Carrier of the Mark (Carrier Trilogy, #1)

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Carrier of the Mark (Carrier #1)

by Leigh Fallon (Goodreads Author)

3.53 of 5 stars 3.53 · rating details · 5,890 ratings · 1,054 reviews

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...more

Paperback, 342 pages

Published October 4th 2011 by HarperTeen (first published October 1st 2011)

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Nov 17, 2011 Steph Sinclair rated it 1 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Twihards, Twitards and the like

Recommended to Steph by: Cait

Shelves: ebook, 2011-reads, ahhhhh-my-eyes, all-the-wrong-choices, bound-to-inflict-a-migraine, didn-t-care-for-it, disappointment, glad-it-s-over, i-blame-twilight, i-totally-saw-that-coming, heroines-i-want-to-shake, le-sigh, lots-of-fail-going-on-here, serve-me-up-insta-love, where-s-my-chocolate, youve-got-to-be-kidding-me, ranty-review, made-me-angry, why-the-hype, that-cover-misled-me, forbidden-love, young-adult, due-to-author

Let's play a little game of:

WHO AM I...

-My book starts with me moving to a new location and starting at a new school.

-I live with just my dad, but don't worry about him, he's not important. In fact, you'll barely notice he exists at all!

-I quickly make friends at my new school. I'm not sure why everyone likes me. I'm not remotely interesting.

-I've never had a boyfriend before meeting my love interest and for some reason people at my school find that hard to believe.

-As soon as my love interes...more

872 likes · like · see review

Jul 01, 2012 Cait rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: desperate-to-read, must-must-must-have, pretty-freaking-awesome-cover, nice-try-fallon, this-makes-no-sense, tstl-love-intrest

Okay, I do feel slightly sorry for all that I'm about to say in my review, because Fallon does honestly seem like a nice person......but this is just....just too much.

First off, I'm pissed. Excuse me for a second while I rant, here:

I'M SOOOOOO MAD!! GOD DAMMIT AWEOIARHW;EHRIBENAOR;IERU;EHBAROE;JARE! AHHHHHHHH!

Yeah that's right I'm mad!

You know why? Just let me say that, if you put my name into a book, and actually spell it correctly (It's CAITLIN, people, not Kaitlyn, Catelyn, Katelyn, Kat...more

170 likes · like · see review

Sep 07, 2012 K. rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy-sci-fi-dys, ok-fine-its-ya, ok-i-cheated, this-shelf-can-die, why-did-i-even, 21st-cent, so-bad-its-probably-brilliant

End of review.

72 likes · like · see review

Oct 20, 2011 Carla *Jen7waters* rated it 1 of 5 stars Recommends it for: No one

Shelves: young-adult, read-in-2011, gave-away, dnf, did-nothing-for-my-lady-parts

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. My God…I hate to do this, hate it, but this book is GOD DAMN AWFUL.

I’m pretty sure it will be one of the worst books of the year for me, right next to Impossible by Nancy Werlin. *shudders*

I dread writing a bad review, dread it, but I also hate when books let me down like this, and I paid for it, so I think I have the right to rant a little bit.
My main problem with Carrier of the Mark is that it’s a Twilight copycat. There are no vampires or werewolves, because the paranormal part has to do wi...more

56 likes · like · see review

Jun 08, 2011 Kris rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-books, arc, books-reviewed

I'm delighted that I was able to win an ARC from a competition that Leigh hosted on her blog and at the book's Facebook page. Now, I'm even more delighted to say that I adore the book. But I'm sad that this is only the ARC because it means that I have to wait over a year for the next installment.

Warning: beware of an overuse of adjectives and adverbs. I just loved the book so much!

The story follows Megan following her move to Kinsale, Ireland for her father's new job at a marina. Leigh introduce...more I'm delighted that I was able to win an ARC from a competition that Leigh hosted on her blog and at the book's Facebook page. Now, I'm even more delighted to say that I adore the book. But I'm sad that this is only the ARC because it means that I have to wait over a year for the next installment.

Warning: beware of an overuse of adjectives and adverbs. I just loved the book so much!

The story follows Megan following her move to Kinsale, Ireland for her father's new job at a marina. Leigh introduces the characters in a wonderful manner from Megan showing her father how to work the 'wonders of technology' to bumping into Caitlin and catching the deliciously hot Adam staring at her on the first day of school. (Okay, Adam staring comes second, but I'm listing it last to place more emphasis on hot Adam.) Leigh has a light-hearted writing style, and you can see her humor mix in with Megan's thoughts as she adjusts to Irish lingo and Irish life in general.

From the first chapters, I fell in love with Kinsale. Leigh does a fabulous job of describing the place while building the tension surrounding Megan's instant chemistry with Adam and the development of the mystery surrounding the DeRís family. Her attraction to Adam is all too understandable because of his looks, but Leigh has another explanation for it, one that I'm going to have to leave out so as not to spoil the surprise.

Adam may appear to be aloof and unapproachable at first, but the reader will find in him a passionate, charming young man with a level head that will cease to listen to reason should harm threaten to come to those he loves. His sister Áine has a wonderful sense of humor. I'm certain that I had a silly smile on my face during her appearances. And as for the rest of the family, I'm going to leave it with there's a lot more beneath the surface than one would initially think, and I grew to love each member of the family.

