Shadow of the Mark

June 1, 2013
In this sequel to her debut, Carrier of the Mark (2011), Fallon assumes readers have nearly complete knowledge of her previous book, but if new readers can figure out its basic premise, they'll muddle through. Four teens gathered in a small town in Ireland have control of the elements: earth, air, fire and water. Druids and knights who protect the elements, but not necessarily their human carriers, help when they're not fighting with one another, and members of the evil Knox family try to thwart everything. Protagonist Megan, the carrier of air, is permanently and completely in love with handsome Adam, the carrier of water, except when she's almost irresistibly attracted to Rian, the carrier of fire. However, whenever Megan and Adam kiss, she inadvertently draws his element from him, coming close to killing him, except for the times that doesn't happen. It's quite a dilemma for poor Megan, who only wants to be young and in love. Young she certainly is. Whenever someone tells Megan not to do something, be sure that she will do it as soon as the whim strikes. As thin as the air Megan controls, the book's major entertainment value lies in various suspenseful episodes, and the author handles these fairly well. Characterizations, emotional encounters and dialogue plumb all the depths of the common TV soap opera. Light--very light--entertainment for the Twilight crowd. (Paranormal romance. 12 & up)

COPYRIGHT(2013) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

October 1, 2013

Gr 8 Up-In this sequel to Carrier of the Mark (HarperCollins, 2011), the Marked Ones-siblings Adam (Water), Aine (Earth), and Rian (Fire), along with Adam's girlfriend, Megan (Air)-are preparing for the alignment of their elemental powers. Megan and Adam are struggling with their heady forbidden romance (a prophesied, potentially catastrophic union). Meg's powers are reacting with everyone else's in new and dangerous ways thanks to a pivotal role she's meant to play. Rian is hooking up with mysterious newcomer Chloe, yet he and Meg are troublingly drawn to each other. There are several threads and varying agendas in this supernatural romance. An overabundance of almost indistinguishable Mark-related factions and various conspirators complicate matters and make it difficult for the Marked to trust anyone (yet sometimes they do to their detriment). Though peppered with backstory, new readers likely won't be as invested as returning fans. Characters are fairly stock and setting description is spare (a shame as the brunt of the story is set in Ireland). This title relies more on "tell" than "show," with dialogue (internal and spoken) tending toward the melodramatic. While the premise is intriguing and the plot is action driven (pacing really picks up in the last two-thirds), this is strictly an additional purchase for libraries in which supernatural tales still fly off the shelves or the first installment is popular.-Danielle Serra, Cliffside Park Public Library, NJ

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2013
Grades 8-12 In the sequel to Carrier of the Mark (2011), Megan (the air element), Adam (water), ine (earth), and R-an (fire) are preparing themselves for the summer solstice Alignment, a rite orchestrated by the Order that will meld all four elements into one. At father figure Fionn's insistence, Megan and Adam are fighting love and physical attraction because legend has it that when two Marked ones are united as one, evil will ensue and at least one of the pair will be destroyed. It's a wild, magical paranormal high-school romance set in Ireland and steeped in Irish folklorewith a conclusion that hints at, but doesn't promise, another volume.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)