The Carrier of the Mark by Leigh Fallon

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What a great start to a new series! The one thing I definitely can say is that I am extremely glad this book lived up to all of the chatter I saw on Twitter and on different sites. Leigh Fallon took the young adult supernatural world and made it her own. It is very hard to be original with all of the new books out there and so many imitations of work that have become famous, especially if you are a reader as well as an author. The cover is gorgeous and what drew me to the book first. It is an ARC so I cannot complain about editing. I am a doctoral candidate with a ton of research and writing skills so my bar is set really high there and for an ARC the editing was not too bad. I imagine that by the time this is at final print it will be close to perfect.

A student who moves around a lot relocates to Ireland and attends a new school. She discovers new friends and new things about herself. She is introduced to an entirely new world because of her family history and the fun, action and mystery begins there.

The setting was well described. I love reading about other countries and the author did a wonderful job of making me see what the characters saw, from cliffs overhanging beautiful bodies of water to green hillsides during September. The description of beautiful buildings and what the homes looked like was well done. It really works as an e-fieldtrip.

The characters were very well developed. I could tell right off that some people were very suspicious to me and I can't wait to find out if I am right in future books. Meagan and her friends behaved the way young adults tend to and I have to say that the siblings and their relationship were very well done especially given their history. I had a thought about one thing and I hope I don't forget it by the time the next book comes out and I hope it is something that will be developed in the forthcoming books. That is another thing that I liked about The Carrier of the Mark. There was mystery and intrigue and it left you wanting to know more.

I especially liked that the friendships felt genuine. The teenage love is gag worthy as those of us who have to watch or hear “snogging” tend to always think! A perfect example of how Leigh Fallon was on the mark with colloquialisms. But, it was not nauseatingly over the top, which is the one thing that tends to make me run from romance books. I'm kind of a "want to see cool powers, good characters, a lot of butt kicking, and a good story" kind of reader. This book did not disappoint. It gave me a bit of everything I like in a book.

The final thing I will say is The Carrier of the Mark by Leigh Fallon is a perfect example of why so many adults are reading young adult urban fantasy these days. It's just a good book.





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