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Soul Guardians #1
Marked
Librarian's note: This is an alternate cover edition for ISBN13 9781461017097.
Sixteen-year-old Kara Nightingale’s ordinary life is suddenly turned upside down when she dies and wakes up in a strange new world with a new career—as a rookie for the Guardian Angel Legion. Kara is pulled into the supernatural, where monkeys drive the elevators, oracles scurry above giant crystal balls, and where demons feed on the souls of mortals.
With the help of her Petty Officer and friend, David, Kara hurtles towards an adventure that will change her life forever…
Sixteen-year-old Kara Nightingale’s ordinary life is suddenly turned upside down when she dies and wakes up in a strange new world with a new career—as a rookie for the Guardian Angel Legion. Kara is pulled into the supernatural, where monkeys drive the elevators, oracles scurry above giant crystal balls, and where demons feed on the souls of mortals.
With the help of her Petty Officer and friend, David, Kara hurtles towards an adventure that will change her life forever…
288 pages, Paperback
First published March 15, 2011
1779 people are currently reading
8685 people want to read
About the author
Kim Richardson
205 books1,267 followersKim Richardson is the award-winning author of the bestselling SOUL GUARDIANS series. She lives in the eastern part of Canada with her husband, two dogs and a very old cat. She is the author of the SOUL GUARDIANS series, the MYSTICS series, and the DIVIDED REALMS series. Kim's books are available in print editions, and translations are available in over 7 languages.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 560 reviews
March 5, 2012
No, monkey, NO! Do NOT mislead the readers!
I give up. If you asked me whether gauging my eyes out with a spoon would be less painful than the thought of finishing this book, I'd be inclined to agree.
Well, not really. But still.
I read 50% of this book, and I can't read any longer. This book is just bad. Badly plotted, badly written, and just plain bad. The dialogue is immature, and the story is stagnant. The concept is inoffensive yet unoriginal: A girl dies and is recruited to become a guardian angel (GA). Her main job is to save the lives of people who will be killed, and if she fails (which she does two out of two times, up until I read), she must fight off demons that try to eat the souls of the dead. Her Petty Officer and direct superior is David, a handsome guy who...er...wait, I think that's all there is to him. David's good lookin' and the girl, Kara, well, she's just there.
At best, every single character is a caricature of YA Mary/Gary Sues, from Kara's insufficiently pretty face that despite its normalness lands a "hottie" like David in the afterlife, to David's insufferable arrogance that is supposed to come off as charming but fails. Even the monkeys that run the elevators are mean-spirited creatures that attack you solely to eat...dead bits of scalp...from your head.
Barf.
I'll end this review with a few choice quotes that convinced me to power down my Kindle and say Bon Voyage, Book:
"I wonder what is going on in his head. How can he risk the lives of other angels?" [asks Kara]
"'Cause he's a douche bag." [answers badass David]
They [pretty girls at the club] all gave Kara the what-are-you-doing-with-such-a-hottie look. And when David wasn't looking, Kara whirled around and gave them the finger--followed by the biggest smile she could muster.
Good riddance. 1 star, and perfect for those looking for a book on How to Write Bad Modern Young Adult Protagonists.
January 15, 2012
I started this book without reading the GR synopsis for it and so I wasn't prepared for what happened.
What I liked about the book:
Almost 5 pages into the book and the MC died..she actually died! The story started with a bang and it just got better.
The world of the Guardian Angels is a beautiful and strange place and the author describes it well.
Additions like, the primate elevator operators and avian bus drivers only made the world unique.
Instead of all angels being perfectly sculpted and inhumanely beautiful, only the Archangels showed such qualities while the Guardian Angels came in all sizes and forms.
And of course, David with his cocky attitude was another reason to love this book. He flirts, he's overconfident and he thinks he's God's gift to women but I still laughed at his antics.
What added to the credibility of the story was that there was no instant attraction between the MC and David which most YA novels include.
I also liked that Kara didn't become an uber demon slayer after just 2 days of training.
Things that interfered with my enjoyment of this story:
David's attitude when he found out about the demon mark was so unlike him and unnecessary in my opinion.
How conveniently Kara develops Elemental powers and I felt there should have been some foreshadowing about it.
Other than that, the book is an enjoyable fast read and will only leave you anticipating the sequel as soon as you're done with this one.
What I liked about the book:
Almost 5 pages into the book and the MC died..she actually died! The story started with a bang and it just got better.
The world of the Guardian Angels is a beautiful and strange place and the author describes it well.
Additions like, the primate elevator operators and avian bus drivers only made the world unique.
Instead of all angels being perfectly sculpted and inhumanely beautiful, only the Archangels showed such qualities while the Guardian Angels came in all sizes and forms.
And of course, David with his cocky attitude was another reason to love this book. He flirts, he's overconfident and he thinks he's God's gift to women but I still laughed at his antics.
What added to the credibility of the story was that there was no instant attraction between the MC and David which most YA novels include.
I also liked that Kara didn't become an uber demon slayer after just 2 days of training.
Things that interfered with my enjoyment of this story:
David's attitude when he found out about the demon mark was so unlike him and unnecessary in my opinion.
How conveniently Kara develops Elemental powers and I felt there should have been some foreshadowing about it.
Other than that, the book is an enjoyable fast read and will only leave you anticipating the sequel as soon as you're done with this one.
November 11, 2024
Marked
By Kim Richardson
I normally don't read YA because of all the teenage angst, but with this author, I often make an exception. There is little to no angst normally.
This is about a 15 year old gal that dies and is assigned to be a Guardian Angel. The details of being in this position take on a range of duties I haven't heard of in a book before. It's an exciting tale with danger, thrills, friendships, and second chances. I liked it a lot more than I thought I would.
By Kim Richardson
I normally don't read YA because of all the teenage angst, but with this author, I often make an exception. There is little to no angst normally.
This is about a 15 year old gal that dies and is assigned to be a Guardian Angel. The details of being in this position take on a range of duties I haven't heard of in a book before. It's an exciting tale with danger, thrills, friendships, and second chances. I liked it a lot more than I thought I would.
December 24, 2016
No.
“I don’t speak to traitors— I kill them.”
I didn't like this book. The only reason I decided to read it was because it got a 2011 Readers Favorite award...
I know I shouldn't judge anyone for liking this, but, I mean, I'm at a loss. It's probably meant to be read by pre-teens and not those of us trying our best to forget we were ever awkward teenagers. I don't know, but people need to raise their standards.
Fuck, that sounds so mean and, again, people are entitled to their own opinion and more than welcome to like whatever they want (with a few restrictions, of course), but damn! Y'all vote for/buy these mediocre books then they get some kind of award sticker on the cover which excites me so much that I will literally stop everything I'm doing just to read the new masterpiece y'all are raving about. ANd what do I get? Dissapointment, regret, headaches.
I always fall victim to the hype. And please believe I hate myself for it.
So, this girl named Kara gets run the fuck over by a bus and dies. She ends up in this place called Horizon. She has been chosen to become a guardian angel. Since she is a rookie, she has to be trained by a “Petty Officer”. Her “Petty Officer” is “young and extremely handsome, with blond hair and piercing blue eyes”. And you know we can't forget the lips, he has full lips...
Nothing exciting happens during most of the book. Then what do you know, it turns out this flat chested, artist/part-time ballerina-impersonater is special. She's chosen to do something no one else can do.
Everyone in this story infuriated me. The only person I didn't absolutely hate was the head Demon guy. His name started with an A. Hold on, let me go back and check....................
Ok, it's Asmodeus.
He was at least tolerable most of the time.
Kara: She thought she was so bad ass. She goes around asking monkeys what they're smoking when she's not too busy yanking off their butt hairs. I cannot make this up, people. I watched her (not ACTUALLY watched, but you get it) stick her head in a toilet full of old lady poop.
She stuck her head down a crapper, fell on her face a few times, got buzzed off of gin and tonic, and yanked hair off of monkey butts. Good ol' Kara. She also has the world's worst attitude and to top it all off, she stutters more than she breathes. But at least she's pretty, right?
David: Meanwhile, David's all:
And I'm all:
David would not hesitate to push your head in a toilet full of waste. “I will if I have to— trust me.” Ugh, I hated how he always said “believe me” and “trust me” after every sentence his tiny brain managed to string together. He acts like everyone loves him when in reality everyone would like to rip him a new one. Especially me. He's cocky and he's a douche. This fool thinks he can get away with anything and everything just because he's “extremely handsome” Listen, he gave this girl the cold shoulder for days on end then in the end he's gonna act all nice and friendly. And like an idiot, she forgives him. I got 2 words for you David: Jump off a cliff, you snob.
