Mark of the Wicked by Georgia Bowers didn't disappoint. I loved everything about it. Thank to you NetGalley for the ARC!

An interesting witchy tale. I loved the magic in this and the mystery. It could have been a bit darker.

The plot of the book is a delicate tapestry of intricate characters, unpredictable twists, and a well-paced narrative that keeps the reader engaged from start to finish. While the story follows a conventional structure, it adds unique elements that make it stand out in its genre. The characters are well-developed and relatable, and their personal growth throughout the book is both believable and touching.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

With the rise of witches in YA books there are sadly going to be some that just do not hit the mark as you'd like. The pacing of the book was a little slower than I'd expected and made reading harder at times but the author makes up for it with the characters and isn't afraid to shy away from the "unlikablity" of her mains. All in all it was a solid read with a few minor issues but enjoyable nevertheless.

Matilda had no interest in being a good witch. She even had a spell in her pocket for when she caused another person harm, so she could cover up the mark that would etch itself into her body, as a reminder.

But sometimes causing others harm has a consequence that she could have never dreamed of, it attracts the wrong kind straight to her. Will she be able to step up and trust a coven to help her out or will her fear lose her family their power for good?

This was a really interesting take on witches and power. I came to love the idea of the mark throughout the course of this novel. It felt so different from anything I have ever read before and wasn’t expecting to like it as much as I did. It definitely fits the spooky vibe too. If you’re a fan of witchy magic be sure to pick this book up.

The fact that witches are at the centre of the story is definitely what pulled me in about Mark of the Wicked. That, and the cover! The font is really eye-catching, and the face of the person on the cover is startled, or frightened…and it made me want to find out what it was that put that expression on her face!

When first diving into Mark of the Wicked, the writing and atmosphere gave me a slightly different vibe from the rest of the book. This was fine…I just wanted to note that. Once things picked up a bit, I was pulled into the drama and also liked the concept about magic leaving scars on the witches who use magic with bad intentions.

Mark of the Wicked was well-written, and I liked that the plot kept me guessing––I was unable to predict any of the things that ended up happening and was kept on the edge of my seat.

While I didn’t click with any of the characters, I was able to note and appreciate the character development that took place! It was satisfying and realistic. I also really liked the atmosphere in Mark of the Wicked, especially around Matilda, the main character’s, family home. Mark of the Wicked was an entertaining read.

I actually took two tries to read it, originally only reading the first (rather long) chapter and then setting it aside for almost 6 months before trying again. I had a hard time following Matilda's motivations; I knew she wasn't supposed to be a character we the readers would like, but I couldn't puzzle out why she used her magic to manipulate people or why she got tired of them so quickly like they were toys. The way she approached magic (thorough, methodical) didn't line up with how she treated people.
Oliver's puppy dog attitude also got pretty exhausting - especially since Matilda goes from "don't even know your name" to "here's every secret there is to know about magic" without testing or questioning him at all.
I simply stopped being curious enough to continue.

Absolutely amazing novel. I was hooked from the first chapter until it was entirely taken aback that it was over. I’m officially a follower of this author, and will preorder anything that they release. The writing style is so refined and the world building is so unique and oftentimes complex, I find myself telling all of my friends to pick up this book, and keep an eye on upcoming works.

I really liked this book.
The morally grey characters, witchy and spooky vibes, witches, magic everything was fantastic.
Some descriptions were a bit too much and it took me forever to read this
But overall a nice enjoyable read.

What a amazing book! I feel in love with this one. The story is spectacular, all the characters are super vivid. I recommend with my heart.

First and foremost I want to thank the publisher for allowing me early access to this title. Though my review is late, I think it's mostly due to the fact that I continued to try and get into this book and for SOME reason I just couldn't. I don't know if it was the timing in which I tried to read it, but it just wasn't hitting the post. I love a good morally grey main character but I think I just don't like them when they appear selfish and whiny. So it might be a personal issue and no one else has this issue. I just couldn't understand their motives or why they did anything. I also couldn't do the animal abuse :( I'm sorry!

Mark of the Wicked is about a 16 year-old witch named Matilda, who is learning to use the magic that runs in her lineage, so that she can accept the family grimoire on her fast-approaching 17th birthday. She is also dealing with her parents' break-up and her own relationship problems - with the all high school angst those bring - while also dealing with mysterious events that may be due to her misuse of her magic. If you enjoy coming of age stories, stories about witches, stories about family problems, a character who feels like an outcast, then this book is for you.

I had no idea what I was getting into with this book, but I’m so glad I requested a review copy! MARK OF THE WICKED is enthralling, impossible to put down, and filled with the types of characters that are so complex, you don’t know whether to love them or hate them. I started off not much liking Matilda. She uses her magic to harm those she considers her enemies. The only problem is, if she harms someone with magic, she is scarred for life; their name carved into her face. But Matilda has learned how to hide her scars from everyone, so at the outset, it seems like she suffers no consequences for her actions. She’s angry, spiteful, and nearly impossible to sympathize with. At first.

