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The Vampire's Mark #1
The Vampire's Mark 1 Lib/E: Dark Reign
Four blood-sucking princes. A beautiful anarchist. One dangerous mistake.
To the vampires who dominate each quadrant of the Lydian Dynasty, I’m only known as “Blackbird”—a masked vigilante who, at nineteen, is already public enemy number one.
To what’s left of humanity, I’ve been called a superhero, a title I neither welcome nor deserve. My only objective is to offer the enslaved what was stolen from us …
Freedom.
However, a failed plan lands me in the last place I imagined, at the mercy of all four Dynasty princes—Julian, Levi, Roman, and Silas. They’re monsters, each with a heart rumored to be as cold as his icy skin. And what’s worse, thanks to the slip-up, my fate is suddenly theirs to decide.
It’s up to them whether I’ll swing from the gallows, and I’ve given them every reason to sentence me to such a fate. Yet, I felt something unexplainable when our paths first crossed.
Something that gives me hope.
We should be one another’s worst nightmare. Only, I’m beginning to wonder if, somehow … these four princes might be my saving grace.
***
This is BOOK ONE in THE VAMPIRE’S MARK series.
Series order is as follows:
The Vampire’s Mark 1: Dark Reign
The Vampire’s Mark 2: Hell Storm
The Vampire’s Mark 3: Cold Heir
The Vampire’s Mark 4: Crimson Mist
Note: This is a slow-burn, upper young adult/New Adult, RH series. You have my word there’s no insta-love between these pages whatsoever. Instead, you’ll be immersed in a rich plot and an imaginative alternate-reality where vampires don’t just exist. They rule. The eventual connection between Corina and these four sexy, vamp princes will be well-deserved and intense. There are certainly sexy times in this series, and the heat level is synonymous with the young adult/new adult genres. Thanks for checking out the series and enjoy!
THE VAMPIRE’S MARK is an action-packed, paranormal romance involving vampire royalty and the humans who fear them.
To the vampires who dominate each quadrant of the Lydian Dynasty, I’m only known as “Blackbird”—a masked vigilante who, at nineteen, is already public enemy number one.
To what’s left of humanity, I’ve been called a superhero, a title I neither welcome nor deserve. My only objective is to offer the enslaved what was stolen from us …
Freedom.
However, a failed plan lands me in the last place I imagined, at the mercy of all four Dynasty princes—Julian, Levi, Roman, and Silas. They’re monsters, each with a heart rumored to be as cold as his icy skin. And what’s worse, thanks to the slip-up, my fate is suddenly theirs to decide.
It’s up to them whether I’ll swing from the gallows, and I’ve given them every reason to sentence me to such a fate. Yet, I felt something unexplainable when our paths first crossed.
Something that gives me hope.
We should be one another’s worst nightmare. Only, I’m beginning to wonder if, somehow … these four princes might be my saving grace.
***
This is BOOK ONE in THE VAMPIRE’S MARK series.
Series order is as follows:
The Vampire’s Mark 1: Dark Reign
The Vampire’s Mark 2: Hell Storm
The Vampire’s Mark 3: Cold Heir
The Vampire’s Mark 4: Crimson Mist
Note: This is a slow-burn, upper young adult/New Adult, RH series. You have my word there’s no insta-love between these pages whatsoever. Instead, you’ll be immersed in a rich plot and an imaginative alternate-reality where vampires don’t just exist. They rule. The eventual connection between Corina and these four sexy, vamp princes will be well-deserved and intense. There are certainly sexy times in this series, and the heat level is synonymous with the young adult/new adult genres. Thanks for checking out the series and enjoy!
THE VAMPIRE’S MARK is an action-packed, paranormal romance involving vampire royalty and the humans who fear them.
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First published December 15, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 170 reviews
August 29, 2019
159 Jonas, Rachel Dark Reign The Vampire’s Mark, #1 94 - 4642
Reading Date: 28.08.2019 - 29.08.2019
Shelfves: rhf
Pages: 294
My rating (stars): 4
Read other books from this author in the future: yes
The first book I read form this author was Book one of the Lost Royal Saga. And The Dark Mark reminds me of it a little in the speed in which Jonas tells the story. It begins slow, even if the reader sees where this will lead in the long run, before the MC’s even meet. But around 40% the speed picks up and suddenly I couldn’t put it down and I am looking forward to the next part. I can’t describe what got me, I think it were many thing:
✵ The girl Corina, her cause, that she cares so much about her family
✵ The awful society, which has princes who seem to be human at times
✵ ….
I normally don’t read vampire books. A buddy read on GR made me decide to read this one. And I am happy that I read it.
Reading Date: 28.08.2019 - 29.08.2019
Shelfves: rhf
Pages: 294
My rating (stars): 4
Read other books from this author in the future: yes
The first book I read form this author was Book one of the Lost Royal Saga. And The Dark Mark reminds me of it a little in the speed in which Jonas tells the story. It begins slow, even if the reader sees where this will lead in the long run, before the MC’s even meet. But around 40% the speed picks up and suddenly I couldn’t put it down and I am looking forward to the next part. I can’t describe what got me, I think it were many thing:
✵ The girl Corina, her cause, that she cares so much about her family
✵ The awful society, which has princes who seem to be human at times
✵ ….
