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The Soulseer Chronicles #1
Marked - Eine teuflische Liebe
Ihrer besonderen Gabe, Geister zu sehen, verdankt es Lucky de Salle von jeher, dass sie eine Außenseiterin ist. Die einzige Person, der sie vertrauen kann, ist Kayla. Doch
die ist nicht nur ein Geist, sie verbirgt auch ein Geheimnis. Ein Geheimnis, das die beiden plötzlich in die Unterwelt katapultiert, mitten hinein in den Kampf um den Thron des Dämonenherrschers. Lucky will nur noch eins: den Weg aus der Hölle nach Hause finden. Bis sie dem charmanten
Wächter Jamie und dem nicht minder gut aussehenden Todesdämon Jinx begegnet. Doch welches Spiel spielen die beiden? Und wer zum Teufel ist Lucky selbst?
die ist nicht nur ein Geist, sie verbirgt auch ein Geheimnis. Ein Geheimnis, das die beiden plötzlich in die Unterwelt katapultiert, mitten hinein in den Kampf um den Thron des Dämonenherrschers. Lucky will nur noch eins: den Weg aus der Hölle nach Hause finden. Bis sie dem charmanten
Wächter Jamie und dem nicht minder gut aussehenden Todesdämon Jinx begegnet. Doch welches Spiel spielen die beiden? Und wer zum Teufel ist Lucky selbst?
416 pages, Paperback
First published May 7, 2015
17 people are currently reading
671 people want to read
About the author
Sue Tingey
8 books33 followersSue Tingey spent 28 years with a major British bank before leaving the corporate life to work as Practice Manager for an Arboricultural Consultancy. She lives with her husband (and Koi carp) in Torquay, South Devon.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 123 reviews
June 24, 2017
1st read - April 2015
2nd read - June 2017
Lucky is a psychic with the ability to see ghosts, something that has always made people look at her a little strangely and made her a bit of an outcast. In fact, her best (and only) friend is a ghost called Kayla who has been by her side for as long as she can remember. Lucky generally tries to keep herself to herself but when she receives a call from her old school about a ghost problem they're having she agrees to help by performing an exorcism. It's only when she gets there and discovers that the problem is actually demon related that Lucky realises she's in over her head and her world is turned upside down when she makes a startling discovery about her best friend. Not only is Lucky now being hunted by a demonic assassin but she finds herself in the middle of a political battle over who gets to rule the Underlands.
Marked is Sue Tingey's debut novel and she really starts her Soulseer Chronicles with a bang, I love discovering new authors and my only disappointment here is that I'm now going to have to wait a year for the next instalment. This is the kind of story that sucks readers in very quickly and you end up completely losing track of time while you're reading. The world building was clever, I enjoyed the contemporary British setting and feel to the beginning of the story but I also loved getting to visit the parallel world of the Underlands. Imagine heaven and hell aren't two places but instead one place combined, a place where demons of all manner roam alongside guardian angels. Not all demons are evil and not all of the angelic creatures are good so it's not always easy to spot friend from foe. This is the world that Lucky finds herself drawn into thanks to her relationship with Kayla. Lucky is completely thrown by everything she discovers, she is confused, shocked and scared but at the same time it is exhilarating getting to explore a new world and she soon realises that she could have a very different life in the Underlands to the lonely existence she had at home. She just has to decide what kind of future she wants.
I really enjoyed the relationship between Lucky and Kayla, they have been friend's for Lucky's entire life but Kayla has been keeping some huge secrets and that really effects the way Lucky sees her. Lucky is initially heartbroken by the way she feels that Kayla has betrayed her and it's not going to be easy for her to get past the lies and untruths she has been told. Their relationship is complicated but there is a strong bond between them and it's obvious that Kayla has Lucky's best interests at heart. There are some other really fantastic side characters in the book too, a particular favourite has to be the dragon Pyrites who was absolutely adorable but I also found myself incredibly amused by Lucky's bodyguards Mr Kerfuffle and Mr Shenanigans.
If you had told me about a potential love triangle before I picked up this book I probably would have been hesitant to read it, I'm so sick to death of that trope that it's starting to spoil books for me, but I have to admit that it is done really well here. Lucky has caught the attention of Guardian Angel Jamie as well as Jinx, the Daemon of Death, and it's very easy to see why they both hold such appeal to her. Jamie and Jinx are almost complete opposites and it's impossible to decide if I prefer the dark and brooding bad boy or the enigmatic angel. In fact I'm really, really, REALLY hoping that she's going to keep them both, there were a few hints that they'd be open to sharing and that's definitely the outcome I'm rooting for!!
Marked is a fantastic start to this new series, it has plenty of action, some great twists, brilliant characters, realistic world building and just a hint of romance. The story is a great mix between urban fantasy and straight up fantasy and I'm looking forward to more of that as the series continues. It's definitely a book I'll be reading again and I'll be eagerly waiting for the next book when it releases next spring.
2nd read - June 2017
Lucky is a psychic with the ability to see ghosts, something that has always made people look at her a little strangely and made her a bit of an outcast. In fact, her best (and only) friend is a ghost called Kayla who has been by her side for as long as she can remember. Lucky generally tries to keep herself to herself but when she receives a call from her old school about a ghost problem they're having she agrees to help by performing an exorcism. It's only when she gets there and discovers that the problem is actually demon related that Lucky realises she's in over her head and her world is turned upside down when she makes a startling discovery about her best friend. Not only is Lucky now being hunted by a demonic assassin but she finds herself in the middle of a political battle over who gets to rule the Underlands.
Marked is Sue Tingey's debut novel and she really starts her Soulseer Chronicles with a bang, I love discovering new authors and my only disappointment here is that I'm now going to have to wait a year for the next instalment. This is the kind of story that sucks readers in very quickly and you end up completely losing track of time while you're reading. The world building was clever, I enjoyed the contemporary British setting and feel to the beginning of the story but I also loved getting to visit the parallel world of the Underlands. Imagine heaven and hell aren't two places but instead one place combined, a place where demons of all manner roam alongside guardian angels. Not all demons are evil and not all of the angelic creatures are good so it's not always easy to spot friend from foe. This is the world that Lucky finds herself drawn into thanks to her relationship with Kayla. Lucky is completely thrown by everything she discovers, she is confused, shocked and scared but at the same time it is exhilarating getting to explore a new world and she soon realises that she could have a very different life in the Underlands to the lonely existence she had at home. She just has to decide what kind of future she wants.
I really enjoyed the relationship between Lucky and Kayla, they have been friend's for Lucky's entire life but Kayla has been keeping some huge secrets and that really effects the way Lucky sees her. Lucky is initially heartbroken by the way she feels that Kayla has betrayed her and it's not going to be easy for her to get past the lies and untruths she has been told. Their relationship is complicated but there is a strong bond between them and it's obvious that Kayla has Lucky's best interests at heart. There are some other really fantastic side characters in the book too, a particular favourite has to be the dragon Pyrites who was absolutely adorable but I also found myself incredibly amused by Lucky's bodyguards Mr Kerfuffle and Mr Shenanigans.
If you had told me about a potential love triangle before I picked up this book I probably would have been hesitant to read it, I'm so sick to death of that trope that it's starting to spoil books for me, but I have to admit that it is done really well here. Lucky has caught the attention of Guardian Angel Jamie as well as Jinx, the Daemon of Death, and it's very easy to see why they both hold such appeal to her. Jamie and Jinx are almost complete opposites and it's impossible to decide if I prefer the dark and brooding bad boy or the enigmatic angel. In fact I'm really, really, REALLY hoping that she's going to keep them both, there were a few hints that they'd be open to sharing and that's definitely the outcome I'm rooting for!!
Marked is a fantastic start to this new series, it has plenty of action, some great twists, brilliant characters, realistic world building and just a hint of romance. The story is a great mix between urban fantasy and straight up fantasy and I'm looking forward to more of that as the series continues. It's definitely a book I'll be reading again and I'll be eagerly waiting for the next book when it releases next spring.
January 15, 2016
Susan Tingey’s 2015 novel Marked is a fun paranormal urban fantasy in the style of M. Night Shyamalan’s 1999 film The Sixth Sense, but with a lot more going on than the protagonist’s ability to see ghosts.
Yes, Lucky de Salle can see ghosts and has since birth, or back as far as she can remember. In fact, Lucky has a spirit that has been with her her whole life and who follows her around everywhere. Lucky has drawn the ire of the psychic community for years because of her dismissal of most clairvoyants as being fraudulent.
But when Lucky is called to investigate a haunting at her old school, Lucky finds more than just ghosts, and she learns that much of what she had previously thought was true was only the tip of the iceberg. Lucky discovers that there is a great deal more to her special abilities than she previously understood and the reader is introduced to a universe of good and evil, seen and unseen. Tingey’s description of the supernatural plane – The Underlands – is especially good.
Tingey is a talented writer and this moves fast. This was surprisingly her first published work and is very good for a first effort. Marked is full of interesting and entertaining characters and the plot, somewhat bogged down in the middle, picks up at the end. Tingey has also thrown in some fun occult twists to keep this out of the “formulaic” bin. A very unique and complicated love triangle is a major element in the plot.
My only gripe is with the cover. My edition has a white field with cool looking black wings with feathers artistically falling off. This together with the paranormal and occult description led me to believe this was going to a lot more like The Sixth Sense. If I were marketing this, I’d choose a cover more akin to the one below as this, in my opinion, fits better into the urban fantasy romance category.
Still a well-written and entertaining book.
Yes, Lucky de Salle can see ghosts and has since birth, or back as far as she can remember. In fact, Lucky has a spirit that has been with her her whole life and who follows her around everywhere. Lucky has drawn the ire of the psychic community for years because of her dismissal of most clairvoyants as being fraudulent.
But when Lucky is called to investigate a haunting at her old school, Lucky finds more than just ghosts, and she learns that much of what she had previously thought was true was only the tip of the iceberg. Lucky discovers that there is a great deal more to her special abilities than she previously understood and the reader is introduced to a universe of good and evil, seen and unseen. Tingey’s description of the supernatural plane – The Underlands – is especially good.
