My chest fills and deflates rapidly—too rapidly—and a hazy darkness begins to creep around my vision. My hands begin to lift, but I don’t want to look, I really, really don’t want to look, because if I do, then there is no more denying, there is no more pretending what happened didn’t happen.
Hanna Harper did the only thing she could do—she stabbed Jared, the love of her life, through the heart to stop the apocalypse. But she was too late. The Fallen were released, and now that Jared has ascended, they intend on using his blood to complete their plan to end the world.
With The Order now divided, Hanna and her friends must find a way to help Jared become The Savior they believe he is. But when a Guardian who’s always viewed Jared as the enemy throws him in the church dungeon at The Compound, all may be lost.
Will Hanna be able to rescue Jared and convince him he’s not the monster he believes himself to be, or will he give into darkness and despair and truly become The Destroyer?
T.L. McDonald lives in Ohio with her husband, her three wonderful children, and her little miniature pinscher Lola (who thinks she's a big beast.) When she's not spending time with her family or friends, she can often be found staring at the computer screen as she writes new material (okay sometimes she's actually just surfing her newsfeed on Facebook or Twitter), curled up with a good book, or occasionally binge watching an entire series on Netflix. Although T.L. has been writing since her childhood, Marked is her very first published novel and now that she's gotten this far, she has no plans of stopping. Nothing makes her happier than knowing she's put something out into the world for people to enjoy.
I received this book for free from the We <3 YA Club and from the author in exchange for my honest review.
I did purchase and read books 1 & 2 before diving into this last book so that I wasn't lost. The first two books in the series were pretty good and the main protagonist was badass as she slowly came into herself and her new powers. Until about the middle to end of book 2....then in book 3.
In Redemption, Hanna and Jared must fight together with the rest of the Guardians to stop the fallen angels from taking over and destroying the world. In book 3, actions have already been put into motion by the fallen to take over the world because as it turns out, Jared is the chosen one who must choose between good and bad...and he has already chosen bad because Hanna kissed another guy. Even though Jared regretted the decision immediately after making it, the Fallen have already begun the ritual to bring forth the Deceiver who would rule the new world.
I swear to god though, three-fourths of the entire 3rd book is Hanna and Jared going back and forth with "I shouldn't have chose that way" and "no if I hadn't..." along with "I cant do this and this is all my fault" and "no, it's MY fault..." blah blah blah. By the middle of the book, I was audibly sighing out loud everytime this came up and I was about to throw my kindle across the room. I even received a weird look from my husband at one point when I very loudly said "seriously, are we doing this again?" I very much talked to myself a lot with this book and at another point I said out-loud "okay, the bad guys are taking over the world and we're just going to sit around and do this over and over again?" HAHA.
With that being said, I think that's what makes a good book for me...when I can sit there and talk to myself and become a little frustrated. That to me means I care enough about the people in the story and want to keep going. Please don't take what I've just said above as a bad thing about the book, because overall I very much enjoyed this entire series. And even with wanting to reach through and smack the heck out of Hanna and Jared, I did enjoy the third book Redemption as well. The author did a really good job with telling the characters and I felt like I could love or hate them based on their descriptions and attitudes. The author really knew how to set a scene too. Each scene in these books was detailed out, not so much that it became boring, but enough to make me feel like I was standing there too. I would and will definitely recommend this book to others as well. A big thank you to the author for allowing me to read and review this!
*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
REDEMPTION is the third (and likely final) installment in the MARKED series, and it is just as fast-paced and action-packed as the first two books. It picks up right after the previous book, and we find Hanna and the gang doing everything they can to make sure Hanna’s love, Jared, becomes The Savior and stops the impending apocalypse, all the while battling forces that want to see him become The Destroyer, aka the catalyst to kick off said apocalypse. I don’t want to give too much away, so I’ll just say that, once again, T.L. McDonald keeps readers—and the characters—on their toes. Just when things seem to settle down, more mayhem ensues, and you never quite know what’s going to happen next.
As with the first two books, the tone and writing style definitely make it feel as if a teenager is telling the story. The other characters feel realistic in that way, as well. I enjoyed Hanna’s friend group even more in this book, especially Owen. Admittedly, I did start to get frustrated with Jared blaming himself for everything and constantly falling back into thinking he’s The Destroyer at just about every turn. Every time Hanna painstakingly talked him into believing he was good, he seemed to drop back down five seconds later. There were times even Hanna wanted to slap him, and I was right there with her like SNAP OUT OF IT, JARED!
