The Mark

The Mark

by Jen Nadol

At the bus stop, Cassie sees one.  A man.  With a mark.  It's all around him.  There's a light that surrounds him and Cassie thinks she knows what it means.  When she follows him and watches him get hit by a car and die, she's sure she knows what it means.

It's the mark of death.  Those with it have less than 24 hours to live.

And soon after, it surrounds her grandmother.  Despite all her efforts, she fails to stop the inevitable.

Now Cassie must try and figure out what to do with this gift... or curse.  Can she change the future for those who are marked?  Is it right to try?  Or should she just try to avoid paying attention to it at all.

Final thoughts:  Great premise with a really good follow through.  It's possible that this is the first in a series for this girl, so I'm very much looking forward to reading more about Cassie.  Is she alone?  Are there others?  And the philosophical discussions were kind of fun.  However, they may bog down younger readers, since Nadol covers quite a range of philosophical theory while Cassie audits a college philosophy course.

Rating: 5/5