Tingey is a talented writer and this moves fast. This was surprisingly her first published work and is very good for a first effort. Marked is full of interesting and entertaining characters and the plot, somewhat bogged down in the middle, picks up at the end. Tingey has also thrown in some fun occult twists to keep this out of the “formulaic” bin. A very unique and complicated love triangle is a major element in the plot.
My only gripe is with the cover. My edition has a white field with cool looking black wings with feathers artistically falling off. This together with the paranormal and occult description led me to believe this was going to a lot more like The Sixth Sense. If I were marketing this, I’d choose a cover more akin to the one below as this, in my opinion, fits better into the urban fantasy romance category.
Still a well-written and entertaining book.
August 6, 2017
Sometimes I really love having started reviewing books. Especially when you get an email from a publisher saying would you like a paperback trilogy gift in return for some reviews? Yes please!
Lucky is of a rare breed of people that can see ghosts and spends her days writing books that debunk the fake psychics. Shes accompanied by her ghostly best friend Katya. Seeing ghosts everywhere means that Lucky has no other friends except Katya so lives a quiet existence working from home. Until she is asked to remove some ghosts at her old school and comes face to face with demon Henri le Dent who insists that Katya ‘comes home’.
Turns out Katya is not a ghost but demon royalty and of we go on an adventure to the Underlands on a journey of discovery complete with all new demon bodyguards and a dragon. Lots of twists and turns in this book. And for the most part it’s really good. I do think that when the truth of Lucky’s true parentage is revealed she takes it so much better than I probably would. In fact she doesn’t seem to question it much at all.
I think it’s classed as a paranormal romance but there’s hardly any romance… well apart from accidentally becoming engaged (‘marked’) by both a Guardian and a Death Bringer which is apparently unheard of. The ending of the book though promises much more movement on the romance front whether Lucky will have to choose between her handsome daemons or just share her life with them both.
It’s a fun book, it’s very descriptive. I love the rich detail of the demons with their exotic skin colours (maroon, aubergine, duck egg blue..), tails, horns and even wings. The author gives us such a rich book with her characters. For the most part they’re well developed, as much as they can be when nearly everyone is hiding a secret and we learn about Lucky as she does. I quite like that approach.
Overall it’s a fun flirty beach read and I’m looking forward to reading the next two.
Thanks to Hannah & Olivia at Quercus books and JoFletcher books for the hard copies
Lucky is of a rare breed of people that can see ghosts and spends her days writing books that debunk the fake psychics. Shes accompanied by her ghostly best friend Katya. Seeing ghosts everywhere means that Lucky has no other friends except Katya so lives a quiet existence working from home. Until she is asked to remove some ghosts at her old school and comes face to face with demon Henri le Dent who insists that Katya ‘comes home’.
Turns out Katya is not a ghost but demon royalty and of we go on an adventure to the Underlands on a journey of discovery complete with all new demon bodyguards and a dragon. Lots of twists and turns in this book. And for the most part it’s really good. I do think that when the truth of Lucky’s true parentage is revealed she takes it so much better than I probably would. In fact she doesn’t seem to question it much at all.
I think it’s classed as a paranormal romance but there’s hardly any romance… well apart from accidentally becoming engaged (‘marked’) by both a Guardian and a Death Bringer which is apparently unheard of. The ending of the book though promises much more movement on the romance front whether Lucky will have to choose between her handsome daemons or just share her life with them both.
It’s a fun book, it’s very descriptive. I love the rich detail of the demons with their exotic skin colours (maroon, aubergine, duck egg blue..), tails, horns and even wings. The author gives us such a rich book with her characters. For the most part they’re well developed, as much as they can be when nearly everyone is hiding a secret and we learn about Lucky as she does. I quite like that approach.
Overall it’s a fun flirty beach read and I’m looking forward to reading the next two.
Thanks to Hannah & Olivia at Quercus books and JoFletcher books for the hard copies
December 15, 2015
Erster Satz:
"Die Eingangshalle der Schule war kleiner, als ich sie in Erinnerung hatte."
Meine Meinung zum Buch:
Die Autorin Sue Tingey hat einen angenehmen, aber leider etwas langweiligen Schreibstil. Der Aufbau der Story ist mehr als durcheinander und die Charaktere haben weder Verstand noch Gefühl.
Die Idee hinter "Marked - Eine teuflische Liebe" hat definitiv Potenzial, leider weiß die Autorin nicht wie sie das vorhandene Potenzial einsetzen soll. Der Beginn der Story ist dagegen wirklich toll, sehr spannend und intensiv, was definitiv meine Neugier geweckt hat. Leider hat sich dieses Gefühl sehr schnell gelegt, denn auf den nächsten ca. 300 Seiten passiert so gut wie nichts. Ich habe mich regelrecht gelangweilt beim Lesen und habe mich oft gefragt was sich die Autorin nur dabei gedacht hat solch ein Buch zu schreiben.
Erzählt wird das ganze aus der Sicht von Lucky de Salle. Ich finde sie unglaublich schwer zu beschreiben, denn auf der einen Seite ist sie tapfer, stur und auf eine komische Weise doch ziemlich interessant. Auf der anderen Seite ist sie aber viel zu gutgläubig, naiv und ziemlich langweilig. Eigenschaften die sich teilweise total gebissen haben, aber im Großen und Ganzen wird sie viel zu blass dargestellt.
Aber auch die Geheimnisse die die anderen Charaktere (und teilweise auch Lucky) umgeben sind mehr als frustrierend. Dass die Autorin nicht gleich alle Informationen an den Leser weitergibt kann ich völlig nachvollziehen, aber man erfährt rein gar nichts. Zudem hat Lucky die Angewohnheit alles zu hinterfragen ohne irgendwelche Antworten zu bekommen, was das Ganze noch frustrierender macht.
Leider sind auch alle anderen Charaktere sehr blass gezeichnet worden. Vor allem Jamie und Jinx, die einen gewissen Anteil an der Story haben, hätten viel mehr Aufmerksamkeit verdient. Zudem habe ich vergeblich nach der "teuflischen Liebe" in dem Buch gesucht. Eine Liebesgeschichte bahnt sich zwar schleichend an, für meinen Geschmack war es dann aber doch zu wenig.
Fazit:
Mit "Marked - Eine teuflische Liebe" hat Sue Tingey einen interessanten, wenn aber auch eintönigen, Fantasy-Roman erschaffen, Viel verschenktes Potenzial mit zu blassen Charakteren.
Das Buch erhält von mir 3 von 5 Federn!
"Die Eingangshalle der Schule war kleiner, als ich sie in Erinnerung hatte."
Meine Meinung zum Buch:
Die Autorin Sue Tingey hat einen angenehmen, aber leider etwas langweiligen Schreibstil. Der Aufbau der Story ist mehr als durcheinander und die Charaktere haben weder Verstand noch Gefühl.
Die Idee hinter "Marked - Eine teuflische Liebe" hat definitiv Potenzial, leider weiß die Autorin nicht wie sie das vorhandene Potenzial einsetzen soll. Der Beginn der Story ist dagegen wirklich toll, sehr spannend und intensiv, was definitiv meine Neugier geweckt hat. Leider hat sich dieses Gefühl sehr schnell gelegt, denn auf den nächsten ca. 300 Seiten passiert so gut wie nichts. Ich habe mich regelrecht gelangweilt beim Lesen und habe mich oft gefragt was sich die Autorin nur dabei gedacht hat solch ein Buch zu schreiben.
Erzählt wird das ganze aus der Sicht von Lucky de Salle. Ich finde sie unglaublich schwer zu beschreiben, denn auf der einen Seite ist sie tapfer, stur und auf eine komische Weise doch ziemlich interessant. Auf der anderen Seite ist sie aber viel zu gutgläubig, naiv und ziemlich langweilig. Eigenschaften die sich teilweise total gebissen haben, aber im Großen und Ganzen wird sie viel zu blass dargestellt.
Aber auch die Geheimnisse die die anderen Charaktere (und teilweise auch Lucky) umgeben sind mehr als frustrierend. Dass die Autorin nicht gleich alle Informationen an den Leser weitergibt kann ich völlig nachvollziehen, aber man erfährt rein gar nichts. Zudem hat Lucky die Angewohnheit alles zu hinterfragen ohne irgendwelche Antworten zu bekommen, was das Ganze noch frustrierender macht.
Leider sind auch alle anderen Charaktere sehr blass gezeichnet worden. Vor allem Jamie und Jinx, die einen gewissen Anteil an der Story haben, hätten viel mehr Aufmerksamkeit verdient. Zudem habe ich vergeblich nach der "teuflischen Liebe" in dem Buch gesucht. Eine Liebesgeschichte bahnt sich zwar schleichend an, für meinen Geschmack war es dann aber doch zu wenig.
Fazit:
Mit "Marked - Eine teuflische Liebe" hat Sue Tingey einen interessanten, wenn aber auch eintönigen, Fantasy-Roman erschaffen, Viel verschenktes Potenzial mit zu blassen Charakteren.
Das Buch erhält von mir 3 von 5 Federn!
December 27, 2015
[I received a copy of this novel through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.]
I almost gave up. But I don't like not finishing a book I'm supposed to review, so I made an effort.
First reason is because I didn't exactly get what I expected. When I got the ARC, the blurb I read led me to believe the story would be focused on paranormal investigation. The actual story, though, is more of the paranormal/supernatural romance type, with very little investigating in it. Not saying this is bad per se, but I'm not a huge proponent of romance at the best of times, and this one, like many others should I say, just didn't work.
Second reason is... the one that always makes me grit my teeth and feel like climbing up the curtains and scream: "Stop holding back information!" Typically goes as follows: Important Character finds him/herself in dangerous circumstances, and needs to tread on eggs; however, in order to properly tread on eggs, you obviously need background information—background information that other characters have, bur refuse to disclose for Some Reason, usually of the "you don't want to know" or "don't look" kind. Which is the best way of getting Important Character killed, or at least committing some Horrible Faux-Pas, but whatever, I guess we're dealing with some Schrödinger's Logics here.
So when half the book is filled with such inane moments, of course I'm bound to be annoyed. Lucky being a bit of a doormat in that regard, too easily allowing shifty characters to derail the conversation, didn't help.
