Erwählt

House of Night #3

by P.C. Cast, Kristin Cast

Dunkle Mächte sind im House of Night am Werk und Zoeys Erlebnisse im Internat nehmen eine rätselhafte Wendung. Zoeys beste Freundin Stevie Rae ist untot und versucht mit aller Macht, ihre Menschlichkeit nicht vollends zu verlieren. Und Zoey hat keine Ahnung, wie sie ihr dabei helfen kann, aber sie spürt, dass alles, was sie und Stevie Rae herausfinden vor den anderen im House of Night geheim gehalten werden muss. Denn plötzlich scheint es keinen mehr zu geben, dem sie wirklich vertrauen können. Als es kaum noch schlimmer kommen kann, werden Leichen gefunden: ermordete Vampyre! Aber Zoey findet heraus, dass nichts so ist wie es scheint...
ERWÄHLT ist der dritte Band der House of Night- Serie, in der Zoey als Jungvampyrin auf die bislang härteste Probe gestellt wird.

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Vampires, Paranormal, Romance, Fiction, Supernatural

448 pages, Hardcover

First published March 4, 2008

About the author

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!

Reviews

[Cari · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have to say I became addicted to these books when I started them (and I had nothing to do over the past few days,) but now they're really starting to irritate me. I have started the fourth book but put it down because I can't just stand the horrid writing anymore. The author is extremely repetitive, starting with her introduction to the books. She thinks random people would start reading at the 3rd book without reading the previous ones, and in the process of her 'introductions' she pisses her actual readers off. I feel like throwing up, (seriously) every time I read the Twins talking. It's like this author is starved of ideas for their dialogue. They, Damien, Jack, Zoey have all failed to develop in the slightest. Their banter is really getting on my nerves.

I've read other reviews on this site and many are saying the same thing. Why not try some different dialogue for a change? Recognize that your readers, since they've been reading a book with the 'F' word in it and sexual content, they aren't little children who can't take big vocabulary words and who have to have repetition thrown at them, as well as stupid pop culture references every few seconds.

Zoey, the main character, could use a bit of maturing. It doesn't help that the first three books progress over the time span of only a few months and she is still a freshman (third year former) in her school. Since she has such wonderful powers you would think she would learn a bit of responsibility and sense. As for her three boyfriends, you would think she would have a bit of sense and compassion to not cheat around. But noo, hormones took over. This did add some much needed conflict to the story, but the whole concept was just 'ugh' since she was fooling around with three guys at once. (great message for little girls there!)

The characters I have to compliment are Stevie Rae, Aphrodite, and Neferet.They have developed and Stevie Rae's change into an undead creature was interesting, as well as Aphrodite's character development.

A good thing about this series (possibly the only reason I kept on reading) is the action. It happens too fast in places, but the whole concept of the Priestess, blood drinking/imprinting, etc is very good. I also enjoyed many of the action scenes, but as the books went on they became less and less. It's a shame the good in this book is overridden by the bad writing and characterization as well as the author's laziness in thinking up new plots and character development. I'll keep on reading them, but I won't stop wishing that there was an improvement.

[Dakota · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had a crazy idea last night. I decided that I would go to the library and read Hush, Hush, House of Night, Fallen, Evermore and its sequels, and Shiver. After hearing several bad reviews for each of these books, I avoided them. But curiousity got the better of me and I couldn't very well complain about how much the standards for YA novels have fallen without reading some of the alleged best sellers. My plan was foiled and the only book they had available was the third book in the House of Night series, Chosen. Maybe I should be grateful. If the quality of those other books are anything like Chosen, I fear for my sanity.
I have not read the first two books in the House of Night series, but I could gather what was going on. Zoey's best friend Stevie Ray is undead or something and she tried to kill Zoey's boyfriend/Imprint, Heath. Zoey's rival Aphrodite (who is much more likeable than Zoey despite being her rival) saved him. All this is told to me within two pages. The book starts off by Zoey trying to see how many times she can say suck while complaining about her awful birthday. Her birthday is near Christmas, which means that everyone does the cliche thing and gives her Christmas themed gifts. Zoey whines to her kitten about how she'll have to put on a fake smile while people give her lame presents she doesn't like. She makes a few stereotypical remarks regarding her gay friend Damien while she opens her presents. There's a notable scene when Zoey's boyfriend Erik gives her a really pretty necklace and she's estastic until she sees it has snowmen on it. That just ruins the present. Then Zoey's first boyfriend Heath gives her a bracelet and she's happy. Erik and her friends get mad that Zoey acted like an ungrateful bitch, and she has the audacity to say that it's not her fault. Zoey, it is your fault, sweetie. You didn't tell your friends you didn't like Christmas themed gifts for your birthday. You were too busy whining about having sucky birthdays to mention this fact. Just say casually, "I don't like Christmas themed things for my birthday!" Make light of the fact! There's no need for you to make it into a scene where you confessed you were abused.
So Chosen follows Zoey's struggle to help her best friend Stevie Ray regain her humanity. I can tell Zoey just misses Stevie Ray so much. Without Stevie Ray, Zoey has to have bad birthday presents! You see why she needs Stevie Ray in her life? Saving your best friend from a bad birthday- that's a real friend. The whole thing with Stevie Ray goes back and forth. Zoey insists that she hasn't changed, Stevie Ray says she isn't human anymore, blah,blah,blah. What's Zoey's reason for Stevie Ray to be human? The clothes are better. That's right. Never mind that her best friend is losing her humanity and chomping down on humans- the important thing is that Stevie Ray looks gross as a feral vampire and her victims might have lice. Teenage priorites. Gotta love them. There's also tension with Zoey's rival Aphrodite joining Zoey's group of friends because she has an affinity for earth. I liked Aphrodite.I liked how she was trying to make up for past mistakes. I liked her bitchy attitude, her insults towards Zoey showing not everyone worshipped her, and the fact that she gave Zoey a dose of reality. Not every girl who has sexual desire is a ho.
Now, that brings me to my next issue. Zoey is fond of using the word ho. The words ho and slut are tossed around a lot these days, and not in the right context. Zoey seems to think that having any sexual desire whatsoever makes you a ho. Zoey is a filthy hypocrite. One of her other problems is that she has three boyfriends. There's her old boyfriend Heath who she imprinted on and now shares some sort of sexual bond. There's her current boyfriend, Erik, who understands her. There's her Professor Blake, or Loren, who is a man that makes her feel like a woman. For a good bit of the book Zoey goes around kissing Loren and then feeling guilty and whining about it. Of course she never does anything to stop it. Then she still has feelings for Heath as proven when she basically humps him in public. But she's not a ho. Just saying.
But the clincher comes at the end of the book. Zoey's crying because Erik's been Changed and it reminds her of when Stevie Ray died. I'm not too sure on the details, at that point I only had thirty pages to go. Anyway, Zoey runs into Loren and he comforts her. He takes her to his dorms- apartments- I don't know, nor do I care. The main thing is that they form an Imprint, which overrides Heath's imprint. Imprints make you feel sexual desire and she and Loren have sex. Zoey wakes up the next morning and describes herself in the most vain way ever. The little issue of Erik crops up, not to mention that she still hasn't dumped Heath, but Loren goes all possessive and says Zoey belongs to him. That's what I like to see! Possessive boyfriends! If I wanted to read this "you belong to me" crap, I'd go read fanfiction. There's plenty of that possessive mates/bond crap floating about. But oh no, Erik comes and see Zoey naked with their Professor. What follows is my favorite moment of the book and Erik's crowning moment of awesome to me. He calls Zoey a slut, accusing her of playing all innocent and virginal while she's been seducing her Professor. He calls her out on being a hypocrite and then says what a fool he was to have fallen in love with her. Then Zoey finds out that Loren was using her and he's in love with the baddie, Neferet. Who didn't see this coming? I've read the same plot in countless fanfictions.
Some shit happens, something about Stevie Ray and some people who are supposed to combat the threat of religious fanatics. Zoey's friends find out that she cheated on Erik. Do they reprimand her for it? No, they just talk about how fiine Loren is. When Erik is still understandably upset, Aphrodite makes a remark that people take an incredibly long time to get over things that happened before. Yes, Erik, how dare you not forgive your girlfriend for cheating on you within an hour? She can get away with that shit; she's a main character. Stevie Ray comes, it's a trap, I don't know. At this point I just wanted the fucking book to end. Stevie Ray is back to normal(which means she can plan decent birthday parties for Zoey, yay!) and Aphrodite is human. The stereotypical religious group that Zoey's stepfather runs, kills Loren, so the vampires are declaring war. I was going to go into a mini-rant about how parents are the worst thing ever next to Christians, but I don't have the energy. There's a wonderful scene when Neferet tells Zoey how much she sucks. I hope Neferet kills her. But since this series is twelve books as far as I'm aware, nothing can kill Zoey. To quote Yugioh the Abridged Series- she's a main character! Everyone else can go right ahead and die!
This book sucks. I suppose I could write down some creative similies, but I don't have the energy. My brain still has to recover. I will say that I couldn't believe that this is a bestseller. But after reading an informative book on the publishing world, now I can. Best-seller does not mean quality. It just means that the publishers haven't lost any money on this book. I don't know whether to weep for the future of YA books, or feel confident that my novel might have a fair shot.

