Marked

Bridget E. Baker

Sep 2018 · Sins of Our Ancestors Book 1 · Purple Puppy Publishing

4.7

110 reviews

Ebook

357

Pages

Eligible

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About this ebook

The world we knew is GONE.

Ruby had barely started kindergarten when the world collapsed, but by now she's over it though, like, really over it. To celebrate their upcoming graduation, the teenagers in Port Gibson are gathering to play a forbidden game from Before, a game called spin the bottle.

Pretty much every girl in Port Gibson likes the same two guys, and Ruby knows them both. Wesley, the charismatic son of the town Mayor who's being groomed to step into his dad's job, and Sam, the ripped but terrifying second-in-command to the town's Security Chief. But only Wesley's graduating with Ruby, and if he shows up, she's determined to finally seize her chance to kiss her long time crush.

When things go sideways, endangering her dear Wesley's life, there's only one person Ruby can ask for help, no matter how scary and enigmatic he is: Samuel Roth. Can Ruby convince Sam to risk his life to save Wesley's? And can Ruby navigate the post-apocalyptic world in time to save her crush, or will the long forgotten past come back to claim its due?

Kirkus Reviews said of Marked, "Baker’s prose is sharp and vivid, and she manages to immediately plunge her readers into the world of the novel. The story is swiftly paced and features some surprising twists and intriguing characters. The combination of sci-fi, mystery, and teen romance makes for a compelling adventure.

A promising YA debut about a girl’s search for a future in the wreckage of the past."

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Ratings and reviews

4.7

110 reviews

Stephanie Rouse

October 20, 2020

My only complaint is that I've lost a bit of sleep because I wasn't able to put this down. It really sucks you in. I found myself saying 'just one more chapter' until I passed out unable to keep my eyes open. I've bonded with the characters already and I can't wait to see where the next book takes them. I love Ruby's mix of stubbornness, cockiness and insecurity. She did a great job capturing the essence of a teenage girl in a volatile situation where she needs to make decisions that effect the outcome of many.

Karma Clarence June

July 13, 2021

Wow! Just… wow! So to read this a bit of the way into a pandemic is probably better than reading it at the start of a pandemic. I think that made the read even better though, as it seems something that could actually happen. Our country could definitely dissolve into the state it is in in this series. Ruby is a teenager about to start her life as an adult in the sanitation industry. Not as in she will engineer sewage treatment plants or work on a garbage truck, but that she is part of the team doing the literal dirty work in her tiny settlement of Unmarked citizens. There aren’t too many healthy people left in the world. There is a strong division between the Unmarked, pure, uninfected citizens, and those who are the outcasted Marked individuals. Each sect has banded together. The Unmarked town where Ruby lives is still a functioning society with schooling and a government similar to what we are used to. The Marked is a wild, wild west of sorts, but run by perpetual preteens. The only way to survive the fatal illness is to take hormone suppressants to halt the growth of the children’s bodies. Otherwise you get three years, or less if the disease is accelerated. Can’t really say either life sounds too great. Ruby’s crush plays spin the bottle with their classmates and it lands on her. That kiss thoroughly wrecks her life. Looking forward to the second book to see where Ruby, Wesley, Sam, and all the rest end up. The first book was stuffed full of surprises, and not all of them great for these plucky teens and crumbled societies.

Tammie Causey

October 21, 2020

If one touch can infect. . . Then a kiss is deadly. . . Marked is the first book in a new YA post-apocalyptic trilogy and it was very hard to put down. I have to say that it was one of the best self-published books I've ever read. In fact I really couldn't tell it was a self-published book. It didn't have a lot of the issues I've run into while reading most of them. The plot was good, there were no grammar or spelling issues that I noticed, and I felt like the characters were consistent. As for the characters, for the most part I liked Ruby, although she annoyed me a few times with her self-loathing and headstrong behavior. Despite those weaknesses, she was a strong, independent thinker. I kind of liked that her strengths were not in physical strength or combat, but in other areas. I also felt like the love triangle was handled pretty well, and the fact that there was a love triangle in this book didn't annoy me at all, which was a relief, because sometimes they can be so bad. The guy who becomes the main love interest in the book was a bit over-protective at times, but at least he listened to her when she asked him not to do something, and I was also really happy when she called him out on some of his behavior. That's more than I can say for some of the adult characters I've read about in books. There were some nice twists in the book. I did predict a couple of them, but that was ok, it didn't make the book any less enjoyable. I recommend this if you like post-apocalyptic YA books. I'm really looking forward to reading the next book in the trilogy.

1 person found this review helpful

About the author

Bridget loves her husband and all five of her kids (most days). She has a springy dog, backyard chickens, three goofy horses, two lions' head rabbits, and two demanding cats. Every day is a battle between playing with kids, riding her horse Leo, and writing. If her publication speed has slowed down, you can blame the kids and the horse.

She makes cookies waaaaay too often, and thinks they should have their own food group. In a possibly misguided attempt at balancing the scales between overconsumption and exertion, she kickboxes every day. So if you don't like her kids, her cookies, or her books, maybe don't tell her in person.

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