Customer Reviews

Spider-Touched

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Author Jory Strong has created a futuristic world of such vast scope, it's hard sometimes not to get lost in its stories. Her latest in the Ghostland World series is "Spider-Touched", a tale of two lost souls who aren't sure who or WHAT they are. The only thing they come to know during the story is that they belong together, regardless of their pasts.

The year doesn't matter. It's beyond the apocalypse of the last war when supernaturals came out of hiding and humans spent their technology and lives almost destroying everything. The remaining city enclaves that remain are in the hands of the ultra-rich and the 'church', and neither is immune from what ultimate power breeds--corruption.

Tir doesn't remember WHAT he is, just that he's NOT human, he can't be killed, his blood can heal, and he's living for the day he escapes to lay waste to his enemies...whoever they are. His hatred for humans is arrested when one touches him in a dream, and then frees him. For the first time in centuries he is able to breathe freely and finds his desire rekindled...but only for the woman who risked her life to free him.

Arana doesn't know her real name, just the name she gave herself to match the spider mark that moves on her body and protects her at the cost of her ability to touch anyone. She sees the man with the strange markings in a dream and, at the risk of capture, frees him. She knows he's not human because she can touch him without killing him. And not just touch him...caress him, kiss him, and finally...love him. On the run from corrupt groups looking to capture and use their talents for gain, Arana and Tir fall in love. But when the final truths about their natures are revealed, will love be enough to save them...from each other?

If you didn't read "Ghostland" this book will be difficult to understand. There's an overarching plotline that provides a little information about who and what each of the characters are, but if you read the first one, this book will make much more sense. Now, having said that, I wonder if reading this book without having read the first one would make it more realistic since neither Tir nor Arana know what they are or how their lives intertwine with a bigger picture of the upcoming war between supernaturals.

If you have a strong religious bent, you may be offended as this book portrays all the evil, and none of the good, of the established 'church' that holds power by using supernatural creatures to evoke miracles and healing and control the populace. If that will make you froth at the mouth...don't read this series!

Jory Strong writes stories with incredibly strong heroes and heroines...and really, really smoking hot sex! I wavered over calling this erotica since it's more smoking romance but there's just something 'naughty' enough about the situations and characters to justify the tag. The sex is copious and sizzling and does include some light consensual BDSM for those who need a warning.

Having said ALL that, I really, really enjoyed this read. It's not a casual, pickup read and will require some thought. I would also describe it as having urban fantasy elements. There's demons, vampires, shifters, gods, witches, angels, and probably a few I left out. There's also action, sex, suspense, good, sex, evil, romance, sex, and kickbutt magic. After reading "Spider-Touched" I'm even more anxious to see where Jory Strong goes next with this fascinating world.

In a dark, post-apacalyptic world, now inhabited openly by shapeshifters, werewolves and vampires and heavily policed by corrupt law enforcement, life is hard. No one knows that better than Arana. She possesses the mark of the spider upon her body - and not just any spider mark, one that moves, acts on its own and can transport her to a spirit world - and so she's been shunned, tortured and hunted for most of her life. She leads a lonely existence, for to touch her spider mark is to die, and the spider does not allow anyone to touch Arana.

Arana longs for the luxury of human contact, but knows that it is something she will never feel, until she releases a mysterious being from captivity, and finds that he alone can touch her without dying.

Tir has been a captive for thousands of years, held by humans intent on using him for their own selfish needs. He's long since forgotten what type of being he is, and counts himself lucky to remember his own name. After centuries of brutality, supernaturally bound and kept from his powers by the collar around his neck, Tir has almost given up hope of ever escaping - until an extraordinary woman releases him from his shackles and frees him to pursue the mystery of the collar's magical key.

Together Arana and Tir must try to find the secret of the collar's key before the evil forces surrounding them succeed in ending their lives forever.

SPIDER TOUCHED is a very dark novel. The world that the characters inhabit is both depressing and bleak, and the battle of everyday life for them is almost exhausting. Well-written, and highly imaginative, SPIDER TOUCHED will leave readers feeling a little disturbed and just a bit surprised at how the story wraps up.