[Josu Diamond · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mamarracheo al cubo.

En Elegida tenemos la explosión del mamarracheo que se veía viniendo venir un buen rato. ¿Zoe tiene TRES MALDITOS NOVIOS? Sí. Firmo. Acepto. Lo quiero saber TO-DO.

Esta tercera entrega ha conseguido captar mi atención desde el primer momento, no solo por la acción que siempre tenemos, sino porque estaba cargada del salseo de los novios, las enemistades y los líos con el resto de cosas de la escuela.

De los tres que he leído, este habría sido mi segundo favorito. Me ha resultado más entretenido por ese toque más realista (si es que puede ser realista lo que pasa en estos libros) y el arco final de la novela no ha tenido con un desenlace tan abrupto como era el caso de las dos anteriores entregas. Ese ha sido uno de los motivos por los que me ha convencido más Elegida.



Otras cosas que me han gustado han sido, aparte de los líos amorosos y demás, que las tramas han girado más a Zoey como persona que como una vampira con increíbles dones. La trama de Stevie Rae me ha encantado, y la alianza con Aphrodite… YASSSSS. Sin duda, las dos mejores cosas que me llevo de esta entrega. Personajes como Loren, Jack o Erik tienen más peso y me ha gustado conocer más de ellos, así como nuevos datos y curiosidades sobre el universo de La Casa de la Noche.

Me gustaría hacer reseñas como las mías, o sea… más largas. Pero no quiero revelar demasiada información, y además, los libros no tienen tanto para desmenuzar. Venga, ahora a por el cuarto. ¡Que el ritmo no pare!

[~Calliope~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 Stars

[Samantha · Rating 1 out of 5]

The first two books in this series were pretty good. Definitely not phenomenal, but a good guilty pleasure series, like cotton candy in the world of literature. But Chosen was just too much. It starts off a month after Betrayed left off. Zooey is juggling three boyfriends, trying to keep the fact that Stevie Rae is a monster a secret, and struggling with the fact that her former mentor, Neferet, is an evil vampyre creating an undead army.

First off, the thing that bothered me most about the book was the racism. P.C. and Kristin Cast are always writing about characters' skin color, but ONLY WHEN THEY'RE BLACK. If a character is black the authors always mention it in great detail, but if the character is white or anything else, they leave discussions of their ethnicity alone. The most offensive and racist part of the book was when Zooey was (innappropriately) grinding on one of her boyfriends, Heath, in public. The line, "two black guys were just a few feet away... wearing the stereotypical ridiculous sagging pants," was used. This line pretty much sums the scene up. The authors stereotype black people, making these black guys vulgar, wannabe hoods. And then Zooey kills these guys for talking trash to her, and nothing much is made of it later on in the book. It's as if the authors are saying it is somehow okay to murder black people, and that if you do there won't be any consequences. This made me really mad. Revealing the race of two characters who were only in the story for two pages was completely unnecessary. The scene could have worked regardless of the two guys' ethnicity, and the Casts identifying the two men as black sent a loud and clear message: black peoples' lives are meaningless.

The character Zooey is a horrible role model. She and her friends constantly bully a girl on campus, their only reason being they deem her a slut. The girl, Aphrodite's, only crime was sleeping with a boy she'd been in a long-time relationship with! Then Zooey turns around, has three boyfriends, lies to all of them, and sleeps with a teacher. The fact that Zooey, the main character and supposed heroine of this series, sleeps with a teacher is disgusting beyond words. It shows her complete lack of good judgement and her willingness to betray her perfectly nice, loyal boyfriend Erik. I hate how Zooey manipulates the boys in her life and has no regard for anyone's feelings but her own. She lies to all her friends throughout the book and tries to have three boyfriends at once instead of doing the responsible thing and breaking up with two of them.

Besides the fact that the main character is an obnoxious slut and the book is blatantly racist, the story just suffers from poor writing. The authors waste a lot of time giving us long summaries about what happened in the previous books, and sometimes review things that just happened a few chapters ago! There were also a lot of little typos throughout the book, which detracted from the story becuase it was like they were in such a rush to get the book published they didn't leave time for editing. Most of the characters are not fully drawn, and all Zooey's friends are stereotypes. There's Erin and Shaunee, two loud-mouthed girls who are tough as hell, but love to shop for shoes! There's Damien, who is the smart gay guy who holds them all together. In truth, the only thing this book had going for it was the suspense. Every chapter ended in a cliffhanger and the storyline of teachers at the House of Night showing up murdered compelled me to read on. But not even mediocre plotting can save a sinking ship. To conclude: don't waste your money buying this. Don't waste your time reading it.

[Elizabeth · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh, I don't even know why I'm bothering with this. I really wanted to slap a one star on it which I don't do unless I've actually finished the book but, yanno what? I'm gonna do it anyway.

Apart from being a very poorly written account of the life of the single worst female protagonist I have ever, ever read about, this booked is rampant with stereotypes, derogatory terms, slut-shaming and the weirdest paragraph ever written about a gay character:

...Usually he isn't so overtly gay. Not that the fabulous Damien Maslin isn't actually gay. He totally is. But he's also a tall, brown-haired, big-eyed cutie who looks like he'd be excellent boyfriend material (which he is-if you're a boy). He's not a fluttery-acting gay kid, but get the boy talking about shopping and he definitely shows some girlish tendencies...

What in the literal fuck does that even mean? WHAT IN THE LITERAL FUCK IS THAT PARAGRAPH?

If you're not offended enough by that alone, there's also casual use of the word "retarded" and a horrifying scene where Zoey treats a homeless person like they are actually the scum of the earth.

Ugh. Burn this book. BURN THIS BOOK.

