Published: October 4th, 2011; HarperTeen
342 pages
From Goodreads:
Their love was meant to be.
When Megan Rosenberg moves to Ireland, everything in her life seems to fall into place. After growing up in America, she's surprised to find herself feeling at home in her new school. She connects with a group of friends, and she is instantly drawn to darkly handsome Adam DeRÍs.
But Megan is about to discover that her feelings for Adam are tied to a fate that was sealed long ago—and that the passion and power that brought them together could be their ultimate destruction.
My Rating:
1 star
Thoughts:
I tried so hard to like this book. The cover drew me in, and I was really excited to read a story that was set in Ireland. The plot sounded promising, though maybe a little clichéd. I figured this would be an enjoyable read, even if it didn't amaze me.
I WAS SO WRONG.
Before I started this blog, I would stop reading a book if it didn't pull me in after the first couple of chapters. Now, I try to finish every book, no matter how horrible. Let me just say, this one was a struggle. There wasn't a single part of the book that didn't make me roll my eyes or laugh uncontrollably. I found myself giggling at pretty much every romantic scene in this book because they were so RIDICULOUS.
The author of this book has a pretty inspiring story - she posted this book on a site called inkpop, where it shot up in popularity and caught the attention of HarperCollins, who decided to publish her book. I think it's amazing that something like that happened for her, and I wish every talented writer out there could be as lucky as she was. But after reading Carrier of the Mark, I can't help but think that this book didn't deserve to be published. It sounds pretty cruel to say, but the whole book sounded like a mediocre story you read online - they have some promise, but still require an overhaul of editing and revising before they should ever see the light of day. So, rather, it isn't that this book shouldn't have been published, but it should have gone through a LOT more work before it was "ready".
Something else I need to bring up, even though it pains me to do so, is the similarities to Twilight. If you take 95% of the scenes in this book and change the names Megan and Adam to Bella and Edward, you would think you were reading Twilight. In comparison to some of my favorite books, Twilight is a horrible, clichéd love story. In comparison to Carrier of the Mark, Twilight is a literary masterpiece. And I understand that EVERY novel is going to be similar to another novel in one way or another, but this book had nothing to set it apart. At all.
The plot of this book was shaky at best, starting with the fact Megan and her father (who acts more like a roommate than a parent) relocated from the United States to Ireland because he got a job at a country/sailing club. I'm sorry, but aren't there country clubs in the US? you're telling me that her father was applying for jobs, and he decided to apply to someplace in Ireland, just for kicks?
Then there's the 0 to 60 romance between Megan and Adam that was probably the worst part of this book. And sadly enough, it was also the biggest part of the book. Megan sees Adam on her first day of school and is immediately in love, even though her new friend, Caitlin, tells her that Adam DeRis and his family are odd, and she should stay away from them (see! Twilight!). Megan spends the next few chapters talking about how she can't stop thinking/obsessing about Adam, even though they have never actually spoken, and it has only been three days since she first discovered he existed. It's pretty creepy at this point, and Megan just gets more and more annoying as the story progresses.
And it isn't just Megan who deserves the Academy Award for being a poorly conceived character. Adam, as well as his siblings, all had about as much depth as a piece of paper, and Megan's troop of friends were equally horrible. She and her "best friend" Caitlin are attached at the hip after the first day they meet, and just because the author tells us they're super close and buddies for life, nothing in her writing really affirms that friendship.
Eventually, after a couple hundred pages of sappy romance and poorly conceived plot, Adam and Megan learn that their love is forbidden (OH NO!) and some evil guy kidnaps Megan. I had mostly checked out by this point of the book, but the most ridiculous scene was at the very end. Megan and company are fighting the baddie that kidnapped her, when Adam gets hurt. Megan thinks he's dead, and just like any normal, level-headed person DECIDES TO KILL HERSELF. I believe she has known Adam for about a month, and she legitimately says that life isn't worth living without him. If I hadn't had only 20 or so pages left in the book I would have put it down and walked away.
I could go on all day about how much I didn't enjoy this book, but I won't. If you love clichéd, sappy, unoriginal stories, then read this book. I swear I'm not trying to be mean, but really, this was a terrible book. I've read amazing books, good books, and lots of mediocre books, but this one was just BAD. So I'm sorry Leigh Fallon, but I do not recommend reading Carrier of the Mark.
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