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House of Night #2
Betrayed
All any of us could talk about was Chris's disappearance and how bizarre it was that he had last been seen close to the House of Night. I didn't want to believe it. But everything inside me said that the kid would be found but he'd be found dead ...
Things seem to be going pretty well for Zoey Redbird. She's settled in at the House of Night finishing school and is coming to terms with her incredible new powers. It all seems too good to be true. And guess what?
Someone has begun murdering human teenagers, and all evidence point to the vampyres at Zoey's school. Which means her first assignment as the leader of the Dark Daughters is finding out which one of her classmates or - gulp - teachers is a killer.
Sigh. And she thought her boyfriends (yes:plural) were going to be her biggest problem this year ...
375 pages, Paperback
First published October 2, 2007
3018 people are currently reading
57871 people want to read
About the author
P.C. Cast
163 books28.2k followersPC 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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Displaying 1 - 30 of 6,558 reviews
April 10, 2015
Much, much and much better than Marked. LOL! Just kidding, only 0.5% better.
So here's the deal:
"Ohh! I see betrayed! Should I read it?"
"Maybe I should, what if it turns out to be better?"
"But what if it sucks? Maybe I should not..."
*10 minutes later...*
"Okay, okay! I am reading this!"
Now here's the real story:
Zoey thinks she's the most amazing person in this world.
So wrong.
Half of this book is about Zoey waiting for her freaking Superman, Eric. And when he finally arrives, he does N-O-T-H-I-N-G except for maybe being a useless piece of shit.
So much for superman...
And then comes her to-be-pitied-for friends. They were either her servants in some previous life or some freaks definitely not from this earth. I mean,
1) Zoey speaks rudely to them.
2) Zoey never tells the truth.
3) Zoey never told them about anything. (personal)
4) Zoey disrespects them.
5) Zoey hurts them.
But still they have the compassion to call her their "friend".
*rolling eyes*
*I would have been a pretty popular girl by now if this shit happened in the real world*
She, ladies and poor gentlemen, has 3 boyfriends and then has the audacity to call other people sluts.
And I actually like Heath a-lot. I just hate Zoey for screwing it all up.
Fighting, fighting. (not even fighting)
Zoey using the elemental powers made me go like,
*Even this baby is fighting better than you...*
BUT WAIT!
Aphrodite is actually good!
and Neferet is now the official enemy!
And now I seriously hope and wish from the bottom of my heart that Zoey dies and world comes to peace. Amen.
Rating: 2/5
Still going to read Chosen because there is this little hope inside me.
So here's the deal:
"Ohh! I see betrayed! Should I read it?"
"Maybe I should, what if it turns out to be better?"
"But what if it sucks? Maybe I should not..."
*10 minutes later...*
"Okay, okay! I am reading this!"
Now here's the real story:
Zoey thinks she's the most amazing person in this world.
So wrong.
Half of this book is about Zoey waiting for her freaking Superman, Eric. And when he finally arrives, he does N-O-T-H-I-N-G except for maybe being a useless piece of shit.
So much for superman...
And then comes her to-be-pitied-for friends. They were either her servants in some previous life or some freaks definitely not from this earth. I mean,
1) Zoey speaks rudely to them.
2) Zoey never tells the truth.
3) Zoey never told them about anything. (personal)
4) Zoey disrespects them.
5) Zoey hurts them.
But still they have the compassion to call her their "friend".
*rolling eyes*
*I would have been a pretty popular girl by now if this shit happened in the real world*
She, ladies and poor gentlemen, has 3 boyfriends and then has the audacity to call other people sluts.
And I actually like Heath a-lot. I just hate Zoey for screwing it all up.
Fighting, fighting. (not even fighting)
Zoey using the elemental powers made me go like,
*Even this baby is fighting better than you...*
BUT WAIT!
Aphrodite is actually good!
and Neferet is now the official enemy!
And now I seriously hope and wish from the bottom of my heart that Zoey dies and world comes to peace. Amen.
Rating: 2/5
Still going to read Chosen because there is this little hope inside me.
May 23, 2024
The main character, super special/ gifted/ popular/ admired and generally perfect newly- turned-vampire Zoey, is torn between three men (two boys and a man to be exact…).
1. Her uber-cute human ex-boyfriend Heath (Ohmygoodness!) whose - I quote - bulge in the pants she finds herself rubbing.
2. Her fellow vampire and uber-handsome current boyfriend Erik (Ohmydearsweetlord) whom the entire school considers to be her boyfriend but she is not really sure because even though they’ve dated a few times and kissed and hugged and held hands, they haven’t proceeded any further…
3. And the uber-sexy adult vampire poet and school professor Loren (no words are enough, just fan yourself here) with whom she flirts a couple of times.
Her arch nemesis, Aphrodite, who used to date (Ohmydearsweetlord) Erik at some point and had been caught performing a dirty act with him in a dark corner of the school corridor, is under no circumstances to be confused with Zoey, because Zoey is not - I quote - a stank slut like Aphrodite the Ho.
Coffee, anyone?
1. Her uber-cute human ex-boyfriend Heath (Ohmygoodness!) whose - I quote - bulge in the pants she finds herself rubbing.
2. Her fellow vampire and uber-handsome current boyfriend Erik (Ohmydearsweetlord) whom the entire school considers to be her boyfriend but she is not really sure because even though they’ve dated a few times and kissed and hugged and held hands, they haven’t proceeded any further…
3. And the uber-sexy adult vampire poet and school professor Loren (no words are enough, just fan yourself here) with whom she flirts a couple of times.
Her arch nemesis, Aphrodite, who used to date (Ohmydearsweetlord) Erik at some point and had been caught performing a dirty act with him in a dark corner of the school corridor, is under no circumstances to be confused with Zoey, because Zoey is not - I quote - a stank slut like Aphrodite the Ho.
Coffee, anyone?
October 12, 2016
I'm loving rereading the HoN! I'm preparing for a special 10th anniversary surprise for fans, and revisiting Zoey and the Nerd Herd is such fun! And the Stevie Rae scene...sob! I bawled my eyes out. Again. I'd also forgotten how funny Heath is! On to CHOSEN!
May 22, 2018
It's been years since I started this series, and I remember next to nothing, but I do recall something about
4 love interests
?
You know how much I enjoy love geometry in my books.
You know how much I enjoy love geometry in my books.
October 22, 2008
While still a somewhat enjoyable read (if only because I like the idea behind the story & I enjoyed the ending), the overuse of the words (slut, stank slut, hag, hag bitch, skank, ho and ho bitch) was a bit much. It's always bothered me how casually teen girls throw around the word 'slut' as an insult .. not even teen girls, adults constantly toss that word around as well. It seems that if a girl isn't well liked, the automatic insult is to call them a 'slut' and it's really aggravating. I mean, if you have a vagina chances are somewhere along the line you've been called a slut and honestly, it's getting ridiculous. Of course, these terms are never applied to any of the guys in the series, just the girls.
