Mundie Moms

Friday, November 30, 2012

Book Review: Touched by Corrine Jackson


Published by: Kensignton Teen
Released on: November 27th, 2012
Source: ARC from author to review/for blog tour
4.5 Stars: I Really Enjoyed It
Purchase from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble


Remy O’Malley heals people with touch—but every injury she cures becomes her own. Living in a household with an abusive stepfather, she has healed untold numbers of broken bones, burns,and bruises. And then one night her stepfather goes too far.

Being sent to live with her estranged father offers a clean start and she is eager to take it. Enter Asher Blackwell. Once a Protector of Healers, Asher sacrificed his senses to become immortal. Only by killing a Healer can a Protector recover their human senses. Falling in love is against the rules between these two enemies. Because Remy has the power to make Protectors human again, and when they find out, they’ll becoming for her—if Asher doesn’t kill her first.

This is Book One in the Touched trilogy -quoted from Goodreads

TOUCHED is a story that's driven by hope, teased with romance, and fueled by the will to survive. It's a book that starts off with a bang, literally. Being thrown right into the brutal world teenager Remy O'Malley lives in was rough, cringeworthy and hard to stomach. With this raw toughness readers not only realize the strength this girl has, but we see that Remy is a fighter, a protector and someone who has an incredible ability to heal others. With this brutality also comes love, a fighting chance, and a change. I liked that Corrine was able to create such a drastic change for Remy. It made it incredibly easy for me to cheer her on through out the course of her story. 

Corrine's writing was mesmerizing. I was hooked with her story the moment I started it, because she connected me to Remy. I had to know what was going to happen to her, and what she was going to do. I wanted Remy to defy the odds and come out on top. Aside from the moments I wanted to cry for her and with her, this girl did not disappoint me. She's a character who continued to surprise me. Aside from Remy, there's also an incredibly well paced plot line, a fascinating and well detailed history surrounding what Remy is, what she can do, as well as that of Asher and his family. The more I learned about their hidden world, what they were able to do, how they evolved and what the thing was that was happening between the two love interests, the harder it was to stop reading. 

I loved the chemistry and romance in this book. Asher and Remy are complex, similar in many ways, different in all the right ways and so perfect for each other. They have this fierce determination to not let the other in, the will to keep their guard up, and the smarts to not trust in each other. I know that doesn't make sense, but you'll know what I'm referring to once you read it. Their bantering back and forth was comical. The thing I loved about these two is no matter how dangerous it is to be together, no matter how hard they try to deny what they feel, there is something between them and neither of them can stop it. I loved watching them try to work things out. They slowly learned to work through the complications of being together, and their powers. I enjoyed watching them slowly but surly learned to trust in each other, and let the other person in. I also liked how both Remy and Asher were described. Despite Remy's q-tip/lanky build, her inner strength and will to survive matches Asher's larger stature, and incredible strength. They had this well defined compare and contrast relationship. That's the best way I can think of to describe it. 

Touched was one of those reads that hooked me and kept me entertained the entire time I read it. I loved the rich history it gave me, the well drawn out romance, the characters I got to know, and the constant threat of danger that was felt throughout the book. I adored the relationship Remy has with her sister, and how her father and her step mother become apart of her life. I do want to say I get that there might be a few similar things readers might want to compare with Twilight ie: mind reading, he's faster and stronger than her, and he's immortal. I thought the same thing at first, but quickly dismissed those thoughts, because this is no Twilight. Trust me. There's a reason behind the mind reading, and his being faster and stronger than she is. If he wasn't, his ability wouldn't be believable. 

I liked that the mystery surrounding the connection Remy and Asher have, and finding out why it's so dangerous for them to be around each other, let alone be together. The more Remy learns more about her secret power through out the story, the more Corrine reveals the reasoning behind why things are happening, and why things are also so dangerous for Asher and Remy. I hope readers will see that and enjoy the story for what it is. It's a fabulous read and one I'd recommend reading. I will caution, there are scenes that are violent in this book between Remy's step father, and what he does to her and her mother. There's scenes detailing domestic violence and abuse, and I would not recommend this book to those who are sensitive to this. 

Don't miss your chance to enter to win a SIGNED copy of TOUCHED here

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