Review: A Touch Mortal by Leah Clifford

A Touch Mortal by Leah Clifford
Released: Bebruary 2011
Publisher: Greenwillow books
Source: Won
Reason for reading: Have seen good reviews/have vowed to get my TBR down
Rating: 3.5/5

Goodreads description:

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

My thoughts:

A Touch Mortal really was a book of 2 halves for me. I was a little hesitant about the angel aspect, NOT my cup of tea, but I went in with an open mind and actually really wanted to enjoy this one and to a certain extent I did.

One thing I found a total pain was the lack of exposition. Now I moan when we get chapters and chapters of explanation, but I also hate the opposite and I did feel a little lost and overwhelmed in parts of this book. Like, what exactly was Touch, really? And do all people who commit suicide turn into Siders or just the young pretty ones? What really aggravated me beyond the lack of exposition though was the fact that Kristen was actually supposed to explain stuff to Eden but she never really explained much. And it was just like "OMG STOP STEALING DRESSES FROM DEAD PEOPLE, AND JUST TELL ME WHAT IS GOING ON PLEASE". I felt a little bit overloaded by how fast Eden and Az got together and how quickly everything after that happened. It was kinda like being spun around then being spun again in the opposite direction before you've had time to get your bearings. I'm not sure whether the author intended to keep everyone in the dark or whether she just wasn't very good at explaining her own idea or whether I was just being a bit dense.  

Having said that, once Eden moved out of Kristen's the story really settled down for me and became much more readable. I kinda liked how everything worked with her and the Siders she lived with and interacted with. I did have my suspicions about one or two which unfortunately kinda proved correct. I did find the plot interesting and I liked how even though I found it really predictable I wasn't 100% sure about anything until it actually happened, so I never found myself feeling too bored. It was an interesting take on the angel mythology, I liked how there weren't too many actual angels involved and the feel of the 'Upstairs' being really distant from what happened on Earth, and I can kinda see how aspects of the  overarching plot might work out which is pretty cool.

Character-wise I can take or leave pretty much all of them. The boys I felt were fairly nothingy, typical tropes really which was a bit of a shame. Kristen was my favourite character by far; she was interesting and layered and sorta tragic in a way. Eden I found a bit sappy and annoying in places and I didn't like how the author constantly emphasised how 'alternative' she was. Everyone kept talking about how she was in charge but most of what I saw was her blundering about making terrible choices and generally keeping her foot in her mouth, being shouted at by the men in her life or sulking in her bedroom. 

This feels like a really negative review but I liked it more than it seems....sometimes you know how you have those books that you liked well enough, but the only things you can think to comment on are the aspects you didn't like? That's pretty much this book for me.

TL;DR: A Touch Mortal was a bit all over the place and predictable for me to be a true fan of it, but it was an enjoyable read, slightly above a 3 but not quite a 4.  I wanted to like this book more than I actually did.

Review: Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready

Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready
Released: 2nd September 2010
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Challenge: TBR 2012
Rating: 3.5/5


Goodreads Description:

Love ties them together. Death can't tear them apart.

Best. Birthday. Ever. At least, it was supposed to be. With Logan's band playing a critical gig and Aura's plans for an intimate after-party, Aura knows it will be the most memorable night of her boyfriend's life. She never thought it would be his last.

Logan's sudden death leaves Aura devastated. He's gone.

Well, sort of.

Like everyone born after the Shift, Aura can see and hear ghosts. This mysterious ability has always been annoying, and Aura had wanted nothing more than to figure out why the Shift happened so she can undo it. But not with Logan's violet-hued spirit still hanging around. Because dead Logan is almost as real as ever. Almost.

It doesn't help that Aura's new friend Zachary is so understanding—and so very alive. His support means more to Aura than she cares to admit.

As Aura's relationships with the dead and the living grow ever complicated, so do her feelings for Logan and Zachary. Each holds a piece of Aura's heart...and clues to the secret of the Shift.

My thoughts:

The concept was really intriguing, I liked how everyone under a certain age could see ghosts, and how they were now violet instead of normal coloured. The world-building was really effectively mixed in with the dialogue, ensuring there was no irritating info-dumps. I loved how ghosts could be called as witnesses, and were still bound by the law. All very clever.

