Review of Marked by P.C. and Kristin Cast

Marked is a bit different from other vampire books that I've been getting into lately in that it gives a biological explanation for the creation of vampires rather than a supernatural one. Zoey, the teenage protagonist, is naturally selected to become a vampire when another vampire "marks" her as one. Her body must then adapt to the vampire genetics that are somehow instilled in her upon her marking. The teenagers who are not able to adjust to being a vampire die. (Correct me if this is wrong, but this is as much as I understood about it.) Thus, the Casts employ Darwin in this novel, which is intriguing. Even more interesting is the fact that though the book is sort of scientific, there is plenty of the supernatural mixed in with it. The students at the House of Night, the vampire school that Zoey attends after she is instilled with vampire blood, engage in pagan rituals and worship a goddess named Nix.
Marked is mainly a story of survival, and learning to rise to your destiny. Zoey must compete with another vampire girl named Aphrodite for survival and acceptance at the House of Night. Aphrodite, though she is the antagonist of the story, is simply fighting for her own survival against Zoey much in the same way, though she uses cruelty and fear as weapons while Zoey uses her friends which she earns through compassion and kindness. Thus, Zoey represents the noble morals that the story is advocating.
Marked is one of the most moral vampire stories that I have read. Zoey is always in the right, unlike other fictional vampires who struggle with right and wrong. Though, she does struggle with the new blood lust that she develops upon becoming a vampire. Zoey also is forced to deal with discovering her identity, and whether she should side with the wicked Aphrodite and her cronies, the Daughters of the Dark, or to be loyal to her dorky friends who oppose their tyranny.
Because of its morality and theme of discovering identity, Marked is great for middle school and high school readers. The novel also has a correct message about sex and alchohol consumption for teenagers that is touched upon in a way that does not alienate them. Rather than lecturing teenagers on the dangers of sex and booze, the book simply gives reasons why they are not as glamorous or cool as they seem.
Despite the fact that Marked reaches out to teenagers in this way, they may feel distanced from the book because the dialogue condescends to them. The speech of the teenage characters is written in a way that makes them seem intellectually inferior to adults, which is problematic.
The ending of Marked trapped me in the House of Night series' spell, and I will definitely be back for more.
Rating: B