Leigh has created another kind of paranormal. It's one that we may have seen in another form, to be fair, but she's incorporated a mythology and ancient orders into it. Her use of imagery isn't especially ornate or embellished, but her words are mesmerizing and filled with a simple beauty.

While her powers excite Megan at first, presenting her the opportunity of growing closer to Adam, they threaten to tear her away from him at the same time. Love is never easy, especially when your partner comes from the same breed as you in The Carrier of the Mark. The battle for love and the protection of order in the world will be a long and heartbreaking journey for Megan and her friends.

Read my author interview with Leigh here.

--
For more of my reviews, visit my blog Imaginary Reads.

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35 likes · like · see review

Dec 23, 2011 KM added it

Shelves: arc-for-review, globe-trekkers, harper-collins

Honestly, this book was disappointing for me. I was really intrigued by the synopsis and the gorgeous cover, and I had high hopes for a story set in Ireland. But there was something really generic about this book that just didn't spark my imagination.
I've complained a lot about insta-love in YA and how much it irks me. Really, this was a great example of some serious insta-love. I mean, she-sees-the-boy-across-the-parking-lot-they-kiss-the-next-week kind. It all just felt very rushed. Even after...more Honestly, this book was disappointing for me. I was really intrigued by the synopsis and the gorgeous cover, and I had high hopes for a story set in Ireland. But there was something really generic about this book that just didn't spark my imagination.
I've complained a lot about insta-love in YA and how much it irks me. Really, this was a great example of some serious insta-love. I mean, she-sees-the-boy-across-the-parking-lot-they-kiss-the-next-week kind. It all just felt very rushed. Even after they had gotten together, there was never that lingering sense of romance that should have been there. There have been books that had insta-love but still managed to seem believable and intriguing (i.e. Laini Taylor's Daughter of Smoke and Bone or Julie Kagawa's Iron Fey series; heck, even Twilight!). Honestly, the romance felt very formulaic.

And since the romance is such a huge part of the book, I had a hard time getting past it to the, honestly, pretty cool paranormal aspect. I really liked the concept of the elements and the Carriers of the Mark. It was nice to read about a different type of paranormal. And there were a few scenes in which characters went crazy with the magic that I really found well, magical.

But the originality was a little lost in confusion for me. There's a lot of talk about genetics in this book and how the ability to command the elements is a recessive gene that has to be passed between certain sexual partners to pass on to their offspring. It was all very scientific and confusing, and I still feel like I don't understand it. Seriously, it was uber convoluted!

The characters were so-so for me, too. I never felt connected to anyone. The character I found the most interesting was Rian, just because he was so troubled. I thought maybe he had more depth than the others. Adam felt cookie cutter-ish, and Megan was generic. And Adam was strangely needy, I mean, even more so than Megan. It was weird. And the fact that their romance is a forbidden one just really pushed me over the edge to not enjoy their relationship.

And is it just me, or if the fate of the world hung in the balance of whether you dated a guy or not, wouldn't you choose in favor of the world?! I thought it was crazy selfish and small-minded of Megan and everyone else to encourage her to choose Adam over stopping things like earthquakes and famines and the like. And the members of the Order who suggest that maybe she should reign in the hormone-fest a bit are portrayed as selfish? What?! No. Sometimes, you just gotta take one for the team.

I've said a lot of negative things about this book, but it was relatively interesting. I still loved that it was set in Ireland, the magic was well described, and it was a fairly original plotline. I just wish Leigh Fallon had allowed herself to be more creative and not stick so rigidly to the paranormal romance formula.(less)

30 likes · like · see review

Sep 09, 2011 Katie(babs) rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: dnf-award

The Carrier of the Mark by Leigh Fallon was one of the much buzzed YA books at this year’s BEA. The cover is striking and it takes place in Ireland. Also, Leigh was published by posting the original Carrier of the Mark on a writing site called Inkpop. Unfortunately I DNFed this 100 pages in. Yet another example of what’s wrong with the YA genre. If Carrier was well received at Inkpop, so much so that Harper Teen wanted it, it makes me wonder what other entries are up on there because Carrier has...more The Carrier of the Mark by Leigh Fallon was one of the much buzzed YA books at this year’s BEA. The cover is striking and it takes place in Ireland. Also, Leigh was published by posting the original Carrier of the Mark on a writing site called Inkpop. Unfortunately I DNFed this 100 pages in. Yet another example of what’s wrong with the YA genre. If Carrier was well received at Inkpop, so much so that Harper Teen wanted it, it makes me wonder what other entries are up on there because Carrier has nothing to recommend for it.

