March McCarron

What I liked:

The meaning of a difference: You first meet the main characters as children, just after they’ve been marked as Chisanta. Each of them has different feelings about their transformation, what it means, and how it separated them from normal society. After training, the little group of friends is divided by their inherent affinity for one of the two Chisanta factions. When we meet them all again, years later, the friendship formed when they were children is tested by the distrust that both the Chiona and Cosantu factions bear for each other.

When the pieces fall together: nearly every piece of information in this story relates to the main plot. You don’t quite see the big picture at first, but it all makes sense by the time you reach the end.

The true meaning of sacrifice: while every Chisanta gets their first gift for free, the others require a sacrifice. It isn’t as easy as choosing to give up something you don’t want anyway, or something you decide in a moment. The sacrifices are quite specific, and you can only give them up once you’ve fully conceptualised them. It’s only when you reach a point where you can’t imagine living without them that you’re able to make the sacrifice.

What I didn’t like:

Adrenalin and desperation will only take you so far: Without spoiling anything, there’s a prison escape that didn’t ring true to me. All except one should’ve been too weak to do more than stumble down the hall.

I found this book to be thoughtful and compelling. While it doesn’t have many of the dark and gritty aspects I slaver over, I thoroughly enjoyed Division of the Marked. I see it's categorised as NA, but I think YA readers will love it.… (meer)

This is an extremely well-crafted novel that's tame enough for younger readers, but mature enough for adults. While many parts of the background aren't fully explained, the explanations aren't necessary for the story, and their lack doesn't interfere with immersion in the world that the author has created. If there were any errors in editing or proofing, I didn't notice a single one; it's polished, and as good in that respect as any traditionally published novel. Viewpoint characters had tremendous depth, clues to the mysteries were handled well, giving us just enough time to figure them out (if we can), and cheer when the characters did as well. All of this was accomplished without a dragon or unicorn in sight - a very realistic, gritty world where magic may not always be subtle, but is also not common. Definitely recommended!… (meer)