Rating: 
Summary: Wish I could give more than 5 stars!
Review: I could not wait to get my hands on Mark's sequel to 'Desert Sons'. I so loved the first book, I really hoped the sequel would live up to months of anticipation. I was NOT disappointed! Mark did such a superb job at picking up right where 'Desert Son's ' left off, that I felt like I never quit reading about Scott and Ryan. (FYI - There was about a 5 month lag for me between 'Desert Sons' and 'Into This World Were Thrown)If you have not read the first book in this pair, I would highly recommend reading it first.. although World were Thrown can hold up on its own, it makes the story absolutely complete having all the history about this awesome couple. I was satisfied with the conclusion of the first book, I wanted more of Scott and Ryan. They personified the ideal couple, able to overcome incredible odds to be together. The Author does a great job at introducing conflict and trials in between the two characters and we get to see how they react to these challenges. I was unable to guess what was actually going to be the outcome. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I know you will too!! Mark, If you read this, you have a GREAT GIFT! I look forward to more of your books coming out in the next few years... Good luck in all your endeavors! Mike Heine ('winterstone')
Rating:
Summary: Sweet gay-teen story
Review: I don't feel I missed a thing by reading the sequel first: it works as a stand-alone novel. The characters of Scott and Ryan deal with gossip, resentment, and more serious matters, such as the threat of violence and feeling excluded in a place they love.
There are many sizzling scenes here, as the flames burn hot with passion between these two young men. I also liked the well-drawn setting, California's high desert. The novel progresses well and keeps the reader interested. Ryan's grandmother dies, adding a twist to the story and giving him a challenge to deal with.
These characters seem very real, the dialogue is crisp, and the events are believable. The college-admissions hassle is totally real. Guess I will go backwards now and read the FIRST book, Desert Sons--and definitely will read other books by this author.
Rating: 
Summary: Book or Personal Fantacy?
Review: I first read Desert Sons because of the high ratings, BIG MISTAKE. I had purchased Into This world We're thrown along with Desert Sons, and once I finished Dessert Sons, I left feeling disappointed deeply at how much of the book focused merely on sex, and how predictable the ending was.
To give myself a break, I decided to skip Into this World We're thrown to take a break from such amateur reading. When I came back to it, I wasn't surprised. I finished it very quickly. There wasn't anything confusing about it. It was terribly predictable.
If you're reading books to learn about the gay life, THIS ISN'T WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT! Mark writes on beautiful events that have the POTENTIAL to be great pieces. But without the details they're nothing but unfinished fantasias. Mark is not a developed writer; his writings are very Un-detailed. I'd like to see him write a more descriptive piece, write something that touches us on levels other that what happens physically.
It seems that Mark limits his characters to what he would consider to be a great person, but these characters seem to be stereotypes, people without deep thought, very immature. Now don't get me wrong, he does address some great issues, and things about the gay life that others might not know about, but I don't feel he does a good job at expressing in detail.
One of the things that disturb me most is how he portrays other characters. He'll make certain people be the "bad guy", and I know that every story usually has a bad guy, but I think that he does a bad job at making people with disadvantages be the bad guy here. For instance, in this story is a boy who was a victim of sexual abuse, even though he turns out to be a jerk Mark doesn't seem to show any compassion on the character. Instead he'll subject the character to the stereotypes, and forever label the character as bad. Just because he was a victim, and he's a jerk, doesn't mean he's heartless, but that's just my opinion. And of coarse he always makes the bad guys have something bad happen to them. But the main character (who makes mistakes just as bad) perfect, without flaw or any bad instances happen to him. He's an angel.
I'm sure this book means a lot to Mark, but it will mean nothing to the reader if he doesn't show us how wonderful it really is. I'm very disappointed with Mark Kendrick's book. It's not my favorite and if you read other novels I'm sure you'll automatically see a huge difference from this author compared to others.
Rating: 
Summary: Great book! But some very disturbing parts...
