Review: Thought Provoking Start to New Series
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 01 30, 2013
I didn't know what to expect going in to this book. The blurb sounded promising, so I decided to give it a shot. When I read the author's note at the beginning, it made me stop and think. Do we really know who or what walks among us? I know we just survived the Mayan End of the World, but have you seriously given thought to the world as we know it ending? In Marked for Vengeance we learn that there are beings who walk among us - neighbors, coworkers, friends - who were sent here for specific reasons. Some have good intentions and some with evil intentions. I was immediately sucked into this story and trying to uncover its mysteries.We first meet Alyx, a being whose sole purpose on Earth is to protect her Marked. It is why she was created by her superiors and why she was placed in Atlanta 3 years ago. This is Alyx's third and final lifetime here and at this point she understands all the rules for her kind. However, this time she has a different sort of pull to her Marked - and it's one she's having a hard time ignoring.Isaac, a widower, father, and artist is just doing his best to get by and raise his son. He has always been plagued by vivid and sometimes disturbing dreams. He typically channels these dreams into his art. His son, Micah, seems to have inherited his father's propensity for dreams, and lately they are coming more frequently and viscerally for both father and son.One day, Alyx and Isaac meet at the bistro where Isaac works. Isaac feels as though he knows Alyx. Alyx, of course, rebuffs him for she must follow the rule prohibiting contact between herself and her Marked. However, this meeting sets into motion events that endanger not only Alyx, Isaac and Micah, but quite possibly all of humankind.As we soon learn, the fate of the human world belongs to those Marked. And when evil descends upon Atlanta, it's up to Alyx and the other Angel/Protectors to ensure their Marked's survival and therefore the world's.Marked for Vengeance is unique in its premise and well executed in its writing. As the first in a series, we learn much about the central characters and also the world building required for the next books. In fact, the book spends a lot of time developing the characters. It isn't until the last quarter of the book that we learn what's really going on. But I think it's well-paced and suspenseful. S.J. Pierce weaves religion and mythology well to create an engaging story. And I'm excited to read the next installment.Note: I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.