by Karen Kalbacher

Created on: February 15, 2009

Marked follows Zoey Montgomery's journey to the House of Night, a boarding school for vampires. This book grabs you on page one and doesn't let you go until you're at the book store buying the the sequel Betrayed.

The book is interesting because it's not the same old story of girl meets boy and boy is drop dead vampire who wants her for dinner or a mate. Instead the Casts create a new world where vampires have always walked among us and are often the best authors, actors and artists among us. Once a teenager has been marked they are forced to leave their old life behind and go to one of many houses of night to begin the process of changing from human to vampire.

Zoey Montgomery is our window into this new world when she gets marked and her religious zealot parents almost kill her trying to keep her from the House of Night. Once inside, we learn as she does what it really means to be a fledgling, including the possibility that the change won't complete and the fledgling will die. Faced with her new life, Zoey takes on her true name Zoey Redbird in honor of her grandmother and ancestors. But even as her new life is beginning, her old life is having trouble letting go of her. Her old boyfriend wants her back. Her old best friend wants her old boyfriend and her mother and stepfather want to save her soul. With new friends and new enemies, Zoey works hard to just fit in but she just can't seem to make it work. And when she accidentally imprints her ex-boyfriend, flirts with a poetry teacher and snags the hottest guy in the House of Night, things get a little hairy for Zoey and that's when she starts seeing supposedly dead fledglings walking the grounds.

This bok is great for teens and for adults. The characters are complete people. They deal with issues of alienation, friendship and loyalty. The main character is very likable and extremely human. The House of Night is like Hogwarts in its originality and you will find yourself wishing you were marked by the goddess of the night.

Note to parents: These books deal with sexual issues in a tame way, so it might be a good idea to check the maturity of your preteen before letting them read the novels. Language of an adult nature is sprinkled in but for the most part bad words are kept to a minimum.

Impressive, intelligent and addictive, be warned if you buy Marked, you will want Betrayed and then it's only a matter of time before you buy Chosen and Untamed.

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