[Teresa · Rating 1 out of 5]

I HATED this book more than I think I ever hated any other book in my life. Zoey is an annoying slut. The Twins are dumb bitches. Don't get me started with the love interests. Zoey thinks that anybody who has even a small dose of sexual desire is a hoe-bag, but yet throughout the series she had seven boyfriends (I kid you not). Talk about hypocritical, bitch. I strongly disliked Erik, Heath, and Loren. But Erik won me over at the scene when he called Zoey a stupid slut and a filthy hypocrite, among a bunch of other things. At this point in the book, I'm rooting for Erik to dumb her sorry ass and find someone who might actually treat him right. The one good thing about this shit was Aphrodite. I loved her sarcastic bitchy self, but unfortuanately, she was shamed by Zoey as a slutty hoe. And yet, in the first 3+ books, APHRODITE WAS NEVER REALLY DATING ANYONE. That was enough to make me want to barf out my lunch. I am not, in any way, joking when I say that Zoey is the most hypocritical, stupid, irritating, slutty, bitchy protagonist I have had ever had the misfortune to read about. Hell, she makes Bella, Luce, Nora, and Ever look like beautiful, amazing, well-thought out characters. If I ever see Zoey on the streets, I won't think twice to wring her neck, because I have never heard of a more useless, retarded character before.

[abi · Rating 1 out of 5]

homophobic stereotypes, internalised misogyny, predatory men, not-so-subtle racism, derogatory comments towards the homeless... [slaps cover of book] this baby's got it all! 🥴

[Elise ✘ a.k.a Ryder's Pet ✘ · Rating 2 out of 5]

⋰⋱⋰⋱⋰⋱*On Hold*⋰⋱⋰⋱⋰⋱

Second trying re-read: 25/26th to 31.03.2020
I'm gonna put this one hold for now. Don't know when I'll ever open it again, but for now, I'm actually ready to call it quits with this series, so I'm just gonna put it on hold instead. That being said: Is Zoey ‘Zo’ ‘Z’ ‘Zoeybird’ Montgomery Redbird (turns 17 in the first chapter) a hoe or what? I don't remember her being this way. If so, I apparently liked it as I remember loving this book and Zoey. But right now, I kinda find this book and the character really immature, and I found myself rolling my eyes so many times. I stopped reading it around four days ago or so and haven't found the need/strength to pick it up again so on hold it is. I'm gonna change the rating even though I haven't finishing the book, whenever that is, to at least two stars. I am however taking it off my ‘favorites’ shelf.

“Happy birthday, Z,” said a deep, sexy voice I knew very, very well. I stepped out of the twin sandwich and walked into the arms of my boyfriend, Erik. Well, technically, Erik is one of my two boyfriends, but the other is Heath, a human teenager I dated before I was Marked and I'm not supposed to be dating him now, but I kinda sorta accidentally sucked his blood and now we're Imprinted and so he's my boyfriend by default. Yes, it's confusing. Yes, it makes Erik mad. Yes, I expect him to dump me any day because of it.

Quick basic facts:
Genre: - (Young Adult) Paranormal Romance.
Series: - Series, Book Three.
Love triangle? - Yes, Zoey got three guys: Heath, her human boyfriend, Erik, her fledging boyfriend, and Loren, vampyre, who she has taken an interest in.
Cheating? - Yes, I find it cheating.
HEA? - Don't remember as I didn't finish it, but I'm gonna go with no.
Favorite character? - Heath Luck.
Would I read more by this author/or of series? - Already have.
Would I recommend this book/series? - Right now? No.
Will I read this again in the future? - No.
New Rating - No new rating as I'm putting it on hold. But for what I've re-read so far... -2 stars...

Re-read: ??.??.2012
Still love it! Same rating as before.

Read: ??.??.2011/2012
This series is amazing!
Rating: 5 +++ stars.

[Namratha · Rating 1 out of 5]

CHOSEN was a long-drawn out account of Zoey Redbird dealing with (in her own words) her ho-ish existence.

All we read about is Zoey’s hormones getting pulled every which way with:
a) Human imprinted partner, Heath (who she intends breaking up with but instead has a hot ‘n’ heavy make-out session with)
b) Erik, her handsome fledgling boyfriend (who she wants to come clean with about her roaming eye but instead ends up having hot ‘n’ heavy make-out sessions with)
c) Loren Blake, temporary teacher (who she wants to break up with but as he apparently makes her "feel like a woman", she inevitably ends up...yep...you got it...having hot 'n' heavy make-out sessions with)

So in the midst of all this mind-numbing drama, Zoey is also trying to find a way to restore some semblance of normality into the life of her friend Stevie Rae, who died and changed into a snarling, undead creature. Along the way she has to keep secrets from her nerd-herd and rely on the reluctant assistance of foe-turned-friend, Aphrodite.

A Series-filler with minimal truly gripping moments.

[Nasty Lady MJ · Rating 1 out of 5]

To see full review click here.

Disclaimer: Obviously, I'm not Zoey Redbird or PC or Kristin Cast (God help me if I was one of them). I am merely using the character to illustrate my deep hatred for these books and why you should get drunk or at least get a sugar high off of them.


Hi,

This is Zoey Redbird (yes, I know I'm amazing you can like totally stop clapping now).

Smiles.

I'm upset that people are using my series to get drunk. Seriously, you can't understand how amazing it is. That I am like the super-est of the super. Seriously, Wonder Woman has nothing on me. I am just amazing.


How many times do I have to say that?

A lot, I guess, since I keep repeating it a lot throughout my novel. Now an evil person would drink a lot to that, but you're not evil right? But if you are let me tell you why you shouldn't drink in my plight to be the bestest of the bestest.

Man, in this installment of my series my life really sucks. I have three boyfriends and I complain about it a lot. It's soooooo hard to choose. Let's look at my choices:



A) King Douche: Oh, Heath. We've always had this connection. And we're like perfect together because of our past even though he's has about the same IQ as a Labrador Retriever. And really does nothing that's remotely likable. Except, of course, I want his blood.


B) Prince Eric: Erik is just amazing. Sure he lacks a personality, but you can always recognize him because of his Superman hair and blue eyes. He's sort of like Prince Eric on The Little Mermaid appearance and all. I think he's so pretty a lot throughout the book. You can just drink at how I'm amazing anytime I describe him.

C) Mr. Mary Kay Laterno: Loren, oh Loren, my poetry teacher. He makes me blush whenever he calls me a woman. Yes, I know I'm a girl (you, pervert), but there's just something about the way he looks at me....that makes me...want him. Despite the fact he didn't really pay me the time of day until very recently. Also, so what if he's my teacher and I lose my virginity to him...it's not that big of a deal. We're meant to be. And that night...oh, it was filled of blood and passion (how romantic).

Okay, so I know my relationship with Loren is taboo. I know a lot of things that go on in this book could be considered taboo. But that's what makes me so cool man.

Oh, poopie, I bet that sounded lame there.

And really, I don't know what's wrong with bullpoopie. You people who think I should cuss or at least act like a quasi normal human being just need to get over yourself because I'm special.

So, back to what we were talking about my story is taboo, original, and edgy. Here are some of the "edgy" things that are discussed that have never been seen in a little fan fic called My Immortal

*Student/teacher relationships: Loren and I are love. We like did it in the rec room but it was totally ruined by Prince Eric who came in there and started cussing us out.

