I really enjoyed this book a lot! It really drew me in right away and I enjoyed how dark the theme and felt like this was definitely more of an upper end YA book which made it more enjoyable for me. Definitely looking forward to reading more from this author!

I really enjoyed this book. It really enthralled me from the start and I was hooked. I can’t wait to read more from this author.

I wanted to like "The Devil's Mark" by Adria Kao more than I did. The premise was intriguing—a teen boy hunting down those marked by the devil, including the girl he's falling for. It had all the makings of a dark and twisty coming-of-age story.
While I appreciated the exploration of themes like destiny, faith, and the blurred lines between good and evil, the execution didn't quite live up to my expectations. The pacing felt uneven at times, and I struggled to fully connect with the characters.
That being said, Kao's writing shows promise, and I can see this book appealing to fans of Neal Shusterman and Kendare Blake. If you're in the mood for a sinister YA novel with paranormal elements and a bit of romance, "The Devil's Mark" might be worth checking out. Just don't go in with sky-high expectations like I did.

Appreciated how dark and gritty this book was for a Young Adult. Kao's writing is emotional and fast-paced and keeps readers engaged.

This was definitely different than I expected and I guess that's on me for not fully reading the synopsis as well as I should have. There was a lot of aspects to this I really was enjoying but overall it just wasn't for me. I wasn't able to connect to the characters or get that into the story, but I do think this is one of those it's a me problem not the books.

*Thank you Penguin Teen and team for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinons above are 100% my own!*

Matt is a member of a group called the Second Sweep, a sort of vigilante group that investigates people for signs that they are marked by the devil after surviving close calls with death. In the past, Matt has assisted his father with these investigations, but now he is finally old enough to handle his own case. He is assigned to a teenage girl named Rae who lives in the small community of Mills Creek. Rae and her father were in a terrible car accident. Her father lost his life but Rae walked away without a scratch and the Sweep believes she may be Marked. It is Matt's job to determine if that is true. But as Matt gets to know Rae and her friends better and becomes invested in his life at Mills Creek High School, he begins to question whether the Mark is real at all.

"Maybe when all you do is look for signs of Lucifer, that's all you see."

I really enjoyed this highly inventive novel and it didn't feel like YA to me at all. The ending actually threw me for a loop and for YA I think it was pretty dark. I'd love a sequel to this and will definitely seek out more by Kao.

This was not what I was expecting at all. But that’s my fault for not reading the synopsis.

I really enjoyed it though. It kept me entertained for the majority of the time.
It was a very unique story and I’m honestly still unsure if it’s true or not. Was it just something a crazy person made up or not? I’m still wondering this weeks later 😅

Overall it was a fast paced entertaining book.

I have a feeling this was a little bit inspired by the DC comics story of Raven.

This is a unique paranormal that I think is great for fans of the Scythe series that will leave your heart racing and feeling everything our MC Matt feels.

This book started out very strong. I enjoyed the writing style and the setup of the plot.

However, the plot lost itself around 2/3 of the way through. There was too much build up and then the ending was very rushed. I felt the "blowup" between the MC and the other characters wasn't well-earned and it made me sad.

Overall, I liked the writing style and where the story had the potential to go, so I will read more from this author in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of the e-book in exchange for my honest review.

Young adult paranormal thriller/horror about Lucifer and a secret group of individuals on the hunt for those touched by Lucifer's mark.
I found the story to be really interesting and easy to read. Some great twists and turns and a fun time.

Thanks to netgalley and penguin teen for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so not what I expected, and I’m still not sure if this is a good or bad thing.
It starts out seeming like it’s going to be paranormal, because it’s about a boy who has spent his whole life helping his dad hunt down and burn people who are marked by Lucifer.
BUT, halfway through the book, he realizes…what if none of this is real? What if his dad, and his dad’s mentor who is the only other person who is part of this he actually knows of, are crazy, and came up with the whole thing/were recruited for it easily because of how much grief they had?
Suddenly, the book turns from paranormal into a contemporary about a boy who didn’t realize he was in a cult his whole life and none of the things he’s been told his whole life are real. And that’s something that really happens to people.
As I kept reading, I wasn’t sure which one I hoped was true. Did I want it to turn out to be real, and this to be a paranormal book, or did I want it to turn out that his dad’s mentor was unhinged and his dad was crazy? Either one would probably make me mad, I thought. But somehow, the end actually tied things together so that both were kind of true, and it worked really well.
So overall, a solid book, even if it’s really hard to pin down what genre it actually is.