Review: I have read both this book and its predecessor "Desert Sons." I was hoping that by this time Mark Kendrick would have developed a "tighter" writing style (more substance, realism/less overt and unbelievable describing of gay sex). But alas, this book follows the same cliched and trite path as did the book that preceded it. The one thing that "Into This World We're Thrown" has over "Desert Sons" is the way the other characters react to the "coming out" of the two main characters, Scott and Ryan. An enjoyable read, but not great gay fiction. (Is there any?! I have yet to find it!!)
Rating: 
Summary: Better than its predecessor, but still...
Review: I have read both this book and its predecessor "Desert Sons." I was hoping that by this time Mark Kendrick would have developed a "tighter" writing style (more substance, realism/less overt and unbelievable describing of gay sex). But alas, this book follows the same cliched and trite path as did the book that preceded it. The one thing that "Into This World We're Thrown" has over "Desert Sons" is the way the other characters react to the "coming out" of the two main characters, Scott and Ryan. An enjoyable read, but not great gay fiction. (Is there any?! I have yet to find it!!)
Rating:
Summary: Great book! But some very disturbing parts...
Review: I liked this book a lot... but Preston was freaky. It was bad enough that he cared little about the boys that he seduced, but his obsession of Scott creeped me out (especially when he succeeded in seducing him). I seriously thought that I would have nightmares. It seemed like rape to me. Whenever I read the book now, I'll be skipping past a lot. Other than that, it was a very well-written book. Joe, that redneck jerk, was a wonderful villain and portrays perfectly ignorance and prejudice; he seems the right person to hate. I liked Scott's friends, Doug and Jill, among them. They were just so wonderful and supportive! Despite that I have that with my family and I've seen much of it, it's just a joy to read and see how accepting and sweet that people can be. The tensions between Scott and Ryan seemed a bit unrealistic to me, but, at 19, I've yet to have a relationship, and I'm much calmer, I suppose that it does happen in a lot of relationships(romantic and otherwise). The ending was especially thrilling! I just hope , whomever my love will be, that we will be just as lucky as Scott and Ryan.
Rating:
Summary: The Desert Sons Return!
Review: I loved Mark Kendrick's debut novel, Desert Sons. ... I was surprised and happy to learn of his plans to first write a sequel to Desert Sons. Though I found the ending of the original completely satisfying, it also left some open possibilities that this book explores. While Desert Sons deftly handles the difficult and sometimes dangerous coming out process of young lovers Ryan and Scott, the sequel finds that lingering tensions remain, while new challenges continue to surface. Infidelity, jealousy, town gossip, and buried feelings threaten to destroy their relationship. Worse yet, the threat of violence looms constantly in their lives. Fans of Desert Sons will surely cherish this conclusion to its story-lines. However, I also suggest it to fans of gay teen "coming out" movies like Beautiful Thing, Get Real, Boy's Life, and Edge of Seventeen. In fact, Kendrick's first two novels would both make great movies themselves!
Rating:
Summary: Great Book, but a little slow
Review: I loved this book. I found the story compelling, and kept me turning page after page to see what was going to happen next. It was a little slow at the beginning, but that was mainly because it repeated some stuff from the first book. I like how the book could stand alone, but it was a little tiresome at points. I highly reccomend that you read the first book. All in all, I loved the book. As a Psych major in college, I found that that aspect was well done, even if it was a little too fast for reality. I really ejoyed reading this book, and was dissapointed when it was over. I would love to read more about Ryan and Scott in college.
Rating:
Summary: sameer
Review: i wana a longtremrelation so plz contact if u too searching like me a londterm and sincere person.
Rating:
Summary: A sequel??? Are you sure??
Review: OMG!!!!!! That isthe best way to describe "desert sons" and "into this world we're thrown". These are two of the best books i've ever read. "Into this world we're thrown" is not quite as good as desert sons, but that most definitely does not mean it is a disappointment or anything of the sort. It is wonderfully written and deals with ryan's and scotts' personalities changing from what they were in desert sons. the author does a great job with the shift in character and introducing new obstacles for the two to overcome. I sure hope he comes up with some more gems like these two books, but until then i shall have to read these two again :)
| 