Carrier of the Mark is an example of how to use info dumping in conversations as a sneaky way to not get caught using it the old fashioned way, usually as internal monologues from the characters. Leigh’s info dumping is so dry and formal as if her characters are robots, much like the animatronic ones at Disney World. How else would the reader find out that there’s something rotten in the state of some back water town, literally near the water, in Ireland? Our timid not so plucky heroine Megan has a world of woe. Not only does she move from place to place almost every year because of her father’s wanderlust, but she’s stuck wearing an unattractive uniform at her new school where she doesn’t know anyone. This American girl is a fish out of water, or rather a black crow that can’t fly (the crow reference is explained later on). Her first day of school doesn’t start out well at all because when she notices a tall boy leaning against the lamppost, who stares at her as if she has two heads, her hands tingle where they feel frostbitten. They are now connected and Megan can’t stop thinking of him. He’s Adam DeRis of the freaky DeRis clan who everyone warns her to stay away from. But Megan just can’t. Why? Because she and Adam are connected due to their oogily eyes stares.

A black crow begins following Megan around, she meets Adam’s sister Aine, who has a moth and insect fetish and can make dead flowers live again, plus some dark force is causing mayhem for no reason. Adam and Megan go from oogly eye stares to actually bumping into one another and talking. And at that point I stopped because I was so bored.

Leigh again is very sneaky. She’s trying very hard not to make this a copycat of Twilight or like Fizpatricks’s Hush Hush because when all is said and done, Adam isn’t bad boy material. Everyone around Megan tells her that he is. Again more info dumping, but he’s shown as the complete opposite. If only the writing had been stronger, than perhaps The Carrier of the Mark could have stood a chance. Weak writing and lackadaisical characters with no real motivation leaves the reader uninterested and not involved. I raise my hand as one of these readers.

New update: It seems Fallon may have plagiarized Twilight: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
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86 likes · like · see review

Nov 14, 2011 Kwesi 章英狮 rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: borrowed, leigh-fallon, 2011

I keep on reading books, books are already part of my everyday life, but what if you manage to encounter a book that have similarities to the book you hated before you read it. What will you do? React like a destructive monster or an angelic reader who just leave the mess away and continue reading it, or in between. I read few reviews of this book and I was so shocked that until now I can still feel the intense feelings (mostly hatred) of those reviewers and I mean it, I agree to what they wro...more

62 likes · like · see review

Sep 30, 2011 Misty rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: juvenile-ya, 2011-debuts__elevensies, supernatural-paranormal, cover-appeal, own, disappointing-or-excited-for-nothin, read-in-2011

1.5
I feel bad about what I'm about to do. Honestly. I'm not one of those people who just writes snarky, mean-spirited reviews, just for the sheer black-hearted, puppy-kicking glee of it. As tempting as that sometimes is, I just am not that reviewer (generally). I like puppies. And Leigh Fallon seems like a really nice person, and I had high hopes for this book. And everything I'm about to say makes me feel like a bully, but no. Just - no.

I knew almost immediately that I was not going to like th...more

160 likes · like · see review

Jan 30, 2011 Betty Bowe rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: the-carrier-of-the-mark

I read the first few chapters of this great read on Inkpop. I am so delighted The Carrier is being published by Harper Collins, I cannot wait to get myself a copy and read the rest of the story. It's such a gripping read you just can't put it down! Hurry up and get it on those shelves PLEASE. From me this is 5star+ *****. A Great read, well written.

12 likes · like · see review

Apr 19, 2013 Emily marked it as to-read

Shelves: 2011, love-the-cover, disappointing, fantasy, review, didn-t-finish, ya-romance, young-adult

Leigh Fallon. I really, really hate to be mean, but if you don't take criticism well, please don't read this review. I hate bashing authors and I hate it even more if they read it and hate me.

I was so excited about this book. I thought it would be amazing. I even bought it! What a waste of money. I didn't even finish it.

I hate ripping authors. I don't enjoy criticizing their hard work. So it's going to be hard to write this review without seeming down-right mean. I respect Leigh Fallon for makin...more

11 likes · like · see review

Oct 29, 2011 Isamlq rated it 2 of 5 stars

Beautiful Cover strikes again. Dang it! What I got out of CARRIER was a story of what Bella and Edward would have done, had they not been vampire and emo-girl but rather some other type of supernatural boy and emo girl/Avatar-to- be. Things went quickly though, that I have to give it. Except this fact might have more to do with my feelings of having been there and read that rather than me feeling things like “Oh boy! What a good story!” Not just that it was in turns abrupt and over the top, but...more

32 likes · like · see review

Oct 04, 2011 Alexa Yupangco rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-all-stars, books-i-own

Review posted on Alexa Loves Books

It started with the hype - I started seeing blurbs, contests, features on the book all over the book blogging community. After reading the synopsis and noting that it involved (1) elemental magic (2) in Ireland, I knew I had to get my hands on it as soon as possible. I picked up a copy at Barnes and Noble during my lunch break, read the first three chapters and was hooked. I literally finished this book about an hour ago and I'm still not quite sure how to prope...more Review posted on Alexa Loves Books

It started with the hype - I started seeing blurbs, contests, features on the book all over the book blogging community. After reading the synopsis and noting that it involved (1) elemental magic (2) in Ireland, I knew I had to get my hands on it as soon as possible. I picked up a copy at Barnes and Noble during my lunch break, read the first three chapters and was hooked. I literally finished this book about an hour ago and I'm still not quite sure how to properly express how I feel about it.

This book is AMAZING. Seriously. There are so many things I love about it - the story, the legend/history, the settings, the characters. Everything wove itself together into a beautifully crafted tale that drew me in and got me so intensely absorbed that reaching the ending and rejoining the real world was like having a dash of cold water tossed into my face.

