Marked by Sarah Fine

February 12th, 2015 Kimberly Review 80 Comments

12th Feb
Marked by Sarah Fine
Marked
by Sarah Fine
Series: Servants of Fate #1
Narrator: Emily Foster
Length: 9 hrs and 39 mins
Genres: Urban Fantasy
Source: Purchase
Purchase*: Amazon | Audible *affiliate
Goodreads
Rating: One StarOne StarOne StarOne StarHalf a Star
Narration: 4 cups

In a broken landscape carved by environmental collapse, Boston paramedic Cacia Ferry risks life and limb on the front lines of a fragile and dangerous city. What most don’t know—including her sexy new partner, Eli Margolis—is that while Cacy works to save lives, she has another job ferrying the dead to the Afterlife. Once humans are “Marked” by Fate, the powerful Ferrys are called to escort the vulnerable souls to either eternal bliss or unending fire and pain. Unaware of Cacy’s other life, Eli finds himself as mesmerized by his fierce and beautiful partner as he is mistrustful of the influential Ferry clan led by the Charon—who happens to be Cacy’s father. Cacy, in turn, can no longer deny her intense attraction to the mysterious ex-Ranger with a haunted past. But just as their relationship heats up, an apparent hit takes the Charon before his time. Shaken to the core, Cacy pursues the rogue element who has seized the reins of fate, only to discover that Eli has a devastating secret of his own. Not knowing whom to trust, what will Cacy have to sacrifice to protect Eli—and to make sure humanity’s future is secure?

One of my goals for 2015 was to read a Sarah Fine book since so many of my blog friends recommend her. I chose to listen to Marked the first book in her Servants of Fate series and it left me craving more. Marked was well crafted with characters I rooted for and twists I never saw coming.

Espresso review: captivating, unique characters and an interesting world

Caffeinated Breakdown of Marked

World: This urban fantasy takes place in Boston and weaves mythology into a dystopian world. Fines’ twist on the Fates and supernatural creatures was fascinating from the Scopes to the Fates themselves. Power struggles, romance and timeline threads held me spellbound. While we do not get all the pieces of this world, it was fleshed out enough to have me craving more.

Characters: From the very first chapters I was swept up and each character drew me further in. Cacy Ferry is tenacious, inquisitive and has such spunk. She is a bit of rebel choosing to be a paramedic instead of joining the families’ corporate business. It helps balance out her true calling. Eli is not your typical hero and I loved him. He is loyal, loves hard and hides secrets from his past. The tale is told in the dual perspectives of Eli and Cacy. To me this was brilliant and only enhanced the storyline and their interactions. The secondary characters and hierarchy were stellar. I love when an author fleshes them out and has me equally curious. We have villains and characters whose role we are unsure of making this a real page-turner.

Plot: I am going to be vague here, because Fine created twists I never saw coming. A human whose timeline will have a rippling effect on everyone involved and beyond is in danger. Sides are drawn, lines are crossed and figuring out where everyone falls is suspenseful. From the beginning, Fine has us invested from both an emotional standpoint and a “fate of the world” aspect.

Romance: Holy hotness and bring out the feels. The chemistry between Eli and Cacy is electric. You can call it insta-love if you want but Fine had no trouble making me believe. Every time these two were together, I felt the sexually tense and intense connection. Swoon-worthy with all the feels, Fine gave us scenes that melted my ears and she did it without making me blush. The angst and tension were brilliantly drawn out without making me pull out my hair. Instead, it had me holding my breath and demanding she find them their happy.

Narrator: Emily Foster is the narrator and we began a little rocky. She does a terrific job with the character but I found her narration to be too fast. I generally set my audible app between 1.25x and 1.75x. With Foster, I had to set it at 1x. Having said that within the first few chapters I was swept up in the story and found her voices and tones to be spot on. I definitely plan to continue on audio and hope she continues to narrate them.

Caffeinated Conclusion: Marked for the win! I am delighted and excited to continue the series, especially after the epilogue that left me drooling in anticipation. Sarah Fine lived up to the hype. Marked will delight fans of urban fantasy, dystopian worlds, science fiction and mythology based tales. The next book/audio in the series, Claimed releases in March of 2015.

“I came into this without expectations. Only hope. I’ll take whatever parts of you you’re willing to give.”

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About Kimberly
Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. BlueSky | Facebook | Instagram

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80 Responses to “Marked by Sarah Fine”

  1. Sharon

    Question: Did I miss something? How was Cacy’s mother able to die if she was a Ferry? Isn’t the only way a Ferry can die is at the hands/command of the Charon, who at the time was her husband?

    • kimbacaffeinate

      Sharon I have listened to book two as well and not completely sure which book I heard this in..but a human turned ferry will die when their mate does.

  2. Mandy

    This one sounds great. I picked it up with prime offered it to me free but haven’t started it yet. You’ve convinced me it’s time too. Thanks for sharing!

    • kimbacaffeinate

      I am so happy I finally read a Fine book and a good one at that 🙂

  4. Stephanie

    Well this sounds awesome. Love the cover too! I haven’t read anything by this author, but this sounds like a good place to start. I didn’t know audio could be listened to at different speeds. I will have to look into that! Thanks for sharing. 🙂

    • kimbacaffeinate

      Yes, there is a setting on most apps like Audible and Smart Audiobook App. It looks something like 1X when you open up book to listen. Click it and try different speeds till you find one that works best with narrator.

  6. Benish k

    I haven’t heard of her novels before, but I do like that cover though. I always seem to discover books from your blog – lovely review!

  7. Ramona

    Again with the swooning, Kimba! 😀 Mrs Fine could be deemed a healthy hazard… I haven’t read her so far, but I’ve got to admit that you have me curious now. Plus I don’t think I’ve ever read an adult dystopia, so that should be interesting too. As always, an excellent review.

    • kimbacaffeinate

      I love urban fantasy, and loved that the series was adult. I am going to try her YA next. I might as well confess I am a book boyfriend collector, slut, etc. I am all for the swoon 🙂

  8. Jessica

    Okay, so this just moved WAY up my TBR list. I’ve heard nothing but good things about Fine, and UF in Boston (I love Boston) with holy hotness in there too . . . yeah . . . this sounds excellent 😉

    • kimbacaffeinate

      Yes..I went with this because it was adult UF, and now I need to go back and try Sanctum her YA series

  9. Jeann

    Isn’t it a great feeling to cross a book off your list? Glad to hear this book lived up to your expectations, the characters, romance and world building sound wonderful! Great review Kimba.

    • kimbacaffeinate

      Thanks Jeann, now I can finally say I have read a Sarah Fine book 🙂

  11. Terri

    Your reviews are dangerous for my TBR pile, as I keep adding new titles to my wishlist! Love the sound of this one, but still haven’t tried audio books so think I’ll stick to physical books for now. Thanks for a great review!

  13. Candace

    I’ve been wanting to read this but maybe I’ll grab the audiobook. It might be the fastest way to squeeze it in. I do love Sarah Fine!

  14. Bookworm Brandee

    Okay, I’m captivated. I’ve not read Fine myself but now I’d like to. I was just thinking that maybe I’d use an Audible credit but if you were iffy with the narrator, I might try the book instead. I’m still an audiobook newbie. 🙂 Great review though. I’m happy you enjoyed your introduction to Fine.

    • kimbacaffeinate

      No the narrator was great..I just had to keep the speed at 1x which is how it comes. Normally I can bump it up.

  17. Debbie Haupt

    Thanks for the short and always sweet review Kim. I’ve heard of this author but I haven’t tried her but the genre, premise and your review are making my tbr pile cry uncle 😉

  19. tonyalee

    I am excited to see another series of mine that I love you enjoyed! Sarah’s book are also so complex and fascinating 🙂

  20. Angela Adams

    “Marked was well crafted with characters I rooted for and twists I never saw coming.” — that is the sign of a great, must-read book! Thanks for the post.

  21. sherry fundin

    I love reading your reviews, Kim. I think you cover all the bases and do it in a fantastic way. Makes me want to read the book. 🙂

  22. Heidi

    I am so glad you tried Sarah Fine. I think she is brilliant. I am loving this new adult series. I really really hope you will try Sanctum, it is one of my all time fav books.

    • kimbacaffeinate

      I though you said loving this NA series..lol, Yes, I am glad I tried her adult series first. I have Sanctum on my audio wishlist Heidi and look forward to trying it

  23. Olivia

    I haven’t read a Sarah Fine book either, but this sounds like the perfect book to begin with! What appeals to me most about it has to be the brilliant world building and how well that is handled. That aside, it sounds like so many elements come together well here!

    • kimbacaffeinate

      I really enjoyed it, and look forward to seeing where Fine takes it

  24. Stormi

    I have seen this around but I wasn’t real sure about it but you make it sound like something I should try. It’s going on the audio wishlist for when I get some extra monies to spend on goodies. 🙂

  25. Sarah

    Anther author to add to my TBR list! I haven’t read this author before, but so many bloggers are digging her. I must investigate. Great review! 🙂

  26. Jennifer

    Great review. This one sounds interesting. I’ll have to listen to a sample. I find it interesting when another audio listeners talk about changing the speed. I never do that and can’t picture myself doing it either. LOL I stay with the 1x speed for all my audios.

    • kimbacaffeinate

      Oh too funny, Loupe got me started on adjusting speed. I tend to like 1.75 but it depends on the narrator.

  27. Sophia Rose

    I can’t recall coming across this series and the worldbuilding and twisty plot along with the feelsie romance sound right up my alley. Thanks!

  28. Silvia

    Sounds great! Urban Fantasy is a genre I really like, so I’ll have to check this one out. Thanks, Kimberly 🙂

  29. Felicia the Geeky Blogger

    Awesome! I have done that a few times–there are a couple of narrators that I either can’t listen to on normal speed or can’t listen to sped up . This does sound really good and Sarah is a new to me author 🙂

  30. Jenny

    YAY!!!!!!!!! *Sarah Fine Happy Dance* I’m so glad you finally got a chance to read her and were impressed as I continually am every time I pick up one of her books. I just loved Eli and Cacy together, and while this world was a touch confusing for me at times, I can’t wait to continue on with the series. Fantastic review Kim!!!

    • kimbacaffeinate

      The world was interesting, sorry you found parts confusing. Yeah Eli and Cacy together are magic 🙂

  31. Braine Talk Supe

    Oh yay! I thought this was YA, and I saw the romancce part and I gotta do a fist pump! I’m reading her too because I loved her Steampunk book & she was also recommended to me. Yay to our blogger friends who has great taste in books!

    • kimbacaffeinate

      Nope totally adult urban fantasy..I am looking forward to trying more of her work

  32. Katherine

    I’ve heard of Sarah Fine but never read anything by her. I’m trying to step out of my reading comfort zone and this sounds fun. I love a good plot twist and throw in a great romance and it sounds like a good way to step out of that comfort zone!

    • kimbacaffeinate

      This is adult urban fantasy, and would be a fun place to start 🙂

  33. Nick

    YAY! Welcome to the Sarah Fine fangirl club! 😉 I love all of Sarah’s books! I think she’s the one author whose books consistently amazes me. This one was pretty great too and I really enjoyed it. Eli and Cacy were such great characters and the plot twists!!! I can’t wait to see what you think of Claimed. I just finished it and it was so good!
    You better get to more Sarah Fine books! You would love her Guards of Shadowland series. 🙂
    Lovely review, Kim!

    • kimbacaffeinate

      I keep checking for the audio of Claimed I cannot wait 🙂 is her Guards of Shadowland adult or YA?

  34. JennRenee

    I have read a few of her ya books and loved them. I didn’t know she did adult books too. This one look really good. I don’t mind insta love if its believable or makes sense or more of an insta attraction that leads to more. I love twists and turns too. This does sound like a winner winner.

  35. Alreem

    glad to see you enjoyed her book 🙂 I haven’t read for this author before, Maybe i will try reading for her also, happy to see you are working on your goals, hope you actually complete all your goals by the end of the year 🙂

  36. Christy

    I have the same goal this year. I came close to reading this, but changed my mind and want to read the other series first. But now I’m back to wanting to jump o this series first. Sigh … such hard decisions in life.

  37. Melliane

    Ok now you made me curious. It’s UF? I saw it on NG but didn’t ask for it because well ok I’ll say it, I wasn’t that much a fan of the cover. But maybe I should. I’ll take a closer look. thank you!

    • kimbacaffeinate

      Oh nice..I am holding out for the audio. Good to know you are liking it 🙂

  39. Kay

    I loved Fine’s Guards of the Shadowlands trilogy and therefore I can’t wait to read this one! I’m so glad you liked it. I love when an MC has spunk and there are some good plot twists. 😀

    • kimbacaffeinate

      Enjoy Kay 🙂 I am looking forward to trying some of other work

    • kimbacaffeinate

      That is awesome Maggie, I look forward to your take on it 🙂