Marked By Books: Review of Marked by P.C. & Kristin Cast

The House of Night series is set in a world very much like our own, except in 16-year-old Zoey Redbird's world, vampyres have always existed. In this first book in the series, Zoey enters the House of Night, a school where, after having undergone the Change, she will train to become an adult vampire -- that is, if she makes it through the Change. Not all of those who are chosen do. It's tough to begin a new life, away from her parents and friends, and on top of that, Zoey finds she is no average fledgling. She has been Marked as special by the vampyre Goddess, Nyx. But she is not the only fledgling at the House of Night with special powers. When she discovers that the leader of the Dark Daughters, the school's most elite club, is misusing her Goddess-given gifts, Zoey must look deep within herself for the courage to embrace her destiny--with a little help from her new vampyre friends.

Some people are childish enough to say that vampires are overrated. And I am mature enough to say that that is not the case. The stereotypical take on vampires is what's overrated. But when you have an original and talented authors such as P.C and Kristen Cast, vampires never go out of style. And with their series, House Of Night, we can view this firsthand.

I had the pleasure of reading Marked a few years ago and by the end of the first chapter, I was hooked. The series is about a teen, Zoey Redbird, who is Marked as a vampire when she is 16 years old and she has to uproot from everything she has ever known, and move to the scary House Of Night in Tulsa Oklahoma. Turns out, its not so scary. She meets her new best friend, Stevie Rae Johnson, as well as 3 other wise cracking teenagers that turn out to be her best friends throughout the series.

This new take on vampires, (vampyres, as spelled in the series) is refreshing to say the least, because it doesn't involve murder and midnight excursions to hunt humans for the sake of survival. Yes, throughout the series there is murder and blood drinking, but not in the sense of Bram Stoker (Yes, I am a Dracula fan as well. I am a nerd, I admit it). The book is even written in first person through the eyes of the protagonist herself, Zoey Redbird.

Now, like my partner, this is the first ever book review I have written so cut me some slack if it isn't as interesting as you would have liked. However! I do have experience when it comes to reading and writing so stick with me here and I will do my best to fulfill your needs. Bookwise, that is. Thanks for reading!!