JP McLean is definitely one of our favourite writers of romance, not only for her amazing ability to create intriguing and complex stories that challenge us readers, but because of her skill when it comes to narrative and character creation, structuring realistic dynamics between the characters, which always give them a more realistic, solid and palpable feel, and this time is no different with this great title: Blood Mark.
Before we start off with this review though, we invite you to check her previous book reviewed by us, that is one of the most original paranormal books that we have this year, with some serious dark humor, Secret Sky.
So, Blood Mark. Here we have our main character, Jane Walker, trying to live a normal, inconspicuous life, only to find that at every turn, her past comes back to her and her irremovable blood red marks remind her on how they can be a hindrance to everything she calls normal or sane. Then there are the dreams that show her bits of reality, another person’s reality and experiences in a third-person perspective, these inescapable, paralyzing dreams that cling to her everyday, growing stronger and more vivid in details and sensation while letting her know nothing about what she needs to do about them, or any other clue that will help her help these people, or herself.
She starts to dream about a psychic yard, a woman called Rebbeca, that is taken there and apparently has visions about people as well, and a doctor that is still trying to understand her as a patient thinking that the visions are not real, and yet, a bigger question looms: What does this Doctor have to do with our main character?
Although Jane wished to be rid of these marks, they seem to have a meaning and a role in her life, and Jane starts to get worried when they start to disappear on their own at an alarming rate, for no apparent reason.
Then we have Sadie, her roommate and best-friend since ever that is a prostitute and starts seeing a very suspicious, demanding and manipulative man that wants her, and only her, that is getting too close to Sadie and starts posing a serious treat to both her and Jane that wants to keep her relative anonymity as both try to keep take care of each other, when money is becoming an issue and this client seems to have means to take Sadie of this dangerous world of prostitution, but every favour comes with shackles.
So many mysteries to solve, so much to know and to discover at once, told in a gripping narrative that adds texture to this book while the mysteries are slowly unfolding and piece after piece of the puzzle is shown as the abilities of our MC evolve without apparent reason, but we get a feeling that the level of danger is, just like the mystery of things, slowly escalating towards epic proportions specially when we put into consideration all the power games in this novel, that all decisions made change the plot in conflicting ways. It’s very interesting to read. The novelty and originality of the take upon ancient rituals and “abilities” of characters, some characters, is refreshing.
Blood Mark, is a very interesting title, not only because it has a powerful introduction of, a woman with strange blood red marks all over her body, but also because of the gripping narrative of JP McLean that fishes us directly to the bottom of the action as soon as the book starts. It doesn’t take you long to know that we have a badass female main character and that she is into more trouble than she can imagine just by having those blood marks that are with her since birth. 3 Pages is all that it takes for us to be fully invested in this intriguing, action packed and dark story, and we can’t wait to find out more about everything!
The dynamics of chapters and the progression of the book is very organized. We have chapters that locate us in a “static” and clear way because they are the names of the characters that are currently the focus of the narrative instead of the usual continuous narrative where everything blends in and out. We see, and understand why JP McLean did this. She did this because there are details that she wants us to remember while she keeps the pace and reading speed of the book up to make it more thrilling, which worked out fabulously. The straightforward type of organization when it comes to the book pays off overall, nice touch.
It’s refreshing to see how the story actually finishes and the things we discover on the late chapters of the book that make the whole experience even more special just with the addition of a few details that we couldn’t have guessed, as JP McLean knows how to do best. There isn’t a plot-twist per se, but the author does throw a lot of shocking revelations on the last chapters without mercy. I enjoyed the read and found Blood Mark to be a very pleasant read that all readers will enjoy, especially those into mysteries with some action and loads of romance and thrilling scenes.
Pros:
- Excellent character construction and dynamics
- Excellent character interaction
- Excellent plot
- Great storyline with time-related events and consequences dynamics
- Great dialogue between characters and subtle cues and events
- Not everything got “solved” on the book, not everything was “put back how it was”, and that added a layer of reality
- The lack of control on the main character’s ability added a layer of substance to the book inching it a little closer to reality
- Consistent narrative and plot-line without plot-holes or incongruences
- A solid example towards women when it come to be independent and self-reliant
Cons:
- Personally, the whole “inheritance” thing, was a slight setback for the book, but this is just me as reader, it didn’t affect the quality of the whole story.
Scribble's Worth 