![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
House of Night: Marked & Betrayed
Aug. 8th, 2010 10:07 amP.C. Cast and Kristin Cast are a mother-daughter writing duo from Oklahoma. Their House of Night series is about a girl named Zoey, who is marked by a vampire and must attend vampire finishing school (if not surrounded by adults, fledgling vampires will get sick and die).
The House of Night is a school in which fledglings learn about vampire history, powers, and attributes. They also take sweet classes, like fencing and horseback-riding. It's kind of like Hogwarts, except that these magical teens give each other blow-jobs in the hallways.
I had a strong reaction while reading the first book, but I devoured the second book in hours. It subtly fixed a lot of what bothered me in the first book, was better written, and the plot/characters were loads more interesting.
Here's an example of what I mean. In the first book, Marked, Zoey is talking to her grandmother, who is Cherokee.
There were a lot of WTF moments like that for me in the first book - Zoey's friend Damien is gay, but at one point the first-person narrative refers to him as the "gay scholar of the group." Her friend Shaunee is black, and gets described as looking like an "African princess" more than once.
At one point, after allowing the first-person narrative to dwell on her Cherokee heritage, Zoey notices that she has left a "trail of blood tears" on the ground. I'm not sure whether this reference is intentional or not, but it definitely made me exclaim, "Are they fucking serious with this shit?"
Thankfully, this stuff all but disappears in Betrayed - maybe they received some complaints from Marked.
I read somewhere on the Internet P.C. Cast's daughter and co-author, Kristin, is responsible for "make sure the teenagers sound like teenagers," and that Zoey is based on Kristin at that age. I'm not sure why Kristin Cast would admit that in public, because in Marked, Zoey Redbird is the most stuck-up snot I have ever encountered in fiction, and she is the fucking protagonist.
Her first-person perspective is also....excruciating, at times.
Like the disappearance of references to people of color as magical, the teenagers sound more like teenagers in the second book as well.
There are still a few clunkers, though. Quotes from book two:
"Damien sniffed, looking offended and superior and gayer than he usually looked."
Also in Book 2, Zoey reveals that she has a penchant for chivalry, liking a boy who carries books and opens doors for her, stating that "his daddy had raised him right." She also implies that it's okay for Southern people to be homophobic simply because they are from the South and don't know any better.
The Cast duo (or their editor) would also do well to learn how to use a comma, especially when writing dialogue.
There's a few cringe-worthy misuse of words going on, too: "Why don't I introduce you to Shaunee and Erin, who, I'm sure, will collaborate her alibi."
Obviously, there are some huge issues in these novels, and I really don't think I would recommend them.
BUT.
In this version of Vampire!History, movie stars and famous writers are vampires. I'm sorry, I mean vampyres. Vampyre society is matriarchal, and part of the House of Night curriculum teaches fledglings about the mistreatment of women throughout history.
ALSO WIKIPEDIA TELLS ME THAT IN FUTURE BOOKS, ZOEY & CO WILL TEAM UP WITH CATHOLIC NUNS TO KICK SOME ASS, LOL WHAT.
I will continue to read them. They are more readable than Twilight, but like the Twilight saga, there seems to be some kind of teenage vampire dust contained within the pages that compels me to KEEP READING.
The House of Night is a school in which fledglings learn about vampire history, powers, and attributes. They also take sweet classes, like fencing and horseback-riding. It's kind of like Hogwarts, except that these magical teens give each other blow-jobs in the hallways.
I had a strong reaction while reading the first book, but I devoured the second book in hours. It subtly fixed a lot of what bothered me in the first book, was better written, and the plot/characters were loads more interesting.
Here's an example of what I mean. In the first book, Marked, Zoey is talking to her grandmother, who is Cherokee.
"Thank you, Grandma."Conversely, a similar scene in the second book, Betrayed:
"You're welcome, U-we-tsi a-ge-hu-tsa.".
I smiled, loving how the Cherokee word for daughter sounded - so magical and special, like it was a Goddess-given title.
"Oh, Zoeybird!" She held tight to me. "I have missed you, u-we-tsi a-ge-hutsa."
I smiled through my tears, loving the sound of the familiar Cherokee word for daughter - it meant security and love and unconditional acceptance....
There were a lot of WTF moments like that for me in the first book - Zoey's friend Damien is gay, but at one point the first-person narrative refers to him as the "gay scholar of the group." Her friend Shaunee is black, and gets described as looking like an "African princess" more than once.
At one point, after allowing the first-person narrative to dwell on her Cherokee heritage, Zoey notices that she has left a "trail of blood tears" on the ground. I'm not sure whether this reference is intentional or not, but it definitely made me exclaim, "Are they fucking serious with this shit?"
Thankfully, this stuff all but disappears in Betrayed - maybe they received some complaints from Marked.
I read somewhere on the Internet P.C. Cast's daughter and co-author, Kristin, is responsible for "make sure the teenagers sound like teenagers," and that Zoey is based on Kristin at that age. I'm not sure why Kristin Cast would admit that in public, because in Marked, Zoey Redbird is the most stuck-up snot I have ever encountered in fiction, and she is the fucking protagonist.
Her first-person perspective is also....excruciating, at times.
Feeling like someone had punched me in the gut I realized that this girl - Aphrodite - had been the one I'd just watched with the guy in the hall!
Aphrodite's laugh, followed by her perky, "Of course I'd be happy to show her around! You know I'm always glad to help you, Neferet," was as fake and cold as Pamela Anderson's humongously huge boobs...
Like the disappearance of references to people of color as magical, the teenagers sound more like teenagers in the second book as well.
There are still a few clunkers, though. Quotes from book two:
"Damien sniffed, looking offended and superior and gayer than he usually looked."
Also in Book 2, Zoey reveals that she has a penchant for chivalry, liking a boy who carries books and opens doors for her, stating that "his daddy had raised him right." She also implies that it's okay for Southern people to be homophobic simply because they are from the South and don't know any better.
The Cast duo (or their editor) would also do well to learn how to use a comma, especially when writing dialogue.
There's a few cringe-worthy misuse of words going on, too: "Why don't I introduce you to Shaunee and Erin, who, I'm sure, will collaborate her alibi."
Obviously, there are some huge issues in these novels, and I really don't think I would recommend them.
BUT.
In this version of Vampire!History, movie stars and famous writers are vampires. I'm sorry, I mean vampyres. Vampyre society is matriarchal, and part of the House of Night curriculum teaches fledglings about the mistreatment of women throughout history.
ALSO WIKIPEDIA TELLS ME THAT IN FUTURE BOOKS, ZOEY & CO WILL TEAM UP WITH CATHOLIC NUNS TO KICK SOME ASS, LOL WHAT.
I will continue to read them. They are more readable than Twilight, but like the Twilight saga, there seems to be some kind of teenage vampire dust contained within the pages that compels me to KEEP READING.