Oh, and he's weird as hell. And not charming-weird, just weird-weird. I swear to God this freak starts dancing at random ass times. After saving a soul, after killing a demon, you name it and he'll dance after doing it.
I think I would prefer reading Twilight...
The moral of the story: It doesn't matter how stupid or rude you are as long as you're good looking.
Unless you're in middle school, or I wanna ruin your day, I wouldn't recommend this book to you.
“I don’t speak to traitors— I kill them.”
I didn't like this book. The only reason I decided to read it was because it got a 2011 Readers Favorite award...
I know I shouldn't judge anyone for liking this, but, I mean, I'm at a loss. It's probably meant to be read by pre-teens and not those of us trying our best to forget we were ever awkward teenagers. I don't know, but people need to raise their standards.
Fuck, that sounds so mean and, again, people are entitled to their own opinion and more than welcome to like whatever they want (with a few restrictions, of course), but damn! Y'all vote for/buy these mediocre books then they get some kind of award sticker on the cover which excites me so much that I will literally stop everything I'm doing just to read the new masterpiece y'all are raving about. ANd what do I get? Dissapointment, regret, headaches.
I always fall victim to the hype. And please believe I hate myself for it.
So, this girl named Kara gets run the fuck over by a bus and dies. She ends up in this place called Horizon. She has been chosen to become a guardian angel. Since she is a rookie, she has to be trained by a “Petty Officer”. Her “Petty Officer” is “young and extremely handsome, with blond hair and piercing blue eyes”. And you know we can't forget the lips, he has full lips...
Nothing exciting happens during most of the book. Then what do you know, it turns out this flat chested, artist/part-time ballerina-impersonater is special. She's chosen to do something no one else can do.
Everyone in this story infuriated me. The only person I didn't absolutely hate was the head Demon guy. His name started with an A. Hold on, let me go back and check....................
Ok, it's Asmodeus.
He was at least tolerable most of the time.
Kara: She thought she was so bad ass. She goes around asking monkeys what they're smoking when she's not too busy yanking off their butt hairs. I cannot make this up, people. I watched her (not ACTUALLY watched, but you get it) stick her head in a toilet full of old lady poop.
She stuck her head down a crapper, fell on her face a few times, got buzzed off of gin and tonic, and yanked hair off of monkey butts. Good ol' Kara. She also has the world's worst attitude and to top it all off, she stutters more than she breathes. But at least she's pretty, right?
David: Meanwhile, David's all:
And I'm all:
David would not hesitate to push your head in a toilet full of waste. “I will if I have to— trust me.” Ugh, I hated how he always said “believe me” and “trust me” after every sentence his tiny brain managed to string together. He acts like everyone loves him when in reality everyone would like to rip him a new one. Especially me. He's cocky and he's a douche. This fool thinks he can get away with anything and everything just because he's “extremely handsome” Listen, he gave this girl the cold shoulder for days on end then in the end he's gonna act all nice and friendly. And like an idiot, she forgives him. I got 2 words for you David: Jump off a cliff, you snob.
Oh, and he's weird as hell. And not charming-weird, just weird-weird. I swear to God this freak starts dancing at random ass times. After saving a soul, after killing a demon, you name it and he'll dance after doing it.
I think I would prefer reading Twilight...
The moral of the story: It doesn't matter how stupid or rude you are as long as you're good looking.
Unless you're in middle school, or I wanna ruin your day, I wouldn't recommend this book to you.
May 10, 2012
Marked is another example of why the self-published route is so flawed. It had a good idea behind it and elements of the story were well-imagined. However, it was in dire need of an editor to take a red-pen to it.
Kara was a promising protagonist, but her voice got lost. She tended to think in witty-one-liners which were often so incongruous to the situations she was in that it was hard to take her seriously. Her character tended to take even the most bizarre situations with a flippant acceptance. When I expected contemplation, confusion and dramatic pause, she ploughed on through the narrative.
This, inevitably, had a rather detrimental impact on the pace of the book as a whole. Because Kara was dead, she didn't need to sleep. This, coupled with the “let's plough though” style of the writing, meant that everything seemed rushed and under-described. Considering the setting, there was little world-building involved and I found that I simply could not suspend my disbelief long enough to enjoy the promising story.
Overall, this is one of those books which had potential. I wonder if Richardson tried to go the route of conventional publishing but didn't get anywhere. I've found that a lot of agencies ask for the first 10,000 words / 3 chapters of a manuscript. That chunk of this book was so rushed that I can see why the book would have struggled in mainstream publishing. It did get better, but that's not much of a recommendation really, is it?
This could have been a four star story, but it's two star prose. So that's what I'm giving it!
(As always, remember that this is just my opinion... Plenty here on Goodreads disagree with this rating, as evidenced by the average review rating).
Kara was a promising protagonist, but her voice got lost. She tended to think in witty-one-liners which were often so incongruous to the situations she was in that it was hard to take her seriously. Her character tended to take even the most bizarre situations with a flippant acceptance. When I expected contemplation, confusion and dramatic pause, she ploughed on through the narrative.
This, inevitably, had a rather detrimental impact on the pace of the book as a whole. Because Kara was dead, she didn't need to sleep. This, coupled with the “let's plough though” style of the writing, meant that everything seemed rushed and under-described. Considering the setting, there was little world-building involved and I found that I simply could not suspend my disbelief long enough to enjoy the promising story.
Overall, this is one of those books which had potential. I wonder if Richardson tried to go the route of conventional publishing but didn't get anywhere. I've found that a lot of agencies ask for the first 10,000 words / 3 chapters of a manuscript. That chunk of this book was so rushed that I can see why the book would have struggled in mainstream publishing. It did get better, but that's not much of a recommendation really, is it?
This could have been a four star story, but it's two star prose. So that's what I'm giving it!
(As always, remember that this is just my opinion... Plenty here on Goodreads disagree with this rating, as evidenced by the average review rating).
June 14, 2011
This is possibly the hardest review I've had to write. Not because the book was bad, in fact I was rather impressed by it. No, the reason that it's been hard to review is that it's closest book I've come to on my review blog that could be classed as "chick-lit". It's unfamiliar territory for me.
But don't let this stop you from reading it! The majority of my blog's readers are male, but I would still say that they should consider this book. Especially if they are looking for a light, easy read.
But it doesn't matter how hard I found it to write the review, what matter is the book itself. I really did enjoy it, and the thing that stood out most was the afterlife. Apart from the fact that it was staffed by various primates, it was such an imaginative place that was really uplifting to read about. (And kind of made me jealous that I wasn't there...). It's interesting to think of heaven as a kind of office (albeit an odd office) where angels administer the world's affairs. I really enjoyed the scenes set in this Angel-Office, called Horizon, although it was interesting to note that while it was referred to by the names of various paradises - Heaven was not one of them.
With all books there a few things that I think could have been done differently, and I would say that I thought the beginning is a little too fast. The main character dies straight away, which is fine - the book is about her death, not her life - but then gets to work as a GA almost immediately. I felt that she should have had training before going out on a mission.
But Overall I found the book to be an enjoyable read, an easy read - it wasn't hard to follow, and a unique read. The plot, which I haven't spoken about much here, for fear of revealing too much, was interesting, and well-written. In an recent interview to promote my blog I stated that the best books are the ones that I'm disappointed to finish reading, and this one of those. The price of the eBook on amazon is currently £0.70/$1.14 (UK/US), and to be frank, I think that it's worth more than that. Actually, despite finding eBooks difficult to read, and despite being given a paperback version to review, I payed the 70 pence for the kindle version because I think the book is more than worth that. I find that I'm quite likely to read it again, and that I look forwards to the sequel.
But don't let this stop you from reading it! The majority of my blog's readers are male, but I would still say that they should consider this book. Especially if they are looking for a light, easy read.
But it doesn't matter how hard I found it to write the review, what matter is the book itself. I really did enjoy it, and the thing that stood out most was the afterlife. Apart from the fact that it was staffed by various primates, it was such an imaginative place that was really uplifting to read about. (And kind of made me jealous that I wasn't there...). It's interesting to think of heaven as a kind of office (albeit an odd office) where angels administer the world's affairs. I really enjoyed the scenes set in this Angel-Office, called Horizon, although it was interesting to note that while it was referred to by the names of various paradises - Heaven was not one of them.
