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House of Night #1-4

Marked / Betrayed / Chosen / Untamed

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The House of Night is a thrilling, New York Times bestselling book series that follows 16-year-old Zoey Redbird as she is “Marked” by a vampyre tracker and begins to undergo the “Change” into an actual vampyre. She has to leave her family in Broken Arrow, OK, and move into the House of Night, a boarding school for other fledgling vampyres like her.

It’s tough to begin a new life, away from her parents and friends, and on top of that, Zoey finds she is no average fledgling.  She has been Marked as special by the vampyre Goddess, Nyx. Although Zoey has awesome new powers, it’s hard to fit in when everyone knows you’re “special.”  As Zoey tries to make new friends and maybe find a hot boyfriend (or two), she comes up against all kinds of evil, from the perfect-looking, super-popular girl with not-so-faultless plans, to the mysterious deaths happening at the House of Night and all over Tulsa.  Things at the House of Night are not always what they seem.  Can Zoey find the courage deep within herself to find the truth and embrace her destiny?

1264 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

259 people are currently reading
5194 people want to read

About the author

P.C. Cast

163 books28.3k followers
PC was born in the Midwest, and grew up being shuttled back-and-forth between Illinois and Oklahoma, which is where she fell in love with Quarter Horses and mythology (at about the same time). After high school, she joined the United States Air Force and began public speaking and writing. After her tour in the USAF, she taught high school for 15 years before retiring to write full time. PC is a #1 New York Times and #1 USA Today Best-Selling author and a member of the Oklahoma Writers Hall of Fame. Her novels have been awarded the prestigious: Oklahoma Book Award, YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers, Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award, the Prism, Holt Medallion, Daphne du Maurier, Booksellers’ Best, and the Laurel Wreath. PC is an experienced teacher and talented speaker. Ms. Cast lives in Oregon near her fabulous daughter, her adorable pack of dogs, her crazy Maine Coon, and a bunch of horses. House of Night Other World, book 4, FOUND, releases July 7th, 2020. More info to come soon about the HoN TV series!

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5 stars
15,695 (63%)
4 stars
4,842 (19%)
3 stars
2,884 (11%)
2 stars
864 (3%)
1 star
487 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 278 reviews
Profile Image for Michael.
277 reviews402 followers
August 18, 2010
These four books (with the exception of Hunted) are the only House of Night novels worth reading, sadly. After that, they go severely downhill. I just figured I'd say that.

These books don't really have any literary value. Some of it is totally ridiculous (almost everyone of the XY persuasion wants to get into the main character's pants) and the writing can be horrible at times (the authors try way too hard to write how teenagers apparently communicate with each other). However, they are very fun, fast reads. When reading these novels, I found myself addicted to the ever-turbulent life of Zoey Redbird, her friends/enemies, and all the interesting events that happen at her school. The Casts might not have any idea how teenagers talk, but they know how to create a great plot.

I think my favorite part of these books is how normal a lot of it is. Sure, they're vampyre fledglings, and have to deal with affinities and what-not, but it's set in a pretty realistic high-school environment. Through all the fantasy, these characters still have to deal with homework, tests, relationships, friends, etc. Future books in the series lose that normalcy, and I think a lot of the magic is lost with it.

