REVIEW: Touch of Death by Kelly Hashway

Title: Touch of Death (Touch of Death #1)
Author: Kelly Hashway - Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Expected Publication Date: January 15, 2013
Format: ARC* 235 pages
Rating: 5/5
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Jodi Marshall isn’t sure how she went from normal teenager to walking disaster. One minute she’s in her junior year of high school, spending time with her amazing boyfriend and her best friend. The next she’s being stalked by some guy no one seems to know.

After the stranger, Alex, reveals himself, Jodi learns he’s not a normal teenager and neither is she. With a kiss that kills and a touch that brings the dead back to life, Jodi discovers she’s part of a branch of necromancers born under the 13th sign of the zodiac, Ophiuchus. A branch of necromancers that are descendents of Medusa. A branch of necromancers with poisoned blood writhing in their veins.

Jodi’s deadly to the living and even more deadly to the deceased. She has to leave her old, normal life behind before she hurts the people she loves. As if that isn’t difficult enough, Jodi discovers she’s the chosen one who has to save the rest of her kind from perishing at the hands of Hades. If she can’t figure out how to control her power, history will repeat itself, and her race will become extinct.

My Review

Life and death are always intertwined..

Touch of Death starts off with an ordinary girl who seemed to be accident prone, nearly killing everything and everyone she comes into contact with. This really blows for a girl like Jodi Marshall, even more so when she can’t even kiss the boy she likes. But Jodi is destined for greater things and not being able to a kiss a boy is the least of her problems. In this book, we are introduced to a whole new world full of necromancers and a twist in Greek mythology’s Medusa. Kelly Hashway creates one book that is pure excellence and will leave you with mind blown goodness. 

Jodi was a fantastic character. I loved her immediately because I felt like I could relate to her easily. She was really cool, but was a powerful girl even before everything went down. Jodi was a little clumsy and awkward, but a believable and real character. She had a strong voice in the beginning, but even more so by the end of the book. Jodi was the type of person who was brave and thought ahead. She was definitely funny too. What I admired most about Jodi was how she takes everything with a mature and graceful manner, no matter how weird or unbelievable things felt to her. Jodi had a heart of gold and was an overall good person. She had morals and beliefs and with all the power at her fingertips, she doesn’t abuse it. She uses it for good and is never tempted. I loved how Jodi took into consideration of the feelings of the living and the dead. She truly cared for everything and everyone. Jodi doesn’t brush things off, but takes responsibility for her actions. She embraced her true identity and power and made sacrifices that left me in awe. 

Even though Alex spooked Jodi out in the beginning, I knew he was going to be character I was going to fall hard for and boy was I right! Alex was a great guy. He saved Jodi from herself and taught and trained her all the things she needed to know. He helped her and he comforted her when she was feeling down. I loved how Alex continued to encourage and believe in Jodi, especially when she felt like she didn’t have confidence in herself. Alex was a charming, friendly guy and was just a total endearing sweetheart. He is not hard to love. His close relationship with Jodi was a joy to read. I loved seeing them together because they just had a deep connection and wonderful chemistry. Their romance will definitely make hearts flutter. 

Kelly Hashway wrote an amazing novel. Her writing captured me and reeled me in. Her writing style was lively and appealed to all the senses. I loved her take on the mythology with Medusa, Ophiuchus and the Ophi. Medusa is usually seen as a bad character, but in Touch of Death, we see a whole new side of Medusa that I absolutely loved. Hashway made necromancers completely fascinating and alluring, but she also made them tough, powerful and extraordinary. I loved every aspect of the storyline that Hashway created and how she explained the powers, history and origin of the Ophi very well. The pacing was just right with the information trickling and dispersing through the story to keep one enticed. Hashway did a great job of keeping things hidden until they were revealed later in a way that you never saw coming. She brought the mystery and suspense at just the right moments and she made sure to keep things entertained so you felt like thing were always happening. The best parts are the plot twists and the dangerous, ominous feel of the whole book. The very last scenes become such a rush, it leaves you with no words. 

Overall, Touch of Death was a novel that put me at the edge of my seat, made me swoon and had me itching and begging for more. Kelly Hashway is one spectacular writer and storyteller and I cannot wait to get my hands on more of her books!

*Thanks to Spencer Hill Press for providing a copy for review