Markless is one of the best fantasy books I've read in a while and a beautiful take on a soulmates trope.

The story is set in a world where most people are born with half a mark on their hand that gives them powers connected to earth, fire, water or air. But those powers are impossible to control until the person finds their soulmate and their marks complete. Ruti was born without such a mark and through her character we get to see how this world treats people who are seen as less than the ones with marks. It's especially fascinating as Ruti has powers of her own, ones that don't require finding a soulmate to have control over. And yet that doesn't change how she's perceived just because she's markless. The other main character is Dekala, the future queen of the kingdom Ruti lives in. She considers love a weakness and wants nothing more than to ensure she won't be tied to a soulmate. She wants to rule her kingdom freely and without anyone dictating her what to do.

The world-building aspect of the book could benefit from expansion and development, but the romance holds strong and I have no complaints about it. The chemistry between the characters is amazing and it's really easy to get swept by their transition from enemies to lovers and how it affects their development as characters. How much it changes both of them. I loved especially how, even though the story is told only from Ruti's perspective, it's so easy to see how Ruti changes Dekala even if Ruti cannot see that. Multiple moments of this story brought me to tears and broke my heart in the best way possible.

This might be a debut book for C.G. Malburi but she's well known as a beloved fandom author. And while I think some authors struggle with the transition from writing fics to original stories, to me, C.G. manages to avoid the biggest issue and wrote main characters who feel well settled into this world and not like they are ripped out from another story.

I hope this is the start of a great writing career because I look forward to reading many more books by this author. And I cannot wait to have a physical version of this book on my shelf.