Release Date: August 10th, 2021

Genre(s): Young Adult, Fantasy

Publisher: Swoon Reads

Pages: 352

Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Thank you to Fierce Reads and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. 

Synopsis

Mark of the Wicked follows Matilda, whose secret as a witch might be out when the new at school catches her using magic. Oliver already knew, however, and wants to learn more about her magic. But when animals and a young girl mysterious girl turn up dead, everyone blames Matilda. And while Matilda believes she’s not the culprit, she must control her magic and discover the truth, before more people turn up dead.

Review

I have to admit, I was unsure how to feel about Mark of the Wicked when I first picked it up. While the setting and atmosphere of this book are absolutely amazing throughout, I wasn’t exactly hooked right away. The first half ran a bit slow with a lot of story setup with little character development. However, this book completely changes in the second half – and I devoured that second half in one sitting.

What’s interesting to me about Mark of the Wicked is that we’re following a main character who’s actually isn’t very nice. We don’t know why right away, but we start by seeing some of her questionable actions. I like this deviation because we can anticipate some character growth throughout the story. There’s this balance of not approving of a lot of her actions, but at the same time, still rooting for her growth as a reader.

Ultimately, I think that the second quarter of this book dragged a little too long, even though there’s some important context for the story set up here. But once you get to that second half, the pieces start coming together and things get really interesting. There’s a lot more that we learn about each of the characters and how that’s driven their actions. I think the twist of this book is going to be a bit predictable for some, but for those that won’t predict it, it will be a good one.

I’m struggling with how to rate this one due to my experiences between the first and second half. The first half was okay, but the second half was addictive for me. And I think one of the most fun aspects of the second half for me was the lead-up to Halloween and the atmosphere involved with that. I also really enjoyed the exploration of witchcraft and magick in the second half. I’m essentially ready for Fall to be here any minute now after reading this, so if you’re looking for that kind of feeling, you may enjoy this one.

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