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plantybooklover's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
This book is noted to be YA, but I think the only thing really YA about it is that most of the characters are high school students. It has such a dark theme.
We start meeting Matthew and his Dad. They work as a crew that follows certain people that ,Amy be marked by Lucifer. If they decide- after careful study- that a soul is marked- they burn that person. Like, they literally seal windows, enclose the person and burn them up.
Matthew isn’t totally sold on this but it’s all he’s ever known. When he turns 17 he is given his first solo project, a girl close to his age. We follow as Matthew gathers information, and discovers that determining who is and isn’t marked isn’t very clear cut at all. What follows is a chain of events, each increasingly tragic and concerning, ending in a wild climax that brings home a message that despite our marks, flaws and pre-dispositions, we still have control over our futures.
I wasn’t one hundred satisfied with the ending, but it was definitely a thought provoking read, and one I’ll be thinking about for quite some time.
We start meeting Matthew and his Dad. They work as a crew that follows certain people that ,Amy be marked by Lucifer. If they decide- after careful study- that a soul is marked- they burn that person. Like, they literally seal windows, enclose the person and burn them up.
Matthew isn’t totally sold on this but it’s all he’s ever known. When he turns 17 he is given his first solo project, a girl close to his age. We follow as Matthew gathers information, and discovers that determining who is and isn’t marked isn’t very clear cut at all. What follows is a chain of events, each increasingly tragic and concerning, ending in a wild climax that brings home a message that despite our marks, flaws and pre-dispositions, we still have control over our futures.
I wasn’t one hundred satisfied with the ending, but it was definitely a thought provoking read, and one I’ll be thinking about for quite some time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Death of parent
Minor: Abandonment and Child death
residual_sizzle's review
3.0
Matthew Watts and his father have the daunting task of hunting down those who should already be dead, or rather, those allowed to survive. When a soul is about to pass on, Lucifer himself can mark a soul, and return it to the land of the living to carry out his evil will. That's just it though, maybe they're marked, and maybe they aren't, the only way to find out is to investigate and wait for the evil to manifest, and when it does, the only way to purge it is by fire. Rae Winters is the sole survivor of a car accident, and Matt's first solo project for The Sweep (the secret organization he and his father work for). The closer Matt gets to Rae, the more he starts to fall for her and question everything he's ever known.
I would have loved this when I was a teenager. In my Supernatural obsessed teenage days this would have been right up my alley. In reading it now though, it comes across like a slightly diet version of one of my favorite TV shows. A father and son hunting down the supernatural through a secret network/society, moving from town to town, the entire vibe of the book felt like a bit like a Supernatural fic. I admit that I really didn't like the naming of "The Sweep" and the idea of burning someone alive because bad things happen around them seemed a little flimsy. Especially since it seemed like all of Matt's elders were gung-ho for murder with little to no evidence. It just didn't seem fully fleshed out to me. Why would Matt's dad not question ever seeing anyone else from the society and just take to arson because someone else told him to? Why no one went to the police for anything also didn't make sense to me. There are a lot of other questions I had by the end of the book, but I can't discuss them without giving away spoilers for the novel. Ultimately, I take some of these questions with a grain of salt because I genuinely think teen me wouldn't have really thought about it that much, and the audience is for teens.
The ending did twist in a way I didn't expect which was really nice and the story did hold my attention the whole time, I just think I wished for more answered questions and less plot holes. It was an enjoyable read overall, and for that I will rate it three stars.
I would have loved this when I was a teenager. In my Supernatural obsessed teenage days this would have been right up my alley. In reading it now though, it comes across like a slightly diet version of one of my favorite TV shows. A father and son hunting down the supernatural through a secret network/society, moving from town to town, the entire vibe of the book felt like a bit like a Supernatural fic. I admit that I really didn't like the naming of "The Sweep" and the idea of burning someone alive because bad things happen around them seemed a little flimsy. Especially since it seemed like all of Matt's elders were gung-ho for murder with little to no evidence. It just didn't seem fully fleshed out to me. Why would Matt's dad not question ever seeing anyone else from the society and just take to arson because someone else told him to? Why no one went to the police for anything also didn't make sense to me. There are a lot of other questions I had by the end of the book, but I can't discuss them without giving away spoilers for the novel. Ultimately, I take some of these questions with a grain of salt because I genuinely think teen me wouldn't have really thought about it that much, and the audience is for teens.
The ending did twist in a way I didn't expect which was really nice and the story did hold my attention the whole time, I just think I wished for more answered questions and less plot holes. It was an enjoyable read overall, and for that I will rate it three stars.
suzie_'s review
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
angiecaedis's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
therewillbenewsuns's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
a really great read. such a page turner, and a fresh, interesting, and thrilling take on a semi-familiar concept.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Car accident, Death, Death of parent, Stalking, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Kidnapping
squidbillyinvictus's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
thenextgenlibrarian's review against another edition
5.0
“Everyone has a Lucifer in them; it’s part of being human.”
natraf_reads's review against another edition
4.0
A haunting devil thriller just in time for Spooktober.
