The Mark by M.R. Bunderson - Review

As human's, even loners like myself, have an intense desire to belong, to feel connected to someone, someway; so, what if you could? What kind of possibilities would that bring to your life? If at one touch, you could somehow just know, what someone else was feeling, to know internally, at a very basic level that they were telling the truth, or how deeply there feelings for you went.

Would you want that?

The Mark, though a series of delicate mysteries, intriguing folk lore, and love that's as basic as a tear drop explores this question, along with many others...

Synopsis via the back of the book:
She's had it forever. A tiny mark on her hand. No big deal, right? But when Tori discovers that her ordinary freckle is really some kind of microscopic tattoo, she doesn't know what to think, especially after meeting Eric, a guy she feels strangely connected to – and not just because he has a mark too.

All too soon, Tori and Eric realize that their marks are only the first clue to a mystery that will change everything. And with each new discovery, Tori finds herself pulled deeper and deeper into a world she could never have imagined.

As someone whom likes to bake and hates to cook, I know, baking is quite different from cooking – with cooking you can just “play around with flavors” dumping in things, creating new tastes and textures; but with baking, things need to be more precise, flour measured, eggs separated, there's a recipe to follow, and when you forget something, often you need to start again.

So, what does baking have to do with The Mark? Well that's because M.R. Bunderson's debut novel The Mark was very much like reading a finely tuned recipe, with equal parts, ancient folk lore, where invisible cities exist; an exotic romance where the characters can't touch; and dangerous mysteries that intertwine throughout. Though, unlike a recipe, The Mark is not at all boring, from the very beginning your drawn into Tori's story and because this book is told from her point of view, you could really dive deep into her, know her intimately. Your at liberty to know that while she puts off a facade that is strong and capable, she also has hidden fears, like all of us, she's imperfect – which made her perfect!

Another thing I found fascinating while reading is that M.R. Bunderson used dreams, a concept that having just seen Inception, was really exciting! Though don't go into The Mark thinking it's ANYTHING like Inception, it's not, but I found it to be a neat twist! I was really happy to see it added, a lot of times in novels, things I might think about are glanced over, do you know what I mean? It's hard to explain, but while reading a particular book I tend to think about the book/characters while I am doing other things, and because I am who I am, I often think outside the box, of obscure things, which usually fall WAY outside of what actually happens, this time one of my thoughts made it into the story which I LOVED, it totally worked!

Another area of the story I adored was the setting, where some authors REALLY describe each thing that's going on, sometimes with to many details, Ms. Bunderson does not, don't get me wrong, she gives you enough information to get a "sense" of a place, but not so much that your drowning in details. I loved that I could add my own "sense" to both the characters and the settings!

There were a few things that bothered me; First, The Mark starts, and with in 2 pages, Tori has already found the tattoo, then in another page she's met and had a “connection” (relax it's not instant love) to Eric, it all seemed a bit quick – though at the same time, we don't spend endless pages reading about things that irrelevant to the story, so though it bothered me, it was kind of nice too...The second point that really bothered me more than anything, we skipped things! Let me explain, one scene in-particular, Tori is planning on going to a dance with Eric, she's excited while getting ready and really can't wait to share the night with him, in a relaxed atmosphere, which got me all excited, I wanted to SEE them, dance and enjoy the night! Then, the next thing I know, the next chapter starts and the dance has already happened! WHAT, wait...did I skip a page, I would think – but no, that scene was not there...it happened more than once, and it drove me a bit crazy!

Bottom Line - The Mark is a unique, thrilling ride into a story filled with intense moments and dark secrets, and though it's fiction, I felt as though the basis of the story was based in enough reality to be feasible. The characterization was beautiful, each step of the way I felt like I knew what Tori would do. The folk lore that's interwoven, just worked, I loved how M.R. Bunderson handled the exploration and unraveled the mysteries surrounding Tori, Eric and the others. And though, this story is “finished” it's not, if you know what I mean – the ending left us with so many unanswered questions, yet it wrapped up nicely; what I am trying to say is, I am satisfied, yet I HOPE there's going to be a sequel, I long to find out what comes next in Tori's life! I give The Mark 4 mushrooms!

Buy, Borrow or Steal? If your someone who likes an intriguing mystery with a little bit of love, it's a buy, I have already bought my copy! Though no matter where you get it, it's worth a read!

The Mark
By M.R. Bunderson
288 Pages
Published: March 8, 2010
Publisher: Cedar Fort
Received, via ARC tour, though I have already ordered my own copy!