TOUCHED by Corrine Jackson

Touched
Corrine Jackson

Rating: B+
Release Date: 11/27/12
Synopsis:
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.

My thoughts on the book:
Touched is an intense thrill-ride that you won't want to miss. This novel somehow manages to deal with social issues (extremely abusive/drunk step-father) while incorporating a fantastical element as well (Remy has a healing touch). The result is a surprisingly believable story with well-developed characters and a suspenseful, action-packed plot. I wasn't a huge fan of how the world-building took place. Regardless, I could not put this book down. 

Remy was an extremely strong and inspiring character. This is really a story of her beginning to heal. While it was sometimes painful to see things from her perspective, it was extremely effective. I was deeply invested in her survival, and I really connected to and cared about her. 

Asher was a bit Edward Cullen-esque at times. However, he wasn't a carbon copy of good ol' glitter pants. He stood on his own well, and I enjoyed getting to know him. He really surprised me in a few parts of the story, and I can't wait to learn more about him. 

The other secondary characters were also well-developed, and we got to see a lot of them (which I liked). I really loved Lucy. She's pretty fantastic. I hope we get to see more of her in the future. I also liked Ben and Gabe quite a bit. Overall, the characters in this novel were top notch. 

The plot, while at times resembled Twilight, again wasn't a carbon copy. A lot of things were different, but the romance between Asher and Remy started out a lot like Edward and Bella. However, they quickly came into their own identities and things were fine. Also, Remy was never as weak and pansy-like as Bella. Nothing in the novel was really surprising, other than one part that seemed to come out of nowhere. There was no build-up to one revelation ,and I was left sitting there thinking, "where did that come from?" Other than those few issues, though, the plot was action-packed and suspenseful, even if it was not mysterious. I was kept on the edge of my seat for the entire story, and I stayed up all night reading this book. The pacing was perfect, and the story flew by. This was definitely a quick read. The ending tied things up nicely, but left some open ends for the sequel. No huge cliffhanger for this book, though, thankfully. 

The world-building was done through a journal, and the whole thing was written in italics, which annoyed me. I don't know how it could have been handled better, but surely there was a better way. Maybe Remy could have summed up the stuff she learned. Also, the mind-reading aspect of things (you'll see what I'm talking about when you read it) was done a bit awkwardly. The way it was done seemed like Remy was narrating her life in her head as she went along instead of telling us the story later, though the story was told in past tense. That was kind of awkward. 

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The characters were amazing, and the plot kept me on the edge of my seat. There were a few issues that may, in fact, be cleared up before publication, but the issues were minor and did not interfere with the story much at all. I'd recommend this book to anyone who loves a good paranormal romance. This is a bit different than your average fare, though you will be reminded of Twilight a bit with the romance. I hate Twilight, and I still liked this book, though. Therefore, I'd recommend it to people who love Twlight and people who don't. Give this book a try. You won't be sorry. 

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