Marked (House of Night, #1)

by P.C. Cast, Kristin Cast

book data

6,881 ratings, 3.93 average rating, 1,483 reviews (more data...)

rating	frequency	%
5		37%
4		30%
3		21%
2		6%
1		3%

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published

May 1st 2007 by St. Martin's Griffin

binding

Paperback, 306 pages

characters

Zoey Redbird, Erik Night, Stevie Rae, Neferet

setting

The United States

isbn

0312360266 (isbn13: 9780312360269)

description

The House of Night series is set in a world very much like our own, except in 16-year-old Zoey Redbird's world, vampires have always existed. In this ...more

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10/13/08

Tiffany rated it:

Read in November, 2008

recommends it for: nobody.

Read about half of it. Hated it. I'm returning the rest to the library.

The authors tried to make so many references to pop culture, they sounded ridiculous, and then were even proud of themselves for "sounding like teenagers," as they stated in the preface. Dumb. They tried to make moral lessons out of the life of this "fledgling," and had her reject things like Paris Hilton's weight, oral sex amongst teenagers, and Ashton Kutcher unfortunately liking older women....more

Like this review? yes (28 people liked it)

17 comments

11/02/08

Elizabeth rated it:

bookshelves: 2009, fantasy, twenty-first-century, vamps-and-other-mythical-beasts

Read in January, 2009

Are you a slut? Take this quick quiz:

1. Have you kissed a boy outside your dorm after he walks you home?
2. Does your skirt hike up a little if you’ve climbed up a fence and are perched on top?
3. Do you wear make-up?
4. Do you want to make out with a boy after only knowing him two days?
5. Do you dance in public?

If you’ve answered yes to any of these questions, then, according to P.C. Cast (and her daughter), yes, you are a slut. High-five! I thin...more Are you a slut? Take this quick quiz:

1. Have you kissed a boy outside your dorm after he walks you home?
2. Does your skirt hike up a little if you’ve climbed up a fence and are perched on top?
3. Do you wear make-up?
4. Do you want to make out with a boy after only knowing him two days?
5. Do you dance in public?

If you’ve answered yes to any of these questions, then, according to P.C. Cast (and her daughter), yes, you are a slut. High-five! I think they just described every woman who either didn’t come out when she was two or doesn’t belong to a religious cult.

And I thought Stephenie Myers and her pro-life, family-is-everything, let-the-man-protect-me crusade was repugnant.

What is it with these family-values authors writing about vampires (excuse me, Cast calls them “vampyres,” clearly distinguishing her dark and threatening -- but also non-bloodsucking – fiends from Myers’ sparkley-happy monsters)? Should we blame George Orwell for caging a political message in science fiction? Did he lead us to these transparent politicos? I can’t believe he did…because I just can’t believe they read his books.

When you use a teenage girl as your first-person narrator and write with an “authentic” voice by littering your text with made up words and insipid, internal, pep-talks (I think I can take down the blonde bitch with the help of my new best friends, I think I can), you obviously never read Orwell. You obviously grew up on a limited diet of romance novels and Seventeen. Awesome.

But, Elizabeth, don’t you have the next book on your to-read shelf? Didn’t you read this one in two days? Haven’t you read the Twilight series a couple of times now? Aren’t you kind of like a complete hypocrit?

Maybe. For all the problems in these books, the stories are interesting. If I gave up on every book in which I didn’t like the author’s political agenda, racist comments, or bad grammar (it’s all in here, baby!), I’d probably never read again.
(less)

Like this review? yes (26 people liked it)

17 comments

09/23/08

kate rated it:

This was a really quick read, made even quicker by skipping over the pages of repetitive neo-pagan-vampyre rituals (which I could have done entirely without). The author is clearly trying to win over the wiccan-teen demographic, while appealing to those who loved the Twilight series.