My advice on the series? Read the first book, and see if you can handle the Casts' terrible writing style and how they put Zoey on such a high pedastal. If you can stomach it, you'll probably love the next four in the series. But, unfortunately, I found that starting with Tempted, this series became increasingly disappointing.
Profile Image for Natasha.
289 reviews100 followers
May 2, 2010
This is an addictive series...
I actually liked this series more than twilight. It's not as hyped as Twilight, but that doesn't mean it isn't good. It really is a addictive series.
I work at a book store, and I honestly sold many of these box sets. This box set was the most selling of them all. If your not sure if you'll like the series and don't want to go out on a limb with the set, then don't. But I can honestly say, it is worth it, if your a fan of Young Adult / Vampire / Paranormal series.
I highly recommend this series as a gift for a young vampire lover, but it really is a series you can read at any age.. it's more for 16+ actually...I wouldn't recommend it for under 16, because it does insinuate a sex scene.. That being said, I really enjoyed this series, and this box set is worth the money, and if you get it on sale, the more then better!!!
Profile Image for Anna.
4 reviews1 follower
November 29, 2009
(Warning: If you have not read Hunted, the fifth of the series, do NOT read this.) The Cast girls as I call them seem to be very unstable. It seems they enjoy to torture both their characters and readers. Why can't Zoey just be happy with ONE boy? Why do there always have to be complications? I understand the need for some competition for Erik, but is Loren really necessary? Heath seemed to be enough. And why bring Heath back again in Hunted? Stark and Erik were more than enough there. I don't understand The Cast's need for drama. But I must say, I never saw Neferet's betrayal coming. I have not read the sixth book yet, but I hope it has some closer for us Erik fans. If you have not read this series yet I do recommend it, but don't get too attached to the characters, the authors seem to have a liking of killing them off or ruining their lives. A word to the author's: stop making what started out as a simple story so complicated.
5 reviews
June 2, 2011
Hmmm...what do I think? Well, at first I thought that maybe, possibly the book could get a little better. No such luck. In fact, when I finished the first book I just had to read the second. No, not because it was such an absolutely awesome read, but because I just had to read books where the author made an absolute fool of herself.
The plot was predictable, the characters were boring and the whole trying to relate to teenagers was an epic fail. To start with, Zoey is most boring, uninteresting person that I have ever read about. She's so perfect and "Oooh, her long, dark hair and her oh-so-specail moon on her forehead". Oh my, her zit-less skin and the ability to attract any guy who came near her. How is it possible that she related to the average teenager? What is more predictable than the affinity for all the elements and the soon-to-be-high-whatever as a title. Having sex with a teacher and then getting caught by your boyfriend? Uhm, Day of Our Lives much?
Seriously, the twins? Shaunee and Erin, finishing each other's sentences and marching around in high-heeled shoes. The gay dude...I mean, c'moooon!! This made me slit my wrists. If that isn't mind-tormenting enough, there's the nerdy, country best friend, with the Southern twang and the cowboy boots. Please kill me now. Oh, and then the cherry on the not-so-great cake, the backstabbing High Priestess who was sooo nice in the begining but now she is sooo evil.
The only slightly interesting person was Aphrodite. But really, "Aphrodite". SHE HAD TO NAME HERSELF AFTER A GODDESS?? Oh wait, then there's Nyx too. A strange twist to the usual sexistic God-is-a-guy. I read to the 7th book. Then I tried to commit suicide. Heath - her jock-oh-I'm-so-perfectly-blonde ex - who she can't even get rid of dies. THANK GOD! Now just every person in the series must die and the books will rock.
Maybe if Zoey could wake up with a apple-sized zit or get pregnant it would be more interesting. There was humor obviously used...even though it was another epic fail. Another vampyre cliche? Obviously. This books doesn't even deserve a 1 star. Any person who actually liked it must be brain-dead. Even though that would be a total insult to brain-dead people.
Can't wait to read the other books, i really like laughing at some else's failure. This is simply hilarious. A total joke. Fellow readers, i wash my hands to this stupidity.
Profile Image for Nico .
50 reviews1 follower
March 24, 2011
Sigh...

My love for this series wanes with each installment. The series is being drug out. Like, really drug out. Like, R E A L L Y. D R U G. O U T ! Looking back, I was generally happy with the series up to about book 6 or 7, after that point it becomes more of a task than a pleasure to read. I would give Books 1-4 or 5 a 3 or 4 star rating. After that: beware of meteor shower.

The storytelling is a little odd in the fact that Cast seems to be writing in "real time" or something quite close. Each book covers something like a day or a week. This kind of timeline makes for exhausted characters and an exhausted reader. Nobody has time to breathe. There are only vague reflections on "what we have learned" in these books. If you are looking for something even mildly thought provoking, keep looking. However, if you are looking for something wild and crazy fast paced, go for it. I will say that the romances (yes many, many, many of them) are good.... up to a point anyway. Like I said, the whole thing begins to implode around book 6 or 7.
41 reviews1 follower
Read
January 11, 2010
This book series was amazing! I love how in depth it goes and I really feel like most teens can connect to Zoey so well. I really like how they humanize her and it shows how flawed a teen really is. The best thing is that it seems like the books never ends. Zoey is always facing a new problem and has to lose something in order to gain something good. I like the descripition they have about the vampyres. They sound extremley beautiful and I'm really glad i got to read these books. i cant wait to read the next book in the series. I recommend this book to everyone who loves the lust type books with tons of adventures.

