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justine_ao's review
4.0
This book was so much better than the first one. Better writing, more even storytelling, everything. Happy to read the next one.
stacey766's review against another edition
5.0
Amazing. Left me dying for more. Need next book pronto. As in yesterday!
talia_redhotink's review against another edition
3.0
Toxic suffers from what I call "the plague of the second book". After a very great start with Touch, which had it all in the end: a semi-happy ending, nice characters, good twists and turns, the author asks herself: "What now?"
And the answer appears to be JEALOUSY and DOUBTS. Accardo isn't the only writer to make this choice, see "Crescendo" by Fitzpatrick, "Original Sin" by Desrochers, "The Forever of Ella and Micha" by Sorensen and I swear I could go on for a very long time.
The thing is, usually at the end of a first book the two MCs are together, happy and care-free and there's the need something to shake their relationship from the foundations. And there comes the slutty ex-girlfriend, or new entry, in this case.
Jade was one of the most annoying and bi-dimentional characters I've read this month. Her sole purpose in the book is to drive a wedge between the two MCs and make Dez believe she's the spy..
Let's skip to irritating thing number two: Kale.
I loved dangerous, innocent, passionate Kale in Touch and even more so in Untouched, and the reason why was because of those adjectives I've just listed. In Toxic, we get to see little to none of his innocence or passion. At first I thought the no-touching rule was gonna be cool because of pent-up frustration, angts etc. and thought: "In the end it will be worth it." I was so ready for a reunion that the end left me baffled. Also, she can't touch his skin, but you know there's this garnment thing, called gloves, that would solve lots of your problems. I mean, they could have found creative ways of being together, even sleep together if they wanted to, but no. Since they can't hold hands or kiss then everything must be lost. *Shaking my head*.
Anyway, back to Kale. He's Jade-whipped throughout the book and it got on my nerves.
He doesn't understand Dez's worries at first, but when he does he doesn't act on it. He doesn't push Jade away. No, he lets things be, thank you very much. All the while I just wanted to scream: "Kale, that's your girlfriend right there who's suffering because of your skanky bitch. Think you're gonna do something about it? No? Okay, just wondering."
Also, the no-touching-rule was set up not to hurt Dez because, apparently, they can't keep their hands to each other. But in the end they avoid each other for good measure and that pissed me off to no end. For a couple as epic as Dez claims them to be, in Toxic they act like a pair of moron. The only reason they're perfect for each other is because they can't gather two brain cells together.
Another thing that had me angry with this book is Dez. No kidding, I've arrived to hated her. Want to know why? Throughout the story, she keeps things from everyone. Maybe the author wanted her to come through as tough but it was downright dumb and marthyr-like. Oh, and do we want to talk about her "if-I-ignore-it-it-will-go-away policy"? What are you, twelve?
Then we have the "way-too-convenient-interruptions". Basically Dez's internal monologue is based on two sentences: "I have to tell Kale" and then, after someone interrupts her when she tries to spill the beans, she switches back to "I can't". And it doens't happen like, twice or three or four times. I think I counted like six or something. Between the sloppy triangle and the interruptions, Toxic turned out an awful soap opera.
I found a sentence spoken by Dez that practically sums the plot way better than the blurb. It could contain minor spoilers since it's nothing you didn't already read in the review, but anyway, consider yourself warned.
"Losing my immunity to you, it screwed things up. I ran off like an idiot that night and dug myself a huge hole—only I didn’t realize it at first. Then Jade got here, and she so obviously wanted you. By the time I realized I was in serious trouble, you and Jade seemed cozy with each other. I wanted to tell you, trust me. I wanted more than anything for you to hold me and tell me things would be fine—but you couldn’t. Instead, I’ve been running around, terrified and alone
That's exactly what she did. She ran in circles actually doing or solving nothing and then had to fess up when forced. So in the end she couldn't avoid what she'd been worried about the whole time. So Accardo could have cut the middle part of the book to spare us the torture and the plot would have been perfectly fine.
