This book was too simple for my liking. However, it is a great set up for book 2, which I loved. If you are a fan of Twilight or the Gemma Doyle Trilogy, you will like this book. It is has elements of "Mean Girls" and talks about Gossip Girls and cool clothing. I recommend it for teen girls.

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.

I recently became interested in the Vampire novel genre after reading Twilight. Since reading it i have read about 10 other vampire series, including this one. Sadly this one is at the bottom of my recommendation list for other to read. The first few books from this series were very promising, which made me read all of them that are released but i was very disappointed afterward. I did not feel as close to the characters as i wanted to, or become attached, at all. And i felt as though there were many loose ends in the novels. I found myself asking questions about the story and characters that were given no answers. If you want to read a great story based on vampires, i would look elsewhere before reading House of Night.

I'm a 41 yr old woman, who cut her teeth on Anne Rice. Upon opening page one of this book at the bookstore, it grabbed me. I immediately liked Zoey and wanted to know more about her. The writing style was friendly and spoke comfortabley TO the reader. Reminded me of Richard Peck's writing style from some of his teen mystery novels (my favorite as a teen).

It's a light read yet draws you into a different world of Vampyres than the normal fare. Love the Night School concept as well.

I DO wish there was a picture of Zoey's forehead tattoo/Mark, though. It sounds so exotic!

So, I had to get this book and Twilight. Both are really good so far.

I'll update once I finish, but I'm sure I'll be getting the sequels to both books!

I'm a 41 yr old woman, who cut her teeth on Anne Rice. Upon opening page one of this book at the bookstore, it sunk it's teeth into me....it's a light read yet draws you into a differnt world of Vampyres than the normal fare. Love the Night School concept as well. I had to get this one and Twilight. Both are really good so far. I'll update once I finish, but I feel like I'll be gettting the sequels to both books, as well.

I must admit that it took me awhile to get into "Marked." This book sat on my nighstand for over a year, while I slowly read through the first third of the book. Around page 50, things start to pick up when Zooey actually arrives at the House of Night, which is likened to a vampire finishing school. The idea of a vampire finishing school is a good one & has been used in more than one YA vampire series. I personally feel that Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy series is much better & would recommend it to anyone who enjoyed this book.

But "Marked" was just a little too predictable & the characters a little too cliche. We have the token male, gay friend, the country bumpkin roommate, the blonde mean girl, & the popular, gorgeous guy that all the girls have a crush on. The heroine is the typical unpopular, new girl who ends up going against the most popular girl in school. The results are predictable.

Despite all of this, "Marked" was a guilty pleasure, & the end left some threads hanging that could be promising in the future. I'm going to chalk this book up to a rough start & read "Betrayed." The storyline of the second books seems much more promising.

The grammar is jumbled. The plot is silly. The characters are cliche. This book is a waste of time. Put it down.

I found this story line to be very origional, unlike anything I've ever read. I would recommend this for teens, probably 14 and older.

The book is written from a teen's perspective, which is refreshing. That means that there are quite a few curse words and seual comments... let's just leave it at that.

It always keeps you on the edge of your seat, even in the pretty uneventful parts. I know that a book is really good when I find myself reading it and laughing out loud.

As I said, it is a very "teen" book. So if you're not a teen, someone may have to explain to you what some of the, uh..., references in the book mean.

But overall, I found this book to be absolutely AMAZING. My friend ordered Marked, not knowing if it would be all that good, and before I was even half way through the book, I was online ordering Betrayed, Chosen, and Untamed. I would recommend these books to just about anybody. It's a new twist on an old tale.

From page one in "Marked", the reader is thrown headfirst into the world that P.C. Cast and her daughter has created around Zoey Redbird. When the character of Zoey is first introduced we have absolutely no idea what is going on - she's horribly sick and keeps coughing in a disgusting way -and then suddenly she is "marked" aka has a half moon on her forehead which indicates that she is a vampire and has to report to the closest House of Night school to continue her vampire education before she is considered "full-fledged", which she'll have to go through the "change" in order to do that (more on that in subsequent books). Anyway, Zoey's parents are religious and flip out even though Zoey didn't choose to be a vampire fledgling. The only person on her side is her American Indian grandmother before she reports to the school. The first half of the book is maybe 3 out of 5 stars just because it took some time to get used to Zoey's narrative and her descriptions about what the heck is going on at the House of Night. The second half I give a 4 out of 5 stars with an eagerness to continue the series after the last page of book one is read. You definately come to love Zoey's world: her shady mentor and House of Night High Priestess, Neferet; her country-girl roommate, Steve-Rae, as well as the other kids in her "group"; Aphoridite, the frenemy who has her own agenda where Zoey is concerned and last but not least, Erik Night, Aphrodite's ex and Zoey's new love interest. All in all the book is really good and the series gets better. Zoey is a normal girl at the beginning of the book that gets thrown into the vampire world but does it with a fearlessness that is admirable.

Zoey Redbird is a normal teenager until she was marked to become a fledgling vampire. Her mom and her mean step-dad act like she has some type of plague and instead of being there for her they make her that much more eager to start her new life. So Zoey runs away to her grandmas' house & from there is taken to "The House of Night" which is a highschool for vampires. It is clear from the minute she walks in the door that she is going to have her hands full! She starts a new life, makes a friends that become like her family, & starts on a journey that everyone needs to read! I loved this book!! I couldn't put it down from the moment I started reading it! Its a must read!!

Zoey Redbird, a regular and normal teenager, doesn't feel like she fits in anywhere. And ever since her mother married Zoey's now 'step-loser', she doesn't feel like her mother cares a great deal for her anymore. And just when she thought life couldn't get any worse, a Vampyre arrives at school and `marks' her with the crescent moon, the sign of a 'soon-to-be' vampyre.

Upon arriving home, Zoey is in desperate need to talk to her mother, hoping that she could talk about it with her mother, looking for the caring mother she remembered. However, her mother proves differently and with her step-father there, she's sent and locked in her room. A deeply religious man, her step-father believes that it was Zoey's wicked ways that put her in her position and the only thing that reverse it would be prayers and a talk with a psychologist. But that wasn't the answer Zoey was seeking, and slips out of the house to see her grandmother, the only person in her life that has shown her unconditional love. But Zoey becomes even more sick, falls and blacks-out, only to awaken to find herself at the House of Night: a school where the Marked go to learn how to become a vampyre, to learn to harness their new powers.

And just when Zoey thinks that maybe she'll be able to feel like she finally fits in, Fate would change that. For Zoey has been blessed by the Goddess Nyx herself, and the shape of the crescent moon on her forehead is no longer an outline. It's completely filled in. Once again, her hopes are dashed.

Meanwhile, even at the House of Night, it seems almost like a regular high school, for the kids still act the same. And the more Aphrodite, the leader of the Dark Daughters, antagonises her, the more she notices something not right about the group and becomes determined to bring Aphrodite down, with the help of her new found friends, believing her no more than a regular snobby bully.

For a young adult novel (and I'm 31), I thought this was pretty good. The different spin on the vampire world was fresh, and I'm always looking for something different from the norm.

Zoey, to me, is like just about any teenager out there. I related a lot to her, either in her regular high school or at the House of Night. I've had to deal quite a bit with the snobs and bullies. How they made her feel and think, I've felt and thought as well. The dialogue definitely feels `teen-ish' and some readers might not like that.

I thought Zoey handled everything thrown at her quite well, from dealing with Aphrodite and the Dark Daughters, a new school, a roommate, new friends, new subjects to study (which sort of reminded me a bit of Harry Potter), her now ex-best friend and her ex-boyfriend.

I'd recommend it as a light read.

