A Crooked Mark, Linda Kao
A Crooked Mark, Linda Kao
List: $25.00 | Sale: $17.50
Club: $12.50

A Crooked Mark

Author: Linda Kao

Narrator: Shawn K. Jain

Unabridged: 8 hr 57 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 06/20/2023


Synopsis

"A dark, twisting coming-of-age sure to leave readers glancing over their shoulder for the Devil. Kao perfectly illustrates the struggles of choosing your own path through a lens of fire and knives, and you won't want to put it down." —Andrew Joseph White, New York Times bestselling author of Hell Followed With Us

A dark and sinister debut YA novel about a teen boy who must hunt down those marked by the devil - including the girl he has fallen for.

Perfect for fans of Neal Shusterman and Kendare Blake.

Rae Winter should be dead.

Some say that walking away from the car crash that killed her dad is a miracle, but seventeen-year-old Matthew Watts knows that the forces of Good aren’t the only ones at work. The devil, Lucifer himself, can mark a soul about to pass on, sending it back to the land of the living to carry out his evil will.

Matt has grown up skipping from town to town alongside his father hunting anyone who has this mark. They have one purpose: Find these people, and exterminate them.

After helping his father for years, Matt takes on his own mission: Rae Winter, miracle survivor. But when Matt starts to fall for Rae, to make friends for the first time in his life, he’s not sure who or what to believe anymore. How can someone like Rae, someone who is thoughtful and smart and kind, be an agent of the devil? With the lines of reality and fantasy, myth and paranoia blurred, Matt confronts an awful truth....

What if the devil’s mark doesn’t exist?

About The Author

Linda Kao grew up in California and spent most weekends throughout elementary school hauling books home from the library to read on the living room rug. After completing her degree at Stanford University, she taught elementary school for several years before earning a Ph.D. in Education from UCLA. Along the way, she discovered a love for writing fiction, and in 2014, she received the SCBWI Sue Alexander Award. She has published short stories and poems in Highlights for Children, Ladybug, Fun for Kidz, and Boys' Quest. Linda currently lives in Southern California with her family and enjoys running, reading, and attending her children’s sporting events.You can find her on Twitter @lindalkao


Reviews

Goodreads review by Steph on July 23, 2023

3.5⭐️ This was a fun supernatural thriller! It definitely has a Supernatural TV show vibe, but a lighter YA version. While there is some darker content, it did feel on the younger side of the YA range. I appreciated Matt’s internal struggle and discussions about good vs evil. I felt like he was old e......more

Goodreads review by Kristi on June 26, 2023

This was really enjoyable if not a slightly different take on John and Dean Winchester sans Sammy. The idea of a group of people who champion for good by taking out those who’ve been afflicted with Lucifer’s mark is a questionable thing, a righteous few who decide whether you’ve been marked or not.......more

Goodreads review by Natalie on October 10, 2023

A haunting devil thriller just in time for Spooktober. Sometimes horrible accidents happen, and someone will miraculously come out unscathed. Is that the work of a miracle? Or some much darker being? The marked are people who have survived a horrible accident but are then are marked by the devil to......more

Goodreads review by Brynja on March 31, 2025

Wow. He's in this secret organization that murders people because they think they're marked by Lucifer. But he starts to doubt it and things get really dark... It was incredible. Would definitely recommend. Some parts had me freaking out.......more

Goodreads review by hobbithopeful on June 27, 2023

4.5 stars I could not put this book down! Tense, mysterious, A Crooked Mark pulled the rug out from under me and kept me guessing till the very end. Matt and his Dad spend their time hunting Marked, people who have had near death experiences and miraculously survived. Marked must be burned and kille......more


Quotes

"Kao deftly blends chilling, slow-burn psychological horror with supernatural elements and moving relationships in this intense debut." Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"This thoughtful debut offers both supernatural thrills and careful character development." Kirkus Reviews

"Matt’s voice is raw and chaotic, revealing his self-doubt, frustration, wide-eyed innocence (he’s never been in school before much less had friends), and confusion with an authentic messiness." —BCCB

"Thoughtfully drawn and interesting."  Booklist