What bugged me most about this one was the author's attempt to address every controversial teen issue imaginable, while instilling good morals without being condescending. She managed, but honestly, t...more

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06/06/08

Jackie rated it:

bookshelves: 5-star, pleasure-reading, series, vamps-and-other-paranormal-pleasure, ya

Read in October, 2008

Oh, I liked this book SOOOOOOOOO much better than the Stephanie Meyer series--these kids are smarter, more diverse, less whiny and far more intersting. Add to that a new version of vampirism, and it's a completely winning combination. The story telling is top notch, the characters are interesting, and the book is compelling start to finish. I can't wait to dive into the next in this series!

And I have to admit I'm intrigued by the concept of a mother/daughter writing team, especia...more

Like this review? yes (13 people liked it)

5 comments

07/18/08

Britt rated it:

bookshelves: fantasy-sci-fi, fiction, identity, ya

Read in July, 2008

Typical teen story in which there is a black and white delineation between the heroes and the villains, and you will never mistake one for the other. Our heroine comes from a troubled family, longs for a place to belong, is marked as incredibly and shockingly extraordinary amongst her new peers, butts heads with the queen of the school who is also the flatly drawn villainess, immediately catches the eye of the hottest guy at school who is also the ex of our villainess, shows remarkable powers an...more Typical teen story in which there is a black and white delineation between the heroes and the villains, and you will never mistake one for the other. Our heroine comes from a troubled family, longs for a place to belong, is marked as incredibly and shockingly extraordinary amongst her new peers, butts heads with the queen of the school who is also the flatly drawn villainess, immediately catches the eye of the hottest guy at school who is also the ex of our villainess, shows remarkable powers and wields them with a confidence and skill even the most advanced prodigy would not have after one day in a new world with new rules (after suffering from slight self-esteem issues easily erased by her upbeat and encouraging friends), and is wise beyond her years leading her to take on the benevolent savior leader role amongst her friends and eventually the entire school.

The author captures the teenage voice well enough (though it did seem she was trying a bit hard at times), but all the pop culture references got annoying. Also, while she did sound like a teenager, the narrator’s voice irritated me. She spent a good deal of time passing harsh judgments against particular types of people and behavior. Girls who wear lots of makeup are losers (as are a great many other people throughout the book). Teenagers drinking and smoking is horrifying and disgusting. Wanting to kiss someone you are attracted to apparently makes you a slut. She dislikes one of her classmates because he is not only annoying but also unattractive. While I am not saying that teenagers having sex and drinking and smoking is a good thing, I felt this moralizing had more to do with the author wanting the kiddies to know how dirty these things are than with the character really holding these opinions. It felt that her reaction to them was more immature than the character the author wanted us to see.

Also, not a fan of all the hatred for religion. More of the author pushing her point of view than creating anything compelling within the story. What does this really add? Nothing that couldn’t have been done some other way.

The author does more telling than she should, which always annoys me. You don’t need to tell me that you hate homophobes; I can tell that by the way you’re speaking about their intolerance. You don’t need to tell me you’re a dork; I can tell that by the Star Trek sweatshirt you wear. You definitely don’t need to tell me that you have no choice in being the villainess because that is the role you are meant to play, I can tell that by reading the rest of the book. Also not cool? Defining words within the text. Not necessary! Are we writing an SAT prep novel? No!

I am getting a bit tired of the vampires who are so much more powerful, beautiful, intelligent, wonderful than humans and have all these amazing abilities and gifts. This just makes it too easy to use these abilities to get out of whatever trouble pops up in the story. Neferet showing up at the Samhain ritual? Why would she? Because she’s intuitive? I’m not buying it. It’s just too convenient.

