August is almost gone, and at least one of you (Kat) have wondered where I’ve been. I’ll cover that in a later post, but now for the important thing–discussing good books!
I’ve read Mardan’s Mark twice now. A pre-publication version and the real thing. I loved the story both times. For me, the best thing about it was the characters. There were so many – Aldan, Sam, Linus, Srilani, Rene, Maelan, and Jamson. I liked every one of them! I’ll have to admit that Sam is my favorite though. 🙂
Let’s talk characters – which one was your favorite? In terms of POV characters, did you have a preference for Aldan or Srilani?
(I liked them both equally).
The other thing that is interesting about this book is that while it is a fantasy, it has no magic in it. No strange creatures. The world building is there, but it’s more like a medieval story told in a different realm (and one that looks suspiciously like the coast of Texas and Louisiana – just sayin’). 😉
What did you think? Did you miss the fantastical elements – magic and creatures?
(The story was good enough without it, but let’s face it – a dragon or two would have been nice – LOL).
And if you’re like me, you’re anxiously awaiting #2 in this series to see what happens.
What did you think of the book?
And don’t forget – next week we’ll discuss the final book in the Turning Point YA series. Stay tuned!
Lisa Gefrides 
I had already decided to read Mardan’s Mark before I found out Kathrese was going to be my roommate at Realm Makers. It was fun discussing pieces of the story with her (but not spoilers). I loved all of the characters. Aldan was my favorite, but I related most to Srilani. Rene and Linus were the most intriguing. I definitely want to read The Healer’s Curse because a lot is going on we can’t see in Mardan’s Mark.
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Sorry, I was a pest! 😉
I really enjoyed Mardan’s Mark. What’s funny is I got so sucked into the story that I didn’t notice the similarities with By Darkness Hid until I was nearly done with the book! I think they are a great example of two stories with similar premises and totally different execution. The best part was how it wrapped up – that’s the best way to end part of a series, with one part down so you get that sense of satisfaction, even though there’s more story to go.
I loved all the characters, though Aldan has a slight lead over anyone else. There really are quite a few characters and all lovable in their own way. Sam is awesome though his name always bothered me just because it was so normal. Though it was a perfect fit, too. (Linus, too, just a little bit.) The only confusion I had (and this is the fault of reading an ebook because I have this aversion to flipping back in an ebook for some reason) was I wasn’t sure which soldiers got killed at the kidnapping so I was afraid her mentor had died and so it took a while for me to realize it was him that had shown up again later.
I didn’t miss the magic and didn’t even notice it’s absence. Having the spiritual element probably contributed to that. My ebook is missing the map but once I found it online, I didn’t find it very helpful. It seemed to me they were always going very out of the way on their travels. (Btw, I love the TX/LA idea – I’ll always imagine it that way now.) And for me it contained the perfect level of YA romance, though I was surprised as it seemed maybe too much for male readership? Though I really have no idea what’s acceptable from their pov.
I did find the final kiss scene stretching my credibility – after all the talk about appearances and purity and the risk of death and being caught once and so on – for her to immediately fling herself into his arms with everyone downstairs setting them up for it… (Although speaking of, with a kingdom so dependent on El, I found their stringent purity-of-lineage rules rather ridiculous. If they really have to go that far, why not do like the Old Testament making the suspected person drink bitter water or some such and let El be judge?
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The final kiss scene – I saw that more as their commitment to one another, supported by both sets of siblings. I think it hints a lot about things to come. But you’re right – the purity standard was very high in the novel. That’s part of their culture. It makes me think of some Middle Eastern cultures today. Just because a high standard is placed on purity doesn’t mean that couples don’t sneak in intimacy.
I love Linus, although I always though of him as older than he really is. I think it’s because he says so little that he seems so wise.
I’m interested to see how things are going to work out between Sam and Rene. There relationship seems the more difficult to me, although Srilani and Aldan are more in the spotlight.
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Her dream or vision from El promised a lot regarding Srilani and Aldan’s future, that’s for sure. 😉 And they lucked out in the “he’s really royalty” department. Though my solution for Sam and Rene is for Aldan to make Sam some kind of duke or lord once he regains his throne. 😉 Yes – Linus seemed so wise – his height didn’t help me to remember his age, either.
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