Sunday, December 15, 2013

"Division of the Marked" by March McCarron (5 Stars)

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Division of the Marked
Book #1, The Marked Series
by March McCarron

Genre: Fantasy

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I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review and I have to say it. Fantasy can be hard to do. If your story's setting forces you to research a town or city, or it's history, you likely have to worry about stepping on a native's toes. You might goof up how many miles it takes to get to the town hall from the town line, and you better believe someone will notice. If you've never visited that perfect setting but you're positive you've done all the research you could possibly do before you start to hate it, you can still manage to screw up the climate on December 1st, 2002 in the middle of downtown. When this happens, well, making up your own darn world just might sound pretty sweet.

...Until you realize that you have to MAKE UP YOUR OWN DARN WORLD. People, clothing, cultures, religions, city- and landscapes, environmental factors, and even food sources. It can be helluva tricky but March McCarron really pulled this off in her book series, The Marked.

On the day of Da Un Marcu, 50 boys and girls aged 14 years will be Marked. A red symbol will appear on their neck like a tattoo and they will be taken; taken into a whole new life where they will become a part of an order known as the Chisanta. Once the child passes a rigorous, often violent test, they join one of two halves of the Chisanta. The fiery and passionate Chiona or the calmer, internal Cosanta.

A sweetly innocent romance starts right away between two of the Marked children on their way to the Temple where they will be tested. They are completely different, Bray a girl who has lost her parents and was suffered to live with an abusive uncle, and Yarrow, the loved son of a general store owner with a gaggle of brothers and sisters.

Many strong, lasting friendships are developed (I especially like Peer!), some fading away as the division between their two groups separates them, but ten years later they will all be thrust together again to try and solve a murder that will have long reaching consequences that will test their skills, their powers, and their friendships.

I reaaaaally look forward to the next book in this series and when you see how it ends, so will you!

Want to learn more? Check out this title on Goodreads and then hop on over to amazon to pick up your own copy!

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