This book was originally loaned to me by a friend who said I should read it. Honestly, I just took the book to humor her because I thought there was no way I would like it. After the first page I couldn't put the book down and finished it the second day. This series is amazing. I would very much recommend it and even planning on buying copies for my two nieces.

You really need to get a 4 books at the same time! Love the books.

The story itself is great, so much promise... the book though... The writing is fairly bad, even for a young adult book. The characters are obnoxious and inaccurate depictions of high school kids. The dialog is often unbelievable. The timeline is ridiculous. There is a reason that Harry Potter spanned several years and the Twilight series nearly 2 (or 3?). It's hard to believe that THAT much horrible, unbelievable, crazy stuff happens in a month (I'm speaking to the whole series, not just this book). Also, most young adult books try to avoid dropping the eff word and being overly explicit with sex scenes. While, as an adult, I was a little disappointed when the Edward and Bella's scene got glossed over -- I would have been suprised if it had been presented as it is in this series. If you're a parent who is uptight about those sorts of things, skip over this series and find another.

Overall... an OK series. I wouldn't read it again, but I'm upset that I'll never get that time back either.

This book is horrible. The characters are annoying and the writing style is sub par. Elements of Harry Potter, Twilight, and Wicked are very apparent throughout the entire book. There were many times that I had to put the book down in utter frustration from the obvious rip offs. This is very unoriginal and an obvious ploy to make money off of the young adult fiction crowd. I only finished the book to see if it got better, which it didn't. The vulgar language was completely unnecessary, as well as most of the parenthetical statements. Pop culture references make the story even more cheesy. I cannot even believe this book got published.

I really enjoyed this book. I finished it in one sitting. It is very well written, but for YA adult kind of explicit. I loved the Twilight series and picked this series up to kind of find something new to read instead of reading the twilight saga over and over. :) I plan on picking up book 2 tonight.

This book should not be listed under juvenile/teen listing. The sexual references were completely unecessary for the story line and actually put me off in reading it. I loved the message of the book but the sexual inuendo and reference was completely out of place and distracted from the story. My husband bought the book for my almost 13 year old because it was on the shelf next to the Twilight series. I read it after her and was horrified by what she had read without my knowing so I have to go into damage repair mode. I am by no means a prude - I love Nora Roberts and others - but this CRAP is completely not needed for teens and pre-teens today; they get bombarded enough without having it in books marketed for their age range. I'm extremely disappointed in the Mother/Daughter team that put this together and will have CAST on my list of never buy and never recommend. Too bad!

This Book Is Not For Young Teens!!! I think it should be Rated R! The story is very good, but the laungauge is horrible, I can not believe it was written for young teens. Parents Be Aware Of What Your Children Are Reading! I was Appalled!!!!

I love this story line. I can't wait to see what is next for Zoey Redbird...

I"m a huge vampire fan and really enjoy reading how teen books handle it. This book is NOT like Twilight so if that is what you're looking for, look else were. This book is something that puts a new twist on the undead, which I found a little refreshing. I think Zoey is a strong female character who I falls victim of making teenage mistakes while tackling adult problems. The book really hammers the idea of loyalty alot which is a strength of the book.

The weakness for me (and for ALL of the books so far) is the pacing, way, way to fast. They span only a few days in the books and feels rushed at times where taking her time would be good. They do better in the next book, but I feel that there are characters who are talked about (like Zoey's sister) that I would have liked to see some exchange, and slow down the book. It would not suffered from another 150 pages in my opinion. But like I said this is how all the books suffer.

Otherwise very engaging story and I like the whole undead-dead idea of vampires.