I normally don’t read vampire books. A buddy read on GR made me decide to read this one. And I am happy that I read it.
December 12, 2018
Holy crap, I was not expecting this to be the 5 star read that it was! No reason for that really, I just didn't see it coming!
The world has ended and been taken over by vampires, but this is no typical dystopian society. The world building in this is flawless. There is so much built up and explained (but not overly so) that it almost has an epic feel to it. I loved Corina so much. She is such a kick butt girl and I feel for her immensely. I did like the guys as well, but I feel like I need to get to know them better. They were well introduced and developed of course, but there was a lot still under the surface left to uncover.
Corina's struggle is only beginning, and that ending definitely left me dying for book 2!
The world has ended and been taken over by vampires, but this is no typical dystopian society. The world building in this is flawless. There is so much built up and explained (but not overly so) that it almost has an epic feel to it. I loved Corina so much. She is such a kick butt girl and I feel for her immensely. I did like the guys as well, but I feel like I need to get to know them better. They were well introduced and developed of course, but there was a lot still under the surface left to uncover.
Corina's struggle is only beginning, and that ending definitely left me dying for book 2!
December 22, 2018
First off, I'm not a huge fan of reverse harem but I love vampires and the storyline was super intriguing so I couldn't resist the urge to get my hands on an advanced copy. The world building is great, and I really love the whole premise. It's very different to anything else I've read in the vampire genre. Also I love the slow burn romance and I could not get enough of Julian. Holy hot vampire! I'm actually kind of sad the story doesn't just revolve around Corina and Julian because I absolutely loved their chemistry. We didn't get to see that much more of the other princes but I'm sure we will as the series unfolds. That ending left me wanting so much more and I can't wait to see what the author comes up with next!
December 18, 2018
Review to come but this is epic!
February 21, 2020
Interesting start to this series. Super big fan of Rachel Jonas at this point as her books usually suck me in pretty fast. This story though, I had a little trouble getting invested. I feel like it is because though we have an interesting world the lack of backstory about the world really made it hard for me to fully picture things. Though we do get some explanations they sometimes felt a little out of place. Like why would someone need to explain to the FMC certain aspects when she has grown up in this world. So like it was obvious the explanations weren't for the FMC but for the reader almost taking the reader out of the story for the explanations. I wouldn't go as far to say fact dumps but they were definitely obvious.
Dystopian type feel, but... it also carries some huge technological breakthroughs that we hard for me to wrap my head around. Our world was built on supernaturals concepts except it seems that they were achieved through science. Humanity is enslaved by Vampires, even though that is what they are, there is a scientific name Ianites. What I think is most interesting about this story is that despite humanity being enslaved, we get multiple POVs here which doesn't make a bad guy apparent. Its confusing the lack of black and white and also getting the perspectives from both our FMC, Corina, who is human, and Julian our leading dude in this story, who is a prince of the Ianites. This causes a war within the reader as we don't honestly know who to root for because it doesn't seem either side of the war is wrong but something is going on behind the scenes that we just aren't privy too yet and each of our characters are out for what is best for their race.
Corina lands herself in a heap of trouble while infiltrating the palace trying to find out about a tainted blood supply.. Ok have to stop my summary here to just let everyone know, I don't understand the heavy science going on here. I don't feel like there was a thorough enough explanation about the vaccines? About the sickness happening to the vampires? nor about the "tainted" blood supply. Though it was mentioned, I feel like it was waaaaay to brief and barely noticeable for such a big point of the world build. Anyways, while trying to find out about the tainted blood supply, Corina catches the eye of not one but all 4 princes which starts a snowball of events and secrets as well as lie upon lie to try and dig their way out. Now Corina is property of the Prince, a doll.. just where she never wanted to be.
I feel like we are just barely hearing the rumbles of the avalanche of trouble about to fall on our main characters. We have definitely just scratched the surface and I must know what we are getting into. Looking forward to continuing this series.
Dystopian type feel, but... it also carries some huge technological breakthroughs that we hard for me to wrap my head around. Our world was built on supernaturals concepts except it seems that they were achieved through science. Humanity is enslaved by Vampires, even though that is what they are, there is a scientific name Ianites. What I think is most interesting about this story is that despite humanity being enslaved, we get multiple POVs here which doesn't make a bad guy apparent. Its confusing the lack of black and white and also getting the perspectives from both our FMC, Corina, who is human, and Julian our leading dude in this story, who is a prince of the Ianites. This causes a war within the reader as we don't honestly know who to root for because it doesn't seem either side of the war is wrong but something is going on behind the scenes that we just aren't privy too yet and each of our characters are out for what is best for their race.
Corina lands herself in a heap of trouble while infiltrating the palace trying to find out about a tainted blood supply.. Ok have to stop my summary here to just let everyone know, I don't understand the heavy science going on here. I don't feel like there was a thorough enough explanation about the vaccines? About the sickness happening to the vampires? nor about the "tainted" blood supply. Though it was mentioned, I feel like it was waaaaay to brief and barely noticeable for such a big point of the world build. Anyways, while trying to find out about the tainted blood supply, Corina catches the eye of not one but all 4 princes which starts a snowball of events and secrets as well as lie upon lie to try and dig their way out. Now Corina is property of the Prince, a doll.. just where she never wanted to be.
I feel like we are just barely hearing the rumbles of the avalanche of trouble about to fall on our main characters. We have definitely just scratched the surface and I must know what we are getting into. Looking forward to continuing this series.
August 9, 2019
Feels more like a prequel than a first book. Its good and I want to jump onto the next one but it is slow. The entire book is buildup and first meetings, just settling things into place. So now romance, or intimacy just yet. Just a bad case of insta attraction and breaking rules.
Cori is strong but has a vulnerability to her making her instantly likable. She knows what she can do and what she has to, so it will be interesting to see where things go and how she holds up. Then there are the guys. Four vampire princes. I liked their bond, how close they are and just how far they're willing to go for one another. More enemy to lovers.
The story itself is gonna be complicated. One woman stuck between two sides. Its gonna be fun. Just hope it speeds up in the second one but not zero to sex everywhere. Didn't like the reporter. Favourite character was Elle.
Cori is strong but has a vulnerability to her making her instantly likable. She knows what she can do and what she has to, so it will be interesting to see where things go and how she holds up. Then there are the guys. Four vampire princes. I liked their bond, how close they are and just how far they're willing to go for one another. More enemy to lovers.
The story itself is gonna be complicated. One woman stuck between two sides. Its gonna be fun. Just hope it speeds up in the second one but not zero to sex everywhere. Didn't like the reporter. Favourite character was Elle.
August 1, 2019
I liked it, although i'm disappointed the epilepsy was brought up and then just thrown out. It annoys me when authors bring in disabilities and illnesses just to have them magically be fixed. Makes me wonder what the point even was.
October 6, 2020
LOVE this book! Can’t wait to read the next one!!!
January 25, 2019
This novel was very engaging. I love Cori as a lead, she is feisty and strong. Her connection to her humanity, and her goals is really inspiring.
Julian is probably my favourite of the princes. He seems genuine and caring. I cannot wait to see his relationship with Cori grow...as well as the other princes. This ending that you are prepared for still hits you like a punch to the stomach.
I want more details about Cori and her past, but as well as her future has to offer. I also want more Elle in the next novel. She was my favourite surprise about this novel. I cannot wait to read the next novel soon !! Definitely a great read.
Julian is probably my favourite of the princes. He seems genuine and caring. I cannot wait to see his relationship with Cori grow...as well as the other princes. This ending that you are prepared for still hits you like a punch to the stomach.
I want more details about Cori and her past, but as well as her future has to offer. I also want more Elle in the next novel. She was my favourite surprise about this novel. I cannot wait to read the next novel soon !! Definitely a great read.
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August 22, 2020🎁 FREE on Amazon today (8/22/2020)! 🎁
April 15, 2019
Nothing really intrigued me about the plot or the characters. 1.5 stars (since i finished the book)
December 26, 2018
WoW! What an amazing start to a series! I read the entire book in one setting, I just couldn’t put it down!
Corina is a vigilante who goes by ‘Blackbird’, she rescues children from the blood camps set up to feed vampires.
But when on a recon mission she gets wrapped up with a vampire prince who saves her from being discovered and killed. But there’s one issue she has to pretend to be his doll, after being marked and legal placed as his, everything goes down hill and fast for Corina.
Corina is a vigilante who goes by ‘Blackbird’, she rescues children from the blood camps set up to feed vampires.
But when on a recon mission she gets wrapped up with a vampire prince who saves her from being discovered and killed. But there’s one issue she has to pretend to be his doll, after being marked and legal placed as his, everything goes down hill and fast for Corina.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 26, 2018
I fell in love with this book from start to finish I couldn’t seem to put it down. I can’t wait to see where book 2 takes Corina and her 4 princes
September 5, 2019
Well that ending was obvious AF. So far I don’t recommend the series but I have the next book so I’ll read it... 🤦🏻♀️ Hopefully book two won’t be like slowly watching a train wreck. 💥 🚞
December 30, 2018
This was a pleasant surprise, so more like 4.25 stars!
Set in a semi Sci Find dystopian reality, where 500 years ago humans lost the war to the vampires (Ianites as they're called here) humans are treated pretty much the way we treat our livestock. You are put to work, either physically or as a "sow" to breed more humans, your blood is systematically drained and bottled and fed to the Ianites. It is pretty horrifying really, but only lightly touched upon as a back drop to the world here. There are small groups if rebels, such as Corinna and her gang, who manage to exist on the fringes of society, and a final role.for humans is that of a "Doll", which is essentially a concubine for the more wealthy Ianites.
Corinna is a rebel who focuses on extracting and saving people from the farms or orphanages they are kept it. A slight criticism is that it is a bit unclear what the overall objective of her group of rebels are, as there's no real detail about their organisation or history. It is as if it is slightly irrelevant, as the plot really picks up when Corrina first crosses paths with the four Vampire Princes.
I don't want to say more, as I'll be spoiling it, but if you're a fan of the enemies to lovers trope, then this book is for you. Although the romance is clearly going to be pretty slow burn, which is the only way it could realistically be consider the vast issues there are for them to overcome.
Corinna is tough and likeable, although I did find myself getting irritated at her attitude a bit, although it is totally understandable and believeble considering what her people have been through. Of the four Princes Julian got the most focus here, although we also get the pic of Julian, Levi and Roman at some points.
I usually avoid YA, but as this was labelled as upper YA/NA I decided to try it, and I'm glad I did. Corinna is 19, but in many ways her narrative voice is of someone older, although she still has a certain naievity about her. The overall tone of the world it quite dark, and whilst there is not a lot of romantic encounters here, I have a feeling the detail/description will fit in with the YA/NA level.
I am very much looking forward to book 2, where I think things will really start speeding up and I wish I didn't have to wait for March!
Set in a semi Sci Find dystopian reality, where 500 years ago humans lost the war to the vampires (Ianites as they're called here) humans are treated pretty much the way we treat our livestock. You are put to work, either physically or as a "sow" to breed more humans, your blood is systematically drained and bottled and fed to the Ianites. It is pretty horrifying really, but only lightly touched upon as a back drop to the world here. There are small groups if rebels, such as Corinna and her gang, who manage to exist on the fringes of society, and a final role.for humans is that of a "Doll", which is essentially a concubine for the more wealthy Ianites.
Corinna is a rebel who focuses on extracting and saving people from the farms or orphanages they are kept it. A slight criticism is that it is a bit unclear what the overall objective of her group of rebels are, as there's no real detail about their organisation or history. It is as if it is slightly irrelevant, as the plot really picks up when Corrina first crosses paths with the four Vampire Princes.
I don't want to say more, as I'll be spoiling it, but if you're a fan of the enemies to lovers trope, then this book is for you. Although the romance is clearly going to be pretty slow burn, which is the only way it could realistically be consider the vast issues there are for them to overcome.
Corinna is tough and likeable, although I did find myself getting irritated at her attitude a bit, although it is totally understandable and believeble considering what her people have been through. Of the four Princes Julian got the most focus here, although we also get the pic of Julian, Levi and Roman at some points.
I usually avoid YA, but as this was labelled as upper YA/NA I decided to try it, and I'm glad I did. Corinna is 19, but in many ways her narrative voice is of someone older, although she still has a certain naievity about her. The overall tone of the world it quite dark, and whilst there is not a lot of romantic encounters here, I have a feeling the detail/description will fit in with the YA/NA level.
I am very much looking forward to book 2, where I think things will really start speeding up and I wish I didn't have to wait for March!
August 4, 2019
This book reads more like a dystopian novel with paranormal themes. This story follows Corina, a human rebel living among allied humans in a world run by Ianites. Ianites are the author’s take on vampires, with their own elaborate political world, customs, and futuristic inventions. But the sucky part (<—see what i did there?) is that humans are little more than cattle (“sows”) who are used and killed. So, Ianites really are the worst. Bummer.
The pacing of the book was the biggest problem for me in part due to the world building that had to take place. After an intense, page-turning first couple of chapters, the pace slows immensely for long explanations about politics and thinly veiled conversations that explain things to the reader. An example might be, “hey such-and-such, explain to me why humans can’t be turned into Ianites? How does that process work? What could I expect if I was bitten?” *two pages containing exactly what you need to know before some major plot point takes place, which hinges on the exact knowledge the reader gained in that conversation*
This made for lots of skimming for me.
The chemistry was pretty low between Julian and Corina. Because of the aforementioned long winded explanations, the two actually interacted only a couple of times. Much of the page count was dedicated to scenes between the guys, Julian and his father, or Corina and her people. She spent much of the book understandably pissed and resentful of Julian, which I get (and support—it’d be weird if she wasn’t), but then turns confused and simpering with a kiss.
I wish more of the political intrigue was left for later books so we could spend time with Corina and the guys. Let them bond a little, or fight....something to shore up and sizzle those relationships before shit hits the fan.
Anyways, the book improved in the last half, and I’ll probably reach for the second sometime soon. Was it unputdownable? No...but honestly one of the better RHs I’ve read lately.
The pacing of the book was the biggest problem for me in part due to the world building that had to take place. After an intense, page-turning first couple of chapters, the pace slows immensely for long explanations about politics and thinly veiled conversations that explain things to the reader. An example might be, “hey such-and-such, explain to me why humans can’t be turned into Ianites? How does that process work? What could I expect if I was bitten?” *two pages containing exactly what you need to know before some major plot point takes place, which hinges on the exact knowledge the reader gained in that conversation*
This made for lots of skimming for me.
The chemistry was pretty low between Julian and Corina. Because of the aforementioned long winded explanations, the two actually interacted only a couple of times. Much of the page count was dedicated to scenes between the guys, Julian and his father, or Corina and her people. She spent much of the book understandably pissed and resentful of Julian, which I get (and support—it’d be weird if she wasn’t), but then turns confused and simpering with a kiss.
I wish more of the political intrigue was left for later books so we could spend time with Corina and the guys. Let them bond a little, or fight....something to shore up and sizzle those relationships before shit hits the fan.
Anyways, the book improved in the last half, and I’ll probably reach for the second sometime soon. Was it unputdownable? No...but honestly one of the better RHs I’ve read lately.
January 31, 2019
Corina, known as the "Blackbird" to her enemies was captured after a failed recon mission. Now with her fate in the hands of her sworn enemies; the four princes of the Lydian Dynasty, she must do what it takes to proceed with the mission or has she been compromised already?
In this slow burn, dark dystopian romance, Ms. Jonas certainly captures my attention. I devoured this book in one sitting and couldn't wait to have another bite of the story. Told mostly through the male characters POV, I am sucked into the story and intrigued by the twisted, decadent world these royal vampires inhabit. I am getting the Hunger Games/ ACOTAR vibes from this book and I for one would like to read the next installment with the way it ends. Talk about a cliffhanger!
I received an ARC and I am voluntarily leaving a fair, honest review.
In this slow burn, dark dystopian romance, Ms. Jonas certainly captures my attention. I devoured this book in one sitting and couldn't wait to have another bite of the story. Told mostly through the male characters POV, I am sucked into the story and intrigued by the twisted, decadent world these royal vampires inhabit. I am getting the Hunger Games/ ACOTAR vibes from this book and I for one would like to read the next installment with the way it ends. Talk about a cliffhanger!
I received an ARC and I am voluntarily leaving a fair, honest review.
December 20, 2018
The Vampire's Mark was a wild, crazy and incredibly dark... I loved it. If the other books in the series are anything like the first then Rachel has another hit on her hands but this time with a steamy reverse harem.
Five hundred years have pasted since the Fall, the war between vampires and humans and the world hasn't been the same. Vampires are the ruling class that is drenched in extravagance and luxury while humans are slaves, no more than animals to the vampires the reside over them. However whenever there is injustice people fight back, there is a resistance building against the current society and a rebel code-named Blackbird is the face of it. Corina does what she has to help the resistance, taking on dangerous missions but what happens she comes face to face with the rulers, no one could have guess.
I have a headache. I have been on the edge of my seat almost this entire book. Things were going down and multiple shit-storms had occurred and I was very emotionally stressed but in a good way. I mean my nerves were fried because this isn't the instalove story you think it is, it's a slow burn romance. The two sides start off hating each other with such passion. I mean drag-them in the streets sort of hate and I think there were plenty of conflicting emotions on all sides.
The story is told from Corina and each of the four princes has their own chapters and it's really interesting to see how the same world is perceived by the two different factions. I will admit this story is dark as F. Human slaves does not even begin to cover how dark and twisted this world is. We are talk real deep dark stuff such as little kids being "donors" human women being kept as "dolls" and how the vampires really do see humans as less than. It is a dangers and excited world that Rachel has created and the ruling/magic system is strait forward and interesting but the characters are something else.
Corina is one of those characters that I can't help but love, she is so determined, brave, quick and ballsy that I couldn't help but love her. She doesn't let the vampires scare her into submission or in action, she says what she needs to say when she says it. Another aspect of her personality that rings familiar with me is the fact she is so stubborn. She refuses to give up on her friends and she refuses to admit that maybe she was wrong about certain things or certain people. Corina also has a disability but she doesn't let that stop her from helping those who need it, also I love the fact that I think Corina might be a little crazy.
As for the four princes, the all are really close each has a distinct personality. Silas is the academic, Roman is dark and brooding, Levi is a man-whore and Julian is the responsible one. I am not categorizing them I am naming their most dominant trait. I will admit I don't know how I feel about the princes, I don't Roman he has a messed up family and issues that he needs to deal with, Levi is just to damn cocky but I like Silas and Julian is sort of growing on me. However with all the darkness that is in their world of privilege how they act can make me dislike them and I am having a really hard time jumping on the Roman train, hell he might push me off.
One character I did not expect was Elle, she was such a delightful surprise in the story. I wish I could tell more without giving anything away but I will say that the characters need to pay more attention to her and maybe it would save their bacon in the future.
The Vampire's Mark is the first book in the reverse harem series and it was amazing. I loved all the action, intrigue, intense scenes, the back and forth dialogue, the betrayal, magic and secrets so many secrets. Corina was an amazing character and I can't wait to see what happens between her and the princes next, I have so many questions. I also have a few theories about what will happen in the next book and I have a feeling some big revelations will be revealed and I am so ready for it.
Favorite Quote: "The princes are coming."
Five hundred years have pasted since the Fall, the war between vampires and humans and the world hasn't been the same. Vampires are the ruling class that is drenched in extravagance and luxury while humans are slaves, no more than animals to the vampires the reside over them. However whenever there is injustice people fight back, there is a resistance building against the current society and a rebel code-named Blackbird is the face of it. Corina does what she has to help the resistance, taking on dangerous missions but what happens she comes face to face with the rulers, no one could have guess.
I have a headache. I have been on the edge of my seat almost this entire book. Things were going down and multiple shit-storms had occurred and I was very emotionally stressed but in a good way. I mean my nerves were fried because this isn't the instalove story you think it is, it's a slow burn romance. The two sides start off hating each other with such passion. I mean drag-them in the streets sort of hate and I think there were plenty of conflicting emotions on all sides.