Third: Male Posturing. I am oh so fed up with all those hot sexy love interests immediately crapping out testosterone as soon as they end up in the same room. I can understand Lucky not wanting to be involved with guys if it's meant to be like that all the time. Also the whole "now you bear my mark" thing, a.k.a "You're Mine In Whatever Way I Choose, by the way I never asked your opinion before lumping this on you but it's fine, right, I'm sure you don't mind". In a nutshell (I hate that expression so I'm going to use it just out of spite): doormat female character being treated like an item, and thrown under false pretenses in a world where women's most prized value is to allow their future husbands access to positions of power (and then they can pop out kids, then get offed when they've outlived their usefulness).
And there you also have the plot, not making much sense, and without much happening. The last chapters became a little more interesting (although still with the whole let's-be-sex-toys-together thing at moments when it just shouldn't have been there); yet what led to it could probably have been avoided had Lucky been a little less dumb, and her "protectors" more forthcoming with what may be taking place behind the scenes and how to start playing the political game. Seriously, you don't dump a person into such a situation "for your own safety", then tell her "actually you're in great danger here too", then add "but I'm not going to explain to you how it works because Reasons."
I'm afraid I'll have to pass on the next one. Definitely not my thing.
I almost gave up. But I don't like not finishing a book I'm supposed to review, so I made an effort.
First reason is because I didn't exactly get what I expected. When I got the ARC, the blurb I read led me to believe the story would be focused on paranormal investigation. The actual story, though, is more of the paranormal/supernatural romance type, with very little investigating in it. Not saying this is bad per se, but I'm not a huge proponent of romance at the best of times, and this one, like many others should I say, just didn't work.
Second reason is... the one that always makes me grit my teeth and feel like climbing up the curtains and scream: "Stop holding back information!" Typically goes as follows: Important Character finds him/herself in dangerous circumstances, and needs to tread on eggs; however, in order to properly tread on eggs, you obviously need background information—background information that other characters have, bur refuse to disclose for Some Reason, usually of the "you don't want to know" or "don't look" kind. Which is the best way of getting Important Character killed, or at least committing some Horrible Faux-Pas, but whatever, I guess we're dealing with some Schrödinger's Logics here.
So when half the book is filled with such inane moments, of course I'm bound to be annoyed. Lucky being a bit of a doormat in that regard, too easily allowing shifty characters to derail the conversation, didn't help.
Third: Male Posturing. I am oh so fed up with all those hot sexy love interests immediately crapping out testosterone as soon as they end up in the same room. I can understand Lucky not wanting to be involved with guys if it's meant to be like that all the time. Also the whole "now you bear my mark" thing, a.k.a "You're Mine In Whatever Way I Choose, by the way I never asked your opinion before lumping this on you but it's fine, right, I'm sure you don't mind". In a nutshell (I hate that expression so I'm going to use it just out of spite): doormat female character being treated like an item, and thrown under false pretenses in a world where women's most prized value is to allow their future husbands access to positions of power (and then they can pop out kids, then get offed when they've outlived their usefulness).
And there you also have the plot, not making much sense, and without much happening. The last chapters became a little more interesting (although still with the whole let's-be-sex-toys-together thing at moments when it just shouldn't have been there); yet what led to it could probably have been avoided had Lucky been a little less dumb, and her "protectors" more forthcoming with what may be taking place behind the scenes and how to start playing the political game. Seriously, you don't dump a person into such a situation "for your own safety", then tell her "actually you're in great danger here too", then add "but I'm not going to explain to you how it works because Reasons."
I'm afraid I'll have to pass on the next one. Definitely not my thing.
April 20, 2015
**4.5 stars**
This is one of those books where you get to the end and think to yourself “BOY that was fun” a beautifully written well flowing Urban fantasy/fantasy with a terrific story and some really really great characters.
The premise starts off fairly simply – Lucky is a true psychic which does isolate her but she has always had her constant companion, ghost Kayla – then one day Lucky, after a series of unfortunate events, finds out that Kayla is not quite what she has always believed. So begins a rollicking adventure set both in our world and another – where Lucky goes on a journey of discovery about her own heritage and abilities.
The world building is very clever and again a whole lot of fun, the sights and sounds of the Underlands coming to glorious life – a gorgeously lively otherworld that will absolutely capture your imagination. Likewise the characters are stunning – realistic really for a fictional bunch, their interaction and dialogue is sharp, ironically humerous at times with a touch of angst that genuinely makes for some stand out moments.
Lucky is a terrific main protagonist to anchor the tale – she is confused a lot of the time (well you would be wouldnt you!), amusingly over awed, but very intelligent and often ingenious. Kayla was my favourite though, she is so well drawn and intriguing – add into the mix the obnoxiously dazzling Jinx, the enigmatic Jamie and oh boy bodyguards Mr Kerfuffle and Mr Shenanigans (ha ha brilliant) are simply the best duo I’ve seen in fantasy fiction for a while.
Suffice to say this was a marvel and I thoroughly enjoyed it – I’m sad to leave them all behind and cannot wait for the next instalment which promises to be a corker.
Highly Recommended
This is one of those books where you get to the end and think to yourself “BOY that was fun” a beautifully written well flowing Urban fantasy/fantasy with a terrific story and some really really great characters.
The premise starts off fairly simply – Lucky is a true psychic which does isolate her but she has always had her constant companion, ghost Kayla – then one day Lucky, after a series of unfortunate events, finds out that Kayla is not quite what she has always believed. So begins a rollicking adventure set both in our world and another – where Lucky goes on a journey of discovery about her own heritage and abilities.
The world building is very clever and again a whole lot of fun, the sights and sounds of the Underlands coming to glorious life – a gorgeously lively otherworld that will absolutely capture your imagination. Likewise the characters are stunning – realistic really for a fictional bunch, their interaction and dialogue is sharp, ironically humerous at times with a touch of angst that genuinely makes for some stand out moments.
Lucky is a terrific main protagonist to anchor the tale – she is confused a lot of the time (well you would be wouldnt you!), amusingly over awed, but very intelligent and often ingenious. Kayla was my favourite though, she is so well drawn and intriguing – add into the mix the obnoxiously dazzling Jinx, the enigmatic Jamie and oh boy bodyguards Mr Kerfuffle and Mr Shenanigans (ha ha brilliant) are simply the best duo I’ve seen in fantasy fiction for a while.
Suffice to say this was a marvel and I thoroughly enjoyed it – I’m sad to leave them all behind and cannot wait for the next instalment which promises to be a corker.
Highly Recommended
July 11, 2017
I liked this, the underworld, well it's just fun. And it was light and it left me wanting more.
Lucky can see dead people, and her best friend since childhood is one. Kayla, the friendly neighborhood ghost. Lucky also wrote this book telling the world how fake mediums are and they all hate her now. So now all she has is Kayla. She was a bit of a hermit, poor girl. I guess it's like that with all ghosts running around.
Then someone comes for her help and the adventure begins. Adventure and adventure, more the danger, the secrets and the demons. Lots of demons.
And the secrets were juicy. I also liked the world she created and the dramas unfolding. The end was something too. All is nice, but all is not nice. So sort of a cliffie and not a cliffie. I mean stuff is going down, but for now it's nice. Until something happens. I am very glad I have book 2 nearby.
I liked the start to this series and stay tuned as there will be more. Fingers crossed for some budding romance too ;)
Lucky can see dead people, and her best friend since childhood is one. Kayla, the friendly neighborhood ghost. Lucky also wrote this book telling the world how fake mediums are and they all hate her now. So now all she has is Kayla. She was a bit of a hermit, poor girl. I guess it's like that with all ghosts running around.
Then someone comes for her help and the adventure begins. Adventure and adventure, more the danger, the secrets and the demons. Lots of demons.
And the secrets were juicy. I also liked the world she created and the dramas unfolding. The end was something too. All is nice, but all is not nice. So sort of a cliffie and not a cliffie. I mean stuff is going down, but for now it's nice. Until something happens. I am very glad I have book 2 nearby.
I liked the start to this series and stay tuned as there will be more. Fingers crossed for some budding romance too ;)
May 29, 2015
The Review Was Originally Posted Here: http://thefictionalhangout.blogspot.c....
With no family and very few friends, Lucky’s psychic ability has always made her an outcast. The only person she can rely on is Kayla, the ghost girl who has been with her since she was born.
But Kayla is not all that she appears.
And when Lucky is visited by a demonic assassin with a message for her friend, she finds herself dragged into the Underlands – and the political fight for the daemon king’s throne.
Lucky, trapped in the daemon world, is determined to find her way home… until she finds herself caught between the charms of the Guardian Jamie, the charismatic Daemon of Death Jinx – and the lure of finding out who she really is.
Reading a Jo Fletcher-published book is always something that I’m going to look forward to because you know that most of the time, you’ll get something good and Sue Tingey’s confident debut is an example of that, with the first novel in the Soulseer Chronicles being a very well written offering that should be worth a look for fans looking to read something that focuses on a world parallel to our own, with a great urban fantasy feel that’s richly developed.
Marked follows the journey of Lucky, a psychic whose ability to see ghosts has always made her an outcast, with no family and few friends to speak of. The only person who she can rely on is Kayla, the ghost girl who has followed her around since she was born, but even Kayla, is not quite who she appears, and when Lucky finds herself visited by a daemonic assassin with a message for her friend, she finds herself pulled into the political battle for the Underlands and the fight for the daemon king’s throne, even if she, at the same time, is doing everything to try and get back home.
The characters are intriguing and whilst there is a romance subplot it is handled well and never slows the story down. As well as Lucky and Kayla we also find out that Lucky soon gets caught between the Guardian Jamie and the charismatic Daemon of Death Jinx, who are the other two characters involved in a love triangle with Lucky, but it never really feels as though we’ve ‘been there, done that’ before, with Tingey writing well enough to avoid the clichés and resolve the romance plot well whilst at the same time, moving the story along nicely. The supporting cast of Mr Kerfuffle and Mr Shenanigans are nice additions to the book as well as bodyguards, and any Neil Gaiman fan should feel right at home with the style of this book, as it’s smartly and compellingly written with some confident prose.
