When Zoey is Marked, all hopes of fitting in at her suburban high school seem to suddenly vanish. She already feels like a stranger in her own family, and when her religious step-father finds out that Zoey has been Marked to undergo training to become a vampyre, he is convinced that she is evil, and together, he and her mother refuse to accept that Zoey has only two options...learn how to become a vampyre, or die.

Fitting in at her new school, The House of Night, is nearly impossible as well, for the goddess of the night, Nyx, has bestowed special powers upon Zoey, making her the most powerful fledgling in history, and earning her many enemies. But Zoey is not alone. With the help of some newfound friends, her spiritual Cherokee grandmother, and her mentor, she will learn to embrace her talents and take the first step to righting the many sinister happenings at The House of Night.

Marked is riveting and fast paced right from the very start. Zoey's biting wit and easygoing, honest demeanor make Marked an easy read to get sucked in to (no pun intended). While the exposition of the story may seem a bit too hasty, the Casts make up for it in suspense and remarkable character development, in not just Zoey, but every person, friend or foe. The tone of the novel is pitched perfectly, and it includes references to drug, alcohol, and sex without being graphic, but entirely realistic and plausible. The Casts certainly know how to speak teens' language, bringing us a thrilling novel that will make the heart pound, the mind race, and will ultimately capture the imagination.

I really enjoyed this book. It is a fast read and is interlaced with some great vocabulary words. I highly recommend it, especially to female teens. Don't start it at night, though, for you won't put the book down until you are done reading.

I hated this book. Has EVERYTHING in it one would not expect to find in a TEEN novel. Sex, cursing and everything one would need detailed to perform a wiccan ceremony! There is NO WAY if I had a teenage daughter I'd let her read these books.

This novel is targeted at teens. Maybe a little too much. Everybody looks like some movie star when they're being described. And the mind set seems to be targeting to peppy teen spirit. Personally I don't think that way, and I pity anyone who does. Heck I don't even think the most peppiest cheerleader thinks that way, but hey what do I know.

So it was safe to say when I started reading this book I was annoyed. In fact I thought about quitting. I put the book aside and walked away. Two seconds later I came back franatically searched for my spot and continued reading. Even though the it rubbed me the wrong way, like I might be reading a teen gossip book and this was a trap, I had to finish. This book just grips you, making you have to go and buy everything you can.

The book is really fun mixing those girly fantasy dreams and vampire fun in one. You know the escaping from home to some magical place, or transforming into something that can fly. Instead, of course, this is different but it reminisce those good little fantasy times. Except the world has always lived with vampires, when you are marked by vampire you go to a school and can be turned.

The process of course goes to a certain age (which I'm pretty sure isn't set? Or is it eighteen?) until they can become a real vampire, but the effects start before the turning. The vampire anarchy is really well done. Vampires who think their special and superior, the pacifists, the lowly treated vamps, and the fearing people. It's nice that the authors can build the story nicely and make it believable. Mixing history and myths together.

Though it is tiring in the story when the main character is the chosen one. And everything falls right into their laps. Great power, really no work, just have to get past the resenting teenager, and maybe a sneaky adult in the future. She has the friends which is always a plus. But she gets the boyfriend, power, station, and special sticker-star with out a blink. A little annoying but doesn't hurt the novel to much.

I think what was really well done is that the authors emphasis that not everyone can make it to being a full fledged vamp. And that if you don't you die. The weight was nicely put on so that you could believe it, but the kids could still keep going with that teenage mind set. `It could happen to me, but hey maybe not.'

**** So in the end the novel is a good read. Fast paced and gripping. Some of the material may offend readers. Sex is emphasized, but this is a vampire book, that's part of their nature. The teen targeting may annoy others, maybe even stop them from enjoying the book. But it's still a good read. A new vision in the vampire/urban fantasy genre. Surely something to look into. Hey you may even enjoy the vampire and girly-power-fantasy all in one.

I LOVE BOOKS LIKE THIS ONE AND WOULD RECOMMEND
IT TO ALL.

I am a middle school teacher and many of my students have gotten engrossed in the Twilight series by Meyers. I purchased this book to see if it would be appropriate for my students and something they would find as interesting. I only read 2 chapters before I put the book down. The language left no room for me to share this with my students. Obviously, the author did not write this series for young readers, however, this mature reader didn't find the book interesting enough to suffer through the foul language to continue reading.

i enjoyed reading this book and all three that are in the serise can't wait for the forth book to come out.

