Burn Mark by Laura Powell
Publishers: Bloomsbury
Published Date UK: June 7th 2012
From: Publishers
My rating: 4 out of 5
Thanks to Emma at Bloomsbury for allowing me to read this book and give my honest opinion
Synopsis:
Glory is from a family
of witches and lives beyond the law. She is desperate to develop her
powers and become a witch herself. Lucas is the son of the Chief
Prosecutor for the Inquisition—the witches’ mortal enemy—and his
privileged life is very different to the forbidden world that he lives
alongside.
And then on the same day, it hits them both. Glory and
Lucas develop the Fae—the mark of the witch. In one fell stroke, their
lives are inextricably bound together, whether they like it or not . .
Review:
Firstly, let me just say that Burn Mark by
Laura Powell is no light or fluffy read. If its quick reading you're after then
this isn't the book for you. But what you do get is such an intricately
detailed quasi-London world that is rich in description right down to the
English language and slang used by the east end people of London. And it’s
about modern day Witches, lots of them!
Personally I loved this book. An
alternative England,
run by Parliament and Ministers with Witchkind Inquisitors and a Directorate to
keep the witchy people abiding and on the right side of the law. This is an England where
every teenager will dread the day that they may find the Devils Kiss on their
body, and feel the witchcraft soaring through their veins. That day their lives
will change. That day happened to both Glory and Lucas. Both on each side of
the law line. Gloriana, who prefers to be called Glory, comes from a witchkind
background with famous Aunts who used their gift for personal gain. She lives
in the Cooper Street
coven where illegal trafficking rackets are a daily occurrence and every member
of her family has a police record. Lucas comes from a long line of Inquisitors.
Gentlemen of esteem who hunt out the witches who do wrong and burn them on a
balefire. Their punishment after trial, the burning, is available for the world
to see as a lesson.
Lucas and Glory are brought together, both
flawed by personal tragedy, and form an unlikely union to eek out an undercover
plot that's been trying to blame witchkind for terrorism on the London streets. The
Inquisitors want to blame the covens and the covens want to blame the
Inquisitors. There's family pride at stake on both sides but only together can
Lucas and Glory play both sides of the witch/inquisitor fence to uncover the
truths behind the terror acts. If the acts continue, and people continue to get
hurt then the Witchkind Directorate will pass out Acts of Parliament that will
eventually diminish the Witchkind forever. And it will be brutal.
The lives of Lucas and Glory are expertly
written. They both clearly have flaws from the beginning. Glory with her
attitude, dark hair roots and heavy make-up. Lucas has a privileged upbringing
from a family whose roots lead back to the original Inquisitors. Family pride
and a stiff upper lip is all that counts in his father’s eyes, so Lucas bends
against the tradition and gets on with his life as best he can. When he
discovers with horror that he's turning into a witch, its shame and humility
that clouds his judgement as he faces his father.
As Glory and Lucas's lives merge together
in the conspiracy plot the story screams from the pages. We have high-flying
mobsters, car bombs and family secrets all being unravelled as the two get to
the bottom of the murky waters that reveal more than a few surprising twists.
As I wrote earlier Burn Mark is a serious
read. For those reading this that aren't English, you might find the book even
humourless in its extent. However the brilliance of Laura Powell’s writing is
that she intersperses what we Brits do best. Sarcasm and Irony. And there's
plenty of it. This very British book may not appeal to all but under the plot
lines are incredibly well thought out sentences with amazingly creative
writing. You can't miss a word or a sentence without feeling like you're about
to miss something from the story.
A modern day, modern world story of
Witchcraft that should not be missed!
Burn Mark comes out on 7th June 2012 in the UK.
-CB x
About Laura Powell
Laura Powell was born in London but spent most of her childhood in the Brecon Beacons. The Welsh side of her family are direct descendants of the Physicians of Myddfai, a family of twelfth-century herbalists who claimed to be the offspring of the Lady of the Lake.
Laura studied Classics at Bristol and Oxford before going on to work in the editorial departmend of both adults and children's publishers. She now focuses on her writing, but has a part time job at English National Ballet, which she loves as she gets to spend her office hours surrounded by tutus, sequins and exquisite people in leotards!
Want to know more? Just ask!
You can reach Laura Powell here:
Enter here for you chance to win an ARC copy of Burn Mark by Laura Powell
RULES
This giveaway is International!!
End date July 30th
Winner will be announced on this blog and via email.
Only a few options on Rafflecopter are mandatory. Enter as little or as
much as you like. More entries means greater chances of getting your
hands on this great book!
