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The Touch Trilogy #1-3
Touch: A Trilogy
For the first time, experience the spellbinding Southern Gothic trilogy Touch in its entirety!
Magic and madness don't always run hand in hand, but there's a reason they call it the Touch.
Delaney Green is one of them that don’t burn, not that no one ain’t never tried. After her mama tried and failed to murder her for pulling on the future like it was a piece of string, Del has spent her whole life in a mental institution for her own safety. And everyone else’s. No one wants to see what might happen if she goes cracked.
When a dozen young women turn up burned to a crisp, local folks are quick to point the FBI team investigating the supernatural killings straight at Del. But Percival Cox, the quiet agent with secrets and magic of his own, doesn’t see a monster, and he finds himself drawn toward Del and her strange abilities.
As Del struggles to keep their newfound love from going the way of Romeo and Juliet, but with less fancy speech and a lot more killing, she’ll cross from this life to the next, and back. Her daddy always said, once you see the future you can change it, and Del will do her damnedest to temper the wild magic she sees in Percy before he destroys them both.
Magic and madness don't always run hand in hand, but there's a reason they call it the Touch.
Delaney Green is one of them that don’t burn, not that no one ain’t never tried. After her mama tried and failed to murder her for pulling on the future like it was a piece of string, Del has spent her whole life in a mental institution for her own safety. And everyone else’s. No one wants to see what might happen if she goes cracked.
When a dozen young women turn up burned to a crisp, local folks are quick to point the FBI team investigating the supernatural killings straight at Del. But Percival Cox, the quiet agent with secrets and magic of his own, doesn’t see a monster, and he finds himself drawn toward Del and her strange abilities.
As Del struggles to keep their newfound love from going the way of Romeo and Juliet, but with less fancy speech and a lot more killing, she’ll cross from this life to the next, and back. Her daddy always said, once you see the future you can change it, and Del will do her damnedest to temper the wild magic she sees in Percy before he destroys them both.
312 pages, Paperback
Published August 8, 2017
13 people are currently reading
543 people want to read
About the author
A.G. Carpenter
18 books44 followersA.G. Carpenter writes fiction of (and for) all sorts. She's had Twitter fiction published at One Forty Fiction and Trapeze Magazine. Her short stories have appeared in Daily Science Fiction, Goldfish Grimm's Spicy Fiction Sushi, Abyss & Apex, and Stupefying Stories Showcase. Individual novelettes are available as eBooks through most electronic vendors.
She loves movies where things explode, strong tea with milk and sugar, and cool, gray days. Her favorite color is black.
Repped by Bob Mecoy.
She loves movies where things explode, strong tea with milk and sugar, and cool, gray days. Her favorite color is black.
Repped by Bob Mecoy.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
November 3, 2017
Short Take: I can only say wow so many times, people.
*Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
I do love me some good Southern Gothic. Give me the moss, the humidity, the accents, the witchy women and rawboned men and we are in BUSINESS. Alas, my reading adventures have been sorely lacking in any kind of tasty home-fried creepy southern goodness lately, to the point that it had been so long, I didn’t even realize how much I missed it.
Until today. The opening of this book is a harrowing, attention-getting, where-are-my-socks-oh-they-are-blown-off, unexpected treat. I was hooked from that very first snippet.
The Touch Trilogy is (as the name implies) a collection of three sequential novellas, combined here into one juicy delicious book. The book takes place in various locations in Georgia, in a world that’s basically ours, but with one glaring exception: Some people have The Touch, which allows them to see and affect the future, go through flames without being burned, and a whole bunch of other fun things that I won’t spoil here.
The problem with having the The Touch is that it frequently drives people to murderous insanity. Enter Delaney Green: as a child, her mother attempted to burn her alive (see murderous insanity), and she spent most of her formative and young adult life in an institution, where the people in charge used electroshock therapy and drugs to suppress her powers.
There are different levels of magic though, and while Delaney has the strongest, others, such as FBI Agent Percival Cox are known as Sensitives. They can see/hear/feel things that the rest of us can’t, but it doesn’t seem like their powers can affect others, nor are they known for losing their minds and going on homicidal rampages.
When Percival is investigating a series of gruesome murders that seems to have supernatural elements, the clues lead him to Delaney. And from there, the story goes to a few of the places I expected (c’mon, you just KNOW there will be some kind of voodoo in the back of a dusty old shop), and at least one place (not spoiling!) that I absolutely did not see coming.
Percy and Delaney are great characters, and their eventual meeting and partnership in trying to stop the murderer made for a fantastic story. However, that story is only the first third of the trilogy. Part 2 did not hang together as well for me, and this is where I almost gave up. It felt like a completely different story, like it didn’t quite match the beginning. Half of it takes place in a setting far removed from the familiar ones. There was one character who was grotesque in a way that I would assume was unintentional, as she was supposed to be one of the Good Guys, but I cringed every time she was on the page.
It also seemed that there were a few threads left hanging in the end, possibly with the intention of adding to the series. A very important file that’s negotiated for, smuggled out, and never mentioned again. Some missing bones that might be used for a nefarious purpose, or might not. Some potential for rebounding magic that could do a lot of harm in the future, or maybe no.
Overall though, just about everything else came together beautifully in Part 3. Ms. Carpenter’s writing style is exactly the kind of poetic that I like. It’s evocative, letting a few sentences create a mood you can almost touch, but not so far into the realm of purple prose as to be distracting. That’s a tough line to walk and the author does it well. The ending was exquisite, a yummy cocktail of beauty, pain, loss, and love. Despite its flaws, this one is worth savoring.
