The Marked Children

by Thea Booysen

A mark. That’s how it begins. The first sign you’ve been chosen.

Sixteen-year-old John’s life changes when he discovers a sinister black symbol on his arm. Little does he know that thousands of children across the world woke up with similar marks, but went missing shortly thereafter.
It’s like they disappeared from the face of the Earth. Where did they go?

Unfortunately, John is about to find out.

Genres: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Fiction, Fantasy

306 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 10, 2022

Reviews

[Krista Hajjar-Nejad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Just WOW! I was really blown away by Thea Booysen’s debut sci-fi YA novel. I honestly don’t read a lot of sci-fi or a lot of YA novels, but I was really impressed by this novel. I thought it was very captivating, action-packed, and all of the characters were very well developed. I especially loved John’s character. His Dad has disappeared without a trace and he’s left to care for his Mother and younger brother. He’s feeling stressed trying to go to school, work, and take care of his family. And then one day he gets the feeling that someone is watching him. And then one morning he wakes up with a mysterious black mark on his arm. Where did it come from and what does it mean? He soon finds out as he is taken and dropped to some other place that is definitely not Earth.
Ahh!!! I don’t want to say too much or give anything away. I will say that Booysen’s creativity flowed page after page and I couldn’t put this book down!

Like I said above, I’m not a huge Sci-fi fan, but I LOVED THIS BOOK!

[Sofia Carlström · Rating 5 out of 5]

En otrolig debut! Jag är så glad att jag kom över ännu en dystopisk bok, cirka 10 år efter genrens stora genombrott. En riktig bladvändare. Det blir så tydligt att människans överlevnad grundas i samarbete, och att ensam aldrig är stark. Vi alla har en roll, mening, i det stora hela vi kallar livet och universum. Epilogen var som grädden på moset, den hade inte kunnat vara mer perfekt. Älskar du Hunger games, Lord of the Flies och Divergent får du alla tre paketerade i den här guldklimpen. Thea Booysen, ett namn att komma ihåg!
//
English:

An incredible debut! I’m so glad I came across another dystopian book, about 10 years after the genre’s break through. A real page turner. It becomes evident that the human survival is based on cooperation, and that you’re never strong alone. We all have a purpose, meaning, in the thing we call life and universe. The epilogue was like icing on a cake, couldn’t have been more perfect. If you love Hunger games, Lord of the flies and Divergent, you have it all combined in this book. Thea Booysen, a name to remember!

[S · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such an interesting and enjoyable read! I really enjoyed the unique concept and story Thea came up with. This whole book was very well written, and I really liked the characters as well. The ending was very clever and really makes you think, and rethink the whole book. I’d love to read more books by Thea!

[Ian Kirkpatrick · Rating 2 out of 5]

this is v clearly someone's first book and feels like it was written by someone young. It gets lost in itself and doesn't really have a plot, has competing goals in the end like it remembered it needed a plot, and doesn't really explain what is even going on.

The big questions presented at the beginning aren't satisfactorily answered IMO and that's in part because this book lacked focus on what it wanted to be about.

[Beth Goodman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book might have made me a fantasy person. I loved the ending. Really enjoyed the writing and flow. 10/10 read!

[Gabrielle (belle.bookcorner) · Rating 4 out of 5]

"People are ignorant of the truth, until it sneaks up on them one day and bites them in the face. Then, nobody believes them either. Ironic, isn’t it ?"

This book has a great storyline, well paced with unique world building and well written characters.
Things started to get a lot more interesting during the middle of the book and it keeps me interested until the end.

I love the main focus of this book is about team work and how to trust each other to learn how to survive together.
So, I was surprised to know that it has some serious harsh survival situation, considering the main characters in this story are teenager, even children.

While I enjoy the overall story, I still crave for more because of the open-ending and some questions are left unanswered as well.

For a debut novel, this is a great YA sci-fi fantasy book. The plot and characters are very enjoyable and captivating.
Recommended for those who likes to read YA sci-fi novels.
I'll be looking forward for more books from this author!

Actual rating: 3.5⭐

I received an advanced review copy for free from the author, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Pacifixer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a plesant suprise, i enjoyed it more than i expected, but it's not without faults.

The Good - The story is great, fast paced, filled with twists and emotional moments.
The Bad - The prose itself is nothing to brag about, it's most noticeable in the first few chapters, it improves significantly in the mid and late chapters. The black mark mystery doesn't work very well, it's way too obvious, thankfully it's not the main focus of the story. The "Before abduction" chapters are meaningless.
The Ugly - It's written in the present tense, i don't like that.

In conclusion - I would recomend this book, the story alone makes it worth reading; but be warned, the first few chapters are not great.

[John-Dag Addy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unexpectedly Good!

I had originally to read this book over the course of several days while on vacation, but to my surprise once I started reading, I read the whole thing in one go!

This is quite an unexpectedly good book, character development was great and the world building was excellent. I hope this isn’t the last we see of John and the rest of the Marked Children. And I definitely hope this isn’t the last we see of Thea Booysen the author.