Zoey, the heroine I praised in the last book for being a good role model, seems to use these words a lot to describe one particular girl who she happened to catch once in a slightly compromising position in the first book. Yet, Zoey is confused over not one, not two, but three guys in this book. Does that make her a slut? No, but it does make her extremely hypocritical, and I find it horrible that a book clearly designed for teen girls feels the need to use these words to such an extent. They appear practically every other page and it's highly distracting and preventing me from being able to stay wrapped up in the story.
Also, this book constantly kept reviewing what happened in the first book to a point where it was repetitious and annoying. Every single thing from the first book, does not need to be re-explained. We are not idiots. The name dropping also continued into this book.. it's also excessive, like they're trying to say, "Hey, look at us we're relevant to teens today!" but it's having the opposite effect.
I'll continue on with the series though. I need to know what Neferet is up to.
Zoey, the heroine I praised in the last book for being a good role model, seems to use these words a lot to describe one particular girl who she happened to catch once in a slightly compromising position in the first book. Yet, Zoey is confused over not one, not two, but three guys in this book. Does that make her a slut? No, but it does make her extremely hypocritical, and I find it horrible that a book clearly designed for teen girls feels the need to use these words to such an extent. They appear practically every other page and it's highly distracting and preventing me from being able to stay wrapped up in the story.
Also, this book constantly kept reviewing what happened in the first book to a point where it was repetitious and annoying. Every single thing from the first book, does not need to be re-explained. We are not idiots. The name dropping also continued into this book.. it's also excessive, like they're trying to say, "Hey, look at us we're relevant to teens today!" but it's having the opposite effect.
I'll continue on with the series though. I need to know what Neferet is up to.
April 23, 2020
Algo más lenta, pero con más worldbuilding.
En Traicionada tenemos ya unas bases asentadas, al menos con la protagonista y su grupo de amigos. Nuevos líderes, nuevas alianzas… Los sucesos del primer libro tienen repercusiones en esta segunda parte, pues es una continuación directa de Marcada.
Este libro no me ha vuelto tan loco como el primero, algo que es normal. Como esperaba, engancha y te atrapa desde el primer momento, pero deja de lado tanta acción (aunque sigue habiendo mucha) para construir un universo más profundo y desarrollando tramas que quedaron a medias en la primera parte.
No sabía qué esperar realmente de este libro, PEEEEEERO… Vale, lo he pillado. Los títulos del libro son grandes spoilers, o al menos tienen un gran peso en la trama. Y claro, yo estaba en plan: ¿traicionada? ¿Por quién? ¿Qué va a pasar? ¿A quién tengo que tener vigilado?
Bueno, pues no me esperaba para nada los giros. Perdonad, miento: alguno sí que me lo podía oler, pero me ha sorprendido igualmente. Si algo tengo claro es que las autoras -que por cierto, son madre e hija… i’m shock- saben perfectamente cómo manipular al lector y llevarlo por donde ellas quieran.
¡Y los dones de la diosa! YAS QUEEN. Me encanta el camino que empieza a tomar el hecho de que Zoe haya sido marcada por la propia Nyx. Creo que se vienen cosas muy gordas y que ella es el pack completo. Su evolución como personaje me gusta hacia dónde va, y de momento, estoy muy satisfecho con ese aspecto de la saga.
De Elegida, la tercera parte me espero algo más explosivo. Como he comentado, esta secuela me ha mantenido enganchado pero no me ha dejado tan loco como el primero. Sigue teniendo mamarracheo, y eso siempre me encanta.
En Traicionada tenemos ya unas bases asentadas, al menos con la protagonista y su grupo de amigos. Nuevos líderes, nuevas alianzas… Los sucesos del primer libro tienen repercusiones en esta segunda parte, pues es una continuación directa de Marcada.
Este libro no me ha vuelto tan loco como el primero, algo que es normal. Como esperaba, engancha y te atrapa desde el primer momento, pero deja de lado tanta acción (aunque sigue habiendo mucha) para construir un universo más profundo y desarrollando tramas que quedaron a medias en la primera parte.
No sabía qué esperar realmente de este libro, PEEEEEERO… Vale, lo he pillado. Los títulos del libro son grandes spoilers, o al menos tienen un gran peso en la trama. Y claro, yo estaba en plan: ¿traicionada? ¿Por quién? ¿Qué va a pasar? ¿A quién tengo que tener vigilado?
Bueno, pues no me esperaba para nada los giros. Perdonad, miento: alguno sí que me lo podía oler, pero me ha sorprendido igualmente. Si algo tengo claro es que las autoras -que por cierto, son madre e hija… i’m shock- saben perfectamente cómo manipular al lector y llevarlo por donde ellas quieran.
¡Y los dones de la diosa! YAS QUEEN. Me encanta el camino que empieza a tomar el hecho de que Zoe haya sido marcada por la propia Nyx. Creo que se vienen cosas muy gordas y que ella es el pack completo. Su evolución como personaje me gusta hacia dónde va, y de momento, estoy muy satisfecho con ese aspecto de la saga.
De Elegida, la tercera parte me espero algo más explosivo. Como he comentado, esta secuela me ha mantenido enganchado pero no me ha dejado tan loco como el primero. Sigue teniendo mamarracheo, y eso siempre me encanta.
January 31, 2023
“Remember, darkness does not always equate to evil, just as light does not always bring good.”
“The best part of beauty is that which no picture can express.”
I really like the plot but the romance not so much. Okay girl chill down.. you have 2 boyfirend and you flirt with a third.. choose alreadyyyyyy.. I think I am team Loren because I don't like either Erik or Heath. I love the mystery around Loren and I love poetry!!
I hate Zoey. She is so immature. I hope she grows up!
July 31, 2008
Good Lord, was this terrible.
It had a great concept: a vampire finishing school. Say it to yourself a few times. Vampire. Finishing. School. I envisioned a dark mirror of Hogwarts, something that would feed my irrational* obsession with boarding schools while twisting it down new, hopefully black-humor-laden pathways.
This was not the book I got, but I'm flexible. What I got was a flat, contrived exercise in demonstrating the problems of YA writing, fantasy writing, and romance writing.
Zoey never misses a chance to remind you that she is The Most Powerful Fledgling Ever. She would rather explain to you, in laborious detail, what every event means, instead of letting you judge for yourself from the consequences of each plot turn. She will describe every other character's personality for you, because apparently you're too dumb to draw your own conclusions from their dialogue and behavior (or, rather, the authors are too lazy to give them dialogue and behavior that would limn their natures organically). She rings false as a teenager, and more frustratingly, as a person that anyone would like.
There's no magic in Betrayed. You might read it to get your vampire fix (although, truthfully, it doesn't even do that well), but it's not going to give you a reason to keep reading. It seems to assume that teenagers aren't familiar with good writing, so there's no reason to try very hard for them. I disagree. Try Stephanie Meyer. At least you get the impression that she respects you.
It had a great concept: a vampire finishing school. Say it to yourself a few times. Vampire. Finishing. School. I envisioned a dark mirror of Hogwarts, something that would feed my irrational* obsession with boarding schools while twisting it down new, hopefully black-humor-laden pathways.
