A Touch Mortal by Leah Clifford

Title: A Touch Mortal

Author: Leah Clifford

Pages: 432

Genre: YA/ Paranormal

Source: Around the World ARC Tours

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. [via GoodReads]

I found that I had a tough time getting the gist of A Touch Mortal.  There were too many characters, too many struggles, too many paranormal aspects.... I admit I was having a tough time with it.  Then there was all the new lingo:  Siders, Screamers, Fallen, Bound, Upstairs, Downstairs, Touch,  etc.  But slowly it all started coming into place and once I finally got it - this book was great!

The story is told in the third person which was great because with so many characters it was the easiest and simplest way to tell the story.  Eden was a great leading lady.  She was witty and spunky and right from the moment she spots Az on the beach (Page 1), I knew I would really like her. She is far from perfect - makes tough choices, some good, some not so much - but that's exactly what I liked about her.  Other characters like Az, Gabe and Kristen also play crucial roles in the story as well.  They are all strong, likeable and move the story along.  There are still more characters, but I won't go into further details on them since although they also play roles in the story they are not as big.

There were some dark and strong themes underlying the story.  It dealt a lot with suicide and temptation.  And although at times I found it graphic and even gruesome - I also think Ms. Clifford did a good job when discussing suicide without glorifying or sugarcoating the act. 

Overall I thought the premise had definite appeal, the characters are strong and likeable and the world building was phenomenal.  My only complaint would be with the first half of the book - which I felt confused throughout most of it.  Once I started getting a feel for the story and understanding more of what was going on then I was able to relax and enjoy it more.  The second half of this book was really action-packed.  I felt my heart at my throat more than once.  And I will mention that although most of the issues relating to this first book were resolved throughout the story, there were many doors left open for the next book in the series.  I found A Touch Mortal to be strong, dark and definitely different.   One of the best Angel books I've read.

My Rating: