The Marked (Delcroix Academy, #2)

Jul 16, 2012 Janus Vielle (The Blair Book Project) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: owned-hardcover, 2012-src

Well, what do you know? This book actually turned out better than I thought. Yay!

I wasn’t really thrilled over the first book, the Candidates (or the Talents), from Inara Scott’s Delcroix Academy series. There really wasn’t anything new to the idea of the whole school for kids with special abilities. Yes, very X-Men-like, but the Marked turned this typical urban fantasy story to a whole other level. Not exactly as ground breaking as I want a book to be but this was better and more eventful than...more Well, what do you know? This book actually turned out better than I thought. Yay!

I wasn’t really thrilled over the first book, the Candidates (or the Talents), from Inara Scott’s Delcroix Academy series. There really wasn’t anything new to the idea of the whole school for kids with special abilities. Yes, very X-Men-like, but the Marked turned this typical urban fantasy story to a whole other level. Not exactly as ground breaking as I want a book to be but this was better and more eventful than the first book.

I experienced a whole new perspective over the characters in this book, particularly Jack and Catherine. Jack, who was Dancia’s best friend (even though their moments as best friends in the Candidates wasn’t really elaborated, kind of feels unrealistic since I didn’t feel them really bond or anything other than what was narrated in the book), takes on becoming the bad boy that everyone thought he’d be. I can’t understand his motives though. There’s something missing, some details I think, I don’t know. Anyway, I’m a little bummed that he went on to the “dark side” (or just the opposing team, dark side might be too harsh, then again maybe not... whatever).

Now Catherine, on the other hand, is now my girl friend, best friend even. She may have been a little insufferable and annoying and kind of irrelevant during the first book but here I got to see the other side of her that’s a lot more interesting and I love her (Cathy, give me a hug! On second thought, never mind, I won’t be hearing the end of it).

Dancia, our protagonists, is the youngest amongst those within the Program. This means she has to work twice as hard to show she’s worth being a part of it. Now since she’s still struggling to control her power and the fact that some of students who are part of the Program don’t seem to trust her, Dancia is in turmoil of stress; poor girl. As much as I sympathize though, I still can’t get the whole “Cam and Dancia” fever. I just don’t buy it. Why don’t I buy it? Why don’t I feel all giddy and mushy (I always feel that way when I’m totally rooting for the couples) when I read about their short stolen moments? Why aren’t you two (Dancia and Cam) pulling this off?!

I didn’t exactly like how flat and vague the ending of the Candidates went about, but I’m glad the plot and execution of the Marked made the cliff-hanger from the first book worth enduring. I’m happy to see some action I’ve been waiting for to finally happen and a big “hooray!” to the whole Team Dancia versus Team...uh... wait, what’s his name? (O gosh, I forgot). Anyway, the Team Dancia versus Team Bad Guys (I’m sorry, I really can’t remember. Wow that was bad. I’m saying it’s a good part but I can’t remember the names of the characters...Awkward) scenes were great!

Now the last part of the book gave out this moment where someone from Delcroix is not the person he/she says he/she is, and our good guys (Dancia and company) are out to change things and make things right for all those of them who have “talents”, also to fulfil the purpose they were set out to do – protect human kind – the right way. So Book III, please be awesome.

For more of my reviews, please visit my blog:
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Jul 07, 2011 Cassandra (The Book & Movie Dimension blogger) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Here is why I enjoyed this book so much. Dancia has real thoughts and feelings. I don't understand when people say she's weak or is mean to her friends. Her thoughts come naturally to her. She is strong in that she tries to use her power when she knows she can accidentally injure people in the process. Her thinking her friends have quirks is only natural because I honestly observe people around me and honestly don't have the best thoughts of people and I never state them because they will hurt f...more

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Dec 02, 2012 Shelf Talkers Anonymous rated it 3 of 5 stars

I read the first book in this series, The Talents (originally called The Candidates) this fall. It was a fun read, full of mystery and romance, so I was excited to get to read an advance edition of the sequel. (Spoilers for The Talents)

The Marked continues a little while after the first book ends. Dancia is being initiated into the Program, and though she is still sad that Jack is gone, she is excited to begin training her talent. And now that she is an official member of the Program her and Cam...more I read the first book in this series, The Talents (originally called The Candidates) this fall. It was a fun read, full of mystery and romance, so I was excited to get to read an advance edition of the sequel. (Spoilers for The Talents)

The Marked continues a little while after the first book ends. Dancia is being initiated into the Program, and though she is still sad that Jack is gone, she is excited to begin training her talent. And now that she is an official member of the Program her and Cam can finally be together. But not everything is perfect like Dancia hopes. She still has to contend with hostility from Anna, and a weird watchfulness from Trevor. Hennie and Esther feel lonely when Dancia's spends most of her time with Cam, and the two are feeling their own pressures as the school begins to prep them to enter the Program themselves. Esther's talent for shape shifting grows stronger, until she begins to lose herself. And while Hennie seems happy with Yashir and her language classes, not everything is as perfect as it seems. Then the school is attacked and Dancia learns about a secret group of talented people called the Irin, the enemies of the Program. And she learns that Jack has joined them and wants her to join too.

