Book: Marked
Author: P.C. Cast + Kristin Cast
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Release date: May 1, 2007
Source: Bought for Kindle
Series: House of Night #1
Summary: (from Goodreads) 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.
First impressions: I have to admit, I must have picked up this book and flipped through it 5 or 6 times at the bookstore over the years. It seemed like something I would like, but when I read blurbs while standing at the store, it just didn't grab me. I know tons of people go crazy for the series, though, so when it went on sale at the Amazon Kindle store, I decided to spend the $2.99 and try it out.
Lasting impressions: Holy cow! I'm so glad I did! This book is amazing. Zoey has such a distinctive voice that immediately pulled me in to her world. I can't believe I waited this long to start this series. I can't wait to read the next ones.
Conflicting impressions: I was a little surprised at the sex talk. I don't have a problem with that kind of thing in adult books, but for a teen book, it made me raise my eyebrows a bit. Zoey meets her love interest for the first time when his ex-girlfriend is trying to go down on him. O-kay.
Overall impressions: There wasn't anything that overpowered my enjoyment of this book, however. One of my favorite things about Zoey is that she's written to show us her inner monologue. It feels like we're reading her diary or like we are actually inside her head, which is wonderful. It made me, as a reader, connect to Zoey right away and I just loved her personality.
Zoey's grandmother is a great character, and I hope we see more of her. I love the Native American heritage that mixes so well with the paranormal elements of the story. The House of Night is a great concept, and I'll be curious to see if in future books we see more interaction between this boarding school and the outside world. It would be great to see more of Zoey with her grandmother and friends instead of focusing solely on what's happening at the House.
This book made me giddy with anticipation about Zoey's new school, new friends, and new powers as a vampyre. I highly recommend this book to all paranormal fans, and I can't say enough good things about it.
Rating: 5/5 stars
Want a different perspective? Check out this review by A Cover Lover.
5 comments:
I'll be curious to see what you think of the rest of the series. This one was a DNF for me. I stopped shortly after the scene you described in your "conflicting impressions" section.
So glad you enjoyed Marked! But be warned- prepare yourself for an emotional roller coaster! I am currently on book 5, but I have a love/hate relationship going on w/this series.... I'm very curious to see what you think. I'll be on the look out for your future reviews :)
@Small Review - Yeah, that part really threw me. I don't know. I really am conflicted about sex in YA fiction. On one hand it seems like it's something that should be portrayed realistically, but on the other hand I worry that casual sex doesn't need to be a part of every story.
@Diana - Hmm, love-hate you say? Now you're making me nervous!
Great review, though the sex part would catch me off guard too. I am game for some realistic stuff, like Logan said, but I sometimes DO feel that YA lit can be a little indelicate at times.
@BookGeek - Yeah, I think it surprised me because it just came out of left field.
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