Next case in point: the unncecessary action. I know this is YA and action is part of the deal, but seriusly, some action scenes were completely unnecessary. When the pace starts to slow, the Evil Twins show up and cause havoc, even if in the end they don't want anything from her, just to scare her or rough her up. Talking about page-fillers. Also, this way you're brought to think they're both evil incarnate. But guess what? One of them is actually kind enough to save her in the end. Talk about divine intervention. That was the momenti when I started wishing the book committed suicide by self-combusting.
Okay, so from this rant-review it doesn't look like Toxic is a three stars worth book, so I'm gonna explain. It wasn't that bad, after all. While I was reading it, I was pretty engrossed. Mainly becausse I loved Kale and thought Dez was kinda an original character and wanted to see how they would get over the no-touching issue. But after reading it all, I started to think to all the things that had made me so miserable diring the read: Jade, the doubts, the hiding, the non-existence of Kale's innocence or passion and suddenly it didn't feel like a good book anymore. This was the case of a serie that started off great and simply fell downhill after the first book. I experimented a similar situation with the "Mara Dyers Trilogy". But in that case the first and second books were spectacular so even if the third left me unsatisfied I had two book to go to if I missed the characters. But with Touch and Toxic, it felt like my favorite characters had deceased somewhere in the middle of the Toxic and gone for good.
And then the coup-the-grace. This is major spoiler. I know people tend to ignore spoilers advices but seriously, if you plan on reading Toxic, don't do that to yourself.
.
The only think I want to give kudos to Accardo was the final twist. It was kind of a given Jade wasn't the bad guy because let's face it, she's made it too damn obvious. Anyway,.
In conclusion, if Touch wasn't worth a re-read, Toxic wasn't worth the read at all. I'd ignored the negative reviews and gave it a shot because I usually like jealousy and triangles, but the dynamics were too childish and in the end nothing was solved. Not even the feelings were completely okay. So I'm not gonna read Tremble, especially because I've read something even worse happens and I'm kind of sick of seeing Kale hurting Dez. The reason why I loved him so much was because he was the opposite of the cheating-alpha-male stereotype I've come to hate. But apparently, he's going to pledge to the club, so no, this is where I draw the line.
The only thing I regret is reading Toxic and leaving the series with the cliffhanger still hanging. Also, knowing the next book's gonna be out in two years is too much for me to bear.
So, good-bye Denazen's world. Can't say I won't miss it, but at the same time I'm kinda relieved I've decided to quit it before I lose even the last smidgeon of affection I feel for Kale. After reading the first two books I wouldn't advice it to anyone. Touch is good but it will make you want to read Toxic and that will ruin Touch too.
So, don't do it. Don't read it.
And the answer appears to be JEALOUSY and DOUBTS. Accardo isn't the only writer to make this choice, see "Crescendo" by Fitzpatrick, "Original Sin" by Desrochers, "The Forever of Ella and Micha" by Sorensen and I swear I could go on for a very long time.
The thing is, usually at the end of a first book the two MCs are together, happy and care-free and there's the need something to shake their relationship from the foundations. And there comes the slutty ex-girlfriend, or new entry, in this case.
Jade was one of the most annoying and bi-dimentional characters I've read this month. Her sole purpose in the book is to drive a wedge between the two MCs and make Dez believe she's the spy.
Spoiler
but of course she isn't. Big surprise here. Yeah, right. Because after thousands of YA we still fall for it. WhateverLet's skip to irritating thing number two: Kale.
I loved dangerous, innocent, passionate Kale in Touch and even more so in Untouched, and the reason why was because of those adjectives I've just listed. In Toxic, we get to see little to none of his innocence or passion. At first I thought the no-touching rule was gonna be cool because of pent-up frustration, angts etc. and thought: "In the end it will be worth it." I was so ready for a reunion that the end left me baffled. Also, she can't touch his skin, but you know there's this garnment thing, called gloves, that would solve lots of your problems. I mean, they could have found creative ways of being together, even sleep together if they wanted to, but no. Since they can't hold hands or kiss then everything must be lost. *Shaking my head*.
