Book Review #3

House of Night: Marked

By: P.C. Cast and Kristen Cast

Marked is the first of many in the House of Night series. I first picked up the book, just because it was vampire related and I have a severe obsession with vampires; however now a days who doesn’t. From the first page I feel in love with it. It wasn’t like Twilight, in any way, but more so like Harry Potter.

            The book starts out with a normal teenage girl, named Zoey, but with all vampire stories you know that something’s going to happen. A man goes to her school towards the end of the day and “marks” her. When this happens you’re considered to be a social outcast among your friends, and her boyfriend Heath and Best Friend, keep telling her they will still be together, but of course things change.

            When you’re marked, you only have a certain amount of time to get to the House of Night school. Now the House of Night is a school for vampires in training, or fledglings is what they are called. Zoey becomes frantic because her mom doesn’t seem to care too much about her possibly dying to even bring her. She ends up going to see her grandmother and on her search ends up passing out not far from her house. When she wakes up she is at the House of Night.

            The book continues in a Harry Potter way, there is girl who is much like Draco Malfoy and her name is Aphrodite. Zoey becomes close friends that are like family with a few others. Her family disowns her except for her grandmother who acts just like Mrs. Weasley. Zoey is also special in a way. She learns she has an affinity to all of the 5 elements, which many vampires don’t have, never mind fledglings. 

            Marked is a great novel for those just wanting to get into the vampire world, but if you’ve been in it for a while, it’s just another take on the vampire legend, and maybe not your style. Unless you’re a teenage girl, or still one at heart this book may not be for you. Thankfully I am still one at heart, and I did enjoy this book despite the amount of similarities it has with such the incredible Harry Potter Series. I would give this book a 6 out of 10.

         I would’ve liked to have seen maybe something a little more unique rather than a kind of rip off from another story. It does feel like they took Harry Potter and what made Harry Potter so unique and basically stole some ideas from J.K. Rowling. I wish it was a little more unique of a story, however this has yet to be done in the vampire world.