Review: Burn Mark- Laura Powell

Burn Mark by Laura Powell

Young Adult
Hardcover (June 19, 2012)
Bloomsbury USA Childrens
416 Pages

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Summary from Goodreads:

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:

In an alternative London, where the witch hunts never ended, is a world where it is common knowledge that the inquisitors are pitted against the covens. Witches are made to register, and then choose whether to be bridled with iron to repress their Fae or to enter government regulated employment and fight fellow witches who attempt to evade the law and keep their freedom. This world was meticulously developed, taking over one hundred pages to set up. Told from both Glory's and Lucas' points of view, we meet each character before they turn Fae, and learn of their respective families, backgrounds, and histories when it comes to witchkind. This hundred pages seemed a bit slow at the time, but without it this world would never have felt as complete as it did while reading the rest of the book. While it may seem as if the novel is set in the past, little reminders throughout, like a mention of Facebook, remind the reader of the present day setting. The book picks up a bit of speed about half way through, making for a faster paced, action packed finale. Powell was able to combine all of the intrigue of the witch trials with modern day governmental set ups, resulting in equal parts suspense, fantasy, and an all-around well-built world. Some people may have trouble getting into the book due to the huge amount of backstory and set-up, but if you muddle through the story really is an intriguing and attention grabbing tale.

Powell is currently writing and editing the sequel, Witch Fire, that will be release next spring.