With all books there a few things that I think could have been done differently, and I would say that I thought the beginning is a little too fast. The main character dies straight away, which is fine - the book is about her death, not her life - but then gets to work as a GA almost immediately. I felt that she should have had training before going out on a mission.
But Overall I found the book to be an enjoyable read, an easy read - it wasn't hard to follow, and a unique read. The plot, which I haven't spoken about much here, for fear of revealing too much, was interesting, and well-written. In an recent interview to promote my blog I stated that the best books are the ones that I'm disappointed to finish reading, and this one of those. The price of the eBook on amazon is currently £0.70/$1.14 (UK/US), and to be frank, I think that it's worth more than that. Actually, despite finding eBooks difficult to read, and despite being given a paperback version to review, I payed the 70 pence for the kindle version because I think the book is more than worth that. I find that I'm quite likely to read it again, and that I look forwards to the sequel.
May 8, 2011
Marked was a great read with a fun character, Kara, who used to live a rather mundane life that consisted of painting and eating ice-cream all the time before she's hit by a bus and dies. Waking up she finds herself in an elevator, light engulfing her as she's taken to Orientation. Pretty soon it becomes clear: prior to her birth, Kara was marked and now she's dead and alone in Heaven, waiting for her apprenticeship to begin. David is supposed to teach her how to be a guardian angel, which is the responsible position of leading souls safely to where they're supposed to go. Now that Kara would rather leave to someone she feels is more suited for the task, like David.
David does his job well, and soon Kara realised she likes him more than she should, which is a major distraction because something's wrong. You see, Kara is supposed to save mortals from demons who feed on their souls. But instead, of saving the ones she's supposed to save, Kara keeps drawing demons to her, risking both her and the mortals' souls.
It seems the angels were not the only ones who marked Kara. David and Kara are running out of time in their endeavours to find out what's going on before Kara is lost forever.
Marked is original, well-written and surprisingly easy to follow and to get into, which I didn't expect given the strong need for world building due to the ethereal setting and fantasy elements. I liked the voice (Kara picking a sword because it sparkles and is pretty was so funny). It's also a fast-paced story, and it's certainly very refreshing to see something that hasn't been done before. The story kept me guessing until the very end. I couldn’t put it down. The romance elements were laden with chemistry. I hope there's going to be a sequel soon. I recommend this one to all YA and fantasy readers.
David does his job well, and soon Kara realised she likes him more than she should, which is a major distraction because something's wrong. You see, Kara is supposed to save mortals from demons who feed on their souls. But instead, of saving the ones she's supposed to save, Kara keeps drawing demons to her, risking both her and the mortals' souls.
It seems the angels were not the only ones who marked Kara. David and Kara are running out of time in their endeavours to find out what's going on before Kara is lost forever.
Marked is original, well-written and surprisingly easy to follow and to get into, which I didn't expect given the strong need for world building due to the ethereal setting and fantasy elements. I liked the voice (Kara picking a sword because it sparkles and is pretty was so funny). It's also a fast-paced story, and it's certainly very refreshing to see something that hasn't been done before. The story kept me guessing until the very end. I couldn’t put it down. The romance elements were laden with chemistry. I hope there's going to be a sequel soon. I recommend this one to all YA and fantasy readers.
June 12, 2011
I pride myself on reserving judgment on novels until I've finished them. Leaving books unfinished leaves a bad taste in my mouth until I get around to read them in full, and I don't think it's fair to review a book you haven't completely read, just in case the end compensates for some of the flaws.
But for once in my life, I find myself unable to make myself finish a book. It was that bad. I'm 83% through it and i just can't make myself finish it.
First off, there's no content in this book. It almost completely consists of dialogue, and that's it. We don't need the crappy commentary, mostly consisting of "Oh my god! Oh my god, I can't believe I'm doing this!" or "Crap! crap! crap!" - usually in capital letters. And I'm not kidding when I say it was pretty much all just dialogue. Come on, Kim Richardson, you're giving us the mere skeleton of a story- where's the flesh and bones? Were you never taught how to write more than a few lines without someone talking?
Speaking of speaking, the dialogue itself is simply terrible. I've honestly never read such melodramatic, poorly-done dialogue. Let me pull out a few gems, pulled exactly from the text and completely unchanged:
"Oh, my God! Oh, my God! Oh, my GOD!" (pg 232)
"And I thought monkeys were the ones on crack!" (pg 189)
"Ha! Take that! Stupid Mark! You've been zapped!" (pg 176)
"AHHHHHH!" (multiple occurrences- clearly, writing "he/she/it screamed/shrieked/screeched/howled" was too hard)
"Wow! I'm like a super hero. A super-hero chick!" (pg 81)
"YOU'RE MARKED! Only demon spies are Marked.... Don't try to fool me again, traitor!" (pg 154, apparently when the author realized she could use italics)
These are just a tiny, tiny fraction pulled from a few random pages.
Not to mention the terribly undeveloped characters, who manage to go the entire 232 pages I read without ever developing any semblance of a personality except for as follows:
All archangels except for Raphael are big, scary, bureaucratic assholes.
David McGowan is a cocky, incompetent, shallow moron.
Kara Nightingale is a weak, incompetent, shallow moron.
So, let's go on to our main character, a black-ballet-flat-wearing sixteen-year-old artist whose mom is a guardian angel, because why the hell not. She also has the mental maturity of a twelve year old.
Oh, and Kim Richardson doesn't want us to forget the fact that Kara has no boobs, because that little fact is apparently important. This is a reoccurring theme throughout the novel: Kara thinks she's unattractive and plain- mostly because of her "tomboyish figure" and the fact that she was never visited by the "boob-fairy." Also, David is good looking. Readers are reminded of these facts constantly throughout the novel. Nothing else seems to matter, despite that they're inHeaven Horizon, where most people would assume that it doesn't matter whether you have tits or not.
At one point, Kara says the following: She hated herself for being so sensitive, so typically female. Good one Kara. I've become one of those girls I hate. No, darling, you've been one of *those girls* - one of those empty headed, banal, vapid idiots - the entire time. 37 pages before that, Kara thinks that "perhaps he was embarrassed and hated himself for kissing a girl whose feminine curves had been flattened by a giant spatula."
Aren't you excited by the prospect of reading about a sixteen year old's insecurities and how she never gets over them?
Not to mention, that Kara is a class-A moron. Despite living inHeaven Horizon, surrounded by people with tattoos on their foreheads and various primates, she seems to be completely unable to grasp the fact that she's dead as a doorknob. She somehow manages to completely forget the fact that she's a "guardian angel" now, despite being inundated with reminders.
A few more things:
-The first 'bad guy' we are introduced to, Benson, hates David solely because David was responsible for Benson's friend's death. Somehow, that's not supposed to be a valid reason for hating someone.
-The elevator monkey gimmick was stupid. Flat out retarded. Please stop. It wasn't funny, at all. I can't even express how stupid it was. The only things that can be remotely humorous when it comes to elevators are as follows: old people, music, and farts. Note that "primates" are conspicuously missing from that list.
-You don't learn to sword-fight after one practice session, or even two or three or ten. This is a recurring problem in fantasy novels. Knock it off.
-If David was Kara's GA, why did he ask her how he died? Either the author decided to randomly stick that in there, or she forgot about it.
-A note to the author: "You're" =/= "Your." Please learn the difference.
But for once in my life, I find myself unable to make myself finish a book. It was that bad. I'm 83% through it and i just can't make myself finish it.
First off, there's no content in this book. It almost completely consists of dialogue, and that's it. We don't need the crappy commentary, mostly consisting of "Oh my god! Oh my god, I can't believe I'm doing this!" or "Crap! crap! crap!" - usually in capital letters. And I'm not kidding when I say it was pretty much all just dialogue. Come on, Kim Richardson, you're giving us the mere skeleton of a story- where's the flesh and bones? Were you never taught how to write more than a few lines without someone talking?