I'll admit, the cover looked good and so I bought it. But the overall book was terrible. The characters were so shallow, unreal and emotionless in so many ways. I'm 16, and even though it is rated for teens, you couldn't pay me enough to finish reading this book. The events were so boring and the book itself was simply a short story with a lot of detail.

I'll start off this review confessing that as a huge fan of Stephenie Meyer's 'Twilight' Saga, I was looking for more vampire fiction to sink my teeth into and came across 'House of Night' books recommended to me through Amazon.

Trying to relate to a 16 year old heroine (I am 28) is not all that easy but Bella (from Twilight) was MUCH easier for me than Zoey (from HON). Zoey is prone to unintelligent, off topic interior monologues... in a first person perspective book... UGH... No matter how hard I try I can't find an excuse in my mind for such a betrayal of the english language... On the exterior, Zoey has a lot of traits that normally I would like in a female lead. But I couldn't find myself liking the heroine purely because I couldn't STAND her unintelligent head-babble. I don't recall making up words like ginormos when I was 16, and if I did thank god I don't say it still today.

The redeemable qualities of this book were the supporting characters, the villian is quite intriguing, I'd gotten a bad vibe from her from the start, so there was some good foreshadowing on that account, and I am intrigued with the vampire world that the Casts have created. Despite the constant annoyance of the main characters interior monologue, I can overlook it for these parts and just read the book for the pure, rainy day enjoyment that it's meant to be and I'll probably go on to read the other books just because I'm curious and masochistic. And for any potential future readers out there who are adults, just be aware of what you're getting yourself into with these books, light reading... and unintelligent, off topic interior monologuing... You'd do MUCH better with the Twilight Series by Stephenie Meyer.

I was amazed by the world that both of the Cast's have constructed in this series. The premise is quite basic - a school for potential Vamps. A college where those who have been 'marked' turn to in order to be integrated into the world that they may very soon be entering. The fact that as the story progresses you see that nothing is ever as it seems, and that although they are Vampires they are far from perfect, is an entertaining read! I fell in love with the main characters, you truly do feel for them and their predicaments, while at the same time you find yourself muttering to the ages of your book, you idiot why on earth did you do that for? Knowing ofcourse that the characters can't hear you, but you feel that bond with them as though you are a part of that closeknit group. The Casts have painted a well thought out and engaging story, and i am eagerly awaiting the release of book four! Definitely worth a read - you won't regret it!

I love vampire books - blue blood, vampire academy the twilight series so I was pretty excited to read the house of night novels. I actually bought Marked, Betrayal, and Chosen together assuming that I'd love them especially with how highly reviewed they were on amazon. I'm a little disappointed though -just finished the first book and I found it to be way too preachy so much so that it got in the way of really getting fully into the story - about drinking, and sex and something else I can't remember at the moment. Also annoying is how stereotyped the characters are - Zoey talks a lot about how she hates mean exclusive people but then she slams other people for what they wear, how they do their make-up, accents and economic class -it's kind of lame cause it makes all the characters (even the main one) very one-dimensional. A lot of people like this series so I'm just one opinion among many positive reviews but I wasn't all that impressed with Marked and kind of bummed cause I bought all 3 books and not really wanting to read the others -I suggest buy the first, see how you like it then go from there.

This book is ok. I wanted another vampire series after reading the wonderful Twilight series. This was ok. It did keep my interest, but it was no comparison to Twilight.

If you buy this book, don't just put it down after reading the first few chapters. It really does have a bit of an "amature" feeling start. It's as if the Casts were trying to get a feel for story telling. The book gets much better about 6 or 7 chapters in! The ending is a bit abrupt, so I reccomend having the second book handy to get right into. I ended up liking it, and trust me, even if it's not your favorite series, you'll want to read the next books.

I couldn't believe this was written for teenagers. Oral Sex and so much fowl language. I know sailors who don't cuss as much as was in this book. It was ridiculous. I have to say the story did keep me rivited, but it was too hard to get through the sex and the language. Just Awful. I won't recommend it to anyone I know.

This was a quick and easy read. I think it may not really be for middle/high school students, unless they are mature enough for the themes. I read it in about a day, but it was worth it. I was amused by the things that were entwined with the story, like the pop culture aspect. I think it is okay that the book will be dated in a few years since the core concept of the book will remain intact.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and think it is worth a quick mindless read that will make you want to talk about it with others.