The story behind the Mark is fascinating. I can't wait to learn some more about the history and the legends behind it, because I feel like there's so much more ground to be covered. Every bit of it that was included in this book left me fascinated trying to piece it all together and understand it; it was almost like I was channeling Meg as I was reading!

I loved the characters as well - Megan, Adam, Rian, Aine, Fionn, Caitlin and Megan's dad. All of them were written with such clearly defined personalities that I felt like I was getting to know them quite well. My favorites though are Aine and Adam, the twins, and simply because I think they're spectacular.

The love story was a little quick for me, but I do recognize that it is possible for feelings to flare up into that level of intensity that fast. The chemistry between Adam and Megan and the intensity of their feelings left me breathless from squealing so much while I was reading. Adam is now one of my favorite characters ever and I can definitely see why Meg fell for him!

Leigh combines everything - the beautiful settings, the incredible lore, the quirky characters, the budding romance - into an interesting, exciting and spellbinding story. I cannot wait to read more from her -- especially the next book for this series, tentatively titled Dawn of the Knights.
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Jan 04, 2012 Vi Vi added it

Shelves: will-never-read-due-to-author

I have no intention of reading the book of an author who insults her readers, calling them cows if they dare to dislike their work.

11 likes · like · see review

Nov 21, 2011 Parajunkee.com rated it 1 of 5 stars

I am honestly just at a loss for the epic failure of this book. The sad thing about it was how well it started. I was immediately sucked in and excited and then after I had gotten my feet wet I just kept reading and going ‘what?’ ‘huh?’ and ‘I think I might have read this before?’ And I had read it before in a book that you might be familiar with, called ‘Twilight’. I really hate comparing books to ‘Twilight’ because basically you can probably do this to a lot of young adults books from love tri...more

23 likes · like · see review

Oct 20, 2011 Ezmirelda rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: dissapointing, books-i-own, unoriginal, paranormal, romance, kinda-boring, 1-star

So just to start off, this book was okay-ish. But there were times when I just could not take the characters seriously. The fact that the main characters had their first kiss SO early in the story completely confounded me. And when it did hapen everything felt so fake and completely out of place...the feeling you get when you're yanked out of the story because it starts to feel too unbeleivable. The dialogue felt so alien in that confession scene because there wasn't any real meaning to it. At t...more So just to start off, this book was okay-ish. But there were times when I just could not take the characters seriously. The fact that the main characters had their first kiss SO early in the story completely confounded me. And when it did hapen everything felt so fake and completely out of place...the feeling you get when you're yanked out of the story because it starts to feel too unbeleivable. The dialogue felt so alien in that confession scene because there wasn't any real meaning to it. At the point where Adam confesses to her they are both still virtual strangers to each other. I found myself rolling eyes over and over again during the whole scene.

And the fact that the main character just somehow "knew" that the male love-interest had a thing for her without actually having any real conversations with him left me completely confounded. How exactly could she tell? Is it because she has a big ego or is it because he's been staring at her to the point of almost being a stalker? I honestly don't know. (Seriously, the guy even admits it himself that he acted like a stalker in the book). -_-

I just wish that there could have been a bigger build up to the relationship. I found it so akward and out of character for the both of them to suddenly decide one chapter that they're in love with each other when prior to the chapter they've barely spoke to each other, and Adam comes off as so cold. He turned from an iceburg to a tropical beach in the course of one chapter in the BEGINNING of the book. Most of the time big character changes like that don't happen until the END of the book. I would have taken that scene a lot more seriously if it were placed closer to the climax.

And how many times are they going to repeat "I think I can take on the world when I'm with you!" Was this meant to be a catchphrase or something because they say it about 3 or more times per chapter. -_-

Overall, The Carrier of the Mark was a bit too cliche and abrupt for my tastes. And there were way TOO many similarities to Twilight. I really really wanted to like this book because Leigh is an awesome person, but I just couldn't. After getting about 3/4ths of the way through the book I couldn't bring myself to finish the rest. I felt annoyed with just about every character except for maybe Rian. (less)

18 likes · like · see review

Aug 13, 2012 Kelly rated it 1 of 5 stars

I think I've read this book before, though it was under a different name and instead of people who possessed the powers of the four elements, they were vegetarian vampires...

The first half of this book is pretty much exactly the same as Twilight. Megan has just moved to a new town, and is left speechless after first laying eyes on Adam DeRis. He, continuing in the Twilight theme, is arrogant and standoffish, sticking to his siblings while at school, and of course, is devastatingly handsome. The...more I think I've read this book before, though it was under a different name and instead of people who possessed the powers of the four elements, they were vegetarian vampires...

The first half of this book is pretty much exactly the same as Twilight. Megan has just moved to a new town, and is left speechless after first laying eyes on Adam DeRis. He, continuing in the Twilight theme, is arrogant and standoffish, sticking to his siblings while at school, and of course, is devastatingly handsome. The only difference is that he also seems flustered by Megan's presence, running into a door frame on his way out of class after catching her eye. His family has a notorious history within town, and the weird things that seem to happen when they're around do nothing to dispel the rumours.

