Book #41: Nyx in the House of Night

Title: Nyx in the House of Night - Mythology, Folklore, and Religion in the P.C. and Kristin Cast Vampyre Series

Author: Edited by P. C. Cast with contributors Karen Mahoney, John Edgar Browning, Jana Oliver, Ellen Steiber, Amy H. Sturgis, Jordan Dane, Jeri Smith-Ready, Trinity Faegen, Bryan Lankford, Kristin Cast, Yasmine Galenorn and Christine Zika

Date started reading: March 21, 2012
Date finished reading: March 22, 2012

Publish date: June 2011
ISBN: 978-1935618553
Number of pages: 200

Official summary: "The House of Night is no ordinary school — and not just because it’s for vampyres. It’s a place where magic, religion, folklore, and mythology from multiple traditions merry meet and meld to create something incredible and new. In Nyx in the House of Night, some of your favorite YA authors, plus a few experts, help you navigate the influences behind the House of Night series in a guide that would get even Damien’s seal of approval. Travel with P.C. Cast as she gets her first tattoo in Ireland, climbs the ruins of Sgiach’s castle, and discovers the lore that led to the Isle of Skye vampyres. Read Kristin Cast’s defense of women in history and mythology who, like Zoey, have made a practice of juggling multiple men. Sit in on a vampyre lecture by Bryan Lankford, the real-life basis for House of Night instructor Dragon Lankford, on the parallels between Wiccan and vampyre circle rituals. Tour Tulsa’s House of Night landmarks with local Amy H. Sturgis. Nyx in the House of Night also includes an appendix of character names that reveals the myth behind Zoey’s last name, which House of Night cats have ties to Camelot, Egypt, and Middle-earth, and more!" (http://www.smartpopbooks.com/book/nyx-in-the-house-of-night)

How I obtained the book: Checked out of library

Memorable quotes:

• "Like beauty, tattoos are in the eye of the beholder." ~ Jana Oliver 
•  "The color of the red fledgings' Marks also communicates a kind of status. Though the crescent moon on their foreheads indicates their membership in the vampyre community, the color marks them as "other." Blue vamps versus red vamps. The established order versus the outcasts. Or from the human perspective: the scary outcasts versus the really scary outcast." ~ Jana Oliver
• "Superstitions, like vampyres, are hard to kill." ~ Jana Oliver
• "It’s not easy being the Chosen One. Just ask Buffy Summers. Ask Harry Potter. And ask Zoey Redbird, the latest in this list of “lucky” candidates picked by fate to save the world from darkness—and oh yeah, find romance, keep their friends, and maybe not flunk every class. In their spare time, of course. You’d think the act of getting chosen would be the biggest hurdle of all. Once you know you’re The One, every choice should be easy. Simply “do the right thing,” and the rest will follow. After all, you were chosen for a reason, so you must be destined to succeed, right? Alas, destiny isn’t a straight, well-paved road. Sometimes it’s not even a rocky, overgrown bike path." ~ Jeri Smith-Ready

My commentary: I have no clue why I didn't think to check this out of the library when I was reading the series. I checked out "Destined" and "Dragon's Oath" from the library, but never thought to get this one. This book was labeled as "young adult" by the library, which is understandable since it goes along with the "House of Night" series, but this is so not aimed at teenagers/college students. It was interesting to learn about the mythology and folklore that the series was based around, but it felt like I was reading a textbook at many points. The best sections were on tattoos, the cats, and the names of the characters. The section on Tulsa's real history and landmarks versus how it is portrayed in the series is also a fairly good read, but it never mentioned the bridge tragedy that was taken from the Tulsa area's real history.

Buy on Amazon.com: Nyx in the House of Night: Mythology, Folklore and Religion in the PC and Kristin Cast Vampyre Series