The world that we are introduced to combines Heaven and Hell into one place and is a fascinating approach to Urban Fantasy which keeps the fresh feel of the novel rather than it being again, the same old story that we've seen countless of times before. It’s different and blends the modern-day British setting with the parallel world very well indeed, not falling into the trap of having all demons evil and all angels good, blurring the lines between the two factions wonderfully well.
The character interactions and the relationship between Lucky and Kayla is pretty great throughout the whole novel and we get some nice, well rounded characters here that work. When combined with the extremely well paced first offering and richly developed world, Sue Tingey’s Marked a fascinating opener to what should be an excellent trilogy. It’s currently available to buy in the UK although (according to Amazon.com) it won’t be available in the USA until October 6, and is something that you should certainly consider picking up when you can.
VERDICT: 8/10
With no family and very few friends, Lucky’s psychic ability has always made her an outcast. The only person she can rely on is Kayla, the ghost girl who has been with her since she was born.
But Kayla is not all that she appears.
And when Lucky is visited by a demonic assassin with a message for her friend, she finds herself dragged into the Underlands – and the political fight for the daemon king’s throne.
Lucky, trapped in the daemon world, is determined to find her way home… until she finds herself caught between the charms of the Guardian Jamie, the charismatic Daemon of Death Jinx – and the lure of finding out who she really is.
Reading a Jo Fletcher-published book is always something that I’m going to look forward to because you know that most of the time, you’ll get something good and Sue Tingey’s confident debut is an example of that, with the first novel in the Soulseer Chronicles being a very well written offering that should be worth a look for fans looking to read something that focuses on a world parallel to our own, with a great urban fantasy feel that’s richly developed.
Marked follows the journey of Lucky, a psychic whose ability to see ghosts has always made her an outcast, with no family and few friends to speak of. The only person who she can rely on is Kayla, the ghost girl who has followed her around since she was born, but even Kayla, is not quite who she appears, and when Lucky finds herself visited by a daemonic assassin with a message for her friend, she finds herself pulled into the political battle for the Underlands and the fight for the daemon king’s throne, even if she, at the same time, is doing everything to try and get back home.
The characters are intriguing and whilst there is a romance subplot it is handled well and never slows the story down. As well as Lucky and Kayla we also find out that Lucky soon gets caught between the Guardian Jamie and the charismatic Daemon of Death Jinx, who are the other two characters involved in a love triangle with Lucky, but it never really feels as though we’ve ‘been there, done that’ before, with Tingey writing well enough to avoid the clichés and resolve the romance plot well whilst at the same time, moving the story along nicely. The supporting cast of Mr Kerfuffle and Mr Shenanigans are nice additions to the book as well as bodyguards, and any Neil Gaiman fan should feel right at home with the style of this book, as it’s smartly and compellingly written with some confident prose.
The world that we are introduced to combines Heaven and Hell into one place and is a fascinating approach to Urban Fantasy which keeps the fresh feel of the novel rather than it being again, the same old story that we've seen countless of times before. It’s different and blends the modern-day British setting with the parallel world very well indeed, not falling into the trap of having all demons evil and all angels good, blurring the lines between the two factions wonderfully well.
The character interactions and the relationship between Lucky and Kayla is pretty great throughout the whole novel and we get some nice, well rounded characters here that work. When combined with the extremely well paced first offering and richly developed world, Sue Tingey’s Marked a fascinating opener to what should be an excellent trilogy. It’s currently available to buy in the UK although (according to Amazon.com) it won’t be available in the USA until October 6, and is something that you should certainly consider picking up when you can.
VERDICT: 8/10
Want to read
July 25, 2015Wanna read this so bad! The cover looks really good!
October 15, 2015
Come check out my Book Blog for more fun stuff and reviews!
A Copy of this book was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an Honest Review
THERE WILL BE SOME SPOILERS HERE YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!
The Book Blurb: "In a world filled with charlatans, Lucinda "Lucky" de Salle's psychic ability has always made her an outcast, even as it has also made her a sought-after (if reluctant) investigator of paranormal phenomena. With no remaining family and very few friends, she has only one "person" she can rely on--Kayla, the ghost girl who has been her constant companion since she was born.
When Lucky is called in to investigate a spectral disturbance at the all-girls school she attended as a child, she isn't surprised. She herself had had a terrifying confrontation with the troubled spirits of two girls who died in the attic room. But when Lucky goes up to the attic, she discovers that the vicious little girls are the least of the problem--a demon has been released into this world, a creature of such malevolence that even the spirits of the two girls are afraid. When the demon demands that Kayla be handed over to him, Lucky realizes that this case will be like no other she has ever experienced.
For one thing, it seems that her chatty, snarky spirit companion is not what she has always seemed to be... "
This is going to be the first and hopefully only time I do this. This is a book I DID NOT FINISH, prior to writing this review. And part of the reason is the above blurb, which is from Netgalley itself. I made it through half the book before I just about threw my phone (its an EBook) away from me in a combination of horror, surprise, and rage.
You see, that blurb makes the book seem like a supernatural mystery story. Its not. Its Paranormal Romance with an almost fanfiction level main character. You ever hear jokes about people who Roleplay online, who have those "Half demon Half Dragon MC with a Tortured Past who has no idea about their heritage and just wants to be loved!" kind of things?
Well! Lucinda does not start out that way, seemingly. But rather, ends up BECOMING that way. Also the stuff that the Netgalley / Amazon blurb mentions take place in the first chapter of the book. And yes, this is the blurb used on Amazon page. That's right.
Here come the spoilers. Under the little cut right here.
You see, the blurb from Netgalley lies. IT LIES SO HARD! It misrepresents what the book is actually about. Now if you go to Goodreads, you get the following blurb:
"With no family and very few friends, Lucky’s psychic ability has always made her an outcast. The only person she can rely on is Kayla, the ghost girl who has been with her since she was born.
But Kayla is not all that she appears.
And when Lucky is visited by a demonic assassin with a message for her friend, she finds herself dragged into the Underlands – and the political fight for the daemon king’s throne.
Lucky, trapped in the daemon world, is determined to find her way home… until she finds herself caught between the charms of the Guardian Jamie, the charismatic Daemon of Death Jinx – and the lure of finding out who she really is."
Its very different you see? VERY different. Because, frankly, at around the 45% mark you find out that our main character is the daughter of the Demon King! And her childhood spirit friend is her Demon Sister! And has been protecting her! I had to stop reading when, after reaching the Underlands with the help of an Angel (excuse me, Guardian), he tells her that they have to find her steed before she goes to Demon Court. Her steed...is a Dragon.
I just went "Yup, I give up here. That's it. You win book."
I can handle quite a bit of stupid. But when a book so blatantly misrepresents itself, I can't take it. Further, Lucky has no ability to defend herself. She tries to be a "strong female protagonist" in words, but she has to have 3 bodyguards to defend her against the demon who threatens her in the early going. Well technically 2 demons and an Angel. And of course the Angel is hot as hell. Why would he not be right? This is Paranormal ROMANCE.
Had I seen the Goodreads blurb I would never have touched this with a 10 foot pole. Its not my thing.
But now that I have read half the book I can easily say this is some of the worst stuff I have seen. Lucky spends the first half completely in the dark as to what is going on. Everyone around her knows, but no one will tell her. She will complain a bit, then give up and just go with it, assuming they will tell her. She gets tricked early on by a human named Phillip who tries to sacrifice her to a demon, and DESPITE THIS tries to save his ass! Its...insane.
The only characters I enjoyed were her two demon bodyguards, Mr Shennanigans and Mr Kerfuffle. They were polite, charming, and had fun names. But Kayla the Demon Spirit is an asshole, and Jaime the Guardian (Angel) is obviously trying to get in Lucky's pants, and why I have no idea! Also the author spends a LOT of time describing what Lucky wears when she goes out with the various hot guys (Jaime, Phillip) to make sure you know she is hot, and they are hot. Everyone is hot.
Fuck me this book nearly broke me. I could have tolerated the romance. I could not tolerate the madness. A dragon, for a steed. REALLY! REALLY!!!! IN THE DEMON REALM!
I rate this a 2/5. IF you like Paranormal Romance you might enjoy this. I however, do not.
A Copy of this book was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an Honest Review
THERE WILL BE SOME SPOILERS HERE YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!
The Book Blurb: "In a world filled with charlatans, Lucinda "Lucky" de Salle's psychic ability has always made her an outcast, even as it has also made her a sought-after (if reluctant) investigator of paranormal phenomena. With no remaining family and very few friends, she has only one "person" she can rely on--Kayla, the ghost girl who has been her constant companion since she was born.
When Lucky is called in to investigate a spectral disturbance at the all-girls school she attended as a child, she isn't surprised. She herself had had a terrifying confrontation with the troubled spirits of two girls who died in the attic room. But when Lucky goes up to the attic, she discovers that the vicious little girls are the least of the problem--a demon has been released into this world, a creature of such malevolence that even the spirits of the two girls are afraid. When the demon demands that Kayla be handed over to him, Lucky realizes that this case will be like no other she has ever experienced.
For one thing, it seems that her chatty, snarky spirit companion is not what she has always seemed to be... "
This is going to be the first and hopefully only time I do this. This is a book I DID NOT FINISH, prior to writing this review. And part of the reason is the above blurb, which is from Netgalley itself. I made it through half the book before I just about threw my phone (its an EBook) away from me in a combination of horror, surprise, and rage.
You see, that blurb makes the book seem like a supernatural mystery story. Its not. Its Paranormal Romance with an almost fanfiction level main character. You ever hear jokes about people who Roleplay online, who have those "Half demon Half Dragon MC with a Tortured Past who has no idea about their heritage and just wants to be loved!" kind of things?
Well! Lucinda does not start out that way, seemingly. But rather, ends up BECOMING that way. Also the stuff that the Netgalley / Amazon blurb mentions take place in the first chapter of the book. And yes, this is the blurb used on Amazon page. That's right.
Here come the spoilers. Under the little cut right here.
You see, the blurb from Netgalley lies. IT LIES SO HARD! It misrepresents what the book is actually about. Now if you go to Goodreads, you get the following blurb:
"With no family and very few friends, Lucky’s psychic ability has always made her an outcast. The only person she can rely on is Kayla, the ghost girl who has been with her since she was born.
