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64 reviews for:
The Twisted Mark: An unputdownable dark fantasy romance that will have you hooked
Sophie Williamson
3.56 AVERAGE
64 reviews for:
The Twisted Mark: An unputdownable dark fantasy romance that will have you hooked
Sophie Williamson
3.56 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you to Net Galley for this arc.
Unfortunately I didn't particularly like this book.
The Twisted Mark is a dark romance fantasy that didn't feel dark at all. Our main character, Sadie, is hiding in London, so that she doesn't have to complete a deal she made six years ago with the heir to her family's rival family. That is until she finds out her brother has been arrested and charged with the murder of her enemy's father. She returns home to be his lawyer because she's the only one whose magic is strong enough to not be influenced. Being back in her home town means she is at risk of Gabriel calling in on the deal she owes him. Sadie is back in a world of magic that she tried to leave, and begins to discover that the guy she's always been afraid of may be the hero, while her own family might just be the villains.
I didn't like a single character in this book, Sadie Sadler is extremely naive and just lets everyone else influence. She's constantly bringing up how sexual she is and how she sleeps around a lot even though it has nothing to do with the plot. When it comes to the male main characters she keeps going back and forth with how she feels about him every other page.
Gabriel on the other hand is absolutely obsessed with Sadie despite never having a real conversation with her until 3/4 of the way through the book, which makes the romance just feel creepy.
The Sadler family is extremely manipulative towards their own blood even though they keep saying family is so important, they constantly treat Sadie like she owes them something, while also acting like she's not good enough to be let in on the family secrets.
Tropes:
Enemies to Lovers (kind of)
Obsessive H
Spice:
1/5
Will I read book 2: With pacing issues, unlikable characters and an extremely predictable plot... No
Unfortunately I didn't particularly like this book.
The Twisted Mark is a dark romance fantasy that didn't feel dark at all. Our main character, Sadie, is hiding in London, so that she doesn't have to complete a deal she made six years ago with the heir to her family's rival family. That is until she finds out her brother has been arrested and charged with the murder of her enemy's father. She returns home to be his lawyer because she's the only one whose magic is strong enough to not be influenced. Being back in her home town means she is at risk of Gabriel calling in on the deal she owes him. Sadie is back in a world of magic that she tried to leave, and begins to discover that the guy she's always been afraid of may be the hero, while her own family might just be the villains.
I didn't like a single character in this book, Sadie Sadler is extremely naive and just lets everyone else influence. She's constantly bringing up how sexual she is and how she sleeps around a lot even though it has nothing to do with the plot. When it comes to the male main characters she keeps going back and forth with how she feels about him every other page.
Gabriel on the other hand is absolutely obsessed with Sadie despite never having a real conversation with her until 3/4 of the way through the book, which makes the romance just feel creepy.
The Sadler family is extremely manipulative towards their own blood even though they keep saying family is so important, they constantly treat Sadie like she owes them something, while also acting like she's not good enough to be let in on the family secrets.
Tropes:
Enemies to Lovers (kind of)
Obsessive H
Spice:
1/5
Will I read book 2: With pacing issues, unlikable characters and an extremely predictable plot... No
I really enjoyed reading this, and found it hard to put down. Some of the storylines could have been explored further, so this is 3.5 stars for me.
The Twisted Mark is a dark fantasy romance with Romeo and Juliet vibes, except this isn't love at first sight, it's fear, hate and unexplainable lust. And while there is a feud between two powerful families the stakes are made higher by the involvement of magic.
This book follows Sadie who fled the magic and comfort of her home town after a disastrous night that could have destroyed her eldest brother, and family heir, had she not made a bargain with the son of the rival family. Gabriel. In exchange for him letting her brother go she bargained away her magic and her body. However, when he doesn't decide to collect that night she flees to London and starts a new life as a lawyer in London.
Six years later her family need her to come back and save her brother once again. He has been accused of murder, not only that but the murder of the head of the rival family and Gabriel's father. She has been hiding from Gabriel, not using her magic so he couldn't find her, and trying her best to live a normal life; but now as her brothers only hope she must return. She takes precautions, disguises herself with magic and continues to repress the power within her but with the strange link between her and Gabriel he quickly discovers who she truly is and so the games begin.
Sadie desperately wants to find the truth and free her brother, but she can't seem to stop thinking about the man to whom she owes a great debt, and not all her thoughts are necessarily bad. She must fight against him, her own desires and her families secrets to get out of the town with her heart and body still intact.
