Soul Marked by C. Gockel

(3,5 stars out of 5)*

I am notoriously difficult with books. I usually avoid speaking my mind cause I don’t want to hurt someone’s feelings. This is why I write hack and slash “aim for the head” bloodthirsty reviews only if the author is dead, or very very famous. This, however, is a good book; I’d easily say 3,5 stars.

Yay points:
1. Bi-cultural, nerdy, technically gifted heroine who’s not White.
2. ANGUISHED ELVESSSSS
3. Suspense and lots of action!
4. Good strong writing with actual characters and no typos. Lots of fun to read, sucks you right in.
5. It has a beginning and an end. Doesn’t leave you hanging and you have to buy the next one. Also, it has actual substance. It’s not one of those 70 pages-long reads that have the audacity to call themselves books.
6. Some good thinking and points on how translation works and how many differences and challenges exist when the protagonists belong to different species. I could see that the author paid attention, and did try to give plausible thought processes and explanations. This effort is evident in other aspects of the book too.

Nope points:
1. Present tense. >.< Ughhhh
2. A bit all over the place. As other reviews state too, there are some incidents, actions and loose ends that are not tied up or explained properly. *(Spoiler: placed as footnote at the bottom of this entry)
3. Rushed anticlimactic ending that doesn’t avoid some clichés and easy solutions. **(Spoiler: placed as footnote at the bottom of this entry)
4. Because this book belongs to a series, and I am guessing related events take place in another book, we never really understand how we move from “the end of the world is nigh” to “happily every after”. Still, compared to other books in the same box set, this one has a certain level. It’s not clumsy teenage fan-fiction. (Yes, I am looking at you. The worst bit is that you don’t know who you are, and you have to torture me with your creations.)

Dear author, you kept me busy during several physio visits. Thank you for this treat. <3

You can buy Soul Marked by C. Gockel or download a sample here.

Alternatively, you can get the entire box set “The Paranormal 13” for free here.

*My star rating and what it means: 

Zero stars: Why me?!?  I do come across books that aren’t really books, but brain damage in disguise. For reasons you can all understand, I won’t be publishing reviews on them. I tend to become enraged and say things I later on regret.

One star: Meh… I didn’t like it and won’t be keeping it. It might be the book, or it might be me. I’ll try to clarify in my review.

Two stars: Average/ Okay. Either the kind of light/ undemanding book you read and don’t remember in a month, or suffering from flaws that prevented it from realising its potential.

Three stars: Better than average. Good moments, memorable characters and/ or plot, maybe good sense of humour… Not to die for, but not feeling like you wasted your time and money either.

Four stars: Wow, that was good! Definitely keeping it and checking to see what else I can buy from the same writer.

Five stars: Oh. My. Goodness. The kind of book you buy as a gift to all your friends, praise to random strangers on the bus, and re-read until the pages fall out and the corners are no longer corners, but round.

Spoiler section follows

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*At some point the protagonist invokes something to save both his and Tara’s life, and this is supposed to be a taboo action with terrible consequences. Well, nothing happens.

**For example, the fact Tara stopped growing older at a human pace because reasons.