"A Crooked Mark" is a dark YA debut by Linda Kao, where the protagonist, Matthew, has spent his life hunting those cursed by the devil's crooked mark. His mission leads him to Rae Winter, a survivor of a deadly car crash, and as he gets closer to her, he questions the validity of the mark itself. The novel's unique plot and Matthew's transformative journey make it an engaging read. However, some readers may find the latter part of the book disconnected and filled with unanswered questions, despite an unexpected twist at the end, ultimately earning it a three-star rating.

This whole book was really intriguing and intense! Overall a very unique YA read. I loved Matt's story and found it to be engaging. Kao's writing style fit the story very well.

I really enjoyed this book! The concept was very unique and the story was extremely fast paced! I particularly enjoyed how this story kept you guessing the entire time. Just when I thought I knew what was going on, it took an unexpected turn. Matthew was a complex character who felt very real. It was a beautiful journey of self discovery.

The concept of being marked by the devil was something familiar, yet very unique. I loved the mystery behind it and learning more through shocking reveals throughout the story.

Overall this story was fast paced, thought provoking, and enjoyable!

This was such an interesting YA thriller and I loved Kao’s writing. The whole concept was really intriguing, and I loved Matt’s character.

I really wanted to love this one. The first 25% of the book especially the opening had me hooked in. However, as the story went on I found it falling flat. I couldn't connect with the characters that well and it seemed to slow down in pace.

When a soul is about to pass on, Matt and his father believe that Lucifer can "mark" it, and send it back to Earth to do his evil bidding. For years, Matt has been apart of 'The Sweepers'. He has followed his father from town to town, hunting and exterminating the marked by burning them alive. He has just been tasked with a solo mission, to eliminate a girl named Rachel, marked after a car crash that killed her father. Matt thinks it will be easy, until he spends more time with Rachel and realizes he's falling for her.

I enjoyed this enough, but I don't think it was anything spectacular in my opinion. It was fun while it lasted, but I don't think it was memorable. I liked Matt for the most part, I thought his back and forth with believing and not believing that Rae was marked got a bit old pretty quickly. His constant wining about not wanting to hunt Rae got annoying after awhile... just say you don't want to do it and move on. I was originally going to give it a 2, but the final twist made me give it a bonus star, as it went in a direction I wasn't expecting.

4.5 stars I could not put this book down!
Tense, mysterious, A Crooked Mark pulled the rug out from under me and kept me guessing till the very end.
Matt and his Dad spend their time hunting Marked, people who have had near death experiences and miraculously survived. Marked must be burned and killed before they bring about death and destruction in their wake, but it isn't always easy identifying them. Matt gets his first solo assignment and a chance at a normal teenage life while he tries to get close to his "project", but it isn't long before he is questioning everything he has been raised to believe. (It doesn't help that his "project" is nice, helpful, AND beautiful!)
Matt's journey through this book as he struggles to form his own beliefs after being told to look for evil everywhere is so profound. His paranoia and fear of not knowing who to trust had my heart racing on multiple occasions. Once he starts building relationships and actually living for the first time, his viewpoint and thoughts slowly start to shift. It's difficult to see the light at the other end of the tunnel when you've been told to only look at the dark for so long.
What happens if you let your grief swallow you whole and never move on? How far would you go to protect your loved ones? Everyone in this story is dealing with some type of grief and loss. Be it a parent who perished too soon, or a wife who freakishly passed away, not everyone manages their pain and loss in a healthy manner. Anyone who has ever lost someone will resonate with the struggles they face, and understand that lashing out is normal and not always a sign of a deeper issue. When you have loved ones and a support system, it really does change the way you grief and deal with difficult situations.
My favorite character was Mr. Garrett, something about seemingly curmudgeonly old men who are actually quite the opposite always gets me in the feels. Characters like his were a welcome respite in a tense story. The friendship and banter that Matt forms at school was sweet to read, I loved how everyone was so supportive and understanding of Rae.
I would read a sequel immediately, I feel like there is so much more to uncover and I want to know more!
Thank you so much to Penguin for this ARC!

This was really enjoyable if not a slightly different take on John and Dean Winchester sans Sammy. The idea of a group of people who champion for good by taking out those who’ve been afflicted with Lucifer’s mark is a questionable thing, a righteous few who decide whether you’ve been marked or not.

There’s a fine line between coincidence and evil and young Matt will learn this when he meets a girl, a target, who causes him to doubt whether the mark is real or not.

Definitely a chilling supernatural ya thriller that I thoroughly enjoyed!

My thanks to Penguin Teen for this gifted DRC!

This book was so fun and unique! It felt very original, which I definitely appreciate. However, based on the cover I did expect more fantasy elements, and the characters felt a little juvenile. The writing also wasn’t my favorite. But I really liked the twists in the story; the plot overall was very strong and well executed.