While this book ends with some of the story tied together we are still left wondering what will happen between Sadie and Gabriel, what the repercussions of the secrets she has discovered about her family will be, and how her life could possibly return to the 'normal' it was before.
This is a fairly easy read and I look forward to seeing how the story continues in book two.
The Twisted Mark is a dark fantasy romance with Romeo and Juliet vibes, except this isn't love at first sight, it's fear, hate and unexplainable lust. And while there is a feud between two powerful families the stakes are made higher by the involvement of magic.
This book follows Sadie who fled the magic and comfort of her home town after a disastrous night that could have destroyed her eldest brother, and family heir, had she not made a bargain with the son of the rival family. Gabriel. In exchange for him letting her brother go she bargained away her magic and her body. However, when he doesn't decide to collect that night she flees to London and starts a new life as a lawyer in London.
Six years later her family need her to come back and save her brother once again. He has been accused of murder, not only that but the murder of the head of the rival family and Gabriel's father. She has been hiding from Gabriel, not using her magic so he couldn't find her, and trying her best to live a normal life; but now as her brothers only hope she must return. She takes precautions, disguises herself with magic and continues to repress the power within her but with the strange link between her and Gabriel he quickly discovers who she truly is and so the games begin.
Sadie desperately wants to find the truth and free her brother, but she can't seem to stop thinking about the man to whom she owes a great debt, and not all her thoughts are necessarily bad. She must fight against him, her own desires and her families secrets to get out of the town with her heart and body still intact.
While this book ends with some of the story tied together we are still left wondering what will happen between Sadie and Gabriel, what the repercussions of the secrets she has discovered about her family will be, and how her life could possibly return to the 'normal' it was before.
This is a fairly easy read and I look forward to seeing how the story continues in book two.
**spoiler alert** DNF at 25% - I don’t normally rate DNFs unless it’s an “I’ve seen what I need to see” situation, and this definitely is. TW SA.
What in the normalizing/minimizing SA is this book?
The book starts fine - nothing amazing, but enjoyable enough. Sadie (the FMC) is living apart from her super magical family because she is bound to a magical rival and is trying to escape this. She also barely uses her own magic so the rival can’t track her and take her magic from her (the lien - as they call it - means the rival can take her magic - and something else, but we’ll get to that), but she is supposedly super powerful.
But then she gets called back home and everything gets so revolting.
First of all, her family is fully aware of why she left and knows the risks she takes by returning but ask her to do it anyway because their golden boy, Bren, is in trouble and she is supposedly the only one who can help him - he has been accused of murder and she is a lawyer. They all, especially her mother, address this risk with her with so much apathy and condescension I immediately hate them.
Second, her family is basically a magical mafia family and generally pretty horrendous. The father holds court like some king of old and where the lowly subjects come to him with requests or get dragged in for not making payments. The first request we see is some loser rando asking for a love potion so his coworker (who apparently isn’t interested in him at all) will fall in love with him. So, mafia dad (someone Sadie has made a point of saying is a good person twice before we even get to this part) gives the loser his potion for the agreed upon price. And apparently this is pretty common. So now this poor coworker who should be allowed to not like this loser will be forced to be with him - consent, who needs it? It’s an incel wet dream.
Next, we get more info on the deal she has with the rival - Gabriel. So, apparently Bren (yes, the same Bren who she has to risk herself for) is also responsible for Sadie being in her current predicament. He got caught doing something stupid by Gabriel who is punishing him by draining his power and asks for volunteers to take his place and the other siblings offer to be SA’d and give him some power (because that is a thing in his world) and he says “no - I want the 18 year old” (i.e. Sadie) - he’s at least 22 btw. Well, everyone is horrified, but Bren is the goldenest of golden boys so, what else can she do? She agrees (while her family stands around and does NOTHING - they all make a show of wanting to do something much later, but just couldn’t because…reasons). They go to his house where she prepares to be raped and drained but Gabriel says he’s not that much of a monster. By the way - they keep using the word “ravished” to make it more palatable. But, don’t start thinking Gabriel is a good guy - he puts a lien on her to take her power and rape her at a later date - what a prince! Of course, Sadie is freaked out but also really attracted to this guy, because what is a book that normalizes SA without the FMC thinking their would-be rapist is hot?
Also, Bren the Great has a history of driving off every guy that Sadie consensually is interested in (which is disgusting in itself) but does fuck all when she is dragged off by Gabriel. The excuse is he was too drained - but, sorry, the way this book makes up reasons for why this crap is allowed to happen is lazy and inconsistent.
This book literally made me nauseous.
What in the normalizing/minimizing SA is this book?
