P. C. Cast, Kristin Cast
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 141
Average rating: 3.5 of 5
A Step Above Others Plot-Wise, but Still not Fantastic 4 out of 5 stars.
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After being severely disappointed with the Twilight series, I was a bit skeptical of Marked. However, being stuck in a waiting period while a book was coming in the mail and having nothing to read, I decided to give it a try. It came highly recommended from a friend...but this was the same friend who ranted and raved about Twilight, so I wasn't really sure how much I could trust her recommendations. The back-of-the-book synopsis of Marked seemed...eh...rather typical of teen vampire books. The cover was certainly attractive but, as I've learned many times, one shouldn't judge a book by its cover. So, with relatively low expectations, I started to read.
And was pleasantly surprised.
Marked had an interesting plot. Nothing earth-shatteringly new, but not as unoriginal as some books out there. I personally found the idea of vampyres being accepted in society to be intriguing. In my previous experience with vampire novels (which, I must admit, isn't that much), the vampires are typically in hiding and aesthetically unrecognizable (save for the typical pale skin and whatnot). To read about them being almost completely accepted in the world and, on top of that, being easy to recognize physically with their crescent moon and other tattoos was rather refreshing. The concept of fledgling vampyres having to go through a risky change and attending an academy were also relatively new to me. Again, not completely unique, but different enough.
However, with that being said, it did get a bit annoying that pretty much EVERY famous person who ever existed was once a vampyre. Shakespeare was a vampyre, the Amazonian women were all vampyres, some of the most well known country singers were/are vampyres, everyone worth mentioning in history was a vampyre. It just struck me as odd and kind of silly to make anyone who mattered a vampyre and anyone who either didn't matter or was frowned upon in the book (for example, Bram Stoker) was just a normal person (usually someone who thought negatively of the vampyres). Perhaps the authors should have cut the number of famous vamps down a bit.
When it comes to characters, there are few complaints from me. The main character, Zoey Redbird comes off as a bit annoying and superficial at first. I mean, she has an almost relationship with the hottest (and stereotypically lacking in intelligence) football player, constantly puts down people (in her head) for how they look, and bashes those from subcultures or groups that are a bit different. But, as the book continued, Zoey became more likeable and realistic. Honestly, I found it easy to relate to her because she was just the average teen, struggling to find her place in the world and overcoming the confusion of life. She constantly worries about what other people think of her and becomes a bit self conscious about the fact that her mark is different and people stare at it...hey, that's how sixteen year olds are. Zoey reminded me of the typical sixteen-year-old trying to gain independence and accept that she (like everyone) is different and unique.
That's not to say there weren't problems with the main character. She really was just too powerful for a fledgling vampyre. Some of it would have been believable...but not all. It almost seemed as it every vamp trait Zoey exhibited was extraordinary for a first year fledgling and shouldn't be seen until the fledgling was in their third or even fourth year (for example, the blood lust and tattoos). And, on top of that, she's possibly the only vampyre to ever feel all five elements. And her mentor is the current high priestess. And, on a social level, she was very easily accepted into the Daughters of Darkness, the most exclusive clique in the school. Like with the number of famous vamps, Zoey's talents and positive traits could have been cut down a bit.
The other characters weren't that bad, either. Sure, it was somewhat stereotypical to have the group of outcasts: the gay guy, the Okie to-a-tee roommate, an African American girl and another girl who thinks of themselves as twins, and one or two other typical outcasts. Heath filled the role of typical dumb, drug doing, drinking, romantically eager, hot football player and K played the part of jealous ex-high school friend. Erik was the Mr. Perfect of the book, the guy everyone wants to date, and the guy who, ultimately, only wants to date Zoey. Aphrodite was the common school slut, stuck on herself and nasty to anyone who challenged her power. Neferet was the mystical and powerful priestess and comforting motherly figure. The various teachers were just that: teachers. Zoey's grandmother was the typical, loving, accepting grandma. And Zoey's parents were the usual closed minded individuals who care more for what the neighbours think of them than the fact that their daughter/step daughter may die. Yet, despite the stereotypical-ness of the supporting characters, many of the characters still had personalities and quirks, traits that make the reader actually care about them. There was at least some thought put into taking these individuals from the often cardboard role of supporting character and making them into real characters, breathing life into them, so to speak.