This book is trashy, poorly written and boring. I would not reccommend it for anyone under the age of 18. I absolutely hate to NOT finish reading a book, I usually tough it out. But, a little less than half way through, I decided this was no longer worth my time. The characters were transparent, the themes made me feel uncomfortable. I cannot beleive this is a "teen" novel. Utterly pathetic.

When Zoey Redbird is chosen to be a Vampyre, she is scared and angry. But she isn't the typical Vampyre fledgling at her new school, the House of Night. Nyx, the goddess of the Vampyres, has chosen Zoey is an extraordinary Vampyre. With Nyx's help, Zoey finds solace and strength.

This book is highly addictive. However, the characters and the writing style is extremely annoying. Zoey's friends are the typical "outcasts" who only want to rag on the popular girls, who are way too nasty and all too "mean girl" stereotypical. In fact, all of the characters are obnoxiously stereotypical.

But, if you're looking for a "curl up under your covers" sort of book, this book is the one to buy. It isn't, however, one of the best vampire books I've ever read.

Overall, Marked was a decent beginning to a new YA supernatural series. I liked the concept of a world only a half step away from our own, where everything (including fashion, television shows, and even famous celebrities) is the same as our own, except there vampires have always existed. It did lead me to wondering over a few historical questions, but in general I didn't have a problem with the idea.

The story centers around Zoey Redbird and her struggles to fit into her new school, the House of Night, after she has been marked as a vampyre fledgling. Zoey learns to navigate the tricky waters of fledgling society, makes a new group of friends (and even finds a new boyfriend), earns the favor of the vampyre goddess Nyx, and learns to stand up for what she knows is right, all while trying to deal with social enemies and extricate herself from the ties to her old life.

As a character, I like Zoey. At the start, her voice and mannerisms annoyed me a little bit, until I got used to them. By the end of the first third of the book, though, I had gotten used to her, and was definitely on her side. I like that she's tough and she thinks quickly on her feet. She tries to rise above the pettiness and cruelty of Aphrodite and her "friends," and she does her best to deal with the surprises life throws at her, even if her choices have unintended consequences, like with her former boyfriend, Heath. I really like the characters of her friends, too. They're quirky and individual and real, especially Stevie Rae and Damien.

The plot seemed well developed, and ended with hints of darkness and danger to come.

There are a few things that seemed nagging to me, though, and they're all small characterizations issues. A lot of the characters in the book are not fully fleshed out, and are very flat characters, like Zoey's family (except her grandmother) and friends from her old life. Even characters from her new life are flat, like Erik; his motivations for suddenly being so drawn to Zoey are never explained, especially as she's the rival of his ex-girlfriend.

It was a decent book; I found myself reading quickly and wanting to find out what happened to Zoey and her friends at the end of the story.

I guess even though I'm still a "young adult" I've moved passed the high school fiction. And I don't mean that I don't read books that are based in high schools, I just don't read things that are written in the sort of language and grammer that a high schooler would use in a note to a friend.

The book was a typical high school novel with a mystical side. There wasn't a whole lot of depth to the story and even though it had an interesting plot it could have been taken a lot further.

Powerful and faultless heroine takes down the evil bully with the help of her always-there, less-than-interesting friends and gets the hottest guy in the school. end of story.

I also didn't appreciate the broad illustrations as the pagan cult of the vampyres as perfect and beautiful while the "people of faith" are portrayed as generally heartless and uncaring.

Not a bad story for a teen girl or anyone else who wants a light and uncomplicated read. But it is NOT at all compatible with Twilight by Stephenie Meyer.

Blood Meal / 12-1-1, 5 lb.
Just a joke there my little vampsters. I would say this is a middle of the road, trying to make a Twilight series, but it does fall short right at the bat.
Right after a few pages sexual content, that the author feels teenagers would know about, and do, is used. Kind of grossly. there is swearing and a basic high school tension. But it is another vampster book until Meyer's next in her series comes out.

"Zoey Montgomery! Night has chosen thee; thy death will be thy birth. Night calls to thee; hearken to Her sweet voice. Your destiny awaits you at the House of Night!"

Zoey lives in a world where vampires have always been known about and now she herself has been marked as a fledgling vampire. To survive the initial change she must move into the House of Night, if not she will die. But she may die anyway sometime in the next four years, some of the students don't survive the change at all.

