In Birthmarked, Caragh O’Brien has built a believable dystopian world that suffers from environmental degradation. A privileged few enjoy living in the last bastion of civilization within the Enclave while many toil to serve them outside the walled city.
Gaia Stone at 16 is an apprentice midwife, serving the Enclave by bringing them the first three babies born each month. She delivers her first child alone and hands it over, at the same time as her parents have been arrested as traitors by the Enclave. With her world turned upside down, her quest to find and save her parents requires courage as she defies authority and wonders who she can trust.
This is a compelling and well-written adventure, and holds you right to the very end. Birthmarked has won several awards and is the first in a trilogy, the other titles are Prized and Promised, both equally popular with readers. Tortured and Ruled are two additional stories that fit in between the three books to tell the story of Leon, another key protagonist.