Speaking of speaking, the dialogue itself is simply terrible. I've honestly never read such melodramatic, poorly-done dialogue. Let me pull out a few gems, pulled exactly from the text and completely unchanged:
"Oh, my God! Oh, my God! Oh, my GOD!" (pg 232)
"And I thought monkeys were the ones on crack!" (pg 189)
"Ha! Take that! Stupid Mark! You've been zapped!" (pg 176)
"AHHHHHH!" (multiple occurrences- clearly, writing "he/she/it screamed/shrieked/screeched/howled" was too hard)
"Wow! I'm like a super hero. A super-hero chick!" (pg 81)
"YOU'RE MARKED! Only demon spies are Marked.... Don't try to fool me again, traitor!" (pg 154, apparently when the author realized she could use italics)
These are just a tiny, tiny fraction pulled from a few random pages.
Not to mention the terribly undeveloped characters, who manage to go the entire 232 pages I read without ever developing any semblance of a personality except for as follows:
All archangels except for Raphael are big, scary, bureaucratic assholes.
David McGowan is a cocky, incompetent, shallow moron.
Kara Nightingale is a weak, incompetent, shallow moron.
So, let's go on to our main character, a black-ballet-flat-wearing sixteen-year-old artist whose mom is a guardian angel, because why the hell not. She also has the mental maturity of a twelve year old.
Oh, and Kim Richardson doesn't want us to forget the fact that Kara has no boobs, because that little fact is apparently important. This is a reoccurring theme throughout the novel: Kara thinks she's unattractive and plain- mostly because of her "tomboyish figure" and the fact that she was never visited by the "boob-fairy." Also, David is good looking. Readers are reminded of these facts constantly throughout the novel. Nothing else seems to matter, despite that they're in
At one point, Kara says the following: She hated herself for being so sensitive, so typically female. Good one Kara. I've become one of those girls I hate. No, darling, you've been one of *those girls* - one of those empty headed, banal, vapid idiots - the entire time. 37 pages before that, Kara thinks that "perhaps he was embarrassed and hated himself for kissing a girl whose feminine curves had been flattened by a giant spatula."
Aren't you excited by the prospect of reading about a sixteen year old's insecurities and how she never gets over them?
Not to mention, that Kara is a class-A moron. Despite living in
A few more things:
-The first 'bad guy' we are introduced to, Benson, hates David solely because David was responsible for Benson's friend's death. Somehow, that's not supposed to be a valid reason for hating someone.
-The elevator monkey gimmick was stupid. Flat out retarded. Please stop. It wasn't funny, at all. I can't even express how stupid it was. The only things that can be remotely humorous when it comes to elevators are as follows: old people, music, and farts. Note that "primates" are conspicuously missing from that list.
-You don't learn to sword-fight after one practice session, or even two or three or ten. This is a recurring problem in fantasy novels. Knock it off.
-If David was Kara's GA, why did he ask her how he died? Either the author decided to randomly stick that in there, or she forgot about it.
-A note to the author: "You're" =/= "Your." Please learn the difference.
January 7, 2012
This book is terrible. In its defense, it's not offensively terrible, and it has a certain "so bad it's good" amusement level, but there's something very immature about the whole thing, as though it were written by a sixteen-year-old instead of simply starring one.
All of the characters behave in an extraordinarily melodramatic fashion, making most of them come off as cartoonish caricatures, an impression not helped by the sheer silliness of some aspects of Horizon. All dialogue is riddled with unnecessary italics, slipping into all-caps when italics are no longer emphatic enough.
Once past her initial wave of confusion and disbelief, Kara's desire to return to her mortal life seems arbitrary and lacking any real emotional drive, especially considering the reader is never provided more than the briefest insight into what her life was like before she was hit by the bus to begin with. Her relationship with her mother is only barely addressed; Kara mentions wanting to see her mother again in roughly the same terms she mentions wishing she could have a slice of pizza, and a mid-book revelation regarding her mother which seems as though it should be, and presumably was meant to be, critical to the revelations of the book's final act is treated as an item of curiosity and then summarily forgotten.
And then of course there's the climactic revelation itself, which could have been carried off more or less successfully if the book as a whole were better-written, but as it is it fails to impress and simply comes off as cheap.
All of the characters behave in an extraordinarily melodramatic fashion, making most of them come off as cartoonish caricatures, an impression not helped by the sheer silliness of some aspects of Horizon. All dialogue is riddled with unnecessary italics, slipping into all-caps when italics are no longer emphatic enough.
Once past her initial wave of confusion and disbelief, Kara's desire to return to her mortal life seems arbitrary and lacking any real emotional drive, especially considering the reader is never provided more than the briefest insight into what her life was like before she was hit by the bus to begin with. Her relationship with her mother is only barely addressed; Kara mentions wanting to see her mother again in roughly the same terms she mentions wishing she could have a slice of pizza, and a mid-book revelation regarding her mother which seems as though it should be, and presumably was meant to be, critical to the revelations of the book's final act is treated as an item of curiosity and then summarily forgotten.
And then of course there's the climactic revelation itself, which could have been carried off more or less successfully if the book as a whole were better-written, but as it is it fails to impress and simply comes off as cheap.
February 19, 2019
An awesome, fun and funny read that I just gobbled up and finished lickety split.
April 29, 2020
This could have been so good but obv there are annoying things in this kind of book, like...
- is there a problem? Here is the way to resolve it with no quest on how to find it.
- Of course the mc is the most powerful and incredible thing existing in the whole universe even tho her power came five minutes ago.
- The kind of insta love (i have no problems with insta love, if it's done well, but of course it's not done here).
It's all annoying, but i'm a masochist so i'm gonna read the next of the series hoping it will get better cause, honestly, if not for the problem up cited, this has a good plot.
- is there a problem? Here is the way to resolve it with no quest on how to find it.
- Of course the mc is the most powerful and incredible thing existing in the whole universe even tho her power came five minutes ago.
- The kind of insta love (i have no problems with insta love, if it's done well, but of course it's not done here).
It's all annoying, but i'm a masochist so i'm gonna read the next of the series hoping it will get better cause, honestly, if not for the problem up cited, this has a good plot.
August 29, 2023
Well, It certainly wasn't good but I loved reading it. This was one of the first books I read on my Kindle, and I kept reading it for years. Still, a book series I think about constantly. I'm glad I found a way to get onto my mom's old Kindle profile so I can read this book set. The way nostalgia can really cover up a lot of a books flaws is amazing.
April 8, 2018
Marked is kind of hard to write a review for. I feel so unsure of how I should rate it or write it.. since I've already read 4 books into this series. Okay, so the first book is pretty interesting. It could have been more amazing than it was..if the main character wasn't so annoying.
Okay, so Kara, THE MC, was just an okay kind of character. She did nothing for me. Yes, she was funny and caring.. but that's about it. Then there's David, who was an asshole. I wanted to punch him so many times.. or stab him. I didn't care for their "romance" because I wanted David to die. I swear, ANY other guy in this book would've been a better romance interest. I kept praying to god that David was just a fluke. HECK, I even started plotting his death.
Other than that, I guess I can accept Kara as an Mc because she didn't magically become a super bad ass - which typically happens in books. I just wish someone would have given her amnesia or something so that she didn't remember who David was. Then there was the PERFECT villain ever created (for this series). I really liked and enjoyed that character. Even though I already read books 1-4.. can I still say that I hope my review for the second book will be better?
Okay, so Kara, THE MC, was just an okay kind of character. She did nothing for me. Yes, she was funny and caring.. but that's about it. Then there's David, who was an asshole. I wanted to punch him so many times.. or stab him. I didn't care for their "romance" because I wanted David to die. I swear, ANY other guy in this book would've been a better romance interest. I kept praying to god that David was just a fluke. HECK, I even started plotting his death.
Other than that, I guess I can accept Kara as an Mc because she didn't magically become a super bad ass - which typically happens in books. I just wish someone would have given her amnesia or something so that she didn't remember who David was. Then there was the PERFECT villain ever created (for this series). I really liked and enjoyed that character. Even though I already read books 1-4.. can I still say that I hope my review for the second book will be better?
January 3, 2016
Okaaaaay.This was passionless.
The story itself is pretty interesting and could be made into something freaking amazing,but the characters...Jesus Christ.The main character,Kara,is okay,I have to admit that.She can be funny and caring,but for a leading lady,she's nothing special.Her knight in shining armor-David-is an asshole.An ignorant douche full of himself.He won't leave the archangel Gabriel alone,he has a mortal enemy Benson and is a some kind of trainer to our Kara.The ''romance'' between them seemed too forced.They had no mutual interest and it seems to me that the only reason Kara likes David is basically the fact that he is the only male friend in the Horizon.Girl,I would hit on Gabriel without even thinking about it:
What I really liked is that Kara didn't just magically become super kick-ass heroine in two days.She's still confused about what's going on and I really think that David or someone else should have explained everything about the Horizon very clearly to her.I mean,it's her first time there.I like the leader of the Demons-Asmodeus,he is actually a pretty decent villain.