But Kayla is not all that she appears.
And when Lucky is visited by a demonic assassin with a message for her friend, she finds herself dragged into the Underlands – and the political fight for the daemon king’s throne.
Lucky, trapped in the daemon world, is determined to find her way home… until she finds herself caught between the charms of the Guardian Jamie, the charismatic Daemon of Death Jinx – and the lure of finding out who she really is."
Its very different you see? VERY different. Because, frankly, at around the 45% mark you find out that our main character is the daughter of the Demon King! And her childhood spirit friend is her Demon Sister! And has been protecting her! I had to stop reading when, after reaching the Underlands with the help of an Angel (excuse me, Guardian), he tells her that they have to find her steed before she goes to Demon Court. Her steed...is a Dragon.
I just went "Yup, I give up here. That's it. You win book."
I can handle quite a bit of stupid. But when a book so blatantly misrepresents itself, I can't take it. Further, Lucky has no ability to defend herself. She tries to be a "strong female protagonist" in words, but she has to have 3 bodyguards to defend her against the demon who threatens her in the early going. Well technically 2 demons and an Angel. And of course the Angel is hot as hell. Why would he not be right? This is Paranormal ROMANCE.
Had I seen the Goodreads blurb I would never have touched this with a 10 foot pole. Its not my thing.
But now that I have read half the book I can easily say this is some of the worst stuff I have seen. Lucky spends the first half completely in the dark as to what is going on. Everyone around her knows, but no one will tell her. She will complain a bit, then give up and just go with it, assuming they will tell her. She gets tricked early on by a human named Phillip who tries to sacrifice her to a demon, and DESPITE THIS tries to save his ass! Its...insane.
The only characters I enjoyed were her two demon bodyguards, Mr Shennanigans and Mr Kerfuffle. They were polite, charming, and had fun names. But Kayla the Demon Spirit is an asshole, and Jaime the Guardian (Angel) is obviously trying to get in Lucky's pants, and why I have no idea! Also the author spends a LOT of time describing what Lucky wears when she goes out with the various hot guys (Jaime, Phillip) to make sure you know she is hot, and they are hot. Everyone is hot.
Fuck me this book nearly broke me. I could have tolerated the romance. I could not tolerate the madness. A dragon, for a steed. REALLY! REALLY!!!! IN THE DEMON REALM!
I rate this a 2/5. IF you like Paranormal Romance you might enjoy this. I however, do not.
November 15, 2015
I could tell this was a first novel, but that's not necessarily a bad thing: Tingey's writing style is full of energy, enthusiasm, and a lovely amount of snark. It carried me along nicely. But there were also some really rough edges. The worldbuilding didn't hang together, and the characters' actions therefore didn't make a lot of sense. There's a lot of wish fulfillment here as well: pet dragons that can be whatever size is convenient, two handsome men who want a relationship with the main character and are willing to share (while remaining monogamous themselves and NOT pressuring her to do anything before she's ready), a gorgeous physical transformation. And the main character makes only two active decisions in the book--the rest of the time, she's either overruled by other characters or given a mental whammy to ensure her compliance, just following along and asking questions. All of those, I think, are beginner's flaws, and I'd be willing to read another book to see if Tingey gets better when she has some experience under her belt.
The one thing that I don't see getting better is the moral relativism: When Lucky sees demons enjoying torture, she is told that humans can be just as abusive, and she accepts this. Yes, humans like Hitler and Pol Pot are pretty bad, but most humans aren't that evil, don't choose to be friends with people that evil, and would fight such evil if confronted with it. It really bothered me.
The one thing that I don't see getting better is the moral relativism: When Lucky sees demons enjoying torture, she is told that humans can be just as abusive, and she accepts this. Yes, humans like Hitler and Pol Pot are pretty bad, but most humans aren't that evil, don't choose to be friends with people that evil, and would fight such evil if confronted with it. It really bothered me.
August 26, 2015
Most annoying thing about this book: the main character, Lucky.
Here is the typical format of the conversations that take place in this book.
Clueless Lucky: What does this mean?
Unnecessarily cryptic supporting characters: You'll see soon...
Lucky trying to be firm: No, I want you to tell me now.
Characters change the subject: Let's talk about this instead.
Doormat Lucky: What about it?
Here is the typical format of the conversations that take place in this book.
Clueless Lucky: What does this mean?
Unnecessarily cryptic supporting characters: You'll see soon...
Lucky trying to be firm: No, I want you to tell me now.
Characters change the subject: Let's talk about this instead.
Doormat Lucky: What about it?
March 5, 2015
I love hidden worlds parallel to our own, as witnessed by my love for Emma Newman’s The Split Worlds and Lou Morgan’s Blood and Feathers books. So when I read the synopsis for Sue Tingey’s debut Marked when Jo Fletcher Books announced their acquisition of the story, my interest was immediately piqued. I was very lucky to have the chance to get an extra early look at Marked and I’m really glad for the chance, because Marked is a wonderful story.
The basic premise of Marked, that of a girl able to see ghosts, one of whom is her best friend Kayla, who has been with as long as she can remember, is great. It creates an interesting starting point as her abilities have turned Lucky into somewhat of a recluse, avoiding crowded places so she won’t run into the dead. She makes a living writing and sometimes consulting people who have a ghost problem. The status quo is disturbed first by an exorcism – or rather Lucky’s version of it – gone wrong and later by the arrival on her doorstep of a young man who pleads for her help. I was immediately captivated by Lucky’s voice. When I first received the book I had a quick glance at the first page and found myself two pages in before I knew it. When I sat down to read the book properly, the same thing happened. Tingey has a very comfortable writing style that draws you on and keeps you reading and Lucky’s voice comes through clearly. As a main character Lucky is easy to relate to and she has a wonderfully wry sense of humour. She’s also seemingly quite content with her life, so she isn’t really happy about having it shaken up. But she is also genuinely kind and when faced by a young man who needs help – the kind of help only Lucky can give – she can’t make herself turn him away, despite Kayla’s exhortations to do just that.
Marked has three main subplots: solving the mystery of who is behind the attacks on Lucky and Kayla, figuring out who Lucky really is and then there is the romance. The mystery of who sent the demonic assassin Henri Le Dent, or Henry Toothy Pegs as Lucky dubs him, to summon Kayla back to the Underlands reveals some pretty convoluted politicking in those Underlands. Following Lucky’s attempts at untangling all of the possible leads was a lot of fun. My one complaint with the story would be that there were a lot of misdirections and steps to retrace in this mystery plot and at times it became so complicated that it was hard to keep the lines of power and who influenced who straight.
In her attempts to figure things out, Lucky is inevitably brought to the Underlands, which was a setting that I adored. I loved that the Underlands were Heaven and Hell combined or rather there are no Heaven and Hell, there is just the Underlands. The Underlands are a cut-throat, “every daemon for themselves”-kind of place and affection, much less love, is a luxury most cannot afford. It is also in the Underlands that Lucky discovers her true nature and history, a discovery that very much distresses her. Her gradual understanding and acceptance of the situation was well-developed and lovely to see, especially once she realises that despite everything she dislikes about Underlands society, she loves the friends she’s made there.
Those friends are mainly her bodyguards, but also her best friend Kayla. I loved her bodyguards: Mr Kerfuffle, Mr Shenanigans (those names me giggle when we first meet them, because on first impression they should be the other way around), the wonderful, lovely dragon Pyrites, and of course Guardian Jamie and Death daemon Jinx. The latter two are the ones we get to know best, especially as they are the book’s love interests. Now stop rolling your eyes—yes it is a love triangle, but no Tingey doesn’t follow the trope. I actually loved how this triangle was resolved, which is a hard thing to do, because love triangles are always a hard sell for me. The interplay between Jamie, Jinx, and Lucky was delicious and I loved the way Tingey gave a big, fat wink to Jamie and Jinx’s natures in their physical appearances. While the romance was great and I loved seeing these relationships develop, the more interesting relationship – conflict-wise, that is – was the friendship between Lucky and Kayla. The angst Lucky feels when she discovers Kayla has lied to her, the trust issues, but the undeniable deep bond of affection that remains despite her anger at being lied to, they all served to make this friendship layered and feel very true.
The one problem with getting an advanced review copy of a book this early, is that it takes that much longer before I’ll be able to read the next book and in the case of Marked that is a big problem. I loved this book. The characters, the atmosphere, the humour, the romance, it all worked. Marked is a wonderful debut for Tingey and the start of what looks to be a great trilogy. At the end of the book, we leave Lucky in a good spot, but the battle is far from over, in fact, it has hardly begun. So I’m left with only the one question: “When is the next book out?” Marked will be out in May and if you’re a fantasy fan in general and of supernatural or urban fantasy in particular, I highly recommend you check it out when it does.
This book was provided for review by the publisher.
The basic premise of Marked, that of a girl able to see ghosts, one of whom is her best friend Kayla, who has been with as long as she can remember, is great. It creates an interesting starting point as her abilities have turned Lucky into somewhat of a recluse, avoiding crowded places so she won’t run into the dead. She makes a living writing and sometimes consulting people who have a ghost problem. The status quo is disturbed first by an exorcism – or rather Lucky’s version of it – gone wrong and later by the arrival on her doorstep of a young man who pleads for her help. I was immediately captivated by Lucky’s voice. When I first received the book I had a quick glance at the first page and found myself two pages in before I knew it. When I sat down to read the book properly, the same thing happened. Tingey has a very comfortable writing style that draws you on and keeps you reading and Lucky’s voice comes through clearly. As a main character Lucky is easy to relate to and she has a wonderfully wry sense of humour. She’s also seemingly quite content with her life, so she isn’t really happy about having it shaken up. But she is also genuinely kind and when faced by a young man who needs help – the kind of help only Lucky can give – she can’t make herself turn him away, despite Kayla’s exhortations to do just that.
