This book had Cliché moments. The bad guy thought he was something else. The stand-off-ish hot lady who in the end warmed up. The hero saving the girl in the bar. Just about the whole thing - nothing original and very predictable. I hated just about every moment. It was written for young female adults and wasn't my cup of tea. ( )

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 Goodreads 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!

I am forever grateful to Janina for giving away her copy and giving me the opportunity to read it! :D Thank you!! *hugs* ( )

Cross-posted from:http://yaromancereviews.blogspot.com/2009/01/kara-martinez-has-been-trying-to-be.htmlRomance Review:Romance Rating: 5/5Percentage of book focused on Romance: 55%Chemistry between characters: 5/5Love Triangle: NoThe bases (hotness factor): 1st base but heading for secondI loved this book and the romance aspects were great. I really felt for Kara. She was living her life the best way she knew how while carrying around a lot of burdens. Her voice felt mature -- like she was an old soul. For most of the book, the driving force behind Kara and Anthony's relationship was attraction -- one that both had difficulty understanding. But, it wasn't the kind of attraction based on physical appearances. It was more like, "There is SOMETHING about this person that makes me want to be around them". For their own reasons, neither pushes to try and figure out what that SOMETHING is. So, their interactions are filled with nuances of what creates great tension between characters -- unspoken words, knowing glances, curious looks, hesitant approaches...They have some ups and downs throughout their relationship -- some driven by the secrets each keeps and others by the circumstances of their different backgrounds. But none of these are enough to truly threaten their bond. If there is one thing I would have liked to see have happened differently, it would have been to learn of Anthony's secret earlier in the book. It was a big one that explained a lot of why their relationship developed the way it did. I was left wanting to know more about it. I felt like his secret was something that could only bring them closer together but we never really get to see that play out. But, I guess that is the sign of a good book, when you feel that pull to imagine the next scene in your mind after you close the last page. ( )

Reviewed by Lauren Ashley for TeensReadToo.com

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. ( )

When Kara was 11 she lost her father in a tragic boating accident. She also died. For eleven minutes. When she woke up, she found that she wasn't completely the same, she started seeing signs, clues she would see on a person's chest playing like a video. If she could figure them out in time, she could avert disasters (usually small ones). So when she sees a sign of a gun on a boy at school, she knows she HAS to figure this clue out before someone dies. In the process of trying to figure the mystery out she meets a cute boy from the "bad side" of town, who also presents yet another mystery. Will she be able Nancy Drew this case in time to save lives?
I LOVED this book. The character's are astonishingly real, and it's easy to relate to Kara even if you never had problems quite like hers. You want things to go well for her. The writer is so good you almost know how it feels to be in Kara's place. The Final Showdown was so good I am pretty sure I actually said the word "WOW", out loud, and the answer to the clues is nothing I ever would have guessed! I know I am going to read this book again and again, and would suggest you go out and buy this the day it comes out! ( )