Overall...
Favourite quotes:
Kara turned just in time to see the elevator with chimp 5M51 disappear back into the ground.
''Well there goes one monkey I'm not going to miss'',she muttered to herself.
Ramiel cocked an eyebrow.''We hope you will guide Kara and help her embrace her duties as a guardian angel-without the loss of her soul or rule breaking.''
David flashed his perfect teeth and put on an innocent look:''Me? Rule breaking? Never,your blessedness!I am a true believer in playing by the rules-you remember that.'',he beamed.
''The last time I checked,I didn't have any special talent,thought Kara.Can I paint a demon to death?Drown it in some gouache?''
The story itself is pretty interesting and could be made into something freaking amazing,but the characters...Jesus Christ.The main character,Kara,is okay,I have to admit that.She can be funny and caring,but for a leading lady,she's nothing special.Her knight in shining armor-David-is an asshole.An ignorant douche full of himself.He won't leave the archangel Gabriel alone,he has a mortal enemy Benson and is a some kind of trainer to our Kara.The ''romance'' between them seemed too forced.They had no mutual interest and it seems to me that the only reason Kara likes David is basically the fact that he is the only male friend in the Horizon.Girl,I would hit on Gabriel without even thinking about it:
What I really liked is that Kara didn't just magically become super kick-ass heroine in two days.She's still confused about what's going on and I really think that David or someone else should have explained everything about the Horizon very clearly to her.I mean,it's her first time there.I like the leader of the Demons-Asmodeus,he is actually a pretty decent villain.
Overall...
Favourite quotes:
Kara turned just in time to see the elevator with chimp 5M51 disappear back into the ground.
''Well there goes one monkey I'm not going to miss'',she muttered to herself.
Ramiel cocked an eyebrow.''We hope you will guide Kara and help her embrace her duties as a guardian angel-without the loss of her soul or rule breaking.''
David flashed his perfect teeth and put on an innocent look:''Me? Rule breaking? Never,your blessedness!I am a true believer in playing by the rules-you remember that.'',he beamed.
''The last time I checked,I didn't have any special talent,thought Kara.Can I paint a demon to death?Drown it in some gouache?''
September 5, 2012
I got stuck in an airport last weekend, so I downloaded several free books on my Nook. I sometimes like to live dangerously!
So basically, Kara dies and becomes a guardian angel. She's partnered with David, who's been a GA for quite awhile.
The things I liked about the story:
1 - BAM! The main character dies immediately. The story starts out amazingly.
2 - the elevators in Horizon (level of Heaven) are run by primates. Kind of nasty primates. Funny.
3 - guardian angels aren't all perfect and beautiful. They look just like they did in life. Maybe wrinkly, maybe fat, maybe scarred.
4 - the story has an excellent premise
The things I didn't like about the story:
1 - the author seemed to obsess over description. Once described, stop. We get that David is handsome.
2 - the characters were under developed. I wanted to get a bit more about them. For instance, the whole thing with David and the other angel fighting all the time - there had to be more than what we heard about - it wasn't enough.
3 - David's reaction to Kara and the demons seemed out of place for his character
The story is basically good. I like the idea, but think that a good editor and publisher would really put this one out there for a lot more people. This is an entire series, but I don't think I'll read the rest. There were points that were developed really well and the action was fast-paced and then the next part would be slow moving and confusing. It has great potential!
So basically, Kara dies and becomes a guardian angel. She's partnered with David, who's been a GA for quite awhile.
The things I liked about the story:
1 - BAM! The main character dies immediately. The story starts out amazingly.
2 - the elevators in Horizon (level of Heaven) are run by primates. Kind of nasty primates. Funny.
3 - guardian angels aren't all perfect and beautiful. They look just like they did in life. Maybe wrinkly, maybe fat, maybe scarred.
4 - the story has an excellent premise
The things I didn't like about the story:
1 - the author seemed to obsess over description. Once described, stop. We get that David is handsome.
2 - the characters were under developed. I wanted to get a bit more about them. For instance, the whole thing with David and the other angel fighting all the time - there had to be more than what we heard about - it wasn't enough.
3 - David's reaction to Kara and the demons seemed out of place for his character
The story is basically good. I like the idea, but think that a good editor and publisher would really put this one out there for a lot more people. This is an entire series, but I don't think I'll read the rest. There were points that were developed really well and the action was fast-paced and then the next part would be slow moving and confusing. It has great potential!
January 27, 2016
Opinião completa: http://pepitamagica.blogspot.pt/2016/...
(...)
Começo por dizer que gosto das cores da capa e este livro fazia parte daqueles livritos grátis da amazon, e foi lido numa daquelas alturas que não nos apetece ler nada de mais.
(...)
Este livro é tipicamente YA e talvez tenha sido um pouco infantil demais para o meu gosto. Gostei da premissa inicial, de proteger as almas, mas achei que faltou um pouco de substância ao livro. Até gostaria de ler os seguintes, mas havendo tantos livros que me agradaram mais, acho que este não terá seguimento da minha parte.
(...)
Começo por dizer que gosto das cores da capa e este livro fazia parte daqueles livritos grátis da amazon, e foi lido numa daquelas alturas que não nos apetece ler nada de mais.
(...)
Este livro é tipicamente YA e talvez tenha sido um pouco infantil demais para o meu gosto. Gostei da premissa inicial, de proteger as almas, mas achei que faltou um pouco de substância ao livro. Até gostaria de ler os seguintes, mas havendo tantos livros que me agradaram mais, acho que este não terá seguimento da minha parte.
April 1, 2023
It's not that I didn't like this one, more that I couldn't bring myself to care about any of it.
The world in Marked is indeed well fleshed-out, so I don't feel like I'm being thrown in randomly to this fantasy world with plot holes a mile wide. I actually do like the way Kara and the reader discover the world at the same time.
It's more Kara herself that I have a problem with, and the cast in general. Marked doesn't just sacrifice character for plot, it basically creates cardboard cutouts from the beginning, and yet somehow they become even less of characters as the plot progresses. There's too many interactions that aren't talked about, and are barely even thought about, even though they could do a lot to enhance the story. I'd guess they'd probably be explored in some of the later books in the series, but I don't plan to stick around and find out.
Marked is the first "angels and demons" book I've read but the second "magical afterlife" one I've read in less than a month. I couldn't help comparing this to Crossing Over Easy and everything that one did better to introduce both the characters and their place in this new experience for them.
One other issue I had was with the religion of the world. Horizon is very clearly based on Christian lore, with the archangels given the most prominent angel names from the bible and the "seven layers" of Horizon, with the "chief" (presumably God) at the highest level. And yet this is never mentioned. It is assumed that all readers would have the same beliefs about the afterlife and accept that (at least in this world), the Christian (or at least Abrahamic or Judeo-Christian - I'm not sure how much crosses over from the Old Testament regarding this) afterlife is the only one that makes sense. I understand that this is probably the author's background, but I feel that more could have been done to either explicitly reference this as the Christian afterlife (even as simply as characters having been Christian before they died) or to not necessarily favor one version of the afterlife over another, even with less explicitly Abrahamic names.
As I said, I don't plan on continuing the series, unless I can get the second book for free.
The world in Marked is indeed well fleshed-out, so I don't feel like I'm being thrown in randomly to this fantasy world with plot holes a mile wide. I actually do like the way Kara and the reader discover the world at the same time.
It's more Kara herself that I have a problem with, and the cast in general. Marked doesn't just sacrifice character for plot, it basically creates cardboard cutouts from the beginning, and yet somehow they become even less of characters as the plot progresses. There's too many interactions that aren't talked about, and are barely even thought about, even though they could do a lot to enhance the story. I'd guess they'd probably be explored in some of the later books in the series, but I don't plan to stick around and find out.
Marked is the first "angels and demons" book I've read but the second "magical afterlife" one I've read in less than a month. I couldn't help comparing this to Crossing Over Easy and everything that one did better to introduce both the characters and their place in this new experience for them.
