From the Bookshelf of Clean Reads…

The Mark

Marilyn Bunderson

Why we're reading this: Lots of twilight similarities but personalities and characters are just a little bit better. Teen romance…more
[close] Lots of twilight similarities but personalities and characters are just a little bit better. Teen romance.

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May 14, 2010 Heather rated it really liked it

Shelves: ya-fantasy, ya-romance

To start, I have to first say that this author, M.R. Bunderson, is my cousin, and I am SO PROUD of her for writing a novel and getting it published!! How exciting for you, Marilyn! So if my review is a bit biased, that's why, but I will try to be objective.

What I liked:
I loved the premise of the story and was impressed with the author's ability to create another world...I'm always envious of that level of creativity! :) I thought the idea of a hidden society was a great one, and it was fun to re To start, I have to first say that this author, M.R. Bunderson, is my cousin, and I am SO PROUD of her for writing a novel and getting it published!! How exciting for you, Marilyn! So if my review is a bit biased, that's why, but I will try to be objective.

What I liked:
I loved the premise of the story and was impressed with the author's ability to create another world...I'm always envious of that level of creativity! :) I thought the idea of a hidden society was a great one, and it was fun to read about the main characters and how they found each other and what their different abilities were. I liked being along for the ride as they tried to solve the mystery of their marks and their origins...it kept me up reading past my bedtime, which is always a good sign! :)

What I thought could have been improved:
I thought some of the dialogue was a bit stiff, but I know how difficult it can be trying to write natural dialogue, and for a first novel, I thought she did a great job. I also thought that some of the concepts were rushed through and not explained as thoroughly as I would have liked, such as how their powers are influenced by their connecting (example: p. 216), or why Eric and Tori are so careful not to kiss again when the one kiss they share in the book (outside of dreaming) works fine. There are some other minor issues like tense situations resolving too easily (Tori's separation from Eric at the end of the book when he goes back to look for Marco could have been drawn out a little to build more suspense, and Marco is captured very quickly and easily...again, could have been a bit more suspenseful). Finally, I thought the characters could have been fleshed out a little more so that I felt like I knew them better individually. Also, my personal preference is for the main romance to take a while to develop, and Tori and Eric got together a little too soon and too easily for my personal tastes...I guess I like a lot of tension since I actually thought Amanda and Sebastian's relationship was more interesting and would have liked to see that develop from one of their points of view.

Okay, so overall, I really enjoyed this book and will look forward to a sequel. Marilyn, I'm hoping there will be more books in this series, right? Again, I am SO PROUD of you and would be happy to be part of a test audience for the sequel! ;) ...more

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Jan 29, 2011 Katherine rated it liked it

Shelves: ya-fiction, fantasy

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Apr 06, 2010 Kathy rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-in-2010

I enjoyed The Mark. It's a little slower paced than some of the books I've read recently. That's not necessarily a bad thing. This gave plenty of time for both the story and characters to be well developed. The mystery of the marks and the children who bore them unfolded piece by piece until everything came together by the end.

http://iamareadernotawriter.blogspot.... ...more

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