The Marked Series, starting with Inception, by Bianca Scardoni - beginning March 29th, 2019

[Jennifer]

Book One Description: Be careful who you trust, for even the Devil was once an Angel.

My name is Jemma Blackburn, and I have a secret. I know vampires are real. I watched one murder my father eight months ago, and even though they tried to convince me it didn’t happen—that I’d lost touch with reality due to the trauma, I know what I saw was real.

Hollow Hills is now the place I call home. It was supposed to be my chance at a normal life. My chance to bury my secret and start over. But everyone around me is keeping their own secrets, whispering lies into my ears like promises, and one of them is about to turn my entire world upside down.

I thought I had it all figured out. I thought I had the answers. I thought I knew who I was. The truth is, I didn’t even know the half of it. There's a reason these vampires are still after me. There's a reason they will always hunt me. Because I'm not human.

I'm the devil they fear and the angel they crave.
Only problem is, I don't know it yet.

[Jammin Jenny]

25%

(view spoiler)[

So this young girl Jemma sees her father brutally murdered by a vampire but is put in a mental institution because nobody believes her. She is then sent to live with her Uncle Karl in British Columbia (moving from Florida) and instantly becomes enemies with a mean girl NIkki Parker, because this guy Trace is totally checking Jemma out. High school hijinx.

(hide spoiler)]

[Jammin Jenny]

46%

(view spoiler)[

It turns out Jemma is a Slayer, and is part of a line to fight Revanent vampires. Her "boyfriend" Dominic is actually a Revanent but also a Descendant so he could have controlled himself but instead almost drains her dry before his brother Gabriel shows up and stops him. And apparently Trace is supposed to be Jemma's Keeper but her refuses to sign up for the job so she can't get a Handler or training to help defend herself. Luckily Gabriel steps in and offers to train her for the two weeks he's in town. (hide spoiler)]

[Jammin Jenny]

73%

(view spoiler)[

So we finally meet Tessa, Jemma's sister. She was working with Trace's sister and was involved somehow in her death - not sure yet how that's going to affect Jemma and Trace but I'm sure something will happen.

I like her training with Gabriel and hope she learns to defend herself against the vamps. And I think that it's funny that almost everyone she is meeting is some kind of "special" person - Caster, Shifter, Reaper, etc. What's in the water up there in BC?

(hide spoiler)]

[Jennifer]

Ch 10 (25%) - (view spoiler)[ Bravo for the author not beating around the bush forever. I'm glad that Uncle Karl didn't hold back the secrets any longer (I hate it when authors do that), but....I am just not seeing Jemma as a Slayer. She's so weak and vulnerable right now. (hide spoiler)]
Ch 19 (50%) - (view spoiler)[ I'm glad someone (Gabriel) finally stepped up to begin her training, though it makes absolutely NO SENSE to me that someone else couldn't have done it. Regardless of Trace's acceptance of the bond or whatever, you would think that the Council wouldn't want her to DIE!!! Let's hope Gabriel wakes up those powers soon because I don't think Dominic is just going to leave her alone. (hide spoiler)]
Ch 31 (76%) - (view spoiler)[ Is it me or do you feel like the author keeps throwing random stuff at us to bolster the story? I think the plot for a book one in a series would have been fine explaining the Revenants, the Council, her spell and this bond she is supposed to have with Trace, and maybe some of the different classes/abilities of the Nephilim. But now we are just introduced to "Runners", we've got a magical necklace, Oh and then there is the time travel aspect. This shit is too complicated for a first book! Yet, I still find myself reading and invested in the characters. Maybe things will calm down and the plot will clean up? (hide spoiler)]

[Jennifer]

Jammin Jenny wrote: "25%



So this young girl Jemma sees her father brutally murdered by a vampire but is put in a mental institution because nobody believes her.

I did find it a little strange (view spoiler)[ that she spent almost a full year in the mental hospital because she claimed vampires were real, but both her uncle and sister believed her the whole time. That's not exactly a supportive family response. (hide spoiler)]

[Jammin Jenny]

Jennifer wrote: "Jammin Jenny wrote: "25%



So this young girl Jemma sees her father brutally murdered by a vampire but is put in a mental institution because nobody believes her.

I did find it a little strange ..."

Right!?! I would be totally miffed at them...

[Jammin Jenny]

Finished!

I liked this story about a young girl that finds out she has special blood lineage that makes her a slayer of really old vampires, the revenants. I was a bit disappointed with the ending - I don't really like cliff-hangers, but it does make me want to consider reading the next book in the series. I guess that's why they do that :).

