A Touch Mortal (A Touch Trilogy, #1) in Once Upon a Twilight blog

Sep 24, 2010 Katieb (MundieMoms) added it

Shelves: arcs-i-own, mundie-moms-review, debut-author-challenge, 2011-100-book-challenge

Reviewed on MM's- A Touch Mortal has been on my radar for some time now and I was thrilled to have the chance to review it, as the premise alone was so intriguing to me. I couldn't wait to devour the book. I started out loving the instant connection between Eden and Az. I knew there was something different about Az, and it wasn't hard to feel sorry for Eden and what she was feeling when the books starts. The whole beach scene between the two of them and Gabe totally grabbed my attention and I wa Reviewed on MM's- A Touch Mortal has been on my radar for some time now and I was thrilled to have the chance to review it, as the premise alone was so intriguing to me. I couldn't wait to devour the book. I started out loving the instant connection between Eden and Az. I knew there was something different about Az, and it wasn't hard to feel sorry for Eden and what she was feeling when the books starts. The whole beach scene between the two of them and Gabe totally grabbed my attention and I was anxious to watch their relationship grow. I was a little bummed when the story jumps ahead at the end chapter, leaving out the romantic development. I really wanted to see their relationship develop, versus being told. Not that it's bad being told, I just wanted a little something more.

I really enjoyed Leah's fascinating mythology. I felt she had a great cast of characters who have some pretty unique paranormal powers, but I felt I didn't get to really know her characters like I wanted to. I wanted to feel like I was apart of their world and I didn't walk away feeling that. I think A Touch Mortal had a great plot, but felt the story skipped around too much that it took too much away from the story for me, and at times I felt a little lost with trying to figure out what some of the terminology meant the first time it's mentioned.

While I really wanted to enjoy this book more than I did, I know there are other readers who have enjoyed it. I think that if you're pondering on whether or not to get it, I would borrow the book first to see if it's right for you. I do want to caution that there are a lot of mentions of suicide through out the story. This is a very sensitive subject for many people and it's not something to take lightly. Though Leah writes it in a way that's not graphic, it's a big theme in the book. There is also a lot of language in this book that often times I felt was out of place. Really I can handle some language, but I get turned off from a book when there's a lot of f-words, and I felt it was out of character for an angel to use that word. Due to the sensitive topics and language I would recommend this book for more mature YA readers. ...more

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Oct 14, 2010 Christin (Portrait of a Book) rated it liked it

Shelves: young-adult, urban-fantasy, 100in2011, dac2011, book-portrait-review

When I read that stories are about angels and/or fallen angels, I tend to think that the story is going to follow a fairly familiar pattern. A Touch Mortal was definitely something different and gave more complexity to the age-old good vs. evil battle.

Eden's life isn't what she would call happy. It seems as though she's becoming more and more invisible to everyone around her, and she's struggling to find something to live for. Then she meets Az and Gabe. There's something different about them, b When I read that stories are about angels and/or fallen angels, I tend to think that the story is going to follow a fairly familiar pattern. A Touch Mortal was definitely something different and gave more complexity to the age-old good vs. evil battle.

Eden's life isn't what she would call happy. It seems as though she's becoming more and more invisible to everyone around her, and she's struggling to find something to live for. Then she meets Az and Gabe. There's something different about them, but she can't quite place it. Against her better judgement, she goes to dinner with Az. Two weeks later their relationship has become very involved, but Az knows this can't happen. To protect Eden, Az does the unthinkable... Eden is suddenly plunged into an unknown world, one of good and bad angels (Bound and Fallen) and Siders, other people like her. As Eden spends more time in this new world, she finds herself at the center of an old battle, unsure of whom she can trust with her life...or her heart.

A Touch Mortal is a new take on an angel story, one with a much darker edge. I enjoyed the inventiveness of this story as well as the gradual transformations of Eden and Gabe. They both grew stronger throughout the book, proving that what is expected is not always what's right or what will happen. I also especially liked Kristen's character and her poetry quotations. Her interesting shopping habits and her snappy dialogue with Eden added yet another dimension to the book. The suspense of what side would win built throughout the book, and I was kept guessing until the end about what exactly would happen and what the truth behind everything was.

However, I did have a few problems with this novel. I felt as though it was missing some important connections and explanations, causing the world-building to feel incomplete. While the story is worth deciphering things, there were several scenes that still left me confused. It is worth noting that there are several mentions of suicide in the book, and while the the subject is not explored, it is not treated lightly either. Finally, there are two time skips in this book, but rather than hurt the story, they actually move it forward.

With interesting characters and an even more intriguing world, A Touch Mortal is the first book of what promises to be a good trilogy. I'll be looking forward to reading A Touch Morbid! ...more

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Jul 14, 2010 NocturnalRavings(Jodie) rated it it was ok

Shelves: angelology

I don't know why I didn't like this as much as I thought I would. It was like a wave pool,during its highs I was flipping pages and couldn't put it down....Then the next chapter I could barely read a page... ...more

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