Review: The Touched by Jennifer Weiser with Giveaway

THE TOUCHED

The Descendants Book 1

by Jennifer Weiser

Limitless Publishing
YA Paranormal Romance
418 pages

The first sixteen years of Arabella Penthallow’s life have been a lie…
In a world where deception is the key to survival, Ara has kept up the charade of being a perfect Legion Leader’s daughter. But a darkness stirs, and she discovers she is Touched, a mortal gifted by the Gods. The Touched are as rare as they are feared, and Ara is forced to leave Union City for neighboring Midnight City to protect herself and those she loves, leaving Tove Thorn, the boy who has always known her heart, behind.
Carter Decker has vowed to burn Union City to the ground…
Midnight City’s cocky, infamous bad boy always gets what he wants, and he wants Union City to pay for burning his mother alive because she was Touched. When Carter meets Ara, she is everything he’s been taught to hate. Then he learns she is Touched—just like him—he isn’t sure who he hates more…the Touched girl whose father killed his mother, or himself for being tempted by someone he’s sworn to kill.
They are told they’re fated to be soul mates…and they each wish the other never existed.
When Midnight City is attacked by Union City, Carter and Arabella will do the unthinkable…even if it means falling for the enemy. The truth lies in Arabella’s home nation, and Tove is waiting. Soul mates or not, he has an advantage Carter doesn’t, fated souls be damned.
War is coming…and Ara is the prize.

  

MY TIDBITS

This is a debut novel . . .really? Because wow. The author has hit this one spot on, forming a world, characters and story which flows as if it were melted sugar. I don't even know where to begin with this review.

The first pages grab with a very powerful scene, one that already leaves the heart bleeding for the characters. During the beginning chapters, I did get a little confused as to who is who, but it could have been because I started reading this when I was a bit tired. There are a lot of characters and all of them are developed with their own stories and backgrounds. Each of them has their own agenda, and this agenda is anything but clear. 

The story is told from basically three points of views (with one or two others throw in between), and although I would usually find this confusing, the author managed to weave the characters together flawlessly. Each chapter is headed with the character's name, making it easy to know whose head we'll be popping into next. But it never felt jolting... only when the mysterious evil characters had their turn because, obviously, the name couldn't be said or it'd ruin a big chunk of the mystery.

This takes place in a world a bit like our own, but there are several 'cities'. The main one, Union City, is free from the Touched, or those with magic abilities. There's been a war, lots of bloodshed and hatred abounds. Midnight City, is more tolerant of those with magic. Some leaders want to get past the hatred and form alliances (or do they?), some want bloodshed, some what war. . .as said, there's a lot going on, and the politics are as expertly woven into this as everything else.

Now, to the characters. Arabella, the center point of the whole thing, is a pure delight. She's emotional, has scars, is the princess but also the shame of Union City. The girl is forced into so many lights due to her position and the expectations surrounding her place an enormous pressure on somewhere her age. I love the way she knows how to mold into situations, but still, is simply in over her head and teeters on loosing control. She's very easy to sympathize with and is definitely not perfect. But she tries and it makes her a diamond.

Caleb is a bomb of emotions, who's barely able to contain himself. Like Arabella, he's taken a beating and stands in a sort of spotlight. But he doesn't have her smoothness. There are so many levels to Caleb, that he's a joy to read. Most of the time, he's battling with himself but with his past, it's no wonder. He's a bad boy about to explode, but inside, there's so much more to him--more than even he wants to admit.

Then there's Tove and Carter. These brothers form a whole new tug-a-war, not only when it comes to Arabella either. In other words, Arabella is surrounded by tons of hot guys, all worth drooling over in their own way. Each of them wants her, but each is caught in their own battles as well. 

There's a lot of romance in book, but the story surrounding it is as multi-layered as an onion, packed with intrigue, political agendas, hatred and survival. Oh, and of course, self-discovery and magic. See, even listing it is hard! 

Summed up, this book is a great read for paranormal romance fans. One they won't want to miss. One they shouldn't miss. 

All about. . .

JENNIFER WEISER!!!

Jennifer Weiser is a young adult author who has always been a book nerd and a bit chocolate obsessed. Writing has always been a favorite escape, but quickly became a passion not long after the birth of her daughter. When she isn’t combing the shelves of her local book stores or blogging about newest book obsessions, you can find her nestled in her nook creating worlds she hopes that one day will inspire her daughter, who not only has given her the courage to follow her dreams–but offers the inspirations that help color their worlds together.

Author links:

http://www.jenniferweiser.com/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14179690.Jennifer_Weiser

https://www.facebook.com/authorjenniferweiser?fref=ts

https://twitter.com/jenniferweiser

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