To make things even stranger, her mark is different from the others, a crescent moon all filled in, not just the outline like normal. That is the mark of an adult vampire not a fledgling. It also appears that the vampire Goddess Nyx has chosen her and gifted her with special abilities beyond that of normal vampires.

But all is not right at the House of Night and it needs to be addressed and taken care of as soon as possible.

This book I liked very much, ended up reading about half of it one night in the store before I bought it. The author's writing flows very nicely off the page and pulled me into the story and left me wanting to get the sequel to it, Betrayed. I will admit that there were a couple of times that Zoey came across as a tiny bit Mary-Sueish but not too badly and not enough to make me want to put the book down. For a mother/daughter pair of writers and this being their first book together it's not too bad.

The opening sentence of the book indicates exactly how horrible the rest of the story is going to be. Not to be too critical, but the main character has no personality. At all. She says "Ah, hell" just about every 3 sentences. The underlying plot is good, in fact I wanted to write a story similar to this before, but the fact is this story just wasn't well written. I think in more capable hands this book could have had real potential.

First I loved the mixture of vamyres and magic/witchcraft. I liked the plot and feminism behind it.

I did not like how dated this book will become in just 5 years say. The way they talk and pop culture referances...it was just kind of dumbing the book down.

And what's up with the Tracker pointing at you and you have a moon on your forehead? There was no explaination what-so-ever.

I will definately read the second one, I like how everything was just getting started in this book.

Zoey: perfect/goody-two shoes/never does anything wrong/fits in/has so many flaws in the way that she is perfect...horrible main character. At the beginning, I thought that I'd give her a chance to see if I could relate to her, and I've regretted it ever since. This plot is so predictable, and it seems that everything is going to work out perfectly for this girl. She gets marked and her life turns around, of course she falls for the popular guy who states that he's a dork (what guy actually says that these days?). I didn't like the language either...what kind of teens say Pooh! these days?? Please...if you're looking for a book to get hooked on, this is not the one.

I have a weakness for books with pretty covers. The cover lived up to my expectations, but the book most certainly did not. It was not so very long ago that I was a teenager. I think a person should be able to indentify with the character, but I would not relate to the cultural cliche that was Zoey. I've never known anyone surrounding me to talk quite so bubble-headed. The story was painfully slow and, at times, I thought half of the text useless to the plot. I always finish a book that I start before beginning another. I was almost crying with frustration to finish this one and move onto something with more substance. This should have been a one day read, but it took months for me to claw through. It was as if all the words were thrown together to form some sort of messy collage to decipher. This is the simplest and badly written young adult novel I've come across.

I love this book. Couldn't put it down. Read it straight through in about 3 days. If my mother hadn't interrupted me would have been done in a day. Great book about a young woman's journey about discovering who she is while being introduced to a new world and the world of vampires. Can't wait to read the second book. Lots of surprises and twists in this book.

Marked by P. C. Cast and Kristin Cast is a refreshing breath of fresh air. I absolutely loved every minute reading this book. If there had been books like this when I was a teen I would have gone bonkers and never come out of my room.

Zoey Redbird is your stereo typical teen in almost every way. That is until the day she gets marked by the Tracker. A high school student with a football player for a boyfriend, plenty of friends and a car of her own, who could ask for more.

Once Zoey gets marked she runs home hoping to be comforted by her mother only to find herself being closed up in her room. Mom and step-dad consider Zoey to be evil incarnate now and call on their religion to help out but Zoey wants nothing to do with this so escapes from her bedroom to run to her Grandma Redbird. Best thing she could have ever done.

The story takes us from the realm of daytime and humans to the realm of nighttime and vampires. They actually have a school to help train vamps to become vamps and everything is so different that it takes some time to become adjusted. Who would've thought!!

I love the take on the story and it's uniqueness of vampires origin's. It's not your usual "I'm Going to Suck Your Blood" type of story. Humans become vampires through a totally new and quite literally a "Zap You're It" way. Only one sex scene that I ran across makes this even more appealing.

I give the authors major credit where credit is due bringing us such an inventive, enjoyable and page turning work of art that will be enjoyed by many, many more avid night loving readers. Five stars in my book for a delicious delight.