Again, I don’t want to give away the plot, but I will say I appreciated how the book dealt with the concept of dual fates, and I really enjoyed the story. Kudos to the author for another emotional rollercoaster of a novel. Fans of the first two books won’t be disappointed.
In this exciting conclusion (or IS IT?...) to T.L. McDonald's trilogy, Hanna and her friends prepare to engage in a battle to the death against Jasper (aka Blondie) and the rest of The Fallen. Nothing less than the future of humanity is at stake?
Hanna has certainly been put through the wringer in this series, both emotionally and physically, but she's a great heroine because of her dogged persistence and resilience. Ms. McDonald does a fantastic job of writing the story from Hanna's perspective, and it really felt like it was a teenage girl telling the story, which is an aspect a lot of YA authors get wrong.
My one (and really, only) problem with the book was Jared: no matter how many pep talks, hand-holding sessions and motivational speeches Hanna seemed to give him, convincing him that he was a good guy and not the mean and nasty apocalypse monster destined to destroy the world, he would relapse into depressing hand-wringing two seconds later. I literally wanted to reach into my Kindle and throttle him on more than one occasion!
Still, this was a terrific conclusion to a great YA series. I look forward to reading whatever comes next from this author!
I recently found the opportunity to read the last book in the Marked series. I have read the other two books and I really wanted to finish out the series.
"Jared's been taken, and I have no idea where the hell I am. My one job in this whole world was to keep Jared safe." Jared is the key to destroying The Fallen, but with him in their hands, they may win this war. Hanna is doing everything she can to prevent The Fallen from winning. Hanna Harper is one of a team. Will, Eric, Sam, Piper, Owen and more, work together to fight this war. "If we want to win the fight against The Fallen, we need Jared on our side because he is the key to everything. He's the Destroyer and he's The Savior. The all-consuming darkness at the hands of The Fallen or the bright light at the end of the tunnel to the start of something new in the hands of The Order."
Hanna and her friends/team, learn that blondie and Tyler are separated, but they are both a threat. Zoe is still around to hurt them and so is Rain Rivers. Hanna finds that "Dirt and blood is what my life has become. I miss the old me. I miss hanging out with my friends."
Hanna and her friends never give up. But what about Jared?
The author included reminders for me, which is good because I had forgotten some things from the previous books. I can't promise that I understood everything from this book. I feel like I missed some things.
I found that I struggled with this book. Jared was not present for much of the first part of this book. Will was there to keep Hanna sane and going. I like Will better than Jared. I'm team Will. I feel he's a stronger character and stronger person who cares about Hanna. For me, Jared was less enjoyable. Jared isn't weak, exactly, but he doesn't excite me. He really struggled with confidence and this wore me down. It almost felt like their history is what kept her going.
The formula to the book was a bit distracting. There is a huge fight, they flee, characters heal themselves and others, rinse, repeat. The same steps happened over and over. I get that the two sides are fighting but I think this book is more violent and graphic then the first two. I don't recall so much detail with injuries and blood There seemed to be more detail about what they do to each other. So much blood. Here is a taste of what I mean. "Forgetting about the tweezers, I dig down into his wound with my finger and thumb. Jared screams so loud I an feel it vibrating throughout his torso."
Overall, I enjoyed the first two books in this series. Hanna is a strong female lead who is enjoyable to follow. I liked the other characters but Jared was hard to take sometimes. The ending to the series wasn't quite what I expected. The content was a bit much for me. This book is quite long.
"What do you think he's searching for? Redemption. Do you think he'll find it? I hope so."
Content: strong language throughout, sexual situations, violence, graphic
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
What a wild and fantastic ride! Redemption is the third book in the Marked series and by far the best. Once I started it, I couldn’t put it down. It was action-packed to the fullest and every scene had me biting my nails in anticipation of what was coming.
Hanna and her friends are on the brink of Armageddon now that the Fallen have been released and are running wild all over the earth. They must save Jared from not only the council and the Fallen, but even from himself. Hanna is the only one who can sway him to choose one of his two destinies, the Destroyer or The Savior. Either way, the fate of the world rests in their hands.
