Prized (Birthmarked Series #2): A Review

Prized by Caragh M OBrien   

When Was It Released?:  8th November 2011
Where Did I Get It From?: Won from Goodreads   
Who Published It?: Roaring Book Press
Number Of Pages: 368 pages

After reading Birthmarked I could not wait to pick up the second novel in the series; Prized. I was a little apprehensive, after loving Birthmarked so much, that Prized would not live up to my expectations. I find that often a second novel in a series is never as good as the first. Prized, however lived up to and may even, in my opinion have surpassed my love of Birthmarked. If you have not read Birthmarked, you may not want to read this review, as it may contain spoilers.

Gaia has managed to escape into the wasteland, after leaving The Enclave, and is left to try to care for her baby sister and look for a place that may only be a rumour. Gaia is captured and taken to Sylum, a society where women rule, men are drastically outnumbered and kissing is a crime. Gaia must conform to the strict rules of Sylum in order to see her sister but Gaia cannot deny her sense of justice and curiosity with the society.

Prized was a complete rollercoaster, that took off quickly from the place that Birthmarked finished and continued on with twists and turns throughout. After Birthmarked I was interested to see where the story would go and lets say that I loved the direction that the storyline took. I enjoyed the information that was given about The Sylum but I was even more intrigued by the details that are not provided. I had so many questions throughout Prized and now that I have finished reading I have even more questions, leaving me desperate for the upcoming third novel in the series. The thought provoking situations that Caragh O’Brien puts forward within the book were really enjoyable and had me constantly thinking about the society in which Gaia is placed and how I would deal with being in similar situations. I loved the message that is placed within the novel of how societies and situations should be improved with change from within rather than resistance and fighting from the outside.

Gaia’s character really grew between Birthmarked and Prized, with her character being strengthened, her resolve strengthen and her likeability increased. She asks way beyond her years due to the harsh times and ordeals that she has faced and I enjoyed seeing her grow and come of age. I loved the way her intense emotions are portrayed and dealt with throughout. The introduction of new male characters, in particular, Peter, were a refreshing change and added extra romance, depth and entertainment to the plot. I really enjoyed what is essentially a love square and how each character deals with this individually.

My only one issue with the novel, however was with the love square. Within The Sylum there is a greater proportion of men to women, leaving many males without partners. This therefore obviously increased the interest that all women receive including Gaia. I did find, however that with Gaia having her scar and deformity, that this was perhaps a little unrealistic. There are many other women within The Sylum yet Gaia receives the most attention of anyone in the society.

Overall I loved Prized; it was an enthralling, thought provoking and a magnificent story. This is a stand out dystopian series that anyone should read, no matter what your reading tastes. I was unable to put this book down and became so wrapped up and involved up in the characters that I was feeling everything along with them. I was really swept away by Prized and the Birthmarked series and would go as far as to say that this is one of my favourite series of this year. I am now on the edge of my seat waiting for the third novel in the Birthmarked series, which will be released next year.

Birthmarked: A Review

Birthmarked by Caragh M OBrien

When Was It Released?:  30th March 2010
Where Did I Get It From?: The library 
Who Published It?: Roaring Book Press  
Number Of Pages: 362 pages

Birthmarked was the first dystopian novel I ever read. I know, I’m a long way behind in terms of this genre, but I just never really knew where to begin. To admit I was a little nervous about starting it would be an understatement, however after receiving the sequel Prized for review I decided to get my hands on this book and read it.

Gaia and her mother work as midwifes, having to deliver the first three infants born every month to The Enclave. They never question what they have to do. That is until Gaia’s mother is taken away by the people she has always been loyal to, causing Gaia to question everything that she believes in.

I absolutely loved the way in which Caragh O’Brien has created such an intriguing world that I wanted to know everything I possibly could about. I was instantly drawn in to learning about the world in which Gaia lives as well as The Enclave, finding it easy to understand. I loved how the society in which Gaia lives in, where water is rationed out, really got me thinking. I was literally scared at times thinking about how I would cope if I had to live by these rules and regulations. I was constantly unsure of whether The Enclave was good or evil, and I really enjoyed how there were so many gray areas, leaving it open to reader interpretation. The pace is fast enough that I was constantly on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen next, there are so many twists and turns throughout the novel. It was not too fast though, and I was still able to keep up with all the action while taking in every little detail about Gaia and The Enclave.

I really fell in love with the character of Gaia, she is so strong, passionate, determinded and most important of all likeable. I enjoyed reading about the way she changes and has to grow up throughout the course of the book. I loved the interaction between Gaia and Leon, finding it to be realistic, believable and entertaining with the splash of humour that is added. I really appreciated the way in which there is a love story within Birthmarked, that lingers beneath the surface and is more subtle than in most novels. I found this added a lot more depth to the novel and gave the romance room to grow in the forthcoming books.

I only had one issue with Birthmarked and that was that I had to wait to read the sequel, Prized in order to find out what happens next in the story. As soon as I put Birthmarked down I just had to pick up Prized. I was dying to know what happens next.

Birthmarked is a story that everyone will love, regardless of whether you have read dystopian before. The storyline is unique and really brings some great ideas, that will have you thinking about long after you have finished the book. Pick up this book, put aside a couple of hours and get started because trust me you will be unable to put this book down.

A Review: Restless In Carolina by Tamara Leigh:

Tamara Leigh   - Restless In Carolina

When Was It Released?: 19th July 2011
Where Did I Get It From?: Ashley Boyer at Waterbrook Multnomah was kind enough to send this copy for review
Who Published It?:   Waterbrook Multnomah
Number Of Pages:  339 pages


Restless In Carolina is the third novel in the Southern Discomfort series; following on from Leaving Carolina and Nowhere Carolina. I was excited to read this new novel in the series, as I always enjoy seeing how authors depict the south in particularly the Carolina’s, which is where I now live. I was excited to see how Restless in Carolina would pan out and could not wait to get started on this novel.

Bridget Pickwick is trying hard to overcome the death of her husband, Easton, but after four years things just aren’t getting any easier. Everyone around her seems to think that it is time she ditched her widow’s weeds and started living her life. On top of that she needs to find a buyer for her family’s estate, and not just any buyer, but someone who will keep the estate in its natural form, as eco-friendly as possible rather than turning it into a housing. Bridget thinks she may have found just in the man in JC Dirk, whose company has been developing green properties for years. JC however, is not amused when Bridget decides to gatecrash one of his meetings in order to get his attention, until she mentions the family name that is. JC finds himself more than interested not only in the property but also perhaps in Bridget herself!

The plot itself is based on a concept which is tried and tested with the southern girl and the city boy. I did enjoy the element Tamara Leigh brings in with trying to find a green buyer for the estate. I felt that this stopped the novel from being something that has been done many times before. Even though this is the third novel in the Southern Discomfort series, the novel still flows easily whether you have read the previous two novels or not. While I would recommend that you do read the previous novels in the series, it is defiantly not necessary in forming an understanding of the plot, and this novel does work well as a stand alone too.

I really enjoyed reading about the character of Bridget. Even though she is an almost polar opposite of myself, I loved her tough character and found her to be extremely grounded. Her tough attitude is chipped away at in this novel, revealing a hilarious, poignant and down to earth woman. I really enjoyed seeing the vulnerable side of Bridget and the way in which she deals with her grief over the loss of her husband, makes her extremely likeable. I also liked the character of JC who I found entertaining, humours and handsome. I loved reading the interaction between Bridget and JC, which had me wondering all along if they would realize that they are perfect for each other. I could not figure JC’s secret out until the point where he tells it. Its very rare for me to find a novel in which I can’t see what is coming on the next page, therefore I found this refreshing. Another favourite character of mine was Uncle Obe, who even though he is dealing with the on set of dementia, is still hilarious and comes out with some very funny lines. He is also a very generous and humble man, who brings great depth to the storyline.

I had one big problem with Restless In Carolina and that was that I felt a lot of the time religion was being pushed down my throat. I am very open in my beliefs and do mind reading about any religion or religious views, however I do like when it is mentioned on almost every page. I felt as though the authors views on religion were forefront throughout the novel. I understand that Tamara Leigh wanted to bring her faith into her writing and make her novels more God-honouring, however I just felt that the way in which it was brought across was not to my tastes. I do not enjoy being preached at through a novel and feel that a little toning down of this could have gone a long way to improving the novel. My other issue with the novel was the use of stereotypes. I myself live in South Carolina and I did not enjoy the way in which there were stereotypical southern characters, who all had stereotypical southern names. I know that many people love these aspects of southern life and reading about this in a novel, but personally I myself am not one of them. I would have liked the characters to be unique people rather than stereotypes of how southern people are perceived.

Overall I did enjoy reading Restless In Carolina. I found the novel to be humorous, filled with romance and southern charm. The characters fit really well with the plot and I really found myself wanting to find out what happened. There is a strong message throughout this novel, which I commend Tamara Leigh for putting into her work. I would recommend Restless In Carolina to anyone who enjoys a romance novel sprinkled with southern charm. I will be reading more from Tamara Leigh in the future.