Ok, so, those are some pretty negative bits that I did not like about the book, but I did enjoy it overall. I do like the vampires the author created. I like that becoming a vampire is a biological change that your body could reject, thus killing you. I like that they are mortal and just have a longer life span than humans. I like that they can go out during the day, it’s just really uncomfortable. I like that they have a vampire school. I like that they are part of society, excelling in the arts. I like that vampires have a matriarchal society. I think the mixture of the goddess and vampirism is interesting. I like the main character’s new friends. The concept is interesting and fun, and I will probably pick up the sequels at work tomorrow.(less)

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01/03/08

Ana O. rated it:

bookshelves: 2008-read, ebook, english, young-adult

Read in January, 2008

Zoey, sixteen years old, is having a normal day at school, not the best one in her opinion but little does she know that things are about to get even worse. Standing next to her locker is a weird looking guy, actually he looks more dead than alive, he's a Tracker, someone who finds young vampires, marks them and sends them to the House of Night, a vampire school. But Zoey isn't your average vampire, her mark, a crescent moon on her forehead, is different from all the other fledglings, it's fille...more Zoey, sixteen years old, is having a normal day at school, not the best one in her opinion but little does she know that things are about to get even worse. Standing next to her locker is a weird looking guy, actually he looks more dead than alive, he's a Tracker, someone who finds young vampires, marks them and sends them to the House of Night, a vampire school. But Zoey isn't your average vampire, her mark, a crescent moon on her forehead, is different from all the other fledglings, it's filled in, something that only adult vampires are supposed to have. But that's not the only thing that's different about Zoey, she seems to be special, destined for greater things!
I started this book with high expectations, everyone was raving about how good it was and I'm a sucker for paranormals, but now I feel deceived. Maybe I'm just too picky but this story reeked of déjà vu! Let's see, we have a vampire school, a heroine who is different and special, uniforms with distinctive symbols for each year, a friendly teacher who always seems to know what everyone is thinking and shows up when she's most needed, friends who are considered losers before Zoey shows up and last but not least, an evil blond girl who hates Zoey from the start and does everything she can to ruin her life. I could go on but aren't you already thinking, Harry Potter?
The authors tried to be too original and in my opinion failed miserably! What's with the vampyre spelling? Zoey's group of friends includes a gay boy and a black girl, not to mention that Zoey is half Cherokee herself, a little too politically correct. The story was permeated with religion prejudice, I'm an agnostic myself and some of the comments made me cringe. The language isn't consistent throughout the story, at times we have Zoey using very strong language and then we turn around and she's talking about horse poopie (if I had to read the word poopie one more time I'd scream). The rituals felt out of place, I couldn't quite believe in the whole vampires doing Wicca like chants and rituals, it felt forced. And the thing that annoyed me the most was Zoey being special, oh so special and perfect, she can do anything, she has no flaws, she'll do great things and save the world. Beurk!
I know this is Young Adult fiction but from reading all those wonderful reviews I was expecting a lot more, something new and original. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoyed the story, I read it in one day and I want to read the next one, I bet I know who the evil person is in the next book. But my advice is not to expect too much from this story or you're bound to be as disappointed as I was!(less)

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10/23/07

Shannon rated it:

bookshelves: 2007, paranormal, romance, vampires, ya

Read in January, 2007

16 year old Zoey has a crappy home life, an almost-ex-boyfriend who drinks too much, a best friend who's shallow and a geometry test tomorrow. But all this matters for naught when she is Marked by a Vampyre Tracker and must move to the House of Night school in Tulsa, Oklahoma, for four years while her body undergoes the Change into a Vampyre - or rejects it and she dies.

This is a new and original take on the Vampire legends, and mixes in matriarchy and goddess-worship with pleasing e...more 16 year old Zoey has a crappy home life, an almost-ex-boyfriend who drinks too much, a best friend who's shallow and a geometry test tomorrow. But all this matters for naught when she is Marked by a Vampyre Tracker and must move to the House of Night school in Tulsa, Oklahoma, for four years while her body undergoes the Change into a Vampyre - or rejects it and she dies.

This is a new and original take on the Vampire legends, and mixes in matriarchy and goddess-worship with pleasing effect. Zoey becomes marked in a special way - the Goddess Nyx has given her a special responsibility and added gifts; which she'll need, because something's not right at the House of Night, and her own mentor and High Priestess may not be the gentle, caring mother-figure she makes herself out to be.

