Title: Carrier of the Mark
Author: Leigh Fallon
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publish Date: October 4, 2011
Genre: YA, Paranormal
Pages: 352
Source: Publisher

Their love was meant to be.

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.

Megan is no stranger to being the new girl, but this time, she's the new girl at school, the new girl in town and the new girl in a new country. Everything's different this time, despite the fact that it's yet another fresh start for Megan and her father. This time, she feels at home. This time, Megan feels like Ireland might just be calling to her. She finds friends, and she finds a place for herself, and she finds herself oddly attracted to the attractive Adam DeRís who, despite her outgoing personality, seems to have a strange reaction to her presence in Ireland. But the more she learns about Adam, his sister Aine, and his brother Rian, the more questions she has. Is it worth getting to know Adam, or is it too dangerous? Either way, Ireland is beginning to awaken her destiny.

Carrier of the Mark is an intoxicating tale that whisks the reader away to the lush, verdant landscape of Ireland and immerses them in the warm, breathtakingly beautiful and richly historic culture. Debut author Leigh Fallon lends her considerable firsthand knowledge of Ireland to the story and presents a story that is certain to find a niche in the vast young adult market today. With an intriguing premise, a full cast of characters that help drive the story and a fresh take on the paranormal genre, Carrier of the Mark is an inviting and easily-read tale. Alive with mysterious powers and a soaring love story, it's sure to please.

That said though, my review of Carrier of the Mark is a difficult one for me to write, in part because the author is one of the sweetest women ever. That said, I had some pretty major qualms with Carrier of the Mark. First of all, I read the first two chapters, and all I could think was that the book was exactly in the same vein of Twilight. Now, I understand that plots are easily intermingled for a successful story, but it felt overly formulaic and, had I replaced just a few names in the story, I would easily have believed I was reading Twilight. Furthermore, the insta-love between Megan and Adam developed with little to no real drama, and I desperately wanted to feel some tension that was just lacking. Carrier of the Mark began to pick up a bit when the paranormal elements came into play, but they were developed in a bit of a tricky manner. The nature of the powers described in Carrier of the Mark were fascinating, to be sure, but the revelation and information regarding them felt more like an informational dumb than a developing plot arc. The characters in Carrier of the Mark were shadows of awesomeness, if that makes sense. For example, Rian could easily have stolen the show with his fiery temper and demeanor, but he was merely a two-dimensional representation of rebellion. Megan, as a protagonist, should have been able to carry the story but, unfortunately, I felt that she wasn't strong enough to carry a weighted plot that was unbalanced, though promising.

All in all, Carrier of the Mark shows a tremendous atmount of promise for the author, but I wasn't completely satisfied. Perhaps I've read too many books, but I just expect more. I will say that there weren't too many loose ends at the end, and it was nice to feel a decent conclusion. I give it a 3 out of 5 for a promising premise and the intoxicating setting, and I'd recommend it to fans of young adult novels and paranormal stories. Fans of Twilight are sure to enjoy it.

I received this book free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. The feature was created because they are particularly fond of lists over at The Broke and the Bookish. They'd love to share their lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Each week they will post a new top ten list that one of our bloggers at The Broke and the Bookish will answer. Everyone is welcome to join. All they ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out other bloggers lists! If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It's a fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers.

Top Ten Trends You'd Like To See More of/Less of :

I'd Like to See Less of:

1. Love Triangles - Unless they're executed perfectly, the become your everyday, run-of-the-mill love story. I'm always inclined to favour books that break the mold of the love triangle scenario these days. That said, it can be done right...think: The Hunger Games.

2. Insta-Love - Let's be honest, kids. It's a rare occurrence, indeed, if two teenagers actually fall truly and madly in love within a matter of days. It doesn't really happen like that for most people, and it irks me when relationships are made petty by adding insta-love. For your information, if I was terrified some guy wanted me for dinner, no amount of sparkling would sway me, Bella Swan.

3. Weak Female Protagonists - Colour me crazy, but I love it when female MCs are strong, independent and self-assured. I'm more often going to feel a connection with such characters than to feel pity for the weak and simple female MCs that have it all going for them and just think they don't. Let's all just be like Rose Hathaway from Vampire Academy.

4. Vampire Love Stories - I get it. The Twilight saga blew people's minds. So did a whole plethora of vampire books like The Vampire Diaries and the Sookie Stackhouse series. Honestly though? I want something to step outside the box, which is why I've leaned towards contemps, as of late.

5. Series - Don't get me wrong. I love me a good series to read. Trust me...you know how I feel about Senor Harry Potter. However, there's something to be said for those authors who can write a fantastic tale that leaves you satisfied in one book though.

I'd Like to See More of:

1. Male Protagonists - I find that much of the YA market is dominated by female MCs. There's nothing wrong with that. I'm a girl. I like girly books. However, when done right, books with male MCs can be extremely powerful and intense - think Witchlanders or in the sci-fi realm, I Am Number Four.

2. Issue Books - I think it's great when an author can tackle a tough issue and spin it into a relatable and poignant tales. As hard-hitting as these books might be, they're often the ones that stay with. Wintergirls and Dark Song are prime examples.

3. Mythology-Based - Honestly, I mean any sort of mythology, but I ask that it please be done well. If you're going to create a myth book, actually make the myths a big part of it, rather than an afterthought. I'm in withdrawal since Percy Jackson.

4. Edgy and Dark - Give me a book with fantastic narration and a dark tone that's different than other book, and I'm certain to like it more than your everyday read. I like it when the twists and turns leave me uncomfortable and on edge. Maybe I'm a masochist, but that's a huge part of why I loved The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer - it had me so uneasy.