I felt this book was stronger than the first. Dancia was a more solid character and the mystery of the plot was well-woven and executed. As much as I missed Jack, Inara made up for his absence with her other characters. Hennie and Esther play a much bigger role, which I was happy about. Cam also because more complicated, which was really great. Dancia's crazy button-down roommate cracked open a little, which was a very cool character transformation. I also like that Dancia's relationships with all these characters from the first book transformed in different ways, pushing the story and the characters to new levels. The addition of some new characters, particularly Dancia's student-teacher Barrett, really enhanced the story and broadened the world.

I also loved that Inara really brought the characters together and made them a team, even if an awkward team at times. They were constantly dealing with their issues and conflicts in different ways at every turn, creating tension and fireworks that kept the story interesting and page-turning.

The mystery in this book was also good. Now that we know all about the talents and the Program, Inara stepped it up a notch by introducing the real bad guys--or so you think. I liked that everything wasn't clear cut, and like the first book, Jack muddles things for Dancia. Every time she thinks she's got it all figured out, Jack steps in and forces her to think bigger.

The book ends with a bang and a big fight, which was even cooler than where The Talents ended. I am excited to see how this series comes to an end, and what choices Dancia finally makes.(less)

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Sep 21, 2012 Belle rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Es ist wohl am einfachsten, wenn ich damit anfange, dass in Night Academy das Rad nicht neu erfunden wird. Wie so selten eigentlich in letzter Zeit. Auf das House of Night gehen die Vampyre, nach Mythos Academy die Nachfahren alter Krieger und nach Night Academy eben die Begabten. Ich muss dazu sagen, dass ich den ersten Teil der Serien nicht kenne. Ich war an der Geschichte sehr interessiert und wollte wissen, ob es sich lohnen würde den ersten Teil zu kaufen.

Als ich anfing zu lesen, wurde ich...more Es ist wohl am einfachsten, wenn ich damit anfange, dass in Night Academy das Rad nicht neu erfunden wird. Wie so selten eigentlich in letzter Zeit. Auf das House of Night gehen die Vampyre, nach Mythos Academy die Nachfahren alter Krieger und nach Night Academy eben die Begabten. Ich muss dazu sagen, dass ich den ersten Teil der Serien nicht kenne. Ich war an der Geschichte sehr interessiert und wollte wissen, ob es sich lohnen würde den ersten Teil zu kaufen.

Als ich anfing zu lesen, wurde ich sofort von einer Flut von Gedanken überrollt. Dancia wurde gerade in das Programm aufgenommen und machte sich nun allerlei Sorgen. Ich sollte am besten mit dem Schreibstil anfangen. Der Schreibstil ist wirklich etwas Wichtiges in einem Buch. Er erschafft Atmosphäre und lässt einen in der Geschichte versinken nur um zwei Aspekte zu nennen. Angenommen der Schreibstil ist nun wirklich nicht gut. Dann kann kein noch so guter Lektor etwas daran ändern und mit der Übersetzung hat das irgendwann auch nichts mehr zu tun. Inara Scotts Schreibstil ist holprig, unbeholfen und lässt einen leider gar nicht in die Geschichte eintauchen.

Die spannendsten Szenen werden absolut unspannend und leider ist die Geschichte auch voraussehbar, denn selbst für mich, die bei der einfachsten Geschichte vom Ende total überrumpelt ist, war die Geschichte einfach langweilig. Denn es passierte fast gar nichts. Die Handlung war so gut wie nicht existent. Auch als Dancia und Cam eine „Pause“ machte, hatte das nur zur Folge, dass sie sich ihren Freundinnen zuwandte.

Ein Pluspunkt in dieser Geschichte ist Dancia. Sie muss ihre Freundinnen belügen und fühlt sich nicht gut dabei, als sie sich von ihnen entfremdet. Sie bringt ihre Probleme authentisch rüber, sie steht für ihre Sache und ihre Freunde ein. Sie gibt die Hoffnung nicht auf und sie rappelt sich immer wieder auf. Sie denkt nach, bevor sie handelt und bildet sich ihre eigene Meinung. Wäre Dancia nicht so ein natürlicher und sympathischer Charakter gewesen, wäre das Buch viel schwerer zu ertragen gewesen.(less)

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Jul 23, 2012 Mella rated it 5 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. SPOILER CITY OVER HERE. I can't help but talk all about everything in this book.