[sizzle · Rating 4 out of 5]

My initial thoughts on how I wanted to review this book came back as a bit harsh. I say this because, after I read the book, I wanted to learn more out about the origin and story of it being written as well as how it was published and that left me appreciating the work alot more.

Let me explain. At first, some of the scenes/chapters in the book felt a bit rushed. When I say "rushed", I'm referring to the sudden switch from scene 1 to scene 2 without taking me along on the journey or story of how scene 1 was transitioned to scene 2, I like to experience all context as much as possible.

Okay, now that I've given what I "don't like" about the book, let me say what I did like. The story is incredible. There were days where I would sit and read for hours at a time, enjoying and visualising the story as I read it. Thea and her team are so good at describing the landscape, environment and happenings that I could easily visualise it. The creativity in the book is next level.

All-in-all, seeing and being able to read a debut novel from a South African author (I only say this because as a reader from South Africa, it's cool!) that is this good and that was born from an essay in high school in a Sciences class is incredible. I'm very happy that I got to read this book!

Welgedaan Thea (en span)!

[Kyielleeee ☆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

i think it’s safe to say i reaaaallyy liked this book. honestly thea booysen aka thea beasty is sooo creative in the way she blends so many different ideas into one whole thought. this book has so many twists and turns and john and jester and germ were soo great. kyle is a bitch by the way, for all who don’t know. as for skylor… lmao i deadass thought she was a white blonde lowkey kinda resembling marnie from when marnie was there. BUT THEN thea gorl said skylor “slicked her black hair into a ponytail” and i was shell shocked i’ll tell ya that.

this book was so creative with the marks and the word building and the THREE FOOKING SUNS BITCH??? omg so creative with the creatures too like the pteras and the shrieked and reptants… man that book took me out of reality which i honestly needed today (02/03/24) and i FUCKING DEVOUREEEDDD the last 25% i kid you not.

also in the beginning where they went to watch the movie and then john’s ears were bleeding?? CREEPY AS FUCK but SO FREAKING GOOD I SWEAAARR i got actual chills. the only reason i too. off half a start for the rating is cause at some point near the first half.. it felt a bit stagnant and it stood out to me oddly enough. that’s it, byeeeeeee 👋🏽

for those reasons, i give this book 4 and ½ out of 5 stars.

[Mona Hendrix · Rating 4 out of 5]

So many great things about this book. I’m usually disappointing in male characters that are written by women because I feel like most of the time they just end up sounding like what women want men to be instead of what they actually are. Definitely not the case with John the main character. He was compassionate and kind well not being “fluffy”. The other characters also had very distinct and fun personalities.
The world, Building and description of creatures, and the planet was detailed while not being overwhelming
I appreciated how most chapters ended on a cliffhanger.
Lastly, for a YA sci- fi book it has a pretty deep and profound message.

[Rowdy Bijl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was quite good. Absolutely not bad for a debut. However, there was so much going on, it could have (and maybe should have?) easily been three books. I didn’t have to wait in suspense for a too long time, but it would have been even better if I did. For example, the Shriekers were these mythical, big animals that everyone fears, but a few pages later one of them was tamed and no one was scared for them anymore. The character development was great, and it’s too bad it wasn’t expanded upon. But all in all, it’s a great read and I very much enjoyed it.

[Lynn Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great amount of research, creativity, and even conspiracies, went into this story. The author not only created a whole new world, creatures, plants, etc. But she also introduced many different characters who all travel their own character arc. That all might sound overwhelming but the author wrote this book in such a way that you can not only follow along so well, but you're deeply invested on where it's going. I didn't want to put it down and I can't wait for more stories from this author. #1 book for me so far for 2026.

[Antonio Villegas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most of the story was riveting for me and fast paced and I became more enthralled as the story progressed and for that alone I recommend this book to anyone interested.
I will say however that I found the ending to be a bit of a let down. I know many people will enjoy the ending but quite frankly I found it to be stupid. Just my opinion. The rest of the book was fantastic. I loved the characters and the world they found themselves in was absolutely Terrifying…

[Styx VI · Rating 1 out of 5]

i did not know this was a sci-fi book because there’s absolutely no indication of it on the actual book. events feel rushed and the end had me shaking my head because what the hell. half assed sub plots that are only mentioned once and never developed upon.
why did i read this😭

[➳ johanna · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,5 stars*

i'm annoyed. the cover is so beautiful, but i don't know what this book even was.
it's like a Divergent x Avatar crossover, which sounds interesting, but this book was anything but.
everything is so anticlimactic. the relationships between the characters are non-existent. you’re tossed from one thing to the next without sufficient conclusions. from the beginning you know that John is meant to bring these different people together, but he's just not--he does jack shit throughout the book. and you’re telling me these kids are dropped onto an alien planet and every single one is just like ”huh, i guess i live here now”.
AND I STILL DON'T GET WHAT THE BIGGER PICTURE WAS

"You grow up a lot faster when reality strikes you at a young age."

[Aneli Pena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read with a unique concept. Sort of wish it had been longer so the author could have delved deeper into some parts and characters!

[Natalie Nielsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn’t put the book down because there was so much unknown that I wanted answers to. Kept me on the edge of my seat and really well written.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 because the ending wasn’t all I hoped it would be