This book was great! It kept me reading and wanting more. It is very creative with the concept of vampires. It ties in the wiccan ideas with vampirism. great read cant wait to start book 2

I didn't really know what to anticipate from this book series. But it got me hooked after the first few pages. I was really intrigued by the character zoey she get basically gets through in to this world. She's always felt as an outsider even in her own family. But then she finds out that she is even weirder than she thought.Plus her family is now upset that she is this. So basically zoey ends up at the school of night after going through most of the change. She finds friends.. Basically a really good book I think anyway. Sorry guys not really good at this reviews are hard to right for me anyway. This is not for everyone. As I am a major vampire book fan. If you like twilight as much as me then I think you may enjoy this. I read the series while waiting for breaking dawn and I enjoyed it very much. This book is really for an older crowd of teens even adults will like it. As I am 24.. Yes I enjoy young adult books as much as any young teen out there.

So if you want adventure into a new high school experience then read this. No vampire chick has been this cool.. hehe..

I am so disappointed! I cannot believe how closely the Casts are copying Harry Potter with a vampire (aka Stephenie Meyers) twist! Zoey= Harry Potter- the new student with special powers. The twins, Stevie Ray, and Damian= Hermione and Ron. Aphrodite and her clan= Draco Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle. With many similar plot lines to HP, it's unoriginality and sub-par text is beyond aggravating. I can't believe I wasted any money on these books. If you feel inclined to read these books, get them from the library so you can easily return them without putting a dent in your wallet.

I'm really trying to read new vampires series after Twilight but NOTHING COMPARES SORRY ! The Story line was unoriginal and there was no depth to the story !

Not my favorite, but sure it's entertaining. Zoey is very Mary Sue-esque and that Erik is some... cliched character.

Not bad, not that good!

"Marked" is the first novel in the House of Night saga - just another collection in the long list of boarding school series that have been flooding young adult fiction. While it is an entertaining read, its emphasis on geographic location will alienate anyone not familiar with the area, and the incongruous use of modern slang not only disjoints the novel, but gives the book a solid expiration date. "Marked" will have no shelf-life. So enjoy it today!

As I started to read this I went purchased other books in the series. Now I am planning to make this series as part of reading for my upcoming trips.

i loved this book! not only is it about vampires, which i love, it also puts a different spin on how vampires live. i was instantly sucked into the story line, and the characters were great! i cant definatly see this series being the next twilight!!!

While the writing is a little on the weak side and the characters are a bit cliché (okay, quite a bit) this is still a book that drew me in. It's not a 'good' book in the sense that it's great literature or the most creative thing ever, but it is a fun read. It draws you into the story and won't let you go. It leaves you wanting more. Because despite some of the obvious, overly predictable traits of the characters, I liked them. They're enjoyable to read about.

The whole environment has to be taken with a good dose of suspended disbelief, since so far there is no explanation as to how society progressed from what it is now to what it is in the book. Obviously, there are some fairly significant changes in the whole 'knowledge of the undead' part, but otherwise it reads like modern times.

The ending was predictable, but surprisingly, not disappointingly so. There's no huge twist, but at the same time it doesn't feel over. It very much has the 'first part of a series' feeling (which, at least, it is) so the lack of too much of a climax seems forgivable (we'll see what I say a few books further on, I suppose).

It's a complete piece of fluff, and as long as it's taken as such, I think it's a perfectly good weekend/beach kind of read. If you're looking for something deep and meaningful (or even something dark) this probably isn't the book for you. Several (giant) notches about the Meyer series, for what that's worth, though I've read a lot better vampire lore (though I'm not sure any of it was YA).

This book is definitely an easy read. It's cheap, easy entertainment. That's not to say I didn't like it. I loved the theme of tolerance in the book and accepting others the way they are. I thought some of the racy scenes and cursing was a bit much for a YA novel, but to each his own. If you're looking for a teenage vampire novel with a little romance and self-indulgence, then look no further, the House of Night series is for you.

I picked this book up while waiting for Breaking Dawn to release. The cover was nice, the story had promise, the reviews looked good...Then I read the book and it was an awful experience. I'm of the opinion that the mother wrote an ok book and then handed it to the daughter to "Teen" it up for her. Most of this is apparent in off-topic side comments, too many current pop culture references, and parenthesis. In fact, because the book was so awful to read through that I grabbed out a pen and started editing the book, crossing out the parenthesis, cutting down paragraphs. THAT was fun. And out of that came an ok short story.