Anyway, I was incredibly surprised at how good this book was. I mean, I liked the first one but it wasn't anything really special. But this book set up everything to come. The beginning was annoying. Dancia: "Oh Cam! CAM CAM CAM CAM." -_- I dislike Cam. He's such a perfect little Ken doll. And he's so naive and stupid sometimes! ARGH. Hopefully with the revelation at the end of this book, he won't be such an idiot in...more SPOILER CITY OVER HERE. I can't help but talk all about everything in this book.

Anyway, I was incredibly surprised at how good this book was. I mean, I liked the first one but it wasn't anything really special. But this book set up everything to come. The beginning was annoying. Dancia: "Oh Cam! CAM CAM CAM CAM." -_- I dislike Cam. He's such a perfect little Ken doll. And he's so naive and stupid sometimes! ARGH. Hopefully with the revelation at the end of this book, he won't be such an idiot in the next book.

So at first I was angry at Anna. Seriously? Just because Dancia was friends with Jack doesn't mean that she's contacting him. Get over Cam already! And then the practice session where she was on Dancia's team. MAJOR TURN AROUND. I really started to like her there!! And after the boat, I like her more than Dancia!!! (Not that I was really fond of Dancia or anything...) I LOVED when she said that Dancia should be her partner. :) YES.

And I always had a thing for Trevor. He was the mysterious best friend. I kind of wanted Dancia to see the light and fall head over heels for him. >//////> But now that I think about it, I'd rather have him with anyone else. XD Esther could be a good match. I thought her character development in this was well done. And Hennie's too of course. I also love the nicer Catherine. She reminds me of Aphrodite from the House of Night series.

And now onto my favorite character from the last book, Jack. When he came back, I was happy to see him. But the more he appeared the less I knew him. Dancia was right. The boy she had been friends with was gone. Now the big question..... Is he really dead? :D He has the power to change states of matter, right? Solid, liquid, gas. So there is a possibility that he made the air around him solid when he dropped into the water, creating an air pocket. Or possibly changed the water into gas (though not sure if that would work...) I'm not the best person to ask about it. But it is certainly possible. It would definitely be hilarious if Scott had him appear later and Dancia be like, "O.O" I would laugh.

I was also impressed that Dancia could do it. I think she's becoming a good heroine. I still don't care for Cam much but like I said, he might get better. And the others are all amazing.

Now as for new characters, Barrett was a wonderful inclusion. I was really sad when he said he wasn't a fighter. Because sometimes you just need a guy who can make you laugh. :) And I really liked the relationship between him and D. I'll be sad to see him graduate.

Overal, a job well done. I totally was up until 3am finishing this book. ;)(less)

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Apr 01, 2012 Deborah rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: children-s-fiction, fantasy-scifi, just-couldn-t-finish-it, new-author-for-me, paranormal, ya-novel

"The Marked" by Inara Scott ~ Missed It's Mark For Adult CrossOver

A rather slow-paced book well targeted for a younger reader~preteen to early teens.

Published by: Hyperion/Disney Book Group
Pages: 320
Ebook format @Barnes&Noble

2nd Book in "Talents" series

Cover Story !
Well, darling cover art, isn't it, for "The Talents?" I think the girl model is perfect for the storyline it's portraying, and she's slinking into the creepiest of private school gates! What does happen behind those private schoo...more

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Dec 27, 2011 Katy rated it 2 of 5 stars

I basically felt this book was pretty much a repeat of the first book with just a slightly different scenario - only thing time Jack is not physically by Danica's side and we have an introduction of a new character Barrett. In book 1, Danica was initiated into Delcroix Academy, and in this book, she was initiated into the program. Cam kind of watches over her and guides her through, while Jack is a constant doubt in her mind. I don't think very much changed in this book, and I'm disappointed to...more

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Sep 12, 2011 Jennifer K Jovus rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Watchers is a sequel and I strongly recommend that you read book one, Delcroix Academy, before starting The Watchers.

I have a secret to admit. I don't usually like to read sequels, well not until the third book has been released anyway. I find that I am let down because I have too high of expectations maybe? That being said, it was a complete and delightful surprise when I read The Watchers by Inara Scott.

