Zoey Redbird is sixteen and dealing with normal teenage angst, a chatty best friend, a boyfriend who has been changing into a follower, and a geometry test. There’s also that nasty cough she just cannot seem to kick. With those things on her mind you can imagine the shock when she’s Marked. You see, in Zoey’s world, vampyres exist as a difference in physiology. Once Marked you must go to the House of Night, a school that teaches you how to be a vampire, or die. Her family has washed its hands of her and she is now the new kid not just in a new school, but in a new world. With a vision that shows her to be the chosen of Nyx, the vampyre Goddess, she faces peer pressure to astronomical levels and the choice to use her Goddess-given powers to remove a power-abusing witch (figuratively) from the school’s most prestigious and secretive clubs, the Dark Daughters.

I have two complaints about this book; it ended and it ended at 2:44 in the morning. I was completely pulled in by the phenomenal characters and the sheer brilliance of the plot. Not only is this a fantastic coming-of-age book, but it also delves into the supernatural world with a new twist. Vampires have been around forever, but we haven’t seen vamps quite like these. I have been a fan of P.C. Cast since picking up her book, Goddess of the Light, years ago. Now I am happy to say that I am excited to see Kristin Cast join forces with her mother and pen a fantastic tale that transcends genres. This is a Young Adult novel that I will categorically state is a book for adults as well. I can only hope that there will not be too much time between this book and the next in the House of Night series.

Reviewed by: Serena