A review by jkreads
Markless by C.G. Malburi

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

When I picked up this book I didn’t realise that the author was formerly a fanfic author. I’ve read many books by former fanfic-turned tradpub authors (mostly romance), and many of them still have a fanfic vibe to them. Which isn’t a bad thing necessarily, it’s just a specific feeling I get when reading them. I’m not sure if it’s because this was primarily sci-fi/fantasy rather than romance, but this book didn’t have that fanfic vibe to me at all.

I went into this with high hopes because the blurb sounded really intriguing, but unfortunately it fell a little short of my expectations. Don’t get me wrong, it was a good book, I just felt like there were a few elements missing or not properly explored that would have made it a great book. The main thing for me was Dekala as a character, I felt like we didn’t get to know her as deeply as was needed to make sense of her decisions and overall characterisation. I wanted to love the romance but it just felt forced and a bit unrealistic, which I think in part was due to how Dekala was written. I couldn’t really understand what drew Ruti to her other than her looks.

The pacing was a bit all over the place but overall I found the world easy and enjoyable to immerse myself in. Overall this was a solid debut and I would definitely read more from this author in the future.