Touch

Reaper #1

by Jennifer Snyder

Alternate cover edition for ASIN: B005JKMWRU

Love is the only thing not even Death can kill…

Seventeen-year-old Rowan Harper knows her life is forever changed the moment her schizophrenic mother commits suicide. What Rowan doesn’t realize is how much her mother’s choice altered her own fate. It’s not until after meeting Jet, a sapphire-eyed dead boy, Rowan begins to learn of her new destiny as becoming her mother’s replacement for something she never knew existed.

Book one in a haunting and gothic tale of love, death, and hope. Also includes, Choice, a bonus short story told from Jet’s perspective!

Genres: Paranormal, Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Death, Romance, Urban Fantasy

94 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 26, 2011

About the author

Jennifer Snyder lives in North Carolina where she spends most of her time writing New Adult and Young Adult Fiction, reading, and struggling to stay on top of housework. She is a tea lover with an obsession for Post-it notes and smooth writing pens. Jennifer lives with her husband and two children, who endure listening to songs that spur inspiration on repeat and tolerate her love for all paranormal, teenage-targeted TV shows.

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Reviews

[Terri ♥ (aka Mrs. Christian Grey) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book as a part of R2R.

I struggled to determine a rating for this book. In the end I give it 3.5/5 stars.

Good points –
Overall the story presented was well written and the first chapter drew me into the story. I could visualize everything I read easily in my head. The concept surrounding the story line is very intriguing.

Bad points –
After the first chapter, I was reminded of a different series right away. I hoped that the author would use differences to separate the two and she did. However, there wasn’t enough story to have me totally forget the other novel.

The relationship between the love interest wasn’t developed. I know it was a novella, but this story really could have benefited with an additional chapter of two to draw the reader in. Instead we were left with paragraphs loosely summarizing that a relationship developed with no real details.

I also believe the ending could have benefited with additional information. Somehow, I just can’t believe the main character, Rowan, would just accept her fate with no looking back. I couldn’t believe she wouldn’t wonder about her dad or her best friends feelings.

This book has potential. I can hope the authors goes back to make this a novel and gives us the details to make the story come alive.

[Ana · Rating 3 out of 5]

First off, I would like to thank the author and R2R for giving me a copy of this book.
Rowan Harper is experiencing the worst time of her life. Her mom just died, actually committed a suicide, leaving Rowan and her dad in a slight depression. Ever since she was 8, she could see her mother acting strangely, depending on pills and doctors. Could there be something in their genes?
Will history repeat itself?
One car accident...one strange looking boy in black clothes..and her life will never be the same again.

She's a Link. Someone who can see the dead.
He's a Reaper. Someone who's after those that are alive.
What will happen when they meet?



I loved the beginning of this book! It was full of mystery and had me totally sucked into the story. Story of ghosts, crows, Gothic elements,hell, purgatory, heaven. This could have been a really really good read.

BUT!!!

I must say I expected more romance and more details about Rowan and Jets relationship. I also think the author could've work more on the character development instead of on irrelevant plot details. However, I would love to read the sequel, if something like that will happen in the future.

[Kayleigh {K-Books} · Rating 3 out of 5]

Touch Review on K-Books

I really don't know what to say about this book. It is a short story and I ended up reading it all in one sitting. It definitely wasn't what I expected.

Rowan is having a hard-time right now, her schizophrenic mother committed suicide and Rowan's life changed drastically. She suddenly starts seeing spirits and discovers maybe her mother wasn't so crazy afterall. What she doesn't know is her mother's suicide put in motion steps that will change her life forever.

I thought that the storyline for Touch is very good. It's a great storyline and Jennifer's narration had me hooked from the first chapter. I was very intrigued as to what was going to happen.
The downfall of this book is that a lot of it I didn't really get. Rowan meets Jet, a 'spirit' and after only seeing him three times, speaking to him twice, claims she has fallen in love with him. Really? They literally met like 2 minutes ago. I get all the love at first sight stuff you get in novels but I didn't really get that feeling with this book so I was very surprised at the turn of events and I didn't find it very realistic.
Another thing that really got me was after something happened to Rowan the rest of her life was forgotten about. What happened to her father, her best friend from school? They were never mentioned again and I didn't really like that.