-diego ballesteros
Profile Image for Keaton Green.
354 reviews4 followers
Read
July 14, 2021
Omg another terrible vampire series I read in middle school…. I keep find these terrible looking series on goodreads that I read as an adolescent. Literally what was I thinking
2 reviews
April 22, 2011
The House of Night series are very interesting books starting with an average 17 year old's life, then going into a completly different life as 17 year old Zoey gets marked as a fledging by a vampyre tracker.She has to go to a vampyre finishing school, and hope she completes the change, as if she doesnt she will end up dead Zoey is straight away noticed as a different fledging, as her 'mark' is completly filled in, a stage that doesn't usually happen until you are a full vampyre. After a few weeks at the House Of Night, Zoey finds out she has an 'affinity' for all 5 elements - which has never happened before - air, water, fire, earth & spirit, as Zoey is the first fledging/vampyre to get this, she automatically becomes the new dark daughters leader - which is a special ritual that fledgings do for their goddess Nyx.Becoming the new dark daughters leader, she automatically gets an enemy, Ahprodite, who her friends call a 'hag from hell' After Zoeys bestfriend Stevie Rae dies, 2 high school boys found dead & soon Zoeys ex-boyfriend, Heath goes missing, Zoey decides she has to go and find him, and get's help from an unusual person, her enemy Aphrodite, she finds Heath and an undead Stevie Rae, Zoey then finds that the High Priestess, Neferet of her school, is somehow turning all dead fledgings into some unknown thing. Neferet finds out that Zoey knows and tries to kill her, by bringing back an evil vampyre Kalona. I have ruined most of the story by now but i wont say anymore. The minute i started reading Marked i was hooked and in the stage of about 2 weeks i was already on the 4th book Untamed, i have read all the books and am reaing them again for the 2nd time, at the moment i am reading Chosen, and like i said i am hooked for the second time, it's hard to put the books down. If anyone is looking for a good book, i would recommend these everytime.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Bibi G.
4 reviews
May 25, 2013
WARNING, THERE ARE SOME SPOILERS.
I've always been a fan of fantasy books like these in which anything can happen!
Now, lets begin with the characters. Zoey's notorious bad luck has me laughing, although I do question why there are just SO MANY guys in her life.. Love triangles are good and fun but when you get to love squares and up, you wonder just what they all see in her. Erik, he's her first boyfriend in the House of Night and breaks up with her after she does the dirty with a teacher. Pause. A TEACHER. Then, she starts doing it a second time and Erik walks in on it. Yet this isn't the end of those two? The twins, Shaunee and Erin, you have to love them! They're connection is very good, although a little hard to believe.
Stark and Zoey's immediate attraction was a little fishy. Damien, sweet Damien I love his character and love that he finds Jack. I'm not ashamed to admit that I cried when Neferet killed him. Neferet the evil hag is seriously getting on my nerves with her persistence.
Aphrodite is like your Regina George of the school, although when she befriends Zoey and her "nerd herd" it was a surprising plot twist. Her sarcastic comments are very appreciated.
***SPOILER ALERT***
The twins do come to an end, and it's not a very pretty one considering Erin ends up screwing Dallas.

All in all, these books are entertaining, but I find myself losing more and more interest. Although, I think I will finish the series just to find out which guy Zoey ends up with. I'm on book 10.
Profile Image for Marielle Savoie.
15 reviews
April 10, 2009
OMG OMG MG OMG OMG OMG, THESE BOOKS ARE AWESOME!!!!!!!!! definatly a GREAT read if you (which y'all should) like Vampires. Zoey is deffinatly the kind of person we can all relate too. the only thing that wasn't so good was that you can tell when one of the authors stops writting, and the other starts(espically in Hunted) because they have such different views of what should happen. Like should Zo be with Erik, Heath, or Stark? Not poet dude(Can't rember name...) 'cause he died and was WWWAAAYYY too old.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Andrea Horton.
87 reviews
August 26, 2018
I enjoyed the premise of the books at the beginning, but after awhile, they books drove me insane. But I kept reading them to find out what happened in the end. I realize I am not the target age group for this series, and it was very clear.
15 reviews
January 8, 2010
These books were some of my favourite, they made me feel part of the book, and most of the time i imagined myself as the main charactor.
Profile Image for Cassandra Doon.
Author 57 books83 followers
February 2, 2023
Loved this series!
In fact it’s one I reread a lot.
I felt like it carried on a bit to long with all the books, but all in all great series:)
Profile Image for Cindy Stavropoulos.
171 reviews3 followers
January 10, 2021
Maybe Teen Themed-Maybe Not?