Zoey Redbird is about to become a Vampyre. But this fantasy world isn't like many other Vampyre stories, mainly because Zoey's world is very much like our own except for the fact that Vampyre's have always existed...
Zoey just wanted to be normal - she wanted to have a normal best friend, a normal boyfriend, a normal high school, go to a normal college and become a normal veteranarian but things don't go so easily for Zoey when she is "marked" in the hallway of her high school. Aside from the fact that Zoey is about to become a Vampyre even more trouble comes her way! She is "gifted" with an unusually filled in mark that no other fledgling has. She has more suprises to her than they suspected...

Now there are many Vampyre books out there and a lot of them are also in the Young Adult area so you may think that this book resembles many of them but this book is a lot more unique than I'd actually expected and I found it more entertaining than many of the Teenage Vampyre books out there. So I have one last thing to say before I finish my review: Welcome to Vampyre Finishing School!

This book is slow as far as timeline, but if reads so fast. It is written very well and there is always something going on so you don't get bored.
Zoey Redbird has just become a vampire in this first book and it shows the struggles that she has to go through in order to get use to everything and the way that they live at the new school. Her family does not support her at all and practically disownes her. Her grandmother is the only one of her family who is proud and supports her. I really gre to love the grandma and wished that she was mine. She meets some great friends.

This is a great read for all ages.

Being 16 and the probable target market (though not being inclusive), I felt while the plot was interesting and throughly enjoyable, the characters seemed rather shallow. By the end, I felt the urge to strangle the lead, Zoey, who I personally did not connect to in any aspect and believed most of her 'friends', who she didn't seem to like very much, were awfully sterotypical. But, as I have said, the plot *was* very interesting, and I probably will read the sequals.

Early on in my reading of Marked, I wasn't at all sure I would like this young adult novel. The story of Zoey Redbird, a sixteen year old girl who is unhappy at home, becoming "marked" as a fledgling vampyre, just seemed a bit forced. I wanted to feel a part of her story but her angst was overwhelming and I couldn't really see where the plot was headed. However, about midway through, the book picked up steam and by the last few chapters, I was eagerly turning the pages in order to find out how Zoey's unusual powers would manifest and where it all would lead.

Marked is an imaginative take on vampyres, weaving "old" pagan religious themes throughout and incorporating ancient history into its background. I liked the idea of a society where vampyrism is openly known and accepted, and I liked the School of Night where fledgling vampyres are taken for further training. I loved Zoey's learning to accept herself and step up as a leader at the school, and even the cursing seems realistic. What I didn't like was the obvious prejudice against traditional religion, and the "mini-sermons" we receive early on against drugs, drinking, and oral sex from Zoey's point of view. I liked Zoey's friends but felt that her acceptance into such a tight group so immediately didn't ring true, and I had to wonder at just why Erik, the hot young vampyre, was so attracted so quickly to Zoey. There are also some very lucky coincidences, such as Zoey's Native American grandmother having taught her purification rites which come in very handy. Thankfully these annoyances were overcome by the general storytelling and the excitement of the last half of the book.

Marked is the first in the series and I'll definitely be looking for the next two. I am captured by Zoey's world and want to see how her special spiritualism develops over time. This book also left enough unanswered questions that I'm drawn to find out more. With a caution that this book would probably be better for more mature readers with its incidents of sexual tension and cursing, I can say I'm intrigued enough to recommend this one.

I like the premise of this novel: a vampire school and hot vampire romance. I even give the authors kudos for making the sexual references hotter than most young adult publishers dare to. However, the language was way too juvenile, even for a young adult novel. It was like the authors were trying too hard to show us they know how teenagers talk nowadays. Also, the characters had the corniest three-musketeers type of dialogue. It was kind of cringeworthy, especially the cheesy "you're right, twin" and "oh no, you're right, twin" banter between Shaunee and Erin. At times, it felt like I was reading the script for an episode of Barney and Friends. I wish the writers hadn't dumbed down the language. But it was still enjoyable to a certain degree and I think a lot of people will end up liking this book and the series.

This book is totally not for young teens at all. It deals with swearing and sexual issues. My only real problem with this book is the author trying to be "hip and cool" by adding things in parenthesis. I realize that Kristin Cast is young and involved in the writing but I think that the "teen touch" was a little contrived. Like the book will say something like "I like boys who are tall, dangerous and handsome (like Vin Diesel)." first of all I don't know any teens who think Vin Diesel is tall or handsome...I guess maybe dangerous is a possibility. The other thing is that instead of swearing, our leading lady says things like Poopie" multiple times. It's kinda lame....no one would say that!