Overall, I think it's a good storyline and I really enjoyed Jennifer's writing style. I am looking forward to reading a full length novel by her and hopefully I will enjoy it significantly more.
Now for the rating. I am so torn between 2 and 3 Stars/Roses. Parts of the books I didn't find realistic which makes me want to give it 2 stars but I really liked the premiss of the story and I really liked Jennifer's writing style so that for me gives it an extra star.

[Sarah Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Source: downloaded for free from Amazon.co.uk.)
This is a short novella about a girl called Rowan. Her mother committed suicide 5 months ago, after battling with schizophrenia for years.

After a car accident, the last thing Rowan expects is to suddenly start seeing dead people, and she begins to wonder if she is going crazy the way her mother did. But when one boy who keeps appearing finally speaks to her, she finds out that things are worse than expected - Rowan is set to become a reaper!

This novella was short but enjoyable. I loved Rowan, and the reaper Jet, and am interested to find out what happens to them next! I thought that the story was well written, and the storyline seemed well thought out.
Overall; a good YA novella about reapers.
8 out of 10

[Hannah (Hannah, Fully) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Snyder takes Reapers into an interesting spin with Touch, but I feel a novella didn't go too well with me. The characters aren't really as fleshed out and developed as it would with a longer novella or even a full length novel. All I have is Rowan seeing crows following her lately, gets into a car crash and sees something the living can't see, aspires to find out what the nonliving thing the living can't see is, and finds out why she sees crows.

The plot feels primarily unoriginal – girl gets into an accident that triggers supernatural sight, girl falls in love with said person she sees and learns from, girl dies from attempted noble heroics (not original with the death either) in order to fix the "balance of the supernatural and real world" (as I so like to put it). The whole aspect of having Links, people who can see Reapers and will ultimately become Reapers when they die, is pretty much the only thing original.

Oh, and the fact Reapers aren't exactly scary looking but dress formally, which may or may not be true because the book is really, really short.

Basically, Touch feels a little too fast and would probably be a lot more enjoyable if it were longer, where everything would be more fully developed that the novella gives me.

This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novella went straight to my heart. It's stories like 'Touch' by Jennifer Snyder that make me fall in love with young-adult paranormal reads and keep that 'in love' feeling days after I have read the last words. It was gorgeously written, haunting and gothicaly eerie. The first thing that caught my attention when opening this e-book was the breath takingly beautiful cover. I literally couldn't stop staring at it for a minute or two before moving on to the delicious parts: The story itself. The first few pages that opened with an accident made me wonder if it would be another one of 'those' very predictable reads. Boy was I wrong! It left me wondering what and who Rowan was and who the handsome boy Jet would turn out to be. With Rowan learning about her strange surcumstance I also learned that she is quite a cool headed calm 17 year old who isn't one bit flighty or whiny. She took all the information about what and who she is very gracefully, I wanted to applaude the girl! Seeing as she was also going through the turmoil of losing her mother only a few short months earlier and the uncertain relationship with her father. I just loved Rowan, which very seldom happens when I read young adult novels because I always find something wrong with the main female character. I dug deep, but couldn't find one single thing wrong with her. As I said, great main female character. Jet, our very sexy kind of cocky lead male character left me feeling that I couldn't and wouldn't have chosen anyone better for Rowan. There was a few time I felt a little sharp sadness for Jet, specifically when I learned what had happened to him before becoming what he is. But that just made me like him more. I would have liked to read about what happened to the other characters that got left behind in the end a little more, but it hadn't influenced my overall outlook on this novella. The only tragedy would be if I didn't say how thankful I was that the writer painted such a vivid picture of the surroundings. I read the novella while sitting in my bed and I could literally feel the snowy winter wonderland that Rowan found herself in everyday. The milieu descriptions add a big part to the flow of the story, and give that something that sparked my imagination to just the right place.