*Count Chocola and vampires love for it (if I only I could have a Mercedes with the license plates with 666)

*Friends that undergo radical transformations with makeovers that are from Hot Topic (Um, maybe not the Hot Topic part, but I so wish Stevie Rae would get rid of those Wranglers)

*Evil teachers who hate me for no reason


See, totally original. Totally. I am unique like a unicorn. But better because I'm Zoey Poopie Redbird. I'm not afraid to stand up to the issues and defend my friends. And yeah, I sort of talk bad about them behind their back. Like Stevie Rae, I totally agree with Aphrodite (that biotch) that she needs a makeover. But whatever.

I'm still a good person.

Even though that was sort of mean, blowing those two random guys in front of a truck to get ran over and then blowing it off because of happy hour at Starbucks. But they didn't die.

Besides, I'm totally a caring individual. Look at how I take care of Damien. He's gay and I'm totally okay with that. I love him, even though he's characterized so stereotypically at least according to cynics. And so what if he got with the only other gay kid in school it was true love Nyx meant it be.

And I so don't know why people have a beef with Nyx. She's our one true goddess. If you worship anything else your a fanatic or freak. Like my mother. I so don't understand why she sent me a Christmas card. I hate Christmas it always ruins my birthday. Bullpoopie Birthmas gifts.

Whatever. So by now, you know that I'm a totally cool person and one you don't have to get drunk to have fun with. I mean, surely you can't find anything worth drinking over from what I said, right?

See you in the fourth installment where I'll hopefully be reblessed and crowed the highest of the high priestess (is there like a high priestess, pope?)

Zoey
Your future House of Night pontiff

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series just keeps getting better and better. The Casts are fearless about adding new dimensions to their beloved characters. I admire the creativity of their world--it's extremely well thought out and cohesive while blazing new paths in the vampiric realm. I really can't praise this series enough.

[shady boots · Rating 1 out of 5]

Zoey is probably the sluttiest heroine out there. e_e God.

[Lindsay · Rating 1 out of 5]

Mini Review
I really hate giving bad reviews but this book truly disgusted me. I am really disappointed in P.C. and Kristin Cast. I mean honestly, do they think that all teenagers act like this because if they do, they need a reality check.

Love triangles are overused but I can admit, that some writers can really do it well. This love square thing Zoey had going on was ridiculous. I mean, come on? When I read about the teacher suddenly popping up in the picture, I was so grossed out. I mean, usually, older guys are sexy and they really get me going but this guy just grossed me out. Plus, I had no idea why Zoey would even be looking at another man when she HAD a boyfriend. What happened to being faithful? What happened to loyalty?

Don't Read on unless you Have Read the Book or You Will Not Be Continuing

Finally, the one moment that pissed me off like never before: Zoey slept with a teacher who was using her. How freaking stupid could she be? It was so obvious he had ulterior motives, so why oh why would she just sleep with him without considering her boyfriend, her protection, and her pride? For godsakes, she gave up her virginity to some pervert and expected her boyfriend and friends to like her afterwards for keeping secrets. What is wrong with her?

God, its characters like her that put me off. It sickens me to think that there people like this out there. Its like no one respects themselves in books anymore. Its disgusting. Zoey needs to get herself some self respect because her behavior is awful. Thank god I don't act like her because if I did, then I'd owe my parents a huge apology, along with the rest of the world.

Rating: 1 out of 5 Stars

[Brother Odd · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has the worst grammar of any published novel I have ever read. Whoever edited this should be ashamed. Besides that, the authors do write a story that is fairly interesting. Authors are pretty good, but the editors can't possibly speak English.

Down points of the novel are that every guy is described as being exactly the same. They're all perfectly gorgeous without a flaw or even different personalities. The homosexual characters are flat stereotypes. And, having a young adult book in which a teenage character makes out with a teacher is just plain wrong. The incident is described as being exciting and not bad at all. Huh? Why encourage pedophilia? The story didn't need this twist as the lead character is already dating several different guys at the same time. Why not put forth a stronger female character who puts her time into a healthy relationship?

Could've been much better without the ridiculous relationship with a teacher, some editing, and better character development. The plot itself holds the reader's interest despite these flaws.

[James Tullos · Rating 1 out of 5]

Here’s how I imagine the writing of this series went:

P.C. Cast: Hey, vampires are popular now, right?
Kristin Cast: Yeah, why?
PC: We should write a book about them.
K: That sounds like fun!
PC: And the plot will follow a main character who is a plain girl that has no personality but all the hot boys in her life are inexplicably attracted to her.
K: That sounds good too! One of them can be a boring childhood friend, one can be a bad boy who isn’t actually that bad, and one can be somebody in his twenties!
PC: Awesome! It’s totally acceptable for someone that age to date a 16-year-old! The main character has to think she’s better than other girls though, so let’s make sure she constantly calls them sluts and hoes.
K: Doesn’t she have three boyfriends though?
PC: Yeah, so?
K: So she doesn’t have any moral high ground there.
PC: Oh, Kristin, you misunderstand. This series will have protagonist centered morality, the only people who disagree with or criticize her in any way will be the villains!
K: That makes sense.
PC: We’ll be sure to put in a gay character to show off how forward-thinking and progressive we are, but we also have to make sure we continually reference his sexuality and make sure he fits into every stereotype.
K: That doesn’t sound homophobic at all! But wait, it’s 2007, everyone else is already trying to cash in on the supernatural teen romance craze. How will we distinguish this?
PC: What’s that wizard show you like? Harold Cobbler?
K: Harry Potter?
PC: Yeah that, we’ll just make the vampires go to a boarding school and have magic. That way the main character can be super good at things without having to learn them.
K: What’ll we say if people criticize the main character? They’re going to call her a self-insert power fantasy.
PC: Oh, they’re right.
K: Okay, where will the boarding school be? In an ancient Romanian castle? Oh! How about a secluded mountaintop temple!
PC: How about Tulsa, Oklahoma?
K: Awesome! Let’s get to writing!
PC: Oh I’ve already finished the first 6 books.

[Avada Kaddavra · Rating 2 out of 5]

Leider unterhaltsam, so unangenehm es mir auch ist dies zuzugeben😅

Zoey ist so ziemlich der Inbegriff von Naivität und außerdem ist sie auch noch ziemlich selbstgerecht, neigt zu Selbstmitleid und handelt wenig vorausschauend. Und sie nervt.

Ich konnte mich herrlich über sie aufregen😁

Es folgt eine Zusammenfassung der Ereignisse (mit Spoilern):

Wie schon in Buch 1 und 2 mehrfach erwähnt bin ich wunderschön. Meine außergewöhnlichen Tattoos im Gesicht und sonst wo sind so atemberaubend. Mann, bin ich gesegnet😇

Ich hab einen Menschen-Exfreund der mich anbetet und den heißesten Typen der Schule, der mit mir zusammen ist😌 aber ich glaub da geht noch was mit diesem Lauren😍

Oh hoppla, ich hab einfach so meine Unschuld an einen random superhottie verschenkt obwohl ich einen festen Freund habe, der total toll ist🤭

Ach du liebes Lieschen! Eric hat mich beim Fremdgehen erwischt und ist jetzt mega sauer😰

Oh wie fies! Lauren hat mich nur benutzt! Das ist ja so gemein, ich war mir sicher wir würden uns jetzt lieben💔 ich fühle mich ja so ausgenutzt und betrogen😔

Och Menno, alle meine Freunde wenden sich von mir ab weil ich ihnen wichtige Dinge verheimlicht habe, zum Beispiel dass Stevie-Ray gar nicht tot ist und sie umsonst mega traurig waren. Und jetzt kann mir keiner mehr vertrauen, das ist ja voll blöd😔

Obwohl ich Stevie-Ray ohne besondere Anstrengung retten konnte und mein Entjungferer auch noch getötet wurde sind immer noch alle sauer auf mich!!😠 Das ist ja sooo unfair und gemein, mein Leben ist ja so kompliziert!