After being in town a couple week, Megan has a boating accident and Adam is able to jump in and save her life, much like when Edward saved Bella from being crushed by a car. As in Twilight where Edward accompanies Bella to the hospital, and waits to speak with her once she is released, Adam is waiting for Megan when she emerges from her room.

Later, on her way to a Halloween party, Megan is harassed by two drunk guys from her school. Before anything can really happen, a gust of wind picks up the two boys and throws them away from Megan. All of a sudden, Adam is there asking if she is ok. Sounds an awful lot like when Bella was saved by Edward from a group of men with sinister intentions. When they do make it to the party, Adam tells Megan that he hasn't been able to stop thinking about her since the moment he first laid eyes on her. He tells her that he was warned to stay away from her, but that he isn't strong enough (an exact quote from Edward, if memory serves) and that he feels like their destinies are inexplicably linked.

And the last thing I will point out is that like in Twilight, where Alice warms to Bella while Rosalie gives her the cold shoulder, in Carrier of the Mark, Adam's twin Aine warms to Megan while his older brother Rian is quite upset with her presence.

The explanation of the Order and the history of the Mark, while interesting in concept, was laid out in one info-dumped chapter. I had to re-read it a few times, and I still don't think I fully understand the mythology. Maybe if it had been shown instead of told to me I would have made more sense of it. This left absolutely no no room for suspense, as the most important details were given in one long-winded speech from Fionn. Any remaining details that surfaced seemed to be a weak attempt at causing conflict, so we wouldn't get bored.

One of these conflicts was the Order's complete rejection of Megan and Adam's relationship, as it had "apocalyptic" consequences. Unfortunately, I could care less about whether or not Adam and Megan are able to be together, as there was absolutely NO development of their love story. Their elements spoke to each other, and therefore they were destined. Shortly before the Order's condemnation of their relationship, Megan mentions that they had only been dating for two weeks and that she barely knew Adam. But then when faced with the possibility of separation from him, she exclaims:

There has to be a way I can keep the element and you too. How can I separate the two things that make me feel whole?

And a couple pages later...

Everything else paled in significance. I could not live without him. As much as it upset me to hurt the others, it was nothing compared to the stabbing pain I felt when I thought of being parted from him.

Ugh. You know someone for two weeks and all of a sudden you can't live without them? Give me a break.

On a side note, how many times does it have to be mentioned that she was putting on her red converses?

Originally published on my blog, Radiant Shadows (less)

9 likes · like · see review

Jan 21, 2013 Skyla marked it as not-interested-due-to-reviews

My friend sent me this link: http://www.scribd.com/doc/73067422/Ca...

Removed original content and put in comment below.

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So I decided to actually post a review of the first 10 chapters mostly because I have so many annoyances with this book. And my friend yelled at me for not posting my thoughts because she wanted to read them. So here goes nothing:

1) Firstly is she isn’t Catholic why is she at a Catholic school? If it used to...more My friend sent me this link: http://www.scribd.com/doc/73067422/Ca...

Removed original content and put in comment below.

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So I decided to actually post a review of the first 10 chapters mostly because I have so many annoyances with this book. And my friend yelled at me for not posting my thoughts because she wanted to read them. So here goes nothing:

1) Firstly is she isn’t Catholic why is she at a Catholic school? If it used to be a convent and is run by Nuns it’s a Catholic school.

2) On page 7 she talks about walking to school and says “all downhill thankfully”. I don’t know about you but I’d rather walk up the hill to school in the morning when I’m not exhausted from a six hour day at school. Just saying.

3) “Are you in fifth year?” Another term I was going to have to get used to. I was a junior back home. I still don’t know the difference between junior and sophomore. Senior and freshman are
self-explanatory but these words still confuse me and annoy me.

4) On page 14 That hurt, you plonkers!” I have never heard anyone over the age of 12 use the word plonkers when yelling at someone who hit them. The word git probably would have been a better one.

5) Some word usage like saying ” have magical power” versus “ have magical powers

6) On page 91 Jennifer tells Megan to grow some cojones unless she herself has spent a lot of time in North America this isn’t a phrase that a normal Irish person would use, at least in my experience. My cousins always say “grow some bollocks” which I guess amounts to basically the same thing…

7) Monks do not have long hair! They have never had long hair. Part of being a monk is getting that funky short hairdo. Long beard maybe, long hair no.

8) Page 111. He is already calling her beautiful (as in the pet name) and putting xxx before his name. Insta love is faster than normal. Faster than Twilight even.

9) You messed with Celtic Legends and you did it poorly.
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Aug 03, 2012 Gabrielle Carolina rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: own, 2011-debut-authors, didn-t-finish

Joining older siblings (versions) of the same tired plotline, Carrier of the Mark is the Irish version of Twilight, its closest relatives including, and yet not limited to, Die For Me by Amy Plum (French Twilight), and Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini (Greek Twilight).

None of the above has out done Twilight in my mind, though Starcrossed was fun.

I cannot go another page further into the meticulously chronicled (paranormal) life of Megan, I just can't.