EASY TO READ WITH A GOOD STORY LINE. IF HARRY POTTER WERE A VAMPIRE THIS WOULD BE THE STORY LINE.

I just finished this book and I can't understand why it has so many stars. It has way too many weird rituals going on all the time. I caught myself skipping a lot of the wording. It got pretty boring at times. I kept waiting for it to pick up and almost gave up a few times. I did finish it to see if anything would happen (I hate not finishing a book). I'm sure I won't read the others in the series. Too much nasty sexual crap in it for me. It almost had a santanistic feel to it.

I thought that this series (speaking to the first three books) was good. However, I felt like there was no way for it to stand the test of time (not even 5 years). The way the mother daughter team wrote was throwing in too many modern references. It went through my head that the mom probably sat down and wrote the main story and then handed her daughter the manuscript and from there her daughter just plugged in parenthesis with some modern day reference. It's a small complaint but it still bothered me through out the series. I would still recommend the book and I am looking forward to the fourth book coming out.

I was bored, and annoyed with the main character and all of the drama that they took from real teenage life, and magnified tenfold.

I enjoyed Dracula immensely, and I love the Twilight series, but don't hold your breath for this one. Unless you enjoy choppy writing, and a heroine who should calm down a bit.

This series is pretty bad, with a "mary sue" main character, but it's they're very easy reads and they're my guilty pleasure.

This book is a huge disappointment. While it may sell well in the mass market, it can not be put in school libraries. The sexual content alone sets this book up for censorship issues.

Great book. I will definitely order the rest in the series. Thank you.

Marked starts out badly, but I was willing to give it a shot to see if it picked up at all. It didn't. I read the entire series as it stands now, and it doesn't redeem itself EVER. The main character doesn't struggle at all; it's stated numerous times throughout the series that she is the most powerful fledgling ever. Even though the authors tell us how moral and wonderful she is, she still has no qualms with leading multiple men on, even entering physical relationships with them. I'm not a prude, but I don't think the excessive swearing, drug use, and sexuality are things that are appropriate for YA fiction. Adult fiction, absolutely. Most of all, the authors portrayal Christianity is offensive. In these books, Christians are painted as close minded villians who are cruel and unethical. I have nothing wrong with fantasy, but I feel the authors crossed the line when they used their fictional novel as a platform for their disdain of Christianity. Stephanie Meyer, the author of the twilight series (an infinitely better vampire story) is Mormon, and even though some of her characters have similar beliefs that Mormons have, the story doesn't go out of its way to bash other religions. Shame on you, Casts.

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 whisked away from her ordinary life to The House of Night - vampire boarding school. Her adventures continue as she becomes the chosen of a vampire goddess, clashes with the school 'in' crowd, and meets a really good looking boy. It's a fun story and for the most part, I enjoyed it.

There are two things that bother me about this book though and keep me from giving it a better rating.

First... Seeing as Zoey is sixteen, I'm assuming that the target age for the book is 13-14. (that is how editors determine YA marketing. Teens read books about kids a couple of years older than themselves, for the most part.) There is just too much sexual content for that age group. Add to that underage drinking. Yes, both occur in real life, but it feels gratuitous, and the book could have been just fine without it.

Second... The big bad guy is an organized religion that seems to me to be a replication of Evangelical Christianity. I've seen this done before (Good guys = vampires. Bad guys = churches) and handled in such a way that it melded with the story and worked without a problem. In Marked, it seemed heavy handed and more like a message from the authors' on how they feel about organized religion rather than a true plot point.

When Zoey Redbird is Marked by a Vampyre Tracker, her entire life will change. Not only will she be forced to move to the House of Night to start her Vampyre training, but she will also have to go through the change. The only other option to going through the change is to die.

Her new life at The House of Night is different and strange... even for a Vampyre. Her Mark is completely filled in, while a normal fledgling's Mark is usually not so obvious and bright.