This was not the book I got, but I'm flexible. What I got was a flat, contrived exercise in demonstrating the problems of YA writing, fantasy writing, and romance writing.
Zoey never misses a chance to remind you that she is The Most Powerful Fledgling Ever. She would rather explain to you, in laborious detail, what every event means, instead of letting you judge for yourself from the consequences of each plot turn. She will describe every other character's personality for you, because apparently you're too dumb to draw your own conclusions from their dialogue and behavior (or, rather, the authors are too lazy to give them dialogue and behavior that would limn their natures organically). She rings false as a teenager, and more frustratingly, as a person that anyone would like.
There's no magic in Betrayed. You might read it to get your vampire fix (although, truthfully, it doesn't even do that well), but it's not going to give you a reason to keep reading. It seems to assume that teenagers aren't familiar with good writing, so there's no reason to try very hard for them. I disagree. Try Stephanie Meyer. At least you get the impression that she respects you.
March 25, 2020
⋰⋱⋰⋱⋰⋱*Too Immature*⋰⋱⋰⋱⋰⋱
Second re-read: 25.03.2020
I skimmed a lot. I did. I'm ashamed. This one did not work for me as book one almost didn't. I didn't like how immature things is. I mean, the actions is alright, but it's the characters that kinda.... annoys me. I don't know how to explain it, you kinda have to read it yourself to understand it. A female that is powerful and all that, is okay, but the so many men/boys want her is such a typical YA thing. What, there's three love interests here? A half-time professor, a fellow student and a human boy. Of all of them, I like Heath - the human boy - the most. He's matured a bit from book one, and I just like him. Of course, I know what will happen later on in this series, but for now, Heath is it for me so far. I don't like how ‘‘boy’’ with all the "almost-boyfriend, almost-ex-boyfriend" focused this book is, because this series has a lot of potential. Gosh I wish it was NA instead of YA. Things would've been so much better. After this re-read I took away this book from my ‘favorites’ shelf. I never should've started re-reading this series...
The Characters: (some information is taken for House of Night Wiki)
The list is long so I've put it in a spoilers tag.
Quick basic facts:
Genre: - (Young Adult) Paranormal Romance.
Series: - Series, Book Two.
Love triangle? -
Cheating? -
HEA? -
Favorite character? - Heath Luck.
Would I read more by this author/or of series? - Sure.
Would I recommend this book/series? - Sure, for those who like YA.
Will I read this again in the future? - Probably not?
New Rating - 2.5/2 stars.
Re-read: ??.??.2012
Still love it! Same rating as before.
Read: ??.??.2011/2012
This series is amazing!
Rating: 5 +++ stars.
September 13, 2008
I really enjoy the idea of these books. I CAN'T STAND, however, the authors' tendency to re-tell the reader all of what happened in the previous books. I mean, who is reading book 2 without having read the other book? Do we really have to get the Cherokee translation for daughter again? PLEASE stop treating us like we are total morons with the memory of a two-year-old. The overt sexuality is a bit much for any teens that I teach, and I couldn't safely recommend this to any teens or pre-teens that I know. I even skipped over a few scenes. I don't understand why that is necessary in a book that is so clearly aimed at teens. This is definitely not Twilight, even though I find the initial ideas and characters much more intriguing.
November 24, 2009
I'm a little frustrated with this series. It has the potential to be good, but it continually falls short. The main reason is the writing. It's horrible!
I even added a whole new shelf dedicated to the "worst-reads-ever." Like I said in my review of Marked, "the authors are trying too hard to be hip" and it's not being pulled off very well. Plus, a thesaurus can work miracles to spruce up any writing.
I gave this book two stars, because the story started to get more interesting. However, I'm not connecting to the characters and this is a big deal to me. Even if the writing is bad in a book, as long as, I connect to the characters and the story then, I can look past the painful narration. I'm finding it hard to turn a blind eye to the writing abilities of these authors.
Just because there is a large audience out there for vampire novels, doesn't mean that every story should be published. Having a good idea does not equal good writing.
So, why did I read the second book after hating the first book? Well, I have a bad habit of buying the whole series, even though I haven't read the first book. In addition, I like to torture myself repeatedly. I may be ridiculous in all my reasoning here, but I like to give things a try and I just can't stand the fact that I already started this series and I have to know where this story and characters are going to lead me... crazy I know.
I even added a whole new shelf dedicated to the "worst-reads-ever." Like I said in my review of Marked, "the authors are trying too hard to be hip" and it's not being pulled off very well. Plus, a thesaurus can work miracles to spruce up any writing.
I gave this book two stars, because the story started to get more interesting. However, I'm not connecting to the characters and this is a big deal to me. Even if the writing is bad in a book, as long as, I connect to the characters and the story then, I can look past the painful narration. I'm finding it hard to turn a blind eye to the writing abilities of these authors.
Just because there is a large audience out there for vampire novels, doesn't mean that every story should be published. Having a good idea does not equal good writing.
So, why did I read the second book after hating the first book? Well, I have a bad habit of buying the whole series, even though I haven't read the first book. In addition, I like to torture myself repeatedly. I may be ridiculous in all my reasoning here, but I like to give things a try and I just can't stand the fact that I already started this series and I have to know where this story and characters are going to lead me... crazy I know.
March 10, 2013
To see the full drinking game click here
I think my local library hates me. There are some books I've been waiting for months to get my hands on and then there's others like P.C. and Kristin Cast's Betrayed that come into my box almost instantaneously-oh, the humanity.
The good thing though is that I'm on Spring Break and had nothing to do this weekend other than babysit my father (long story short he decided to climb up a tree to rescued his crashed RC airplane and ended up breaking his foot). Which meant reading and snarking at the second House of Night book was a way to alleviate my stress of being forced to make coconut praline smoothies every other second. So without further ado let's start drinking to Betrayed by PC and Kristin Cast.
Like with the first book a lot of the same drinking rules apply. You can drink every time the Casts embarrass themselves or humanity (that's about every sentence), offend humanity in general (once again every sentence), or go on a spill about how Zoey farts rainbows and poops glitter turds (again, every sentence). I don't like being monotonous and I feel like if I continue with the same format for this drinking game you guys will get bored. So, today I'm going to focus on how to make the most of your drinking (which parts of the book are the most worth getting drunk over).
1) Any Time You Want Sexual Harassment Panda to Make an Appearance:
Remember Sexual harassment panda from South Park? Well, he needs to make an appearance here. The teachers and students at House of Night really know nothing about proper behavior. I could not stand Loren despite the fact he's supposedly some "hottie". All I was reminded of was one of those pervy guys who seduces girls with poetry and should be on To Catch a Predator. Seriously, if your under eighteen and he's older don't go there. You may think he's mysterious and hot and age doesn't matter when it comes to romance, but the fact that he's legal and your not has lots of ramifications. Plus, don't you think if he was that great of a catch he's already have a girlfriend his age already? So yeah, Loren he might be described as looking like a model but I bet the character really isn't that hot.