The book starts fine - nothing amazing, but enjoyable enough. Sadie (the FMC) is living apart from her super magical family because she is bound to a magical rival and is trying to escape this. She also barely uses her own magic so the rival can’t track her and take her magic from her (the lien - as they call it - means the rival can take her magic - and something else, but we’ll get to that), but she is supposedly super powerful.
But then she gets called back home and everything gets so revolting.
First of all, her family is fully aware of why she left and knows the risks she takes by returning but ask her to do it anyway because their golden boy, Bren, is in trouble and she is supposedly the only one who can help him - he has been accused of murder and she is a lawyer. They all, especially her mother, address this risk with her with so much apathy and condescension I immediately hate them.
Second, her family is basically a magical mafia family and generally pretty horrendous. The father holds court like some king of old and where the lowly subjects come to him with requests or get dragged in for not making payments. The first request we see is some loser rando asking for a love potion so his coworker (who apparently isn’t interested in him at all) will fall in love with him. So, mafia dad (someone Sadie has made a point of saying is a good person twice before we even get to this part) gives the loser his potion for the agreed upon price. And apparently this is pretty common. So now this poor coworker who should be allowed to not like this loser will be forced to be with him - consent, who needs it? It’s an incel wet dream.
Next, we get more info on the deal she has with the rival - Gabriel. So, apparently Bren (yes, the same Bren who she has to risk herself for) is also responsible for Sadie being in her current predicament. He got caught doing something stupid by Gabriel who is punishing him by draining his power and asks for volunteers to take his place and the other siblings offer to be SA’d and give him some power (because that is a thing in his world) and he says “no - I want the 18 year old” (i.e. Sadie) - he’s at least 22 btw. Well, everyone is horrified, but Bren is the goldenest of golden boys so, what else can she do? She agrees (while her family stands around and does NOTHING - they all make a show of wanting to do something much later, but just couldn’t because…reasons). They go to his house where she prepares to be raped and drained but Gabriel says he’s not that much of a monster. By the way - they keep using the word “ravished” to make it more palatable. But, don’t start thinking Gabriel is a good guy - he puts a lien on her to take her power and rape her at a later date - what a prince! Of course, Sadie is freaked out but also really attracted to this guy, because what is a book that normalizes SA without the FMC thinking their would-be rapist is hot?
Also, Bren the Great has a history of driving off every guy that Sadie consensually is interested in (which is disgusting in itself) but does fuck all when she is dragged off by Gabriel. The excuse is he was too drained - but, sorry, the way this book makes up reasons for why this crap is allowed to happen is lazy and inconsistent.
This book literally made me nauseous.
Thank you to NetGalley, Sophie Williamson, and Storm Publishing for the ARC!
Unfortunately, this was not a book for me. The description seemed amazing, the cover was beautifully done- I was ready for a world of witches with a classic enemies to lovers, but too many things got in the way of the plot for me.
The basis of this book is amazing where magic practitioners live in an urban time and Sadie has to battle to save her brother all while avoiding the Gabe-until she can't.
I could not truly delve into The Twisted Mark as descriptions were often over-detailed and focused on trivial details rather than the larger picture. I felt I was lacking details about the plot throughout the story which I felt lead to a disconnect between the reader and first person POV.
Sadie was a little too much for me- full of herself and deemed very special. One part that particularly bothered me was when Sadie took a man to bed and thought "Before he has the chance to collect his senses or take control of the situation, I straddle him, lean over, and kiss him with renewed passion."
Unfortunately, this was not a book for me. The description seemed amazing, the cover was beautifully done- I was ready for a world of witches with a classic enemies to lovers, but too many things got in the way of the plot for me.
The basis of this book is amazing where magic practitioners live in an urban time and Sadie has to battle to save her brother all while avoiding the Gabe-until she can't.
I could not truly delve into The Twisted Mark as descriptions were often over-detailed and focused on trivial details rather than the larger picture. I felt I was lacking details about the plot throughout the story which I felt lead to a disconnect between the reader and first person POV.
Sadie was a little too much for me- full of herself and deemed very special. One part that particularly bothered me was when Sadie took a man to bed and thought "Before he has the chance to collect his senses or take control of the situation, I straddle him, lean over, and kiss him with renewed passion."
What. A. Rollercoaster. Okay buckle up because this courtroom drama/family feud/magical world/sexy romance is CRACK. It took a minute for me to get into the story as it is told in first person present, but once I was in I WAS IN. Sadie is an amazing independent woman who has made a life of her own away from everything she grew up with and loved. Her family loves each other and the town they rule dearly, almost to the point of insanity. When she returns, what she thought she knew about her life and her family is rocked with murder allegations and her own discoveries now as a full grown women with immense power. The person responsible for literally all of this and the man holding her freedom in his hands is Gabriel. Whooooooo boy Gabriel gives major Rhysand vibes and I will always be sat for that. I loved being in Sadie’s mind, but I would love a POV from Gabriel’s.