What I especially liked about this book was how it handles issues relevant to teenagers. Yes it discusses topics like drinking, drugs, anorexia, sex, homosexuality, bullying etc. but all in a positive light (or an "anti-" light, depending on the topic). Zoey is a wonderful role model with a sensible head on her shoulders who looks beyond the surface to what really makes people behave how they do.

Also, to be perfectly clear on this point, despite what you might have read, there is no sex in this book, or the sequel (and even if there was, I think it would be handled very maturely). There is some slutty behaviour from one of the characters, but this is hardly glorified. In fact, it's only the language of the teenaged characters themselves that stops this book from being too moralising. The slang etc. has been captured perfectly, but is not overdone so that it gets really annoying. It's also dark, funny, and the inclusion of rituals invoking the five elements of air, water, fire, earth and spirit add a new, beautiful element that I really liked. I honestly think this book and the ones that follow can only have a good impression on teenagers. Don't be afraid to put it on your library's shelves. In fact, my biggest problem with this book was the rather excessive product placement going on. It's unnecessary and grotesque. Otherwise, Marked is highly enjoyable!(less)

Like this review? yes (7 people liked it)

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02/16/09

Miranda rated it:

Read in February, 2009

This probably one of the worst books I have ever read... It was horrible. The writing was stupid. If you like to read a grown woman try to talk like a teenager then this is for you.. I hated it. I mean I felt stupid after reading some of this. They compared people to Paris Hilton, and Ashton Kutcher, they brought oral sex into and they didn't just briefly talk about it they made it stretch out over a couple of chapters. This mother/daughter writing team needs to rethink working together ag...more

Like this review? yes (8 people liked it)

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03/01/09

Brooke Watson rated it:

Read in March, 2009

This book was so bad, I wanted to quit reading it, but then I could not have fairly rated it. So despite my better judgment - I read on, wincing all the way!

Marked tries so hard to be hip - but "like totally" fails. I know you have to be careful when choosing YA books. Some of it is great - it resonates with those of all ages. And some of it, like this book, is YA crap.

The main character was also very poorly created. She enjoyed reading the horrid Gossip girl se...more

Like this review? yes (3 people liked it)

8 comments

04/16/08

Missy rated it:

recommended to Missy by: poppy
recommends it for: anyone

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

My dad got me this book, not thinking i would like it because he picked it out i didn't read it for awhile. but when i was in cabo i got real board, so i read this book. and it now is deff. one of my favorits.

its about this girl that gets "marked" as they call it, she turns into a vampire and being marked is what they call it in the town they are in. So she gets marked and when she does she goes to see her grandma because she knows her grandma will accept her no matter what...more

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05/25/08

Tianna rated it:

bookshelves: summer-reading-2008, vampire-books

At first, I bought this book from B&N. I started reading the first chapter and I absolutely hated it. People already knew vampires existed?? There was no way that I was going to read this book. I left it in my pile of other books.

Months later, I decided to give it another chance and I fell in love with it!! This book isn't about the secrecy of vampires but the fact that although eveyone knows about it, they show a type of fear.

The protagonist in this book has been Marked...more

Like this review? yes (4 people liked it)

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12/08/08

Robbie rated it:

bookshelves: 5-star-ratings

Read in November, 2008

Review: Marked (House of Night) *Minor Spoilers*
November 13th, 2008 by Robbie

Marked (House of Night book 1)

By P.C. Cast + Kristin Cast

* Paperback: 320 pages
* Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin; 1st edition (May 1, 2007)
* Language: English
* ISBN-10: 0312360266

Let me start off by saying that at last year’s ALA Midwinter Talia from Macmillan gave me a copy of this book. And it sat on my shelf for nine months be...more