Given those things, I really liked the story a lot especially after it got going a little. It is interesting and well thought out. It is easy to skip over the writing in parenthesis totally and there is less written in this way towards the end of the book. I love the characters and even the secondary characters. Everyone is very well thought out. I am pretty impressed. Without the silly "teen speak" I would have given it 5 stars!

Ask this question to yourself: Am I an immature, shallow, whiny, the-whole-world-is-out-to-get-me teenager? If yes, then I strongly encourage you to read this book. If no, then I strongly encourage you to to put it down and get the heck away from it.
Is it unfair to rate this book against Stephenie Meyer's Twilight? Probably. But I found myself doing just that the whole time I was reading Marked. The main character, Zoey Redbird, especially annoyed me.
Zoey (who is pretty much a Mary Sue) is the most under-developed, cliched character I have ever read about. I'll compose a checklist.
Beautiful: check
Moral: check
Interesting ethnicity (Cherokee): check
Family problems: check
Specially chosen: check
Amazing powers: check
Ah, and let's not forget that she's dating the hottest guy at the House of Night and got on the Queen Bee's bad side.
I have to admit though, that thing that most threw me off about Zoey was her vocabulary. Every time I read the word "poopie" or "boobie" I couldn't help thinking, How old is she supposed to be? I also hated how whiny Zoey was. The girl could not go a paragraph without finding some sort of fault with her life.
Moving on. I was rooting for the Zoey/Erik pair for a while, but decided to drop it after the reappearance of Zoey's ex-boyfriend Heath. Zoey and Erik simply lacked the chemistry to pull the relationship off with Heath there.
The plot was mildly interesting, and what caught my attention was that the story takes place in a world exactly like our own, except that vampyres (vampires; the word is spelled differently in this book. The students never seem to have enough energy to say the whole word, and simply abbreviated the word to vamps. I'll admit, that bothered me too) are common and well known. This book would've been better if it had been written by a different author. Stephenie Meyer would've been good, but I think only James Patterson has the style to pull this one off.
On a last note, the only reaon the book was described as "sexy" was because of one scene (which is continually cited in books two and three. Why, I don't know...) in which Queen Bee Aphrodite was attempting to forcefully give Erik oral sex. This scene was absolutely irrelevant to the rest of the plot.
Adieu

It is an easy read, a little too easy for me. The actual plot moves very fast but then the story seems to slow down when it comes to describing the more tedious parts of the day. There are too many pop culture references in the book, which I found distracting and did not add to the plot or the characters.

The idea of a vampire school for kids intrigued me but the book really is not original. I thought of Harry Potter repeatedly (i.e. kid does not like home, is "chosen," has a special mark on her head, and does not get along with the cool kids--think Malfoy).

I bought the second book in the series and started reading it. I'm 50 pages in and already starting to regret my purchase. There just is not much creative in this series. It is certainly no Twilight.

When i ordered this book i was just looking for a space filler; i got bored while waiting for Breaking Dawn. Honestly, i didn't really think i'd like it that much. Well, obviously i was blown away. And now i find myself waiting for the third book in the House of Night series. This goes right under the Twilight series on my list of favorites; which is number one of course.

It's a typical school day for Zoey. Her boyfriend got drunk during a game, again, and her best friend tells her to "go easy on him." Then the unexpected happens. A vampyre appears and marks Zoey. Vampyres have a crescent moon marked on their foreheads, and the moment someone is marked, he or she has to join the House of Night -- a boarding school for vampires -- if he or she has a chance to survive. Zoey's mark is different; it's colored in. What does it mean? Is she a freak among the freaks? The House of Night is not unlike your typical school, really. You get classes, you learn things, you make friends -- only that it is much, much darker and sinister than any other boarding school. Zoey Redbird, who has inherited her strong Cherokee features from her cool grandmother, has to put up with a sexy and hateful girl suitably named Aphrodite, leader of the Dark Daughters, and come to terms with her reluctant attraction for tall, dark and gorgeous Erik, whom she meets during a, uh, very compromising position. As if being marked and joining a dark boarding school weren't traumatic enough, Zoey is experiencing bloodlust and powers that someone so recently marked shouldn't experience. Does her colored-in mark have anything to do with that? There are some twists throughout the novel.