I really hope that meet up with Rowan and Jet again one day. Positively one of the best novellas I have read thus far.

A story of death, has never been so sweet to me.

[Danna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this book on a R2R and I immediately liked the cover art. That’s always a plus for me. Somehow the cover and title will either pull me in or turn me off. I had just finished reading a 6-book series and was worried that I might carry some of that expectation over into this book with me.

I didn’t have to worry -- the story immediately takes off. I was immediately swept away and intrigued. This book was very easy to read. The author’s words flow very well. There wasn’t much background, but enough to figure out what was going on. There were a few places where I would have liked more explanation or a few gaps where I was questioning time. I can overlook those things in a book and keep going where I know others can’t. If it had been my husband reading it we would have had to discuss that point for hours but I don’t see the need.

I was disappointed to realize I was halfway through the book and nothing had really happened. I really liked the author’s ideas on heaven/hell/purgatory, Link’s and Reapers. It gives me new ways to think about things and wonder: if people really can see ghosts; are there really Reapers and do we get to choose to be a Reaper. Are there people really watching us from purgatory? Fascinating concepts.

The one thing I was really disappointed in was I didn’t get caught up in the book like I sometimes do with all the different emotions. I didn’t feel her pain or sadness. The other bad thing about this book was it seemed to pack so much in so quickly. It could have been a great book. There were so many things that could have been expounded on. If this were a short story – fine but there were too many details, almost too much story. But for a book, it needed more. I guess it is a good thing when you end a book and you want more from the characters, but this book I wanted more explanation throughout the book.

I agree with another reviewer that this could become a series -- especially with the way the book ended. It was too open-ended. I can't say that I would recommend to a friend or that I would reread but I would continue the series or even read another book by the author.

[Lucina · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

german review

Sehr schöne Kurzgeschichte über ein siebzehnjähriges Mädchen, dessen Leben nach einem schweren Autounfall eine überraschende Wendung nimmt. Ich muss sagen, "Touch" hat mich wirklich positiv überrascht, die Wendungen war sehr oft unvorhersehbar und auch die paranormalen Elemente waren gut eingebaut. Bei den Charakteren muss man auf Grund der relativen Kürze der Geschichte Abstriche machen, so ist Rowen etwas zu perfekt und von Jed erfährt man auch nur wenig. Dafür fand ich die Vergangenheiten der beiden sehr schön ausgearbeitet. Durch die Kürze der Geschichte kamen auch noch andere Dinge etwas zu kurz, wieso nimmt Rowen ihr Schicksal so gelassen hin bzw. wieso reagiert sie allgemein so ruhig? An ihrer Stelle hätte ich mehr als nur einmal einen Panikanfall bekommen, aber bei einer Kurzgeschichte will ich mal nicht so streng sein. ;-)

Auch wenn die Geschichte insgesamt ziemlich gut ist (besonders wenn man bedenkt, dass es sich nur um eine Kurzgeschichte handelt) muss ich doch einen halben Stern abziehen, da das Ende nicht ganz nach meinem Geschmack war.

Die Kurzgeschichte "Choice", die aus Jet's Sicht erzählt wird ist auch in der e-Book-Version von "Touch" enthalten, zumindest in der neueren Version. Gelesen habe ich sie nicht, da mich die Geschichte nicht wirklich gereizt hat. Wer "Touch" gelesen hat, wird die Ereignisse allerdings wiedererkennen.

[Sarah Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second time I’ve read this novella, and I still liked it!
I really liked Rowan and how mature she was about her situation. I felt really sorry for her the way her mother had killed herself, and it was not very fair that Rowan was going to have to take her place.

I liked the storyline in this, although there were the odd things that irritated me – like moving someone when they’ve been in a car accident, and stepping out on to a frozen lake!

There was a bit of romance, which was alright, but wasn’t really anything special.
It will be really interesting to see what happens in the next book!
Overall; good paranormal novella,
7.5 out of 10

[Faye · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really loved this novella, only wish this was a full book. Really good story , an interesting twist on the Grim Reaper storyline. If you love the Soul Screamer series by Rachel Vincent get this novella. Hoping that this is the start of a series , really want to see the story develop further.

