Synopsis (spoilers):
Zoey Montgomery is walking through the hall of her high school with her best friend Kayla, when she sees a man standing by her locker. She instantly realizes he is a Tracker – an undead vampyre who ‘marks’ humans to become vampyre fledglings. A human is ‘marked’ if their junk DNA is undergoing a transformation which will bring about the ‘change’. Vampyres aren’t made from the myths of our time – no sucking each other’s blood and having to die with their blood in your system. In actuality, it’s like a disease. You get sick (which Zoey already was) violent coughing and runny nose. Once you are marked by the Tracker you must go to the House of Night – a school for vampyre fledgelings, if not, the sickness will consume you and you will die. If you do go to the school, one of two things can happen – you will make the ‘change’ into a full vampyre, or your body will reject the change and you’ll die.
Zoey is marked with an outline of a crescent moon on her forehead – the mark that new vampyre fledglings are given. After fighting with her religious stepfather (an elder of the People of Faith) and her mother who has become a zombie that is completely devoted to him – even over her children, she sneaks off to her grandmother’s house. She faints and her spirit meets Nyx – the goddess of the vampyres. She kisses her on the forehead and when she wakes she’s at the House of Night – and her mark is colored in, something that is unseen in vampyre fledglings and only happens to adult vampyres when they make the change. Her grandmother has brought her here. Her grandmother and Zoey are extremely close. They share their love of their Cherokee heritage, and Zoey’s grandma is very kind and accepting, and her only saving grace since her mother remarried.
The House of Night becomes the home Zoey hasn’t had in three years since her mother remarried. Neferet – High Priestess of the House of Night (think principal of a high school) becomes her mentor and mother-figure. Neferet understands her home life. When she was young, her mother died and her father abused her. When she changed, she escaped that life and started her new one. She has an affinity for cats (can hear their thoughts), can heal, and has strong intuition. Cats are also a big staple at the school – they roam free and choose their owner.
Zoey becomes best friends with her roommate Stevie Rae – a huge country girl who’s super sweet and loyal,, as well as Stevie Rae’s friends Erin, Shaunee, and Damien. Zoey realizes her friendship with Kayla was superficial, these are real friends. Her non-boyfriend Heath comes to visit her one night and she accidentally tastes his blood. She discovers she has bloodlust – something that usually doesn’t happen until you’re a 6th year student (she’s only a 3rd year). She also ends up imprinting with him. He becomes obsessed with her and wants to be with her all the time. She desires his blood more than anyone’s. She meets a boy – Erik Night, who is her arch enemy’s ex-boyfriend and they quickly take a liking to each other, much to his ex-girlfriend’s annoyance – her name is Aphrodite. Aphrodite is a mean, hateful girl who has visions of the future. Zoey has learned she keeps her visions from Neferet (the High Priestess) unless someone notices she has a vision, something that leads to the death of others. Aphrodite also runs the Dark Daughters – a private club for students.
While at the school, two people she knows do not survive the change. One dies right in front of her. While outside, she sees both of them at separate times. They smell like decay and have red eyes and look awful. She believes she is seeing their ghost, until her cat Nala scratches one of them and draws foul smelling blood.
Zoey soon discovers she has an affinity for the 5 elements – something no vampyre or vampyre fledgling has ever had. The most even a High Priestess has ever had has been for 4 elements. Zoey can invoke air, water, earth, fire and spirit with the help of Damien, Shaunee, Erin and Stevie Rae. With the help of her new friends, she overthrows Aphrodite and by Neferet’s orders takes over as leader of the Dark Daughters and High Priestess in training. She also walks away with a new mark – an intricate weaving of sapphire blue tattoos that lead out from her mark and flow over her brow line. She also has intricate tattoos over her neck and all down her back.