This is the second book in Strong's Ghostland World series. Her first book, Ghostland was a very enjoyable read and recommended to those who like reading a post-apocalyptic world with heavy paranormal and erotic elements. (There was a great deal of wet panties and hard nipples in that read). Spider-Touched has an interesting character in that of Arana, a lonely young woman who has been very abused because of the spider mark on her body that can move anywhere on her when the need arises. The spider mark protects her and if she touches someone, the mark will kill them. Anara can't take the chance in touching anyone, so she keeps her hands to herself and wears a glove over her left hand to hide the brand that was burned in her flesh by a clergyman. The Church is considered to be one of the vilest of all in this world, even above the demons, vampires and other supernatural creatures that rule. Anara was taken in by two men who are pirates. They have come to San Francisco looking for more booty. And because the city is very dangerous, she is separated from them and taken captive and imprisoned where she will be involved in some sick games where she will be raped and killed all for profit.

Another prisoner, Tir, knows he is not human but has no memory. He can't be killed and his blood can heal. He has been held captive by the same ones who have taken Anara. These two are able to escape and now are on the run. And they run and run, hide and fight the evildoers and have sex whenever they can. For some reason because Tir is a supernatural being, he is able to touch Anara without being killed by her spider mark. For the first 150 pages these two work together to survive even though they don't trust one another. But that doesn't stop Tir from feeling the licks of flame along his cock when he is with Anara. She in turn welcomes Tir because he doesn't die a horrible death when they touch. Both win!

I really wished Spider-Touched would have worked for me. I just couldn't connect with Anara and Tir like I did with Aisling and her demon lover Zurael in Ghostland. The action was slow to build in Spider-Touched and I couldn't figure out what the motivation was for Anara and Tir other than fighting those evil individuals and engage in sexual pleasure every chance they could get.

Katiebabs

The world as they once knew it is no more. In this post-apocalyptic time the humans attempt to cope with their new destiny as supernatural's take the helm. The vampires now lead while the Were population struggles for their own dominancy. The lines are clearly drawn, each group knows exactly where they stand or lie.

For so long he has been at the mercy of humans, hidden away from the world, unable to escape - even death has been denied him. The collar around his neck has stripped him of his gifts; his memories are only a shadow in his mind. The one thing he knows for sure is that his name is Tir.

A childhood of misery and cruelty fashioned Arana into a frightened, bitter girl. Escape to salvation however, in the form of pirates Erik and Matthew, taught Arana that some kindnesses still exists.

Arriving in Oakland to seek out a healer, Arana knows that her life is about to radically change once more. Tir has vowed to never trust a human yet it is a human who comes to his aid when he's taken to Oakland by his current owner. To complicate matters, an indescribable spark of passion rages between Arana and Tir from the moment they meet. Vows made in the past should set them apart forever but don't. Fighting against fate is a fruitless endeavor some would say yet Tir and Arana have no choice or do they?

From the first page to the last, Spider-Touched is a red hot thrill ride! Fans of paranormal, urban fantasy and romance will love Tir and cherish Arana for their strength of character as well as the secondary characters who breathe life and passion into Spider-Touched. Multi-talented author Jory Strong once again writes an original in this brutal, meticulously crafted, fascinating future tale. Motivations are clear, the sensual eroticism between Arana and Tir literally scorches the pages from the moment they see one another. Make sure Spider-Touched is at the top of your to be read list!


Lisa
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

[Book provided for review by publisher]

Once again Jory Strong explores her post-apocalyptic Oakland, a land of shape-shifters, powerful vampire families, outcast humans with special "gifts," witches with hidden agendas, wealthy humans fulfilling decadent desires, and a power-hungry church ruling through terror. Her world-building is exquisite, and her particular mix of urban fantasy and paranormal unusual and refreshing. Since Spider-Touched focused less on the gifted humans, however, than Ghostland did, and spends more of its time in the physical world, it had a little less to distinguish itself from other urban fantasy/paranormals than the previous book did.

