How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
It was like staring into the face of a familiar stranger. You know, that person you see in a crowd and swear you know, but you really don't? Now she was me—the familiar stranger. (1.56)
The first time Zoey looks in a mirror after being Marked, it's a really bizarre experience for her. She still has the same features, obviously—hazel eyes, long dark brown hair—but the crescent moon in the middle of her forehead makes her look foreign, exotic, totally different. How is she supposed to cope with looking in the mirror and seeing someone who's her and yet not her?
Quote #2
Okay the first thing I noticed was that everyone who had a solid vampyre tattoo was incredibly good-looking. (7.105)
At the House of Night, Zoey's surrounded by a ton of vampyres as well as fledglings like herself. And she's quick to notice that all the vampyres are hot. It seems to be a side effect of being Marked and surviving the Change: total physical perfection. Let's just say we can think of worse perks.
Quote #3
Anyway, the Mark somehow made my eyes look even bigger and darker. I lined them with a smoky black shadow that had little sparkly flecks of silver in it. Not heavily like those loser girls who think that plastering on black eyeliner makes them look cool. Yeah, right. They look like scary raccoons. (11.14)
Zoey decides to put on a little makeup before going to school when she first arrives at the House of Night. It sounds like she's already pretty, so she doesn't need much makeup to make her features shine—but at the same time, she comes off as kind of judgmental about chicks who choose to enhance their appearance with more makeup than she thinks is appropriate.
Quote #4
The sapphire Mark of the Goddess seemed to have flipped a switch and spotlighted those features; it had freed the Cherokee girl within me and allowed her to shine. (11.16)
Zoey's always had Cherokee heritage, but for whatever reason, the Mark just enhances these aspects of her appearances: her olive skin, straight nose, and high cheekbones. Does the Mark care about your ethnic heritage? Do certain ethnicities look better with the Mark than others? We have no idea, but we're guessing Nyx, the vampyre goddess, isn't racist.
Quote #5
The door opened and oh my dear sweet lord I do believe my heart totally stopped beating. I'm positive my mouth flopped open like a moron. He was the most gorgeous young lad I had ever seen. He was tall and had dark hair that did that adorably perfect Superman curl thing. His eyes were an amazing sapphire blue and… (12.54)
Why hello there, Erik Night. Your gorgeous looks are enough to make Zoey practically lose her mind. We'd say this is a case of someone's appearance having an effect on those around them. In this case, it's a totally mind-numbing effect, but hey, whatever works.
Quote #6
"Guys, he was probably just staring at my weird Mark," I blurted.
"Maybe not. You're really cute, Zoey," Stevie Rae said with a sweet smile. (14.48-49)
Zoey is dumbfounded at the thought that maybe Erik Night was looking at her during his monologue because he found her attractive. She's pretty sure that she looks freakish with her colored in Mark, which is totally abnormal for a fledgling. But then Stevie Rae leaps in, and like a good friend, boosts Zoey's self-esteem by telling her that she is worth looking at.
Quote #7
Aphrodite […] threw me a disgusted look over her shoulder. "It's not like you can come to a Dark Daughters' ritual dressed like that." (16.25)
Oh, hey, snobby about appearances much, Aphrodite? She basically shames Zoey about the way she's dressed, implying that the Dark Daughters are a truly exclusive club. Which they kind of are… but we might think that would be based on personal merit, rather than how hot you are.
Quote #8
Yep, as I'd suspected, there wasn't one ugly, dorky-looking kid present. Everyone, and I do mean everyone, except Elliott was attractive. (16.89)
More proof that the Dark Daughters is an exclusive group, and their exclusivity is based mostly on looks. Um, no offense kids, but if you judge someone based solely on how they look, you're going to miss out on a lot of talent and compassion.
Quote #9
There was something else different about him, too. His body looked strange—thinner. How was that possible? (26.46)
Elliott died practically right in front of Zoey… but for some reason she sees him running around, looking thin, with fangs and weird red eyes and a body that has instantly slimmed down. What's up with that? We know that appearances aren't everything, but we're right with Zoey: It's weird for a dead person to change how they look and be walking and talking.
Quote #10
My Mark had been added to. A delicate swirl of lace-like sapphire tattooing framed my eyes… I let my fingers trace the curling design, thinking that it looked like something that should decorate the face of an exotic foreign princess… or maybe the High Priestess of a goddess. And I stared hard at the me that wasn't really me—this stranger who was becoming more and more familiar. (28.90)
By the end of the book, Zoey's appearance once more changes to make her stand out when her Mark gets framed by the tattoos that are usually reserved for adult vampyres. On top of that, though, she's actually becoming more okay with how she looks. She doesn't look in the mirror and see a total stranger anymore, and instead, she sees some strange elements, but more and more she just sees herself.