Book Review!

Whaddup.

Recently, I've had the chance to read (and by read, I mean devour), two incredibly awesome books by two amazingly talented writers, Ms. Leah Clifford and Ms. Beth Revis.

Today, A Touch Mortal goes first.

First of all, I have to say that this book is making the rounds through the office. Yes. It's that good. The beginning is almost like a montage of Eden and Az's relationship until we get to the meat of the story (and what meat it is, oh my oh my). The story is told in multiple 3rd person points of view, allowing the reader into the heads of our main characters: Eden, Az, and Gabe (my personal favorite). That approach creates a much more enriching and enticing read. Also allows for an unreliable narrator or two, which is the best type of narrator IMO.

I'll try to keep this spoiler-free for everyone, so that way you can decide based on my gushing to read it if you haven't already (and if you haven't, shame on you!). I knew this book would be good, but I didn't anticipate how delicious the narrative would be.

Eden isn't the typical snarky chick. I've noticed a trend in YA that a female MC has a snarkalicious attitude and can definitely kick ass and take names. Eden can too, but she has such a sad, dark history that taints her character. Around her is a world she doesn't know or understand, and things only get more confusing when she meets Az and Gabe. When she's thrust into a world of suicides and angels and fallen (or falling) angels, the shit just hits the fan. Over. And over. And over again. Eden alone is enough to keep you hooked into the story. Especially with that whole Touch thing. Admittedly, that whole Touch thing confused the crap out of me in the beginning, but once I got deeper into the story, it clicked. My second read-through will be much less confusing :-D

Then there's Az. Our falling angel. He has the potential to go either way. His love affair with Eden is intense, almost like a whirlpool that he doesn't want to escape from. A few times, Gabe tries to throw him a lifesaver and pull him back to shore, but Az doesn't want to go. Honestly, Az's story is incredibly sad in a lot of ways. He's a character that you think you want to root for, and ultimately see happy, but you're not sure if the ends will justify his means.

Gabe tries to be the voice of reason. He's Az's constant companion, trying to prevent Az from falling completely. I think one of my favorite parts of Gabe is that he's just...he's the good guy. He's sweet, he's pretty witty, and he fights incredibly hard for Az's soul. To keep him from Falling completely. Gabe does a lot for Az, honestly, and I'm not sure that he gets the full credit for his actions. He's the one constant throughout the novel, the one providing balance. And he's just one of those characters you read and think, "Man, he's awesome." Yeah. I love me some Gabe.

The three stories intersect into one ginormous cluster****. There were times when I didn't know whom Eden could trust, if she should trust anyone at all. Her Touch is a BIG deal because it can kill others like her, others who've committed suicide (AKA, Siders). And really, she should have kept it to herself, but otherwise we wouldn't have a book, now would we? A Touch Mortal has a lot of fantastic twists and turns that will keep your eyes glued to the pages. Trust me, this is one you don't want to put down.