The Mark by Jen Nadol Grades 9+ 240 pages Bloomsbury USA January 2010 Hardcover     Cassandra Renfield has a gift, but to her it seems more like a curse. Since she was small, she has been able to see a certain mark or glow around people but never knew what it meant. To Cassie, now sixteen, the mark’s meaning is becoming clear. When she follows a businessman with the mark and witnesses his untimely death, her suspicions are confirmed: the glow is the mark of death. So when the grandmother who raised her is suddenly ringed by an eerie light, Cassie knows her whole life is about to change. Forced to move to a strange town with a relative she has never met, Cassie uncovers some truth about the parents she never knew and finds a connection she never dreamed of. The Mark, Jen Nadol’s debut novel, may not be filled with action, but it still constitutes a page-turner brought on my mere morbid curiosity. Much of the story revolves around Cassie’s inner struggle and philosophical contemplation based on her quest to find answers. A bit disappointing is the ending as it comes without much resolution. However, it does leave room for more, and the sequel, tentatively titled Vision, is scheduled for release sometime in 2011.     web reviews   Niki Masse Schoenfeldt/2010 for curled up with a good kid's book   For grown-up fiction, nonfiction and speculative fiction book reviews, visit our sister site Curled Up With a Good Book (www.curledup.com)