I thought The Watchers, book two in the Delcroix series was BETTER than book one! Book...more

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Apr 26, 2012 Alice Liu rated it 5 of 5 stars

Growing up is hard, especially for Dancia Lewis, the youngest student in the "Program" at Delcroix Academy. She is expected to develop her supernatural Earth Talent with wisdom and discretion, yet she discovers that a person can't really learn to be smart when the people around them are keeping them stupid: There are many secrets at Delcroix Academy. Students are expected to toe the line for the greater good, even when it includes subterfuge and murder. Dancia's gut tells her something is wrong,...more

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May 02, 2012 Lindsay rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: boarding-school

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I was really disappointed in this book. Pretty much nothing happened throughout the entire book and then when there was finally a little bit of action at the end, the book ended on a cliffhanger. !!!!!! First let me just say that I HATE Dancia's relationship with Cam. It seemed like whenever she would doubt him, she instantly forgot about it/decided she was overreacting whenever she saw him. I think one of the main reasons I finished the book was because I was waiting for Jack to come back. He w...more

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Feb 12, 2012 Andrea rated it 3 of 5 stars

3.5 out of 5 rating

I read the first book in the series last year and LOVED it, so I couldn't wait to read this one. Unfortunately, while I did enjoy it, for some reason it didn't grab me as much as the first one did. I can't really put a finger on why and there's nothing I disliked about it but it was just another book to me.

That being said, I still loved Dancia. I loved that she was herself and kept up with what she believed in. But they boys--Jack and Cam. Neither of them are appealing to me....more

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Apr 25, 2012 Sara rated it 3 of 5 stars

The Marked by Imara Scott is the second book in the Delcroix Academy series. This series follows Dancia a girl with strong powers who attends a school whose purpose is to train kids with powers. Dancia is initiated into the top secret program whose purpose is still unclear. Her ex-boyfriend Jack has joined a rogue group which makes Dancia even more unsure if the Program is everything it claims to be.

This book follows a fairly predictable path in the series. It is not bad but not exactly original...more

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Mar 13, 2012 Avery rated it 4 of 5 stars

As becomes evident in my original review of "The Candidates" by Inara Scott I was very excited to get my hands on this novel, its sequel. However, after having finished it I must admit that I am a bit disappointed.

The largest problem that I had with this book is that I felt that there was a disconnect between what was going on in the plot of the book and the emotional development surrounding these parts. There was one specific part of the book (chapter 15) where Danica was training in the woods...more

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Mar 22, 2012 Chapter by Chapter rated it 5 of 5 stars

Let me just say that The Marked gave me a lot more than I thought possible. When I finished up with The Candidates (review can be found HERE), I was thinking that it couldn’t get any better than that. Boy was I wrong! (I meant all of that in a good way). Not only did we get five times the romance but we also got five times the action and five times the mystery. For those of you who have read The Candidates, you know that the novel finished off on a note where Dancia knows about the Program and n...more Let me just say that The Marked gave me a lot more than I thought possible. When I finished up with The Candidates (review can be found HERE), I was thinking that it couldn’t get any better than that. Boy was I wrong! (I meant all of that in a good way). Not only did we get five times the romance but we also got five times the action and five times the mystery. For those of you who have read The Candidates, you know that the novel finished off on a note where Dancia knows about the Program and now knows that her abilities are in need of training so that she doesn’t accidentally kill anybody. Well, The Marked not only starts with Dancia being put into the Program, but the novel itself mainly focuses on Dancia and her training. Well… that and the romance between her and the very yummy Cam *smiles*.

For most of the novel, I was pretty shocked at the fast pace that it kept up. Unlike The Candidates, which only had specific fast points, The Marked was constantly keeping me on my toes and guessing. Friendships and relationships were tested, abilities were used more frequently (yay) and we were introduced to a new villain. I know what you’re thinking: New villain? Don’t you mean Anna? No. No. I don’t mean Cam’s ex Anna who always comes off dead set on ruining Dancia. I’m talking about the group of “evil” Talents.

Personally, since I am unsure of how to describe the group of evil Talents, I’ll just tell you how I felt when I read about them and when they faced off against the Program people. It’s like reading a novel about the X-men and depending on the type of person you are that might excite you (like me)!!! Not only do you get to see that the character talents come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, but you get to see—well read about-- them in action.

Author, Inara Scott, creates a whole new world where you continue to find yourself guessing about who is really the bad guy. Maybe the “evil” Talents aren’t all that bad, maybe it’s the Program and the Watchers who are the real monsters. Maybe, just maybe, somebody on the inside isn’t as dedicated as they appear to be. Let’s not forget that Jack also makes a return…*gasp*. With so many twists and unexpected scenes, I couldn’t put it down.(less)

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Feb 02, 2013 Allison rated it 3 of 5 stars

pg 191 progress comments "I beginning to hate all the characters. Hennie - too crazy in love (not bad though) Esther - becoming all depressed JUST because she doesn't have a BF. She's 14, for goodnessakes, you're not getting married any time soon so stop acting like THAT girl. Cam - clueless. Dancia - sits there and does nothing. Cam and Dancia - terrible relationship. Jack - I liked you... but... Barret - He's probably evil, haha..."

