Book Review: The Mark by Jen Nadol

Title: The Mark
Series: The Mark, Book 1
Author: Jen Nadol
Genre: Young Adult
Source: library
Published: January 19, 2010 by Bloomsbury

Sixteen year old Cassandra Renfield has seen the mark since forever: a glow around certain people as if a candle were held behind their back.

The one time she mentioned it to someone else, the mark was dismissed as a trick of the light. So Cassie has kept quiet, considering its rare appearances odd, but insignificant. Until the day she watches a man die. Mining her memories, Cassie realizes she can see a person's imminent death. Not how or where, only when: today.

Cassie searches her past, her philosophy lessons, even her new boyfriend for answers, answers, always careful to hide her secret. How does the mark work? Why her?

Most importantly: if you know today is someone's last, should you tell them?

My Thoughts:

Cassie is a sweet, smart 16-year old girl with an unique ability: she sees “the mark”, a glow around a person as if being illuminated by candle light, the day they are going to die. At first, Cassie tries to figure out what the mark means. Soon enough she realizes that the mark means the person is going to die but it takes her a while to figure out that the day she sees the mark on a person, is the last day of life for them. She discovers this the day she sees the mark on a man and decides to follow him only to watch him get hit by a car. Then there’s the patient sharing a room in the hospital with Nan, her grandmother. Then she sees the mark on Nan. Cassie tries desperately to stop the impending death, and is unsuccessful.

Cassie had lived with Nan ever since she was two years old, when her parents died. After Nan died, Cassie is forced to return to the town she’s from and live with her aunt for the summer. To keep herself busy, Cassie signs up for a philosophy class. There she meets Lucas, the TA, and he becomes her boyfriend. Due to certain circumstances, Cassie finds herself trying to explain her ability to Lucas. Once he’s convince that she’s not delusional, he pressures her to try to stop death to her best ability. He got all philosophical on her trying to convince her that she was given the ability for a reason; that this is her purpose in life.

(Lucas drove me nuts. I wanted to slap him.)

The Mark started off great. I really got engaged in the story right from the start. Here’s the first line:

There is nothing like the gut-hollowing experience of watching someone die, especially when you know it’s coming.

This book makes you think about life and its value. What would you do if you had Cassie’s ability? Would you try to warn the person? Try to avoid death? Would you do it for a stranger? What if that stranger was a tiny little baby?

See what I mean? Deep. (I cried.)

I didn’t really care for the cover in retrospect of the story and its meaning. The cover feels too whimsical for me. It’s a nice cover, I just didn’t feel that there was a significance to the story.

I felt the need to follow Cassie as she tries to get a hold of her bearings and prepares for a lifetime of trying to avoid the impossible and dealing with the repercussions. Cassie's only trying to do what she thinks is the right thing.

Nadol mixes Greek mythology and philosophy to cover such a deep and heavy topic. I thought about this book for days after I finished reading it. It’s haunting, really. The ending didn’t feel complete to me; I didn’t get closure. However, in my opinion, I do see it fit for a sequel…a sequel I will be reading.

Brianna’s Rating:

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