The story is told from Corina and each of the four princes has their own chapters and it's really interesting to see how the same world is perceived by the two different factions. I will admit this story is dark as F. Human slaves does not even begin to cover how dark and twisted this world is. We are talk real deep dark stuff such as little kids being "donors" human women being kept as "dolls" and how the vampires really do see humans as less than. It is a dangers and excited world that Rachel has created and the ruling/magic system is strait forward and interesting but the characters are something else.
Corina is one of those characters that I can't help but love, she is so determined, brave, quick and ballsy that I couldn't help but love her. She doesn't let the vampires scare her into submission or in action, she says what she needs to say when she says it. Another aspect of her personality that rings familiar with me is the fact she is so stubborn. She refuses to give up on her friends and she refuses to admit that maybe she was wrong about certain things or certain people. Corina also has a disability but she doesn't let that stop her from helping those who need it, also I love the fact that I think Corina might be a little crazy.
As for the four princes, the all are really close each has a distinct personality. Silas is the academic, Roman is dark and brooding, Levi is a man-whore and Julian is the responsible one. I am not categorizing them I am naming their most dominant trait. I will admit I don't know how I feel about the princes, I don't Roman he has a messed up family and issues that he needs to deal with, Levi is just to damn cocky but I like Silas and Julian is sort of growing on me. However with all the darkness that is in their world of privilege how they act can make me dislike them and I am having a really hard time jumping on the Roman train, hell he might push me off.
One character I did not expect was Elle, she was such a delightful surprise in the story. I wish I could tell more without giving anything away but I will say that the characters need to pay more attention to her and maybe it would save their bacon in the future.
The Vampire's Mark is the first book in the reverse harem series and it was amazing. I loved all the action, intrigue, intense scenes, the back and forth dialogue, the betrayal, magic and secrets so many secrets. Corina was an amazing character and I can't wait to see what happens between her and the princes next, I have so many questions. I also have a few theories about what will happen in the next book and I have a feeling some big revelations will be revealed and I am so ready for it.
Favorite Quote: "The princes are coming."
December 26, 2018
Dark Reign is the first in The Vampires Mark Series by Rachel Jonas. It’s a slow-burn Reverse Harem and as you guessed it staring Vampires! I’ve been waiting to read this book for quite some time and that anticipation has paid off.
Vampires rule the new world and humans are no more than cattle but as most stories go there is an underground resistance out there trying to save/free as many humans they can and hopefully avoid capture and inevitable death.
Our heroine, Corina, isn’t perfect which I like, she’s not fearless either but she perseveres because she believes wholeheartedly in her mission in life. I also like the Royal Princes, Silas, Julian, Levi and Roman, they have a great dynamic with each other, brothers in everything except blood. But when a night where their inhibitions are put to the side our characters are met with problematic situations that could see one of their brothers put to death. There’s no such thing as fair in this life, all they can do is manoeuvre themselves the best way they can to protect each other, sometimes that means doing things they never thought possible.
This book ends in a cliffhanger so I’m hanging on by tooth and nail for the best instalment. Great read!
Vampires rule the new world and humans are no more than cattle but as most stories go there is an underground resistance out there trying to save/free as many humans they can and hopefully avoid capture and inevitable death.
Our heroine, Corina, isn’t perfect which I like, she’s not fearless either but she perseveres because she believes wholeheartedly in her mission in life. I also like the Royal Princes, Silas, Julian, Levi and Roman, they have a great dynamic with each other, brothers in everything except blood. But when a night where their inhibitions are put to the side our characters are met with problematic situations that could see one of their brothers put to death. There’s no such thing as fair in this life, all they can do is manoeuvre themselves the best way they can to protect each other, sometimes that means doing things they never thought possible.
This book ends in a cliffhanger so I’m hanging on by tooth and nail for the best instalment. Great read!
April 30, 2021
I liked the introduction of the characters and the world-building, but I think I was lacking a bit of meat on the bones of the story overall. There was a lot of science thrown around that was driving the plot, but it wasn't well explained how this dystopian world came to be and what exactly was driving the society other than for power. The rebels were shown to be working on freeing human kids from the orphanages, but it wasn't clear exactly how they decided on the kids to rescue and what the full plan was for the saved kids after the rescue considering resources and food were in such short supply and most of the rebels were starving from malnutrition to begin with. And after the FMC Corina left the rebel setting and had to cut off communication, they were pretty much not brought up again even though we still had all these explanations hanging.
Character-wise, Corina was built up to be this bad-ass with her introductory rescue sequence, but she ended up as a helpless passenger along for the ride based on spontaneous decisions by Prince Julian for most of the book once she was captured. It wasn't a very satisfying read to me, and I'm not convinced if I really like all the spoiled princes set up to be in her harem, so I think I'm going to pass on reading the rest of the series.
Character-wise, Corina was built up to be this bad-ass with her introductory rescue sequence, but she ended up as a helpless passenger along for the ride based on spontaneous decisions by Prince Julian for most of the book once she was captured. It wasn't a very satisfying read to me, and I'm not convinced if I really like all the spoiled princes set up to be in her harem, so I think I'm going to pass on reading the rest of the series.