2) Every Time the Casts make an ass of themselves involving LGBTs (this originally involved all humanity in general, but they really did a number to LGBTs in this book that they get their own drinking category):
The Casts offend lots of people: Christians, conservatives, blondes, Native Americans, vampires (if they count as people), anyone who has a brain...but I have to say LBGTs got it the worst in this book. I really feel sorry for the character Damien he's a token character if there ever was one. I literally drank a sip of my chocolate chai every time he appeared because the Casts would make some comment about his sexuality. That he smiled gayly, or that he looked gayer than usual, that he looks like one of those old gay movie stars (Rock Hudson I'm presuming) or that he falls in love with the first gay kid that comes to school, or that he wears pink pajamas. Enough already. Damien is gay. Yes. But that doesn't mean he needs to be a walking stereotype. Write him like you'd write any character except that he dates guys not girls. It's not that difficult.
3) Every time you just roll your eyes at the "romance" in this book.
Yes, I know it's YA and romance in YA can be flimsy at best but I have to say the romance in the House of Series makes Twilight look like the best love story ever told. There's hardly any interaction between Zoey and the boys who are all in love with her. Out of all of them I probably like Erik the best and that's only because he's hardly appears and when he does I just see my Disney crush (Prince Eric) so that makes him okay (though he is ruining that cartoon crush and that isn't okay). As for Heath, well, he deserves his own drinking game (see 6) an Loren just makes me want to bathe in bleach (see 1). Really, all the romance that's in this book is Zoey trying to figure out who she loves the best and I could care less who she ends up with.
4) Every time you swear that this series is a rework of that epically challenged fan fic, My Immortal:
Last time, I jokingly mentioned that I thought this series could be based off of a rather infamous fan fic. Now, I'm starting to really wonder. Let's talk about My Immortal for a minute. Once again, I've provided a link to its Wikia page but unless you've actually experienced the eye bleeding that this fan fic causes and then read The House of Night you're not going to notice the similarities. Honestly, a lot of this story reads as a clean up version of the fan fic: the romance is as senseless at the story, there's a lot of talk about coffins, Count Chocola, about the snow making the character feel depressed, evil and pervy teachers, and a super powered Mary Sue. Heck, there's even the same generalizations about LGBTS made. Considering that the author, Tera Gillespie is reportedly from Dubai and that the Casts are from Oklahoma maybe it's just a coincidence. But you never know....
5) Anytime the Casts talk about poetry or try to teach any sort of English lesson whatsoever:
Look, I get that Cast Senior is a teacher in real life (though if my kid got in her class and I read these books, I'd be getting them transferred quicker than you can say Zoey Redbird), but I can guarantee you kids don't read the House of Night series to learn. Or at least I would hope not. I have not learned a single thing from these books except for the lows that humanity can stoop to.
6) Heath pimping:
Okay, so this sort of goes with category three, but I think it sort of deserves it's own category. Heath is just unlikeable. The Casts can do nothing to make him likable. I could care less if he smokes or drinks. His addiction issues weren't what makes him a deplorable character. He's immature and stupid. And honestly I think this quote says just about everything you need to know about him:
"Erik wasn't like that at all, and I couldn't help but compare him to Heath, who would probably have been freaked that he had to room with a gay kid. Not that Heath was hateful or anything like that, but he was a typical teenage Okie boy, which tended to mean narrow minded homophobe." (Casts 186).
Um, so was that quote suppose to make me like Heath because it doesn't? In fact, it pretty much seals my feelings for him. Obnoxious tool who just happens to be a homophobe. You know who Heath reminds me of Gaston from Beauty and the Beast.
And so ends another chapter of The Unofficial House of Night Drinking Game brought to you by MJ's liver. I'll probably be reading another one of these books, Chosen, in the next month (or whenever it shows up in my reserve box). What will happen next? Will Zoey find out that she's the Nyx's long lost more powerful daughter? Will Grandma Redbird embezzle from the Cherokee bingo parlor's funds to feed her Etsy habit? Will Heath write a sad country song called "Imprinting Why It's Not a Legitimate Excuse for Statutory Rape"--oh wait, that's the wrong type of imprinting? Or will they all go flying in a Mercedes with the license plate 666 (if it's truly based on My Immortal that could actually happen)?
I think my local library hates me. There are some books I've been waiting for months to get my hands on and then there's others like P.C. and Kristin Cast's Betrayed that come into my box almost instantaneously-oh, the humanity.
The good thing though is that I'm on Spring Break and had nothing to do this weekend other than babysit my father (long story short he decided to climb up a tree to rescued his crashed RC airplane and ended up breaking his foot). Which meant reading and snarking at the second House of Night book was a way to alleviate my stress of being forced to make coconut praline smoothies every other second. So without further ado let's start drinking to Betrayed by PC and Kristin Cast.
Like with the first book a lot of the same drinking rules apply. You can drink every time the Casts embarrass themselves or humanity (that's about every sentence), offend humanity in general (once again every sentence), or go on a spill about how Zoey farts rainbows and poops glitter turds (again, every sentence). I don't like being monotonous and I feel like if I continue with the same format for this drinking game you guys will get bored. So, today I'm going to focus on how to make the most of your drinking (which parts of the book are the most worth getting drunk over).
1) Any Time You Want Sexual Harassment Panda to Make an Appearance:
Remember Sexual harassment panda from South Park? Well, he needs to make an appearance here. The teachers and students at House of Night really know nothing about proper behavior. I could not stand Loren despite the fact he's supposedly some "hottie". All I was reminded of was one of those pervy guys who seduces girls with poetry and should be on To Catch a Predator. Seriously, if your under eighteen and he's older don't go there. You may think he's mysterious and hot and age doesn't matter when it comes to romance, but the fact that he's legal and your not has lots of ramifications. Plus, don't you think if he was that great of a catch he's already have a girlfriend his age already? So yeah, Loren he might be described as looking like a model but I bet the character really isn't that hot.
2) Every Time the Casts make an ass of themselves involving LGBTs (this originally involved all humanity in general, but they really did a number to LGBTs in this book that they get their own drinking category):
The Casts offend lots of people: Christians, conservatives, blondes, Native Americans, vampires (if they count as people), anyone who has a brain...but I have to say LBGTs got it the worst in this book. I really feel sorry for the character Damien he's a token character if there ever was one. I literally drank a sip of my chocolate chai every time he appeared because the Casts would make some comment about his sexuality. That he smiled gayly, or that he looked gayer than usual, that he looks like one of those old gay movie stars (Rock Hudson I'm presuming) or that he falls in love with the first gay kid that comes to school, or that he wears pink pajamas. Enough already. Damien is gay. Yes. But that doesn't mean he needs to be a walking stereotype. Write him like you'd write any character except that he dates guys not girls. It's not that difficult.
3) Every time you just roll your eyes at the "romance" in this book.