This novel completely captivated me. From the very beginning, I could not put it down. It was interesting and sexy and intriguing and mysterious... the perfect vampyre novel. I could not put this book down, and I can honestly say that I cannot wait to read the second and third... this is a must-read for everyone!

Loved it!! It took me a few chapters to figure out what exactly a "host" was but once I did I couldn't put the book down. A great read!

I read this book with an open mind, not like the authors. They continuously talk down about "People of Faith" yet the main character worships a goddess named Nyx.

Also, if the Cast's daughter tried way too hard to add an updated edge to the book which in turn takes away for the intensity of the story line. She should've kept herself out of this book in my opinion.

If I had the choice to read this book or something else, I would go with a different one, say Twilight, Vampire Academy or possibly Blue Bloods.

Sorry, I did not care much for this book. One, the writing is very childish and untalented. Two, I'm not really into the analogies they have used which included a variety of Country music stars. The antagonist was describe as a Jessica Simpson look a like. Are you kidding? Here: Aprodithe was beatiful from head to toe, but her divine outer beautfy unmatched her loathesome innerself. Three: It's like a 3rd rate mixture of Harry Potter and Twilight.

Okay, so I just finished reading Marked (I am a big fan of the Twilight series,even if they we alittle to peppered with teenage drama). I bought it as a light beach reading while vacationing in Hilton Head. And as you may have read from the title of my review.. I couldn't put it down!! More adult then the Twilight series (I mean can you imagine Belle catching Edward with is pants down. No I think not). I can't wait to buy the next book Betrayed. Reader, enjoy. I think we may have a future movie in the making!!

I expected more from this book - mainly because it was recommended after the "Twilight" series by Stephanie Meyer, which I liked. While the concept was interesting, the actual writing was annoying. Yes, I understand that this was written from the point of view of a teenager; but does the writing have to be so, well, tween? There were way too many asides in parentheses, and they didn't add anything to the prose. In fact it was just the opposite - I found that they detracted from the story as a whole. This might have been intentional stoytelling device, to make you feel like you were reading her diary or listening to the thoughts in her head, but honestly, the effect was horrible. This book gets 2 stars instead of one because the idea was good. I just wish the writing had been up to the job. In the interest of full disclosure, I am well over the suggested age range, but I find that good writing tends to transcend age recomendations.

Ok, so I am absolutely addicted to this series, and I'm not really sure why. The plot is good and interesting, but there are a ton of flaws.
I really love vampire books: Twilight Series, Vampire Diaries, Anne Rice, whatnot. So when I got this I was pretty excited.
Within the first couple paragraphs, all I could think of was, "how cheesy, how typical". And then, it just got really confusing and dumb when she faints and then sees the Goddess, Nyx. I couldn't stand it, but, of course, I decided to go on thinking it would get better.
It actually did get a LOT better.
The only other complaints I have are the stereotypes. The gay guy Damien(of course he has the name Damien), the southern girl Stevie Rae(come on), the "popular girls" who are obviously slutty and mean.
Adding to that, I also hated how they represented the People of Faith. Hateful, snobby, rude.
The swearing and sex parts were just a little too much. I felt like I couldn't recommend the book, for fear of what people might have thought of me!
But, as I said, I am still oddly addicted to it...

I found the story to be okay; not riveting but I did not have to work to stay interested. I did have to work to overlook the sub-par writing in this novel. As an example I cannot count the number of times Zoey, the narrator, said something in parentheses during her internal monolouge. In addition the language used by many of the characters seemed forced and as a result the characters never developed a strong "voice" of their own. To me the writing did not seem polished or accomplished which makes me wonder where were the editors on this one.

i read all the vampire books, got started with anne rice and continued to order them

This is great. Similar concept as Harry Potter but vampires. It might not be as well written as Harry Potter, but I think it is more intriguing, but that could be that I am a vampire fan.