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Red House Books is going through a bit of a update!

I've always had a pretty clear vision of what I wanted this space to be but I've been detoured from my path by...lots and lost of other people's opinions and ways of doing things...

I'm committed to this little chunk of the interweb but I've also branched out into other places so! Now it's time to think of Red House Books as more of a hub of all things me! And Me is a hell of a lot of book love!

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Thursday, February 4, 2010

Book Review: The Mark by Jen Nadol

Title: The Mark
Author: Jen Nadol
Publication Date: January 2010
Genre: YA
Age: 14+
Pages: 272
Book Acquisition: ARC from publisher

A gripping debut novel that deals with death, fate, and a teen girl's ability to change them both.
Sixteen-year-old Cassandra Renfield has always seen the mark—a light glow reminiscent of candlelight. The only time she pointed it out taught her she shouldn't do it again. For years, the mark has followed Cassie, its rare appearances odd, but insignificant. Until the day she watches a man die. As she revisits each occurrence of the mark, Cassie realizes she can see a person's imminent death. Not how or where, only when: today.
Now armed with a slight understanding of the mark, Cassie begins to search for it. Even as she hides her secret, Cassie mines her philosophy class, her memories, and even her new boyfriend for answers about the faint glowing mark. But many questions remain. How does it work? Why her? And finally, the most important of all: If you know today is someone's last, should you tell them?

I wasn’t quite sure how to review this one. Simply put, I liked it. It was an enjoyable story, easy to read, the characters were enjoyable. But, when I tried to write out exactly why I liked it, I feel short.

My one dislike was the ending, loose ends didn’t seem to be tied up – not the way I would have wanted them to be at least. There was some Greek Mythology to this book – but only a tiny bit and it was almost like it was thrown in here and there after the fact. I would have liked to see more.

So, why did I like it? Again – I’m at a loss. I guess I could see it’s potential. And the fact that the plot was original. Being able to tell the day someone dies? Not a common talent.

I’m interested in reading more from Nadol. The Mark is her first novel and if nothing else, it has gotten me wanting more.

3.5/5 stars

Linkage Love:
Bloomsbury Teens
Author's Website

Other Reviews:
Katie's Book Blog
Parajunkee's View
Wicked Awesome Books
Fantastic Book Reivew

1 comment:



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