This is a great startup for an entertaining YA paranormal series. I've missed Stephenie Meyer's Twilight books and was craving something similar. Both serials involve vampires, but the similarities end there. This one has its own unique voice. P.C. and Kristin Cast (mother/daughter team) have created quite a dark, unique and erotic world in the House of Night. Aphrodite is a great opponent and I look forward to reading more about her. Zoey is a great heroine: intelligent, intuitive and mature beyond her teen years. Erik and her other friends are somewhat underdeveloped and I hope to read more about them in future installments. I'd also like more input on Neferet (the High Priestess) and Zoey's grandmother. Even though I was very engaged in different matters while I read this and couldn't give it the full attention it deserved, I enjoyed reading this book and look forward to giving Betrayed a whirl.

If you are looking for a book like the Goddess Series, you can forget it. This is a teenage novel for young adults. Nevertheless, I would not want my teenager to read it. It clearly bashes families, relegions, and institutions. Although all the references to the classics might pour abit of learning into their brains, the plot of the book clearly moves a sixteen year old who has differences with her family into a place where she is the chosen. What teenager wouldn't like that.

There is one scene which allows the publisher to add "sexy" to the cover, and it is unneeded and disgusting for a young adult novel. It really bothered me that teenagers will be reading this book. I read alot of my teens books and they never were quite so anti-establishment.

I didn't even like the romance if you could call it that. This is just my opinion but if your teenager wants to read this, I would definitely read it first.

I liked MARKED. It was light, fast, easy, and fun. It didn't make me think or worry, and it was predictable.

The heroine, Zoey, is a good girl - smart, hardworking, moral. As I read I wondered how the mother/daughter author team affected the overall tone, and I think that Zoey's self-conscious moralizing is the most obvious result. This is a book for teens, so it's nice to see some sensible messages mixed in with all the bloodlust, but Zoey goes out of her way to condemn alcohol, drugs, and casual sex at every possible opportunity. It sounded like most kids do when they try to convince a parent that, seriously, all these forbidden things are totally uncool they would never, ever try them. Which is to say - insincere.

There are "conflicts" and "problems" in the novel - sort of. It turns out that Zoey is a very powerful vampire, that the hottest guy in school has a crush on her, that she's got to choose between an open invitation to join the Cool Clique or the Nice Clique. Yeah, it's a tough life.

We meet the villain very early on, and she goes out of her way to be the most cartoonishly nasty Mean Girl that any fiction writer has ever imagined. She's a beautiful blonde bully with a fantastic manicure and no conscience. She hasn't an ounce of subtlety in her body and the first words she says to Zoey are, more or less, "I'm in charge here, get in my way and I will hurt you."

I would bet money that I can predict exactly what will happen in the next book, thanks to the clue in the title, BETRAYED - but I will probably read it anyhow. Hopefully it will be just as enjoyably vapid as MARKED.

I must have not read the same book as the other reviewers. I really wanted to write a thorough review of this book but I waited a week since I read it and can really remember very little about the book...which is never a good sign. It was a bit stale. Yes, it was done in a creative way, a mark on the forehead and being whisked away to a vampire school is unique. The main heroine is so-so, nothing really stood out for me with her. It seemed like the character relationships/friendships just developed too fast to be believable. Don't even get me started on the end, it was as if the writer had no idea at all where she wanted to take the story. It was absolutely ridiculous; it felt like a cop-out ending to wrap things up. It entertained me enough to finish it though so I give it 3 stars. I will probably even attempt the second book to see if it gets better. If you want to read really excellent vampire books try: Vampire Academy series, Twilight series,and Vampire Diaries series. By far more superior!

This book is about Zoey Redbird who's marked as a vampire and has to basically go to the school to learn about being a vamp. It deals with who she learns who will stick by her; and dealing with hate on both sides (from humans and vampires).

There is some cheesiness in this book, but it's tolerable. As usual there are a few cliche's and some things that you can just see coming.

Now, there's been a few reviews about this book being anti-christian. I don't see the Casts bashing that religion one bit. They may have hints that it is christians that they're talking about. But Pc Cast is known for her romance paranormal books to be goddess and magic centered. She's not saying that every christian is like that. She maybe had it in there for a reason for Zoey to leave the house.. I mean, would she have left so freely if she actually enjoyed the house?