One other issue I had was with the religion of the world. Horizon is very clearly based on Christian lore, with the archangels given the most prominent angel names from the bible and the "seven layers" of Horizon, with the "chief" (presumably God) at the highest level. And yet this is never mentioned. It is assumed that all readers would have the same beliefs about the afterlife and accept that (at least in this world), the Christian (or at least Abrahamic or Judeo-Christian - I'm not sure how much crosses over from the Old Testament regarding this) afterlife is the only one that makes sense. I understand that this is probably the author's background, but I feel that more could have been done to either explicitly reference this as the Christian afterlife (even as simply as characters having been Christian before they died) or to not necessarily favor one version of the afterlife over another, even with less explicitly Abrahamic names.
As I said, I don't plan on continuing the series, unless I can get the second book for free.
November 7, 2020
Vaya pérdida de tiempo
January 9, 2012
My thoughts going into this were: Oh god, another angel book where the main girl clearly will end up with the main guy after some sort of incident where she nearly gets killed after her abandons her because of some misunderstanding. Yeah. I was pretty spot on for the most part, but some things where better then I thought, and I ended up liking it a lot more then expected.
Like, I enjoyed that she wasn't some fluffy angel that didn't have a real point for her being an angel, except that angels are popular for YA books at the moment. Because that's how most angel books I've read end up being.
It was more orderly and I liked how she actually helped people and learned how to fight the bad guys, aka Demons, instead of her just being a helpless victum and having everyone else defend her.
Have you caught on to what book I'm comparing this too yet? No? Well I figure it's best to not say, because I'm sure you're comparing it to one of the numerous crappy angel books out there already.
The whole elemental thing at the end was interesting, as was her mother's situation, and I liked how they didn't totally give away all the details in this book, so that the sequel actually gives you good information instead of fluff and romantic tension.
One major thing that kind of bothered me was that she dies off pretty quickly in the book, but they never once talk about how her mom or friends are feeling about her dying. Especially her best friend, considering he saw her get hit by the bus. I mean, I know it's not important to the plot, but she died, someone's going to be upset by it, it would have seemed more... real? I guess is the word I'm going for... If they'd talked about it. Or at least make her sadish that she was dead. I know if I died right now I wouldn't be all chipper as soon as woke, especially not if some creepy ass monkey is there picking at my skull. Yeah.. that's weird.
Oh yeah, and what was up with the monkeys anyways. Why were they speaking english and why did the author decided to make them run the elevators... that just makes no freakin' sense to me. Monkeys are creepy evil animals. I would be afraid if I woke up and some monkey is picking at my head and talking.
Like, I enjoyed that she wasn't some fluffy angel that didn't have a real point for her being an angel, except that angels are popular for YA books at the moment. Because that's how most angel books I've read end up being.
It was more orderly and I liked how she actually helped people and learned how to fight the bad guys, aka Demons, instead of her just being a helpless victum and having everyone else defend her.
Have you caught on to what book I'm comparing this too yet? No? Well I figure it's best to not say, because I'm sure you're comparing it to one of the numerous crappy angel books out there already.
The whole elemental thing at the end was interesting, as was her mother's situation, and I liked how they didn't totally give away all the details in this book, so that the sequel actually gives you good information instead of fluff and romantic tension.
One major thing that kind of bothered me was that she dies off pretty quickly in the book, but they never once talk about how her mom or friends are feeling about her dying. Especially her best friend, considering he saw her get hit by the bus. I mean, I know it's not important to the plot, but she died, someone's going to be upset by it, it would have seemed more... real? I guess is the word I'm going for... If they'd talked about it. Or at least make her sadish that she was dead. I know if I died right now I wouldn't be all chipper as soon as woke, especially not if some creepy ass monkey is there picking at my skull. Yeah.. that's weird.
Oh yeah, and what was up with the monkeys anyways. Why were they speaking english and why did the author decided to make them run the elevators... that just makes no freakin' sense to me. Monkeys are creepy evil animals. I would be afraid if I woke up and some monkey is picking at my head and talking.
February 27, 2017
Creí que soportaría este libro, pero, oye no, es que no. Lo dejo acá, con apenas 40 páginas, porque dudo poder leer más.
Debería empezar hablando de la trama, pero creo que es de suma importancia mencionar el POCO trabajo editorial que tiene este libro, ¡¿es que nadie lo reviso antes de ser publicado?! ¿nadie?, faltas de ortografía, mal estructurado, lineas de dialogo poco claras, es que todo en cuanto a trabajo editorial respecta esta mal en este libro.
Ahora, la trama, por favor, por favor, ¿no había un tema más cliché para ser explotado? Estoy harta de los ángeles sexys con musculos demasiado grandes y protoganistas tan planas que una planta haría justo el mismo trabajo.
Principalmente este libro trata de Kara, que es super cool y tiene espectacular cabello largo (eso dice el libro), una chica común y corriente, con una madre descuidada y un padre muerto (si les suena a Hush, Hush o a otra saga juvenil es pura concidencia, de verdad) quien, y no es ni spoiler, muere tras un terrible accidente; luego es trasportada a Horizonte, donde la muy buena de Kara es escogida para ser un ángel guardian (ajá, un ángel guardian) y salvar el alma de los mortales, no sin antes cruzarse con un mono que opera ascensores (sí, de verdad lo hace), hombres que predicen el futuro en bolas gigantes (eso ya parece un episodio de Gravity Falls), y claro, su apuesto y sensual compañero ángel que (¿dije ya antes que es guapo y que tiene mejores musculos que Thor?) la acompañara en la travesía de salvar las almas mortales de los demonios. Y esta, es TODA la trama. O al menos hasta donde logre soportar esto.
La narración en este libro es ridicula, desorganizada, en un momento la protagonista se encuentra en un lugar y al siguiente está saltando tomada de la mano del guapo co-protagonista a una piscina, las descripciones son vagas y superficiales, y no sabes realmente qué carajos está pasando. Ay.
En resúmen: no, no, no. Solo parece una novela de Wattpad que fue publicada en formato ePub, cosa que no debió ser hecha. Por favor, parad en el momento que aparece el mono que opera ascensores, de verdad.
Debería empezar hablando de la trama, pero creo que es de suma importancia mencionar el POCO trabajo editorial que tiene este libro, ¡¿es que nadie lo reviso antes de ser publicado?! ¿nadie?, faltas de ortografía, mal estructurado, lineas de dialogo poco claras, es que todo en cuanto a trabajo editorial respecta esta mal en este libro.
Ahora, la trama, por favor, por favor, ¿no había un tema más cliché para ser explotado? Estoy harta de los ángeles sexys con musculos demasiado grandes y protoganistas tan planas que una planta haría justo el mismo trabajo.
Principalmente este libro trata de Kara, que es super cool y tiene espectacular cabello largo (eso dice el libro), una chica común y corriente, con una madre descuidada y un padre muerto (si les suena a Hush, Hush o a otra saga juvenil es pura concidencia, de verdad) quien, y no es ni spoiler, muere tras un terrible accidente; luego es trasportada a Horizonte, donde la muy buena de Kara es escogida para ser un ángel guardian (ajá, un ángel guardian) y salvar el alma de los mortales, no sin antes cruzarse con un mono que opera ascensores (sí, de verdad lo hace), hombres que predicen el futuro en bolas gigantes (eso ya parece un episodio de Gravity Falls), y claro, su apuesto y sensual compañero ángel que (¿dije ya antes que es guapo y que tiene mejores musculos que Thor?) la acompañara en la travesía de salvar las almas mortales de los demonios. Y esta, es TODA la trama. O al menos hasta donde logre soportar esto.
La narración en este libro es ridicula, desorganizada, en un momento la protagonista se encuentra en un lugar y al siguiente está saltando tomada de la mano del guapo co-protagonista a una piscina, las descripciones son vagas y superficiales, y no sabes realmente qué carajos está pasando. Ay.
En resúmen: no, no, no. Solo parece una novela de Wattpad que fue publicada en formato ePub, cosa que no debió ser hecha. Por favor, parad en el momento que aparece el mono que opera ascensores, de verdad.
September 23, 2022
Es segunda vez que leo este libro, más que nada porque recuerdo haberlo leído hace muchos años y no había podido encontrar los demás. Ahora al fin los encontré y decidí releerlo para ver si era tan bueno como lo recordaba.
Este es el primero de una saga de 8 libros y la verdad siento que es bueno para alguien que está incursionando por primera vez en la lectura de fantasía, es una lectura súper ligera y bastante corta. Lo cual encuentro un punto a favor debido a la cantidad de libros que la saga tiene.
