Carrier of the Mark

By: Leigh Fallon

Narrated by: Nicola Barber

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.

©2011 Leigh Fallon (P)2011 HarperCollinsPublishers

Carrier of the Mark--Above the Mark?

I bought this audio book because it was part of the ½ price sale, and I enjoy YA. I went into this book with no expectations and really next to no idea what the book was about:

First and most impressive was Nicola Barbera… just stellar performance: Amazing Irish Accents in female and male voices and even an English accent! Her performance complemented the book so well. Stellar job!

I particularly liked the powers and details of the origins of the powers. In some ways I wish I had been physically reading rather than listening because there are some things about the origins of the powers and what they mean to the couple that I would have liked to read again.

My reading enjoyment suffered from what I think is an unavoidable Twilight comparison. (Girl with Dad moves to new place, Girl meets strange aloof devastatingly handsome boy, girl’s life is saved by boy in an unconventional way, boy is warned by family to stay away from girl etc) Actually, now that I think about it…if you were to take Twilight and marry it with Tamora Peirce’s Circle of Magic this is probably what you would end up with.

Would I listen to a sequel? (This is what I ask myself to determine how much I liked it.) Well, it would have to have Nicola Barbera... and ½ off.

Eh, don't waste your money

What did you like best about Carrier of the Mark? What did you like least?

It was an okay story, but def could've been much better.

If you’ve listened to books by Leigh Fallon before, how does this one compare?

No, this was my first and I wasn't impressed enough to read any other books by Fallon.

Have you listened to any of Nicola Barber’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, this was my first and I think she's a great narrator.

Could you see Carrier of the Mark being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

Nooooooooo

Liked it alot!

If you wish there was a second one it is worth picking up. grate story nice voice and plesent turn of events. if you like harry potter and hunger games you will like thiss.

Lacks dialogue

This book is described as being like Twilight, and the 90,000 foot level, I agree. That said while I found Twilight to be hilarious and engaging, This book didn’t make me laugh or cry, not even once. I felt no emotional attachment to the characters, plot, or book. About the only emotion I had was rolling my eyes as the teens started making out, again. I feel like there were some really great opportunities for witty banter in this book, but it just wasn’t there. Hopefully the second book will be better, but if it’s anything like this one, I won’t lose any sleep over not getting to read the unpublished third book.

Carrier of the Mark INCREDIBLE BOOK!

What made the experience of listening to Carrier of the Mark the most enjoyable?

The voice of the reader was AMAZING! Not only did I know every single character by sound, the reader was just amazing at accents and all the different voices. They were each unique for each character. I LOVED THIS BOOK!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Of course I loved Adam and Megan. They are ADORABLE! I want to know more about Petra. Adam's older brother and twin sister are amazing (I dont know how to spell their names as I have not seen them)! I loved all the characters so much!!

Which character – as performed by Nicola Barber – was your favorite?

Adam

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

BOTH!!! honestly!

Any additional comments?

I highly recommend this book. It is fantastic. You do not want to ever stop listening to it! Incredible story line, incredible voice. i will DEF listen to this one again soon!!!

not original :(

somehow this book didn't pull me through .. the beginning was fine I guess, but the story is so typical and repeated that I lost interest in the last three or so chapters .. but I will read the second book just so I give the series a right chance to judge it

Didn't Quite Hit the Mark for Me.

There were several problems with this one, but the main ones are:

1. The entire book really should have been the first act of a story rather than the first book in a series. There was NO substance. Nothing really happened. It was all setup.

2. Sometimes reviews say they hate it when two characters just fall in love for no reason, and I think they are being too hard on the author, but in this story....IT'S TRUE! The girl literally looks at the guy, he's stares at her, and then they are in love.

3. The plot really is a bit hard to follow...and I RARELY say that. The entire setup of the mythology is given to us in one LONG does of dialogue. I don't think there is enough time to really absorb it all before we are moved on to the next thing.

The narration was fine, but while other reviewers were very impressed with the Irish accents, I was distracted by the "American" accents. I think the narrator must be Irish or English because while those accents are lovely, her "American" accent is so stiff...with every consonant being pronounced with exaggeration, that it didn't seem natural at all.

There was a lot of potential in this one, but it just didn't come together in the end. Perhaps the sequels will be better, but I think I'll pass.

Totally MARKED!!

What made the experience of listening to Carrier of the Mark the most enjoyable?

the wonderful voices Nicola Baker creates for each character and scenes the book describes of Ireland, I could actually feel I was there.

What other book might you compare Carrier of the Mark to and why?

Probably Harry Potter, because of the fantasy fiction and the geography where the plot takes place

Have you listened to any of Nicola Barber’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, but I might look into listening more of her. She does a great job with both male and female characters and the accents

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It kept me very interested and wanting to listen to more... I was totally caught up with the story and the love story was really sweet and innocent.

Any additional comments?

the story definitely has SEQUEL written all over the place and the author is an excellent story teller

Save your money

What would have made Carrier of the Mark better?

The plot was convoluted and at times downright ridiculous. I couldn't wrap my head around it. I like my fantasy with a nice dose of reality or at least common sense.

Has Carrier of the Mark turned you off from other books in this genre?

No because fantasy/mystery is one of my favorite genres- it just made me wrinkle my nose a bit.

Did Nicola Barber do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

She did, and her accents got better as the book progressed, but overall her Irish accent needed work.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Carrier of the Mark?

I would have MAJORLY overhauled the scene where Adam's family first explains to the main character what's going on. It read like bad fan fiction.