Follow Friday (#6) House of Night by P. C. Cast

For those of you who don't know what Follow Friday is, it is a weekly meme hosted by Alison at Alison Can Read and Rachel from Parajunkie. This week's topic:

Q. It's that pesky magic book fairy again! She has another wish: What imaginary book world would you like to make a reality?

Of course the first place I have to say is the Harry Potter universe. Who doesn't want to go to Hogwarts? Broomsticks and wands, cauldrons and potions, cats and owls. It was made for me.

But since Hogwarts is an obvious answer, I'll mention another story world that is absolutely fascinating:  the world of the House of Night series by P. C. and Kristin Cast. These vampires (spelled vampyres) in the book are teenagers when they are Marked with sapphire crescent-shaped tattoos on their foreheads, dubbing them as "fledglings." The change to an adult vampyre takes a few years, if a fledgling's body doesn't reject the change, which results in horrible death. As an adult vampyre, the crescent mark is filled and more intricate, sapphire tattoos sprout, masking the eyes and forehead.




The vampyres in this world are different than most--instead of being bitten or exchanging blood these vampyres are about genetics; "junk DNA" is triggered by adolescent hormones. Once they are Marked they are sent to the House of Night boarding schools--these books are set in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Also unlike in other books, these vampyres don't burn up in the sun, but since it can be very painful to them, their classes take place at night. "Vampyre Sociology 101," fencing, and equestrian classes are only a few of the classes offered at the House of Night. It's an exotic, refreshing twist from reading about normal high school. Not to mention there are many swoon worthy vampyres. (Loren Blake, for example. Yowza!)




House of Night badges by year

The House of Night website can be found here.
Also on the website, there is a place to download your picture and mark yourself. Here is a shortcut.
The author, P. C. Cast's, blog.

What story world would you love to live in? Have you read the House of Night? What do you think of it?

Follow Friday (#5) "Breaking Dawn"

For those of you who don't know what Follow Friday is, it is a weekly blog hop created by Rachel @ Parajunkee and Alison @ Alison Can Read. This week's question:

Q. If you could change the ending of any book (or series), which book would you choose? Why and to what?

Just a warning, I'm going to be very predictable here.

There are very few books that I don't like the ending. Come to think of it, there is only one in my mind at the moment. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer. Now don't get me wrong, I did like the book, but there were certain aspects that disappointed me. I forewarn, if you haven't read the book do not read past this paragraph. There are going to be a lot of spoilers, and I don't want to ruin the book for anyone.

This is your last warning. THERE WILL BE SPOILERS. Thank you :)

First off, I have to say some of my favorite aspects of the book are the wedding and the honeymoon. I even liked Bella's pregnancy. I thought it was interesting how she had to have blood and was so attached to the child even though everyone was concerned it was going to kill her. I knew she wasn't going to die. Edward and Jacob would never let that happen. Most of my dislikes occur after Bella opens her eyes as a vampire.

First and foremost, I wanted Bella to act like a newborn. I wanted her to let her thirst control her for a while. I wanted to see how Stephenie described newborns through their red eyes. I understood why Bella was different, how she prepared herself for the thirst, but it still disappointed me. Maybe she could have been uncontrollable for a day?

I also read The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer and finally saw what it was like to be a newborn vampire, but it was still too controlled for my taste.

Another thing I wasn't too fond of was the fight scene. There was no fight scene. With the Volturi after them, the Cullens calling every vampire they know to fight, and Bella learning to control her special ability I expected a grand fight.

It ended as a confrontation. Not even a heated confrontation. But on the bright side, no one died.

I can't wait for the movie. I hope it's not disappointing!

 Are you a fan of Breaking Dawn's ending? Are there any book endings you dislike?