Another thing I really liked was the feeling that this series will have a massive, conspiracy-theory-type twist in there somewhere, what with all the secret acronym'd governmental departments and mysteries. I love that sort of thing. I especially loved how it was sort of hinted at, leaving you wanting to read the rest of the series to find out what happens. One of my pet hates is when a book feels all wrapped up and then the author goes and writes a sequel anyway. So I was really glad Shade didn't fall into that trap.

I also loved how realistic the book felt. The dialogue never felt forced or un-adolescent to me, and the teenagers did actual things like have sex (or not have sex), drink, take drugs. I feel like too many YA books shy away from these things that ACTUAL TEENAGERS ACTUALLY DO. And pretending they don't in fiction isn't going to stop them, it's just gonna make your book less real.

Onto what I didn't especially like; the characters.  Logan was just an absolute idiot--I felt nothing for him beyond sheer annoyance, which I guess is how you're supposed to feel, but still, that annoyed me. Aura I could pretty much take or leave really, there was nothing exceptional about her. I really didn't like Zach either; I felt a bit like the author relied on him being Scottish to carry the hotness factor and didn't actually bother to create him a personality. Being British, I was unimpressed by the Scottish accent and therefore completely underwhelmed by Zach. I also didn't like how he treated Aura, I thought their whole situation was really unfair seeing as her boyfriend just DIED. What did he expect from her?

So the book kinda cancelled itself out for me, hence the middle score of 3. The extra .5 came from the realism of the whole underage drinking/sex thing. I really liked that that was included. 

Review: After Obsession by Carrie Jones and Steve Wedel

After Obsession by Carrie Jones & S.E Wedel
Published: September 5th 2011
Publisher: Bloomsbury

Goodreads description:

Aimee and Alan have unusual pasts and secrets they prefer to keep hidden. Aimee's deceased mother struggled with mental illness and hallucinations, and Aimee thinks it could be hereditary. After all, she sees a shadowy river man where there isn't one. And then there was that time she and her best friend Courtney tried to conjure a spirit with a Ouija board ...Alan is Courtney's cousin. His family moved to Maine when Courtney's father went missing. It's not just Alan's dark good looks that make him attractive. He is also totally in touch with a kind of spiritual mysticism from his Native American heritage. And it's not long before Aimee has broken up with her boyfriend ...But it's not Aimee or Alan who is truly haunted - it's Courtney. In a desperate plea to find her father, Courtney invites a demonic presence into her life. Together, Aimee and Alan must exorcise the ghost, before it devours Courtney - and everything around her

My thoughts:

What I loved about this was that it took the paranormal theme and ran with it, ran a long long way. The idea of possession was an interesting and creepy one-not overly-prevalent in YA. I could feel the fear that Courtney would be lost to the River Man, the mysterious but downright scary presence that has taken over Court's life. I loved the addition of Native American themes, it was definitely interesting to see the different aspects of that culture and the way their beliefs on possession and how to cure it differed (and were akin to) more westernised, Christian beliefs. It was great to see a bit more diversity in a YA book.

The writing was a step up for me from Carrie Jone's previous series, it was very atmospheric, but I felt the poetic elements of it were a tiny bit sporadic. I enjoyed the mixed POV, especially the way it picked up from one character where it left with the other, leading to a full picture of the story and an interesting insight into the mindsets of both characters.

What I didn't like were some aspects of the plot that for me, were just a bit ridiculous. They reminded me of elements in the Need series where characters do really stupid, dangerous things despite all the danger they're in from an enemy who is a lot more powerful and resourceful than they are. Examples would be Aimee going for a walk to the hospital alone, leaving herself open to the River Man, and then going kayaking, again alone, on his very own river. I'm pretty sure most people in that situation wouldn't be doing those things as it's not only reckless it's completely insane. Like I mentioned, there was a bit of this in Need so I was disappointed to see it carried through to Afer Obsession.

I don't think the story gripped me as much as I would have liked, the solution was there all the way through really; and the problem too obvious. I feel like it was missing a little bit of atmosphere that would have made a huge difference. I give it 2.5/5 but I would recommend it to fans of the Need series and those looking for more diverse YA.