Pero a pesar de eso, siento que le falto. Los sucesos ocurrían de forma muy rápida y siento que la escritora pudo haberse explayado más. Si se hubiera detenido a contar un poco más detallado los sucesos, habría salido algo muy bueno y probablemente el puntaje no hubiera sido el mismo sino que más.
Tenemos a Kara que es el cliché de adolescente que es la elegida, es seca y logra hacer todo con el mínimo entrenamiento, ósea, prodigio. Lo cual no está mal pero es un cliché más.
Luego tenemos a David, quien enamora con su actitud juguetona y despreocupada, que la verdad a mi me gusto mucho. Si bien tuvo ciertas actitudes y tomó ciertas desiciones que para mí no fueron las mejores debido a cosas que ocurrieron, creo que resultó ser lo único negativo de él. Ya que su actitud coqueta, es hipnotizante.
El mundo de Kim Richardson nos muestra, ósea, Horizonte, encuentro es preciosa y algo fuera de lo común. Me descolocaba y a la vez me agradaba los paisajes que describía. Además de ser una forma original de ver la vida más allá de la muerte.
Si bien el libro tiene sus pros y contras, el ser ligero me hizo disfrutarlo. A pesar de eso, para mi pasa sin pena ni gloria.
Este es el primero de una saga de 8 libros y la verdad siento que es bueno para alguien que está incursionando por primera vez en la lectura de fantasía, es una lectura súper ligera y bastante corta. Lo cual encuentro un punto a favor debido a la cantidad de libros que la saga tiene.
Pero a pesar de eso, siento que le falto. Los sucesos ocurrían de forma muy rápida y siento que la escritora pudo haberse explayado más. Si se hubiera detenido a contar un poco más detallado los sucesos, habría salido algo muy bueno y probablemente el puntaje no hubiera sido el mismo sino que más.
Tenemos a Kara que es el cliché de adolescente que es la elegida, es seca y logra hacer todo con el mínimo entrenamiento, ósea, prodigio. Lo cual no está mal pero es un cliché más.
Luego tenemos a David, quien enamora con su actitud juguetona y despreocupada, que la verdad a mi me gusto mucho. Si bien tuvo ciertas actitudes y tomó ciertas desiciones que para mí no fueron las mejores debido a cosas que ocurrieron, creo que resultó ser lo único negativo de él. Ya que su actitud coqueta, es hipnotizante.
El mundo de Kim Richardson nos muestra, ósea, Horizonte, encuentro es preciosa y algo fuera de lo común. Me descolocaba y a la vez me agradaba los paisajes que describía. Además de ser una forma original de ver la vida más allá de la muerte.
Si bien el libro tiene sus pros y contras, el ser ligero me hizo disfrutarlo. A pesar de eso, para mi pasa sin pena ni gloria.
December 7, 2020
I can't finish this. If this book has gone through the hands of an editor I'll be very surprised. If it has the editor needs to be fired.
The writing was juvenile and stilted, therefore preventing the story to flow. It got worse as the story progressed; useless details were thrown at the reader while at the same time having serious pacing issues.
We meet the main character Kara running towards her own presentation when she gets hit by a bus, goes to Horizon and then becomes one of the guardian angels, in short GA (yes, I was rolling my eyes at that). Immediately after that Kara is sent on her very first mission with her "teacher" David, a snarky bastard who has no respect for authority.
We are told nothing of Kara except that she was on her way to a presentation when she died, that she has a best friend and that her mother can see demons (which is why she thought of her mother as being insane). Because of that it's impossible to connect with Kara, especially because she doesn't waste a moment's breath about her friends and family if they might miss her nor does she really grieve about losing her life. She even goes so far as to say that she "should be happy to be here" in Horizon. Come again?
Furthermore the book suffers from serious pacing issues as we are immediately thrown into the action without details about the workings of Horizon. And no one would send a guardian angel on a mission without giving them proper instructions first; lives/souls are at stake after all!
The writing was juvenile and stilted, therefore preventing the story to flow. It got worse as the story progressed; useless details were thrown at the reader while at the same time having serious pacing issues.
We meet the main character Kara running towards her own presentation when she gets hit by a bus, goes to Horizon and then becomes one of the guardian angels, in short GA (yes, I was rolling my eyes at that). Immediately after that Kara is sent on her very first mission with her "teacher" David, a snarky bastard who has no respect for authority.
We are told nothing of Kara except that she was on her way to a presentation when she died, that she has a best friend and that her mother can see demons (which is why she thought of her mother as being insane). Because of that it's impossible to connect with Kara, especially because she doesn't waste a moment's breath about her friends and family if they might miss her nor does she really grieve about losing her life. She even goes so far as to say that she "should be happy to be here" in Horizon. Come again?
Furthermore the book suffers from serious pacing issues as we are immediately thrown into the action without details about the workings of Horizon. And no one would send a guardian angel on a mission without giving them proper instructions first; lives/souls are at stake after all!
July 25, 2013
Omg loved this book so much! I hated the ending but loved it at the same time I felt sorry for David having to pretend that he doesn't know her and that she recognise him but she can't remember anything at all like she never left in the first place.
basically it's about a 16 year old who dies and becomes a guardian angel and attracts the station of unwanted guests each time she goes with her trainer to saves peoples lives, but soon they realise there is a traitor telling the unwanted guests (demons) where they are. This is where things go from bad - almost dieing each time - to worse when they find out that it is Kara the traitor, David (her trainer) losses all trust in her but still has to mentor her until things are decided if she really IS the traitor. Then the elemtial child goes missing and it all depends on Kara to save the child from the demons.
basically it's about a 16 year old who dies and becomes a guardian angel and attracts the station of unwanted guests each time she goes with her trainer to saves peoples lives, but soon they realise there is a traitor telling the unwanted guests (demons) where they are. This is where things go from bad - almost dieing each time - to worse when they find out that it is Kara the traitor, David (her trainer) losses all trust in her but still has to mentor her until things are decided if she really IS the traitor. Then the elemtial child goes missing and it all depends on Kara to save the child from the demons.
November 25, 2012
Marked by Kim Richardson is the first book in the young adult series call Soul Guardians. Kara Nightingale is sixteen, and on her way to being a great artist, if she can just get to one presentation. However, an accident introduces her to a new job as an Guardian Angel trying to save souls from those that would like to destroy them. She must adapt to a strange new world, to she has to help her is David, a Petty Officer in the ranks who becomes her friend. But, when unusual events led to thoughts of a traitor will her friend stand by her side just as Kara's beliefs about her life and the world around her all come into question? Can she save the organization of Guardian Angels, and herself, or will she lose the fight along with the trust of those she cares for the most?
Marked is an exciting and emotional ride. Kara thought she had life figured own. Her mom is a little strange, and she never knew her father, but she has a plan. Unfortunately fate and some interfering demons have a different plan for her. The twist and turns of Kara's very existence last through the whole book, and did occasionally take me by surprise. Kara is a strong and independent girl, which I always like in my main characters. David is a fun mix of helpful mentor, and shameless flirt, with a distinct lack of respect for authority The ending left me satisfied enough to put down my e-reader and enjoy the story but wanting to see where Kara's circumstances would take her next.
I recommend Marked to young adults and adults that like urban fantasy and coming of age stories. I am very eager to read the rest of the series. The second book is Elemental, and the series is now five books long with no end in sight. If the rest of the series holds to the quality of the first, it will be making its way into my permanent collection.
Marked is an exciting and emotional ride. Kara thought she had life figured own. Her mom is a little strange, and she never knew her father, but she has a plan. Unfortunately fate and some interfering demons have a different plan for her. The twist and turns of Kara's very existence last through the whole book, and did occasionally take me by surprise. Kara is a strong and independent girl, which I always like in my main characters. David is a fun mix of helpful mentor, and shameless flirt, with a distinct lack of respect for authority The ending left me satisfied enough to put down my e-reader and enjoy the story but wanting to see where Kara's circumstances would take her next.
I recommend Marked to young adults and adults that like urban fantasy and coming of age stories. I am very eager to read the rest of the series. The second book is Elemental, and the series is now five books long with no end in sight. If the rest of the series holds to the quality of the first, it will be making its way into my permanent collection.
May 10, 2011
Repost from Amazon Review:
I wanted to like this book more, I did. I liked the characters and the story. It was well-written and in a lot of ways, I found it hard to believe this was a first novel.
