A book picked up at random at a library sale. I didn't realize it was the second in a series, but the author did a pretty good job of covering the material from the first book, although I suspect I would have been more connected to the characters had I read the first one. It seemed a little bit too high school angsty at first but the action picked up nicely toward the end. Basically, within a special high school (Delcroix), there is an elite group with 'talents'-- such as main character, Danica's ability to manipulate gravity. Those marked with such talents are invited to join forces to better the world and train other students and themselves in recognizing and controlling their abilities. They are opposed by a rebel force of other talented kids who are embittered by their experiences with their talents and even with the school they feel betrayed them. Dancia, having a boyfriend strongly in the Delcroix camp, also has a good friend who has joined the rebels, and she has to decide where truth lies and who is using their talents for good. I read the first book in this series, The Talents (originally called The Candidates) this fall. It was a fun read, full of mystery and romance, so I was excited to get to read an advance edition of the sequel. (Spoilers for The Talents)The Marked continues a little while after the first book ends. Dancia is being initiated into the Program, and though she is still sad that Jack is gone, she is excited to begin training her talent. And now that she is an official member of the Program her and Cam can finally be together. But not everything is perfect like Dancia hopes. She still has to contend with hostility from Anna, and a weird watchfulness from Trevor. Hennie and Esther feel lonely when Dancia's spends most of her time with Cam, and the two are feeling their own pressures as the school begins to prep them to enter the Program themselves. Esther's talent for shape shifting grows stronger, until she begins to lose herself. And while Hennie seems happy with Yashir and her language classes, not everything is as perfect as it seems. Then the school is attacked and Dancia learns about a secret group of talented people called the Irin, the enemies of the Program. And she learns that Jack has joined them and wants her to join too.I felt this book was stronger than the first. Dancia was a more solid character and the mystery of the plot was well-woven and executed. As much as I missed Jack, Inara made up for his absence with her other characters. Hennie and Esther play a much bigger role, which I was happy about. Cam also because more complicated, which was really great. Dancia's crazy button-down roommate cracked open a little, which was a very cool character transformation. I also like that Dancia's relationships with all these characters from the first book transformed in different ways, pushing the story and the characters to new levels. The addition of some new characters, particularly Dancia's student-teacher Barrett, really enhanced the story and broadened the world.I also loved that Inara really brought the characters together and made them a team, even if an awkward team at times. They were constantly dealing with their issues and conflicts in different ways at every turn, creating tension and fireworks that kept the story interesting and page-turning.The mystery in this book was also good. Now that we know all about the talents and the Program, Inara stepped it up a notch by introducing the real bad guys--or so you think. I liked that everything wasn't clear cut, and like the first book, Jack muddles things for Dancia. Every time she thinks she's got it all figured out, Jack steps in and forces her to think bigger.The book ends with a bang and a big fight, which was even cooler than where The Talents ended. I am excited to see how this series comes to an end, and what choices Dancia finally makes.
What do You think about Die Verschwörer (2012)?
Waited for a long time for the 2nd book but was just alright
—Liz