[Natalie O’Brien · Rating 3 out of 5]

That was...cute

[Karla BookAddict2 · Rating 2 out of 5]

deleting reviews if you want to take a look at them you can do so on my blog, link on my profile

[Tammy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Did it make me want to read the series? Yes, it was a steady pace and kept me interested.
Was I a little lost without reading any of the series first? No
I was a little disappointed in development of Rowan and Jet's relationship. It was lacking for me. I will still try the next book.

[Leigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

ORIGINAL REVIEW AT: LITTLE BOOK STAR
Rate: 3.5/5

I really enjoyed reading Touch. I read it with one sitting because I was so impressed and amazed by Snyder’s style. I love her writing style; it flowed smoothly and stands out from other ya paranormal authors. This is the second time that I read a book with reaper as the topic, and my first time reading a book about reapers was awful. It was so confusing and information was thrown in the book everywhere. This one definitely surprised me and I like how it’s a fast read. I also like how the cover has a significance with the story. Touch is told by a seventeen year old, Rowan Harper, who is dealing with her mother’s death. As she copes up, she discovers something from her mother’s past, and now it’s her job to continue what her mother did not finish.

This book falls in the middle for me. I liked some parts and disliked a couple of parts. I wish we got to know more about our characters especially Rowan’s best friend. I’m curious on how their relationship were before Rowan’s personality changed due to her mother’s death. In this book, Rowan isn’t that social and her best friend tries to snap her out of it. In short, more background could’ve been added in the book. I also felt iffy about the romance part. It was a bit rushed and forced. There is potential, it just needed to be slower and realistic. I also would like to know more about the reaper world. I love Snyder’s idea about the whole reaping thing. I definitely want to read more about that in the second book. I do like how this book was emotional at some parts, especially Rowan’s relationship with her father. You could feel their struggle as they try to move on. Touch has a little bit of contemporary feel to it.

I recommend this to paranormal fans, to those who want to read a not quite lengthy book, and if you’re up for some fast paced novella. I can’t wait to read the second installment because I want more information about the characters, and why the mom committed suicide. You’re left gripping for more, and I have a feeling I will enjoy the 2nd book more.

[Lori Palle · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Originally posted on my blog and shortened here for brevity; minor spoilers ahead)!

Rowan Harper has undergone a transformation from a happy teen to one who mourns the loss of her mother. She finds herself alone--her father can't stand to look at her, her friends think she should get over it already. Then, after an accident, she finds herself very much *not* alone as ghosts talk to her, and she finds a kindred spirit in Jet.

I love the cover that's on the Amazon.com site over this one; the one perfectly matches the tone and atmosphere of the novella. The novella is a dark one as Rowan struggles with coping the loss of her mother, ghosts, and her own mortality. Luckily, Jet is there to help her navigate the unfamiliar waters. There's no humor, and although there is romance, it's very clean and fade to black. The story is interesting, and I was drawn into Rowan's struggle as she tried to face her new destiny.

The ending can be considered a cliff-hanger, but there's enough of a hint of the future that you could also consider the novella standalone. Given the length of the story, I felt like although it was a great tale with an interesting mythology, there was more to be done to flesh the story a bit more.

There's a second bonus short story, which was nice to get a background on Jet, but it's clearly a bonus, since it wouldn't be able to stand on it's own.

This is a great short story that you'll enjoy if you like a darker paranormal YA without violence.

[Christopher · Rating 3 out of 5]

After Jennifer Snyder's stunning debut, Shattered Soul, I have been anticipating this novel. Ms. Snyder does an excellent job of painting a picture for you as she writes. Her writing is very fluid and easy to read and the way she describes everything is great. All of this carried over to her second novel.

The writing in her second novel was just as good as her first and it was just as well written. This novel was more of a straight romance then her first, which I normally don't read, but the writing was good enough that I still enjoyed the book overall.

Towards the end, there were a number of open questions that I would have liked to have answered, but I have sinced learned that this was the first book of a series, so I'm sure that my questions will be answered as the series continues, which I'm looking forward to reading.