The Nerd’s Rating: FIVE HAPPY NEURONS (and some salt. You never know when you’ll need it!)
*Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
I do love me some good Southern Gothic. Give me the moss, the humidity, the accents, the witchy women and rawboned men and we are in BUSINESS. Alas, my reading adventures have been sorely lacking in any kind of tasty home-fried creepy southern goodness lately, to the point that it had been so long, I didn’t even realize how much I missed it.
Until today. The opening of this book is a harrowing, attention-getting, where-are-my-socks-oh-they-are-blown-off, unexpected treat. I was hooked from that very first snippet.
The Touch Trilogy is (as the name implies) a collection of three sequential novellas, combined here into one juicy delicious book. The book takes place in various locations in Georgia, in a world that’s basically ours, but with one glaring exception: Some people have The Touch, which allows them to see and affect the future, go through flames without being burned, and a whole bunch of other fun things that I won’t spoil here.
The problem with having the The Touch is that it frequently drives people to murderous insanity. Enter Delaney Green: as a child, her mother attempted to burn her alive (see murderous insanity), and she spent most of her formative and young adult life in an institution, where the people in charge used electroshock therapy and drugs to suppress her powers.
There are different levels of magic though, and while Delaney has the strongest, others, such as FBI Agent Percival Cox are known as Sensitives. They can see/hear/feel things that the rest of us can’t, but it doesn’t seem like their powers can affect others, nor are they known for losing their minds and going on homicidal rampages.
When Percival is investigating a series of gruesome murders that seems to have supernatural elements, the clues lead him to Delaney. And from there, the story goes to a few of the places I expected (c’mon, you just KNOW there will be some kind of voodoo in the back of a dusty old shop), and at least one place (not spoiling!) that I absolutely did not see coming.
Percy and Delaney are great characters, and their eventual meeting and partnership in trying to stop the murderer made for a fantastic story. However, that story is only the first third of the trilogy. Part 2 did not hang together as well for me, and this is where I almost gave up. It felt like a completely different story, like it didn’t quite match the beginning. Half of it takes place in a setting far removed from the familiar ones. There was one character who was grotesque in a way that I would assume was unintentional, as she was supposed to be one of the Good Guys, but I cringed every time she was on the page.
It also seemed that there were a few threads left hanging in the end, possibly with the intention of adding to the series. A very important file that’s negotiated for, smuggled out, and never mentioned again. Some missing bones that might be used for a nefarious purpose, or might not. Some potential for rebounding magic that could do a lot of harm in the future, or maybe no.
Overall though, just about everything else came together beautifully in Part 3. Ms. Carpenter’s writing style is exactly the kind of poetic that I like. It’s evocative, letting a few sentences create a mood you can almost touch, but not so far into the realm of purple prose as to be distracting. That’s a tough line to walk and the author does it well. The ending was exquisite, a yummy cocktail of beauty, pain, loss, and love. Despite its flaws, this one is worth savoring.
The Nerd’s Rating: FIVE HAPPY NEURONS (and some salt. You never know when you’ll need it!)
September 30, 2018
Unexpected. Awesome.
This Southern Gothic mixes together urban fantasy elements, a little bit of horror, and some of the police procedural/CSI/mystery genre. Sprinkle in a little romance. Mix together completely and the book stands on its own - gripping, entertaining, ... loosing you a bit from the real world.
And as with all my highest ratings on Goodreads, the worldbuilding is spot on. The magic being integral is never explained. Everyone living here knows how it works; it isn't something new because of a break in reality. And a reader learns about it as they sink into the bones of the story and world. It sneaks in the little crevices of the mind, like a cold air into a plank house. No need to build a bright info dump fire; the shadows in the corners hint at everything and reveal nothing.
Available as a collection (Touch: A Trilogy) or three novellas - Of Lips and Tongues; Of Shade and Soul; and Of Flesh and Bone. Each title perfectly fits the story.
Side-note: This story would be perfect for an audio book!!!
This Southern Gothic mixes together urban fantasy elements, a little bit of horror, and some of the police procedural/CSI/mystery genre. Sprinkle in a little romance. Mix together completely and the book stands on its own - gripping, entertaining, ... loosing you a bit from the real world.
And as with all my highest ratings on Goodreads, the worldbuilding is spot on. The magic being integral is never explained. Everyone living here knows how it works; it isn't something new because of a break in reality. And a reader learns about it as they sink into the bones of the story and world. It sneaks in the little crevices of the mind, like a cold air into a plank house. No need to build a bright info dump fire; the shadows in the corners hint at everything and reveal nothing.
Available as a collection (Touch: A Trilogy) or three novellas - Of Lips and Tongues; Of Shade and Soul; and Of Flesh and Bone. Each title perfectly fits the story.
Side-note: This story would be perfect for an audio book!!!
March 26, 2021
I really didn't get this book. I persevered right the way through to the end hoping that it would get better and the twist would be there but unfortunately it didn't come. It wasn't awful, it had magic, the plot was ok, the narration was good, however, it really could have been amazing but there was something missing. At the end of any book, I reflect and enjoy reliving it and then write my review. With this, it was so underwhelming, that I actually forgot most of it. Sorry - just not my cup of tea.
This book was given to me for free at my request and I have provided this voluntary review.
This book was given to me for free at my request and I have provided this voluntary review.
October 8, 2017
This trilogy of novellas steams with one of the most compelling voices I've read for ages: Delaney Green is living, breathing Southern Gothic personified. The magical side of the world is thoroughly realised without being over-explained. The first of the novellas was the strongest for me, with a truly creepy story woven with romance.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews