The Bookish Babe: Leigh Fallon

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.

(From GoodReads)

My Review

Sometimes do you feel like just getting lost in a swoon-worthy, enchanting book? Me, too. Carrier of the Mark is that kind of book. From the ominous prologue, through the very last line, this book pulled me in and carried me along on the remarkable journey of Megan Rosenberg.

Carrier of the Mark has so much going for it. Starting with the characters. Megan is a lovely teen protagonist. She is sweet, slightly awkward, and has a great sense of humor. She's not perfect. She
occasionally has a snarky comeback, but usually keeps the snark in her head. She is an American new to Ireland, along with it's customs and slang. Her confusion and funny reactions to the slang she doesn't understand and the names she can not pronounce had me smiling through the whole book.

You would think my favorite guy in Carrier of the Mark would be Adam. And I do dig Adam, I'll get to him next. But my favorite man is Megan's dad, Caleb Rosenberg. The father/daughter relationship is so heart-warming and great to see in a Young Adult novel. So many of the fathers in these books are absent or bumbling, cartoon-ish men or distant and hateful with their child. Megan's father is loving and attentive with Megan. He's not completely clueless and that was so awesome!

Now for Adam. If you like your guy to be a appropriately mysterious and aloof when first meeting, and handsome (of course), then you will fall fast and hard for Adam. He's sweet and loving, but not cheesy. Romantic, without being sleezy. Protective, but not condescending. Adam is everything you want in a Young Adult guy.

As for the rest of the characters, they are all equally fabulous. If I went into all the details about why I liked each one, this review would be way too long! Megan's friends, Caitlin and Jennifer are always good for a laugh. Adam's family Fionn, Rian, and Aine (forgive me because I lack the proper character keys to type their names properly) are all equally as intriguing as Adam. Fionn just completely breaks my heart. Aine is a delight. And Rian, well, I think (and hope) we will learn a lot more about this mysterious quasi-bad boy in the future.

Author Leigh Fallon did a fantastic job of creating her own spin on the "paranormal young adult" genre. The paranormal aspect of the story is completely unique. Yay! Because, let's face it. Sometimes we really need a change from the same old story. I try so hard for spoiler-free reviews, so I won't get into the details, but her background for the story is elaborate and extremely well-developed, and not overly confusing. And if you are into Irish lore and traditions, and who isn't, you will really enjoy the background story of the Carrier of the Mark.

Carrier of the Mark is such an enjoyable book. I devoured it within a day. Leigh Fallon has such an ease in her story-telling, making you feel as if you are part of the world. Carrier of the Mark is paranormal Young Adult at it's finest.

Favorite Quote:

" 'You feel it, too. I can tell. It's more than just attraction.' His finger that was caressing my lips moved slowly to my cheek. He let it slide gently up my jawbone toward my ear, stopping there to twirl a lock of my hair in between his finger and thumb."

April at Sim-Sational Books made the coolest Carrier of the Mark Sims Trailer.