Review: Touch by Jus Accardo

Touch by Jus Accardo
Publisher: Entangled Publishing (November 1st, 2011)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Paperback: 251 pages
Source: Publisher
Series: Denazen, book #1
Rating: 4 of 5 stars

When a strange boy tumbles down a river embankment and lands at her feet, seventeen-year-old adrenaline junkie Deznee Cross snatches the opportunity to piss off her father by bringing the mysterious hottie with ice blue eyes home.

Except there's something off with Kale. He wears her shoes in the shower, is overly fascinated with things like DVDs and vases, and acts like she'll turn to dust if he touches her.

It's not until Dez's father shows up, wielding a gun and knowing more about Kale than he should, that Dez realizes there's more to this boy, and her father's "law firm," than she realized. Kale has been a prisoner of Denazen Corporation -- an organization devoted to collecting "special" kids known as Sixes and using them as weapons -- his entire life.

And, oh yeah, his touch? It kills.

The two team up with a group of rogue Sixes hellbent on taking down Denazen before they're caught and her father discovers the biggest secret of all. A secret Dez has spent her life keeping safe.

A secret Kale will kill to protect.

Review: If there is one thing I can say about Touch, it would be that it is FULL of action! Jus Accardo introduces us to a world where paranormals exist and they are all unique in their own ways. Each character in this book brought so much to the story line and you can't help but connect with each one on some level; even the bad ones because they were each so well developed and interesting. 

Touch involves a young girl named Deznee (cool name, huh?).  She is fierce, independent, tough, stubborn and everything else that makes her a kick-butt character. Sometimes female characters can be one-note. They are nice, or innocent, or accepting of everything, but Dez was none of those. I found myself cracking up at some of the things she would come up with. Sometimes I didn't really understand her actions, but she always amazed me with her ability to fight for what she wanted. She would just do things occasionally that had me yelling "WHAT?!" at the book. 

Then, of course, we have Kale. He is the one in this case who comes off as innocent, protective but gentle, and totally intriguing. There are so many things about the world that he doesn't understand and he depends on Dez to show him the way. Together they made the perfect pair. Their chemistry continued to build all throughout the story and it made for some fantastic twists in the plot. 

And speaking of the plot, it was much more than I expected. Dez isn't just dealing with typical teenage drama. She learns a secret that turns her world upside down and later finds out she is closer to the situation than she originally thought. This throws her into a situation where she must befriend and unlikely enemy in order to save what she loves.


Jus Accardo did a fantastic job weaving this story together in a way that is captivating and intense. There is no lack of action in this story! I can't wait to read more about Dez, Kale, and the world they now both belong to.

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