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.

Blue Bloods

Title: Blue Bloods
Author: Melissa de la Cruz
ISBN: 142310126X, 9781423101260
Publication: Hyperion Press, 2007

Blue Bloods is a fun, flirty, entertaining start to an enticing young adult series.

Melissa de la Cruz manages to combine history, fashion, glamour, and blood into a whole new vampire mythology.

Blue Bloods is not a deep or inspiring book, but it's allot of fun. The teenage characters are well developed and relatable, the drama is soap-opera worthy, and the romance just steamy enough for high schoolers without grossing out the adults. I really liked the way de la Cruz combined real elements of history and politics into this entirely fabricated world. Her portrayal of the vampire rich and famous kept me laughing.

The book was well written; the plot was developed, the story (though outrageous) made sense and was easy to follow, and I don't remember any glaring grammatical errors. Like so much of today's popular media, this book (the entire series) does glamorize the more shallow aspects of fame and fortune. The authors attempts at developing ethical or moral depth are apparent, but fall short. All in all, this is an enjoyable read on a lazy rainy day.