Beyond Twilight: Sunshine and Marked

Stephanie Meyer's Twilight series is a phenomenon, and rightfully so. With a fourth book in the series just out last month, and a movie based on the first book due in November, Twilight is poised to give J.K Rowling of Harry Potter fame a run for her money.

Meanwhile, here are some other offerings you may like to read to satisfy a craving for vampire fiction.

Marked, By P.C Cast and Kristin Cast (2007)

Marked is the first book in the House of Night Trilogy. The other books in the series are titled Betrayed and Chosen.

Mother and daughter writing team P.C Cast and Kristin Cast weave a tale about a world where vampyres are a known, if unaccepted, minority. Once "marked" (chosen to undergo the change from human to vampyre) they are sent away to the mysterious House of Night. It's a boarding school where soon-to-be-vampyres are taught how to handle their new lives and are shielded from anything that will keep them from successfully "changing". Those who don't successfully complete the metamorphosis die. This is the story of Zoey Redbird, a girl struggling to fit in at her regular high school. She has problems relating to her distant mother and overly strict stepfather. Being marked does not make her situation at home any easier. Once at the House of Night, she hopes to fit in there. What she finds is that amongst her fellow students, she is still a misfit. She has been "gifted" by the vampyre goddess Nyx, and becomes feared and hated by some because of her extraordinary powers. Zoey does have a group of steadfast friends, but her life is full of secrets, power plays and manipulation, most often waged by the adults that should be her protectors. This book is both dark and humorous, despite the dire situations that the protagonist and her friends find themselves in.

Sunshine by Robin McKinley, (2003)

Sunshine is a young girl who lives in a small town. She works at the local coffee shop, baking cinnamon rolls for a living. She has a boyfriend, and seems fairly content with her life. On the surface, this sounds ordinary enough. But Sunshine lives in a world where
vampires, demons, and "were" creatures not only exist, but have warred with humans. These creatures, known as "Others" have settled into an uneasy peace with humans, living on the outer edges of society. When Sunshine comes across a vampire, she is sure that he will kill her. Somehow the two form an alliance. Love and action ensue. Fans of Buffy will see some similarities in the love relationship between Sunshine and Con and that of Angel and Buffy. Sunshine is no slayer, but she is also more than she appears to be at first glance. However, McKinley's alternate reality keeps the storyline fresh.

Both of these books come highly reccomended.