5. Slow-Burning Romance - You know, books like Leaving Paradise are ones that haunt me and ring true because first loves aren't perfect. They take work and understanding and patience. If you give me the time to become invested in something to root for, I'm almost guaranteed to love it.

Happy (Anti)Valentine’s Day, my friends! I know a lot of you (Ginger) love this pesky little holiday, but I’ve truly never been a fan. Ever. So, in honour of my supreme dislike of this holiday, I decided I would do my very own UnValentine’s Day post for you all. Today, I’ve decided to talk about those characters in YA that you can’t help but love to hate. No matter how hard you try, you just want to pull your hair out and punch these characters in the face for their idiocy. So, without further ado, let me introduce to you the ultimate characters I LOVE to hate in literature (for various reasons).

Bella Swan. You silly, son of a B. You whine, and moan, and cry about everything. You break easily. You can’t make up your own mind unless someone makes it up for you first and, frankly, you’re as wishy-washy as they come. You cry in the woods like a baby when your glittery boyfriend breaks up with you to save your life. You decide to sacrifice yourself to save someone that’s immortal (redundant much?) You are everything that girls should NOT be. Way to not be empowering at all and convince all little girls to believe there is a glittery undead man out there for them, too.

Voldemort, you're a tricky b*tch. You tried, and failed to kill a baby? Yes, LOVE protected him, but you being the badass you claim to be really should have known better. That's a pretty huge fail on your part, dude. Then, you go after immortality after the whole "rawr! must kill baby!" thing, and you end up looking like a snake? Where's the plus in that? Minions will bow at your feet, yes, but we're all secretly dry-heaving.

Sauron, you're a big eye. Need I really say more? First of all, you kill little hobbits. Second, you really, really want this lil' gold ring that will make you super duper powerful. Good God, man. Go buy a ring, say it makes you powerful because everyone's scared of you already and they'll believe you, and then get some Visine. Your bloodshot eye is creeping me out.

And the runners up are as follows:

Patch from Crescendo - Thank you for losing every redeeming quality you had in book one to become a truly inconsequential douche in book two. How utterly refreshing.

Bridget from Here Lies Bridget - You should be on The Real Housewives of wherever you live. You would fit in perfectly with your divatude. 

Edward from Twilight - Please. Comb. Your. Hair. Also, please stop sparkling, and go easy on the pasty foundation. You look like a corpse...oh wait...

Quincie from Tantalize - Wait. Who? Guess I don't remember her at all. Oopsies.

As a quick closing note to cover my butt because we book bloggers seem to need to do so these days. These are my very own personal opinions and, frankly, some of these books are absolutely favourites of mine, so please don't take offense to my humble witticisms here.

So tell me, my (Anti)Valentines, which characters do you absolutely love to hate?

Talk to Me Tuesday is a brand new weekly meme where we will discuss anything (and everything) literary-related in an open forum of honesty. Questions for the next week will be posted one week prior to the post on the Features page. If you'd like to participate in this weekly feature, simply create your post, link back to me, and add your post to the wonderful Mr. Linky below. Have fun, and have at it!

This week's question: Do you have any specific literary pet-peeves in the genres you read and why?

There are so many things about YA literature that I love. I enjoy the no-holds-barred emotional plot lines that authors use to push the boundaries of the genre. I love the amount and vast nature of the sub-genres within YA including contemporary, dystopian, Christian, fantasy, science fiction and more. I love that the YA genre encourages all reading ages and levels to dip their toes into the proverbial waters of literature. All that aside, however, let’s be honest. There are always a few flaws lurking behind the corners or, shall I say, smacking us over the head repeatedly until we beg for mercy.

For me, my biggest literary pet-peeve in YA is the emergence of the love triangle. Good Lord. Really? Girl meets boy. Girl experiences instant love. Boy falls head over heels. Girl meets other boy. Other boy falls head over heels. Manly exhibition of brute force. Grrr! Argghhh! One boy wins! Girl and boy live happily ever after and make babies with strange names…oh…sorry…I went on a tangent. In all seriousness though, Twilight created a phenomenon with its popularity. And yes, I'm glad more people are reading, but no, I'm not glad so many books follow the same mold.

The amount of books with love triangles these days, including my beloved The Hunger Games, is a bit absurd. The only reason I could stomach the love triangle in The Hunger Games is because of the intensity of the action in the book overshadowing the need for a super-sappy subplot drenched in a boring romance. Here’s a thought - if you absolutely MUST do a love triangle…two girls fighting for one guy? But hey, what do I know? I'm just looking for something fresh like true love. Between two people. Now that is is a novel idea.

Here's what some of your fellow book bloggers said were their biggest literary pet-peeves:

Liz from Consumed by Books says, “I hate it when authors throw in so many unbelievable plot twists that their novel reads like a soap opera.”

Amber from Books of Amber says, “At the moment, it’s love triangles. It’s more of an annoying cliché at the moment – there are so many of them in YA literature!”

Nikki from Wicked Awesome Books says, “Insta-love. I hate it. Give me some buildup, some friendship, a little date time, then maybe I can accept that two characters are in love. I want people to get to know one another before they decide that they could die for one another.”

Jess from Tangled Up in Blue says, “When an author’s voice is too forced. Seriously, no one speaks like an English grammar text book.”

Heidi from YA Bibliophile says, “Characters that never grow…they go through the whole book and are the same as they started!”

Yes, there are other things that plague me in YA literature such as authors dumbing down the prose (sorry, we’re just fine reading at a high level, thank you very much), when the tone is overly conversational, or when the plot lags, but for me, it’s the love triangle that takes the cake. I want to see a book step out of the norm because I tend to find a lot of the love triangles formulaic. Again, yes, some work well, but others…well, I’d love to see something break the mold, or better yet – become something new entirely.

Want to weigh in and do your own Talk to Me Tuesday post for this week? Go ahead and link up!