Blood Mark

This was a great story with a novel inclusion of Peruvian folklore/magic. I absolutely loved the tattoo/birthmark meaning and progression through the story - right down to the placement on Jane's body! There were a couple of surprises at the end of the story that I had already guessed about mid-way through the book, but there were others that I hadn't. Even so, I found that I didn't want to put the book down until the end. There were so many wonderful twists in the book that I can't mention without giving away hints about the ending. That said, I really liked most of the characters (all great books have characters you hate), the interplay among them and how connected everything is - like a true 6* of separation story. Although this is a stand-alone novel, I noticed that a book 2 is on the way and can't wait for its release!

Blood Mark by JP McLean.
Dark Dreams Book 1.
Abandoned at birth, life has always been a battle for Jane Walker. She and her best friend, Sadie, spent years fighting to survive Vancouver’s cutthroat underbelly. That would have been tough enough without Jane’s mysterious afflictions: an intricate pattern of blood-red birthmarks that snake around her body and vivid, heart-wrenching nightmares that feel so real she wakes up screaming.
Really good read. I liked jane sadie Hunter and Ethan. Didn't like Cynthia or Rick. I'm looking forward to the next book. 4*.

Absolutely loved it and couldn’t put it down.

This book wouldn’t be one I would naturally reach for but the description interested me and I am so glad it did. Jane may be the ‘main’ character but Sadie’s story is just as enthralling. I also loved that you are introduced to the villain character early on and have chapters from their perceptive as well.

5 stars and I would definitely recommend.

“Sometimes you had to look back to see how far you’d come”

This is an excellent paranormal thriller. It was thought provoking and a great read. I loved the blend of Inca mythology and crime.

The authors writing was exceptional, the charters are captivating to read, develop well and all have there own daily struggles and challenges. Your thoughts on them are easy to pick, you either like or dislike them right away. I love how the MC struggles to find some normality within the world, even her connection with her closest friend is impacted by her own personal struggles.

The story is fast paced and doesn’t give much time to stop as you want to know what happens as soon as possible. Bringing past and present together to combine as one, the mystery untangles itself and jumps into the intense and spectacular finale.

An incredible and entertaining read by J.P. McLean.

Blood Mark was a fun read with an intriguing plot and engaging characters. The story kept me interested throughout and there was plenty of tension within the fast-paced action. The world building mostly worked well, although I still had a few unanswered questions when the book ended. I believe there is a sequel, though, so perhaps my queries will be answered then. The multiple POVs also came across well, letting us see different aspects of the tale. Perhaps the ending felt a little 'easy' after all the build up, but that is only a minor niggle for me. Overall, this was an enjoyable paranormal thriller and I can recommend it to fans of that genre. It gets 4 stars from me.

Without giving any details. This book sucks you in from the very beginning, the emotions that this book puts you through are heartbreaking yet exhilarating. Once you think you have the story figured out, you really don't. It was truly one of the hardest books I ever had to read, only because I didn't want it to end. Please keep writing more stories like this!

Fantastic!

I’m a big fan of fantasy / sci-fi reads and this blends the line perfectly between being grounded in our world and having a dash of the occult / mysterious about it,

Our main character Jane has - what she believes to be - a birth mark covering a large part of her body. She also suffers from a particular form of narcolepsy which gives her paralysing and incredibly vivid and disturbing dreams. She is soon to learn that her birth mark isn’t all that it seems and her powers extend further than she could imagine.

I really enjoyed the relationship between Jayne and Sadie and the question posed about how the butterfly effect may pose real life consequences for Jayne.

Brilliant book and will definitely read the sequel.

Thanks to netgalley for the ARC of this book.

I have never read a book anything like this. This book follows a young 24-25 year old woman as she discovers why she is who she is, and what she is truly meant for as well as the threats to her life in the process. Jane’s story intrigued me from the very beginning, the marks wrapping her body, the dreams that paralyzed her, her past in the system, all of it just made me want to learn more about this mystery woman. Jane is strong, and one of the most resilient FMC’s I have ever had the pleasure of reading about. I thought this book was very well written and re-captured my attention with every single paragraph. I absolutely cannot wait for the next book to come out and to follow more of Jane’s discovery into herself, her budding relationships, and the battles that I’m sure will be coming her way next. I am thoroughly impressed.

This book is written from different peoples stories, they do all tie in to the one though.
At first I struggled to get into it as it seemed quite slow and at one point I did wonder about carrying on but boy,am I glad that I did. Turned into a brilliant book, lots of action, twists and disbelief.
I have already looked to see when the next one is out and I will definitely be getting it.

A fascinating new and different concept and take on this subject. Fast paced action and a story that grips from the start. The Blood mark and nightmares are guides, friends and foes, protection or the enemy. the story intrigues and questions and leads you on a journey of fear and accomplishment, Jane needs to clear her head and find her path through the confusion of discovering who she really is. That's if she can and if she wants to. Fascinating, compelling read.

I love a good paranormal thriller, especially a time travelling one. This book kept me engaged and suspended all the way through. The only things I saw coming was the "I'm her daughter" thing, and the "don't mess with the pimp" thing.

Well written and well executed. Thank you !

Blood Mark is the first in the Dark Dreams series by JP McLean, and is described as a paranormal thriller. This was really great! I rated it 4.5 stars, rounded up to 5 stars.

I didn't know what to expect but this book really drew me in with its engaging writing style and an interesting, unique concept that combines thriller aspects with Inca traditions, time-travel (kinda) via Jane's dreams and changing the course of history.

