Marked - House of Night Series

Title: Marked (House of Night series) Author: P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast ISBN: 0312360266, 9780312360269 Publication: St. Martin's Press, 2007

Marked, along with the rest of the House of Night series, was written by a mother/daughter team. At times (especially later in the series) it is clear that there are two voices represented in the narrative.

Criticisms aside, I have managed to read each of the books in this series. They are just scary enough to be interesting, without giving the reader nightmares. The series veers wildly away from traditional vampire lore incorporating elements of modern Wicca.

However, the series is mostly disappointing. The books are full of grammatical errors, and at times it seems that the authors have their own characters mixed up: they might say "Darius replied" when it was obvious that they meant Damien.

The main characters, all high school students, are charismatic and engaging but ultimately under-developed. The language, vocabulary, and plot are all tailored for a young teenage audience. The story drags in places, and is often unbelievable (in a bad way).

Ultimately I think this book was written and published right in time to ride the wave of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series. If you need a young adult vampire fix, the House of Night series will do. Just don't expect too much depth.