Yes, I know it's YA and romance in YA can be flimsy at best but I have to say the romance in the House of Series makes Twilight look like the best love story ever told. There's hardly any interaction between Zoey and the boys who are all in love with her. Out of all of them I probably like Erik the best and that's only because he's hardly appears and when he does I just see my Disney crush (Prince Eric) so that makes him okay (though he is ruining that cartoon crush and that isn't okay). As for Heath, well, he deserves his own drinking game (see 6) an Loren just makes me want to bathe in bleach (see 1). Really, all the romance that's in this book is Zoey trying to figure out who she loves the best and I could care less who she ends up with.
4) Every time you swear that this series is a rework of that epically challenged fan fic, My Immortal:
Last time, I jokingly mentioned that I thought this series could be based off of a rather infamous fan fic. Now, I'm starting to really wonder. Let's talk about My Immortal for a minute. Once again, I've provided a link to its Wikia page but unless you've actually experienced the eye bleeding that this fan fic causes and then read The House of Night you're not going to notice the similarities. Honestly, a lot of this story reads as a clean up version of the fan fic: the romance is as senseless at the story, there's a lot of talk about coffins, Count Chocola, about the snow making the character feel depressed, evil and pervy teachers, and a super powered Mary Sue. Heck, there's even the same generalizations about LGBTS made. Considering that the author, Tera Gillespie is reportedly from Dubai and that the Casts are from Oklahoma maybe it's just a coincidence. But you never know....
5) Anytime the Casts talk about poetry or try to teach any sort of English lesson whatsoever:
Look, I get that Cast Senior is a teacher in real life (though if my kid got in her class and I read these books, I'd be getting them transferred quicker than you can say Zoey Redbird), but I can guarantee you kids don't read the House of Night series to learn. Or at least I would hope not. I have not learned a single thing from these books except for the lows that humanity can stoop to.
6) Heath pimping:
Okay, so this sort of goes with category three, but I think it sort of deserves it's own category. Heath is just unlikeable. The Casts can do nothing to make him likable. I could care less if he smokes or drinks. His addiction issues weren't what makes him a deplorable character. He's immature and stupid. And honestly I think this quote says just about everything you need to know about him:
"Erik wasn't like that at all, and I couldn't help but compare him to Heath, who would probably have been freaked that he had to room with a gay kid. Not that Heath was hateful or anything like that, but he was a typical teenage Okie boy, which tended to mean narrow minded homophobe." (Casts 186).
Um, so was that quote suppose to make me like Heath because it doesn't? In fact, it pretty much seals my feelings for him. Obnoxious tool who just happens to be a homophobe. You know who Heath reminds me of Gaston from Beauty and the Beast.
And so ends another chapter of The Unofficial House of Night Drinking Game brought to you by MJ's liver. I'll probably be reading another one of these books, Chosen, in the next month (or whenever it shows up in my reserve box). What will happen next? Will Zoey find out that she's the Nyx's long lost more powerful daughter? Will Grandma Redbird embezzle from the Cherokee bingo parlor's funds to feed her Etsy habit? Will Heath write a sad country song called "Imprinting Why It's Not a Legitimate Excuse for Statutory Rape"--oh wait, that's the wrong type of imprinting? Or will they all go flying in a Mercedes with the license plate 666 (if it's truly based on My Immortal that could actually happen)?
March 28, 2016
Ήμουν αποφασισμένη να του βάλω άσο, καθώς βρίσκω την ηρωίδα εκνευριστική, ανώριμη και λυσσάρα. Μέχρι την μέση το βιβλίο δεν μου άρεσε, το συνέχιζα μόνο και μόνο επειδή είναι μικρό κ ήταν κρίμα να το αφήσω για 150 σελίδες, που μου είχαν μείνει. Εκεί λοιπόν, 150 σελίδες πριν το τέλος, επιτέλους απέκτησε ενδιαφέρον!!! Πήρε τα πάνω του κ η πλοκή έγινε γρήγορη και απέκτησε ένταση. Έκανε τέτοιο γύρισμα που για να φανταστείτε ενδιαφέρομαι να μάθω κ τη συνέχεια στο τρίτο βιβλίο! Οπότε 2/5 αστεράκια από εμένα αντί για άσο, χάρη στο κορύφωμα των τελευταίων κεφαλαίων.
Read
January 5, 2009I liked the Twilight Saga, but I'm CRAZY about The House of Night series. It's also about teenage vampires, but these teenagers are smart and funny and serious for the most part, yet still very believable as teenagers (I didn't really feel that way about Meyer's characters). I'm sure that's helped by the fact this is a mother and young adult daughter writing team who are absolutely fearless about what happens to their characters. Plus it's a new and interesting twist on vampirism, which I always appreciate! I cannot recommend this series highly enough--it is addictive!!! The books in the series are:
#1 Marked
#2 Betrayed
#3 Chosen
#4 Untamed
#5 (coming out in March) Hunted.
Jackie
#1 Marked
#2 Betrayed
#3 Chosen
#4 Untamed
#5 (coming out in March) Hunted.
Jackie
November 26, 2018
"You have no clue what you're doing, Zoey Redbird," I said aloud to myself as the grey sky opened and poured cold rain over everything.
Zoe becomes a vampire faster than the other fledglings and has already become leader of the Daughters of Dark.
Thus, there is a lot of interest in her by the older vampires and maybe a bit of jealousy by the other younger vampires-to-be that may or may not succeed in surviving and transitioning. Zoe most of the times does not feel comfortable with these rabbit changes, but she has good friends who support her.
Zoe's love life is also a mess. So far she has two love interests:
1. Her ex boyfriend, Heath, who has started imprinting himself with her.
2. He boyfriend-to-be, Erik, who apparently is the best looking guy at the House of Night.
Are these two enough? NO THEY ARE NOT!
Vampire poet Loren (And teacher! And very much adult!) does not hesitate to show his interest in Zoe. He does not hesitate to touch her or write poems about her. Creepy? Flattering? Zoe does not seem to mind.
Other important facts of the story:
- Neferet may not be the good guy after all
- Aphrodite may not be that bad
- A leading characters does not accept the changes and she dies
Then, with an enormous rush of meadow-filled wind, the green candle went out, and my best friend died.
- We finally learn what happened with the dead fledglings and this is an intriguing twist.
So, expect lots of drama in this book.
For me it is still a guilty pleasure and I am devouring the series for second time with the same enjoyment and attention.
Zoe becomes a vampire faster than the other fledglings and has already become leader of the Daughters of Dark.
Thus, there is a lot of interest in her by the older vampires and maybe a bit of jealousy by the other younger vampires-to-be that may or may not succeed in surviving and transitioning. Zoe most of the times does not feel comfortable with these rabbit changes, but she has good friends who support her.
Zoe's love life is also a mess. So far she has two love interests:
1. Her ex boyfriend, Heath, who has started imprinting himself with her.
2. He boyfriend-to-be, Erik, who apparently is the best looking guy at the House of Night.
Are these two enough? NO THEY ARE NOT!
Vampire poet Loren (And teacher! And very much adult!) does not hesitate to show his interest in Zoe. He does not hesitate to touch her or write poems about her. Creepy? Flattering? Zoe does not seem to mind.
