Markless

C.G. Malburi
Completed 8/1/2025, Reviewed 8/2/2025
4 stars

This YA sapphic fantasy of magic and extreme classism evoked a mixed bag of feelings in me.  It was very age appropriate, in the 12 – 18-year-old range, featuring an unrequited love between the heir to a throne and a witch from the despised bottom class of society.  The prose was good, but the world building was a little uneven.  The plot was very good, but I couldn’t tell if I liked the ending or not.  Still, when I actually closed the book, I realized I enjoyed the whole thing, especially the character development.  It’s just been nominated for a 2025 Lambda Literary Award for Speculative Fiction.  

Ruti is Markless.  She doesn’t have a magical mark on the palm of her hand that bestows certain magic on a person.  The minority of people who aren’t born with the mark, or develop it within a few years of birth, are despised and eschewed by society.  However, she has the special power of singing to the gods for their intercession of earthly happenings, from small things such as healing a wound to large things such as driving enemies back with gale force winds.  Ruti lives in the slums and takes in a little Markless girl who can’t speak, only sign with her hands.  One day, the little girl steals a ring from a person who turns out to be the Heir to the throne.  The Princess Dekala takes them in for trial, but releases them under the condition that Ruti uses her powers to prevent Dekala from bonding with a mate.  Dekala does not want to marry, but rule as Queen alone.  She does not want the vulnerability of loving.  Ruti tries, but ultimately it looks like Dekala is going to have to bond with a devious prince from a neighboring country.  In the meantime, Ruti is falling in love with Dekala.  Ruti must figure out what to do as the bonding ceremony between Dekala and the prince approaches. 

I really liked the Markless concept.  It’s a great metaphor for any sort of discrimination against the other.  And that Ruti is Markless but still wields great magic is a powerful point.  Then bridging the gap between the Marked and the Markless through the relationship between Ruti and Dekala makes for a great plot.  However, it seemed like the magic of the Marked was not well defined while Ruti’s magic through singing to the gods was described in great detail.  It doesn’t really affect the story much, it just left me a bit confused.  

Ruti was a great character.  She’s a strong young woman who had to survive in the dangerous slums, not only fearing the Marked, but also the other Markless who do anything to survive.  Most Markless don’t make it to adulthood.  So when Ruti takes in the little girl who has survived on her own so far, it’s downright tear-jerky.  Ruti became protective of the girl as if she were her sister.  In the palace, she becomes a voice for all the Markless to the ear of the Heir.  She doesn’t acquiesce to the power of Dekala, standing up for herself and what is right.  Dekala is also a force to be reckoned with.  She refuses to submit to bonding as dictated by her uncle the Regent.  She goes to great lengths to stomp on any notion of acquiescing.  I also thought her refusal of love was well played and the very end was believable.  

I give this book four stars out of five.  I was thinking three stars through much of it, but after reflecting on it after a good night’s sleep, I realized I really enjoyed the book.  It’s fast paced.  The conflict between the Marked and the Markless as well as Ruti and Dekala is very well done.  My only other problem with the book was the secret scheme in the penultimate scene.  I wasn’t too sure it was conveyed to the reader in the right way.  My thought was, “Wait, how were we misled when the narrator is third person omniscient?”  I don’t know if it was me or clunky writing, but it left me a little annoyed.  Despite this, the writing overall is really terrific.  Not too prosy, but conveying a lot of emotion and information.