To be continued....

[Sophia Triad · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the book that Zoey has completely lost it.

"Stop playing games with me. And you think Aphrodite is a hateful bitch? You make her look like a fucking angel!"

So Zoey basically still juggles between three males: Erik, Heath and Loren. And it seems that Loren is winning, while Erik (her supposedly boyfriend) will soon face betrayal. And he will not take it gracefully.
Before the end of the book:
-one of them will be dead
-one will be heartbroken and
-one will be his usual absentminded self

Very dark moments for Zoey.
Her friends will feel betrayed and used.
She will feel betrayed and used.

Her only purpose now is to save Stevie Rae.
For that reason, Aphrodite will take Stevie Rae's place in the circle.
Before the end of the book :
-one of them will be a vampire and
-one of them will be human again.

"Remember when we thought me having a sucky birthday was our biggest problem?"

Very sad book. One of my least favourite in the series.

[Nikoleta · Rating 2 out of 5]

Χμ… για να δούμε, τι να πω… τι να πω…;
Η πλοκή είναι προβληματική. Πολλές φορές η ηρωίδα μας διηγείται τα ίδια και τα ίδια, ενώ η γραφή είναι εξ’ ολοκλήρου ανώριμη.
Αυτό συμβαίνει και με τους χαρακτήρες, οι οποίοι είναι προχειρογραμμένοι και μη αληθοφανείς. Η μοναδική αληθοφάνεια που έχουν είναι ο παλιμπαιδισμός τους, καμία σχέση με νέους 17 ετών, κάτι τέτοιες βλακείες λέγαμε στα δώδεκα. Και όχι μόνο αυτό, αλλά είναι γραμμένοι και από ανώριμο συγγραφικά χέρι, ο Θεός να φυλάει…Κοπελιά δεν είσαι κουλ όταν μιλάς για πίπες και μας αναφέρεις ότι ο κολλητός σου είναι γκέι, 4 φορές σε μία παράγραφο, δήθεν είσαι και ηλίθια. Και επιτέλους πόσες φορές πρέπει να ακούσω τις μπαρούφες της Σόνι και της Έριν, που κάθε ατάκα τους ξεκινάει με την προσφώνηση Δίδυμη της μία προς την άλλη; Μήπως θα γίνεται και αδελφοποιητές; Θα κάνετε πυτζάμα πάρτυ και θα κόψετε τούφες από τα μαλλιά σας και θα τις θάψετε στον κήπο με όρκους αιώνιας φιλίας; Ε; Δωδεκάχρονα;
Και φυσικά κάπως έτσι δεν γίνεται να μην μιλήσω για την κεντρική ηρωίδα, την Ζόι, πόσος εγωισμός, ανωριμότητα και ναι, τσουλοσίνη (υπάρχει αυτή η λέξη;) χωράει σε έναν χαρακτήρα;;; Μα με τρεις;;; Τρεις;;;; Τέλος πάντων…
Τα θετικά. Λοιπόν μου άρεσαν αρκετά οι καυστικές νότες στην αφήγηση. Έκαναν το κείμενο να κυλάει. Επίσης μου αρέσει η ίδια η ιστορία, κρατάει το ενδιαφέρον μου παρ’ ολα τα υπόλοιπα θέματα που είχα.
Δεν τρελάθηκα, αλλά όταν δεν έχω τίποτα άλλο να διαβάσω θα στρέφομαι προς τον Οίκο της νύχτας και τα χαζοχαρούμενα τέκνα του.
2,5/5 αστεράκια

[DayDreamer · Rating 1 out of 5]

!!!First line is a spoiler!!!

What part of having sex with a teacher is right?

Not that that is a big surprise *rolls eyes*

Zoey is a Mary Sue. She is. How many guys are after her? I have lost count. Whatever she does she is always forgiven and hardly gets hurt. Everyone wants to be Zoey's boyfriend or friend because she is sooooo popular and everyone can relate to her. The only character I liked was Neferet and even then she's useless at destroying Zoey. To think that teens actually talk like that is beyond me.

The twins - omg I assure you you'll want to slap them. How annoying?

Take a look at the popular girl in your school, how many guys are after her? Two, maybe three, but that's about it. Nothing compared to Zoey and her dazzling charm and looks *throws up* ugh.

Type into Google search bar "Zoey Redbird" and it even lists options such as...Mary Sue.

The whole idea is AMAZING, seriously I think the idea is great. The first book , Marked, was okay but then it rattled down greatly with each book.

[Naomi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Totally amazeballs and now onward with the next book in the series!

[Princess Gabriel The Bookish Bookaholic of the Western Timbers of Librarianland (aka Gabriel the Bookaholic) · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you want a cleaner review: https://rowansravingreviews.wordpress...

Not so clean: Alright, so Loren Blake is possessive as fuck. He had controlled her. Cut himself and made her drink (not that she didn't want to) and then CUT HER and drank from her.... Yeah, and then was like, "Now let's finish the Imprint. Let's make love!" I was so disgusted... I literally can't even on how fucking vomit-provoking that scene was. I have read about sex, but this was all sorts of different. Loren Blake was, in this book, an ass.
And then, Erik walked in on the second time... He got hella mad. Erik was also possessive, controlling, and argued with Zoey during every fucking chapter, I kid you not. *eye roll* I am so tired of Erik. He was okay in the first book, and in the second one, we didn't hear from him much, but in this one, he was dreadful. Aphrodite started to warn Zoey about how Erik was, but Zoey ignored all the red flags Aphrodite threw her way, and let all arguments go down. Good Gods, Zoey is annoying as Hell.
So, I like Aphrodite now. She is my new favorite. The Twins are awesome, but come on, Aphrodite is much more realistic. She is dark and depressing, sarcastic, which are all things I love in a book character. Especially the sarcastic part. I loved her. She used to be a major bitch, truly, but now she's not to bad.
OMG, I missed Stevie Rae so much! I cannot word on how much I missed her! She is really the best. I love her Okie accent and how she loved Kenny Chasney (? I dunno, who..) But it was all terrible. How she was that weird ass ghost vampire thing. Hopefully there will be a name for that weird shit later.
Anyway, there is not much I can say about this book, just that it seems that it is worse than the other books.

[Tara · Rating 1 out of 5]

I just read a review of this book that says it has the worst grammar of any book ever published and that the editors should be ashamed.

That is probably the real reason I continue to read this series. I would like to see how much worse it can get. I never thought I would read a more poorly written story than Jean Auel's The Shelters Of Stone, which read like a NaNoWriMo novel that never got fleshed out. But I was wrong. This series is full of annoying characters, half-baked plot ideas, and badly written prose.

The librarian asked me if this was "one of those Twilight books" and although I turned up my nose as I said "no," I have to admit that the Twilight series is like Shakespeare compared to this.

I can't wait to read this, knowing that it will--no pun intended--suck. This review is probably not helpful, considering I haven't read the book yet and I'll probably forget to update it when I'm done.

Update: Boo. Hiss.

[Birdie · Rating 1 out of 5]

"You're not like anyone else," I whispered to my reflection. Then I cleared my throat and continued in an overly perky voice. "And it's okay not to be like anyone else." I rolled my eyes at myself. "Whatever."

When I first started on the House of Night series back in January, I was warned by a friend that, while the first two books were indeed terrible, they had nothing on the third, Chosen. So, after reading Marked and Betrayed, I couldn't possibly believe my friend's words. How could it get worse?

