Hi everyone!
Welcome to another post. I hope you all are doing well. Today I'm here with you for another Book Tour, courtesy of none other than TBRBeyondTours, for the book Mark of The Wicked, by debut author Georgia Bowers.
Mark of The Wicked is a vibrant yet creepy and chilling story of a witch, and one that I'm so excited to talk about.
This is my tour stop, featuring:
•a review
•my favourite quotes
•and an exclusive playlist you can listen to while reading this book.
NOTE- E-arc received via NetGalley
FAVORITE QUOTES
"I hated that girl, Oliver. I hated her so much that I swallowed a bee so that she would vomit up a hive."
With each knot tied by my fingers and with each fruit that I burn, burn their memory clear if that night so they should forget.
“You messed with the wrong witch.”
"My mom is always going on about balance and she’s right about that at least; magic is like fire, pretty on a birthday cake but deadly if you set fire to something you shouldn’t.”
Release Date- August 10th 2021
Publisher-
Purchase Links- Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository | Barnes and Noble.
A young witch tries to unravel the mystery of who is framing her for dark magic in Georgia Bowers' creepy YA debut fantasy, Mark of the Wicked. Magic always leaves its mark. All her life, Matilda has been told one thing about her magic: You use only when necessary. But Matilda isn't interested in being a good witch. She wants revenge and popularity, and to live her life free of consequences, free of the scars that dark magic leaves on her face as a reminder of her misdeeds. When a spell goes awry and the new boy at school catches her in the act, Matilda thinks her secret might be out. But far from being afraid, Oliver already knows about her magic - and he wants to learn more. As Oliver and Matilda grow closer, bizarre things begin to happen: Animals show up with their throats slashed and odd markings carved into their bodies, a young girl dies mysteriously, and everyone blames Matilda. But she isn't responsible -- at least, not that she can remember. As her magic begins to spin out of control, Matilda must decide for herself what makes a good witch, and discover the truth...before anyone else turns up dead.
⚠️ Content Warning-
minor body horror, threat of harm to animals and animal death. Some animal death is real and some is imagined.
MY REVIEW
Mark of The Wicked adds a chilling twist to the typical witch setup in the modern world, where if a witch hurts someone else with her magic, she will have the name of their victim permanently etched on their skin.
We follow the story through the eyes of our protagonist, Matilda, who is a teenage witch living with her mother and grandmother in a small town.
Her father was the one who taught her a cloaking spell to hide the scars of the names etched on her body, and ofcourse Matilda has taken full advantage of that, using spells left and right on anyone she wants.
At her core Matilda is an unlikable character, but an unapologetically strong one. She has a sharp tongue, a mean streak, and can even be cruel at times. There is a chance that a lot of you won't like her, and sure if she would have been real, I would never cross her; but within the story she was quite an entertaining character to follow.
Not gonna lie there were so many times she got on my last nerve, and frustrated me so damn much, but the twist by the second half of the book was worth it. And it's lovely seeing her acr develop and take a turn for the better by the end of the book.
As for the plot there are some pretty interesting things that happen in the book. It is a lot slower pace than I expected, but I didn't mind it that much. I really appreciated the way the author took the traditional "witch spells" and magic system and made them more edgy and creepier.
It's the magic mirrors, potions, and voodoo dolls- the whole thing but better.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Georgia Bowers lives in a small town in Bedford, England. When it was time to decide what to do with her life, she was obsessed with two things: books and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It seemed sensible to follow in the brogued footsteps of Rupert Giles, so she became a librarian, though sadly not the demon fighting kind. But there’s still time. Ever since her mum told her that witches used to meet in the woods near their village, she’s been obsessed with witchcraft and the paranormal. When she was a teenager, a weekly habit of Point Horrors satisfied her thirst for chilling tales before she moved on to reading Stephen King. These days she likes to give her nerves a break every now and then with a good YA romance. After completing a course in writing YA fiction she was a winner in the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Undiscovered Voices. Since then she has dabbled with stories of chosen ones and ghostly best friends until she conjured up the magical ingredients for her debut novel, Mark Of The Wicked.
Let's Chat!
Let me know any of your thoughts in the comments!
Until then,
Bye!
Love stories where an unlikeable character shows growth throughout the book. Great Review!! I am definitely planning to pick this up whenever I am in the mood to pick up a witchy read.