Marked: House of Night by P.C. Cast of Kristin Cast

I first read the House of Night series in 2009 when I was 17/18. I had some horrible flu/bronchitis mixture that was not going away, I cannot remember how much school I missed. I know I purchased Marked before becoming sick, and was in love with the series, so I asked my parents to buy me the next one, and the next, until I read through all of the ones that had been published at the time. I'm sure my staying up late reading did not help me get better any quicker, but I loved the series. But when I went to college, I didn't keep up with the series.

Recently, I was at HPB and I saw them on one of the shelves, so I purchased the first 3. It's been long enough since I read it that I just barely remembered what happened, really only the gist of it and a few of the characters. It has definitely been interesting reading it again through the eyes of a 25 year old.

(Source: Kelsey Darling)

Five Sentence Summary

The House of Night series takes place in a world where vampyre's are real, but they aren't exactly accepted. On a normal day, 16 year old Zoey is marked by a tracker vampyre and ends up at the House of Night, which is where marked fledglings go to learn about becoming a vamp and make the transition. But nothing about Zoey's transition is normal: her crescent moon mark is fully colored in, instead of just an outline, and she discovers that she has an affinity for all five elements, something that no High Priestess has ever had, let alone a fledgling. But as Zoey is learning to deal with all of these life changes, she is also dealing with queen b* Aphrodite and the secret society of Dark Daughters (not really secret, but you know) and their ploys to destroy Zoey and her group of friends. The more Zoey learns about this new life and gifts that have been thrust upon her, she also learns that "darkness does not always equate to evil, just as light does no always bring good" (p. 41).

Likes & Dislikes

• I love that in this world of vampyre's, people know they're real. In so many stories, they are some hidden faction of the world, myths and legends that people don't believe in. 
• I also love that in this world, vampryre's are matriarchal and very pro-feminism.
• While on this, I really don't like regular use of calling people sluts in the book. I know it has more to do with the age of the characters rather than what the authors feel, because I follow Kristin Cast on many different social media websites and she has never given off a vibe of woman shaming, especially since the structure of the society that she and her mother have written about is so feminist, so I try to overlook it. But I really hate slut shaming.

(Source: Giphy)

• P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast are wonderful writers. They build this amazing world of magic and mystery and they really help immerse you in the world without giving away any secrets that ruin the plot. The characters feel real, like I really could go to Oklahoma and find them and meet them and that I would be great friends with them. I have this beautiful vision of the school and the grounds and I can see myself roaming the corridors. They have done such an amazing job bringing everything to life for their readers.
• One thing that bothers me is the characters use of profanity, or lack there of. I don't need profanity in a book to enjoy it, but I cannot take a person seriously when they say poopie instead of shit. If you're going to swear, just swear. It annoys the hell out of me when people say fudge instead of fuck. We all know what you mean and you sound ridiculous.

Commentary

I love that P.C. and Kristin are mother and daughter and have written this series together. I think it shows how much they love and appreciate each other to be able to work together for so long on something that has come together so brilliantly. It makes me love this series even more. I am all for family solidarity! The fact that they are spectacular writers is the cherry on the cake!

(Source: Pinterest)

When I read this the first time, I remember agreeing with so many things that the characters said and felt, probably because of the age similarities between myself and I. This time when I read it, I found myself annoyed at stuff that they said and I had to remind myself that they are only teenagers and that I used to be the same way. That is one thing that I love about reading books again when you're older; everything holds a different meaning to you a second time through.

But also reading through this a second time was confusing. There are things that I sort of remember from later books, and one thing that I clearly remember and wish I didn't. So I find myself trying to piece together these books from memory, instead of just reading and enjoying the book.

I love the central group of characters in this series; I wish that they were real and they all hold qualities of what I look for in my friends. Stevie Rae is probably my favorite with her sweet, southern charm. She reminds me of my best friend: knows when I need to laugh, knows when to tell me the truth, and fiercely loyal.

Overall, I don't think I enjoyed the series as much as I did last time, but it was still an amazing read and I'm excited to see how the series plays out.

Rating: 8/10
Pages: 306 (paperback)
Series: House of Night
Genres: Young Adult, Paranormal, Fantasy