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A review by kelsyer
Bloodmarked by Tracy Deonn
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
First time trying out a new rating breakdown.
Plot/story: 4
Writing: 4
Chracters: 5
Romance: 3
Enjoyment: 4
Re-readingability: 5
What I enjoyed in the first book was that Deonn made the main characters and the side characters loveable, they were communicating, healing, resolving the issues. The adventure was refreshing to see as well. Mainly though, I loved that altough it was a YA series, it didn't really feel like one, because they were acting in a more mature way than I am used to in the case of YA novels.
In the second book that has changed, so it brought down the enjoyment for me somewhat, but this is a me issue, 100%. (Altough, to be totally honest, if I was a teenager now, I would still very much dislike the fact that there are people who want to protect Bree for good reasons and she has no understanding and empathy for that, she is anxious, angry and angsty. It does make sense, but the people who love you will want to protect you, always.)
I loved Alice, William (the voice of the reason) and a new character, Valec (who reminded me of Crowley of Supernatural, because of course he did), the most. (I wish that in the next books we will see more of the community of the root users.)
I also loved that the actions have consequences here (e.g. if something happens to your body, you don't just bounce back because of *magic*). Makes it feel more real, like a true parallel to our world.
What I have beef with, however? After the events of book 1, Bree and the gang had one month until the events of book 2. Once again, I know that it was a lot to process, I know what there were lies involved (to the parents, which is another thing - Are teens not calling parents anymore? Do they just accept that at 16/17 years old you will only call home 2 times a month, because you are busy with exams?!), buuuut I still feel that Bree had tools at her disposal that she could have tried to crack at that time and maybe if she would have done that, half of the mess would have been avoided here.
I will continue with the series, but probably only in 2026.
Plot/story: 4
Writing: 4
Chracters: 5
Romance: 3
Enjoyment: 4
Re-readingability: 5
What I enjoyed in the first book was that Deonn made the main characters and the side characters loveable, they were communicating, healing, resolving the issues. The adventure was refreshing to see as well. Mainly though, I loved that altough it was a YA series, it didn't really feel like one, because they were acting in a more mature way than I am used to in the case of YA novels.
In the second book that has changed, so it brought down the enjoyment for me somewhat, but this is a me issue, 100%. (Altough, to be totally honest, if I was a teenager now, I would still very much dislike the fact that there are people who want to protect Bree for good reasons and she has no understanding and empathy for that, she is anxious, angry and angsty. It does make sense, but the people who love you will want to protect you, always.)
I loved Alice, William (the voice of the reason) and a new character, Valec (who reminded me of Crowley of Supernatural, because of course he did), the most. (I wish that in the next books we will see more of the community of the root users.)
I also loved that the actions have consequences here (e.g. if something happens to your body, you don't just bounce back because of *magic*). Makes it feel more real, like a true parallel to our world.
What I have beef with, however? After the events of book 1, Bree and the gang had one month until the events of book 2. Once again, I know that it was a lot to process, I know what there were lies involved (to the parents, which is another thing - Are teens not calling parents anymore? Do they just accept that at 16/17 years old you will only call home 2 times a month, because you are busy with exams?!), buuuut I still feel that Bree had tools at her disposal that she could have tried to crack at that time and maybe if she would have done that, half of the mess would have been avoided here.
I will continue with the series, but probably only in 2026.