One of the things that I particularly loved about Blood Mark was the depth of the characters, they were really multidimensional. I adored Jane and Sadie's friendship, and how their differences complemented one another. Their dynamic, as well as the grittiness of the setting reminded me a lot of Samantha and Ava in Mona Awad's Bunny.

The book is written with chapters from the perspective of Jane, Sadie and the mysterious Rick, who is completely unlikeable in the best way. He is slimy, manipulative and a creep, which makes him an excellent villain.

Even the supporting characters were really well developed. In particular, I was really invested in Buddy's story and I loved Ethan as the love interest. He comes across as such a hottie and a nice guy too. I was rooting for him and Jane the whole way through and the romance added a nice contrast with the darker elements.

Blood Mark combines so many things that draw me in to a book; a dark atmosphere, thriller aspects, realistic multidimensional characters, romance, good pacing and a few twists. I did guess a few of them, like who Rebecca and Andy were, however there was still so much mystery.

The climax did fall a little flat with me, however the rest of the book vastly exceeded my expectations and so that didn't tar my overall experience. I'm already excited to read Ghost Mark, which comes out in November. Overall I would absolutely recommend Blood Mark, it's such a hidden gem!

You know from the first few lines if you are going to enjoy a book. This one introduced a strong female lead, a little bit of fantasy/old age mysticism, and I was hooked. The author then perfectly drip fed the characters, with me trying to work out where they fitted in, and slowly built up the pace right to a thrilling end. This is a complete book, but there are obviously more to come in this series, I can’t wait to see where Thank you to WindStorm Press and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

I absolutely loved this. Jane's story was intricate and mysterious and the story had me turning pages so fast! I'm so happy I decided to pick this up. And a special thanks to JP McLean & Netgalley for the ARC. If you need a fast paced supernatural Thriller this is definitely the one to pick up!

I really love it when I find a new author I can put in my tbr list. I’m not much of a dark fantasy reader but this book intrigued me so I had to read it. Once I started it was hard to put down. I’m glad I gave it a go.

4 1/2 stars

Blood Mark is a clever paranormal thriller. The basis for the storyline is one that I haven't seen done before and I was quickly fascinated by it. I found myself quickly immersed in the book as I read and wanted to see how everything played out. I enjoy books with strong heroines and the main character, Jane is definitely that. Her life is anything but easy yet she keeps pushing through and doesn't let her guard down.

I found the inclusion of Incan mythology to be quite interesting. It's something I'm not familiar with so that made it even more enjoyable to read about. The way that the author wove it into the storyline was seamless. In addition, the character development and other world building was done in a way that felt effortless. It all flowed within the story and didn't feel as if you (the reader) were being told facts. Everything was just gradually shared with you in a natural way. The supporting characters in this book were also critical to the plot and written well. Of course, I'm always a fan of a good romance and the attraction between Jane and Ethan was a winning part of the story for me as well - - especially the fact that he was unaffected by her marks.

Lastly, there is definitely a worthy villain in this book. We get the story from multiple points of view and one of them is from his. It really helps to get things from that viewpoint and see how his mind thinks. He's definitely a "piece of work."

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a complimentary reader's copy. I chose to read and review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

Thank you Netgalley for the advance reader copy of Blood Mark by JP McLean in exchange for an honest review. This was a very intriguing new version of an old story. The writing was excellent and created a character that I really felt for. I enjoyed this book and can't wait for more.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC.

This is well written. The plot sustained my interest throughout, despite a few predictable plot points.

Refreshingly, the paranormal aspect is based on Incan mythology. It ledt me wanting to learn more about it.

The characters were interesting and relateable. Despite (or because of) the MC's horrible childhood, she retains a clear sense of morality

I recommend this paranormal thriller.

When you mix a thriller with a measure of supernatural flavouring, you have my attention. But like all dishes, too much of an ingredient and the taste is off, too little, and you wonder why you bothered. JP McLean has delivered the perfect recipe in her latest book Blood Mark. The story was refreshingly unique and a great blend of pace, taut psychological thriller, and intrigue as we ponder who can be trusted, who is the threat, and why can’t I put the book down.

Jane Walker was born with a birthmark that encircled her whole body and displayed an Aztec symbol when she lay in the foetal position. Port wine or blood-red stains they were described as, and often as a source of ridicule growing up, they left Jane feeling self-conscious and resentful. Her best friend Sadie had been with her through childhood foster care, and they now lived together, hand to mouth, in a tiny bedsit. Jane is extraordinarily cautious and suspicious of everyone and hates Sadie’s job, bringing her into contact with unsavoury people. Jane’s dreams seem all too vivid as she appears to be a fly on the wall watching a woman under duress from a doctor. She wakes heart-racing from these dreams, and as her friend can attest, she is catatonic and cannot be woken. What is disturbing is that Jane realises she has a connection with the people in her dreams, and even Sadie will appear.

Jane discovers more about her birthmark from Aztec experts, however, as she approaches her twenty-fifth birthday, the birthmarks start to disappear. What seemed to be a curse now appears like protection – but from What? Who and Why? This aspect of the story was fascinating, and the way JP McLean weaved together the paranormal element with great storytelling and characters that mashed together all levels of suspicion, argument and help was impressive.

Blood Mark was a book I was immersed in, and it would have been perfect only for a few questionable stretches in the plot and how the characters sometimes managed situations. I highly recommend reading this book and will be reaching for the next in the series when it is released. I want to thank BooksGoSocial and NetGalley for providing a free ARC in return for an honest review.

An exceptional concept for a new book series.

Fast paced action and a story that has you hooked straight away. Really exciting read. With lots of twists and turns. Looking forward to reading the next book!