Marked has three main subplots: solving the mystery of who is behind the attacks on Lucky and Kayla, figuring out who Lucky really is and then there is the romance. The mystery of who sent the demonic assassin Henri Le Dent, or Henry Toothy Pegs as Lucky dubs him, to summon Kayla back to the Underlands reveals some pretty convoluted politicking in those Underlands. Following Lucky’s attempts at untangling all of the possible leads was a lot of fun. My one complaint with the story would be that there were a lot of misdirections and steps to retrace in this mystery plot and at times it became so complicated that it was hard to keep the lines of power and who influenced who straight.
In her attempts to figure things out, Lucky is inevitably brought to the Underlands, which was a setting that I adored. I loved that the Underlands were Heaven and Hell combined or rather there are no Heaven and Hell, there is just the Underlands. The Underlands are a cut-throat, “every daemon for themselves”-kind of place and affection, much less love, is a luxury most cannot afford. It is also in the Underlands that Lucky discovers her true nature and history, a discovery that very much distresses her. Her gradual understanding and acceptance of the situation was well-developed and lovely to see, especially once she realises that despite everything she dislikes about Underlands society, she loves the friends she’s made there.
Those friends are mainly her bodyguards, but also her best friend Kayla. I loved her bodyguards: Mr Kerfuffle, Mr Shenanigans (those names me giggle when we first meet them, because on first impression they should be the other way around), the wonderful, lovely dragon Pyrites, and of course Guardian Jamie and Death daemon Jinx. The latter two are the ones we get to know best, especially as they are the book’s love interests. Now stop rolling your eyes—yes it is a love triangle, but no Tingey doesn’t follow the trope. I actually loved how this triangle was resolved, which is a hard thing to do, because love triangles are always a hard sell for me. The interplay between Jamie, Jinx, and Lucky was delicious and I loved the way Tingey gave a big, fat wink to Jamie and Jinx’s natures in their physical appearances. While the romance was great and I loved seeing these relationships develop, the more interesting relationship – conflict-wise, that is – was the friendship between Lucky and Kayla. The angst Lucky feels when she discovers Kayla has lied to her, the trust issues, but the undeniable deep bond of affection that remains despite her anger at being lied to, they all served to make this friendship layered and feel very true.
The one problem with getting an advanced review copy of a book this early, is that it takes that much longer before I’ll be able to read the next book and in the case of Marked that is a big problem. I loved this book. The characters, the atmosphere, the humour, the romance, it all worked. Marked is a wonderful debut for Tingey and the start of what looks to be a great trilogy. At the end of the book, we leave Lucky in a good spot, but the battle is far from over, in fact, it has hardly begun. So I’m left with only the one question: “When is the next book out?” Marked will be out in May and if you’re a fantasy fan in general and of supernatural or urban fantasy in particular, I highly recommend you check it out when it does.
This book was provided for review by the publisher.
April 29, 2018
Marked is a gripping and immersive story following the lovely Lucky de Salle in her journey to the daemon world. The author does an absolutely splendid job with the descriptions, providing you with enough imagery to put you right into the middle of the story, if not into the shoes of the main character.
Speaking of the characters! I literally loved all of them. They were so well-rounded, believable, and unique in their own ways-- not one of them... (more via website)
November 28, 2015
Full Review @http://www.abookishescape.com/2015/11...
The End, there is some tiny closure but not a lot. Things don’t look good for Lucky but with her new friends they somewhat stand a chance of staying safe until they can figure everything out. Lucky’s situation isn’t safe but she will find a ay to make things right for herself and those she loves. I hope the next comes out soon so I can give it a shot. If it takes about a year I probably wont be so inclined to pick up the continuation.
My Rating
3.0 Good premise some rough edges to smooth out but an overall exciting new concept with a few flaws but all and all entertaining read.
The End, there is some tiny closure but not a lot. Things don’t look good for Lucky but with her new friends they somewhat stand a chance of staying safe until they can figure everything out. Lucky’s situation isn’t safe but she will find a ay to make things right for herself and those she loves. I hope the next comes out soon so I can give it a shot. If it takes about a year I probably wont be so inclined to pick up the continuation.
My Rating
3.0 Good premise some rough edges to smooth out but an overall exciting new concept with a few flaws but all and all entertaining read.
October 2, 2015
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. Lucky de Salle can see and communicate with ghosts. Because of this, she was bullied as a child, and made an outcast as she grew older. She also outed anyone that was a fake claiming to be psychic. Her best friend for her whole life has been a ghost named Kayla. But is she really a ghost or something else? Strange things start to happen that have her questioning what Kayla is and if she can really be trusted. This book started out good, fizzled in the middle, then picked up speed again at the end. I can't say it held my attention enough to continue on with the series.
December 22, 2015
Oh, dear. It was clear after getting past the first chapter this was going to be hard to get through, & I was sadly right. There is absolutely nothing of substance in this read. I really don't understand how Lucky's mind works—though I now know there's nothing worse than dying a virgin, according to our virgin heroine. Good to know, Lucky. Glad to know there's a threesome in your future (seriously, the whole Jinx & Jamie thing made me want to curl up in embarrassment & burst out laughing). Kayla also smiled a "bitchy smile" more than I thought was possible, & the entire story was just nonsensical.
October 25, 2015
It was superfluous in its writing style, I teetered over whether to put it down or not, but despite its immaturity at times, it kept me interested enough to finish. I don't think I will read its sequel.
January 23, 2019
Well, I tried so, so hard to finish this book but only made it halfway through which is annoying - I hate giving up on books and hardly ever do so, so it must say something that I couldn't finish this one.
The blurb really had me wanting to read this book, and the fact it was a trilogy was an added bonus! The first two or three chapters drew me in and were paced quite well, although I have to say that it was excruciatingly annoying to find stupid and serious typos every other paragraph, which was distracting and irritating. Okay, so I'm an editor by trade which makes me more alert to these things anyway but these were plain to see by anyone. There were missing words (yes, entire missing words!) and one of the main characters' names kept switching from Kayla to Kyla and back again - a huge no, no!
The typos are worse when you realise that this book was published by a mainstream publisher! I get that things slip through any net and I've noticed the odd typo in mainstream published works before, though usually they are very few and far between, but this was BAD! This was a case of 'you need to seriously reconsider who you employ to edit your books' BAD.
Still, I pushed on, believing the story to be worth the effort.
Er, no.
It just got silly. Demons with the weirdest of names (almost childish), a main character who became slightly irritating and two-dimensional (despite starting off pretty rounded), the same questions being asked again and again (literally) with no damn answer (please, for the love of God just give her an answer!), angels, devils, royal courts just became way too childish and confusing. It almost felt as if the author lost her way. I got halfway through and genuinely had no clue as to what was going on or where it was all going, and not in the good way.
I'm disappointed in this book as I really wanted to enjoy it, despite the errors and typos, but I simply couldn't read any further. Luckily I borrowed the trilogy from the library so they can just go straight back for another poor soul to borrow!
The blurb really had me wanting to read this book, and the fact it was a trilogy was an added bonus! The first two or three chapters drew me in and were paced quite well, although I have to say that it was excruciatingly annoying to find stupid and serious typos every other paragraph, which was distracting and irritating. Okay, so I'm an editor by trade which makes me more alert to these things anyway but these were plain to see by anyone. There were missing words (yes, entire missing words!) and one of the main characters' names kept switching from Kayla to Kyla and back again - a huge no, no!
The typos are worse when you realise that this book was published by a mainstream publisher! I get that things slip through any net and I've noticed the odd typo in mainstream published works before, though usually they are very few and far between, but this was BAD! This was a case of 'you need to seriously reconsider who you employ to edit your books' BAD.
Still, I pushed on, believing the story to be worth the effort.
Er, no.
It just got silly. Demons with the weirdest of names (almost childish), a main character who became slightly irritating and two-dimensional (despite starting off pretty rounded), the same questions being asked again and again (literally) with no damn answer (please, for the love of God just give her an answer!), angels, devils, royal courts just became way too childish and confusing. It almost felt as if the author lost her way. I got halfway through and genuinely had no clue as to what was going on or where it was all going, and not in the good way.
I'm disappointed in this book as I really wanted to enjoy it, despite the errors and typos, but I simply couldn't read any further. Luckily I borrowed the trilogy from the library so they can just go straight back for another poor soul to borrow!
December 31, 2019
Lucky de Salle hat eine besondere Gabe, sie kann Geister sehen. Immer wieder an Schauplätze gerufen, an denen es spukt. Als sie an ihre alte Schule gerufen wird, denkt sie zuerst, es sind die Zwillinge, die bereits seit vielen Jahren dort ihr Unwesen treiben. Aber etwas viel gefährlicheres taucht dort auf und Luckys Leben wird auf einmal ganz schön durcheinander gebracht. Ihre beste Freundin Kayla, die Lucky bisher eigentlich für einen Geist gehalten hat, entpuppt sich als Dämonenprinzessin und Lucky muss sich damit auseinander setzen, dass sich einiges in ihrem Leben verändert wird. Kayla muss zurück in die Unterwelt und auch Lucky macht sich auf den Weg dort hin. Begleitet wird sie von dem Wächter Jamie und dem Todesdämon Jinx, beide auf ihre spezielle Art und Weise unglaublich sexy, was Lucky sehr durcheinander bringt. Kann sie den beiden vertrauen?
Zu diesem Buch habe ich viele verschiedene Meinungen gehört, was mich sehr neugierig gemacht hat. Erzählt wird hier die Geschichte von Lucky de Salle, einer jungen Frau, die Geister sehen kann. Anfangs ist die Handlung wirklich sehr gruselig und unheimlich, was mir sehr gut gefallen hat. Ab einem bestimmten Punkt des Buches ändert sich die Handlung dann völlig und plötzlich geht es gar nicht mehr um Geister sondern um Dämonen, was mich doch sehr überrascht hat. Luckys Reise in die Unterwelt ist recht gefährlich und es geht dort ziemlich brutal zu, denn die meisten Dämonen sind alles andere als nett.
Lucky zur Seite stellt die Autorin direkt zwei männliche Charaktere, die beide sehr unterschiedlich sind. Mir hat es besonders Jinx angetan, die Bad Boys mag ich einfach lieber. Beide scheinen an Lucky interessiert zu sein und obwohl ich Dreiecksgeschichte eigentlich nicht mag, hat mich das hier nicht so gestört.
