Carrier of the Mark by Leigh Fallon

Carrier of the Mark by Leigh Fallon
Release Date – October 4, 2011
Publisher – HarperCollins
Publisher Social Media - Twitter
Pages - 352 pages
My Rating- 8/10
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Here is the Goodreads synopsis

When Megan Rosenberg moves to Ireland, everything in her life seems to fall into place. After growing up in America, she's surprised to find herself feeling at home in her new school. She connects with a group of friends, and she is instantly drawn to darkly handsome Adam DeRís.
But Megan is about to discover that her feelings for Adam are tied to a fate that was sealed long ago—and that the passion and power that brought them together could be their ultimate destruction.

Leigh Fallon made me excited to read this book with one word - Ireland. I love Ireland, I love Irish guy and I loved the descriptions of it in this novel. Ireland really is gorgeous and it comes across in Leigh’s descriptions.

The writing itself is descriptive, well planned and it makes for a quick read. My only complaint - when it comes to the marks and how it all works the reader is given a lot of information and it can get confusing. The lineage and what is required from each parent for a marked one to be born is an example of this.

The characters are all very likeable. Megan is our main character. She’s moved around a lot as a result of her dad’s wanderlust. She is used to starting new schools, but is still nervous. She is pretty average until she meets the DiRis’ family, which is a welcome change. I really like that her father is present and interested in her life. It’s nice to see in YA books.

Adam and his family were a delight. I loved Aine. She’s spunky, very sweet, and I loved her bond with animals. Rian is hot tempered, intense and so intriguing. I can’t wait to learn more about him. Also, I realize Adam is the hottie of the book, but TOTALLY crushing on Rian. I liked the DiRis family more than Megan, and hope to learn more about each of them.

Megan’s best friend Caitlin was one of my favourites. I loved that she knew something was up and wasn’t going to back down until she got an answer. She expected Megan to tell her the truth and be a friend. Her and relationship with Killian provided some normalcy in the novel.

Adam and Megan’s love is a little bit quick to happen. However, I didn’t mind it because it can be explained by them having a pull to each other due to the marks. The characters even wonder if it’s real at first or if they feel the way they do because of the pull.

The marks themselves and the powers associated with them were quite interesting. I liked that each of them controlled an element. I think we've only scratched the surface of these powers, and what each of the marked ones can do.

A magical setting, some actual magic and some great chemistry that doesn’t feel too rushed makes Carrier of the Mark a fun debut.