Birthmarked by Caragh M. O'Brien - Top Reviewer

Miss Havoc @  Cry Havoc!

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Birthmarked by Caragh M. O'Brien(formerly THE ORION TATTOO (formerly THE BABY CODE))

(ARC woo-woo!)

Synopsis: (Publisher synopsis)

After climate change, on the north shore of Unlake Superior, a dystopian world is divided between those who live inside the wall, and those, like sixteen-year-old midwife Gaia Stone, who live outside. It’s Gaia’s job to “advance” a quota of infants from poverty into the walled Enclave, until the night one agonized mother objects, and Gaia’s parents are arrested.

Badly scarred since childhood, Gaia is a strong, resourceful loner who begins to question her society. As Gaia’s efforts to save her parents take her within the wall, she herself is arrested and imprisoned.

Gaia carries an encoded ribbon from her parents, and its secrets hold vital information about certain advanced children who were "birthmarked" by tattoos. The Protectorat, who safeguards the population within the wall, needs Gaia’s code and its genetic counterpart to offset the hemophilia that plagues the Enclave. Sgt. Grey, a young, handsome guard of the Enclave, is used by the Protectorat to manipulate Gaia and gain her cooperation with decoding the ribbon. As Sgt. Grey faces his own complicated past and Gaia recognizes the moral ramifications of her actions, they take desperate steps to escape.

Fraught with difficult moral choices and rich with intricate layers of codes, BIRTHMARKED explores a colorful, cruel, eerily familiar world where one girl can make all the difference, and a real hero makes her own moral code.

Review: I really liked this story. I'm really hoping there is a sequel. I'm still getting into the groove of reviewing without it sounding like a book report, or worse, not telling you anything about the book at all. (which is really all I've done so far-yikes!) So, lets start with Birthmarked and see how I can make this better. Birthmarked is set in a dystopian future. Where Gaia, a sixteen year old midwife, must "advance" the first three children bore every month to the Enclave. The Enclave is a gated city full of wealth and a better life, that Gaia lives outside of. When Gaia's parents are arrested, she sneaks into the Enclave to rescue them. Without spoilers, she finds herself way over her head and dealing with more than what she thought was going on. With the help of a high ranking officer, Gaia breaks the "baby code" and helps her people find their families. At times it's full of action, at others blooming with romance, Birthmarked just HAS to have a sequel to satisfy my curiosity of "what happens next!"

I highly recommend this to others who enjoy dystopian novels.

I've already loaned it to my sister! 4/5 stars!

Birthmarked by Caragh M. O'Brien HBIC Review

 Birthmarked by Caragh M. O'Brien
Review copy purchased form Amazon.com, kindle edition.

PJVs QUICKIE POV: Your typical dystopian, Birthmarked pairs an innocent girl with an oppressive society, makes that girl not so innocent anymore (knowledge) and narrates girl attempt to kick societies butt. I enjoyed Gaia’s story, and I’m a big fan of the genre. Birthmarked is up against some heavy hitters, though, such as The Hunger Games, Inside Out, and The Uglies which in comparison, Birthmarked does fall short…but it was an enjoyable read. The gritty setting, the iron-fisted ruling class, the conspiracy laced lies that society is founded on; all are well played and thought provoking. The main incendiary act of the oppressing society is quite disturbing and gets under you skin. O’Brien did a wonderful job with her world building and I look forward to the second in this series.

REVIEW: The world is set in what appears to be a post environmental apocalypse. The great lakes are dried up craters and the area that surrounds the community is called the wasteland. The main society is a walled community called the Enclave and is ruled by a dictator called the Protectorate. The people within the wall are pampered; they have electricity, clean clothing and indoor plumbing. The people outside the wall are the second-class citizens, hardly any electricity, living in hovels and completely repressed. They are so completely lorded over by the enclave that they even give up their newborn children to advance the genetic diversity of the people that live within the wall.
Everything is going good for the Enclave, citizens are giving up their children with very little complaint. They believe their children will get a better life if they go behind the wall. That is until Gaia’s parents are taken under arrest…and Gaia refuses to just sit back and allow the Enclave to take control of her life. And so begins the story of the young mid-wife and her slow realization that life isn’t exactly how she pictured it, the world is a nasty place but if you look deep enough, you might just find something that is worth fighting for.

RECOMMENDATIONS: A safe and entertaining read for teens, and mature enough for older readers. Fans of dystopian should enjoy Birthmarked.




1. When reading dystopian, the scary aspect is thinking, "Could this happen one day?" Did you ask yourself this while reading Birthmarked ? Do you think a future like this is possible?
No. If an environmental disaster would occur that would dry up lakes and turn the country into a wasteland, I don’t think the human element would wall themselves up in an Enclave. JMO. But it is probably because Climate Change is a pet peev of mine.
2. How did the puzzle aspect of the story work for you? Did you figure out the code or was the explanation a surprise? Does this element work for you in a story or is there one you like/appreciate more?
No. I’m not good with puzzles. A little slow here. I wasn’t really a surprise though, I could kind of see it, just not really. It was like a 50% realization.
3. Gaia follows in the steps of her mother as a midwife. For Gaia in the beginning its service and only later does she realize what taking the babies signifies. Can you put yourself in the mother’s role, what would you do if Gaia tried to take your newborn?
I don’t think I could casually give up my child to a governing body. I think I would take her and run.
4. Gaia feels ugly because of her scar and unable to fit in within the wall (enclave) because she wasn't perfect. Do you think finding out that her parents lied to her [about how she got the scar] was able to move the story along??
I think it showed the drastic measures that her parents were willing to take to keep her and not let her get sucked into the Enclave. While intensely selfish, I think it shows desperation. I think I might have done things a bit differently if I was Gaia’s parents.

Discussion Questions for Birthmarked

1. When reading dystopian, the scary aspect is thinking, "Could this happen one day?" Did you ask yourself this while reading Birthmarked? Do you think a future like this is possible?
2. How did the puzzle aspect of the story work for you?  Did you figure out the code or was the explanation a surprise? Does this element work for you in a story or is there one you like/appreciate more?
3. Gaia follows in the steps of her mother as a midwife. For Gaia in the beginning its service and only later does she realize what taking the babies signifies. Can you put yourself in the mothers role, what would you do if Gaia tried to take your newborn?
4. Gaia feels ugly because of her scar and unable to fit in within the wall (enclave) because she wasn't perfect. Do you think finding out that her parents lied to her [about how she got the scar] was able to move the story along??
   
   

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Next Book! Birthmarked by Caragh M. O'Brien

Birthmarked
by Caragh M. O'Brien

Review by: 5/31/10

After climate change, on the north shore of Unlake Superior, a dystopian world is divided between those who live inside the wall, and those, like sixteen-year-old midwife Gaia Stone, who live outside. It’s Gaia’s job to “advance” a quota of infants from poverty into the walled Enclave, until the night one agonized mother objects, and Gaia’s parents are arrested.

Badly scarred since childhood, Gaia is a strong, resourceful loner who begins to question her society. As Gaia’s efforts to save her parents take her within the wall, she herself is arrested and imprisoned.

Fraught with difficult moral choices and rich with intricate layers of codes, BIRTHMARKED explores a colorful, cruel, eerily familiar world where one girl can make all the difference, and a real hero makes her own moral code.

May Books Chosen

Our May Books have been Chosen...

Adult Selection
Bitten (Women of the Otherworld, Book 1) by Kelley Armstrong
Released September 7, 2004

REVIEW DEADLINE MAY 14TH


If you haven't read this series yet, this a great time to start! If you've already read/reviewed - this is a good time to dust that old review off and let us know about it.

Elena Michaels is the world's only female werewolf. And she's tired of it. Tired of a life spent hiding and protecting, a life where her most important job is hunting down rogue werewolves. Tired of a world that not only accepts the worst in her— her temper, her violence—but requires it. Worst of all, she realizes she's growing content with that life, with being that person.

So she left the Pack and returned to Toronto where she's trying to live as a human. When the Pack leader calls asking for her help fighting a sudden uprising, she only agrees because she owes him. Once this is over, she'll be squared with the Pack and free to live life as a human. Which is what she wants. Really. 

Books in the Series - Reading Order (click images if you would like to go to amazon.com):

 

May YA Selection:

 Birthmarked by Caragh M. O'Brien
Released March 30th, 2010

REVIEW DEADLINE MAY 31ST


After climate change, on the north shore of Unlake Superior, a dystopian world is divided between those who live inside the wall, and those, like sixteen-year-old midwife Gaia Stone, who live outside. It’s Gaia’s job to “advance” a quota of infants from poverty into the walled Enclave, until the night one agonized mother objects, and Gaia’s parents disappear.

As Gaia’s efforts to save her parents take her within the wall, she faces the brutal injustice of the Enclave and discovers she alone holds the key to a secret code, a code of “birthmarked” babies and genetic merit.

Fraught with difficult moral choices and rich with intricate layers of codes, BIRTHMARKED explores a colorful, cruel, eerily familiar world where a criminal is defined by her genes, and one girl can make all the difference.

May YA Books

Old Magic by Marianne Curley

His name is Jarrod Thornton. He has blond-red hair to his shoulders, nice clean skin and green eyes like fiery emeralds; but this is not why I can’t drag my eyes off him. There’s something else. Something disturbing…

Kate is at a loss. She meets a boy with extraordinary powers and a bizarre family history that can be traced back to the Middle Ages. But Jarrod doesn’t believe in the paranormal. When Kate tries to convince him that he has supernatural powers that need to be harnessed, he doesn’t take her seriously, and only puts up with her “hocus pocus” notions because he finds her captivating.

However, the dangerous, uncontrolled strengthening of his gift finally convinces Jarrod that he must take Kate’s theories seriously. Together, they embark on a remarkable journey – one which will unravel the mystery that has hung over Jarrod’s family for generations and finds them pitted against immense forces in a battle to undo the past and reshape the future.

Birthmarked by Caragh O'Brien

After climate change, on the north shore of Unlake Superior, a dystopian world is divided between those who live inside the wall, and those, like sixteen-year-old midwife Gaia Stone, who live outside. It’s Gaia’s job to “advance” a quota of infants from poverty into the walled Enclave, until the night one agonized mother objects, and Gaia’s parents are arrested.

Badly scarred since childhood, Gaia is a strong, resourceful loner who begins to question her society. As Gaia’s efforts to save her parents take her within the wall, she herself is arrested and imprisoned.

Fraught with difficult moral choices and rich with intricate layers of codes, BIRTHMARKED explores a colorful, cruel, eerily familiar world where one girl can make all the difference, and a real hero makes her own moral code.

Mistwood by Leah Cypress

The Shifter is an immortal creature bound by an ancient spell to protect the kings of Samorna. When the realm is peaceful, she retreats to the Mistwood. But when she is needed she always comes.

Isabel remembers nothing. Nothing before the prince rode into her forest to take her back to the castle. Nothing about who she is supposed to be, or the powers she is supposed to have.
Prince Rokan needs Isabel to be his Shifter. He needs her ability to shift to animal form, to wind, to mist. He needs her lethal speed and superhuman strength. And he needs her loyalty—because without it, she may be his greatest threat.
Isabel knows that her prince is lying to her, but she can't help wanting to protect him from the dangers and intrigues of the court . . . until a deadly truth shatters the bond between them.
Now Isabel faces a choice that threatens her loyalty, her heart . . . and everything she thought she knew.

Beautiful Dead Book 1: Jonas by Eden Maguire

 Something strange is happening in Ellerton High. Phoenix is the fourth teenager to die within a year. His street fight stabbing follows the deaths of Jonas, Summer and Arizona in equally strange and sudden circumstances.
Rumours of ghosts and strange happenings rip through the small community as it comes to terms with shock and loss. Darina,Phoenix's grief-stricken girlfriend, is on the verge. She can't escape her intense heartache, or the impossible apparitions of those that are meant to be dead. And all the while the sound of beating wings echo inside her head! And then one day Phoenix appears to Darina.
Ecstatic to be reunited, he tells her about the Beautiful Dead. Souls in limbo, they have been chosen to return to the world to set right a wrong linked to their deaths and bring about justice. Beautiful, superhuman and powerful, they are marked by a 'death mark' - a small tattoo of angel's wings. Phoenix tells her that the sound of invisible wings beating are the millions of souls in limbo, desperate to return to earth.Darina's mission is clear: she must help Jonas, Summer, Arizona, and impossibly, her beloved Phoenix, right the wrong linked to their deaths to set them free from limbo so that they can finally rest in peace. Will love conquer death? And if it does, can Darina set it free?

The Poison Eaters: and Other Stories by Holly Black 

In her debut collection, New York Times best-selling author Holly Black returns to the world of Tithe in two darkly exquisite new tales. Then Black takes readers on a tour of a faerie market and introduces a girl poisonous to the touch and another who challenges the devil to a competitive eating match. These stories have been published in anthologies such as 21 Proms, The Faery Reel, and The Restless Dead, and have been reprinted in many “Best of” anthologies. The Poison Eaters is Holly Black’s much-anticipated first collection of stories, and her ability to stare into the void—and to find humanity and humor there—will speak to young adult and adult readers alike.