The Summer Marked (The Winter People #2) by Rebecca L. Purdy: A Book Review

The Summer Marked (The Winter People #2)
Author: Rebecca L. Purdy
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Release Date: September 22, 2015
Pages: 304
Source: This book was given to me by YA Bound Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.
Synopsis: Fresh off a break-up with her boyfriend, Kadie's glad to be home from college for Thanksgiving. All she needs is a rebound guy, a box of chocolates, and some girl time with her best friend, Salome. Problem is, Salome isn't returning her calls, and her family won't say where she is. Feeling sorry for herself, Kadie ends up at Club Blade, a place filled with pumping music, dangerous guys, and promises of a good time. However, when midnight strikes, Kadie's fun turns into a nightmare as she's ripped from the human world into Faerie by a vengeful Winter Prince named Etienne. For the first time in her life, she realizes the monsters Salome always spoke of are real, and they'll stop at nothing to destroy her friend.

Salome thought the winter curse was behind her. But winter has left its mark. Not just on her, but on the whole summer court. The Kingdom of Summer is falling apart, and Nevin is hanging onto his throne by a thread. With war on his doorstep, he has no choice but to send Gareth into enemy territory, which means Salome will be left alone--vulnerable in a world she doesn't understand. A place where beauty is deadly and humans are pawns in the macabre games the Fae play. Both Kadie and Salome will have to call on all their strength to survive in a world where humans aren't meant to be. With death and enemies all around them, it'll be a miracle if they can survive.

My Review: Salome is happy living life in her new home in the Faerie world with her fiance, Gareth. However, her happiness is short-lived. The battle in fairyland between the two kingdoms of summer and winter are still raging war. Salome doesn’t realize that the worst is yet to come. Her best friend, Kadie, who has been searching for her in the human world suddenly finds herself swept into the faerie realm and is a prisoner of the evil Winter Queen. The war between summer and winter not only threatens their survival, but also they find that their friendship may also be broken.

This book is a character-driven story about these two best friends. I found this story compelling. It is very predictable to know what the author had in mind for these girls. Therefore, I could not put it down because I liked reading how they have evolved and grown. Yet throughout their trials, each of these girls have become stronger.

The story is narrated by both Salome and Kadie. Salome is part of the summer court, and Kadie is of the winter court. I really loved these two characters. They are both strong women. Both of them are going through hard times and must make difficult decisions and sacrifices. Each of them struggles to do the right thing. I felt sorry for these girls as they are forced to make hard choices to survive or to save their loved ones. Both of them are manipulated by powerful forces in order to do their duty.

Overall, this story is about choices, sacrifices, and duty. I liked how two modern girls enter the Faerie world, which is a medieval setting. As for the world-building, the setting is very similar to the world of Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch. This is because both books have kingdoms that are based on the seasons. I have not read the first book in the series, The Winter People, but this book could also be a standalone because there is a new plot, and it gave us a lot of backstory to what happened in the previous novel. This novel is mostly setting up for the third book in the series. The Summer Marked is gorgeously written with complex heroes and villains and it had a thrilling cliffhanger ending that leaves readers anxiously anticipating finding out what happens next. I recommend this novel to anyone interested in Faeries, modern vs. medieval stories, or anyone who enjoys the trials of friendship and love.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

This is the official book trailer of The Summer Marked:

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