Now that I have finished, I can safely say that my friend was not lying. Chosen really is worse than the first two books combined.

The book picks up shortly after where Betrayed left off. Nothing has really happened in the series except for Zoey-sue becoming MOAR SPESHUL with each passing volume, and the reveal of what I assume is the big-bad, Neferet, who was originally portrayed in the first book to be Zoey's cool vampyre mentor. This book focused mainly on three things; Zoey's friend 'Stevie-Rae' being not-quite-dead (which we already knew at the end of the last book), the beginnings of some sort of semi-religious conflict between vampyres and humans, and Zoey's tumultuous love-life. Love-triangles? Not good enough for our Zoey! We need a love-square!

Usually, I'd be all for this; I love reverse-harems. I'm writing my own young adult novel with a reverse-harem. The more guys the merrier! But I absolutely hated Zoey's love issues. Why? Because I hated Zoey.
For me to enjoy a YA romance, I have to like the characters involved. I can disagree with them, but I have to like them. I can't throw myself into supporting a relationship between two characters I just don't give a flying fuck about. This is the reason I can't enjoy the relationship drama Zoey has with Erik/Heath/Loren. I hate Zoey, I don't care about Erik, Heath annoys me, and Loren downright horrifies me.

Right from the start, Zoey proves that she hasn't change from the insufferable, hateful person she was in the last few books. Her birthday is coming up, and since it's on the 24th of December it's common for people to get her 'Christmas' themed presents. She calls it 'birthmas' gifts, and she hates it. Naturally, she didn't tell her friends this, and they all think getting her Christmas-themed gifts would be a cute idea. Zoey bitches about it internally but says nothing. Then they find out she hates Christmas gifts, and are appalled and saddened. She whines that it's not her fault, because she told one of her friends- but that friend is dead so, oops, not her fault.

That is how the book begins.

Zoey spends most of this book moaning about how awful her life is because she has three boyfriends and doesn't know what to do about them. She knows what she is doing is wrong, but she keeps on doing it anyway. We're constantly reminded by how guilty she feels, but the guilt never seems real because she doesn't do anything with it. At one point she's going to go break up with Heath, her human ex-boyfriend with whom she shares an Imprint, but instead of breaking up, he slits his arm open (AGAIN. HE DID THIS IN THE LAST BOOK AS WELL.) and they dry hump on the street. This leads to two "unsavory" characters coming up and sexually harassing them. Zoey promptly kills them. Did I mention the two "unsavory" characters in question were black men portrayed as stereotypical gangsters? And that Zoey barely gives half a shit about murdering them?

Now, the past few books have been racist as well, but this just threw me. How could anyone read this before publishing and think it was okay? Not to mention that the book still reminds us every time Shaunee shows up that she is black, or, "caramel" or "mocha-latte" or any other synonym. She is the only character who is repeatedly described other than the males in Zoey's harem, and those descriptions are clearly meant to be for the reader's benefit.

A similar thing continues on for Damien and his boyfriend Jack Twist. We as the reader are constantly reminded that they are homosexual. And believe me, the jokes just fly in every direction. It's meant to be seen as friendly banter, but it just reminds me of bullying. There's this exchange that is so stiff and unnatural that I just have to quote it again;

"I sighed again. "You gays are freakishly intuitive."
"That's us: homos- the few, the proud, the hypersensitive."
"Isn't homo a derogatory term?"
"Not if it's used by a homo."

This was five pages into the book. General online consensus says that 'homo' isn't a friendly term of endearment. It's not the homosexual equivalent of the N-word. All this exchange did was help reinforce the fact that Zoey's friend Damien is gay. He's gay. Did you know that? He's homosexual. He likes the D. He is a homosexual boy. Gay. Gay. Gaygaygay. Gay.

STOP IT. THIS IS NOT HOW YOU WRITE AN INCLUSIVE CHARACTER. This is just reinforcing horrible old stereotypes that need to stop being pushed around. I don't even want to get started on Jack Twist, who is named after Brokeback Mountain and seems to have only hooked up with Damien because they're the only two homosexual males in the story and, because of their proximity, obviously must get together. Sigh.

A large chunk of the book focuses on Zoey attempted to "fix" Stevie-Rae, who had become some kind of undead vampyre during the last book. Fixing Stevie-Rae involves hiding her in Aphrodite's house- who has now become a frenemy of Zoey's- and then doing yet another element circle at the end of the book which fixes everything. The entire plot-line was bullshit and really just felt like filler to me where it should've felt central.

Instead, all the focus was on Zoey and her love life. She has several make-out sessions with a professor, Loren Blake; one make-out/groping session with her vampyre boyfriend, Erik; and a hot and heavy humping and blood-sucking sesh with her Imprinted human ex-boyfriend, Heath. In between these, she feels immensely guilty and calls herself a 'ho' multiple times. Then, near the end of the book, she has sex with the professor- thereby destroying the Imprint she has with Heath- and is caught by Erik.

Erik, rightfully upset, calls her a slut. Zoey, upset, insists she isn't. Erik is then painted to be an asshole for wanting to hurt Zoey after she hurt him, and it's clearly expected that as the reader we are meant to sympathise with poor Zoey, because it turns out creepy teach' Loren was actually a spy of Neferet's who only wanted to bang Zoey in order to get information out of her. Or maybe he really did like her, but what does it matter he's dead now. Yeah. Seriously. He gets killed. So, the whole book focuses on boyfriend drama, and it ends with Zoey having zero boyfriends. The only reason I found this satisfying is because I hate Zoey.

The book ends with Neferet declaring that vampyres will declare war on humans or something, and then Zoey telling Neferet that she's evil. Then she hugs her cat and says something about how things are only going to get harder from then on out. It was possibly the most ham-fisted ending I've ever read. It's like there was meant to be a cliff-hanger, but there's just a blank kind of void instead.

I'm hoping that this is the worst book of the series. You know why? Because maybe it gets better. Maybe, somewhere along the line, I'll be able to give a House of Night book two stars. Because so far, I'd be giving them zero if only Goodreads would let me.

Ruin, I'm doing this, baby. I'm going to do it. I'm going to read this whole series. Pray for my safe return.

[Kristyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, I do agree the grammar is horrible, as well as the dialogue, and the way P.C. Cast always repeats things that her regular readers already know. Like when she keeps repeating how "The cats choose the fledgling," like seriously shut the freak up already! I also have some issues about what happened with the Zoey charater and Loren Blake. I mean, I just find it sickening that Zoey is supposed to be this strong, smart, independant young woman, yet, she's not intellegent enough to not have sex with a grown man!? Even though there's so many things wrong with it, I'm still totally in love with the series. Maybe Untamed will be better...hopefully(:

[Lisa · Rating 1 out of 5]

I only keep this book around because I started reading it, which means I have to finish. I only read it when I'm taking a bath. There's no need to waste my precious time on this garbage any other waking moment.
First off, it's so badly written it makes me want to pull my hair out. The immature, inane dialogue is so stupid and ridiculous, it makes me feel embarrassed for the writer, who is obviously trying way to hard to sound like a cool teenager, when in fact, it makes her sound the way Drew Barrymore dressed in that movie "Never Been Kissed." She makes up words that a 12 year old might say, like "ginormic." And Zoey, the 16-17ish year old main character, refuses to swear and says things like "darn it" while she's sleeping with her older teacher. Oh, garsh, I'm such a ho-bag now!
Gag me. Seriously. Make this end. Nobody that age calls someone a "hateful hag" OK? Quit trying to make "hag" happen, Cast. It's not happening.
Zoey is not a heroine. She is a bad role model for any impressionable teen that might read this. She feels guilty for being such a ho-bag while porking her teacher, cheating on both her boyfriends. Wow.

