Indie Review: Touch of Kindness by R. Loomis

I am making it a goal this year to buy and review more books published by indie authors. I think this is a wonderful way to help promote and support one another while providing next to free marketing for one another.

I will be creating and posting reviews on my site as well as my Goodreads (T.H. Tarvin, for anyone who is curious). My first review will be about book one in a YA fantasy series entitled Touch of Kindness by indie author R. Loomis.

Touch of Kindness follows protagonist Dori Livingston who lives in a small town Texas with her single mother and is on the cusp of finishing her senior year. Dori is the living equivalent of kindness (hence the title). She always seeks to do well in school, be kind to her friends (including, but not limited to a boy who she briefly dated early on in high school and they mutually called it quits), and overall, be the kind of person the world needs.

Her life gets flipped upside down when she is told to show a mysterious new girl around the school. Which eventually leads to the pair developing a deeper bond, where Dori learns the girl is a runaway...from another world.

Dori learns far more than she bargained for when she's captured and told she's to be betrothed to the crown prince of the Otherworld as punishment for hiding a runaway (and his intended bride).

The bulk of the novel follows Dori's descent into the Otherworld, where magic entwines itself in everyone's lives and everyone is gifted with a power, and the longer Dori spends in the Otherworld, the more she (and others) begins to suspect she may be gifted with a power of her own.

My Official Goodreads Review:

3.8/5 stars

I think younger me would've absolutely eaten this up. That being said, it is a cute and fun spice-free YA book with romance, adventure, and low-ish stakes. The world was rich and the magic system was unique. Kind of gave me A Darker Shade of Magic vibes with how they traveled.

I think this is perfect for a teen's first dive into fantasy. Dori is a protagonist that truly emphasizes the concept of kindness and just being an all around good person, which is something I think all of us could learn a thing or two from. She also shows you don't have to be an instant bada** to be the lead in a fantasy novel.

My only criticisms were the usage of telling versus showing (which is something harder to achieve in both first person and a first book). Dori would mention her favorite things sometimes or why she acted a certain way, when it was something that could easily be shown through her actions or words. The dialogue with her mother sometimes also felt unnatural in the way her mom would explain why or when she was doing things, but I enjoyed their love-filled dynamic.

Dori also kind of gave off a "not like other girls" vibe, and this is heavily emphasized through her describing her looks, her love of books, and such over and over again. Nothing wrong with her feeling this way about herself or having those interests as it speaks to her eventual character growth, it was just a vibe I got.

The love interest Garrett was cute. He didn't need to be brooding to be charming, and he seemed like he genuinely got roped into the whole deal and cared about her getting back. Would've loved the love story to be dragged out a little and not have them fall too fast besides Dori thinking he's cute (cause that's bound to happen).

I also would've loved to have seen Dori being a bit more resistant to the world and their forcing her to be there. I think it would've added to her character development and interactions with the world without having to downplay her being a kind person. I consider myself to be a kind person, but if I got kidnapped, I'd be a little mad.

All in all, this a good debut. I'd like to see where R. Loomis goes from here. I think she has the potential to grow as a writer!

Get your own copy of Touch of Kindness here: https://www.rloomisbooks.com/touch-of-kindness.html#/

T.H. Tarvin holding Touch of Kindness by R. Loomis