Other important facts of the story:
- Neferet may not be the good guy after all
- Aphrodite may not be that bad
- A leading characters does not accept the changes and she dies
Then, with an enormous rush of meadow-filled wind, the green candle went out, and my best friend died.
- We finally learn what happened with the dead fledglings and this is an intriguing twist.
So, expect lots of drama in this book.
For me it is still a guilty pleasure and I am devouring the series for second time with the same enjoyment and attention.
August 14, 2016
Really great sequel! Can't wait to read the third one!
February 24, 2009
This book decided me against reading any more by these authors, even though I have the third book waiting. It is all just too painful and, I know this will sound ridiculous, unbelievable (Zoey had only been marked as a vampire fledgling one month earlier!).
I just can't be bothered with the purile writing style, pathetic 'slut/ho/gay' references, allusions to current celebrities, double standards, etc. Eg. 3 boys on the go at once and she can't decide on one but she thinks nearly every other girl with one boyfriend is a slut??? HUH? (To utilise their stupid writing style!!) And the supposedly advanced vocabulary used by Damian? Basic!! I had to keep re-reading the sentences to try and work out what was 'advanced'.
Also, I may be cynical, but it seems to me that the authors are planning to churn out book after book (equating to month by month of Zoey's life) rather than give faithful readers a decent story (eg JK Rowlings). At the rate they are going, there are close to 50 books in waiting.
I'm going to see if my nieces are interested in reading these books, otherwise, they are going to the book exchange...
I just can't be bothered with the purile writing style, pathetic 'slut/ho/gay' references, allusions to current celebrities, double standards, etc. Eg. 3 boys on the go at once and she can't decide on one but she thinks nearly every other girl with one boyfriend is a slut??? HUH? (To utilise their stupid writing style!!) And the supposedly advanced vocabulary used by Damian? Basic!! I had to keep re-reading the sentences to try and work out what was 'advanced'.
Also, I may be cynical, but it seems to me that the authors are planning to churn out book after book (equating to month by month of Zoey's life) rather than give faithful readers a decent story (eg JK Rowlings). At the rate they are going, there are close to 50 books in waiting.
I'm going to see if my nieces are interested in reading these books, otherwise, they are going to the book exchange...
August 4, 2014
"You deserve to be shown respect," Damien said in his school-teacher voice. "You're the only third former ever to have been made leader of the Dark Daughters and the only fledgling or vampyre in history who has shown an affinity for all five of the elements."
"Face it, Z," Shaunee said around a bite of salad while she gestured at me with her fork.
"You're special." Erin finished for her (as usual).
I am going to go ahead and admit something right now: I didn't go into Betrayed with high expectations. After all, I read and reviewed Marked about a month ago. I hadn't forgotten how much it made me cringe; the writing was poor, the plot was barely existent, and the characters were flat, stereotyped and annoying- especially our leading lady, Zoey
Still, I was (and still am) determined to finish what I began. A long time ago I made a resolution to finish every book series I start, so that I may never be told "Your opinion doesn't count because you didn't read all the books." Because I'll be damned if I'm ever told I can't dislike the House of Night series because I didn't "stick with it." And, of course, there's the off chance that somewhere along the line, this series will actually manage to get better.
Betrayed took five days for me to read, despite it being only 310 pages long. I had to put it down several times because I just couldn't deal with its incessant douchebaggery. All of the last book's problems had come back for an encore, along with several brand new issues. It was like a poor writing party.
The story starts off by furiously recapping the last book like there's no tomorrow. Zoey wangsts about how hard it is to be as special as she is, while her friends gush over how amazing she is. She's the new leader of the "Dark Daughters", having deposed Aphrodite of her Alpha Female throne at the end of the last book. Coupling that with her magical "filled in" mark, affinity for all five of the elements, and not one but two boys who masturbate to the ground she walks on. Oh woe is Zoey Redbird, High Priestess in training!
It takes a while for things to get rolling. We're treated to a nice reminder that Zoey's mom and step-father (or "step-loser", as Zoey so clevely puts it) are assholes and that she is to be pitied for having such a horrible home life. Only, apparently all fledglings are legally emancipated from their parents upon entering the House of Night, so it's not exactly an issue, is it? Plus, Zoey has her loving grandmother who more than makes up for her mother, so what is the problem?
Zoey's (main) boyfriend Erik is absent for about 70% of the novel (only showing up to read some poetry, comfort Zoey, and be totally fine with her emotional/physical cheating on him with Heath). To fill his absence, Zoey is given a new admirer in the form of a teacher named Loren. This is about as creepy as you'd expect; there is a lot of "sexual tension" (or, what I suppose was meant to be received as sexual tension) that mostly revolves around Loren inappropriately touching Zoey's face/shoulders, and writing "romantic haikus" for her.
As someone who is dating a student teacher, he and I can both tell you right now that Loren comes off as the biggest creeper. I know the relationship is clearly meant to appeal to fans of "taboo" relationships- but it's not sexy. It's awkward and cringe-inducing and only makes me dislike Zoey more.
This isn't mentioning Heath, who makes a reappearance by taking advantage of Zoey's addiction for blood by carrying a flipping knife around with him on the off chance he would run into her so, if he did run into her he could promptly SLICE HIMSELF OPEN and let her drink from him. There's a particularly embarrassing scene where they have a "moment" in Zoey's car where she drinks his blood and rubs his crotch while he desperately thrusts his hips back against her hand. I had to laugh to keep from physically wincing at the awkward.
Zoey constantly moans about how hard it is to juggle three guys. Stevie-Rae at some point says that it's okay for Zoey to cheat because she's so special; how could the same rules that apply to other people apply to Zoey? I couldn't help but gag at that part. What the fuck?
All this boyfriend drama makes up for about thirty or forty percent of the plot. While Zoey is out "slutting it up" (all the while slut-shaming Aphrodite for being with Erik in the last book. Hypocrisy much?) two male teenagers from her high-school have gone missing, and evidence points to the culprit being someone from the House of Night. This results in some inept detectives showing up for about eight pages to accuse Zoey of being the murderer, leaving, and then coming back at the end of the book to tie the plot together in a flim-flam sort of way. Oh, and Zoey calls the FBI to leave a fake bomb-threat. RESPONSIBLE PROTAGONIST!
The other two plot things include Zoey preparing for her first ritual as leader of the Dark Daughters, and setting Neferet up to be the bad guy by having Zoey discover her sneaking around with the supposedly "dead" fledglings. Yeah. Riveting book. Yawn.
Oh wait, one thing happens. Stevie-Rae dies... for like fifteen pages (all of which Zoey spends wangsting, despite only having known Stevie-Rae for about a month. Wut?). Then she's back, as one of the "undead" fledglings. To be honest, the most exciting thing of the book was seeing the "ugly" fledgling Elliot from the last book, and he was yet again called "gross" and "hideous" because he's not gorgeous like the rest of the cast. I have a feeling the Casts have something against ugly people?