Imitation may be the sincerest form of flat...more

12 likes · like · see review

Sep 24, 2011 Haley ~ YA-Aholic rated it 4 of 5 stars

"This is going to sound crazy, but...since the moment I first set eyes on you I haven't been able to stop thinking about you." ~Adam

When I finished this book, the first thing I thought to myself was "how on earth am I going to put into words how much I loved this book?" I honestly have no idea, I normally wait awhile before writing a review, but this one I just need to get out of my system now. It was perfection. I can't even think of a comlpaint right now. The romance was...it was just amazing,...more "This is going to sound crazy, but...since the moment I first set eyes on you I haven't been able to stop thinking about you." ~Adam

When I finished this book, the first thing I thought to myself was "how on earth am I going to put into words how much I loved this book?" I honestly have no idea, I normally wait awhile before writing a review, but this one I just need to get out of my system now. It was perfection. I can't even think of a comlpaint right now. The romance was...it was just amazing, it never once had that fake or cheesy feel to it, yet it was able to still capture the 'love at first sight' concept and keep it real and magical which in all honesty I feel no books have been able to really capture lately.

Megan and her dad are on the move...again. Ever since Megans mother died she has never been able to really call a place 'home'..now thier on the move to Ireland, and this time is different, everything feels different, and right. Megan is enjoying her new school, and her new group of friends, the one thing she can't figure out...is Adam DeRis. She doesn't know why, but she can't stop thinking about him ever since she first saw him on that first day of school, but all her friends warn her...Adam and his family..are strange, and she is warned to give up on him and forget about it...but she just can't. After more and more strange happenings, Megan is thrown into the world of the DeRis's, and she discovers she is one of them...she is a Marked one...and not just that, but she controls one of the most powerful elements...and she is a Carrier of the Mark..as if finding out that isnt enough for Megan..she finds out there are a group of people..called The Knox...and they are searching for The Marked, to use their powers, to harm them.

This story was beautiful, I loved it. The characters were perfect, Leigh Fallon did a superb job at putting together an amazing group of people, each character I felt like I really knew, and I can tell you right now that this is gonna be one of those series, that whenever it does end, it is going be heartbreaking to say goodbye to these characters.

The romance, I dont even know where to start with it, it was so amazing, I just found myself smiling from ear to ear of the love that was so perfectly protrayed between Megan and Adam, this romance was just so sweet, this books romance fed my hopeless romantic needs to the max and more. One thing I loved about the romance that Leigh Fallon has put together is she was able to make it so magical, yet it never felt unrealistic..it as cheesy as this sounds makes people believe in true love at first sight.

The paranormal aspect of this book was such a treat! It was so new and fresh. The powers that Megan and the DeRis family has is incredible, the scenes that Leigh had put in her book of them showing there powers are just breathtaking. This is a world that I cannot wait to visit again and discover even more about. Forget vampires and Werewoves, make room for The Marked ones!

I can't get over this story it was just in one word breathtaking, every part of this story draws you in and keeps you till the last page. With a story full of romance, power, action, suspense, and magic. Carrier of the Mark is one read of 2011 that you will not want to miss! (less)

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Oct 25, 2011 Kristia rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Lovers of the Twilight Saga

Recommended to Kristia by: Leigh Fallon

Shelves: favorites-3, epic-read, lovely-read, outstanding-read, loved-it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. *NEW REVIEW*
This book starts off like any other book, new girl, new town, new school, and HOTT guy staring at new girl. But really, how can you really start an epic book any differently? It starts out as something that almost everyone could relate to, and it is also very realistic.
I love the Irish slang, such a character builder for this book, which makes it more of a grabbing read. I would like to visit Kinsale one of these days.
The relationship between Megan and her dad, it is easy going and...more

19 likes · like · see review

Sep 16, 2012 CC rated it 4 of 5 stars

Fallon is one of the few new YA ParaRom authors to embrace a non-US setting, and has crafted a fascinating novel with a delicately woven Irish setting.

Complete with Celtic myth and legend, The Carrier of the Mark is a delightful read with likable lead characters in Megan and Adam, and suitable sub-plots to keep the reader turning the page.

Although Megan and Adam's relationship begins without much character exploration, the reader is soon swept up in a sweet story fraught with age-old peril, doom...more

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Jan 05, 2012 Kelly rated it 2 of 5 stars

First of all I want to say that I'm going to keep this short, because a lot of people feel the same way about this and I don't want to repeat too much of what has already been said.

I'm seriously torn though... I want to give this book 1 star, but I'd feel too much of a bully, so I'm gonna go with 1.5 or even maybe a 2. As many before me have said, this book really is so much like Twilight that I had a hard time trying to not burn or trash it.

The romance was badly written. (At least Bella takes...more

8 likes · like · see review

Mar 16, 2013 Merary rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal, ya, fantastic-fantasy, activate-insta-love, reading-it-for-the-wrong-reasons, abusive-relationships, bored-me-to-death, boring-bland-main-characters, cheating-partners, insults-my-feminist-self, mary-sues, mediocre-writing, the-worst-i-d-ever-read, twilight-related, where-s-the-fucking-conflict, why-the-hell-is-this-book-popular, you-are-an-idiot, element-benders, arranged-marriages, where-s-your-backbone, left-me-with-a-passionate-fury, why-are-you-a-love-interest

Their love was meant to be.

