Review: A good read that leads on well
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 11 1, 2012
Marked is the first book in the Two Halves series, and does a good job of setting the scene for the rest of series.Its a very easy read, and with the emergence and popularity of fantasy/sci fi books, I am sure among the young adult readers it fits in very well with the prevailing trend. The book is a novella, which means it is shorter than a novel, but longer than a short story (110 pages in this case), and it does have the feeling, as you read it that you are reading a very long prologue! This is possibly a very clever move on the part of the author, as if you enjoy the novella and love the characters you will doubtless go back for more!Xander and his sister Mira are powerful shapeshifters waiting to know their destiny, they must choose between good or evil! Not such an easy choice it would seem, as each one is drawn to a different path. But they must choose their path together. The story does have some very moderate sex scenes in it, nothing very graphic, and I would not hesitate to say that I am sure most teens talk about worse with their friends each day! Crucially for an ebook, and something I look out for straight away, is that it is well written, edited and punctuated! The surge of ebook authors means there are some bad ones out there!The story does have the feeling of coming to an abrupt ending, it does feel a little like the novella is serving a purpose, i.e. to set the scene for the further books, but don't let that detract you from reading, and hopefully after reading Two Halves, you will go ahead and keep reading the rest of the series.My biggest criticism of the book is that it takes a while at the beginning to not feel a little confused at exactly what is going on, which could lead possibly to some less ardent readers simply giving up!A good read that leads on well to the rest of the series!KatieRazberry Juice