MARKED BEAUTY by S.A. Larsen #Iamreading #YA #youngadult

About the book

Uncovering hidden secrets can sometimes kill you . . . or worse, steal your soul.

Anastasia Tate has a secret. She can feel the emotions of others through their life energy auras. Not a welcome gift for a teenager. Especially when a sinister presence begins stalking her. 

Viktor Castle also has a secret. He’s tasked with protecting humanity yet cursed by an ancient evil to destroy it.

After Viktor saves Ana’s life, her abilities grow stronger. Drawn together, she senses Viktor has answers to lifelong questions. Only he shuns her at every turn, knowing he has saved her only to put her in more danger. As Ana struggles with her attraction to Viktor, he tries everything to bury his unexpected feelings for her. But they must find a middle ground. For only together can they combat the dark forces threatening both their lives . . . and their souls. 

The Review

Ana has tried for years to keep her empath abilities a secret, but as she grows older, her talents grow stronger, threatening the protective bubble she's put around herself. Where once the auras were subtle they are now wild and raucous, threatening to consume her and are far harder to control. 

When Ana's best friend, Katee, is hurt in a car accident, Ana soon realizes there is more than just the life of her friend at stake.  Ana  meets Viktor whose talents match or are equal to her own. Ana falls for the mysterious stranger who saved her life in the typical teenagery way. While Viktor refuses to acknowledge their love, Ana is drawn to him. The mystery deepens when it is discovered that Viktor has been sent to save Ana's life and it is only together they can save themselves and the world they live in. 

Marked Beauty is filled with all the angst of the typical paranormal teenager The reader will enter the mind of Viktor as he tells his story from his alternating viewpoint. I enjoyed the characters, especially Ana and Viktor and their romance. The characters are well-written and thoroughly believable. I would have no problem letting my 13 year-old read Marked Beauty and I enjoyed it as well. 

Filled with science fiction and paranormal romance, it is clear S.A. Larsen has quite the imagination. I enjoyed how she took the paranormal aspects and made them her own. I have grown fond of YA romance and all things paranormal and Marked Beauty by S.A. Larsen didn't let me down. Larsen's writing style is fluid and easy to read, letting the reader know just how hard she worked at the novel's simplicity. There is an abundance of love, romance, darker love, and eventually, the right person wins out. *no spoilers here* So for YA it is just about perfect.