Review Detail

The story:

Hanna is a typical teenage girl - not the prettiest, not the most popular, and totally not prepared for what lies in wait for her. A deadly encounter in an alley behind a nightclub leaves her with a mark on her arm that provides her with supernatural powers that can neither explain nor control. To make matters worse, there seems to be a wicked, fallen angel she dubs "Blondie" dogging her every step.

As her normal life gives way to bizarre, she finds herself keeping secrets from friends and family, all while juggling the attentions of two hot guys - lifelong friend Jared who has always had a thing for Hanna, and Will, the only guy able to help explain what's happening to her.


What I loved:

I was quite impressed with Ms. McDonald's debut effort. Hanna was a good main character, and the chemistry she had with Jared was terrific. I liked how she discovered little details of her new situation a piece at a time instead of all at once, and the ending set up the next book in the series very well.


What I didn’t love:

This was Ms. McDonald’s debut effort, and it felt like it. There were a lot of run-on sentences that often made me stop and reread them. Hanna was likeable but a bit whiny sometimes, and while Blondie was a sinister, sadistic villain, he crossed the line into cartoony on occasion.


My Final Verdict:
Marked is a thoroughly enjoyable YA read. It never gets overcomplicated and the pacing is really good, and the characters feel authentic for their age.