As I said before, all the problems from the last book are still hanging around. Bad syntax and grammar, poor pacing, racism, sexism, awful characters and immature writing. Zoey enjoys saying things like "scared poo-less" or "I almost peed myself!" I understand wanting to tone the language down, but Shaunee says fuck at one point- so what's the point of avoiding the word "shit"? I could understand avoiding the "three big swears" but if you're saying fuck, you can say shit. Common sense. Have some.
Not to mention that any time Shaunee shows up, everything stops to remind us that she's black. Oh, but don't say the word "black!" Call her "mocha" coloured, or "cafe-latte", or some other coffee flavor instead! This happened on the first damn page. There's also more of this crap later on in the book where a dude flirts with Shaunee saying that he's "colorful" which made me drop the book and push it away. Why?
Then there's Damien. Can we leave the poor gay kid alone? Why does every time he show up we have to be reminded that he loves the D? There's a part in the book where the other girls taunt him and call him "Majesty" and "Your Highness", and it's not treated as bullying. I understand that friends tease friends, but this was awful. I have a gay friend who would punch you in the face for that kind of dickery.
This book added the character "Jack Twist", who is immediately revealed to be gay without any characterization because he's named after a character from Brokeback Mountain. Casts, you're not clever. We all know that you added this flat, faceless gay character so Damien could be paired up like the rest of the characters are being paired up, and you're not doing it well.
All of this added together for one mess of a book. I don't have any fond moments to recall. I don't think I enjoyed any part of this except when I read it aloud to my boyfriend to laugh about how much of a fail we thought it was.
Basically, I did not like this book. Again, I would like to end this review by saying it's perfectly alright for other people to like this book. And yes, good on the Casts for doing something with their lives and writing a series of books- but these books have serious problems. The messages they send are really hurtful and... bad. If I could sum them up, it'd be "judge others; be childish and disrespectful; get butthurt when people don't show you respect; lie, lie and lie some more- friends don't deserve the truth!" and several others.
This book is not a good book. It was annoying and bad and creepy and bad. I'm honestly doubting that any of these books will be any good. Regardless, I'm going to keep reading them and see it through to the end like I swore I would, because even if they aren't great literature, they're still really hilarious to snark at with my friends.
May 9, 2015
Re-read: 9/5/2015
Ahhh so many memories flooded back when re-reading this book!
I'm really getting back into the series.
My aim for this year is to finish it finally.
I remember being so obsessed years ago.
This book has loss and betrayal involved.
Zoe does annoy me with her constant hoe-ness.
She needs to just pick a guy and stay with them!!
This series is very hit and miss with a lot of people.
Personally I love it as it's fun, the characters are awesome and it's oddly addictive.
Can't wait to re-read the next.
Ahhh so many memories flooded back when re-reading this book!
I'm really getting back into the series.
My aim for this year is to finish it finally.
I remember being so obsessed years ago.
This book has loss and betrayal involved.
Zoe does annoy me with her constant hoe-ness.
She needs to just pick a guy and stay with them!!
This series is very hit and miss with a lot of people.
Personally I love it as it's fun, the characters are awesome and it's oddly addictive.
Can't wait to re-read the next.
January 30, 2010
Wow...
Great second edition to the House of Night series..I liked the first book but this book was even better in my opinion. Mostly because your already settled with the characters and new locations so you get into it more.Events in Betrayed continue from about month after the events in Marked (the first book in this series) finished.The book is narrated in first person by sixteen-year old Zoey a fledgling vampyre who has been gifted with unusual powers by the vampyre goddess Nyx. Betrayed sees a more confident Zoey. There is still plenty of confusion in store for Zoey though, as she deals with her feelings for her human ex-boyfriend who she has accidentally Imprinted, while she has her new vampyre fledgling bf Erik who is more of a mate for her. He suits her better. I really love ths characters and their relationships with each other. Zoey's group of friends are amazing and are friends to hope for. Her new bf Erik and her are more introduced and some conflict happens that make her think..Theres a vampyre teacher at the House of night that is flirting with Zoey and making her weak at the knees.
There is great dialogue and an amazing plot that even at one point I couldn't stop crying.. it was so sad, but also written so wonderful, I felt like was there with the characters. I'm officially a fan of this series and will countdown the days for each new edition!
Synopsis:
Summary (from the book jacket)
Fledgling vampyre Zoey Redbird has managed to settle in at the House of Night finishing school. She finally feels like she belongs, even gets chosen as the Leader of the Dark Daughters. Best of all, she actually has a boyfriend… or two. Then the unthinkable happens: Human teenagers are being killed, and all the evidence points to the House of Night.
While danger stalks the humans from Zoey’s old life, she begins to realize that the very powers that make her so unique might also threaten those she loves. Then when she needs her new friends the most, death strikes the House of Night, and Zoey must find the courage to face a betrayal that could break her heart, her soul, and jeopardize the very fabric of her world.
Great second edition to the House of Night series..I liked the first book but this book was even better in my opinion. Mostly because your already settled with the characters and new locations so you get into it more.Events in Betrayed continue from about month after the events in Marked (the first book in this series) finished.The book is narrated in first person by sixteen-year old Zoey a fledgling vampyre who has been gifted with unusual powers by the vampyre goddess Nyx. Betrayed sees a more confident Zoey. There is still plenty of confusion in store for Zoey though, as she deals with her feelings for her human ex-boyfriend who she has accidentally Imprinted, while she has her new vampyre fledgling bf Erik who is more of a mate for her. He suits her better. I really love ths characters and their relationships with each other. Zoey's group of friends are amazing and are friends to hope for. Her new bf Erik and her are more introduced and some conflict happens that make her think..Theres a vampyre teacher at the House of night that is flirting with Zoey and making her weak at the knees.
There is great dialogue and an amazing plot that even at one point I couldn't stop crying.. it was so sad, but also written so wonderful, I felt like was there with the characters. I'm officially a fan of this series and will countdown the days for each new edition!
Synopsis:
Summary (from the book jacket)
Fledgling vampyre Zoey Redbird has managed to settle in at the House of Night finishing school. She finally feels like she belongs, even gets chosen as the Leader of the Dark Daughters. Best of all, she actually has a boyfriend… or two. Then the unthinkable happens: Human teenagers are being killed, and all the evidence points to the House of Night.
While danger stalks the humans from Zoey’s old life, she begins to realize that the very powers that make her so unique might also threaten those she loves. Then when she needs her new friends the most, death strikes the House of Night, and Zoey must find the courage to face a betrayal that could break her heart, her soul, and jeopardize the very fabric of her world.
September 30, 2008
This second book of the House of Night series gets deeper into the creepy potential set up by the first book. Zoey Redbird, vampire fledgling, has unusual abilities for a fledgling, and her powers (and her attraction to the opposite sex) seem to be growing in this book.
Zoey has taken over as the head of the Daughters of Darkness, and wants to make it into something akin to a service club like you find at other schools. She researches ways to change the rituals into something positive and inclusive. In the meantime, she can't seem to drop her old human boyfriend, she feels guilty about neglecting her current vampire boyfriend, and hey! is the hot guest lecturer vampire attracted to Zoey, or what?