Anyway, back to Kale. He's Jade-whipped throughout the book and it got on my nerves.
He doesn't understand Dez's worries at first, but when he does he doesn't act on it. He doesn't push Jade away. No, he lets things be, thank you very much. All the while I just wanted to scream: "Kale, that's your girlfriend right there who's suffering because of your skanky bitch. Think you're gonna do something about it? No? Okay, just wondering."
Also, the no-touching-rule was set up not to hurt Dez because, apparently, they can't keep their hands to each other. But in the end they avoid each other for good measure and that pissed me off to no end. For a couple as epic as Dez claims them to be, in Toxic they act like a pair of moron. The only reason they're perfect for each other is because they can't gather two brain cells together.
Another thing that had me angry with this book is Dez. No kidding, I've arrived to hated her. Want to know why? Throughout the story, she keeps things from everyone. Maybe the author wanted her to come through as tough but it was downright dumb and marthyr-like. Oh, and do we want to talk about her "if-I-ignore-it-it-will-go-away policy"? What are you, twelve?
Then we have the "way-too-convenient-interruptions". Basically Dez's internal monologue is based on two sentences: "I have to tell Kale" and then, after someone interrupts her when she tries to spill the beans, she switches back to "I can't". And it doens't happen like, twice or three or four times. I think I counted like six or something. Between the sloppy triangle and the interruptions, Toxic turned out an awful soap opera.
I found a sentence spoken by Dez that practically sums the plot way better than the blurb. It could contain minor spoilers since it's nothing you didn't already read in the review, but anyway, consider yourself warned.
"Losing my immunity to you, it screwed things up. I ran off like an idiot that night and dug myself a huge hole—only I didn’t realize it at first. Then Jade got here, and she so obviously wanted you. By the time I realized I was in serious trouble, you and Jade seemed cozy with each other. I wanted to tell you, trust me. I wanted more than anything for you to hold me and tell me things would be fine—but you couldn’t. Instead, I’ve been running around, terrified and alone
That's exactly what she did. She ran in circles actually doing or solving nothing and then had to fess up when forced. So in the end she couldn't avoid what she'd been worried about the whole time. So Accardo could have cut the middle part of the book to spare us the torture and the plot would have been perfectly fine.
Next case in point: the unncecessary action. I know this is YA and action is part of the deal, but seriusly, some action scenes were completely unnecessary. When the pace starts to slow, the Evil Twins show up and cause havoc, even if in the end they don't want anything from her, just to scare her or rough her up. Talking about page-fillers. Also, this way you're brought to think they're both evil incarnate. But guess what? One of them is actually kind enough to save her in the end. Talk about divine intervention. That was the momenti when I started wishing the book committed suicide by self-combusting.
Okay, so from this rant-review it doesn't look like Toxic is a three stars worth book, so I'm gonna explain. It wasn't that bad, after all. While I was reading it, I was pretty engrossed. Mainly becausse I loved Kale and thought Dez was kinda an original character and wanted to see how they would get over the no-touching issue. But after reading it all, I started to think to all the things that had made me so miserable diring the read: Jade, the doubts, the hiding, the non-existence of Kale's innocence or passion and suddenly it didn't feel like a good book anymore. This was the case of a serie that started off great and simply fell downhill after the first book. I experimented a similar situation with the "Mara Dyers Trilogy". But in that case the first and second books were spectacular so even if the third left me unsatisfied I had two book to go to if I missed the characters. But with Touch and Toxic, it felt like my favorite characters had deceased somewhere in the middle of the Toxic and gone for good.
And then the coup-the-grace. This is major spoiler. I know people tend to ignore spoilers advices but seriously, if you plan on reading Toxic, don't do that to yourself.
