Marked

by Claudia Blood

Searching for her lost sister, she uncovers a terrible secret—one that could cost her everything…

Valeria has just lost her sister, and with her powers out of control, she’s on the brink of utter destruction.

An ancient family secret holds the key to freeing herself—and finding the person she loves the most.

But demons don’t play fair.

And with her loved ones under their control…

It may be one family feud she can’t survive.

Marked is the standalone, short story in the Merged Series that shows what lengths people will go for family.

ebook

Published March 1, 2024

About the author

In spite of a busy life wrapped around a military husband, two young children, a dog, bunnies, and a day job, Claudia Blood manages to pen cozy, urban, and science fantasies.

My upcoming books:
A Christmas Tail, Horizon Echo, and Scale of the Dragon

Reviews

[Cath · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short story is part of the Merged series and the main character is young witch Valeria, who has been told she isn’t good enough or in control of her magic enough to be part of her family’s coven. She is afraid of the power within her and what it can do. She has nightmares about the last time she saw her younger sister Corona, who was deemed useless to the coven and beaten, before being used as a breeder. But one day she can no longer sense any family link to Corona and finds herself pulled by magic to her family coven seat across the city. Her grandmother Isabella, her aunts and even a cousin are there and say they want vengeance against the breeder who killed Corona. Valeri decides that even if her gran won’t let her seek revenge, then she shall do it herself. There seem to be plenty of family secrets she has not been allowed to be a part of, but she is soon going to be finding out far more than she could ever have imagined. She will need to fight demons to be free of what is control of her family, an enemy she never knew about, but which her older family members certainly did! A nice tale of long held family secrets Valeria has never been a part of, demons, and dark magic which she is going to have to fight her way through for her loved ones. Not what she expected and a nice taste of what is to come in the series!

I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This contemporary urban dystopian post apocalyptic fantasy is page-turning with exceptional world-building and characters that are captivating, resilient, and realistic. Their journey is enthralling with Valeria searching for her lost sister and uncovers a terrible secret that could cost her everything, an ancient family secret holds the key to freeing herself-and finding the person she loves the most, demons don't play fair and her loved ones are under their control, this maybe one family feud that she can't survive, action, adventure, demands, witches, drama, heartfelt emotions, and more. I recommend reading this book by an extraordinary author who knows how to captivate her readers' hearts and attention with being marked and a urban fantasy romance that is sure to transport readers into a world of oblivion that is magical and unforgettable.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Carinkla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This original  story was quite intense.It was fast paced, but never too fast so you could not keep up. It could easily have been a longer tale, maybe a novella?. 


The descriptive all-knowing narrator style it was written in drew me in from the beginning and made it easy to immerse myself into the story.


The main character, Valeria was very relatable and I really liked the premise of the story. I understand that this was a prelude about one of the characters from previous books, her origin story. The story really fulfilled one of its probably intended purposes, it made me eager to read more about Valeria and her world.

[Cecilia Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short story is the perfect length to spark your imagination and whet your appetite for more. Valeria’s life is miserable as part of a coven who treats her with nothing but disdain for her inability to control her powers. The death of her long-lost sister pushes her to finally stand up for what she wants and vengeance will be hers. Little does she know, vengeance is the last thing she’ll discover.

[Rose Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an interesting short read. It’s exciting & adventurous. It has all types of characters a mythical universe of converging worlds. You will love this read.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Hanna Belle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have liked this series and this short story set in the same world was really good! I liked it and how it was a side story with interesting characters.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[AMBER CLARK · Rating 4 out of 5]

This very short story is part of the Merged series. Valeria, a young witch, learns many painful family secrets including what happened to her younger sister Corona. Off to see what the series holds.

[Kendall · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not certain how to review this one. A lot happened in a few pages and my head is still spinning. There was no character development, it just took off. I got the gist of the story, one sister in search of another sister, both witches, magic, demon spawn. It left me confused, but, as usual, don't go by me, read it yourself.

Thank you to BookSprout and the author for allowing me to read and honestly review the book.