And exactly why does everyone hate Aphrodite? Because she's a ho-bag for blowing her (ex)boyfriend? Eeewy, she put his pee-pee in her mouth. Oh my god, I almost rolled my eyes right out of my head after reading the first book. But now look at Little Miss Hypocrite, spreading em' for Mr. Teacher.

I hate this series so much, that when I'm done reading this Book 3 in the bath, I plan on dunking it in the water so that no one else may ever be as unfortunate as I am to read this steaming pile of rhino feces.
What are they - vampires or witches? Cool tattoos and no fangs. Might as well fucking sparkle in the sun, while they're at it. Blow me, Kristin and PC Cast. Blow me like the ho-bags you all are.

[Victoria ✮⋆˙ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mixed feelings about this one. Some weird shit really, student teacher relationship, ZOEY HAVING 3 BOYFRIENDS? It was all a bit weird.

Don’t get me wrong there was some elements I did like but definitely the negatives outweighed the positives on this one...though the first half was better than the 2nd!

I’ll probably end up reading the other ones I own, just to get them off my tbr, bc it’s not a horrible series, it’s just mediocre. They’re pretty quick to read though so that’s a benefit

[jay · Rating 1 out of 5]

this book. had me STRESSED. OUT.

negatives:

-the RACISM. the constant STEREOTYPES. what is WRONG with the authors??
-zoey is a horrible person?? like what?? lying to everyone she cares about, keeping so many secrets, being SO unfaithful... idk how Nyx favors her like WHAT was she thinking
-Loren. Blake. He is DISGUSTING. yes, it was wrong of Zoey to cheat on Erik with not one, but TWO men. BUT. I don't necessarily consider her thing with Loren to be completely her fault, because he's literally a groomer?? he makes my skin crawl, and (spoilers!) him taking her virginity made me sick😭 yes, she was TOTALLY in the wrong for cheating on Erik and leading on Heath. but Loren being a grown man while Zoey is freshly SEVENTEEN is so disturbing.
-Erik's slut shaming phase?? I actually adored him and yes Zoey put him through hell but dude did not have to be that nasty. felt very much women-hating vibes.
-again with Loren, but the imprint?? disgusting, absolutely DISGUSTING.
-okay, so, Neferet being evil is interesting / heartbreaking, but it's laughable to me because she's Zoey's mentor?? like Zoey just has to go to her class like normal while they both fkin hate each other like? imagine being in that position I'd just drop out of school LMAO.

positives (much smaller list!!): (all of these will include spoilers)

-STEVIE RAE!!! I'm so fkin glad she's finally back to her old personality, even with the different change. I love her so much
-APHRODITE!! love her too. I love the characters that are bitchy and don't give a fuck. but her being human?? crying 😭 why did nyx give Stevie Rae and aphrodite an earth affinity just for her to make one dead and the other a human. (ok going back to negatives here but like, what? lmfao)
-grandma redbird. love that woman
-LOREN BEING DEAD! WOOOHOOOOOO🎉🎉🎉 like yes this is going to definitely cause problems but idc the consequences I'm so glad that creep is gone

see u guys in the next review 🥹☆

[Meghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

So far, this has been my favorite book in the House of Night series. Chosen (book #3) brings forth a lot of changes in the world of the House of Night. Zoey is dealing with the loss of people as well as a tragic birthday incident. To add to all of that she has the admiration of three guys, she's trying to save someone, and life as she knows it is pretty much going to chaos and destruction around her.

What I enjoyed the most about this particular book in the series was that for the first time, in my opinion, Zoey made mistakes and there were consequences for the mistakes that she made. Zoey has been doing a pretty good job and making mistakes and people right away either forgiving her, or simply telling her that she has a lot to learn. In this book, that wasn't the case. She made mistakes, she was heart broken, and for once people didn't forgive her for the mistakes she made which makes the story seem all the more real. I love when characters make mistakes simply because we all make mistakes it's part of who we are. When Zoey made mistakes in this novel and had to deal with the consequences of those mistakes it made me, as a reader, like her more because I could relate and sympathize with her.

More exciting, nerve-racking, and intense things are sure to come in the next House of Night book, Untamed. I'm not sure where it's going to go and I'm not sure how Zoey is going to deal with the things to come. But I know that I am excited to see what's in store for everyone at The House of Night! :)

[Cyna · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh, what can we say about this book that we haven't already said about the last two? Not a whole lot, actually. Three books in and we've quickly come to realize that these books continue to be shitty, just in the exact same way every time.

In fact, we could probably quote whole sections of complaints from our reviews of books one and two, and they'd be able to apply to Chosen, as well. It wouldn't just be in "spirit", either - the book seems content to recycle whole chunks of earlier books, bigotry and all. Homophobic scene with the Twins berating Damien for making eyes at a straight dude? Check. Backhanded compliment of Damien for not being prissy like all those other gay boys? Check. "Caramel-colored" Shaunee? Awkward Nick-at-Nite reference to unnecessarily excuse knowing about The Brady Bunch? Scent of hay, gust of wind, water lapping at the feet during circle casting? CHECK CHECK FUCKING CHECK AUGHHHHH.



So yes, the same issues that we had with the last two House of Night books are all still present and a-fucking-ccounted for, and it would be both excruciating and redundant to revisit them here. So we're not going to talk about those this time. We're going to try to cruise through this one, and just expand on a couple of the bigger problems we had with the third installment of the House of Night series, Chosen.

We have problems with this book, okay? Lots of them. Plot problems, sex problems, bad-fucking-storytelling problems, and they're all gone in to in more depth in the complete review at You're Killing Me. But if there's one thing we want to communicate most about Chosen, it's what follows:

LOL RACISM

It's not like House of Night has been a shining pillar of excellence when it comes to race - the series is an unabashed endorsement of stereotypes, has a fondness for Othering and exotifying Zoey's Sassy Black Friend, Shaunee, and has let loose with weave insults and "good hair" comments, and varying other subtly racist bullshit. But in Chosen, Cast has taken the racism to a new, disgustingly sinister level.

"Yeah, bitch! Ride him! Make him hurt so gooood!"

"That little white boy don't have nothin' for you. I'll give ya somethin' you can really feel!"

Heath's grip on my hips changed and he was in the middle of trying to turn my body away from the jeering voices so he could shield me, but the anger that spiked through me was blinding. My fury was impossible to ignore and my response was immediate. I lifted my face from his neck. Two black guys were just a few feet away and getting closer to us. They were wearing the stereotypical ridiculous sagging pants and stupid, oversized down coats and when I bared my teeth at them and hissed, their expressions changed from sneers to shocked disbelief.

"Get away from us or I will kill you." I snarled at them in a voice so powerful I didn't recognize it as my own.

"She's a fucking bloodsucker bitch!" the shorter of the two said.

The other guy snorted. "Nah, bitch got no tattoo. But if she wants somethin' to suck, I'll give it to her."

"Yeah, first you and then me. Her little punk boyfriend can watch and see how it's done." With a mean laugh, they started walking toward us again.

Still straddling Heath, I lifted my one arm over my head. With the other I dragged the back of my hand across my forehead and down my face, wiping off the concealer that hid my identity. That made them stumble to a stop. Then both of my arms were over my head. It was easy to center myself. Filled with Heath's fresh blood, I felt powerful and strong and very, very pissed.

