A Raven's Touch

Justice St. Michaels has a secret. So secret, in fact, she doesn’t even know it. All of that changes when a strange yet extremely attractive Darien Raventhorn enters her life. Only he seems to know her from somewhere. Justice also learns her best friend Moira isn’t all she seems, nor is Tom, a close family friend. By the time Justice finally learns the truth about the odd bumps on her back, nothing in her life resembles what it had mere days ago. A demonic creature, Seliki, is on the loose, vowed to avenge for some wrong at Justice’s hand. Justice has come into powers she has just barely learned to understand. Things she held most dear have been ripped from her, and the fate of the world seems to rest on her shoulders. The only question is if she can believe in herself enough to fight back.

The story behind A RAVEN’S TOUCH by Linda Bloodworth is an intriguing one. It’s not often you can team up angels, elves, and witches into a super kick-butt team. They don’t usually hang out in the same plot cliques. Bloodworth makes it work in her debut novel by making them all an integral part of keeping evil from this world. Each character has their own strength they bring to the table that lends unique abilities they wield as weapons. She also weaves in Justice’s devout nature that’s reminiscent of the Halo series by Alexandra Adornetto.

Justice is an extremely likeable character. Despite having some major issues from her past with bullying, she has a massive heart. She likes to think the best of people. Her temper may get away from her from time to time, but that’s something every teen can relate to when backed into a corner. Sometimes you have to scream when it’s enough. Justice’s battles with finding her identity and how that fits into her little world are very relatable.

The relationship she has with her parents is also something I enjoyed about this book. Justice and her parents have a truly loving relationship, something that seems unimportant in many YA novels. Many times, there are stories about teens at odds with their parents. Bloodworth takes the other angle and portrays a strong, healthy, and loving relationship between parents and child that is imperative for teens to see.

Justice also has a great cast of supportive friends. It’s obvious that each one of her confidants will do anything for her. And that comes into play later in the novel when they must work together to take the next step in their journey.

The pacing was a bit slow for me, and the story seemed to linger in places rather than push it forward. The budding romance between Darien and Justice is one of them. I enjoyed how Justice didn’t give in to the pretty face right away and questions Darien’s motives. He enters the story needing her more than caring for her, so I was glad to see Justice had her player meter cranked on high. However, many of their moments didn’t feel necessary for the story development. I love romance as much as the next girl, but you shouldn’t need to pause life for it.

I also wish the author would have spent more time addressing the bullying issue. This is a super hot topic and Justice is a strong enough person to do some good with it. Rather than taking on the issue and addressing bullying head on, it felt more like it was glossed over. It just felt like a missed opportunity.

Other than that, A Raven’s Touch sets up for an interesting series. Talk about cliffhangers! Be sure to hold onto your hats at the end of this one. Just as Justice finds her confidence in herself and her team of friends, she’s forced into the most dangerous journey of her life. I will be interested to see where Bloodworth takes Justice’s adventure, and if she will be able to live up to her wings.