plotting of this, it kind of fell flat for me. It could have worked if the book was twice as long as it currently is. Then the pacing would have been acceptable. As it was, the plot just moved way too fast and had so little development that it just didn't work flow wise. And as far as conflict goes, it kind of fell flat too. It just lacked motive. They were evil for evil's sake and were terrible people just to be terrible people. I just can't accept that. Villains have MOTIVE. Otherwise the whole Medusa thing and being able to raise the dead was kind of cool. Historically wise, there actually is a 13th constellation so I like how the author pulled from that and the other mythology was pretty cool. Heaven knows I adore Greek Mythology so I really enjoyed that.

Overall, it was decent. It was just one of those mid-range books that I can't really say "don't read" or "definitely read it" so I don't know. I feel meh about it. I might read the sequel.(less)

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Jan 17, 2013 The Cover Contessa rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013-arc-review-books, 2013-reads, 2013-releases, paranormal

I want to thank the publisher, Spencer Hill Press, for providing me with an ARC of this book through their Christmas Giveaway contest. Winning this book for free has in no way influenced my review or opinion.

Blurb from Goodreads:
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 stran...more I want to thank the publisher, Spencer Hill Press, for providing me with an ARC of this book through their Christmas Giveaway contest. Winning this book for free has in no way influenced my review or opinion.

Blurb from Goodreads:
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.

So, let me first say that I was totally upset with myself for missing out on getting an ARC directly from the publisher in the first place. I just put in too late for it. So, when I won a copy, you can't believe how excited I was. Not that I would not have gone out and gotten a copy anyway, I mean, look at that gorgeous cover! I love the cover. It's totally and completely amazing. The girl, the background, everything about it makes me want to pic it up and read it!

Then there are the characters.
First there's Jodi. She's an interesting character. She's quite naive, seeing as she has been home schooled for almost all of her life. Now that she's in the public school system, she's learning what it means to have friends, and a boyfriend. She's also learning that she's different, although she can't quite put her finger on what that is. I like how she slowly discovers things, how it's all very much a mystery to her, but she doesn't seem scared by it, more interested than anything else. Although I do find that she's not quite as scared by some things that would freak me out if I were a teenage girl. She's not weak, which is a nice change from many of the YA characters I have seen. And she's not afraid to stand up for what she believes. She's relatable and believable. And, while she is strong, she still has those silly teenage tendencies to be a bit unsure of herself at times.
Alex, well, he's swoon worthy for sure. First off, green eyes? Heck yeah! gotta love that about a guy. He does start off as kind of a creep, but he means it in a sincere way. And since he's not quite used to being around people like Jodi and her friends, I get the feeling he's not quite sure how to act. There is a lot of mystery surrounding him, and the clues as to who he is and why he's hanging around Jodi come slowly, to both the reader and the main character! He has a sweetness to him, but he also likes to hide things, and keep things back that he believes Jodi may not be ready to hear or learn about. And he certainly had a great sense of humor. He and Jodi had some nice banter in this book.
The secondary characters are a great supporting cast. There are good and bad, for sure, tho it's hard to tell who is who until the very end. I don't want to delve too deeply into them but know that you have a: best friend, boyfriend, snotty girl, overpowering mother, displease father, and supportive teacher.

The story, well, it certainly was unlike anything I have read before. I love the way it wraps Greek mythology about Medusa into it's midst. You rarely see her as the center point of a book based on this. It's been a long time since I've read anything at all about her. So it was nice to get a bit of a refresher before I was introduced to the main part of the story. This is the first book I have read that includes some kind of walking dead or zombie in it and necromancers. I wasn't sure what to expect, but it sure was different. And since I have recently gotten into The Walking Dead, it was a perfect way to bide my time while this show is on it's hiatus!

I enjoyed Hashway's writing. I found it to be clean and easy to follow. She developed the characters well, giving each their own unique personality. I did find the tone of the writing to be a bit young, as I'm used to reading more mature YA writing, I suppose. But Hashway certainly pulls off the creep factor underlying this book and gives us a fairly fast paced read with action, adventure and a bit of romance.

All in all I enjoyed this book as a fast and easy read. Mostly I was happy to not be bogged down with a ton of characters I needed to learn about and remember. I wanted a book that would take me on a journey without having to have my mind sunk into it so deep I had to think hard to understand it. I think it would be something a younger teen would enjoy, as opposed to an older teen. I'm interested to see where Hashwway takes her story with the second book.

4 out of 5 stars from me.(less)

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Apr 04, 2013 Alice Liu rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Heroine is a horror and a walking biohazard: Jodi's bodily fluids can either kill or reanimate the dead...she just doesn't know it yet. The first part of the book finds Jodi coming into her powers with the most improbable of circumstances. She dribbles and bleeds on everything and everyone, like a veritable walking biohazard. She drops her hammer on a squirrel. The suspension of disbelief required is massive. To top it off, when Jodi discovers that she has these powers over life and death, and t...more

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Jan 25, 2013 Katy rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really wanted to like this book, but I just had too many problems with it. Warning: review does contain unmarked kinda-spoilers, but it's a predictable book so I'm not really ruining it.

What I Did Like: I thought the book had an interesting concept. I read "The 13th Sign" just a few days ago, and I was curious what this book was going to do with the story of Ophiuchus. I liked how Hashway incorporated the mythology with a paranormal story involving people with special gifts and zombies. But I'...more

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The CurvyWriter B...: Touch of Death by Kelly Hashaway	8	5	May 01, 2013 03:36am
I loved this book.	3	10	Apr 24, 2013 02:54pm
Spencer Hill Press: Touch of Death Series by Kelly Hashaway	50	73	Dec 23, 2012 05:14am

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