Overall, this was another wonderful story from Ms. Snyder, and I'm looking forward to her next novel and the continuation of this series.

[Two Nerds With Words · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this and was so disappointed that it just didn't keep going. I knew it was a novella, but I just wanted more from the characters and especially wanted to know whA happens next!

The main character Raven is young though certainly not naive considering the hardships that she's already faced in her 17 years. What Snyder has successfully created though is a character that I want to follow, want to see being happy and want to know more about. This always amazes me when a novella can successfully get you to 'bond' with a character in just a few short chapters. Bravo!

Now what stopped me from giving this 5 stars I hear you ask! Whilst I really enjoyed this and will track down other books written by Snyder, the book wasn't overly 'meaty', and the writing wasn't particularly challenging. I liked to be pushed a little more!

Overall, an enjoyable short read. Definitely worth an hour of your time.

[Radiant · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was fast and easy read though the story was good..it could have been better.

Rowan is still suffering from the grief of her mother's - who was apparently crazy - suicide months back... when she is involved in a accident..but the accident leaves her more than a scar..it makes her 'link'..a medium between real and spiritual world and promotion to be reaper when she will die..(Geez!!) seems like her mother is not crazy after all.

Jet - the reaper who takes the soul at accident fills her with information..rowan is left shocked when she learns shes about to die soon and become a reaper..but jet and rowan become closer and closer till the time of death and even after.But the council has other plans and separates them.

Was that the end?Really...?OK the story sure had potential if it didn't end up like that or at least it will have a sequel to the cliff hanger...is HereAfter a sequel to it..i really hope so!

Sri.

[Midu Hadi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got this book from the people at "Paranormal Romance & Urban Fantasy Fanatics!" in a giveaway. So, the good things about this book:
It was written in easy and accessible language.
It was short and to the point.
Its a cute story and a good concept.
The problems that i had with it were that I felt we were pushed into the mystery of what was happening to Rowan rather hastily. Then I felt like Rowan lacked a backbone and just went along with everything without any resistance. Also the romance between the lead characters felt forced. Even so, I think I'll read more from this author before I decide.

[Zoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Touch is a very strong start to a story. So many possibilities could spring from this world of reapers and I hope Snyder chooses to expand upon what she's begun to build. I wasn't in love with this book as a novella, but I did enjoy it enough to recommend it to others. Snyder is such a strong writer and she knows how to get to readers on a very emotional level. I'll definitely continue to read her work in the future.

[Jean ~ Kindle Queen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a sucker for reaper stories and so I enjoyed this one. I'm not usually a huge fan of short stories, but I felt this one did a good job with world building and making me want to continue with the story. I just wish there had been more, but that's a good sign, right? I need to find out what happens to Rowan.

[Kristy McRae · Rating 4 out of 5]

Something rare in the over-full paranormal fiction market today--an original story! I really liked this one, including the short story at the end that gives a little background on Jet. I'll be looking for more from this author--hopefully the continuation of this fascinating story!

[Ami Kurakin · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was too short! I was so captivated by the story and was so mad that it wasn't longer ( like a book series. GOD i'd love a book series out of this). It was breath-taking. I read it five times already!

[Abi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good novella.

I liked Rowan. She went through quite a lot in a short space of times, but i thought she took things pretty well.

I really liked the authors writing, and i loved the way she described the crows!

Overall, An enjoyable read.

[Na Deela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this story. I just wish it was longer. Hopefully there's a sequel coming, I'd really like to see where the characters go from here.

[Andrea Heltsley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adored Jet and Rowan. This was a great story. I also love the author! I loved this novella series.

[Bobbi · Rating 5 out of 5]

For a short story this was really exciting watching Rowan go through the process of changing from Link to Reaper and the love story between her and Jet is amazing.

[Bec · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this! So different from my usual reads. Brilliantly written

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great quick read, interesting story line and writing was half decent

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm growing strangely fascinated with Death.
That's "Death" with a capital D.