Araña is a strong, enjoyable character--somewhat withdrawn, but fiercely protective of her friends and herself. She's smart and savvy, and she has good chemistry with Tir. Tir, however, perhaps because of his amnesia, was less remarkable than Zurael from the previous book; he wasn't as intense or detailed a character. Also, if you've read Ghostland you'll find some of the plot developments easy to predict in this one because of the parallels, which makes them a little less intense.

The side plot in this one, involving a healer and a werewolf trying to save victims from the "Maze" used as both punishment and entertainment, was engaging but also less so than the events in Ghostland.

Once again I have to give Jory props for depicting dominant/submissive sex scenes (male dom, female sub) that are erotic, loving, and enjoyable without straying toward abusive.

Spider-Touched is a good follow-on to Ghostland, and I look forward to reading more of Jory's work. That said, Ghostland was so outstanding that Spider-Touched does suffer a little by comparison.

Well Arana has not had any helpers with her gift (no Aziel for her). At least the last few years (maybe 10???) she has been taken in by two thieves who actually cared for her and made her part of their family. Eventually Arana does get 'some' minor advice from Malahel (head Spider Djinn) but it also seemed stingy to me. Again that everything has a price theme. Felt that Arana was shorted enough in her life, don't understand why help of any kind was so limited for her.

Ghostland has setup that new alliances will need to be built in the coming dawning of an age (not sure if this should be termed a battle or not). We do get a short visit with Aisling/Zurel and the Wainwright Witches. However the witches seem a bit more witchy (if you can guess my meaning) in this story.

All new manner of things that go bump in the night. The direction of this story seems to go way off on a different tangent. Didn't really get any connection to the larger story that was setup in Ghostland, until the very end.

One of my biggest questions: Why does Arana's spider seem to want to avoid the other Djinn yet love Tir? If someone could explain that I would love your take on this.

The relationship between Arana and Tir is cool - totally into them as a couple. Loved that Tir jumped right in and allows the connection with Arana even if she is the only human worth saving. Thankfully someone is willing to help her and care about her well being.

What the back cover doesn't tell you is that there are at least two other main characters to this story - Rebekka (healer) and Levi (were). Also really liked the Rebekka character but found that this made the story jump back and forth between the two major story lines going on.

I haven't given up on this series, but thought that the overall pace of this story was much slower. Tir ends up spining his wheels trying to figure out his collar and who he is. Yet when he finally does - the story is almost over. We get almost no time with Tir and Arana together with a full understanding of who they really are. Was disappointed with that.

No real mention of the tablet from Ghostland. No real Djinn (or even Angel) behind the scene stories to entice us as to what is coming next.

In Oakland, Arana the human thief has the uncanny ability to change the threads of lives of others due to the deadly spider tattoo that wanders all over her body. Though an outsider due to her anomaly, she has felt safe and loved for a few years due to the protectiveness of two endearing pirates, Eric and Matt. However, both are dead and she is taken prisoner.

Tir has no memory of his past and has had his power drained to almost nothing due to a collar he wears. He knows one thing with certainty: he loathes humans. He and Arana meet while both are being held prisoner; each is stunned; he because a mortal liberates his mind and she because he is immune to her tattoo. They become lovers with a goal of freedom, which begins with learning who they are and where they come from.

As with GHOSTLAND, Jory Strong continues to paint a post apocalyptic world (following The Last War) as a dark, grim realm. Ariana is a refreshing kick butt heroine and Tir who detests humans with his deepest soul (can an angel or whatever have a soul?) is a heroic Prometheus like figure. Together they are a formidable team in the deadly streets of New California. However, on the other hand in the boudoir scenes her acquiescence as a submissive to his dominance seems off kilter for her take the hill personality. Still erotic urban fantasy readers will relish SPIDER-TOUCHED (and GHOSTLAND) while looking forward to many more Strong escapades in the Oakland diocese

Harriet Klausner

A well-written story, but much too dark for my taste. I stopped after just a few chapters.