Search - Marked (House of Night, Bk 1)

At first I thought this book was going to be way more high school drama than I wanted to read about. But as I got further into the story I was drawn into the unique world that they exsist in. I also began to become curious about various plot theories and eager to find out the resolutions. There were some behaviours that I thought were a little much for a YA book, but I was o.k. with them because the heroine herself does not indulge and speaks out against them. The only thing that left me a little uncomfortable was the way that "the people of faith" (as they are called) were painted. But the book has peeked my interest and I will read the second in the series.

Reviewed by Jennifer Rummel for TeensReadToo.com

"Just when I thought my day couldn't get any worse, I saw the dead guy standing next to my locker."

The opening sentence hooks the reader; they will devour the whole book quickly and ask for more.

Zoey's life is about to change forever. She woke up one morning normal and by the end of the day she's been marked. Being marked indicates that she will turn into a vampire. She needs to leave her family and friends behind and start a new life with other marked teens at the House of Night. Zoey's never completely fit in, but now she might have a chance.

After a fight with her mother and stepfather, Zoey goes to her grandmother's house for advice. Before seeing her grandmother, Zoey has a vision of the Goddess Nyx, who states that she is special and names Zoey her personal eyes and ears in the world. Zoey faints, but not before the Goddess replaces her mark with a blue crescent, which is extremely rare.

When Zoey arrives at the House of Night, she finds herself the object of attention because of her crescent. Her roommate and her new acquaintances quickly find their way into Zoey's heart. She finds herself surrounded with friends for the first time, but she also encounters a powerful enemy. As her entire lifestyle changes, Zoey finds peace within herself as she accepts her destiny and steps up to challenge her enemy's misguided judgement.

If you like vampires and enjoy supernatural tales, you don't want to miss this first book in a great new series.

I don't ever remember speaking like this as a teenager. The forshadowing is comical in it's obviousness. Read Stephanie Meyer if you need some young vampire romance, don't bother with this.

An enjoyable book once you get past a maladroit opening. I was in the mood for a light supernatural romance and after reading the first few chapters of this I almost threw it back. The author, P.C. Cast, teaches a writing class so she should have known better, but maybe she couldn't resist. She threw in so many pop-culture references and the first few chapters had so many convoluted embellishments that I almost lost patience and gave up. But after the first 50 pages, this got much better.

The classic writers loved to embellish their tales with levels of detail that slow the overall process of reading but result in a richer journey. That's fine, and when one is in the appropriate frame of mind, it can be wonderful but one generally doesn't approach a supernatural teen romance in that mood.

However, it was nice to see a gay character (even a supporting character) that's not too stereotypical in this situation, and that did redeem some of the writing foibles, but this book will definately NOT be for everyone. It's a too obvious attempt to cash in on the Twilight phenomonon but with wiccan elements, and it's enjoyable enough when it's not trying too hard.

Despite its writerly moments the storytelling here is quite good and if you enjoy this sort of thing, stick with it for the first hundred pages and then decide.

Terrific beginning of a series I am eager to read all of. Set in the now but in a different belief it has colorful characters well described and captivating plot which thickens and keeps one swiftly turning the next page. Brings one back to their youth in some of the trials and struggles encountered. All in all a very good read I look forward to book #2 Betrayed!

16 year old Zoey has a crappy home life, an almost-ex-boyfriend who drinks too much, a best friend who's shallow and a geometry test tomorrow. But all this matters for naught when she is Marked by a Vampire Tracker and must move to the House of Night school in Tulsa, Oklahoma, for four years while her body undergoes the Change into a Vampire - or rejects it and she dies.

This is a new and original take on the Vampire legends, and mixes in matriarchy and goddess-worship with pleasing effect. Zoey becomes marked in a special way - the Goddess Nyx has given her a special responsibility and added gifts; which she'll need, because something's not right at the House of Night, and her own mentor and High Priestess may not be the gentle, caring mother-figure she makes herself out to be.

What I especially liked about this book was how it handles issues relevant to teenagers. Yes it discusses topics like drinking, drugs, anorexia, sex, homosexuality, bullying etc. but all in a positive light (or an "anti-" light, depending on the topic). Zoey is a wonderful role model with a sensible head on her shoulders who looks beyond the surface to what really makes people behave how they do.

Also, to be perfectly clear on this point, despite what you might have read, there is no sex in this book, or the sequel (and even if there was, I think it would be handled very maturely). There is some slutty behavior from one of the characters, but this is hardly glorified. In fact, it's only the language of the teenaged characters themselves that stops this book from being too moralizing. The slang etc. has been captured perfectly, but is not overdone so that it gets really annoying. It's also dark, funny, and the inclusion of rituals invoking the five elements of air, water, fire, earth and spirit add a new, beautiful element that I really liked. Over all a great book...