I think Richardson is a talented author and I will be reading the next book, for sure.
But the biggest drawback of this book is that it is so HARD to connect with a character that has no backstory. And baby, I mean NONE. I know nothing about her going in except she has brown hair that hangs down her back, she has a mother who is crazy, and she does something artistic (painting, maybe?). I kept reading, (because the story was good) and hoping that at SOME point there would be a flashback or a bit of explanation about Kara's life before becoming a GA. What were her motivations as a character?
The end of the story, and her joy at becoming a human again, just seemed to ring false, because from what little I was told, there was nothing to go back to. She didn't have friends(except Mat), her career as an artist had yet to become anything, her mother was crazy (no wait, a guardian angel, no wait, dead and then alive over and over) and her life kind of sucked. Why does she want soooo badly to go back there?
So, my plea to the author... please, please, please, give me more to go on in the next book. You're good enough that I'm going to pick it up, but if I have to go through the confusion of this book, I won't be finishing out the series.
I wanted to like this book more, I did. I liked the characters and the story. It was well-written and in a lot of ways, I found it hard to believe this was a first novel.
I think Richardson is a talented author and I will be reading the next book, for sure.
But the biggest drawback of this book is that it is so HARD to connect with a character that has no backstory. And baby, I mean NONE. I know nothing about her going in except she has brown hair that hangs down her back, she has a mother who is crazy, and she does something artistic (painting, maybe?). I kept reading, (because the story was good) and hoping that at SOME point there would be a flashback or a bit of explanation about Kara's life before becoming a GA. What were her motivations as a character?
The end of the story, and her joy at becoming a human again, just seemed to ring false, because from what little I was told, there was nothing to go back to. She didn't have friends(except Mat), her career as an artist had yet to become anything, her mother was crazy (no wait, a guardian angel, no wait, dead and then alive over and over) and her life kind of sucked. Why does she want soooo badly to go back there?
So, my plea to the author... please, please, please, give me more to go on in the next book. You're good enough that I'm going to pick it up, but if I have to go through the confusion of this book, I won't be finishing out the series.
January 18, 2012
I almost didn't finish the book. I try to make a point of never doing that and I believe that sometimes you can be surprised by how much better a book gets. That didn't happen here.
It may have been a new approach, but it was somewhat offensive to anyone who is a Christian because a lot of the terminology (angel, archangel, soul, guardian angel, demon ...) have basic understanding and roots there and yet they are twisted and combined with beliefs that have nothing to do with it. Somehow a Chief is substituted for God, and reincarnation happens over and over unless the demons "eat" the soul - which is the only way they can survive. So this book muddies many religions.
Then there is the writing. I know it's written for young people, but this book sounds more like it was written as a kind of camp project around the bonfire. It isn't polished and sometimes I had to read passages a couple times to be sure what the author meant. It sounded like ... well, silly sometimes - like someone was listening in on a bunch a kids who had stayed up too late at a sleepover.
There is a ton of dialogue and most of it is about how cute someone is, how weird something feels, how he/she wishes they could punch someone or they are in danger of getting punched.
The characters feel like paper dolls. You have no real connection to their feelings or why they do the things they do.
I don't plan on reading the rest of the series.
It may have been a new approach, but it was somewhat offensive to anyone who is a Christian because a lot of the terminology (angel, archangel, soul, guardian angel, demon ...) have basic understanding and roots there and yet they are twisted and combined with beliefs that have nothing to do with it. Somehow a Chief is substituted for God, and reincarnation happens over and over unless the demons "eat" the soul - which is the only way they can survive. So this book muddies many religions.
Then there is the writing. I know it's written for young people, but this book sounds more like it was written as a kind of camp project around the bonfire. It isn't polished and sometimes I had to read passages a couple times to be sure what the author meant. It sounded like ... well, silly sometimes - like someone was listening in on a bunch a kids who had stayed up too late at a sleepover.
There is a ton of dialogue and most of it is about how cute someone is, how weird something feels, how he/she wishes they could punch someone or they are in danger of getting punched.
The characters feel like paper dolls. You have no real connection to their feelings or why they do the things they do.
I don't plan on reading the rest of the series.
July 25, 2011
The plot (as in what happens) is pretty interesting. With so many YA angel books out lately, I was expecting a rehash, but I was pleasantly surprised. The end was satisfying, while also leaving the reader wanting to read the next book, though I would have liked to see Kara struggle a little more.
However, the pacing leaves much to be desired. It feels rushed and slow-moving in different parts.
See the full review at: http://siftbookreviews.blogspot.com/2...
Review by: Sarah of Sift Book Reviews
Sift Book Reviews received a free copy for review from the author. This has, in no way, affected the reviewer's opinion.
However, the pacing leaves much to be desired. It feels rushed and slow-moving in different parts.
See the full review at: http://siftbookreviews.blogspot.com/2...
Review by: Sarah of Sift Book Reviews
Sift Book Reviews received a free copy for review from the author. This has, in no way, affected the reviewer's opinion.
January 14, 2015
I have read this book and it is definitely a teen read. I stepped out of my comfort zone and read the book. I gave it a 5 star because I kept wanting to go back to find out what happened next. It kept my interest.
April 9, 2015
Not sure why anyone would say this book was horrible. I landed on this book after looking for a different book under the same title. It grabbed my attention immediately and held on to it until the last page.
January 20, 2020
Marked, by Kim Richardson, is the first book in the Soul Guardians series. It’s aimed at teens and young adults, and a point in its favor is that it retains a PG-13 rating. No sex. Not much language. I really appreciate an author who considers the age of the protagonist and the readers as far as content goes, and I hope the rest of the series continues in the same vein.
I kept reading to the end which is another point in its favor because I’ll drop a book like a hot biscuit for all sorts of reasons.
However, the theology of angels is extremely flawed, so students of the Bible are going to have to put what they know about Heaven to the side. I’m not much for stories about angels and demons, anyway, but I was looking for guardian/hero books. So… At least Richardson treated her setting with energetic enthusiasm that made it kind of fun.
The main character is Kara, a sixteen-year-old art student who has bad timing with her cell phone and meets her demise in a messy fashion on the first couple of pages. The author really starts things off with a bang. That’s not a spoiler; it’s on the back cover, so calm down. Turns out she’s been chosen to be a guardian angel. Her introduction to Heaven reminded me of the bureaucracy to be found on planet Vogon (Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy), but at least the author let her MC ask questions without getting slapped in the face for thinking.
Kara’s mentor is a youngish guardian angel (GA) named David. He’s all the predictable things: blond, blue-eyed, hot, self-important, cocky, and reckless. David annoyed me until the very end of the book. For those who read the rest of the series, I truly hope he “grows up” as it goes along.
Of course (of course), there’s a hint of forbidden romance. But in other departments, particularly setting and tertiary characters, this book is highly original and fairly entertaining.
A nice twist at the ending and a gentle cliffhanger bring this in at 3.5 stars. Honestly, I probably will not reread it because, as I stated up top, angels and demons are not my preference. But if they are YOUR preference, give it a go.
I kept reading to the end which is another point in its favor because I’ll drop a book like a hot biscuit for all sorts of reasons.
However, the theology of angels is extremely flawed, so students of the Bible are going to have to put what they know about Heaven to the side. I’m not much for stories about angels and demons, anyway, but I was looking for guardian/hero books. So… At least Richardson treated her setting with energetic enthusiasm that made it kind of fun.
The main character is Kara, a sixteen-year-old art student who has bad timing with her cell phone and meets her demise in a messy fashion on the first couple of pages. The author really starts things off with a bang. That’s not a spoiler; it’s on the back cover, so calm down. Turns out she’s been chosen to be a guardian angel. Her introduction to Heaven reminded me of the bureaucracy to be found on planet Vogon (Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy), but at least the author let her MC ask questions without getting slapped in the face for thinking.
Kara’s mentor is a youngish guardian angel (GA) named David. He’s all the predictable things: blond, blue-eyed, hot, self-important, cocky, and reckless. David annoyed me until the very end of the book. For those who read the rest of the series, I truly hope he “grows up” as it goes along.
Of course (of course), there’s a hint of forbidden romance. But in other departments, particularly setting and tertiary characters, this book is highly original and fairly entertaining.
A nice twist at the ending and a gentle cliffhanger bring this in at 3.5 stars. Honestly, I probably will not reread it because, as I stated up top, angels and demons are not my preference. But if they are YOUR preference, give it a go.
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