Sometimes horrible accidents happen, and someone will miraculously come out unscathed. Is that the work of a miracle? Or some much darker being?
The marked are people who have survived a horrible accident but are then are marked by the devil to continue to spread evil throughout the world. The Sweep is an organization that exists to find these marked and eradicate them from our world.
Seventeen year old, Matthew, is tasked with his first solo project. He must assess the project, and through his reports decided whether or not she is marked by the devil.
Throughout our novel we watch Matt struggle with the sweep and his task to properly evaluate the project.
This book had me begging for more, trying to decide whether or not to cheer for our main character? If this was a boy I knew in real life, I think I’d want to stay far far away… the dissonance of what the book wants me to feel and my own true opinions on the matter added an extra layer of stress to this thriller!
Sometimes horrible accidents happen, and someone will miraculously come out unscathed. Is that the work of a miracle? Or some much darker being?
The marked are people who have survived a horrible accident but are then are marked by the devil to continue to spread evil throughout the world. The Sweep is an organization that exists to find these marked and eradicate them from our world.
Seventeen year old, Matthew, is tasked with his first solo project. He must assess the project, and through his reports decided whether or not she is marked by the devil.
Throughout our novel we watch Matt struggle with the sweep and his task to properly evaluate the project.
This book had me begging for more, trying to decide whether or not to cheer for our main character? If this was a boy I knew in real life, I think I’d want to stay far far away… the dissonance of what the book wants me to feel and my own true opinions on the matter added an extra layer of stress to this thriller!
tasiachaos's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
brucethegirl's review
4.0
A really great exploration of religion and also the relationship between father and son. Matthew works along side his father hunting people who "miraculously" escape near death incidents unscathed. Because its not always a miracle, sometimes its the Devil marking their soul before sending them back to the living in order to wreck havoc and destruction. One saved life will then lead to a path of bodies. Matt and his father follow those people and stop them before the death toll becomes too great. By killing them. Matt now has been given his first assignment by the secretive society they answer to: Rae Winter. She survived a car accident while her father died. Matt is assigned to infiltrate her life and make sure she isn't marked. But as he gets to know her, he wonders how she could possibly be spreading evil. Is the truth he's known his whole life a lie?
I loved this book. It was so intriguing and brought so many questions. I especially loved the world building of the organization Matt's father worked for, and of how the devil's mark might (or might not) work. Above everything, though, I loved the characterization. How Matt's doubt was already taking seed with his latest assignment before going on his own- a sweet old lady who taught him to bake. There's also the doubt about if she really was evil or not. How he knew he'd seen her eyes looking strange, how people who wronged her were dying. But he couldn't find himself believing those were intentional. When he's given the Rae assignment, he's already doubting himself, and his faith in what his been taught, but also in the organization that assigned him. Rae is kind and sweet. And so what if the people who are cruel to her get some minor acts of karma?
The entire book, the reader is left to wonder what the truth is, and to what extent Matt is being asked to save souls. Could the *implied catholic church led* organization really want a teenager murdering people? Is Matt's dad hiding something more in his continued grief over Matt's mother's untimely death? Is Matt unwittingly a member of a rogue branch? Is all of this just some unhinged network of people unable to face the reality of their loved one being gone? Those questions on top of Matt's never ending paranoia about who is and isn't also a member of the organization, and who might be sent to spy on him to make sure he's doing a good job.
The whole book was just packed full of that looking over your shoulder paranoia. The second you thought you had it figured out, something happened to make you question everything. It succeeded in being a really creepy thriller, with all the talk of the devil, while still managing to be light enough to qualify for a YA novel, never straying too inappropriate.
I loved this book, and if you loved Supernatural, you might love it too.
I loved this book. It was so intriguing and brought so many questions. I especially loved the world building of the organization Matt's father worked for, and of how the devil's mark might (or might not) work. Above everything, though, I loved the characterization. How Matt's doubt was already taking seed with his latest assignment before going on his own- a sweet old lady who taught him to bake. There's also the doubt about if she really was evil or not. How he knew he'd seen her eyes looking strange, how people who wronged her were dying. But he couldn't find himself believing those were intentional. When he's given the Rae assignment, he's already doubting himself, and his faith in what his been taught, but also in the organization that assigned him. Rae is kind and sweet. And so what if the people who are cruel to her get some minor acts of karma?
The entire book, the reader is left to wonder what the truth is, and to what extent Matt is being asked to save souls. Could the *implied catholic church led* organization really want a teenager murdering people? Is Matt's dad hiding something more in his continued grief over Matt's mother's untimely death? Is Matt unwittingly a member of a rogue branch? Is all of this just some unhinged network of people unable to face the reality of their loved one being gone? Those questions on top of Matt's never ending paranoia about who is and isn't also a member of the organization, and who might be sent to spy on him to make sure he's doing a good job.
The whole book was just packed full of that looking over your shoulder paranoia. The second you thought you had it figured out, something happened to make you question everything. It succeeded in being a really creepy thriller, with all the talk of the devil, while still managing to be light enough to qualify for a YA novel, never straying too inappropriate.
I loved this book, and if you loved Supernatural, you might love it too.