Spoiler
The kiss. The friggin, goddamn kiss. Kale kisses damn Jade. And why does he do it? In his warped mind he does it to prove everyone he doens't feel anything for her. First of all, I thought: "How would you feel knowing Dez kissed Alex?" and second: "This is too twisted and wrong even for Kale." I mean, in the whole book, Kale's most frequent line was: "Was it wrong?" after he did something with Jade that was obviosly worng. And then he frowned in a puppy-like manner. And for his lack of awareness, Dez forgives him, but this was too much. He should have known it at least from personal experience. I mean, Dez told him over and over again she was worried about their relationship and she didn't want him to kiss Jade or to even touch her for the matter and what does he do? He kisses her.The only think I want to give kudos to Accardo was the final twist. It was kind of a given Jade wasn't the bad guy because let's face it, she's made it too damn obvious. Anyway,
Spoiler
Kiernan wasn't first on my suspects list and that gives Accardo lots of Brownie Points. Especially since every suspect I might have had about her was always quelched by the fact that she was also a victim in "Untouched" and she did a damn good job at befriending Dez. Eventually, her turning out to be Dez's sister reminded of Nora and Marcie situation on "Crescendo". Once again, two books I didn't like that resemble each other."In conclusion, if Touch wasn't worth a re-read, Toxic wasn't worth the read at all. I'd ignored the negative reviews and gave it a shot because I usually like jealousy and triangles, but the dynamics were too childish and in the end nothing was solved. Not even the feelings were completely okay. So I'm not gonna read Tremble, especially because I've read something even worse happens and I'm kind of sick of seeing Kale hurting Dez. The reason why I loved him so much was because he was the opposite of the cheating-alpha-male stereotype I've come to hate. But apparently, he's going to pledge to the club, so no, this is where I draw the line.
The only thing I regret is reading Toxic and leaving the series with the cliffhanger still hanging. Also, knowing the next book's gonna be out in two years is too much for me to bear.
So, good-bye Denazen's world. Can't say I won't miss it, but at the same time I'm kinda relieved I've decided to quit it before I lose even the last smidgeon of affection I feel for Kale. After reading the first two books I wouldn't advice it to anyone. Touch is good but it will make you want to read Toxic and that will ruin Touch too.
So, don't do it. Don't read it.
hawthornbooks's review against another edition
4.0
This was another great book in the Touch series.
The characterisation was incredible, I really began to hate Jade just like the author wanted me to and I got some great laughs from Deznee in the last few chapters. Alex has grown on me and has quickly become one of my favourite characters with his witty remarks and uncharacteristic pinning for Deznee. Gingers morals are agrovating but make for great plot. Kales quirks are still one of the highlights of the series.
Overall, I rate this a 3.75 stars as it was another incredible book but it was very much a filler for the climax of the third book which I have already bought as well as the novella about Brandt because I missed his presence. Great book thorghly recommend!
The characterisation was incredible, I really began to hate Jade just like the author wanted me to and I got some great laughs from Deznee in the last few chapters. Alex has grown on me and has quickly become one of my favourite characters with his witty remarks and uncharacteristic pinning for Deznee. Gingers morals are agrovating but make for great plot. Kales quirks are still one of the highlights of the series.
Overall, I rate this a 3.75 stars as it was another incredible book but it was very much a filler for the climax of the third book which I have already bought as well as the novella about Brandt because I missed his presence. Great book thorghly recommend!
cala_p's review against another edition
5.0
Amazing amazing amazing book!! Always keeps you guessing. Just when you think you have one aspect of the plot figured out, the truth shows up and smacks you on the face. Every new plot point that was revealed was a shocker.
heatherliz86's review against another edition
5.0
AWESOME BOOK>> Toxic was bittersweet for me and for the others... Yep left you hanging at the end but I love the Characters and love, betrayal and the emotions through this book !! Jus Accardo keep you on your toes the whole time !! I couldn't stop till this book was finished and done..lol.. Of course I wanted more and more but it had to come to end...to be continued !!
stella94's review against another edition
3.0
This was a good book but Dez continued to irritate me. Only reading it for Kale and Alex now to be honest