Marked

Marked, the first book in the House of Night series by P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast, is the story of Zoey Redbird, a sixteen year old girl who has been marked as a fledgling vampyre. It’s not an easy time, new life, new school, new people all while going through a major physical change, and the posibility of not surviving it. Zoey also has to deal with the fact that she is incredibly unique, she was blessed by the goddess Nyx herself leaving her with a different mark than the other fledglings, a bloodlust that’s set in a few years early and of course you other average high school boy and sworn enemy drama.

What am I thinking about this one?

Well, I actually got really into it. I busted through it in just a few hours. Part of that I’m sure is my mad skill, but mostly it’s just an easy read. I found myself getting annoyed with the drama (I went to high school, I graduated, I’m over it), but I suppose it is part of what makes the book seem real, for lack of a better term.

The big winner for me in this book is the mythology behind it. Not only was the vampire mythology quite interesting, but there was also a lot about the Cherokee indians in it (Zoey is a descendent of the Cherokee who was educated in their ways by her grandmother, and it takes place in Oklahoma – both of which I have roots in).

I really liked Zoey and her friends – the new ones. As far as the people from her old life, I wasn’t in love with them with the exception of her puppy dog ex Heath. I didn’t hate him, but the groveling could get annoying.

Though this shows some similarities between other vampire series, all in all it was well thought out. It’s similar to the Sookie Stackhouse novels in that the vamps are ‘out of the coffin’, and like the Midnight Breed series they have natural markings that they grow into – only difference being that it seems they are earned in the House of Night series. As far as teen vampire series go, I still find Vampire Academy to be my favorite, but I would still recommend Marked as an easy and interesting read.