This has to be one of the best YA Urban Fantasies I’ve read in a long time. The action scenes were amazing and the sweet romance mixed in added just the right touch. There was a little humor too, lightening the intense drama and even heartache. If you like YA UF, please, please I recommend this entire series!
Redemption is the third book in the Marked series and by far the best. Once I started it, I couldn’t put it down. It was action-packed to the fullest and every scene had me biting my nails in anticipation of what was coming.
Hanna and her friends are on the brink of Armageddon now that the Fallen have been released, and they have to save Jared from not only the council and the Fallen, but even from himself. Hanna is the only one who can sway him to choose his destiny, the Destroyer or The Savior. Either way, the fate of the world rests in their hands.
This has to be one of the best YA Urban Fantasies I’ve read in a long time. The action scenes were amazing and the sweet romance mixed in added just the right touch. There was a little humor too, lightening the intense drama and even heartache. I really am hoping that we get to see more of this world since the author kind of left it open!
I absolutely loved this book. Jared and his self loathing was a little annoying but completely understandable. Cassidy and her bs... though it may be wrong but she should've been put out of her misery.
Anyway, this book is the last of the series. I felt it was steady and exciting. I didn't want to put it down until I was done. There was all kinds of drama, pep talks, faith, and so much more going on it the book. All in all, i was happy how it ended and felt sad when it did because the story ended. Thank you T.L. McDonald for a wonderful written series. I will miss Jared, Will, and all the rest...even Sam.
I wanted to enjoy this one, since I liked the first one and was okay with the second, but I honestly just got tired of the self-pity and self-deprecation on Hanna's and Jared's parts. I skimmed through a majority of it to get the idea but it felt like every chapter was just "this is my fault because..." "no, you have nothing to blame yourself for, if I hadn't..."
I did enjoy some of the new characters and other character developments. Some surprising twists as well.
Loved all 3 books. First book was so intense I couldn't put it down. I new good would overcome evil but everything they endured was knuckle clenching. You never had to think where you were in the story when the second book started..it flowed right into where the first book ended. Third book flowed into story just as the second book. Great story...enjoyed it.
I highly recommend this series. It is well written and though a fantasy, you can definitely see it a reality. I don't do spoilers , so I guess you'll just have to read the series. I also don't do reviews unless their really good or really bad. T. L. McDonald is a very good writer, I hope to read more from her
I love happy endings even better, I am so happy that Will got his happiness after all.. I really liked Will and Hanna together but of course nothing is as it seems.. But the whole series was just totally awesome but most of all the ending was a big surprise..
I started out thinking I'll read book one of this series. That's a laugh i had to buy each book and read full if call asleep then read more till I go home she'd the whole series.
I really liked the three books in this series. I really appreciated the depth and normalcy of the characters. And the what-ifs! Great writing, Ms. McDonald, keep it up.
This trilogy keeps toy guessing. You never know what to expect. Just when you think yoh have it figured out something harkens that changes the whole outcome you expected. Great read
This book takes you on an action-packed journey with lots of suspense and surprising twists that make it so this book can't be put down. The ending was excellent. The characters could be easily loved or hated.
The story comes to an end with the final battle and a satisfactory conclusion. There are some sad parts, some intense parts, and some happy parts to make you smile.
The book was hand kept me wanting to keep reading. The only thing I thought was Hanna was sometimes annoying and frustrating when she would go in circles with herself in her own head.
Kept me engaged from start to finish,love the characters and complex relationships. Imaginative and just enough adult content. Hoping to read more from this world!
Lots of conflict and trials. Stressful reading at times. Hard to put down. Good vs. evil. Good always wins. Great ending for the series. Will there be more?
Wow talk about an action packed finale to a fantastic series! McDonald really pulled out all the stops on this one, not giving you one second to pause and catch your breath. In the final book in the series, Hanna, Jared and the gang have to save the world from The Fallen and boy do they have their work cut out for them. Blondie is back with a vengeance and more evil than ever torturing Hanna and her friends non-stop. Poor Jared is in a major depression thinking the world ending was his fault (and let’s be honest, it kind of was) but Hanna is there with constant pep talks to keep him from going over the proverbial edge and turning into The Destroyer. She believes he is meant to be the Savior and will prove it to him no matter what. I must say if anyone was the true savior in this book, it was Hanna Harper. She fought The Fallen like a champ! I don’t want to give away too many spoilers so I’ll just leave it at - you have to read this book! I can’t wait to see what this author writes next!