This vamp series kept my attention alive throughout each book. I found some of it repetitive but in the end it all made perfect sense. Maybe this series is more for the young teen but it made for a real treat for this young at heart middle aged gal. I was able to pull from it the culture of the Cherokee tribe and rituals. I found it interesting. Sage burning, dream catchers, lavender, etc. The interactions with the nuns made it even more interesting intertwined with pagan rituals. We all believe in different religions and rituals but for the common good of peaceful humans. Yes, it was mostly about teen fledglings turning vamp and an evil spirit that was trapped underground thousands of years suddenly emerges. Pretty exciting! Books are our way of escaping, learning, finding fantasy, religion and more. So many gave this book well below good reviews. I gave it a 4 because so much of this series was very interesting in the sense that we are all human and can live as one no matter what kind you are.
Profile Image for Chantel.
31 reviews
February 22, 2022
I've owned this box set since high school and finally started reading it back in 2018-2019.The first book was really good, I could not put the book down and when I had not choice but to, I would listen to the audiobook of the chapter I left off at. I absolutely loved that they had made the vampire's religion wiccan, (which sparked the beginning to my research of wiccan religion) it just connected nicely with the vampire culture. Book 2 had me in tears, FIRST book to EVER make me ball my eyes out, I had to take a break from the book because of how heart broken I was, I literally could not continue reading the book (until I someone gave me a spoiler in the book).By the third book I was still intrigued by the story line itself, but slowly started getting sick of the protagonist and her love/sex life. Fourth book I was basically done with the protagonist, but felt I had to finish the book. Now besides obvious cons to this series I over all enjoy the series so far.
Profile Image for Jennifer Layne.
1,040 reviews4 followers
May 6, 2018
Though I was way outside of the YA age group when I read this I loved it! This is a GREAT set of 4 books in a new series of books that pack a punch and come out swinging!! Not that this isn't true from the start but sh!t really got real in these books!

The world was SO well created and the characters jump off the page. It is easy to fall in love or hate with them. You just want to comfort some and throttle or even stake a few others!

Each book seems to get better as you grow to know the characters, there dynamics and the conflicts in their world! Plenty of action and drama to keep you hooked and wishing for more!

This has a great few books to read so far; amazing characters and stories to follow! On to the next book!
57 reviews2 followers
February 2, 2018
I'm almost embarrassed to admit that I've read this series. It got a little wan towards the last few books, as so many series do. But the story was engaging from the start. i was able to relate to myself at that age. I liked the character development because you could love and hate every one of them, just as in real life.
9 reviews
November 8, 2020
The first three books are okay, they are a good build-up to the next three books. The writing style is easy to read, the characters are well defined and differentiated. A good twist on the Vampire Genre
2 reviews
December 4, 2019
Awesome Series

One of the best series for YA readers! Or even adults if you like this type of book!! 10/10 would recommend to anyone!!!
Profile Image for Amber Trejo.
14 reviews
Read
March 8, 2020
read all four great reads im on book thirteen as of right now almost on to red fleding series.me and that series go back to high school days pc and kristen great mother daughter duo
Profile Image for Patty Sagucio.
6 reviews
Read
October 27, 2020
Love it !!!!!

GREAT STORY, AWESOME PLOT. CAN'T WAIT TO READ MORE AND FIND OUT WHAT ZOEY AND HER FRIENDS DO TO SAVE EVERYONE.
Profile Image for Jessica Van horn.
12 reviews
March 28, 2022
Amazing

These were amazing great books. I've coming back every now and then to keep reliving this work. I'm totally captured everytike at this amazing work of art.
Profile Image for Booklover.
103 reviews1 follower
March 10, 2025
Great YA books especially with it be fantasy and somewhat dark.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 278 reviews

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