Reading Teen

From http://www.readingteen.net/Cassie Renfield has seen the mark since she was a child, but it's only been recently that she's understood what it means. When she sees the mark on her grandmother's friend, who dies that same day, she starts to realize that she is being warned that a person is about to die. Testing her theory, she follows a man with the mark until seeing his untimely death with her own eyes. Cassie is scared and confused, and when she loses her grandmother as well, she's left with no one to help her sort out her problem.Cassie is shipped off to spend the summer with an aunt she's never met, until all the legal issues are sorted out. While she's there, she tries to put the past behind her. But, as fate would have it, the past has a way of catching up to her. And soon, with the help of her new boyfried, she is faced with a new question. If she knows that someone is going to die, should she tell them? And, if she does, can they change their fate? I've been working my way down a list of The Tenners (YA authors debuting in 2010) and the next book on my list was The Mark by Jen Nadol. This book certainly lived up to the high standards that the rest of The Tenners' books (that I have read) have set. I really enjoyed reading about Cassie and her unusual ability/gift/curse. It was such a thought provoking book because questions were constantly being raised about whether or not she could or should mess with fate. And what would be the consequences if she tried? She really wanted to do the right thing, but felt like no matter what choice she made, it could have horrible consequences. I found myself going back and forth between, "Yes, you should tell, you should try to save people's lives if you can....or at least give them the chance to do what they want before they die." to "No, you shouldn't mess with things because that is the natural way and it is just their time." I think I was as conflicted as she was.The book only took me a day and a half to get through, which means that it was an easy read, and it kept me wanting to read more. The only thing that I wish would have been a little better was the relationship between Cassie and Lucas. I didn't feel like their relationship had any flair to it. I didn't end up caring about whether or not they were together, or really about Lucas at all. It was like they went from having dinner to an old married couple in one night. Which leads me to my other issue. I really didn't like that she lies to him about how old she is, and there's never any ramifications to that. I just found out about a man who was in prison for 8 years because a minor lied about her age to him, and I just feel like firstly, she shouldn't have lied, and secondly, if she did, then there should've been some consequences. It's just not believable that he would never find out how old she is, especially since they're practically living together (which would be my third issue).However, all that said, I really did like it a lot. I thought the writing was fantastic and the story was fascinating. I can't wait to see where the next book goes. Vision comes out in 2011, and I will definitely be reading it! ~Andye