The Mark by Jen Nadol

Cassandra, or Cassie, has a gift--or a curse. She sees a mark on people the day they will die.

When she sees the mark on her grandmother, she spends most of the day trying to save her life. To no avail.

When she sees the mark on her new boyfriend after going to live with her aunt, she intervenes and saves his life. Now she's forced to show him she can really tell when people will die, but should she?

Once she convinces him, Lucas is obsessed with her cheating death by saving the ones she sees are Marked.

Will learning more about her family and her past help her decide if she can--or should--save people?

Interesting concept, not well put together. The story is entertaining, but there are a few plot developments that could have developed more effectively. On the whole, the book was an interesting read and I enjoyed that aspect of it.

My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent

Kaylee has a special gift--only she sees it as a curse. When she sees someone who is about to die, she has an almost uncontrollable urge to scream. She manages to keep it inside, since the last time she actually screamed, she was sent to a mental hospital for months.

But one night, she and her friend Emma sneak into a nightclub and Kaylee sees a girl she knows is going to die. Somehow she manages to escape without screaming, and Nash, a guy from her school, calms her down before she can let the scream go. And then another girl dies, and then yet another. Kaylee can't help but think they're all connected--and all her fault. Nash seems to know more than he's letting on, but he hesitates to tell her what's going on.

Until Kaylee decides she has to figure out the connection between all the deaths and herself. Something that pulls everyone she cares about into the mess.

An interesting story. Kaylee doesn't know what's going on for a little bit longer than the reader might catch on, but that's to be expected. There's some romance here, but most of it concerns the mystery surrounding the deaths of the young women and Kaylee's family history.

Once Dead, Twice Shy by Kim Harrison

Madison is dead, but not. She was killed by a dark reaper, but when he killed her, she took the amulet that gave him power. That amulet gives her a body. The light reaper who was suppose to protect her got there too late, so his punishment is to train her how to use the amulet.

And the training is not going well. Madison is recognized by another dark reaper and Barabas (her light reaper) must figure out what's going on. Madison isn't going to wait for him, though. While he's asking the powers that be, she's become a target for the dark reapers. She has to learn how to save herself and those she cares about.


An interesting twist on the fallen angel idea. Lots of excitement, little to no romance, and lots of humor. The amount of people in the book can be daunting, but still makes sense.

Raven by Allison Van Diepen

Nicole's best friend is Zin, someone she's known for a while as a great listener and a fabulous dancer. They both belong to the break dancing group Zin started, and when Nicole gets a job at the bar where Zin works--Evermore--life doesn't seem to get any better for Nicole.

Nicole has a secret from Zin--she's in love with him. He seems to return the same feelings, but she can never get close to him to figure out for sure. When Nicole is attacked on the street and almost killed, Zin rescues her and reveals his true self.

Not only that, but everyone who works at Evermore seems to share Zin's particular traits. And Carlos, the man that created them all, has taken a special interest in Nicole, the one he calls Raven, much to Zin's dismay.

Danger lurks on all sides, but is there a way to undo what has been done?

A good love story. The plot skips around a bit, and some of the details are a little fuzzy. The story itself is believable and the characters are interesting. You learn much about each character, not just Nicole and Zin.