Mich konnte dieses Buch überzeugen und ich bin wirklich sehr gespannt auf die Fortsetzung. Von mir gibt es die volle Punktzahl
Zu diesem Buch habe ich viele verschiedene Meinungen gehört, was mich sehr neugierig gemacht hat. Erzählt wird hier die Geschichte von Lucky de Salle, einer jungen Frau, die Geister sehen kann. Anfangs ist die Handlung wirklich sehr gruselig und unheimlich, was mir sehr gut gefallen hat. Ab einem bestimmten Punkt des Buches ändert sich die Handlung dann völlig und plötzlich geht es gar nicht mehr um Geister sondern um Dämonen, was mich doch sehr überrascht hat. Luckys Reise in die Unterwelt ist recht gefährlich und es geht dort ziemlich brutal zu, denn die meisten Dämonen sind alles andere als nett.
Lucky zur Seite stellt die Autorin direkt zwei männliche Charaktere, die beide sehr unterschiedlich sind. Mir hat es besonders Jinx angetan, die Bad Boys mag ich einfach lieber. Beide scheinen an Lucky interessiert zu sein und obwohl ich Dreiecksgeschichte eigentlich nicht mag, hat mich das hier nicht so gestört.
Mich konnte dieses Buch überzeugen und ich bin wirklich sehr gespannt auf die Fortsetzung. Von mir gibt es die volle Punktzahl
November 9, 2018
What a story! Daemons and Lords and assassins and marks and politics. What a world.
Lucky de Salle sees ghosts in the world. Her childhood best friend is one. Until she learns that her best friend is not who she thought she was... but wait. Who is SHE? She doesn’t know who she herself is.
Trying to figure out the Underlands is a troubling thing but she’s getting the hang of it. Until she isn’t.
What a thrilling ride. Thank goodness I also have book two at the ready.
Lucky de Salle sees ghosts in the world. Her childhood best friend is one. Until she learns that her best friend is not who she thought she was... but wait. Who is SHE? She doesn’t know who she herself is.
Trying to figure out the Underlands is a troubling thing but she’s getting the hang of it. Until she isn’t.
What a thrilling ride. Thank goodness I also have book two at the ready.
March 29, 2017
Weird ...
November 20, 2024
This book went entirely off the rails for me. I enjoyed it up until I couldn't buy the story anymore. I felt I'd lost any investment I'd had 1/3rd into it, and when she was given a dragon... I mean... nope. Sorry. DNF
July 1, 2015
Romance... has never been my cup of tea but this book, it really changed my mind regarding the genre. I don't know what captured my attention when I saw it on GoodReads but I'm so happy! It's really well paced, the plot intriguing and the world in and of itself so beautiful. The characters are really well written and completely well thought of, I have no trouble with how all of them pans out (and that says a lot cause I'm picky as fuuuudge). There are so many points in this book where you would think, "Oh god this character is now going to eff up so badly I will have to purge every inch of emotions available in my body just to continue on reading." but oh was I wrong. Rather than going about it dramatically like most books do, the author kept it realistic and smooth. It's so wonderful oh I love that about the book - how it takes cliches and just refolds those messy bits to make it lovely, sweet and funny. A very good read for romance, action lovers and for those wishing to mix it up a bit.
I just have to talk about the characters, it's so beautifully done I could cry!
Lucky de Salle, a typical oddball in the real world whom can see spirits and ghosts - hence ostracized by those around her. She's so precious I love her so much. She's completely self-opinionated, sticks up for herself (She doesn't even wait to be saved!), wonderfully stubborn (She knows when to stand her ground and when not to, which makes her amazing FYI), slightly naive in regards of certain matters but it just makes her oh so adorable and she's completely relatable. Kayla is also really well written! I'm assuming it's intended that we doubt her every now and then throughout the book and if that's so, kudos to the writer! I was so confused as to whether she's friend or foe, cause in this book we can't really differentiate what's the truth and what's a lie but it's not frustratingly so. She's your typical hot-tempered best friend who wouldn't take no for an answer and would beat up all of your bullies for you. Their relationship as friends is a tad bit complicated, but they'll go through hell just for each other.
Lucky's bodyguards are the hot-tempered Mr.Kerfuffle, the gentle giant Mr.Shenanigans, the adorable Pyrites, the handsome angel Jamie and the "sexy, irreverant" Jinx. The whole dynamic of the group is amazing, cute and hilarious! Mr.Kerfuffle and Mr.Shenanigans complement each other so well, one hot-tempered and strict while the other gentle and sympathetic. However my focus is on Jamie and Jinx. I really didn't know there was going to be a love triangle in this book and it's good cause if I did know, I wouldn't have bought it let alone read it even and that would've been a true waste. Cause the love triangle is really, really well written! Jamie and Jinx has this weird roller coaster of a relationship going on where some times they're going at each other's throats (especially Jamie) and another time they're so close they could communicated just by looking at each other. They're so adorable you can't hate on them so easily!
I just have to talk about the characters, it's so beautifully done I could cry!
Lucky de Salle, a typical oddball in the real world whom can see spirits and ghosts - hence ostracized by those around her. She's so precious I love her so much. She's completely self-opinionated, sticks up for herself (She doesn't even wait to be saved!), wonderfully stubborn (She knows when to stand her ground and when not to, which makes her amazing FYI), slightly naive in regards of certain matters but it just makes her oh so adorable and she's completely relatable. Kayla is also really well written! I'm assuming it's intended that we doubt her every now and then throughout the book and if that's so, kudos to the writer! I was so confused as to whether she's friend or foe, cause in this book we can't really differentiate what's the truth and what's a lie but it's not frustratingly so. She's your typical hot-tempered best friend who wouldn't take no for an answer and would beat up all of your bullies for you. Their relationship as friends is a tad bit complicated, but they'll go through hell just for each other.
Lucky's bodyguards are the hot-tempered Mr.Kerfuffle, the gentle giant Mr.Shenanigans, the adorable Pyrites, the handsome angel Jamie and the "sexy, irreverant" Jinx. The whole dynamic of the group is amazing, cute and hilarious! Mr.Kerfuffle and Mr.Shenanigans complement each other so well, one hot-tempered and strict while the other gentle and sympathetic. However my focus is on Jamie and Jinx. I really didn't know there was going to be a love triangle in this book and it's good cause if I did know, I wouldn't have bought it let alone read it even and that would've been a true waste. Cause the love triangle is really, really well written! Jamie and Jinx has this weird roller coaster of a relationship going on where some times they're going at each other's throats (especially Jamie) and another time they're so close they could communicated just by looking at each other. They're so adorable you can't hate on them so easily!
December 5, 2015
I don't know how this book got published. Tingey is a decent writer in terms of technique, but the plot in "Marked" is a mess and her characters make no sense.
I loved the opening of this book. Lucky de Salle is a real psychic who can talk to ghosts and makes her living debunking fake psychics. She has a lifelong spirit companion and best friend, Kayla. Okay, I LOVE this idea. A female supernatural mystery investigating duo, one of whom is a ghost. Fantastic!
Except that's not what the book is. Tingey shows Lucky investigating exactly one case of 2 little girl ghosts in an attic but then a demon shows up and, on her way out, Lucky tells the headmistress, "You've got a demon in your attic, don't go up there."
Um, I'm not seeing much to admire in Lucky's investigation skills right now, plus Kayla spends the whole investigation in the car. Lucky tells the reader that Kayla is a fantastic friend and very trustworthy except everything Kayla does implies the opposite.
Then a guy named Jamie shows up, he's hot and he's got ghost troubles so Lucky invites him to stay with her even though Kayla says not to trust him. Then it turns out that Kayla is not a ghost as she's always claimed, but a demon and not just a demon, but a demon princess and she has to go back to hell. Oh, and Lucky should go too because she's half demon. (If you were half demon, wouldn't you have some idea of your true nature? Lucky's clueless about this and everything else.).
So Lucky winds up going to hell with Jamie who has wings and has sworn to protect her. Hell is a lot like life on planet earth except most people have horns or tails and the king is a total psychopath. Oh, and he's Lucky's father.
Soon Lucky, doing a great impersonation of a doormat, picks up 5 body guards including a dragon which can change size at will. Daddy's idea of entertainment is to have demons horrible tortured every night in the court...and where the heck is the investigating ghost thing? Isn't that how the story was introduced? There are ghosts in hell but Lucky never strikes up a conversation with any of them WHICH WOULD KIND OF BE THE POINT IF YOUR BIG SKILL WAS TALKING TO GHOSTS!
And the torture scene was just flat out disgusting--totally inappropriate for a book with a whimsical beginning. The hints about Lucky having a three way with Angel Jamie and Deathbringer, Jinx did not intrigue me. I'm not a prude, but if I wanted to read about a human/demon 3-way, I'd be shopping for a book that was upfront about its contents.
Apparently there are more books in this series. I won't be reading any of them.
Not recommended.
I loved the opening of this book. Lucky de Salle is a real psychic who can talk to ghosts and makes her living debunking fake psychics. She has a lifelong spirit companion and best friend, Kayla. Okay, I LOVE this idea. A female supernatural mystery investigating duo, one of whom is a ghost. Fantastic!
Except that's not what the book is. Tingey shows Lucky investigating exactly one case of 2 little girl ghosts in an attic but then a demon shows up and, on her way out, Lucky tells the headmistress, "You've got a demon in your attic, don't go up there."
Um, I'm not seeing much to admire in Lucky's investigation skills right now, plus Kayla spends the whole investigation in the car. Lucky tells the reader that Kayla is a fantastic friend and very trustworthy except everything Kayla does implies the opposite.
Then a guy named Jamie shows up, he's hot and he's got ghost troubles so Lucky invites him to stay with her even though Kayla says not to trust him. Then it turns out that Kayla is not a ghost as she's always claimed, but a demon and not just a demon, but a demon princess and she has to go back to hell. Oh, and Lucky should go too because she's half demon. (If you were half demon, wouldn't you have some idea of your true nature? Lucky's clueless about this and everything else.).
So Lucky winds up going to hell with Jamie who has wings and has sworn to protect her. Hell is a lot like life on planet earth except most people have horns or tails and the king is a total psychopath. Oh, and he's Lucky's father.
