C.G. Malburi has spent years writing for the sapphic community, although you may know her better by her fandom alias, CoalitionGirl. For those who do know her, it’ll be no surprise that Malburi’s debut fantasy novel gives readers exactly what they’re looking for. Markless (2023) blends some of the most well-loved romance tropes: soulmates, enemies to lovers, and forced proximity.
Ruti is a markless—someone without a soulmark, an outcast of society. Instead of giving up, she has fought hard to make a life worth living in the slums by learning magic. Dekala is Heir to the throne and wants to rule more than anything, without a man by her side. But by being unbonded, Dekala’s powers are wild and uncontrollable. The Regent won’t allow Dekala to reign without finding her Bonded. The solution? Forcing Ruti, the most powerful witch in Somanchi, to stay by her side and ensure Dekala remains unbonded and unattached to another person—or else Ruti will be put to death for her crimes.
“There are some who claim that each mark is a sign of how the one who bears it is deep down. Ashto is fire, for people who are passionate and temperamental. Majimm, water, for the calm and introspective. Endhi is earth, for those who are grounded and compassionate. And then there is Sewa, the rarest of the four signs. Sewa is air and wind and sky, distant and untamed and free, and the Heir can never be ruled by any man.”
Ruti and Dekala are both fighters and more often than not end up fighting each other. Sparks fly between them when Ruti refuses to allow Dekala to be tamed and when Dekala shows a tender generosity towards markless children. The question becomes, will they ever put their differences aside for long enough to acknowledge the feelings growing between them?
Malburi emphasizes tradition through Dekala’s beliefs: rulers must be bonded, bonded pairs must be between men and women, markless must be scum of the earth. Then, she spends the rest of the book carefully untangling them for the readers and Dekala in a way that is both healing and encouraging. As is true in most enemies to lovers, Ruti finds Dekala infuriating and hard to read. The same things happen for readers since we follow Ruti’s point of view—it’s difficult to see where Dekala is coming from or know what she’s thinking. Because of this some readers may find it hard to connect with Dekala’s aloof character.
However, we join Ruti and Dekala on an action-packed adventure with new twists and turns in every chapter (read: the plot takes precedence over the romance). Malburi creates a fantasy world worth reveling in, from the animal gods, to possessed trees, and a deadly lake. Danger brings the characters closer together and pulls readers into the story. The lore sucked me in and held me close until I finished the entire thing in a day. It was very come-for-the-romance, stay-for-the-fantasy worldbuilding for me.
“Ruti can see it now, and she thinks at first that she’s seeing the reflection of the sun distorted in the water. But no, the Lake of the Carved Thousand is an unnatural red so dark it’s nearly purple, glistening in the sunlight like a pool of blood.”
Markless is a good choice for YA readers as the spice level is low (only a fade-to-black scene or two) while the prose is unobtrusive. That isn’t to say Markless isn’t for everyone, especially fans of intricate worldbuilding and the enemies to lovers crowd. However, please note that besides the discriminatory language used toward the markless, there are mentions of slavery and (briefly) attempted sexual assault.
