Review: Carrier of the Mark by Leigh Fallon

Carrier of the Mark by Leigh Fallon
Publisher: HarperTeen (October 4th, 2011)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Paperback: 352 pages
Source: ARC from publisher
Series: Carrier Trilogy, book #1
Rating: 4 of 5 stars

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.

Review: The first thing that comes to mind when I think of Carrier of the Mark is the setting. This book is a rare find because it is set in Ireland. It really made me wish I could be transported there! Leigh Fallon did a terrific job describing the beauty of the land. Carrier of the Mark explores a puzzling paranormal world where powers are related to the elements and fate cannot be ignored. 

Megan and her dad have just moved to Ireland for his job. Megan was an enjoyable character. She's nice, smart, and interesting. She gets to know a few people as soon as she starts at her new school and they really helped me get a better sense of her personality. They also help explain the mysterious Adam DeRís and his family. Adam was another character I really enjoyed. He is very protective and strong--which is something I love! Megan and Adam notice each other immediately but it goes beyond attraction. Oh, and I do admit that it was hilarous to watch a boy stumbling around after a girl for once. So cute! After a while, Megan starts to notice a few odd things about Adam and his sister. She wonders if the rumors about them could be true. 

Carrier of the Mark not only introduces us to Megan and Adam, but we also meet Adam's family-- his twin sister Aine, older brother Rian, and guardian Fionn. It's rare to find a book that contains more than a few main characters so this was something that really helped me to better "get" the plot of this book. Adam's family really made this book shine for me. Their love for each other was very visible and it was good to see that Megan had people to turn to. 

This book contains a lot of mythology and I admit that at times I was confused by what was being explained. I think it might have been that those parts were a bit long and I lost focus after a while. But overall, that part of the story contained a lot of unique twists! 

Leigh Fallon is a terrific author and Carrier of the Mark is a very solid debut novel. I think that if I wasn't a little burnt out on the "instant attraction" aspect of some YA books, I would have enjoyed it a bit more. But don't let that detour you, this book is very mysterious and fast-paced. I will definitely be picking up the next book to see how this story turns out for Megan and Adam.


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