Finished:
I got pissed at everyone, because I thought all the c...more

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Dec 15, 2012 Abby rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: superpowers

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jan 19, 2012 Becky rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-for-boys, boarding-school, books-for-girls, fantasy, psychic, romance, series, teen, tween

Danica Lewis is now officially in The Program, a secret group at Delcroix Academy for students with supernatural gifts. The more Danica learns about her new classmates the more secrets she uncovers about The Program and the Watchers.

Inara Scott is able to distinguish her series from the ever growing collection of supernatural teen fare with her unique spin. The characters, their talents, and their teachers feel different from the familiar counterparts in other book in this genre. However, I felt...more

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Feb 26, 2012 Carolyn Tepe rated it 4 of 5 stars

While I did not read the first book, I found this book was able to stand on its own. I think this is very important part of any series books. I found the characters intriguing and full of life. The super powers are brought out in a realistic fashion that makes the story believable. The storyline was an obvious continuation from last book but quickly moved forward into the next adventure for this cast. The book was full events that kept the book moving at a good pace. Nice cliff hangers that left...more

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Apr 09, 2012 Christina (A Reader of Fictions) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: netgalley

The second installment in the Delcroix Academy series has definitely convinced me that this series is inspired almost wholly by the X-Men. There was a quote partway through when Cam's explaining what The Program does, and it's so obvious that Delcroix is Xavier's school for gifted children, being attacked by guys with comparable powers. That said, I love stories about people with superpowers, so this didn't detract too much from the story for me.

Unfortunately, even more than in book one, I do no...more The second installment in the Delcroix Academy series has definitely convinced me that this series is inspired almost wholly by the X-Men. There was a quote partway through when Cam's explaining what The Program does, and it's so obvious that Delcroix is Xavier's school for gifted children, being attacked by guys with comparable powers. That said, I love stories about people with superpowers, so this didn't detract too much from the story for me.

Unfortunately, even more than in book one, I do not like Cam. He's too perfect, which seems to mean lacking personality. I mean, this guy doesn't seem to have a sense of humor or be interested in anything besides Delcroix. Other than the fact that he's super duper hot, I really don't see why Dancia's so into him. Unless, as I personally fear, he's manipulating her with his persuasive abilities. Even if he's not, this is what I've thought about him from the beginning of book one, so I really can't not be creeped out by their relationship. It's not even that I ship her with Jack; she really should find someone else that's neither of them. Too bad since the book is largely about her relationship with Cam.

Speaking of creepy, Mr. Judan freaks me the hell out. He has way too much power over everyone, with his power of persuasion. Seriously, I don't think anyone can have persuasion powers and not go full-on power hungry. I mean, at one point, it says that if Judan wants a student to leave Delcroiz, he can get the parent(s) a new job. What the heck? He has too much power if he can just have people transferred like that!

The best part of this series, which I shamefully neglected to mention in my first review, remains Dancia's grandma. She is one of the spunkiest 78 year old women ever. She's such a feminist and loves giving people a hard time just for fun. I love that she gave Dancia a hard time for not fighting back and letting her boyfriend protect her. Grandma makes me smile. Both of my favorite quotes from this series have been grandma's work.

Book two cements this series as a fun, action-packed ride. Although I'm not blown away, I have every intention of continuing on with the series, because they're so fun to read.(less)

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Nov 03, 2012 Sangria rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: i-own-on-kindle

A Worthy Sequel

The story continues from the first book but the vibe in this sequel is different. No longer the girl going-with-the-flow like in the first book, Dancia is a stronger character in this sequel, having to stand on her own without Jack by her side. The romance between Cam and Dancia have become more confusing for me, though. The story failed to convince me how these two could have the strong connection that Dancia claimed they have - although, on the contrary, I am convinced of the co...more

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Sep 13, 2011 Emma Lueckler rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book was a fantastic sequel!! I won an ARC from Inara Scott over the summer and I was finished in a day!! This book picks up when Dancia is being initiated into the Delcroix Academy's secret program. She is still dating Cam, (loud squeal of happiness) and Jack is still away. :( A "talented" gang attacks the school on initiation night, and Dancia learns that Jack may be one of them! When Delcroix learns that Dancia may be the target, she begins to train with the others in the program. I'll s...more

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Oct 07, 2012 Samantha rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: magic

I can't say this is much better than the first book, but some it improved marginally. The pace was still so slow, the action missing, and Dancia still horribly horrifying.

All the talents were so confusing, Life, Somatic, and Earth, or something like that. It wasn't very detailed and I felt like it was rather dismissed. I also thought that Scott dwelt too much on petty problems and never on the real one that should have been addressed.

