Review of This Deadly Touch by Aimee Donnellan.
Title: This Deadly Touch.
Author: Aimee Donnellan.
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, LGBT, Lesbian
Year Published: 2026
My Rating: 3.5/5
Blurb:
A cozy sapphic fantasy romance about the magic of possibility, new horizons, and fresh perspectives..
At age three, Tia almost killed her mother. Born with a rare, recessive condition where her very touch inflicts deadly necrosis magic on other people, Tia has spent the last twenty years in a hidden convent in the Shilheim forest, with others sharing her affliction.
Asha chases horizons. Wants to be known for doing the impossible. So when she learns of a centuries-old blood curse being hidden by the elven authorities, and her even more mysterious patron claims to know how to cure it when no one else has come close… she cannot resist.
With a letter from Asha and a token from a sister she barely remembers, Tia’s life is forever changed when she risks everything to escape the convent and become Asha’s assistant and test subject. But the convent has always had contingency plans for escaped residents, and a single misstep could result in Tia committing manslaughter. To make matters worse, Asha can’t quite keep her thoughts professional when it comes to Tia, and the phrase ‘untouchable’ has never been quite so accurate….
Review:
This Deadly Touch is a cosy yet enticing sapphic romantasy novel that managed to feel mellow, yet exciting and racy. Our first FMC, Tia, was born with a condition where she inflicts pernicious and life-threatening necrotic magic through touch. Due to this, she was forcibly sequestered in a convent, away from her family and civilisation. Here, she lived with people who are afflicted with the same ailment. She grows up sheltered and naive, not knowledgable about the world outside the convent's doors. Despite her detainment, she is sweet, caring, earnest and warm-hearted. As the novel progressed, her confidence grew and she became quietly confident. This meshed well with the other FMC's personality.
Asha, a proficient magical pharmacologist, is sassy, quick-witted and shrewd. Despite this, she is warm and caring; empathetic to Tia's plight.
They meet when Asha sends word to Tia at the convent that she is endeavouring to cure her affliction, for both Tia and her peers. I enjoyed watching Tia and Asha's relationship progress through their journey; the tension growing between them more and more with every day. Their relationship was sweet and sexy; the yearning between them was enthralling and resulted in some intense spicy scenes that I enjoyed reading.
I enjoyed the plot well enough, but I think it could have done with a few more plot points towards the end(without giving spoilers to elaborate). Moreover, the book that Asha uses to find the cure was ominous and suspicious; using the book seemed dangerous since we didn't know who or what was talking through it and for what purposes. This was not even touched upon later in the book - a seemingly forgotten plot point. The dialogue sometimes felt clunky and awkward but the vast majority of it was well written. Despite these negative points, I did enjoy the plot and thoroughly adored the small whodunit on the train; it introduced myriad interesting characters who I enjoyed and I adored the way Donnellan described them. It was also heartening to witness the queer-normative worlds, with its sapphic and non-binary characters.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the read and sped right through it! I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a sapphic romantasy. Thank you, NetGalley & Aimee Donnellan for the ARC of This Deadly Touch, all opinions are my own.