Burn Mark

By Laura Powell

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 . . .

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
• Release date: Jun 7, 2012
• ISBN: 9781408815960

Laura Powell

Laura Powell is a commissioning editor at The Daily Telegraph. She has written features and interviews for The Guardian, The Observer, the London Evening Standard, and various women’s magazines. Laura has won several awards, including a Scott Trust Bursary from the Guardian Media Group and a New Writer’s Bursary from Literature Wales. Originally from Wales, she now lives in London. The Unforgotten is her first novel.

Reviews for Burn Mark

[slsmitty25 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Burn Mark was a mix of magic, mayhem and mafia all set in an alternative London. Witches and magic are commonplace but under strict control by the government; unless you are one of the rogue witches who choose to not disclose their powers and be bridled; In which case you most likely were a member of one of the witch mafias. We meet our two main characters as they are developing their fae abilities, Glory cannot wait for her powers to manifest while Lucas is utterly shocked (but secretly entranced) by his emerging powers. Working from two opposite sides against each other they soon find that they have more in common then witch powers.

[staciesnape-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

So this is the first Laura Powell book I have had the pleasure of reading, even though she's been on my radar for a while now. I will say this before anything else. this book, and her style of writing might not be for everyone. I know a lot of people will have problems with this book, I had a few myself, but overall I found myself thinking it was a good book and it was pretty unique. I like liked it, though it took me a while to read but that wasn't the books fault.This book as you can tell from the summary is set in East London. Witches are real, witches are known to be real and they are hunted if they aren't registered. They are used for the governments own good, treated like animals and burnt in bellfire's when they are of no more use. Not nice is it? But that's how things are. Some witches decided to go unregistered, these are the witches that are supposedly responsible for the witchcrime happening. Being a with is not easy, but with the rising numbers of witchcrime, its becoming more and more dangerous to be one.I think the most interesting thing about this book is it was set from two sides. You have Glory who was born into a long line of witches and is currently living with her family of partial unregistered witches, she is someone who has not only be taught to be proud of who she is and where she comes from but can think of nothing better than following in her mothers footsteps and then you have Lucas, Lucas has had a completely different upbringing as the son of the Chief Prosecutor for the Inquisition, the place the rounds up the witches and puts them to justice. He has been taught his whole life that witches are unnatural and deadly, that they shouldn't be allowed the same rights as everyone else, so you can imagine how scared he was to find the Fae mark on him one day.The characters were different and interesting but at times, very annoying. Glory is a chav and even if she wasn't a witch I found it hard to connect with her for that reason. I know its bad, but that's just me. Lucas was a better character, and the sub characters like Auntie Angel and Troy were better. I will say this though, every character had a lot of back story and they were well developed, even if I didn't like them. Though the amount of characters that we were introduced to sometimes made it hard to focus on who was who, what their story was and what was going on. But when it stuck to one person and their story in one chapter, it was interesting and well done. The world building was actually pretty decent at time to but I felt the book dragged a lot before anything worth while happened and that made reading it pretty hard.Like I've already said, even though a few things got to me, I did like this book, it could be because it was the first book I had read in ages about witches, or it could be that even though I've wanted to read it for ages, it's not a book that's been hyped up so my expectations weren't high or low. Either way, I thought it was good

[a_reader_of_fictions · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Originally posted here.

First off, I totally dig stories set in alternative universes. There's something about it that calls to me. In Burn Mark, everything about the world is the same (facebook, cell phones, cars, politicians, etc), except that witches are truly known to exist and have been. Witchy powers, known as the fae, are persecuted, just like the suspicion of them was in history. Powerless people fear the fae, and hate what they fear. Set in Britain, Burn Mark portrays the life of a witch in a Britain controlled by the Inquisition. Witches are still burned, dunked and blamed for everything.

Our main characters are Lucas and Glory. Lucas is a son of a Head Inquisitor, raised in privilege and the product of a quality magic-less lineage. Surprise, surprise, he develops the fae, and, not only that, he's a very powerful witch. Through his view, the reader can see the very few options open to a witch, and the mercurial nature of the power, the fact that it does not merely pass from parent to child but can spark up at random. Glory, on the other hand, is a bit of a street rat. She comes from a long line of powerful witches and has been waiting impatiently for her fae to come. Through her, the reader views the life of an unregistered witch, living in a rather seedy criminal coven.

While I wasn't especially emotionally attached to Glory and Lucas, I still liked them and was rooting for them to uncover and destroy the corruption in the Inquisition. (Seriously, the Inquisition? Come on, guys. Almost any other word would make you sound less like prejudiced bastards, but whatever.) Though there is some romantic tension between Glory and Lucas, this stories focus is not on romance. Instead, Burn Mark focuses on the political and ethical questions inherent in a world populated by people with powers and a jealous majority without.