Moving on from our main characters to the plot. Part 1 is all set up and backstory, but Part 2 is where it all starts to move and boy does it move. Like Sadie’s bed, it is rocking with every new allegation and discovery both in the courtroom and outside. The plot moves quickly, but its the characters that really stick with you. Revelations of Sadie’s past and present, Gabriel’s involvement, the family feud, the protection of their town, the history of both families just keep coming and you cannot put this story down. Highly recommend and I can’t wait for the sequel!
For more reviews check out The Storied Blog
Moving on from our main characters to the plot. Part 1 is all set up and backstory, but Part 2 is where it all starts to move and boy does it move. Like Sadie’s bed, it is rocking with every new allegation and discovery both in the courtroom and outside. The plot moves quickly, but its the characters that really stick with you. Revelations of Sadie’s past and present, Gabriel’s involvement, the family feud, the protection of their town, the history of both families just keep coming and you cannot put this story down. Highly recommend and I can’t wait for the sequel!
For more reviews check out The Storied Blog
I enjoyed this book more than I expected! Unlike a lot of the books I’ve read in the past couple weeks, this one has a plot line that is well defined. I enjoyed that while romance was part of the book, arguably a large part, there was still a lot to the story that didn’t involve the romance. While I do wish that Sadie hadn’t confessed she was in love in the first book, I think that the way the story ended and set the scene for the next book was a good one. I feel like there were some plot holes, but not enough to ruin the book or the overarching plot. It was a very good, dramatic read about loyalty to family, moral compasses, and I always love a starcrossed lover moment. I will say, from the beginning of the book to when Sadie actually hooks up with Gabriel, before we found out what the lien was actually for, I was genuinely worried she would die if this man ever found her. But then, when we got the story from when she had the lien drawn and the whole situation, i realized Sadie is honestly just pretty dramatic. Like, yes it could’ve been awful and he could’ve cashed in, but I fully thought the second this man got his hands on her he would drain her of her magic and then kill her. I understand it was traumatizing but the way that man acted the night of the deal? Oh please I knew he would never cash in on it.
But anyway! Good book! Will definitely read the rest of the series starting soon!
But anyway! Good book! Will definitely read the rest of the series starting soon!
2.5/5
I wanted a witchy read to get me in the mood for fall. Though I thought this one had a really interesting premise, I just had too many issues with it. It's advertised as a fantasy but it's very much low-fantasy/paranormal. I think my expectations for it were different than what we got.
It's got all of my favorite trope-- enemies to lovers, mystery, rival families, etc. but it just didn't hit for me. Though I wasn't a big fan of the setting, I did really enjoy the romance. It saved the story for me.
I can definitely see a lot of people enjoying this book, it just wasn't for me.
I did enjoy the audiobook. I'd highly recommend it!
Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced listening copy of The Twisted Mark. This is my honest review.
I wanted a witchy read to get me in the mood for fall. Though I thought this one had a really interesting premise, I just had too many issues with it. It's advertised as a fantasy but it's very much low-fantasy/paranormal. I think my expectations for it were different than what we got.
It's got all of my favorite trope-- enemies to lovers, mystery, rival families, etc. but it just didn't hit for me. Though I wasn't a big fan of the setting, I did really enjoy the romance. It saved the story for me.
I can definitely see a lot of people enjoying this book, it just wasn't for me.
I did enjoy the audiobook. I'd highly recommend it!
Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced listening copy of The Twisted Mark. This is my honest review.
This is a witchy fantasy romance. Enter Sadie, a total badass witch-lawyer living it up in the city, doing everything she can to stay off her creepy nemesis, Gabriel's radar. But, wouldn't you know it, her brother lands in deep trouble, accused of murder, and she's dragged back to her magical hometown, Mannith. Cue the family feud drama and hidden secrets galore! Sadie's got the magic mojo and looks to boot, but she's oblivious to it. Oh, and did I mention the intense chemistry crackling between her and Gabriel? Talk about enemies turned lovers! The story had me on the edge of my seat with its suspense, magic, and jaw-dropping twists. Though I must admit, some characters felt a bit lackluster, and the plot had a few loose ends. Regardless, I'm eagerly awaiting the sequel, hoping it'll be up the ante!
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes