Chauntelle Baughman

I won a copy from a Librarything.com giveaway in exchange for a review.
A fantastic start to a new urban fantasy series. I loved the world building and the characters. The world building was unique and something I've not come across before. I also particularly liked how there were other species beside the standard vampires, shapeshifters and witches. Elves and Fae worked in to the landscape without managing to make it too over the top. The take on each species was new and interesting and gave all the characters plenty of dimensions.
The plot was fast paced, revolving around some very powerful magical magical items going missing and a representative from each group coming together to look for them to stop their magical world from falling apart by deadly hands. One thing I particularly liked was that none of the characters brought together for the mission were particularly thrilled with each other. None of them get along, and I enjoyed the journey of how they had to over come their personal objects, and suck it up to work together. You see them grow as people throughout the story and become more rounded individuals in spite of their issues.
The action was intense, it was well plotted, and the romance side didn't over take once it happened. The chemistry between the two characters that got together worked well, and their relationship built throughout the the novel to a great conclusion.
While the novel had a definite ending, it was clear there was more to come and I'm definitely looking forward to the next one.… (more)

Amazon Description:
“Forced into a world of ancient magick and fabled creatures, vampire Rhowen Vasile has been honored with the prestigious appointment of executioner-a promotion she never wanted. Now she has two important responsibilities: execute criminal vampires and protect her race's Kamen, one of five ancient relics said to harness all magick in the DarqRealm. When the Kamen Rho swore to protect goes missing, she's assigned the most important task of her life-join an interracial team with a magick mover, a werewolf and a shape shifter to recover what's been lost. If she fails, the executioner will become the executed, and the magick held within the relics could be lost forever. As other Kamens start to disappear and the teammates struggle to trust one another, Rho discovers a physical bond with a powerful magick mover that shouldn't be possible. With the survival of the entire DarqRealm compromised, she barely has time to deal with her temperamental teammates, much less a forbidden attraction. Rho and her team must put everything aside to find what they seek-before the enemy finds it first.”

Opinions:
Magick Marked is a story that follows Rho (a vampire) who is sent on a quest with other paranormal beings (a magick mover, shifter, and werewolf) to retrieve a stolen stone called a kamen. These four teammates must put aside their differences with the each other and work together to stop a thief who wants to obtain all the kamens. Strange things happen along the way with a lot of action and twists. This is the first book of The Darqrealm Series.

Characters:
The story is told in third person through Rho and Eldon (the magick mover)—but mostly through Rho. Rho is a fairly new vampire who is also an “executioner” to the King of the vampires. (The Prince of the vampires created her.) She was put in charge of protecting the vampire kamen. Before turning into a vampire, Rho had a troubled past that the reader finds out about. Coming together with the other supernatural characters is not something she is thrilled about, but she believes in her duty and carries out what must be done. As a strong female character, she does not like to feel weak or the need to be protected. Eldon is a magick mover – which is a like a wizard. He initially gives Rho a protective spell to keep the kamen safe. Eldon comes from a family (two sisters included in this book) that hates vampires and do not trust them. However, he finds himself thrown into this adventure with one. Being able to sense magic, Eldon can recognize fae magic, as well. A fae is not one represented among the team to bring back the kamen. Each species has its own norms and rules so that conflict can easily arise within the group.

Plot: The plot moves along well. There is plenty of action to read about. This is the first book in the series so do not expect all of your questions to be answered right away. There actually might be more questions by the time the book concludes. One tiny thing that was a little distracting for me was the cursing in the book. I’m not against cursing, and it can make the characters more realistic. However, I think it could have been cut down a smidge without taking away from the story. I also wondered how vampires can turn humans into vampires. I do not remember reading about that fact.

The Bottom Line:
Overall, I enjoyed the story. It has many paranormally elements (magic, vampires, shifters, werewolves, and fae.) The story held my interest throughout. If you like paranormal mysteries, you might want to give this book a shot.… (more)

I started reading this book and couldn't put it down. The authors ability to develop characters that draw you in is excellent. The only annoying part is that I have to wait for book 2 to come out to see what happens next.
This is a story based around a newborn vampire turned against her will but to save her life who is drawn into a paranormal world of extreme drama. Like all other stories, the races of vampire, shifter, werewolf and magic user don't get along, but are drawn together for a common mission affecting them all and the 5th race called the Fae. From this premise the story evolves in detail and the characters are very well developed to leave you on a cliff hanger just waiting for the next chapter.
Very well written, hard to put down once you start. Even woke up one morning reaching for the book to continue from where I left off the night before.… (more)