The Mark [Hardcover]

Jen Nadol (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 19, 2010

Cassandra Renfield has always seen the mark—a glow around certain people reminiscent of candlelight. But the one time she mentioned it, it was dismissed as a trick of the light. Until the day she watches a man awash in the mark die. After searching her memories, Cassie realizes she can see a person’s imminent death. Not how or where, only when: today.

Armed with a vague understanding of the light, Cassie begins to explore her “gift,” seeking those marked for death and probing the line between decision and destiny. Though she’s careful to hide her secret—even from her new philosophy-obsessed boyfriend—with each impending death comes the temptation to test fate. But so many questions remain. How does the mark work? Why is she the only one who sees it? And finally, the most important of all: If you know today is someone’s last, should you tell them?

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

“Am I Cassie Renfield, descendant of the gods, or just a girl at the end of a long line of crazy people?” Sixteen-year-old Cassie sometimes sees a full-body glow around individuals, but rather than being good news, this glow indicates they will die within 24 hours. Cassie has always had this “gift,” but its significance only fully dawns on her after she witnesses the glow on her beloved grandmother, who has been her guardian since Cassie lost both her parents at an early age. Shaken by her grandmother’s death, and finally realizing the full impact of her “gift,” Cassie must decide if she is meant to intervene in the fate of those who wear the mark. First-time author Nadol has interwoven an absorbing and thoughtful philosophical dilemma with a YA romance. There are moments of predictability, and the potential familial connection to the Three Fates is a little off-putting, but characters grapple convincingly with the moral question and nothing is oversentimentalized. A great book for discussion groups, this will engender plenty of conversation. Grades 9-12. --Cindy Welch

About the Author

Jen Nadol grew up in Reading, Pennsylvania, the hometown of John Updike, Taylor Swift, and the now-defunct Monopoly railroad.  She has a BA in literature from American University and has lived in Washington DC, Boston, and New York City.  She currently resides in a 150-year-old farmhouse in Westchester County, New York, with her husband and three young sons and is at work on her next two related novels.  She has no paranormal abilities and is pretty happy about that.

www.jennadolbooks.com

 

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 14 and up
  
• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens (January 19, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1599904314
• ISBN-13: 978-1599904313
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 6.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (43 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,064,581 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jen Nadol grew up in Reading, Pennsylvania, the hometown of John Updike, Taylor Swift, and the now-defunct Monopoly railroad. She has a BA in literature from American University and has lived in Washington DC, Boston, and New York City. She currently resides in a 150-year-old farmhouse in Westchester County, New York, with her husband and three young sons and is at work on her next two related novels. She has no paranormal abilities - and she's pretty happy about that. Visit her on the web at www.jennadolbooks.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Deaths Aura, February 28, 2010

By 

Dark Faerie Tales (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Mark (Hardcover)

Quick & Dirty: A well-written and thought-provoking tale that will have you intrigued.

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

The Review:

Cassie Renfield has the freakish ability to see The Mark, an aura surrounding someone indicating that they will soon die. To make matters worse, Cassie sees The Mark around her grandmother and is haunted by the fact that she wasn't able to save her. When Cassie's grandmother dies, she is forced to relocate and live with her estranged aunt, who only cares about her own life and career. Cassie begins to search for answers and her inner struggles drive the plot forward.

Cassie is immediately likable, and her situation is compelling. It's interesting seeing Cassie grapple with trying to understand her ability and its ramifications. She struggles with the burden of choosing between trying to help people or letting fate run its course. There's also an intriguing mystery surrounding the death of her parents. Less intriguing though is Cassie's relationship with her romantic interest, Lucas. Although their relationship is characterized by manipulation and deception, it falls a little flat and I for one simply couldn't get into that part of the story.

Some other parts of the otherwise compelling story fall a little flat. The ending in particular is a little anti-climatic. In fact, the story generally could use more action. If you're hoping for a book driven by a solid romantic plotline, this isn't it. While Cassie does have a relationship with Lucas, this story is more about Cassie's self discovery. In addition, I felt that the secondary characters were a little lacking.

Overall, I did enjoy reading The Mark. While neither an action packed story nor an angst laden romantic melodrama, Ms. Nadol nonetheless pens a thought-provoking novel filled with grief, heartache, and isolation. It's certainly unique and does an excellent job of showcasing the ambiguity surrounding fate. The psychological and philosophical themes of the novel were compelling and will certainly keep readers guessing.

Notable Scene:

As I walked home I kept replaying it. Blood and broken glass on the pavement. The wide, unseeing eyes of the man who had hit him and the cell phone spinning brokenly on the shiny asphalt. I didn't know what was worse: what I had seen or what it meant.

FTC Advisory: Bloomsbury provided me with a copy of The Mark. No goody bags, sponsorships, "material connections," or bribes were exchanged for my review. In addition, I don't receive affiliate fees for anything purchased via links from my site.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow... is all I can say...., January 25, 2010

By 

princess bookie "Cin" (IL, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Mark (Hardcover)

My Thoughts: We are first introduced to Cassie. She's just a normal girl who longs for a family. Yeah, sure she has Nan but she still wonders about her parents often. They were killed in a car crash when she was young. She has always seen the light on people who are going to die but she never knew what it meant, until recently. We are introduced to all the side characters. Nan is her grandmother who took her in when her parents passed away, schoolmates, and than the 2 guys who I adored at first glance. We meet Lucas who she meets when she goes to live with her aunt. He is a college TA and Cassie gets close to him and they form a relationship. We also meet Jack who is her friend from home. We don't get much interaction between Jack and Cassie but I tended to like him more than Lucas. We learn more about Cassie and how she can see a person's death. She doesn't know much about her gift, only that she sees the light and they die within 24 hours. I loved this book. There were times I wanted to yell, cry, and laugh! If you knew someone was going to die in 24 hours would you tell them? Would they want to know? If it was your last day on earth what would you want to do? Read this book to find out what happens to Cassie and which guy does she end up with? Who understands her? What happens? Does Cassie learn to deal with her "unusual" gift??

Overall: Really enjoyed this one! Read it in one sitting! I really liked Cassie and I liked the guys and how each one understood her and how they made her "feel."

Cover: I think the cover fits the book! And its soooo perty!!!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow, a beautiful story and a beautiful cover! A must read!, February 2, 2010

By 

Sarah Darlington (Miami Beach, FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Mark (Hardcover)

Wow. Where do I even start? First let me say, this has to be the most amazing cover ever! Before I even knew what this book was about I had to have it--for the cover alone. But (for once) the book matches the cover; meaning that it wasn't just a mediocre story with a piece of good marketing slapped on the front. It was an amazing story--about Cassandra who's grown up always seeing this strange mark--a glow around certain people. And not fully understanding the mark's meaning, Cassie follows a buisness man, who's showing the mark, into town one day. All her suspcious are confirmed when the buisness man gets hit by a car and he dies on impact. Though she's always known the truth, now Cassie knows for certain that this mark is not just some trick of the light but a sign that a person's life is near it's end. But when she see the mark on her Nan, this "gift" starts to become real to her.

It was an amazing story--thought provoking with a touch of darkness to it. There was no definded bad guy in this story. It was all about Cassie. Her dealing with her parents' death, her Nan's death, her first real boyfriend--all of it while facing the mark. She grows and learns through the story. There never was any impeding danger--at least not to Cassie, but still I couldn't put it down! And someone else said they didn't like the ending. But I felt the ending on it was perfect (sequel or no sequel, I felt satisfied at the end.)

5 Stars. Easily.