And Dancia still believed everything Cam and them said, (e...more

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Oct 08, 2012 Ferdy rated it 2 of 5 stars

Spoilers

The plot was boring, the main character was an insufferable bitch, the romance was blah and it was all so predictable and unimaginative.

-Dancia was a dull, indecisive, whiny, unremarkable girl yet everyone around her thought she was speshul snowflake..ugh. She was so dumb and annoying all she did was throw herself into dangerous situations and make everything ten times worse.
I really started to hate the bitch when she ditched her friend to hang out with her boyfriend, Cam. She felt guil...more Spoilers

The plot was boring, the main character was an insufferable bitch, the romance was blah and it was all so predictable and unimaginative.

-Dancia was a dull, indecisive, whiny, unremarkable girl yet everyone around her thought she was speshul snowflake..ugh. She was so dumb and annoying all she did was throw herself into dangerous situations and make everything ten times worse.
I really started to hate the bitch when she ditched her friend to hang out with her boyfriend, Cam. She felt guilty and knew her friend was upset and lonely..but did she make time for her friend? Nope, the selfish cow carried on ignoring her for Cam. And then when said friend started to hang out with a bunch of guys because she had no one else, Dancia got all judgmental about it..ugh, she was vile.
One of the worst things about Dancia was how she acted like a fucking doormat and let Cam treat her like shit — she had no self respect.
I was pissed when Dancia killed Jack, she could have stopped him from hurting her friends some other way but the stupid cow killed him. For someone she supposedly cared about, Dancia gets over killing Jack really quickly — he wasn't even a bad guy — he was just confused and angry. She doesn't feel guilty at all, I'm hoping he's not dead and he comes back and kills the bitch.

-Cam came across as very sleazy and manipulative — he kept things from Dancia, lied to her and got angry with her whenever she asked questions. He just expected Dancia to trust him implicitly when he'd done nothing to earn her trust. I wouldn't be surprised if it turns out that he's been using his persuasion powers on Dancia to shut her up.
He acts like a douche and treats Dancia like shit but Dancia is always the one who apologises to him and admits she's wrong...ugh. He thought it was perfectly ok to lie and hide things but when Dancia doesn't tell him every little thing he has hissy fits — he was a dick and a half. He's fine bossing Dancia around and acting all alpha but when it comes to his boss, Judan, he acts like a lapdog — he can't form opinions of his own and he thinks everything Judan tells him is the truth — so he's a dick without a backbone. He's an awful love interest.

-Trevor and Esther's non relationship had far more chemistry than Dancia and Cam's. I might have actually enjoyed the book if it had been from Esther's POV.

-Catherine, Dancia's roommate, was one of the few decent characters. Unlike Dancia, she actually had common sense, self respect and ambition. I was surprised that there was actually a couple of female characters that weren't painted as shallow whores.

-There was yet another mean girl that hated the heroine just because she was dating a guy she liked. Apparently YA authors think that most girls are all boy crazy, petty, jealous shrews that bully any girl that's interested in their ex or their crush. In reality those kind of girls are very few and far between and they're never as bad as YA fiction portrays them. Unfortunately authors prefer to demonize most female characters in order to make their dull heroine seem more likeable.

Just another standard YA book with cookie cutter characters, poor world building, rubbish dialogue and a forgettable plot. I doubt I'll read the next book.
(less)

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Mar 10, 2012 Erin rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal, young-adult

I read the first book in this series, The Talents (originally called The Candidates) this fall. It was a fun read, full of mystery and romance, so I was excited to get to read an advance edition of the sequel. (Spoilers for The Talents)

The Marked continues a little while after the first book ends. Dancia is being initiated into the Program, and though she is still sad that Jack is gone, she is excited to begin training her talent. And now that she is an official member of the Program her and Cam...more I read the first book in this series, The Talents (originally called The Candidates) this fall. It was a fun read, full of mystery and romance, so I was excited to get to read an advance edition of the sequel. (Spoilers for The Talents)

The Marked continues a little while after the first book ends. Dancia is being initiated into the Program, and though she is still sad that Jack is gone, she is excited to begin training her talent. And now that she is an official member of the Program her and Cam can finally be together. But not everything is perfect like Dancia hopes. She still has to contend with hostility from Anna, and a weird watchfulness from Trevor. Hennie and Esther feel lonely when Dancia's spends most of her time with Cam, and the two are feeling their own pressures as the school begins to prep them to enter the Program themselves. Esther's talent for shape shifting grows stronger, until she begins to lose herself. And while Hennie seems happy with Yashir and her language classes, not everything is as perfect as it seems. Then the school is attacked and Dancia learns about a secret group of talented people called the Irin, the enemies of the Program. And she learns that Jack has joined them and wants her to join too.