Soon Lucky, doing a great impersonation of a doormat, picks up 5 body guards including a dragon which can change size at will. Daddy's idea of entertainment is to have demons horrible tortured every night in the court...and where the heck is the investigating ghost thing? Isn't that how the story was introduced? There are ghosts in hell but Lucky never strikes up a conversation with any of them WHICH WOULD KIND OF BE THE POINT IF YOUR BIG SKILL WAS TALKING TO GHOSTS!
And the torture scene was just flat out disgusting--totally inappropriate for a book with a whimsical beginning. The hints about Lucky having a three way with Angel Jamie and Deathbringer, Jinx did not intrigue me. I'm not a prude, but if I wanted to read about a human/demon 3-way, I'd be shopping for a book that was upfront about its contents.
Apparently there are more books in this series. I won't be reading any of them.
Not recommended.
December 27, 2016
{December 26th, 2016} MINI REVIEW, CAUSE UGHHH
1.5 stars.
This is definitely one that it's not me but the book itself. And I've been stewingnthis for a while, and very frustrated for that reason alone. I had so many problems when reading this that I nearly stopped, but I got through it. Again, when I initially picked up Marked, I had a very different picture of how the story was going to go than the reality I got.
I liked the start, but it's when we hit about halfway where it lost me. The relationship between Lucky and Kayla was interesting, but man idk what it is, it just seemed to fall a part somewhere down the line. And I'm not going to even get into the other characters, other than the love triangle that just made me want to run away screaming. Okay, that's an exaggeration but an accurate one. Also Lucky, I kept seeing her name as Lucy for some odd reason.
There was one particular part that actually made me stop, flail before restraining myself from chucking the book, which I'll address in spoilers:
But other than the very grating problems I had, it was an...okay read? I personally wish the story had not go in this direction cause the premise I was promised was not fulfilled. Call me bitter but I'll be dreaming of the story that almost was as I pass on reading the sequel. But definitely a well written debut, just not for me in terms of story.
1.5 stars.
This is definitely one that it's not me but the book itself. And I've been stewingnthis for a while, and very frustrated for that reason alone. I had so many problems when reading this that I nearly stopped, but I got through it. Again, when I initially picked up Marked, I had a very different picture of how the story was going to go than the reality I got.
I liked the start, but it's when we hit about halfway where it lost me. The relationship between Lucky and Kayla was interesting, but man idk what it is, it just seemed to fall a part somewhere down the line. And I'm not going to even get into the other characters, other than the love triangle that just made me want to run away screaming. Okay, that's an exaggeration but an accurate one. Also Lucky, I kept seeing her name as Lucy for some odd reason.
There was one particular part that actually made me stop, flail before restraining myself from chucking the book, which I'll address in spoilers:
But other than the very grating problems I had, it was an...okay read? I personally wish the story had not go in this direction cause the premise I was promised was not fulfilled. Call me bitter but I'll be dreaming of the story that almost was as I pass on reading the sequel. But definitely a well written debut, just not for me in terms of story.
January 28, 2016
Meine Meinung:
"Marked - Eine teuflische Liebe" von Sue Tingey ist der wundervolle Auftakt zu einer neuen Fantasy-Reihe.
Ich weiß gar nicht genau, was ich eigentlich erwartet hatte, aber das war es nicht. Umso mehr freut es mich, dass mir dieses Buch so viel Freude bereitet hat. Es ist im wahrsten Sinne fantastisch und bietet Stoff für einige unterhaltsame Stunden.
Von Anfang an packte mich die Geschichte rund um die Geister sehende Lucky und ihre beste (Geister-)Freundin Kayla. Obwohl der erste Daemon quasi sofort auf der Bildfläche erscheint, dauerte es seine Weile bis auch mir klar wurde, dass dieses Buch eine ganz andere Richtung einschlagen würde als man, vom Klappentext ausgehend, schließen würde.
Diese neue Richtung war zum Glück unheimlich spannend und bietet so wahnsinnig viel Stoff, dass es mich dazu verleitet, auf mehr als eine Fortsetzung zu hoffen. Tingey entführt uns in eine völlig fremde Welt, die gleichzeitig erschreckend und bezaubernd ist. Die Faszination ist groß - und ich hoffe sehr, dass wir nicht allzu lange darauf warten müssen, an diesen magischen Ort zurückzukehren.
Die Charaktere sind sehr liebevoll gestaltet, bleiben allerdings noch etwas flach. Nichtsdestotrotz muss man sie einfach ins Herz schließen und genießt die Interaktionen dieser außergewöhnlichen Gruppe.
Die Lovestory ist gewagt - aber wenn Tingey das beibehält, was sie am Ende verspricht, dann bin ich überzeugt. Auf den ersten Blick wirkt es wie eine typische Dreiecksgeschichte, aber was wäre, wenn das Mädchen ausnahmsweise mal beide nimmt? Das Buch richtet sich eher an Erwachsene, der Schauplatz ist die Unterwelt - also, warum nicht?
Fazit:
Sue Tingey hat mit "Marked - Eine teuflische Liebe" einen Reihenauftakt geschaffen, der mich absolut angefixt hat. Ich habe die Reise in die Unterwelt unheimlich genossen und mich in die wahnsinnig kuriose, aber sympathische Gruppe verliebt. Das Buch ist schnell gelesen, überaus unterhaltsam und macht einfach Lust auf mehr! 4,5/5 Bücher!
"Marked - Eine teuflische Liebe" von Sue Tingey ist der wundervolle Auftakt zu einer neuen Fantasy-Reihe.
Ich weiß gar nicht genau, was ich eigentlich erwartet hatte, aber das war es nicht. Umso mehr freut es mich, dass mir dieses Buch so viel Freude bereitet hat. Es ist im wahrsten Sinne fantastisch und bietet Stoff für einige unterhaltsame Stunden.
Von Anfang an packte mich die Geschichte rund um die Geister sehende Lucky und ihre beste (Geister-)Freundin Kayla. Obwohl der erste Daemon quasi sofort auf der Bildfläche erscheint, dauerte es seine Weile bis auch mir klar wurde, dass dieses Buch eine ganz andere Richtung einschlagen würde als man, vom Klappentext ausgehend, schließen würde.
Diese neue Richtung war zum Glück unheimlich spannend und bietet so wahnsinnig viel Stoff, dass es mich dazu verleitet, auf mehr als eine Fortsetzung zu hoffen. Tingey entführt uns in eine völlig fremde Welt, die gleichzeitig erschreckend und bezaubernd ist. Die Faszination ist groß - und ich hoffe sehr, dass wir nicht allzu lange darauf warten müssen, an diesen magischen Ort zurückzukehren.
Die Charaktere sind sehr liebevoll gestaltet, bleiben allerdings noch etwas flach. Nichtsdestotrotz muss man sie einfach ins Herz schließen und genießt die Interaktionen dieser außergewöhnlichen Gruppe.
Die Lovestory ist gewagt - aber wenn Tingey das beibehält, was sie am Ende verspricht, dann bin ich überzeugt. Auf den ersten Blick wirkt es wie eine typische Dreiecksgeschichte, aber was wäre, wenn das Mädchen ausnahmsweise mal beide nimmt? Das Buch richtet sich eher an Erwachsene, der Schauplatz ist die Unterwelt - also, warum nicht?
Fazit:
Sue Tingey hat mit "Marked - Eine teuflische Liebe" einen Reihenauftakt geschaffen, der mich absolut angefixt hat. Ich habe die Reise in die Unterwelt unheimlich genossen und mich in die wahnsinnig kuriose, aber sympathische Gruppe verliebt. Das Buch ist schnell gelesen, überaus unterhaltsam und macht einfach Lust auf mehr! 4,5/5 Bücher!
September 29, 2015
After reading the synopsis, I was really eager to read this when given the chance through an ARC from the publisher and Netgalley. The premise was interesting. Lucky is a girl who can see spirits, including a sister spirit who has been with her basically since birth, and suddenly finds that she must travel to the Underworld (Underlands) where things only get harder. Again, sounds interesting. Her "spirit" Kayla, her forever best and really only friends, turns out to be not at all what she thought. Lucky is forced to figure out this new and strange world with the help of her protectors.
I wanted to like the story, and I did enjoy parts. I found myself annoyed by Lucky. She comes off as unnatural for a woman of her age who has gone through what she has. The protectors (who I won't name so as not to spoil anything) are good characters, but how many times can we go through Lucky asking them a question and having them shift and avoid the question? Those scenes started to grate.
Overall, an ok read and I will probably give book 2 a chance (cliffhanger).
I wanted to like the story, and I did enjoy parts. I found myself annoyed by Lucky. She comes off as unnatural for a woman of her age who has gone through what she has. The protectors (who I won't name so as not to spoil anything) are good characters, but how many times can we go through Lucky asking them a question and having them shift and avoid the question? Those scenes started to grate.
Overall, an ok read and I will probably give book 2 a chance (cliffhanger).
February 22, 2016
Read this review and more on me blog.
I received a free copy of Marked for my honest opinion.
If only i had read Marked 3 - 4 years ago when i was in my paranormal phase of reading.
Marked is the first book in the Soulseer Chronicles. Lucky is able to see ghosts, and Kayla, Lucky's best friend, happens to be one.
Lucky manages to get involved in the political side of the Underlands, a place that she has never visited before and chaos ensues.
Personally, i did not enjoy Marked as i no longer seem to enjoy the paranormal genre; but that does not mean that it was a bad book. If you do enjoy paranormal books, then chances are that you will love Marked.
Marked contains content not suitable for younger readers.
I received a free copy of Marked for my honest opinion.
If only i had read Marked 3 - 4 years ago when i was in my paranormal phase of reading.
Marked is the first book in the Soulseer Chronicles. Lucky is able to see ghosts, and Kayla, Lucky's best friend, happens to be one.
Lucky manages to get involved in the political side of the Underlands, a place that she has never visited before and chaos ensues.
Personally, i did not enjoy Marked as i no longer seem to enjoy the paranormal genre; but that does not mean that it was a bad book. If you do enjoy paranormal books, then chances are that you will love Marked.
Marked contains content not suitable for younger readers.
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