Cursed by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Dying sucks--and high school senior Ember McWilliams knows firsthand. After a fatal car accident, her gifted little sister brought her back. Now anything Ember touches dies. And that, well, really blows.Publishes in US: Sept 18th 2012
Ember operates on a no-touch policy with all living things--including boys. When Hayden Cromwell shows up, quoting Oscar Wilde and claiming her curse is a gift, she thinks he’s a crazed cutie. But when he tells her he can help control it, she’s more than interested. There’s just one catch: Ember has to trust Hayden's adopted father, a man she's sure has sinister reasons for collecting children whose abilities even weird her out. However, she’s willing to do anything to hold her sister's hand again. And hell, she'd also like to be able to kiss Hayden. Who wouldn't?
But when Ember learns the accident that turned her into a freak may not've been an accident at all, she’s not sure who to trust. Someone wanted her dead, and the closer she gets to the truth, the closer she is to losing not only her heart, but her life. For real this time.
Jennifer says it's currently a stand-alone with series potential
I know that you've heard me go on and on about how great the writing of Jennifer Armentrout is... and big surprise here: I LOVED this book too. (Links go to my reviews of Obsidian and Half-Blood)
Jennifer has this gift for writing books that make me swoon, fan myself, make sure my husband isn't reading over my shoulder and admire the main character for being awesomesauce.
Cursed is a bit different from Obsidian and Half-Blood meaning no gods, aliens or apple throwing, but it is still captivating. One plus is that it is currently a stand-alone so we get a wrapped up ending that doesn't make me want to pull my hair out because I need more Aiden/Seth/Daemon... Although I do miss Hayden, and definitely wouldn't mind seeing more of him... And more of Ember's adventures of course.
While I totally understood where Ember was coming from and I felt for her, there were times that I just wanted to whisper some sense into her ears. But then I guess the book wouldn't have been nearly as entertaining. Given if I were in some of the situations she was in, I would probably threaten to unleash my deadly touch on them too. That aside, I really enjoyed being in Ember's head. She was so selfless and it was great to be in her head and watch all of the interactions with her little sister Olivia. It was emotional everything that the girls had to deal with, and the guilt and fear that Ember carried around on a daily basis. I can't even imagine having to avoid touching others and it being a life or death situation.
Cursed features quite a few characters and while all of them were not immediately likable, in fact rather suspicious, they still added to the story. There were all kinds of special gifts and powers, and it felt like a teenage X-men moment going on there, with the JLA twist and a much hotter love interest.
There was always action or emotional issues to keep the plot moving and keep me on the edge of my bed wanting more.
Bottom line: Intense, both emotionally, romantically and in action. Great characters and love the premise.
My question to you, my lovely readers:
Would it drive you crazy not to be able to touch someone?