I felt this book was stronger than the first. Dancia was a more solid character and the mystery of the plot was well-woven and executed. As much as I missed Jack, Inara made up for his absence with her other characters. Hennie and Esther play a much bigger role, which I was happy about. Cam also because more complicated, which was really great. Dancia's crazy button-down roommate cracked open a little, which was a very cool character transformation. I also like that Dancia's relationships with all these characters from the first book transformed in different ways, pushing the story and the characters to new levels. The addition of some new characters, particularly Dancia's student-teacher Barrett, really enhanced the story and broadened the world.

I also loved that Inara really brought the characters together and made them a team, even if an awkward team at times. They were constantly dealing with their issues and conflicts in different ways at every turn, creating tension and fireworks that kept the story interesting and page-turning.

The mystery in this book was also good. Now that we know all about the talents and the Program, Inara stepped it up a notch by introducing the real bad guys--or so you think. I liked that everything wasn't clear cut, and like the first book, Jack muddles things for Dancia. Every time she thinks she's got it all figured out, Jack steps in and forces her to think bigger.

The book ends with a bang and a big fight, which was even cooler than where The Talents ended. I am excited to see how this series comes to an end, and what choices Dancia finally makes.(less)

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Apr 23, 2012 Heather rated it 5 of 5 stars

******Spoiler Alert******
****There are spoilers from book one in this review. If you haven't read it don't read this review****
My review of The Talents (the name has been changed since I purchased the book) is HERE
You've heard of the Sophomore Slump with secondary novels? Not this one! If anything, it runs circles around the first novel in this series! There was a lot of everything in this novel. Dancia gets training finally to control her talents but it's not easy and her trainers are very unco...more ******Spoiler Alert******
****There are spoilers from book one in this review. If you haven't read it don't read this review****
My review of The Talents (the name has been changed since I purchased the book) is HERE
You've heard of the Sophomore Slump with secondary novels? Not this one! If anything, it runs circles around the first novel in this series! There was a lot of everything in this novel. Dancia gets training finally to control her talents but it's not easy and her trainers are very unconventional. There are new characters, Barrett, a senior that provides some levity and some balance to Dancia's life, as well as being her trainer. And she meets the other people in the Program. And finally, she and Cam can be together. As her watcher, he wasn't allowed to be her boyfriend, but now that she's part of the program, they can date as she'll no longer have a watcher, or will she?

Anna and Trevor are up to their old tricks but it wouldn't be any fun if they weren't! All the old characters are back. Hennie is still with Yashir though she hasn't told her parents yet. And Esther is having a crisis of confidence because she can't find a boyfriend. And then, Catherine makes an unusual breakthrough and actually speaks to Dancia. What is going on??? And Jack. Whoever said he wasn't going to be in this novel was wrong, very wrong! And Dancia's doubts about Delcroix, Mr. Judan and The Program continue which gets between her and Cam.

Dancia asks a lot of questions in this one. Sometimes, I think she pushes Cam too far when he is obviously torn up about something. But Cam is much more forthcoming in this one and the trust builds between them strengthening their relationship. Grandma is still kicking around, but I'm starting to wonder what happened to Dancia's parents. I'm having questions myself that Dancia hasn't asked.
And although this book could provide an ending , I think there is more of the story to come. At least I hope so.

There's a lot more action in this one, whether it's Dancia learning to use her talents, or a rogue band of teens that have talents of their own, or an all out fight to the death. New people are brought into the know and talents previously hidden are revealed. Even new friendships are forged. And mounting distrust arises from the most unlikely of people.

I loved every minute of this book. It didn't take long to read , but still I didn't want to put it down even when I had to take one of my kids to tutoring. Of course, it was at the very end when I had just a few of the most exciting pages left. I am so excited for where this series is headed. If you were just lukewarm about the first book, grab this one. It's on fire! Dancia's talents are incredible, but some of the talents of others in the group are even more impressive. This was such a great second novel! I think it was so much better than the first that they were almost like to different series. But all the elements are the same. This is a Sophomore Slam Dunk!

Thanks to Inara Scott for providing me an ARC of the book for review! This in no way influenced my opinion of the book and no monetary compensation was received for my review.

Now, go get your copy of The Marked!

Heather(less)

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Apr 23, 2012 Melissa Simmons rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal, young-adult, favorites

The Marked is the second book in The Talents series by the wonderfully talented Inara Scott. I love all of her work, for young adults or otherwise, so it's not surprising that I adored this book. I read it in 3 hours without moving from the couch once; I couldn't put it down. From the very first line, I was hooked.