For some, this book was slow-moving and boring. I recommend it to readers that enjoy considering sociological questions. This one focuses on world building more than characterization. If the idea fascinates you, I definitely think you should check it out. If you're looking for a YA paranormal romance, Burn Mark is not the book you want.

[msjessie · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

How do you take a novel with gangster East End witch covens, a modern-day Inquisition, and an alternate world where magic is the norm, if mistrusted, and make it boring? Well, you don't have to sit and think about it, Burn Mark is here to tell you how: [Step Zero: Use clever synopsis and awesome cover to lure in potential readers] Step One. Add in four-hundred plus pages of nearly stagnant plotlines, Step Two: Season in an excruciatingly slow pace Step Three: Mix in the dense exposition on absolutely every aspect of anything Step Four: Garnish with several transparent plot twists Step Five: Wait and see how many finish the damn, long thing I was very eager to get this book once I read the synopsis and saw that evocative cover (nice job, marketing department!) but this was a disappointment for me. I struggled to get to the 300 page marker, and then I just didn't have the energy to see it to the final fruition when I already knew how everything would play out. The kernels of ingenuity here are not enough to suffer through how very, very bored I was while trying to invest in this world, these characters, this story. Burn Mark actually reminded me a bit of Holly Black's CurseWorkers novels with the resemblance of whole "government control/mistrust the criminal magicals" plotline, but this version sadly lacked the vivacity and vitality of that other young-adult series.The author clearly took a lot of care and time crafting her magicked version of modern-London and that is appreciated as most fantasy novels either thrive or die on such detail; the fault lies not in the inception but in the flawed execution of those ideas. The author just needs a bit more restraint, or some editing: details are important but they shouldn't override every additional element of the novel. The multitude of ideas here are certainly intriguing and original (territorial gangster witch covens? Yes, please! A mark for witches? Modernised British Inquisition?) but each not explored enough independently. Sadly, unlike other dense worldbuilding novels centered around Britain's supernatural forces, Burn Mark mires you down in minute detail, instead of using the exposition to further illustrate a believable world. It's just too much. Especially for a first novel in a series - some of the history and background could have been postponed and been enfolded within subsequent novels.I wish I'd liked this. I also mostly wish I had more to say about it. I didn't hate it, contrary to this review, I was disappointed and just bored. I did appreciate the heroine's focus on her goals, instead of on getting her a man (in fact, the near lack of a romance earned this a whole additional star) but it's just not enough. Glory and Lucas have the outlines of becoming very-well realized characters, but I won't be pursuing this series to see.

[amberfib · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Burn Mark takes place in an alternate London where the Inquisition and witch burnings never stopped occurring. The idea, world-building, and characters are top-notch, however, the pacing is extremely slow. That's the only reason that this book didn't get an A. I'm definitely looking forward tot he next book in the series. I really enjoyed the idea of modern-day burning times in which witches either registered with the Inquisition and helped fight other witches or formed illegal mob-type gangs. The magical organized crime was a unique twist, and I enjoyed seeing things from both Glory's third person limited POV as well as Lucas' third person limited POV. Glory was born into a witch gang, and Lucas' dad was the Chief Prosecutor of the Inquisition. The alternating POVs was an intriguing way to explain the world Powell had created. Glory was a bit self-absorbed at times, but overall, I liked her. If I'd lived her life, I probably would have been a bit self-absorbed, too. She had a lot of stress and pressure on her, and no one was what they seemed. Also, growing up without a mother had to have been hard for her. She was fairly easy to relate to, and she was a strong character who wasn't afraid to stand up for herself. Glory was a bit brash and rude at times, but that added to her charm, in my opinion. I can't wait to see what happens to her next!Lucas was a good leading male character. He was interesting and very obviously good. He wasn't a tortured soul, so there was no emo ranting or anything from him, which was a relief. I cannot stand angst-filled guys in real life or in books. It's just annoying. While he didn't always make the best decision, he was doing his best to find his way. Lucas grew a ton throughout the course of this novel. Since he wasn't expecting to have the Fae, so he had a lot of adjusting to do. I think he'll make better decision in the sequel. My main complaint with this book is that the pacing was so slow in the beginning. It was well over 100 pages before Lucas and Glory even met. The first half of the book was mostly just world-building. I admit the extensive world-building helped with the understanding of the last half of the book, but I think that more of the plot could have been woven into the world-building. The clear divide between world-building and plot was annoying. Because of this, there wasn't much romance. However, there seems to be a brewing romance that will develop more in the following books. Overall, I'd recommend Burn Mark to anyone who enjoys a good witch story. The concept is unique, the characters are easy to relate to, and the world-building is fantastic. You won't want to miss this one.