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03/29/09

Lauren rated it:

bookshelves: not-appropriate

Read in March, 2009

Thank goodness it was only a library book! This book was so horrible I couldn't finish it. I was looking for something lighthearted, I figured it would be a safe read since it's Young Adult Fiction. Well I was wrong, this is so inappropriate for teens as well as being poorly written. I'm shocked this book was written by a mother daughter team, so did they get together and brain storm all the swear words and oral sex they were putting into this book? Marked also has a lot of anti-Christian statem...more

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01/31/09

Jenie rated it:

bookshelves: fiction, girl-power, magic-supernatural, mean-teens, teen-reads

Read in January, 2009

Scale of 1-10: 3
Pros: Vampire school is an interesting concept, and the story itself is interesting in the last 1/3 of the book.
Cons: The concept is so poorly executed as to make me tear at my hair and gnash my teeth. Vampires as fluffy bunnies? REALLY?!? *heavy sigh*

I got the feeling PC Cast wanted to write a "clean" supernatural thriller, but what she came up with is so antiseptic and sheltered that frankly, I don't understand why she chose such traditionally...more

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02/14/09

Melodie rated it:

bookshelves: read-2009

Read in March, 2009

This book was recommended to me by my niece. I got her started with vampire books sometime back with Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse books. And I was the one who introduced her to Twilight. She gave me one of Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy books & I liked it, so figured this series might be okay, too. WRONG!! Others have mentioned the preponderance of pop culture references, which was annoying. However, my main quibbles are with Zoey's "perfectness" and what seemed to me to ...more

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07/28/08

Rachel rated it:

bookshelves: ya-books

Read in July, 2008

Okay, I'll admit it. I've got a bit of the YA vampire bug. I picked this up on a splurge, primarily because I was interested in the idea of a mother and her young daughter writing a book together.

And that union did add a lot of flavor. I get the feeling that the main character Zoey is a more realistic teenager than many of the other YA books currently out there.

Essentially, Zoey is a dead normal girl until she gets chosen to become a vampire (dead normal - ha!). She's...more

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03/24/09

Addie rated it:

Read in March, 2009

recommended to Addie by: Michelle Johnson

A book about vampires with practically no vampires. Huh.

Quick, easy read. I found it extremely hard to ditch my ego and enjoy this one. Although intentionally written in the modern teenage vernacular, the "like totally's" and "omg slut's" were so hard for me to ignore. I found the main character, Zoey, to be just as shallow and vapid as the antagonist and her minions. The only part of this book I was able to stomach was the idea behind the ritual circles, the call...more

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04/19/09

Diane rated it:

Read in April, 2009

This is disturbing, well written but disturbing. Wiccan-infused, God-hating, religion-bashing Marked/House of Night is a lurid teen tail of Vampiric lore written by a mother & daughter. I can't believe my 13 yo read it. I slogged my way through it just so she and I can discuss it, but I just want to throw it in the trash. Hate it almost as much as Anita Diamant's Red Tent. Both are fairly well-written, and both do a hack job on monotheistic Bible-based religions and do much to glorify and promot...more

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02/13/08

Sandra Rosa rated it:

bookshelves: 2008, nm

Read in February, 2008

recommended to Sandra by: Ana O.

I decided to read this after i read the A's Review.
The book really didn't strike any cords with me.
It's basically Harry Potter meets Twilight, and just too much teen drama for my taste...
And these perfect self-righteous heroines are starting to get on my nerves...

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15 comments

12/06/08

N.A. rated it:

bookshelves: library-book, supernatural, young-adult-fiction

Read in December, 2008

Admittedly deeper than my last read (Glass Houses by Rachel Caine), it's still in the same basic genre that I felt like reading at this time. Even though Zoey is a bit of a Mary-Sue character (practically perfect in every way), I still liked her, and it probably helped it was written in first person so that I could read her insecurities and such. I loved the basic plot and the side characters, Damien and Stevie Rae (oh, and Nala!) were great. On the other hand, I could probably do without ...more

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