Customer Reviews

Invisible Touch

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

What more can I say than WOW?!? Before reading this one, I was expecting a unique story that would captivate my attention. Kelly Parra totally exceeded my (already high) expectations and knocked my socks off!

As I stated before, I tend to read realistic fiction books, so I was out of my comfort zone with this one, but I loved every minute of it. While most readers probably don't see warning signs on the chests of others, I feel that everyone can somehow relate to Kara--whether it be due to the death of a loved one, conflicts with parents, or falling in love for the first time.

In YA lit, diversity is increasing, yet still has a way to go. Kelly Parra did an excellent job of incorporating diverse characters and settings, without being at all stereotypical.

Invisible Touch was action-packed, due to its many twists and turns. In addition, Parra mixed suspense, mystery, and romance (one of my favorite elements) into one fantastic story!

I like reading paranormal books. Sometimes I can relate to the main character's personality. That's fine and all, but sometimes...I want more than that. I want a character, a girl specifically, who has a similar heritage as me. So here's what I've been searching for: a young-adult paranormal with a Latina as the main character.

I thought there wasn't a book like that out there, and it frustrated me. Then a few months ago I was surprised when a book friend told me about Invisible Touch. It sounded exactly like what I was looking for! But I wondered, 'Why haven't I heard about this book before?' It was published back in 2008 and had less than 90 ratings on Goodreads. I was still excited to read it, but in the back of my mind, the serious lack of attention it received made me question if the book would even be good. I felt bad for thinking that. At the same time, I just didn't want to get my hopes too high. Thankfully, once I was able to read it, I found that it actually exceeded all my expectations, and I was so grateful to be given the chance to read it!

Ever since the boat accident six years ago that killed her father and left her dead for several minutes, seventeen-year-old Kara Martinez has been able to see visions. These visions appear on people and are usually hints into impending danger. It's something she's not able to ignore. She must sort out the puzzle of clues her gift gives her before she can figure out what exactly the danger is, and she has to do it all on her own. She doesn't even trust her own her family with her secret because she fears being sent back to the psychiatric hospital, which was where she was sent the first time she tried to tell her mother about her visions years ago. The recent vision she sees is on a fellow classmate, who is somehow connected to a guy from the other side of town she recently met: Anthony Garcia. Keeping her gift a secret, figuring out the newest clues, and behaving like the daughter her mother wants to be becomes even harder when she starts to fall for Anthony.

I thought Kelly Parra did such a wonderful job with this story. Although Invisible Touch is a quick read (it's a small book in size that comes in at about 280 pages) and takes place over the course of about three weeks, I felt it was paced really well. Things were revealed at just the right time. Some moments were pretty shocking and took me by surprise. I never knew what to expect next, and I couldn't put the book down! It's the type of book that makes me wish there was a sequel because I didn't want to let the characters go. I wanted to know what happens next with everyone: Kara, Anthony, Kara's family (her mother and her brother Jason) and her friend Danielle. But it's also the type of book that's perfect as a stand-alone. All questions were answered, and it didn't have a cheesy ending. It was enough to keep me satisfied and yet leave me wanting more.

Another thing I liked was the blog entries scattered throughout the book. Kara's only outlet to share her gift and her feelings about it is the anonymous blog she created called Secret Fates. It was like reading a diary, just in modern form, and it was another way for us readers to know more about Kara. She never reveals too much about herself, but her blog still adds to the mystery of the book once an anonymous reader claims to know her true identity. Maybe it's because I have a blog and am always checking other blogs, but I felt her blog entries were a nice addition to the book.

Before I end this review, I need to mention the romance. Kara and Anthony had a forbidden romance going on what with Kara having a strict and overprotective mother and Anthony coming from the wrong side of town. They did become a couple quickly, but I found it believable. It was natural, and it just felt right for them to be together. They had some steamy moments, but they weren't desperately trying to get to the next level. I thought they were pretty mature about it, and I think that reflects the type of characters they are. Mature and levelheaded. Definitely likable characters. And I could really relate to Kara on a personal level. I'm not 100% Mexican either, and I can't speak Spanish even though I wish I could. She is someone I could see myself being friends with. As for Anthony, well, I thought he was the perfect guy for Kara. (It doesn't hurt that he's also a hot guy! heh) He's a bit mysterious and seems like he would be a bad-boy, but he actually prefers to stay out of trouble. He's caring and trustworthy, and I loved his relationship with Kara.

Invisible Touch was everything I was looking for and more. It's my first and hopefully not my last paranormal book that has a main female character with Latin American roots. I honestly don't get why this book hardly got any attention, and sadly it's going out-of-print soon. I talked to the author though, and she's plans on reissuing it once it's out-of-print. That makes me feel a whole lot better, and hopefully more people will read it! I think it will appeal to fans of Wake by Lisa McMann and Simone Elkeles's Perfect Chemistry trilogy. So give it a chance if you like those books too!

Kelly Parra knows teenagers and with INVISIBLE TOUCH she once again demonstrates her skill at creating realistic characters in realistic settings. INVISIBLE TOUCH is a page-turning blend of romance, realism, life, death, and secret psychic powers. A perfectly magical October read!