The romance was, well, somewhat typical for teen books. Zoey is caught in an almost love triangle between Heath, her ex from her old school, and Erik, the hottest boy at her new school who has shown great interest in her. I actually found this to be somewhat realistic, too, in that she's stuck between her new love and her old love, not really sure if she wants to move on and leave her old love behind, but not wanting to pass by an opportunity for someone possibly better. Honestly, I felt that there was more chemistry between Zoey and Heath than there was between Zoey and Erik (even though, I'm sure, this is the intended relationship). The romance, surprisingly enough, does not take centre stage in the book. In fact, it's almost more like a subplot that isn't really explored in this novel.
Some people have made complaints about the sexual content, drug references, and drinking references in Marked. My response to that is simply: real teens in real life do the stuff in this book and worse and, unfortunately, it's probably not going to change, so deal with it. I didn't think it was that bad. Again, it was keeping to typical teen-life and in real life, it happens.
The other major complaint that seems to be made about this book is its negative view on organized Christian religion and its encouragement of paganism. This didn't really bother me, as I'm not religious in the slightest. Organized religion often is, in fact, narrow minded and unaccepting of anything or anyone different. I'm not trying to bash religion, but that's just how it is. And I think that since it was told through Zoey's point of view, the reason for the negative view on Christianity was well grounded. Think about it, her father died when she was young and her mother later remarried to a pastor (so to speak). In the three years that passed since that remarriage, Zoey's stepfather basically took control of the family, molding the mother into what he wanted her to be (telling her she can only have friends that he approves of, that she can't wear makeup, she can't wear clothes she likes, etc) and distancing her from her children, all in the name of God (as he claims). So, I found it to be understandable that Marked would hold the view on religion that it does, seeing that the religion her stepfather was a part of played a fairly big role in practically destroying her family life (and the mother she loved dearly).
As for the writing style, it often struck me as rather juvenile and too teen-ish. Really, I don't think this mother-daughter team thing is working well in terms of the writing. It felt as though PC Cast wrote the manuscript and then handed it off to Kristen to make it more "teen-like". All the modern references were annoying and, as other reviewers have said, put an expiration date on the novel. Unfortunately, in five or so years, the modern references will no longer be modern and the book will seem dated for the references. Seriously, the modern references could have been cut out without hurting the story. Also, some of Zoey's thoughts were rather immature. For example, I don't know of any teenagers who say "poopie" or "boobies" (and then giggle at it). It felt like the authors tried too hard to make it teen-ish and ended up overdoing it. They do, however, know how to write suspense, especially when the climax of the book begins to be led up to and takes place. The plot was pretty well thought out, even if the pacing was too fast...everything takes place in a couple of days.
All in all, Marked wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. In fact, I rather enjoyed it. Not bad for a light read. It's no Twilight (thank God), but I don't think it was trying to be. Which brings me to my final point: stop giving this book low ratings because it isn't Twilight (as some have). Yes, for whatever reason, Twilight has become the "top" teen vampire book and I'm sure this has something to do with all the teen vampire books that have recently emerged. However, just because Twilight is the trendsetter for vampire themed books doesn't mean that every vampire teen book HAS to be JUST like Twilight. If you want to read books exactly like Twilight, then please, for the love of God, just (re)read Twilight. These other vampire books don't deserved to be bashed because they aren't exactly like Meyer's series. In my humble opinion, Marked was better (story-wise, anyway...the writing is often questionable). I recommend it for anyone looking for a light read or maybe even a change of pace from their normal books.
Editorial Review:
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.