December 11, 2018
Absolutely amazing. I fell in love with the world and the players in it. This is one of the rare books where I actually found myself kind of rooting for the humans given how life is for them. Most books seem to go the opposite way, where the 'humans' have the advantage of technology and use it again supernatural beings. That being said, Corina was the one that pulled me in and I completely fell for her. She's amazingly strong and a delight to get to know as a person. Add in Julian and wow, that is some serious chemistry. The way the story flowed really made it a treat to read and I definitely did not expect the direction of the story. I'm really really curious where our amazing author will go with it. I can't wait to get my hands on the next book. I can honestly say that I will be reading this book and most likely this series over and over in the future. One of my favorites? You bet!! I'm a pretty picky reader and I either get into it or just stay disconnected and stop...I can say this for the book: It drew me in right from the beginning, straight til the end and all I wanted at the end was to get my greedy hands on the next one
December 27, 2018
The first book in this exciting series was really great. Between Corina and her group that try to rescue humans and the four future leaders of the the Ianites the prince's Julian, Levi, Silas and Roman, there's so much story that will keep you interested till the very and keep you wanting more. Corina is the most wanted fugitive in this world and the Ianites are out for her blood and punishment for all the trouble she and her group of liberators are causing them. She's known as Blackbird and they want her more than anything. Some information comes to light about a known disease that has Corina and her group wanting more answers to. They propose a mission using Corina to gather more Intel and a upcoming Gala for the upper class of the Ianites. While on her mission she attracts the eye of the Emperor in training Prince Julian. While he's immediately smitten with her it seems the other Prince's find her appealing as well. Everything seems to be going well until it isn't and Corina is finding the quickest escape out of there. What happens next really amps the story up from there, you really need to find out. This book will have you clamoring for more. I'm so excited and looking forward to book two, I really hope it's soon. Highly recommend this book!!!
July 22, 2019
Review for books 1-3
So I started book 1 of this series yesterday.... today at 4 am I finished book 3, only to realize book 4 (the final book in this series isn’t out yet). 😩😩😩 the author started another series so she doesn’t have an eta for it yet #firstworldproblems #bookaddict
So now I’m severely depressed *sigh* anyway it’s a great series... just quite the cliffy in book 3. I thought the way author handled the dystopian feel was very apt to what humanity is, at its core. We’re not necessarily the best and the way the ‘vampires’ morals changed once they no longer considered themselves humans was very believable. The orphanages, slaughter houses all of it, was a very interesting vision.
Corina was a very strong lead. She is a ‘terrorist’ doing whatever she can to help her fellow humans. I love having a fmc you can admire and gunuienly like, makes the story so much better and more enjoyable. This is a slowburn but it never felt like ‘gosh this is taking forever’ there’s so much happening, so it all felt very natural. So another great Rh read, I really can’t wait for the last book though 😩 so many loose ends!
So I started book 1 of this series yesterday.... today at 4 am I finished book 3, only to realize book 4 (the final book in this series isn’t out yet). 😩😩😩 the author started another series so she doesn’t have an eta for it yet #firstworldproblems #bookaddict
So now I’m severely depressed *sigh* anyway it’s a great series... just quite the cliffy in book 3. I thought the way author handled the dystopian feel was very apt to what humanity is, at its core. We’re not necessarily the best and the way the ‘vampires’ morals changed once they no longer considered themselves humans was very believable. The orphanages, slaughter houses all of it, was a very interesting vision.
Corina was a very strong lead. She is a ‘terrorist’ doing whatever she can to help her fellow humans. I love having a fmc you can admire and gunuienly like, makes the story so much better and more enjoyable. This is a slowburn but it never felt like ‘gosh this is taking forever’ there’s so much happening, so it all felt very natural. So another great Rh read, I really can’t wait for the last book though 😩 so many loose ends!
December 13, 2018
Damit! I want more!
Ms.Rachel knows how to pull you into a story an not let you go till you finish it. I loved the direction she went with this dystopian world In this world Vampires are the dominant race with titles and what not and the humans being the minority lower class type. I was very entertained. I loved the female lead she was a strong likable character and the guys, well let me just say... Yaaaaaasss mam!
This was a quick read with a freaking cliffhanger. You know what I'm making cliffhangers triggers they give me the hives. I wasn't ready for this to end. Everything seemed to happen so fast I was like wait, Im, not ready....I'm not ready.... honestly I was like where's the rest of the book? I have some questions lol!
All in all, This is a very great start(too short) to this series I can't wait for the next book(hope its much longer) and as always thank you, Ms. Rachel, for gifting us with your writing xoxoxoxo
Ms.Rachel knows how to pull you into a story an not let you go till you finish it. I loved the direction she went with this dystopian world In this world Vampires are the dominant race with titles and what not and the humans being the minority lower class type. I was very entertained. I loved the female lead she was a strong likable character and the guys, well let me just say... Yaaaaaasss mam!
This was a quick read with a freaking cliffhanger. You know what I'm making cliffhangers triggers they give me the hives. I wasn't ready for this to end. Everything seemed to happen so fast I was like wait, Im, not ready....I'm not ready.... honestly I was like where's the rest of the book? I have some questions lol!
