Review: Unmarked (The Legion #2) by Kami Garcia

First, thanks to Little Brown Books for Young Readers and Netgalley for allowing me to read this.  It showed up on the site right about the time it was going to be published.   So it is already out, I didn't really get it in time to read it before.  But that's okay, I really enjoyed it!  I finally read the first book, Unbreakable this summer when I checked it out from my school library where I work.  Of course if you haven't read the first book, I can't help but there will be spoilers from that one.  Just know that this is a great solo series by one of the author of the Beautiful Creatures series.

When we left off at the end of the 1st book, the 5 people making up the Legion, Alara, Jared and Lukas, Priest, and Kennedy have just accidentally set the demon Andras free.  They didn't know that the Shift they were putting together wasn't a way to get rid of him, but to release him.  And actually, Kennedy still isn't a member of the Legion.  So the group figures out there must still be someone else.  That her mother hadn't actually been the person in the Legion.  They kind of assume maybe it was her father, who she hasn't seen since he left.  But soon they figure out that it must be his sister, Faith, and they set out to find her.  Finding her leads to a confrontation with the Illuminati.  Or as we learn, a small rebel group of the Illuminati.  And while the Legion and the Illuminati have never been "friends" or even on cooperating terms, in this case, it is the two Illuminati members, Gabriel and Dmitri who show up and actually kind of save the Legion from the demon.  Or they do, until the unthinkable happens.  The demon jumps into Jared.  Now the group must find a way to get Andras out of Jared without killing him.  But the longer the demon is inside, the more powerful he gets.  And the demon is already pretty powerful from the souls of the girls he's been taking and killing.  The girls who all look similar to Kennedy. 

We learn a lot more about Kennedy's family, and how the Illuminati has been a part of her life just as much as the Legion.  Priest and Alara will find out Jared's secret about the list he made of the members.  And Andras isn't the only demon, he is able to summon at least one more, in his quest to start open the gates of hell and take over the world.  Kennedy's best friend Elle is along for the ride this time, as she is the one who helped the others to find the private school where Kennedy had been sent by her mother's remaining family after she'd shown up at the hospital with her injuries, and had been suspected of running away.

Once I had time to sit and read more than 30 minutes one day, I was sucked in, and it was really hard to put down.  I love all the back story that we're getting.  The information about the Illuminati is fun to think about if they were really that way.  It's fun to read this again as a fan of Supernatural and think of all the things that tie together for the paranormal aspects.  Another great read, but with another ending that leaves me impatiently awaiting the next book.  Especially since there is no information on Goodreads about it yet, since this one just came out. 

Review: Unbreakable (The Legion #1) by Kami Garcia

I have been waiting such a long time to read this book.  I had hoped so much to get an ARC of it, and didn't.  I made sure it was one that I purchased at the high school library where I work though, because the Beautiful Creatures series is so popular, and this is by one of its authors.  So it is one of the books I checked out from my library this summer.  I knew it was about ghosts, but wasn't exactly sure what to expect when I picked it up.  But I'm glad I did, because I really enjoyed it.

The main character is Kannedy Waters.  She's lived alone with her mom for a long time, since her father left when she was a little girl.  Then one night she finds her mother dead.  Now she is alone, and her choices are to go live with her aunt, who she doesn't like, or go off to boarding school. She chooses boarding school, but stays with her best friend until she is ready to leave.  She decides to stay one last night in her house, even if she is alone.  And that is when a spirit attacks her, and she realizes that her mother didn't just die, she was killed by the same spirit.  The only reason Kennedy survives is because two boys, Jared and Lukas, identical twins, break in and save her.  They then convince her to go with them, and since she has nowhere else to go, she goes with them.  It turns out that She is one of the final five descendants of the five members of the Legion of the Black Dove.  At least that is what she is told by Jared and Lukas.  There are two others, all hiding out in a big warehouse.  They are all kind of ghost hunters you could say. But they need to find the pieces of a weapon that they have been told is the only one capable of destroying a demon the original founders released on the world.  They will each develop their powers that contribute, and as they become full members, a mark will show up on their arms.  Throughout the whole time, Kennedy still isn't quite sure she belongs.  As she can't imagine her mother would have actually been a part of something like this and not told her.  Of course both Lukas and Jared are attractive, and both seem to have an interest in her.  Jared in his quiet, brooding way, but who seems to be there when Kennedy needs someone to talk to, and he seems to understand.  Lukas in his very friendly, welcoming way.  The two brothers seem to have a grudge against each other.  Something that may lead to more problems for the group down the line.

So, of course I could tell there would be the love triangle right away.  So that was a bit annoying.  But other than that, I really enjoyed the book.  The ending was not a "cliffhanger" exactly, but definitely left me needing to read on, and know how will they end this big demon catastrophe, and save the world, as well as just how does Kennedy fit into all of this.  Was her mother really a part of the group?  All things that I'm sure will be answered further into the series, and I know the second is going to be available very soon, if not already.  So I'll be on that soon!  I did get to meet this author at the RT Convention in May of 2013.