Touch

VOYA - Dotsy Harland

Seventeen-year-old Deznee Cross has a past shrouded in mystery. She does not remember her mother, who apparently died when Deznee was very young. As a feisty teenager, she spends lots of time trying to figure out ways to infuriate her emotionally distant father, an attorney. When a strange, but very good looking, boy named Kale literally falls into her path on the way home from a party one night, Dez decides to take him home with her. As luck would have it, her dad catches the boy in the house and pulls a gun. The real shock comes when Deznee realizes that the two know each other and that her father has been keeping Kale prisoner at his “law firm.” She and Kale manage to escape from Mr. Cross and take off on a whirlwind adventure in which they discover that they are both “Sixes,” children with special gifts, and that Deznees mother is still alive and being held at Crosss law firm, which is not a law firm at all.

Though the premise is familiar and the book could benefit from some streamlining, Accardos writing style is forceful, descriptive, and filled with humor. This first novel in the Denazen series tastefully introduces sexual activity, in addition to including the always popular love triangle, making it more appropriate for older readers. Dez is a gratifyingly strong female character, and Touch is an excellent read-alike for those who enjoyed I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore (HarperCollins, 2010/Voya December 2010) and False Memory by Dan Krokos (Hyperion, 2012/Voya August 2012). Ages 12 to 18.

4 ½ stars, RT Top Pick. “Accardos debut, first in the Denazen series, is infused with pulse-pounding action, attitude, charm, romance, suspense and enough witty dialogue to crown it one of the best YA novels of the year.” — Diane Morasco, RT Book Reviews

“Memorable characters, heart pounding action, sizzling hot romance — Touch has it all! Definitely fresh and new. You need to read this book like yesterday.” — Jennifer L. Armentrout, author of Half-Blood and Obsidian   “Raw and emotional; just like its heroine, Touch packs a mean right hook. Jus Accardos action-packed debut is sure to win her a legion of fans.” — Inara Scott, award-winning author of The Candidates and The Marked

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 theres something off with Kale. He wears her shoes in the shower, is overly fascinated with things like DVDs and vases, and acts like shell turn to dust if he touches her. Its not until Dezs father shows up, wielding a gun and knowing more about Kale than he should, that Dez realizes theres more to this boy—and her fathers “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 theyre 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.

Jus Accardo is the author of YA paranormal romance and urban fantasy fiction. A native New Yorker, she lives in the middle of nowhere with her husband, three dogs, and sometimes guard bear, Oswald. When not writing, Accardo can be found volunteering at the local animal shelter or indulging her passion for food. After being accepted to the Culinary Institute of America, she passed on the spot to pursue a career in writing and has never looked back. As far as shes concerned, she has the coolest job on earth — making stuff up for a living.