All in all, This is a very great start(too short) to this series I can't wait for the next book(hope its much longer) and as always thank you, Ms. Rachel, for gifting us with your writing xoxoxoxo
December 16, 2018
This book is amazing. The heroine, Corina was so easy to like from the beginning. The author made me feel the conflicting emotions as if they were my own. I loved the storyline of a time where after a war vampires rule and humans are basically cattle. Corina is a great freedom fighter and the princes are not likeable and monsters in the beginning, but then we see the loyalty they have for each other and Julian's concern for Cori and there is suddenly a human side to them. I loved that the author gave just the right amount of details and descriptions so I wasn't overwhelmed and didn't have to keep going back to make sure I understood everything. A bonus was the pinterest board for character casting and playlist. I was able to read and put faces that really matched to each person. Can't wait for book 2.
December 28, 2018
After having read and loved Rachel Jonas' other series when I saw book one of the Vampire's Mark was releasing this week I knew I had to read it ASAP even though reverse harems are not my thing. Although a popular genre I don't always find them right for me. Well I am glad to say that this book blew my expectations away and is going to leave me a bit distraught until the next one comes out in March (can you please make that sooner????). The vampire world, in this book, was one of elitism and separatism leaving Corina an unwanted and hated mark in their society, which made the story even more captivating that she found herself the center revolving around not one, but all 4 princes. Julian, the prince whose point of view you read the most about in this story, was engaging and caring and I can't wait to learn more about him as well as Levi, Silas, and Roman.
August 25, 2020
It's been quite some time since I read a vampire book and so I was very much looking forward to reading this story.4 Vampire princes and 1 sassy rebel ? Count me in...
But but..this was such a disappointment. The four princes are just too plain and nothing really catches your attention. And Corina was too weak to be a rebel, and I don't mean her illness. Her attitude.. I expected something more wicked from her..Something manipulative..What a coup that would have been ?
But nah..she pretty much became the damsel in distress and Julian, the emperor's son became her knight in shining armor soon to be followed by other princes to save their friend.. Just a big emotional drama, without any substance. The author has been careful to make all the princes different from each other, behavior wise, but they were all too boring.
Too slow, hardly any content.. To say that I liked Elleanor, the robot, the most will say a lot of things about how much I disliked the other characters..
I don't think I want to read the next book even though I have it..
But but..this was such a disappointment. The four princes are just too plain and nothing really catches your attention. And Corina was too weak to be a rebel, and I don't mean her illness. Her attitude.. I expected something more wicked from her..Something manipulative..What a coup that would have been ?
But nah..she pretty much became the damsel in distress and Julian, the emperor's son became her knight in shining armor soon to be followed by other princes to save their friend.. Just a big emotional drama, without any substance. The author has been careful to make all the princes different from each other, behavior wise, but they were all too boring.
Too slow, hardly any content.. To say that I liked Elleanor, the robot, the most will say a lot of things about how much I disliked the other characters..
I don't think I want to read the next book even though I have it..
December 14, 2018
Reading this book was a misunderstanding. Only when I had it on my tablet did I realize it was a YA story. Not my usual fare. Well, I had it, so I started reading.
Imagine my surprise when I read on and on and couldn't stop! Instead of the expected vapid teenage mush, I got a well fleshed out story that grew on me the longer I read.
The character arcs, while only in the beginning stages, are believable and varied.
The world building is interesting and different from any vampire-human society I encountered so far.
The cliffhanger at the end made me clench my teeth, but nevertheless, I cant wait to find out what happens next.
Imagine my surprise when I read on and on and couldn't stop! Instead of the expected vapid teenage mush, I got a well fleshed out story that grew on me the longer I read.
The character arcs, while only in the beginning stages, are believable and varied.
The world building is interesting and different from any vampire-human society I encountered so far.
The cliffhanger at the end made me clench my teeth, but nevertheless, I cant wait to find out what happens next.
December 15, 2018
The blurb on this book attracted my attention. The story itself captivated me. I couldnt put it down. Corina is determined to do the right thing, but at what cost? She has such hidden secrets that you get glimpses of them but not enough to ruin the story at the same time. Shes not a trusting person, understanding in her society, so it makes sense that you dont get all of her secrets either. The 4 princes have a bond that's amazingly close. They do everything for each other with the best of intentions, even if they dont work out well planned at all. Can these 5 really find a way to work together?
December 26, 2018
No spoilers of any kind included except this and that is there is a cliffhanger at the end of this story.
This book was a little slow in the beginning and it took me awhile to get into it, but it started getting interesting by the fourth chapter and I could not put the book down.
Other than that I thought this story was amazing once I got into it.
But that cliffhanger pretty much sucked because I actually didn’t want the story to end.
This is my first time reading anything by Rachel Jonas and I must say I look forward to reading more of her work in the future especially the next book in this series.
I received an ARC copy of this book.
This book was a little slow in the beginning and it took me awhile to get into it, but it started getting interesting by the fourth chapter and I could not put the book down.
Other than that I thought this story was amazing once I got into it.
But that cliffhanger pretty much sucked because I actually didn’t want the story to end.
This is my first time reading anything by Rachel Jonas and I must say I look forward to reading more of her work in the future especially the next book in this series.
I received an ARC copy of this book.
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