Review: ‘Marked’ by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast
Marked
by P.C. Cast, Kristin CastSeries: House of Night #1
Published by St. Martin's Press on May 1, 2007
SubGenres: Young Adult Fantasy
Format: Paperback
Pages: 306
Source: Purchased
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After a Vampire Tracker Marks her with a crescent moon on her forehead, 16-year-old Zoey Redbird enters the House of Night and learns that she is no average fledgling. She has been Marked as special by the vampyre Goddess Nyx and has affinities for all five elements: Air, Fire Water, Earth and Spirit. 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 mis-using 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 (or Nerd Herd, as Aphrodite calls them)
Marked is the first book to P.C. Cast’s and Kristin Cast’s House of Night series. I was still in the U.S. Navy when I read this book the first time. It was right after I read the Twilight series. I never reviewed it, though, and thought it was time to re-read this series, mostly since I never finished the series. (My bad.)
First, let me say this book was published in 2007, so much of the stuff mentioned in this book is outdated now when it comes to teenage pop culture, language, tone, etc. Its audience targets teenagers and not adults, but the Young Adult genre has always been a favorite of mine, no matter what year it was written. (I’m not going to give away my age because some people will call me old or ancient. I do have a teenage daughter, so that should give away somewhat of my age. She’s the one calling me old or ancient.)
My Thoughts: I’m not going to go into the storyline because the synopsis goes over it pretty well. I will say this book is different from other vampire stories. The protagonist Zoey Redbird is a typical teenage girl trying to find her way in the world until fate gives her another route for her life. She’s marked to become a Vampire. Zoey is one character you have to grow to love because she comes off as whiny at first. As the mother of a teenage daughter, I can understand Zoey a little better now. Teenage daughters are not easy to live with, and I have to remind myself I was a teenager at one time too. Zoey doesn’t have a loving family, except for her Grandmother, so she needs something else to help her grow. I’m glad she was Marked and sent away from her mom, step-dad, and siblings.
I love the fact that this book/series has a diversity of characters. You have the sweet, caring country girl, Stevie Rae. The smart and adorable gay guy, Damien. (He loves using big words to the Twins, which they give him a hard time about.) The Twins, Shaunee and Erin, from different states and backgrounds, look nothing alike but act alike. Then there’s Erik Night, who is dreamy and dramatic because he’s a theatre kid. Each one brings something different to the story and helps Zoey through the dramas of House of Night.
There’s the villain(s) in the story that also play a role. One in particular who will drive anyone crazy because she thinks she can get away with everything.
I picked up this book back in 2009 and still love to read it due to the book/series being written by a mother/daughter duo. P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast are a fantastic duo that I can’t get enough of, which is why I’m going back to reading this series from the beginning.
Standalone or Part of Series: It’s part of the House of Night Series.
Cliffhanger: There’s no mention of a cliffhanger, but there are unsolved things that come up in this book that need to be addressed.
Would I recommend this book? Yes. If you are a fan of the YA Fantasy genre and loved the Twilight series, I would recommend this book/series. If you are looking for more grown-up books, this book/series may not be for you. This is a series I would recommend to my teenage daughter (if she enjoyed reading, but she doesn’t right now.) My youngest daughter may end up reading this series when she’s old enough. She is more of a reader and loves reading fantasy stories.
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About P.C. Cast
PC was born in the Midwest, and grew up being shuttled back-and-forth between Illinois and Oklahoma, which is where she fell in love with Quarter Horses and mythology (at about the same time). After high school, she joined the United States Air Force and began public speaking and writing. After her tour in the USAF, she taught high school for 15 years before retiring to write full time. PC is a #1 New York Times and #1 USA Today Best-Selling author and a member of the Oklahoma Writers Hall of Fame. Her novels have been awarded the prestigious: Oklahoma Book Award, YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers, Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award, the Prism, Holt Medallion, Daphne du Maurier, Booksellers’ Best, and the Laurel Wreath. PC is an experienced teacher and talented speaker. Ms. Cast lives in Oregon near her fabulous daughter, her adorable pack of dogs, her crazy Maine Coon, and a bunch of horses. House of Night Other World, book 4, FOUND, releases July 7th, 2020. More info to come soon about the HoN TV series!
About Kristin Cast
Kristin is a #1 New York Times and #1 USA Today bestselling author who was born on an Air Force base in Japan and grew up in Oklahoma where she explored everything from tattoo modeling to broadcast journalism. After battling addiction, Kristin made her way to the Pacific Northwest and landed in Portland. She rediscovered her passion for storytelling in the stacks at dusty bookstores and in rickety chairs in old coffeehouses. For as long as she can remember, Kristin’s been telling stories. Thankfully, she’s been writing them down since 2005.
My obsession with reading started over 30+ years ago when I went to my first Scholastic Book Fair and found R.L. Stine's Fear Street series. Later, I came across Anne Rice's novels at my public library when I was fourteen when my obsession with vampires started. I was the girl who preferred to be a vampire over a princess any day. My husband says I would leave him a heartbeat for a vampire that looked like Spike or Angel (from Buffy the Vampire Slayer) or Damon Salvatore from The Vampire Diaries. (It's true, though, and he's accepted it.)
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