We see the action through the eyes of our main character, Dancia and she tells the story with humor and insight. I love her character; she's fantastically real. She may not know the w...more

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Apr 16, 2012 Tricia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-have

Okay, I really liked the Marked -- way more than I thought I would. See, I wasn't so sure I would like the Candidates (the Talents, I guess they call it now). It was just one of those books my friend added and I added because I had nothing better to do. I honestly thought it was gonna be a paranormal romance, which I detest with all my soul.
It wasn't.
Well. It wasn't exactly. It did involve paranormal elements, but wasn't spiritistic, uncanny, or demonistic. (See: Twilight Saga) All the student...more

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Apr 03, 2012 the golden witch. rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, arc-galley, ebook, magical-reality, net-galley, teenage-shennanigans, witches-and-whores, what-is-this-i-dont-even, reviewed

Overall, though the first book was passable, this one just kind of disintegrated into a mess of paranormal love triangles and supernatural vendettas. The characters devolved, and there was the sense of the storyline being repeated with slightly different elements. I just couldn't get into "The Marked", even though I did valiantly struggle to the end.

While some authors can make love triangles work, unfortunately, I felt that Scott could not. If anything, I think what really bothered me the most w...more Overall, though the first book was passable, this one just kind of disintegrated into a mess of paranormal love triangles and supernatural vendettas. The characters devolved, and there was the sense of the storyline being repeated with slightly different elements. I just couldn't get into "The Marked", even though I did valiantly struggle to the end.

While some authors can make love triangles work, unfortunately, I felt that Scott could not. If anything, I think what really bothered me the most was the fact that all the female characters identified through their relationships with men. Now, recently, there was a study done that said that women overwhelmingly define themselves through their relationships with other people and not necessarily by the sense of the actual self. What I saw here not only backed that study up, but really disappointed me in that all of the girls seemed sad and "powerless" without their boys in their lives. There was only one small moment without Cam or Jack where Dancia actually seemed happy and that was over pretty quickly. Otherwise? She was mourning for her lost friendship with Jack or worried that Cam would consider her a traitor for missing her best friend, who happens to be male, and who may or may not be a potential love rival.

What's worse, one of the characters actually starts breaking down under the pressure of not being able to snag a boy - but implied that said pressure was caused on purpose to make her talent grow.

I can't get past that. At first I thought I could take that into account with everything else (another band of supernaturally talented children challenging the Delacroix Program, etc), but the more I think about it, the more angry I get.

It's hard enough being a girl in Western culture right now - I grew up in the 90s and it was easier, but not by much. But now we've got books like this having male teachers practically torturing the MC to make her talent "grow", and then having the message (and I hope this was unintentional) that you'll be sad if you see all of your friends getting boyfriends when you don't. Yeah, okay, in real life, that happens. But it seemed like it was pushed to the extreme here, and I'm not okay with that. It had such a heterosexist slant at times I had to reread parts of it to be sure I was interpreting things correctly - there were no queer characters, and while YA is still growing in that area, this book feels like a throw back to the bad old days where we don't talk about queer people at all. All the girls are getting a man, or they're sad and weak or literally shapeshift to get one.

This is what makes girls self-injure. Books like this don't help them feel stronger, it makes them hate themselves more. This is why we have the highest numbers in self-injury that we've had in the past 20 years. This is why girls starve and cut and burn themselves - because of messages, whether intentional or not, like this.

Overall, disappointed and disgusted. While I thought that the Big Reveal/Big Bad would make up for things at first, under further consideration in the face of everything I've talked about here, just didn't. If the author can make the love triangle work and have it make sense, I'm fine with it. Here, all I saw was a girl considered as weak and then being exploited because she was considered weak. The plot was contrived.

I won't be reading the third book, and I wish I could have the time back that was spent reading this one.

(posted to goodreads, shelfari, and birthofanewwitch.wordpress.com)(less)

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Feb 08, 2012 Tia rated it 4 of 5 stars

!!!!!!!!!SPOILERS!!!!!!!!!!!!

I received my ARC copy of this, this morning. I was really super duper excited to read it, since the first book gave me chills and made me desperate for the second. I have to say I was a bit disappointed, the start of the book was way too slow for my liking. I wanted it to be at a faster pace. By the middle of the book, I felt the flow really well, everything was working it's way up for the climax and the ending. My heart was beating, I was giggling like a school gir...more

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Mar 23, 2012 Kristina rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: signed, own

What I Liked
Training
Dancia finally gets to learn how to use her powers to help rather than to hurt people. They trick her and push and push her beyond her comfort zone. With the hard pushing Dancia questions, what is really going on, are they trying to break her to give them a reason to destroy her very powerful talent or trying to harvest it?
Character
Cam: In book one I liked Cam, but at the same time I was scared to like him because I didn't know if he would end up breaking Dancia's heart and I...more

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The Marked (Delcroix Academy #2)

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