And I didn't see Zoey as selfish one bit. First she was just about any heroine who was just trying to fit into the circumstances given to her. Then, she did what any decent person did; and started a change. I recommend this book to (a person of any religion as long as you have an open mind). Yes, there's a ceremony where they paint a five pointed star (a pentagram). It's not satanic, in fact, a pentagram was used by chistians and mathematicians in greece. Wine is shared... it wasn't done to make fun of christian sermons... there is wicca roots in it.

I tore right through this book and can't read the other books. The flow of the book is excellent, somewhat original story. The technique is a tad bit different, probably due to Kristin Cast writing. But there is still alot of commonality with PC Cast's books.

This is such a great book. It's like the Harry Potter of the vampyre genre! I totally recommend it and I am a grown woman. It's not just for teens.

Well written and had a great story. I live close to Tulsa, so it was neat to read a book that included all the places I have grown up knowing.

I just read Marked as well as Betrayed in a day! The plot had me hooked from the very beginning. Although I must admit that I did notice similarities to Harry Potter and Mean Girls in the plot, there is enough substance that it stands on it's own. I would have prefered less cursing, but I suppose the author's are trying to be realistic. I would definitely say that this book is more for older young adults since it does have several sexual situations and references. I did really enjoy reading this and can't wait for Chosen!

I fell in love with the whole idea of vampire fiction after I read the Twilight series, so I decided to try Marked. I was very impressed with the writing by the Casts. They are extremely talented writers. As for the story, it was ok. I liked the characters, but the stuff about the Goddess, Nyx and the rituals was a little corny for me. It could have been a little more believable...but hey, that's just me. :)

This book was pretty good. a little too cliche and immature for me, at 17 years old, although very good imagery and overall plot.

marked,i thought was going to be a fun,cool vampire story but it turned out to be the other way around. theres no need to explain whats it about since there are million of reviews saying the plot.Zoey,the main character is a shallow,selfish girl and not at all likable.the book seems to be written by a teenage girl with anti-christian issues.thats my biggest concern it the book.every few chapters,they criticice chrisitian and calls us hypocrites. DO NOT LET UR CHILDREN BUY THIS BOOK and IF U R A CHRISTIAN DONT BUY THIS BOOK! i made a mistake buying it. I never give books a bad review buy this is just plain bad! Theres this horrible scene where they r making a ritual to their goddess and they pain a 5 pointed star on their forehead and start doing a sermon and drinking wine like if making fun of the church or something,this books sucks,its horrible.

I've read enough vampire/fantasy books to know what I like. And this book was not it.

I pushed through the first couple chapters, as difficult as it was. I tried very hard to like the supporting characters, to like main character. I tried to be enthralled by the plot and story that was playing out before me.

I finally found something interesting when Zoey got to the "vampire finishing school". But alas, it didn't hold up. The whole story seemed very generic. Of course she had to be special, of course she had to have an nemesis in the form of a Mean Girl-esque Queen Bee.

Also, I usually look for that one romance plot to hold me over-that one couple I would "ship" for. Zoey/Erik is the usual couple I root for, but they lacked chemistry (disappointing really).

I feel like the authors had a great plot bunny on their hands. But they didn't work with it as best they could have. If its a YA vampire book you're looking for, try looking somewhere else.

I'm so glad I gave this new YA book a try. I thought it was fantastic and had a hard time putting it down, going so far as staying up late to get in a few extra pages and ending up falling asleep with the book from sheer exhaustion. Zoey is a young girl who wants nothing better than to fit in. She doesn't fit in at home because she's considered the "bad" child (even though she really isn't bad, only not as sneaky as her younger brother and older sister). Then there is the "step-loser"--her mother's husband of two years. Since her mother married her step-father, Zoey's mom has changed dramatically and doesn't seem to know how to be a mom anymore. Things go from bad to worst when Zoey heads to her locker at the end of school to find a vampyr tracker standing by her locker waiting for her, to Mark her. Zoey is now marked to become a vampyr and has to attend school with other fledglings until her body completes the Change. Only Zoey's change seems to be different from other fledglings, again, setting her apart when she only wants to fit in.

Great book! I thought Cast did a great job with her characters and creating an interesting plot. There is a lot more going on in this story, including a bit of mystery that Cast & Cast apparently decide not to include in this book but only elude to in the end. I'm looking forward to the next in the series.

It took a while to get into this book, but if you can get by the hoaxy spirits and such, its pretty good. It captured my attention and I ended up reading it in one sitting. You probably feel stupid after reading it, but you will have to read whatever comes next.