"Wind come to me," I commanded. My hair began lifting in the breeze that swirled restlessly around me. "Blow them the hell outta here!" I flung my hands out toward the two men, letting my anger explode with my words. The wind obeyed instantly, crashing into them with such force that they were swept, yelling and cussing, off their feet and hurled away from me. I watched with a kind of detached fascination as the wind dropped the two men down in the middle of Twenty-first Street.

I didn't even flinch when the truck hit them.

Okay, what the fuck was that. No seriously, what the fuck. Zoey just got two guys, two men who are explicitly, pointedly stated to be black men, run over by a truck. And the story lovingly describes her every action, like we're supposed to appreciate what a powerful badass she is. What the fuck?

"Did you kill them?" His voice sounded all wrong, scared and accusing. I frowned at him.

"No. All I did was get them away from us. The truck did the rest. And anyway, they might not be dead." I glanced back at the road. The truck had come to a skidding, tire-squealing halt. Other cars had stopped, too, and I could hear people shouting. "And Saint John's Hospital is like less than a mile down the street." Sirens started wailing not far away. "See, the ambulance is coming already. They'll probably be okay."

The first thing Zoey does is rationalize - they might not be dead, there's a hospital, I didn't mean to, I'm sure they'll be fine. Blah blah blah. Then:

"Heath?" I lifted my hand toward him, but dropped it when he flinched away from me. The numbness was fading and I had started to shake. My god, what had I just done? "Are you afraid of me?"

Note there that the reaction isn't about what Zoey did to those men, but Heath's reaction to what she did to them. It's not about them, it's about her: why Heath, are you afraid of me because I killed two men in a rage?

His response?

"I'm okay with you being a vampyre, Zo. But I want you to remember that you're still Zoey, too. My Zoey. And my Zoey isn't mean."

Zoey isn't mean, not "My Zoey isn't a fucking MURDERER". Yes Zoey, it was so mean of you to kill two men.

"I couldn't let them hurt you," I whispered, really shaking now as I realized how cold and horrible I'd just been. I might have just caused the deaths of two men.

This is the first time we have Zoey acknowledge any sort of guilt-ish feeling over what she's done, without excusing it or tying it to someone else's perception of her. I might have just caused the deaths of two men. Okay, that's a start. Now maybe some guilt, some checking to see whether or not the men died, how injured they were, if they made it to the hospital, maybe taking some responsibility. You know, things a normal, empathetic person would do.

Or she could just wander over to her best friend's house in a blood-lusty, horny haze to talk about boys.

Yep, I was seriously messed up. Not only had I not broken up with Heath, but I had probably made our Imprint even stronger. Plus, I may have caused two men to be killed. I shivered, feeling more than a little sick. What in the hell had happened to me? I'd been drinking Heath's blood and having a horny old good time (jeesh, I was becoming such a ho-bag), and then those men had started messing with us and it was like something inside of me freaked and changed from Regular Zoey to Psycho Killer Vampyre Zoey.

Yeah, she sounds tortured. I mean really, not breaking up with her boyfriend, killing some guys, acting like a "ho" - all pretty much the same on the Zoey scale of Awful Things to Do.

Jesus Christ Cast, could you make Zoey's reflection on possibly causing the deaths of two men sound ANY MORE CASUAL?

Clearly there was just too much vampyre stuff that I didn't know about. Hell, I'd even taken notes and memorized some of the chapter on Imprinting and bloodlust, but I was starting to see that there was lots of stuff the oh-so-educational textbook had left out.

What I needed was an adult vamp. Fortunately, I knew one I was sure would be very happy to volunteer to be my teacher.

I'm sure there were lots of things he'd be ever so pleased to teach me.

I thought about those things, which was easy to do when I was filled with Heath's delicious, sexy blood. My body still tingled with heat and power and sensations I knew I didn't have a clue about, but I craved more of. A lot more of.

There was no denying that Loren and I had a thing. It was different than the thing Heath and I had, and even different than the thing Erik and I had. Crap. I had too many things going on in my life.

Basically, I floated to Aphrodite's parent's garage apartment in a kind of horny, power-filled, yet confused haze...

Yeah. That's what she's thinking about. That's her train of thought after POSSIBLY KILLING TWO PEOPLE. She's HORNY. She briefly tries to blame the vampire biology books for not telling her about the possibly violent side effects of imprinting - and then goes on to more important rambling about her boyfriend problems.

This is the last time that Zoey mentions the men from that night, not just for this book, but FOR THE ENTIRE SERIES:

"Professor Nola was killed last night. It looks like some of the People of Faith crucified her and chopped her head off and left her out by the trapdoor on the east wall with a lovely note about not suffering a witch to live. I think that my step-loser might be involved, but I can't say anything about it because my mom is covering for him, and if I rat him out she'll probably go to jail forever. I just sucked Heath's blood and got interrupted by some gang wannabes who I think I might have kinda sorta accidentally killed, and Loren Blake and I have been making out. So, how was your day?" The old Stevie Rae flickered inside this one's red eyes.

"Ohmygoodness," she said.

"Yeah."

"You've been making out with Loren Blake?" As usual, Stevie Rae got to the heart of the juiciest gossip. "What was it like?"

Yep.

You'd think that if your best friend came up to you and confessed to a possible murder, you'd be a lot more worried about that than her multiple boyfriend problems. But nope, "OHMYGODNESS HOT FOR TEACHER", that takes priority.

What the fuck is this? No really, what the fuck is this? A person wrote this, she had her fucking PROTAGONIST experiences this, and then brush it off like it was nothing. The deaths of two men. Two black men.

And that, that's the worst part, you see. They were black men. We were explicitly told that they were black men, that they were wearing "stereotypical" sagging pants and down jackets, and putting aside how INCREDIBLY SHITTY that is in terms of writing, lazily, flat-out labeling bit characters as stereotypes, fucking hack, let's think about what that means. Cast wants us to know these men are black - they're not white hoodlums, even though this would make no contextual difference in the story. They were stereotypical - Cast literally, specifically calls up a stereotype that her audience would likely be familiar with. Then she has her story-blessed protagonist, Zoey Redbird, kill them. And not fifteen minutes later, Zoey is daydreaming about humping her teacher, and priority in the mind of her friend is given to gossip and boys, implicitly absolving Zoey of her actions. So clearly, we're not meant to give two flying fucks about the men who just died.

Cast is intentionally preying on prejudices that, at least in her mind, her audience has against black men: they're dangerous, aggressors, potential rapists, misogynists, who are not deserving of our sympathy or empathy, of our heroine's guilt; they're sub-human. And then she agrees with them.

PC Cast is a MOTHERFUCKING RACIST.

And she's requesting, no, requiring her reader's complicit racism. She's explicitly telling you that you don't have to give two fucks about the black guys who just died. Zoey doesn't. Heath doesn't. Stevie Rae doesn't. The story doesn't. So why should you? They were just black guys. Who the fuck cares, right? Here, shiny boy problems to worry about, forget about those two black guys PC Cast just wrote in and killed for no good fucking reason. Forget that PC Cast just outed herself as a fucking RACIST.

And before you go "But, but, they were possibly going to rape Zoey", NO. Did they have to be black to play the role that they played? Is it any less likely that two white men would act that way in the same situation? If your answer is "yes", then you need to re-think your prejudices. There was NO REASON for Cast to explicitly say that they were black, no fucking reason, except to communicate her fucked-up little racist code. In short:



And she doesn't think you should either.