Birthmarked (Birthmarked #1) by Caragh M. O'Brien - Restarting August 20th 2018

[Joan]

In the future, in a world baked dry by the harsh sun, there are those who live inside the walled Enclave and those, like sixteen-year-old Gaia Stone, who live outside. Following in her mother's footsteps Gaia has become a midwife, delivering babies in the world outside the wall and handing a quota over to be "advanced" into the privileged society of the Enclave. Gaia has always believed this is her duty, until the night her mother and father are arrested by the very people they so loyally serve. Now Gaia is forced to question everything she has been taught, but her choice is simple: enter the world of the Enclave to rescue her parents, or die trying.

Me and Amanda will be reading this on September 5 2015. Please feel welcome to join us! :)

[Amanda]

Got it!

[Joan]

started this today. So far so good, very grim and serious.

[Joan]

chapter 9 (view spoiler)[Gaia is so brave and innocent, and I'm really interested to know more of the problems inside the Enclave (hide spoiler)]

[Amanda]

Joan, you are quick!

[Joan]

It's so difficult to stop! Have you started it yet? :)

[Joan]

Halfway through. (view spoiler)[Loving Leon's stiff attitude and Gaia's stubborness, I'm not sure how but they work together for me. I wish Gaia lightens up a little bit, but I guess a girl in her current state can't afford to have a sense of humor. This interrogation by Iris is nerve wracking (hide spoiler)]

[Amanda]

Yes I have. I had to stop this morning but I am already on chapter 5. I'm about to get a break to start reading again!

[Amanda]

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6...

[Amanda]

I can't wait to find out what the symbols mean in chapter 5

[Joan]

ohhh me too! I'm already in the chapter where it's about to make sense...I hope :p How do you like the book so far?

[Amanda]

I like the storyline. Just a little slow. I keep scanning ahead because the details are almost boring and don't seem to really contribute to the overall story

[Joan]

I know what you mean, and I can't help but wish for some comedy relief, everyone is so serious. I finished the book (view spoiler)[heartbreaking moment so close to the end, nothing seems resolved, not the best of endings :/ (hide spoiler)]

[Amanda]

Overall, did you like it? I'm just at chapter 11 and I hate it took this long to actually determine the time period. I know it says future in the blurb but you can't get that feeling until now. If I had to rate right now it would be 3 stars.

[Amanda]

Awe, poor Leon. Must be hard finding out you really don't belong

[Amanda]

""In a way, it's only a more extreme version of the society I already live in, Gaia thought, another division, like the one that separated those who live inside and outside the wall." The book in a statement.

[Amanda]

Almost finished! Baby just born. I'm glad the pace picked up.

[Amanda]

Finished yesterday but didn't have a way of posting review. Goodreads App is so limiting. I did not particularly enjoy the book. It wasn't bad it was just slow and hard to stay with. I did enjoy the multitude of unusual words that I had to look up because I had never seen them before. The author did well with describing the thought with new words so that I could infer what it meant but I love words and looking up for my personal library is great! I did not feel Leon grew very much in the story. He just seemed a hit and miss character. He would come in to the picture and you could see how his upbringing strongly limited his ability to complete an individual thought for himself. This is the only real struggle I see in him until the end where he had to believe in Gaia or everything he had gone through would be for nothing. Gaia was a watery character. I couldn't quite determine if she was supposed to be portrayed as strong or if she was a "coming of age" character. Many of the characters introduced could have been played up and made the story more interesting. Myrna could have been a great strong female character that could have strengthened the lead character. I really disliked the ending. I felt like there was no possibility for a sequel but felt like the author got tired of writing so she just ended the story. Maybe he couldn't get the ending to feel comfortable so she left it dangling. I prefer nice neat endings wrapped up with a ribbon in a standalone, LOL! (I just read your spoilers after I finished my review and I'm glad there were some similarities in our thoughts.

[Joan]

I agree! I didn't like the ending AT ALL. I felt like I was left hanging, but it also doesn't move me enough to pick up the next one immediately.

I think what I quite like about it was the problem happening on a much larger scale and not the specific one Gaia was entangled with. The Enclave is intriguing for me, as well as the problems they were having about diseases and giving birth. Leon is so stiff and Gaia seems like she matured while she was in jail, the rest of the time she just feels reckless / naive.
I wished Myrna was built up too, but I think the author left her out on purpose to use in the next novel.

[Amanda]

There is going o be a sequel?

[Joan]

Yup! it's the first book in the trilogy. The others are and

[Amanda]

mmm. Not sure how I feel about that.

[Sarah Elizabeth]

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Date changed. Restarting August 20th 2018. Happy Reading ☺

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[[deleted user]]

I might join this one... it'll be a re-read and I read it a long time ago but I remember liking it.. all of them..

[Rachael]

Just started this one!

Chapter 1 - already sounds so interesting! The world, the Enclsve. Why do they need all these babies? What do they do with them?

[Rachael]

Chapter 8 (view spoiler)[ I appreciated that back and forth debate between Gaia and Captain Gray. They both make good points and I can see the problems on both sides of the wall (hide spoiler)]

[Rachael]

Chapter 13 (view spoiler)[ I think Captain Gray sent the orange.. he likes Gaia for some reason (hide spoiler)]

[Rachael]

Chapter 17 (view spoiler)[ I don't know about anyone else but I don't see the letters in the code.. But still think it's cool that the symbols are actually in the book (hide spoiler)]

[Khadijah]

Is this about birthmark? Because I have birthmarks. I’d love to read about birthmarks.

[Rachael]

I finished.. I guess I didn't have much to say for those few chapters but I wasn't surprised when (view spoiler)[ Leon helped her escape by leaving her at the wall. It was probably smart but also sad cause now she has to fend for herself and baby Maya. I'm interested to know what happens in the Dark Forrest and when her and Leon will reunite so I will have to check out the next one! (hide spoiler)]

[Lane]

Chapter 9 (view spoiler)[ I feel like Derek is not good. He would have told her her father was already dead if he were honest, it's not like people didn't know... (hide spoiler)]
Chapter 15 (view spoiler)[ If Leon ends up being Gaia's brother I will scream. (hide spoiler)]
Chapter 20 (view spoiler)[ Ah shoot! I bet her parents messed up her face so that she wouldn't be advanced. I mean they'd already lost two children by then. (hide spoiler)]
Finished (view spoiler)[ I ship Leon and Gaia so, so hard. But now they're separated and it's just Gaia and Mia alone :( (hide spoiler)]