[bookspot · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

In a world where witches face harsher punishment for the same crimes as their non-witch counterparts and must report to the government for a type of binding, two teens whose lives have been couldn't more different will find themselves linked together. Whether they want to be or not.Glory is from a family of witches. Witches that live outside the law and practice their magic freely - and she cannot wait for the day she comes into her powers.Lucas, the son of the son of the Chief Prosecutor for the Inquisition, has no witches in his family. Dating back generations and generations on both his mother's and his father's side - it's a source of pride in their family.Then, they both become witches on the same day.As with all books that just did not work for me, I need to start this review by saying that, to give you fair warning in case you wish to go no further. I was terribly interested in Burn Mark because I really do love books about witches and this one added in the element of a governing body seemingly regulating and punishing the witches.It just couldn't keep my interest, however. Something about it didn't click with me. I had a horrible time keeping my mind from wandering when I was reading it.It may have been the pacing that was at issue: At the beginning we're given a whole lot of information about the world Lucas, specifically, and Glory live in. While incredibly interesting it all came so quickly that it was hard to retain all of it - and put it all together into a proper idea of what their world was like.Maybe I need to do what Georgina Kincaid (of Richelle Mead's Succubus Blues) does with her favorite novel - albeit for different reasons - and read only five pages a night. Where in her case it was because she wanted to delay the inevitable finishing, I wonder if a real, true slow reading of this novel would allow me to focus. on. each. word. and. get. all. of. the. information. given.Maybe. Maybe not.I do wish that Lucas and Glory had met sooner into the book. The parts of the story that I found strongest - and that worked for me - were the scenes of them together. Yet, they don't meet until about halfway through the novel. If I hadn't been reading this for review, I'm not sure I would have stuck with it for the 200 pages it took to get to that point.Overall, this book just was not for me, but the idea of the plot really does show promise (it's a bit like Harry Potter in slight way), and the two characters' interactions with each other was good . . . it was just too hard to focus on or get into, though.(digital galley received through NetGalley for Bloomsbury Blog tour)

[shelleyraec · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

With a creative twist on witch mythology that extends beyond the medieval witch trials, 'The Burning Times', into modern day British society, Burn Mark has an intriguing premise. In Powell's alternate world hstory, approximately 1 in 1000 people become Witchkind, usually it is a hereditary condition. The Fae (witch magic) doesn't make itself known until late teens/early twenties and the earlier it appears generally indicates the strength of the power. Witches are regulated, controlled citizens barely tolerated by ordinary society. Iron bands moot their power and punishment for the unsanctioned use of magic is swift and harsh. Unsurprisingly given the blatant discrimination, there are witches who resent the government and hide within mafia like gangs spread out over the city. Powell's world is quite complex, politically and socially, and as a result it takes quite some time for her to establish the systems and rules that provide the framework for the novel. Powell only narrowly avoids the pitfall of an information dump, and the details tend to make the first quarter or so of the novel drag.The story unfolds from the perspectives of two teenagers, Lucas and Glory. Lucas Stearne is the teenage son of a 12th generation Chief Prosecutor for the Inquisition who hopes to follow in his fathers footsteps until the day he unexpectedly discovers he has the Fae. With his future dreams in tatters, Lucas volunteers to infiltrate a gang of witches suspected of multiple crimes in London's East End. Given Lucas's background it is surprising that he is not simply a privileged git, instead Lucas has a strong moral core that believes in fair treatment for all, even before his power manifests. He can be a bit smug and overconfident at times but in general his intentions are good.Gloriana Starling Wilde is fifteen, living with her great aunt, Angel, on the fringes of society as part of a criminal gang of witches, desperately hoping her powers will prove to be as strong as those of her murdered mother, and twin great aunts - the infamous Starling Sisters. She is smart, tough and a touch arrogant with a definite bias against the government and the Inquisition. She resents being forced to cooperate with the Inquisitors but is compelled to do so after learning of a deep betrayal and agrees to assist Lucas in destroying the Wednesday Coven.What Lucas and Glory discover together is evidence of a high level conspiracy amongst society's elite that threatens to trigger a war between the Inquisitors and the witches, and plunge society back into a maelstrom of chaos and violence. Once the pace of the plot picks up you come to appreciate the groundwork Powell has laid earlier as secrets are revealed and betrayed, however the action really needs to start much earlier in the book and carry through. It takes far too long to reach the first crisis point and I'm not sure how many teens would bother to persevere.Burn Mark is the first in a new young adult paranormal series by author Laura Powell involving magic, politics and danger. With the framework now firmly established, the next installment has the potential to be an exciting and fast paced adventure in her alternate world.