My Thoughts On: Burn Mark by Laura Powell

Posted July 18, 2012 by Asheley in Uncategorized / 9 Comments


Burn Mark by Laura Powell
Published by Bloomsbury USA
Publish Date: June 19, 2012
416 Pages
Source:  ARC from publisher

An action-packed new series full of gangs, witches, and a modern day Inquisition

In a modern world – where witches are hunted down and burned at the stake – two lives intersect. Cleo is from a powerful family of witches and is desperate to develop the ‘Fae’ and become a witch. The younger you are when the fae appears, the more powerful you will be. So where is her power? Lucas is the son of the Chief Prosecutor for the Inquisition and he has dreamed of hunting witches since he was very young. But his life will change forever when the fae appears in him. And when Cleo’s power emerges almost simultaneously, she and Lucas will be drawn together…whether they like it or not.

In this fascinating world of modern day witches, no one is what they seem. And no one is safe.(summary excerpt from back of ARC cover)

Burn Mark by Laura Powell 



My Thoughts:  I do not read that many witch books, but this one is different than any other I’ve read before. Burn Mark by Laura Powell introduces a completely different society and set of rules for witches.

Burn Mark features a London society that claims to be accepting of witches. Witches are often highly-functioning and successful members of society, and they tend to get along well with their non-witch counterparts. Just like with regular people, however, there are those witches that like to break the rules. There are specific branches of the government tasked specifically to governing all witches and their behavior and lifestyle. But unlike humans who may simply go to prison when they break laws and commit crimes, witches are still being burned at stake.

Glory is part of the Wednesday Coven, a group of witches well-known in the area. This group is being investigated for suspicion of organized crime and other illegal activities, and seems to operate like a mafia. While Glory’s upbringing has not been very glamorous, she is a very powerful witch and there is great opportunity for her within her group – if she will use her powers for good. Lucas is the son of a very prominent and well-respected Inquisitor, a member of one of the witch-governing branches of local London government. He has always had the very best of things while growing up and lives a very comfortable life. His family prides itself on being pure from witch blood. Also an extremely powerful witch, Lucas is determined to use his power for good.

While Glory had always hoped to be lucky enough to turn into a witch one day, Lucas was incredibly shamed when he found out what he was. The two are just about as opposite as two people can be.

Interestingly enough, they each receive their witch fae (powers) on the same day. And interestingly enough, these two people that otherwise would never know each other end up crossing paths to work together on a very important job.

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Burn Mark is fun. It is always nice when an author deviates a little from an expected norm, and this particular witch society was something totally unknown and new for me and kept enough of what I am familiar with tied into the story to make it comfortable. I liked Glory and Lucas as characters, and the corruption/organized crime angle of the story made it fun.

In terms of the actual story, it a little slow for me in the beginning for two reasons. First, I am very Southern (US) and this book is written in a very British style. Aside from the slight language barrier, the story is also very descriptive – there is a ton of space given to setting up each government office or division, the Wednesday coven, the manner in which the witches are punished, the witch lore, etc. At times the description seemed to bog the story down, but if you are a person who tends to love descriptive styles, you will certainly love the way this world is built. After I was able to get past my personal language barrier and wade out some of the description, the story picked up a great deal for me. 

I recommend Burn Mark to readers who enjoy witch stories or even crime stories. Readers who seek out books set in London may also like this one in particular. It’s a fresh and new take on something that has been written tons of times. 

Burn Mark will appeal to fans of:

Witch Stories – Paranormal/Urban Fantasy
Organized Crime, Money Laundering, Etc.
Alternating Points-of-View
Setting: London

Burn Mark by Laura Powell
is currently available for purchase.

**I received a review copy from the author and publisher in exchange for an honest opinion and review. I received no compensation for my thoughts. Thank you Bloomsbury USA!

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Asheley

About Asheley

Asheley is a Southern girl. She loves Carolina blue skies, Ben & Jerry's ice cream, and NC craft beer. She loves all things history but prefers books over everything.

You can find her somewhere in North Carolina, daydreaming about the ocean.

Find Asheley on Litsy @intothehallofbooks!

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9 responses to “My Thoughts On: Burn Mark by Laura Powell

  1. Have you read The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson? It's a completely different book, but the main character is a southern girl who goes to school in London. She's actually pretty funny! It has to do with ghosts and Jack the Ripper so is a bit creepy. But a good story! Also, when I watch Masterpiece on PBS – particularly the mystery, like Sherlock – I put on the subtitles to help me decipher the British speak. But neither of those things have anything whatsoever to do with Burn Mark.

    Is this a YA book? Is it part of a series? I like the book cover. Thankfully, no prom-dress wearing girls, or kissing couples. Though, I'm not sure I'm going to run out and get this one.

  2. I'm completely and utterly intrigued by this book. I love reading about witches, and this certainly sounds different from anything I've read before.

    • It is definitely different witch lore than I've ever read before, Alexa. Although I usually don't read many witch books – for some reason I usually find witches kind of scary. This one isn't scary at all. The organized crime part was kind of an unusual addition, but I liked it. 🙂

  3. I love witch stories, but lately I have been rather disappointed in those that I've come across, with very few exceptions. And really, none have wowed me in a long time. Maybe Burn Mark would get me out of my slump…

    Like Lauren above, I loved The Name of the Star (I love ANY book by Maureen Johnson) and yeah, it's a good way to ease yourself into Brit lingo:) Even still, I have a hard time with it sometimes too. I remember reading Harry Potter all those years ago and thinking "Holy crap, this Brit-speak is haaarrd…" Of course in the end, I grew to love it:)

    • Yeah, the Brit-Speak…I laugh at myself because I was reading some of the stuff out loud and googling some words. I'm sure it was funny. I know some readers and bloggers who really love the London setting and British stuff, though, so I'm sure they'll breeze through much easier than I did. And I did get used to it, it just took a little time.

      This one is a quick and easy read (the story, not the language) and I thought it was really neatly done – the different spin and mythology. I ALWAYS love a new view on anything, be it a fairytale or a classic mythology, and this was fun to read, especially with a mafia-like twist. So maybe you'd like it compared to others you've read lately.

  4. I reallyI really loved this book-the descriptive passages were right up my alley and I loved getting to know both Glory and Lucas.

    I also love The Name of the Star as recommended by Lauren above.

    • Oh that's great – the descriptions are something that people tend to either love or not love, ya know? For me, I normally love descriptions but could've used just a tad bit less. BUT…they DID build an excellent world and give a great glimpse into the governing structure and the layout of the Wednesday coven group.

      I LOVED Glory and Lucas. They were both great.

      I really need to get on The Name of the Star, especially since you guys have mentioned it so highly today. I think I'll move that one up my TBR. Thanks!!

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