COUGH!!!

Every time I see the cover, I have this imaginary rap in my head:

Bitches be like, I'm so fly
But the truth is that they're not
I'm the baddest bitch, you should never doubt
When I shit on these haters while I skyrocket high

Look at me motherfuckers, look at me fly
Look at me motherfuckers, with my ass saying bye
Don't forget to kiss it and my anus, too
Because you know deep down that I want to get kinky with you

Oh, the things my mind does.

That being said, I knew this...more

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Jun 28, 2012 ALM188 rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, paranormal-ya

I am usually very impressed with Harper Collins. They usually have some of the best YA paranormal series around. But this was a fail. I truly don't understand why so many Amazon and Goodreads patrons gave this more than 2 stars. Contrived is not even enough to describe the stilted, awkward, and yes, again, contrived conversation. I did not love any of the characters. The love story felt so off and rushed and sudden and insert any synonym for "hurried and inefficient" here.

The idea was great. Dru...more I am usually very impressed with Harper Collins. They usually have some of the best YA paranormal series around. But this was a fail. I truly don't understand why so many Amazon and Goodreads patrons gave this more than 2 stars. Contrived is not even enough to describe the stilted, awkward, and yes, again, contrived conversation. I did not love any of the characters. The love story felt so off and rushed and sudden and insert any synonym for "hurried and inefficient" here.

The idea was great. Druids, elemental curses and blessings, using the Tuatha de danann in a different way than just as "fairies." But it was complicated and explained by the De Ris's guardian over an entire chapter. Prose paraded as a conversation. I finished the book over a week ago and am still having trouble remembering characters' names... The conversation and plot seemed juvenile and for very young adults. I'm talking 12, 13, 14, 15. But the concept was far more advanced so it was constantly contradictory in my opinion. I felt that the concept and setting had great potential. But I truly don't know why this manuscript was picked on Inkpop over others.

I give miss Fallon credit for writing a novel. Lord knows it is a hard task to accomplish. I am just surprised there was such a ready acceptance without much editing on conversation and character development. It seemed so rushed (I know I'm being redundant now) but the love story just did not feel REAL. It was just...disappointing to say the least.

Harper Collins definitely dropped the ball with this one. I'm in the process of reading another HC YA novel and it is definitely redeeming the imprint. Since this book went straight to paperback, I'm wondering if they did it just to publish in the YA paranormal realm numbers wise and save their hardcover productions for "better" options. I use that term loosely because if this was taken apart and redone to some degreee, this could have been a really unique (bad word I know) and something different than the angels, vamps, and fairies scene.(less)

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Jan 15, 2012 Julia G. Darelle rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: writers to learn from mistakes; Twilight fans

Shelves: wasted-time

I don't have time (or much desire) to write a coherent review, but I feel I have to write something since I had so many qualms to read this book.

I give it 2 stars which in a Goodreads measure system means that the book was ok. I can't say I liked it but it was not as awful as I expected. True, there are a lot of things that could have been done better, there are mistakes that an experienced writer would not make, but all that in mind, it was an ok book. It's clearly a Twilight wanna-be; it's not...more

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Nov 09, 2011 Ellie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I have to be honest, i initially didn't like this book about 100 pages in. There were just too many Twilight red flags. As the story progressed, it grew on me and i was proven wrong. They are similar in some constructs but Carrier of the Mark seemed more original. Not necessarily saying that Twilight is bad, but i understand how some people dislike it.

I love how the story is set in Ireland, and as far as i can tell, Leigh Fallon has got their manner of speaking quite spot on. My head even starte...more

3 likes · like · see review

Oct 24, 2011 Pam Lestrange rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc

1.5

So... I judged a book by its cover. I. Never. Learn.

This is just disappointing. Sure, tt has both romance and fantasy, but I got sick of the "fantasy" part. Usually, a book is tolerable for me when it has a fair share of romance and fantasy/paranormal, but this one... ugh. Sorry. To me, it feels too much and the information could definitely be delivered in a better way. Sometimes the plot gets lost with all the talk about Megan's true identity. Le sigh.

I kept on reading just to see if it some...more

6 likes · like · see review

Mar 07, 2012 Sandra Howard rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, first-on-series, reviewed

When I first saw this book I was so enchanted by the cover.
I was like “WOW look at that cover!!”
I thought the cover was just gorgeous and I told myself I had to get my hands on that book.
When I clutched the book in my hands, the feeling of excitement overwhelmed me.

Almost immediately after I got it, I started to read…

My reaction started like this.

Then this.

Then finally..

Alas! Book covers and synopsis could be very deceiving.

This book reminds me of a book very close to my heart.
Unfortunately...more

24 likes · like · see review

Nov 10, 2011 Rachel (The Rest Is Still Unwritten) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: i-own, harper-collins-sent, publisher-sent

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. **Firstly, thank-you to HarperCollins for providing me with a copy to read and review**

Carrier Of The Mark is an enjoyable debut by Leigh Fallon! While I admit it may not be the best choice for someone looking for something different in the YA paranormal romance genre, it blends together all the elements that make a great paranormal romance book; romance, mystery, action and danger. It’s a traditional, boy meets girl tale with a supernatural element and is a nice tale to relax and enjoy.