[Jennifer]

Finished - Hmm, something is fishy here. (view spoiler)[ 1) Dominic seems to want to protect her from Engel, so he might not be as heartless as he wants to be. Also 2) He seemed just as surprised when Trace took the necklace for himself, but he never explained how/why he and Trace were working together in the first place. 3) Trace seems intent on getting his sister back, could he need the necklace to do a spell to bring her back. If so, why didn't he just tell Jemma instead of betraying her? Unless......he is in the grips of the evil Nikki and Nikki has some diabolical plan to use it. (I really don't like her and think that prophecy about Trace dying for Jemma was hogwash to get her to go outside to Dominic). (hide spoiler)]

Well, she certainly has made a mess of things. I wonder how she will fix them?? On to the next book.

[Jennifer]

I am guessing that my team will really be needing i's for this month's challenge, so I am going to slowly work my way through this series to help out.


Ch 10 (23%) - (view spoiler)[ Ok, a couple of thoughts so far. 1st - might it not have even been Trace from an alternate timeline. I mean there are shifters in this book, like Ben, right? Could someone have made themselves look like Trace to trick her? 2nd - I still don't trust these visions that Morgan has had or Nikki. Something isn't adding up there at all! (hide spoiler)]
Ch 23 (52%) - (view spoiler)[ Well bravo for Trace for exercising some control there! This isn't going to be one of those stories were the MCs having sex is what saves them from the dark side or makes their souls invincible or anything right? (hide spoiler)]
Ch 33 (77%) - (view spoiler)[ Why does she think she has to solve this all on her own? And why does she keep forgetting that she doesn't have her full powers? OH, and the biggest question I have is why isn't this amulet doing anything? If it was working properly, should Engel have been able to bite her and almost kill her? I thought the amulet was supposed to protect her from all harm? I think it is either busted or it's a fake! (hide spoiler)]
Finished - (view spoiler)[ My question about the Amulet remains - why are these Revenants almost killing her if she has it on?? I'm not surprised at all to find out the Nikki has been working with Engel all along, though I am curious about which friend it was that sliced her neck open from the shadows (again, why didn't the amulet prevent that??). My money is on Caleb, but I suppose it could be Justin too (he is just as slimy as Nikki). (hide spoiler)]

[Jennifer]

Ch 9 (25%) - (view spoiler)[ So if she accepts and allows the connection, does that mean she will be able to feel what Dominic is feeling too? (hide spoiler)]
Ch 21 (53%) - (view spoiler)[ Poor Trace. So when he says he is going to feel the bond every time he touches her, is that the case even if she isn't thinking about Dominic at the time? Could Dominic compel her not to think about it him whenever she is with Trace? I'm beginning to think he is a nice enough guy to do that. (hide spoiler)]

[Jennifer]

Ch 31 (80%) - Eek!!! (view spoiler)[ He is "ruinously in love with her"??? Oh my! But he erased her memory! Things would be more interesting if he had left it. I like Trace, but Dominic has grown on me A LOT this book. (hide spoiler)]
Finished - WTF? (view spoiler)[ So now Trace is going to be The Devil? I'm so, so......I don't know what I am dammit! This is not a twist I saw coming and I don't think I like it. (hide spoiler)]

[Jennifer]

Ch 10 (25%) - (view spoiler)[ Yuk. I despise anyone associated with the council, especially Uncle Karl. I don't trust them at all.

I'm still torn about the Trace/Dominic thing. I feel for Dom; he loves her but she is so wrapped up in Trace. I am sad that she continues to hurt him without even knowing it, but I'm not convinced yet that Trace and Jemma aren't meant to be together. I'm so conflicted. (hide spoiler)]

[Jammin Jenny]

I need to jump back in to this series this month - again for the Is but I did like the first book :)

[Jennifer]

Ch 21 (46%) - (view spoiler)[ I still can't believe they are trusting Nikki. (hide spoiler)]
Ch 35 (77%) - (view spoiler)[ I'm clapping my hands and yet still upset that the first time they truly make out it was in the back seat of a car while Caleb and Ben were in the front seat. (hide spoiler)]
Finished - Uh?? (view spoiler)[ So there is going to be another book where Nikki brings Trace back to life?

Was it just me or was the whole scene defeating Lucifer a bit of a letdown? I expected some kind of dark swirling vortex sending him back to hell, but she just stabbed him and was done with it. (hide spoiler)]

[Jennifer]

Jammin Jenny wrote: "I need to jump back in to this series this month - again for the Is but I did like the first book :)"

Well, you still have time.