Worlds collide in Lindsey Klingele's debut young adult novel, The Marked Girl, an exciting fantasy tale turned upside down. Elissa Sussman, author of Stray, calls The Marked Girl "a magical debut with a big heart." When Cedric, crowned prince of Caelum, and his fellow royal friends (including his betrothed, Kat) find themselves stranded in modern-day LA via a magical portal and an evil traitor named Malquin, all they want to do is get home to Caelum-soon. Then they meet Liv, a filmmaker foster girl who just wants to get out of the system and on with her life. As she and Cedric bond, they'll discover that she's more connected to his world than they ever could've imagined...and that finding home is no easy task. The Marked Girl has humor, heart, and harrowing adventures, perfect for fantasy lovers and reluctant fantasy readers alike.
I really liked the idea of this (which is why it's getting 2 stars instead of 1), but gosh did these really potentially dynamic characters fall so flat. It was so plot heavy and convoluted that I didn't really care what happened to any of them. There was a part toward the end that also saved me (and this book) from eye-rolling all the way to Tijuana.