When she meets Oliver, though, we get to see a side to Matilda that was missing — the reasons for the things she does. She reveals her deeper fears and her darker pain that she resorts to magic to help her cope, the way an alcoholic turns to booze to numb the pain. But there is something more sinister than Matilda afoot, with grisly animal deaths that somehow keep pointing to Matilda. But with her mother acting suspicious, her grandmother not having spoken in three years, and Matilda’s blackouts, anything is possible.

Plot
MARK OF THE WICKED is superbly plotted, with intertwining plots. Debut author, Georgia Bowers, creates intrigue with her storytelling. The pacing is perfection. Set in a small town in England, with a dark history, similar to that of Salem, Massachusetts in the states, her backdrop comes alive, becoming a part of the story as much as the characters.

The Characters
Speaking of characters, for me anyway, the ability to create an antihero like Matilda, and make us root for her the way we rooted for Walter White in the first few season of Breaking Bad, is a rare talent and Bowers does it masterfully. Supporting characters, like Matilda’s classmates, Erin, Oliver, her mother, and grandmother, are more than just cardboard cutouts and stereotypes. It would have been easy for the author to make someone like Ashley a less than sympathetic character, but even she has more depth than just the class queen bee.

Top Five Things I Loved About MARK OF THE WICKED
1. Magic. The magical world building is amazing and really adds to the plot and character development.

2. Characters. Their depth and complexity made this a book I couldn’t put down.

3. Plot. The story is unforgettable, with a number of twists and turns that made this a book I couldn’t put down.

4. Redemption. Matilda’s character arc is the opposite of Breaking Bad as she learns some brutal, valuable lessons about life, love, and what it means to be a good citizen.

5. Storytelling. The author does an amazing job of weaving in threads that stick with you, gnawing in your brain, that keeps you reading to find out what they mean.

Bottom Line
A stellar debut novel by an author I cannot wait to read more from.

Disclaimer
I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Witchy, exciting, an interesting plot that involves animal death and gore (there's your trigger warning for you), and a good read for anyone who can possibly get past the protagonist who is a great deal insufferable.

I had a lot of high hopes for this title but was ultimately left unsatisfied. I found our MC, Matilda, to be nearly insufferable—petty? Check. Selfish? Check. Whiny? Check. Totally awful human being with a penchant for baneful magick? Check. I wanted to like her so so badly but I just couldn’t get past her lack of morality. I usually love a dark mc but Matilda just wasn’t my type. Bowers is a wonderful author with loads of potential, this was just a miss for me.

Matilda's growth as a character was endearing and the ending was like a warm hug. This book got a lot right about Wicca and witchcraft. I wanted to know more about Lottie and Nana May.

I decided to DNF this book for two reasons:

1. It wasn't living up to the potential that I thought it was going to be
2. It wasn't intriguing enough for me.

The synopsis of this novel is we follow a teenage witch, trying to survive the consequences that she has accumulated for herself. The only way another witch could tell that she had done something bad would be the markings of the names of whomever they cause harm to.

I thought this was going to be another witchy vibe book that I would be into, but after a few pages of reading it, I got lost and I gave up on continuing on reading this book. The beginning of the book was beautiful and I was so excited that I was going to enjoy this. After some thought and putting off, reading this book became a chore for me.

I told myself that once I hit a certain percentage I would just continuing reading it and power through. I didn't want to put myself in a reading slump when this year have such a good reading year for me. I'm known to read mulitple books at the same time because of being a BIG mood reader. This one was just not doing it for me. I'm sure that other readers would enjoy this story but not for me.

I would to say thank you to NetGalley for providing me an E-Arc, in exchange for a honest review.

I apologies but I had to DNF this book. Obviously I couldn't write the review for it. I just couldn't pass more than 20 pages. I think that this MC is being evil for nothing? it was hard to continue reading it. believe me, I tried forcing myself to finish it but I can't so I decided to DNF it

Oh wow. I didn’t expect it to enjoy it like I did. To my shame I really liked the cover so this was the first reason for wanting to read it. And I am glad I had the chance. After a few chapters I was into the story so bad that I couldn’t stop reading.

First of all I love the name Matilda. It sounds so magical and I am glad that the main character has this name. Well, all her family has magical names. About her personality, the author shaped a 16 girl, who can do spells, pretty accurate. She tries to solve everything with magic, her insecurity blocks her to do anything non-witchy so she relies on her magic too often.

But what I really liked it’s that the author did her homeworks. I am a fan of witchcraft so most of the things Matilda did and said were true and this made the story real.

All in all, Mark of the Wicked was an interesting read and I am glad I had the opportunity to read it. Thank you TBR and Beyond and Georgia Bowers for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.