I loved...more **Firstly, thank-you to HarperCollins for providing me with a copy to read and review**

Carrier Of The Mark is an enjoyable debut by Leigh Fallon! While I admit it may not be the best choice for someone looking for something different in the YA paranormal romance genre, it blends together all the elements that make a great paranormal romance book; romance, mystery, action and danger. It’s a traditional, boy meets girl tale with a supernatural element and is a nice tale to relax and enjoy.

I loved the mythology in this book and I must say that the idea of Carrier’s and Marked is really interesting. It was a tad confusing when it was first being explained, with so much going on but it’s nothing I’ve heard before. The way it all goes together and each element is very intriguing. It took a while for me to really slip into the book and characters but when I did, I found that I really enjoyed reading it; especially towards the end. Then I just could not stop reading and was drawn into the mystery.

The characters were nothing I hadn’t seen before, but I loved them regardless. Megan was easy to read about and her voice easy to follow. She experienced a lot in such a short amount of time and I felt she dealt with it well, if not a bit too well at times. I liked seeing her learn about her new abilities and the world around her and I enjoyed seeing her form such strong friendships with both Caitlin and then later Aine.
Adam was your typical male lead, so of course I found him very sexy. Liked his element and he had a good heart. I felt he was good for Megan and I did like the relationship that developed between them.
I really loved Aine and even Rian---I thought the relationship that Adam had with his siblings and even Fionn was very well done and was actually a highlight of the book for me. I’m a sucker for any story where families have a close bond and this was the case with this book.

Adam and Megan’s relationship built very fast and seemed to sprout from nowhere really, but there was no denying the passion that seemed to jump off the pages when they were together. Fallon writes really well in this respect and you couldn’t help but feel the depth and desperation these two felt, regardless of how quickly their relationship began. The trials and issues they face as part of their relationship and being Marked are very real and I foresee it being an ongoing problem for them in future books. It goes without saying that I want them to be together, but I think it’s going to be a tough road for these two.

This whole book is shrouded in mystery, even as things are revealed. The pace is easy to read and relaxing, but races to a conflict towards the end that leaves more than one of the characters in hospital and Megan having to embrace what she is.
This chapter of the series ends well, and regardless of the similarities I found with it and other YA novels I’m looking forward to the next chapter and seeing what Megan, Adam and their family are in store for next.
(less)

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What's The Name o...: Book set in Ireland about teenagers who could control the elements? [s]	3	33	Apr 11, 2013 08:25am
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About Leigh Fallon

In short

I was born in South Africa, raised in Dublin, Ireland and moved to Cork in my 20’s. While living in beautiful Kinsale, Co Cork I discovered a love of writing. I write mainly for the young adult market. My current book, The Carrier of the Mark, prompted me to abandon my ‘riveting’ career in corporate treasury and have been writing ever since. I have another three books in the Carrier series...more In short

I was born in South Africa, raised in Dublin, Ireland and moved to Cork in my 20’s. While living in beautiful Kinsale, Co Cork I discovered a love of writing. I write mainly for the young adult market. My current book, The Carrier of the Mark, prompted me to abandon my ‘riveting’ career in corporate treasury and have been writing ever since. I have another three books in the Carrier series and a few other projects I'm working on. My family and I now share our time between Ireland and the US.

The Extended Edition

I was born in Durban, South Africa. My parents moved back to Ireland while I was still very young. I grew up in the Dublin Mountains, just outside of Dublin city. I went to a convent school, with nuns, uniforms, gabardines and gym slips, we’re talking the works!

After school, I really wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, so I did a one year business course and got a good solid job in a bank while I was trying to figure out what direction I was going to take. Luckily, the bank was good to me. I made some great lifelong friends and moved around a bit getting loads of experience.

I then met the love of my life, a Navy man none-the-less and moved to Cork where he was based. I managed to worm my way into a treasury position in really good corporate multinational company and the world became my oyster. I did a diploma in accountancy and finance and for two years I travelled Europe working in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Netherlands, Belgium, England, Germany and Italy. It was an amazing experience. I met some wonderful people and had a chance to sample the culture and life of all those countries and their amazing residents.

After my second child was born, I decided to take a step back from the corporate world and travel, to a quieter more sedate life at home. Well at least I thought it would be quieter, but how wrong was I? It wasn’t long until I was gasping to get back to work and leave my adorable darlings in the safe hands of a childminder. But just as I was getting ready to take the corporate world by storm again, along came number three and four in one giant identical bundle. That put paid to any intentions I had of returning to work, but I think it was a blessing in disguise. It was the pure unrelenting torment of four children under the age of six that drove me to escapism, and that escapism manifested itself as writing. And for that, to my children, I will always be grateful.

My husband (no longer in Navy) was transferred with the company he was working for, to the US for a couple of years. So we have moved temporarily to Massachusetts, travelling back and forth between our homes here in the US and in Ireland. It’s a tough life, but sure somebody has to do it.(less)

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“This is going to sound crazy, but... from the moment I first set eyes on you I haven't been able to stop thinking about you.” — 107 people liked it

“Don't worry about it. I'd have dumped me too if I was on a romantic date with that!” — 37 people liked it

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