Zoey Montgomery is walking through the hall of her high school with her best friend Kayla, when she sees a man standing by her locker. She instantly realizes he is a Tracker – an undead vampyre who ‘marks’ humans to become vampyre fledglings. A human is ‘marked’ if their junk DNA is undergoing a transformation which will bring about the ‘change’. Vampyres aren’t made from the myths of our time – no sucking each other’s blood and having to die with their blood in your system. In actuality, it’s like a disease. You get sick (which Zoey already was) violent coughing and runny nose. Once you are marked by the Tracker you must go to the House of Night – a school for vampyre fledgelings, if not, the sickness will consume you and you will die. If you do go to the school, one of two things can happen – you will make the ‘change’ into a full vampyre, or your body will reject the change and you’ll die.
Zoey is marked with an outline of a crescent moon on her forehead – the mark that new vampyre fledglings are given. After fighting with her religious stepfather (an elder of the People of Faith) and her mother who has become a zombie that is completely devoted to him – even over her children, she sneaks off to her grandmother’s house. She faints and her spirit meets Nyx – the goddess of the vampyres. She kisses her on the forehead and when she wakes she’s at the House of Night – and her mark is colored in, something that is unseen in vampyre fledglings and only happens to adult vampyres when they make the change. Her grandmother has brought her here. Her grandmother and Zoey are extremely close. They share their love of their Cherokee heritage, and Zoey’s grandma is very kind and accepting, and her only saving grace since her mother remarried.
The House of Night becomes the home Zoey hasn’t had in three years since her mother remarried. Neferet – High Priestess of the House of Night (think principal of a high school) becomes her mentor and mother-figure. Neferet understands her home life. When she was young, her mother died and her father abused her. When she changed, she escaped that life and started her new one. She has an affinity for cats (can hear their thoughts), can heal, and has strong intuition. Cats are also a big staple at the school – they roam free and choose their owner.
Zoey becomes best friends with her roommate Stevie Rae – a huge country girl who’s super sweet and loyal,, as well as Stevie Rae’s friends Erin, Shaunee, and Damien. Zoey realizes her friendship with Kayla was superficial, these are real friends. Her non-boyfriend Heath comes to visit her one night and she accidentally tastes his blood. She discovers she has bloodlust – something that usually doesn’t happen until you’re a 6th year student (she’s only a 3rd year). She also ends up imprinting with him. He becomes obsessed with her and wants to be with her all the time. She desires his blood more than anyone’s. She meets a boy – Erik Night, who is her arch enemy’s ex-boyfriend and they quickly take a liking to each other, much to his ex-girlfriend’s annoyance – her name is Aphrodite. Aphrodite is a mean, hateful girl who has visions of the future. Zoey has learned she keeps her visions from Neferet (the High Priestess) unless someone notices she has a vision, something that leads to the death of others. Aphrodite also runs the Dark Daughters – a private club for students.
While at the school, two people she knows do not survive the change. One dies right in front of her. While outside, she sees both of them at separate times. They smell like decay and have red eyes and look awful. She believes she is seeing their ghost, until her cat Nala scratches one of them and draws foul smelling blood.
Zoey soon discovers she has an affinity for the 5 elements – something no vampyre or vampyre fledgling has ever had. The most even a High Priestess has ever had has been for 4 elements. Zoey can invoke air, water, earth, fire and spirit with the help of Damien, Shaunee, Erin and Stevie Rae. With the help of her new friends, she overthrows Aphrodite and by Neferet’s orders takes over as leader of the Dark Daughters and High Priestess in training. She also walks away with a new mark – an intricate weaving of sapphire blue tattoos that lead out from her mark and flow over her brow line. She also has intricate tattoos over her neck and all down her back.
Review: 10 out of 10
I loved the first book of this series. It is one of my favorite vampire series. Sometimes it's hard to read knowing how southern some of the characters are (like Stevie Rae) but Zoey is a strong girl who overcomes a religious jerk of a stepfather and the woman her mother has become since marrying him and takes on a change that will completely alter her reality and life as she knows it. Her friends at the school are very likable and you instantly take her side against Aphrodite. If you like vampire books, I highly recommend this series. It takes a different look at how vampires are 'made' and follows a very lovable girl named Zoey through her new life.
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