Young Adult Book Review: Unmarked by Kami Garcia
Unmarked by Kami Garcia
Series: The Legion #2
Publication Date: September 30, 2014
Young Adult, Paranormal, Supernatural,
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 400 Pages
Source: Publisher
My Rating: 3.5 Stars
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The heart-pounding sequel to the instant New York Times bestseller, Unbreakable, by New York Times bestselling Beautiful Creatures co-author Kami Garcia.
He is here... and he could be anyone.
Kennedy Waters lives in a world where vengeance spirits kill, ghosts keep secrets, and a demon walks among us–a demon she accidentally set free.
Now Kennedy and the other Legion members–Alara, Priest, Lukas, and Jared–have to hunt him down. As they learn more about the history of the Legion and the Illuminati, Kennedy realizes that the greatest mystery of all does not belong to any secret order, but to her own family. With the clock ticking and the life of someone she loves hanging in the balance, Kennedy has to ask the question she fears most: what is it about her past that has left her Unmarked?
"The little girl walked to the edge of the salt ring and bent down, dipping a finger in the white crystals. As she stood up, she raised her head. Her eyes were as black obsidian. -The child stared at us through unblinking eyes. She tilted her head to the side and licked the salt off her finger. Then a slow, menacing smile spread across her face, as she stepped off the salt line."
With Unmarked, the second book in the Legion series, Kami Garcia once again creates a fast and entertaining read filled with suspense, romance, and a touch of horror as heroine Kennedy Waters continues in her quest to find the truth behind the Legion of the Black Dove, dark family secrets, and their connection to the dangerous Illuminati. Her greatest battle is only just beginning as the Demon Andras still threatens all those she holds close and has a deadly fascination with Kennedy.
Unmarked continues to bring fast entertainment with its touch of supernatural that is just dark enough to keep you on edge. Secret societies, chilling atmosphere, and a quest once again kept me happily turning the pages. This time around the story narrows down its focus on the surrounding mystery behind Kennedy's family and the secret societies history of both the Legion and the Illuminati. Kennedy's quest to find the truth behind her mother's death and her connection to the secret society of the Legion has her back again with the Lockhart brothers, Alara and Priest as they follow clues left behind.
I enjoyed the new focus this story took on revealing key players, secrets, and betrayal in both Kennedy's family, the Illuminati, as well as the Legion of the Black Dove. There was a touch of a lull at the beginning of the story as Kennedy is stuck at Winterhaven Academy before she meets up with again with the crew of the Black Dove. The romance was also more focused, no love triangle here and this time around we know exactly who Kennedy is romantically attracted to. BUT, Kami Garcia has a few tricks up-her-sleeve with an opening chapter that has our hearts beating as she ratchets up the tension, threatening the romance that we wanted so bad in the first book to continue. Kennedy continues to grow as a character, riddled with guilt and issues of trust, she is finally learning to let those closest to her in emotionally.
Though there still is some dark and atmospheric settings and supernatural happenings, I was a bit disappointed in the creep factor. Also, this time around there is fewer gadgets and archaic riddle solving that I missed. Brothers Jared and Lukas Lockhart, Alara and Priest all add to the story, each with their own specialty in Demon hunting that I enjoyed. From gadgets, riddles, patterns, and anomalies to magic, voodoo, angels, and demons, Unmarked still packs plenty of paranormal punch. The ending guarantees fans of the series eagerly waiting on the next installment as Kennedy discovers where she belongs, and the reveal brings her that much closer to the Demon Andras.