INVISIBLE TOUCH is the brilliant second story from new comer Kelly Parra. She continues to create sharply-drawn characters with emotional depth and exciting plots that appeal to both mature teens and adults. Between the fast-paced mystery loaded with twists and the emotional pull between interesting bi-cultural characters you'll be up all night flipping pages. Kelly's dynamic voice stands out and shines in the growing YA market.

NYT Best Seller Dianna Love

Kara is haunted by the day her father passed away and she died for eleven minutes. She wakes up and finds that she now has a unique ability to see signs on people that relate to something that will happen to them. The puzzles often don't make sense for awhile, but she still has to keep at it or suffer severe headaches and the fact that she might be allowing someone to come to harm.

As the story progresses, Kara starts a relationship with a guy who helps her out of danger during a gang fight, starts losing touch with a best friend who has secrets of her own, and must figure out the new "vision" involving a gun before someone is hurt.

INVISIBLE TOUCH is a unique storyline full of bi-cultural characters that are all well-rounded individuals. This book will have readers flipping the pages as fast as they can to find out the next step in the puzzle, as well as the search to find out more about Kara.

This book shows that when you're always looking to the future, you often forget to deal with the past.

An amazing, touching novel that deals with big issues in an original context.

Reviewed by: Lauren Ashley

This is the best book. i have read this book many times. my friend let me borrow it and after i read it i said "i have to get it". it is such a good book

I enjoyed this book. While, I don't think is really anything to gush over, I found myself wanting to get to the end to find out the answer to the puzzle. Usually I can figure out the ending and the answer to the mystery before I get to it, but in this book, I didn't figure it out at all.

The characters were all fine for me. No one I really loved, and no one I disliked. I do wish we had learned more about Kara's best friend, Danielle, though. We learn her secret at the end, but I wish we had seen and learned more about her.

This was an easy read and one that will keep you guessing.

Grade:

Originality: 20/20
Characters: 13/15
Writing: 10/10
Voice: 10/10
Ending: 10/10
Entertainment: 10/10
Cover: 8/10
Recommendation: 10/10

Total: 91/100 = A-

Review:

I didn't really know what this book was going to really be about when I started it. The summary tells you about her Sight Seer ability, but you still don't really know what it's about until you read. It is totally different than what you may be expecting -- at least, it definitely was for me.

I loved this book, however. It's amazing. There's that main plot of her ability, and then there are many other underlying plotlines. There is her romance with Alex, her father's accident and how she's dealt with it, and her relationships with friends and the people she knows. This may seem like a lot of different plotlines, but Parra does an amazing job writing the story so you're not overwhelmed.

The first chapter will grab your attention. Once you start reading and finding out about Kara's life, you won't want to stop reading. It's interesting from the very first page.

However, there were a few characters that I think could've been developed a little more. For the most part, all of the characters were developed. But there were a few minor characters that I think could've been described a bit more or could've been developed a little bit more. This is not at all damaging to the book -- the book is still wonderful, and these minor characters aren't ones that you see a lot in the book.

Overall, this is one of the best MTV books I've read. I definitely recommend this book to everyone. =)

This book just made me want to keep on reading until I got to the end. (I think I read it in about 2 or 3 days)

It is a fast, heart-gripping read. By the end, all the secrets are revealed and they are surprising.

Wonderfully written. The words were deep and thought-provoking.

I've always been a big fan of psychics, but this book is not your typical psychic story.

Invisible Touch far exceeded my expectations, it was well written, exciting, and overall a heart wrenching read. It was practically impossible to put down and it drew a lot of different emotions from me- from laughing to crying. It was such a unique idea- fate. Lately I've read a couple of books dealing with "fate" and I've learned a lot about it. Fate is an interesting topic and one I definitely want to read more about. Kelly Para writing style was unique and Kara was a character I liked. Her blog was also a great twist to the story. I loved all the little sub-plots that kept the novel going. I also learned a lot about Mexican culture. Another thing that really attracted me to this book was how rich it was in culture. It was interesting to see how Para combined culture and fate in what came out as a great novel. I'm definitely looking forward to reading more MTV Books now, especially Para's other novel, Graffiti Girl.

I would definitely recommend this novel to everyone. It would appeal to both boys and girls and it has a lot of important lessons. Kara's visions were an important part of the novel and really added an aspect to it that kept me hooked. It was interesting reading Kara's blog entries and there was a twist with that I didn't expect. The characters were all well developed and I really liked Anthony. He was a nice, honest guy who just wanted the best for Kara. Family was another big part of Invisible Touch and I really liked that. It was interesting to read how Kara, Jason, and their mom's relationship progressed and changed throughout the book. The only complaint I really had was some of the characters didn't seem as developed as they could have been. I didn't really know that much about Danielle or Carlos, and many of the people who seemed like they should be main characters, seemed a little flat. All in all, I enjoyed it though and as I've said before, I would highly recommend this book and the cover is a nice addition to anyone's collection!

Rating;

Plot: 10/10

Characters: 9/10

Ending: 9.5/10

Enjoyment:9.5/10

Cover: 8/10
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Overall: 46/50= 92%