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Marked (House of Night #1)
By
P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast
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Pages: 306
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Publisher: Signet
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Language: English
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ISBN: 978-0312360269
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Synopsis:
Zoey Redbird is
your average 16 year old, trying to make her way through her teenage years
just like everyone else. But one day
she wakes up marked with a crescent shaped moon on her face, which is both an
exciting and scary prospect for her, because it means she is a vampire. Vampires have always existed in her world,
but not all are chosen like Zoey. As
soon as she realizes she is marked, Zoey must enroll in the House of Night, a
school where she must undergo the Change, but not all who enter the school
will make it through the change process.
If she makes it, she will begin to train as an adult vampire. While at the House of Night, Zoey learns that she is not an
average student, and she has been marked as special by the vampire goddess,
Nyx. She isn’t the only student who is
special, and when she learns that one of the others is using their powers for
darkness, she must take on the school’s most elite to keep them from misusing
their gifts.
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Elements of
Young Adult Genre
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Pace:
The story moves quickly, but does not fail to leave out any
details. It is an easy read and keeps the
reader’s interest.
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Characterization: Characters are typical
teenagers – some popular, others not; some moody and angsty; all of them just
trying to find their way in this new chapter of life for them.
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Setting: The setting is based in a
not-so-typical high school.
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Tone/Mood: The mood is a bit dark at
times due to the element of good vs. evil and vampires.
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Story Line: Even though this is yet
another young adult series about vampires, this one is quite different than
any other I am familiar with. This
story is about typical teenage life while learning to become a vampire.
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Read-a-Likes
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The
Coffin Club (Vampire Kisses)
By Ellen Schreiber
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Fade Out
(Morganville Vampires)
By Rachel Caine
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Dark
Visions
By L.J. Smith
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Melanie;
ReplyDeleteWhen I read your annotation, I immediately thought Harry Potter. I read a review by Common Sense Media describing the novel as a fun read, "a fun mother-daughter project than serious sci-fi," (https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/marked-house-of-night-book-1). Perhaps YA readers will be drawn to the fun nature of the book, providing just what they need for escapism reading, "The salient fact of an adolescent girl's existence is her need for a secret emotional life- one that she slips into during her sulks and silences, during her endless hours alone in her room, or even just when she's gazing out the classroom window..." (Flanagan). Sounds like a fun, light read for YA. Thanks
Flanagan, Caitlin. "What Girls Want: A Series of Vampire Novels Illuminates the Complexities of Female Adolescent Desire." The Atlantic, Dec. (2008).
I appreciate that, in this story, the main character isn't the only 'special' teen. Sometimes, that can begin to feel a bit overdone, if the other elements of the story aren't a bit different. The summary does make me curious as to how the others are misusing their gifts, and what Zoey does about it. Great job!
ReplyDeleteI have been curious about this series for a while now. It's true that after so many YA vampire series, you start to think, "hm, how many more of these can we handle?" But, young adults seem to like them, so as long as they are reading and connecting with something, go for it! If you think about it, being a teenage vampire is just a literary manifestation of all the weird crap that happens to us during that time of our lives so, so too far off the mark! Thanks for your insights into this series. I would consider letting my daughter read, or reading it myself!
ReplyDeleteMelanie,
ReplyDeleteI loved this series when I was late middle school, early high school, so I am very happy to see it here annotated. Although an older series, there have been books released recently and I constantly have teens and adults alike checking out and requesting the books. I totally agree with you too that what makes this series stand out is the fact that there are twists and turns that veer away from the typical teenager vampire book.
Also, just let me say that the Morganville Vampires series is hands down my favorite vampire series. There is just something about Rachel Caine's writing style that is addictive. I've actually read others of hers too, including some adult fiction. I highly recommend all of her books!
Does the story do much world-building or developing of vampire lore along with the character development? I never read Twilight because I was afraid of the love triangle, but I hear it actually adds quite a bit to vampire lore in its efforts to set the scene ...
ReplyDeleteCraig, there is some developing of vampire lore and world building in the series. I read Twilight and liked it ok, but this series is very different. It's more believable. There are no sparkly vampires here :)
ReplyDeleteHi Melanie,
ReplyDeleteI love this series! I would also recommend C. C. Hunter's Shadow Falls series. Great annotation!
This is one series I always see at the library but had never actually read. Thanks to your summary, I am now in the know. full points!
ReplyDelete