Review: A Touch Mortal by Leah Clifford

Title: A Touch Mortal
Author: Leah Clifford
Pages: 418 (ARC copy)
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Release Date: February 22, 2011

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 (contains spoilers): Close to evening on a summer day, Eden sits on the sand at the beach, wondering why her family and friends have been ignoring her for weeks. No one seems to care about her anymore, and it's as if she doesn't even exist to them. So, lately, she's been thinking about suicide. But as she's sitting there, contemplating what to do, she is approached by two strangers. Eden is immediately drawn to one of them, the one who calls himself Az. And because of Az, she finds a reason to keep living. At least for a little while.

I liked the first two chapters. Eden and Az had an instant connection, but I wasn't bothered by it because that's usually the case for romance in books. Once I got to chapter three, though, my feelings about the situation changed, and I even started to feel a bit lost. Because chapter three takes place about two weeks after chapter two. Meaning the romantic development I was hoping for wasn't shown at all. The time jump made the pacing seem a bit off to me. It was almost as if the romance wasn't that important to the story...except it was. It was one of the main reasons all the things went down afterward. And no matter how much Eden and Az kissed and said they loved each other, I wasn't convinced. I could not find the romance believable, even by the end of the book.

The two-week skip wasn't the only one in the story. Later on in the book, there was a two-month skip. That one also made me feel like I missed something important, such as information and development, during the time in-between. An example of the important something I felt like I missed was the meaning of the terms used like Sider, Screamer, Basement, Upstairs, etc. Explanations were scattered throughout the book. I did get the hang of it eventually, but it made me wonder why it took so long for a simple definition.

Eden's character, I admit, was another reason I didn't enjoy the book. She wasn't very likable. It seemed like she felt she was the only one going through a tough time. *spoiler* [Az, the love of her life, dies in a horrible accident. Then she finds out his death was all a lie, and she feels completely betrayed. And if that's not enough, Eden's also a "special" type of Sider. A Sider was once a mortal who had no path and committed suicide. Not all mortals who commit suicide become Siders, only the ones without paths. Once a Sider, the person is immortal. Siders have Touch, which can cause mere mortals to either become suicidal or...the opposite. Basically, mortals will be very depressed or very happy when touched by a Sider. And Siders must touch mortals so that Touch doesn't build up inside of them (the Siders). If Touch builds up, the Siders become Screamers. Screamers...scream? (That's about all I can remember. I honestly don't know the purpose for Siders or Screamers or Touch.) For some reason, Eden can do more than give Touch to mortals. She can also...kill other Siders! Confused? Of course you are. You should be, if you haven't read the book.] *end of spoiler* I can understand why having an extra ability was a burden for Eden. But I didn't like how she sounded irritated with the Siders who wanted her help, especially when she kept going on about how she's at least giving those Siders a choice and wishing she was given a choice. And I know some of her attitude was caused by receiving too much Touch and the betrayal, but I don't think it was enough to excuse how unappealing it made her character.

There were a couple other reasons why I didn't enjoy A Touch Moral as much as I wanted, but I pretty much covered the main reasons. The book didn't end with a cliffhanger, but it ended in a way that made me assume that there will be another book. If you believe the reasons I mentioned won't be a problem for you, and if you're looking for another angel book or even a possible angel series, then I suggest you check out A Touch Mortal.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

ARC provided by Different Area Codes Book Tour.