Aphrodite, the former leader of the Dark Daughters, may not be as bad as she seemed, and Zoey can't help but have sympathy for her after she overhears her getting chewed out by her parents. And why is Neferet, head priestess of the school, saying Aphrodite's visions are false, when they're not? Neferet might not be as perfectly wonderful as Zoey originally thought...
But most important, football players that Zoey knew are getting killed, and it looks like Heath might be next. Can she figure out who or what is killing them before it's too late? Zoey has seen what she is calling "ghosts", two students who have supposedly died, wandering around near the stone wall in black cloaks, and with red glowing eyes. Could they have something to do with the murders?
I'm doing a series swap with Cleo, teen extraordinaire. I'm lending her my Charlaine Harris "Southern Vampire" series, and she's lending me this "House of Night" series.
Zoey has taken over as the head of the Daughters of Darkness, and wants to make it into something akin to a service club like you find at other schools. She researches ways to change the rituals into something positive and inclusive. In the meantime, she can't seem to drop her old human boyfriend, she feels guilty about neglecting her current vampire boyfriend, and hey! is the hot guest lecturer vampire attracted to Zoey, or what?
Aphrodite, the former leader of the Dark Daughters, may not be as bad as she seemed, and Zoey can't help but have sympathy for her after she overhears her getting chewed out by her parents. And why is Neferet, head priestess of the school, saying Aphrodite's visions are false, when they're not? Neferet might not be as perfectly wonderful as Zoey originally thought...
But most important, football players that Zoey knew are getting killed, and it looks like Heath might be next. Can she figure out who or what is killing them before it's too late? Zoey has seen what she is calling "ghosts", two students who have supposedly died, wandering around near the stone wall in black cloaks, and with red glowing eyes. Could they have something to do with the murders?
I'm doing a series swap with Cleo, teen extraordinaire. I'm lending her my Charlaine Harris "Southern Vampire" series, and she's lending me this "House of Night" series.
July 5, 2016
*****You can read the full review at Darling & Co.*****
The exciting sequel to Marked! This one is exciting for a few reasons. There's a lot of action, it gets extremely steamy, and it delves a little more into the vampyre world and learn so much more stuff. In this book, the series really starts moving and setting everything up for later books. Also, in this book, a few of the things I know happened from my first time reading happened, so it's nice getting some clarity on my vague memories. I'm still really glad that I'm re-reading this series.
So like I said, this one has a little bit more going on in it, which makes sense; you expect that each book has a little more drama as you become more familiar with the world it takes place in and more characters are introduced. The big things in this one are: Zoey's love rectangle (since it's 3 guys, not two); Zoey and Aphrodite; the gang and their affinities; Neferet; and Stevie Rae.
All I remember from the next book is that everything intensifies even more, and I think I remember a character that is introduced, but other than that, I don't know what I'm getting into, and I'm excited to find out.
The exciting sequel to Marked! This one is exciting for a few reasons. There's a lot of action, it gets extremely steamy, and it delves a little more into the vampyre world and learn so much more stuff. In this book, the series really starts moving and setting everything up for later books. Also, in this book, a few of the things I know happened from my first time reading happened, so it's nice getting some clarity on my vague memories. I'm still really glad that I'm re-reading this series.
So like I said, this one has a little bit more going on in it, which makes sense; you expect that each book has a little more drama as you become more familiar with the world it takes place in and more characters are introduced. The big things in this one are: Zoey's love rectangle (since it's 3 guys, not two); Zoey and Aphrodite; the gang and their affinities; Neferet; and Stevie Rae.
All I remember from the next book is that everything intensifies even more, and I think I remember a character that is introduced, but other than that, I don't know what I'm getting into, and I'm excited to find out.
August 23, 2015
Still trying to figure out what's so good about a girl who can't say 'shit' but can call someone Slut and hag with the blink of an eye, for having sex with her own boy friend (or ex-boyfriend). And yet she is dating 2 boys at the same time, and having sex with the one that is not her boyfriend.
Also The writing is pitiful.
Also The writing is pitiful.
July 22, 2017
This one picks up not far where Marked left off. Zoey is now in charge of the Daughters of Darkness. Aphrodite is now old news and her 'evil' ways are done. Even Neferet has said that the Goddess has taken away Aphrodite's gift of seeing the future... or has she? Human Teenagers that Zoey used to know are dying and Aphrodite has a vision that ends up saving Zoey's grandmama. So if Aphrodite still has her gift... why would Neferet lie? What's really going on in the House of Night? Who can Zoey trust? Not only is Zoey dealing with all that but her parents aren't helping anything at all... then something really happens that will shake Zoey up for sure. Darkness isn't always evil and light isn't always good.
I can be the first one to admit that these aren't the best books out there. While I think there are some great things about this series, I can also say there are some things that could be done better. Much better. My biggest gripe with this series is just how whiny all the characters are. I know that some people have said that this is how teenagers are... and while that is true. Some teenagers can be whiney. Not every single freaking teenager is that way. I wasn't that way. So that being said, I like the writing style. It's fun and fast to read. It's an engaging story. Also, I'm vampire trash so.... anything with vampires, I may just be biased about. Crap, let's just be honest, I've very biased when it comes to vampire novels. I just love it all so much.
I like how witchcraft plays a part in this novel. As a Pagan, this is just so cool to me. I love how the ones we think maybe 'evil' characters, aren't always evil. Good isn't always good. There can be this grey area and I feel like this mirrors the real world greatly.
I started this series back when only the first three or four were out and I never finished it. So this is a reread so I can finally finish this series and jump into Loved.
I can be the first one to admit that these aren't the best books out there. While I think there are some great things about this series, I can also say there are some things that could be done better. Much better. My biggest gripe with this series is just how whiny all the characters are. I know that some people have said that this is how teenagers are... and while that is true. Some teenagers can be whiney. Not every single freaking teenager is that way. I wasn't that way. So that being said, I like the writing style. It's fun and fast to read. It's an engaging story. Also, I'm vampire trash so.... anything with vampires, I may just be biased about. Crap, let's just be honest, I've very biased when it comes to vampire novels. I just love it all so much.
I like how witchcraft plays a part in this novel. As a Pagan, this is just so cool to me. I love how the ones we think maybe 'evil' characters, aren't always evil. Good isn't always good. There can be this grey area and I feel like this mirrors the real world greatly.
I started this series back when only the first three or four were out and I never finished it. So this is a reread so I can finally finish this series and jump into Loved.
January 5, 2022
A vampire academy romance. The second book in the House of Night series.
Zoey has been blessed by the vampyre goddess Nyx. She is about to take over for the dark daughters. Add in a gigantic love square, and her life is pretty hectic. But dark things are happening. Boys are going missing, boys she used to know. There are the ghosts that bleed. And something is telling Zoey that Neferet is not who she seems to be.
This book was better than the first. I almost didn't continue the series because the first book held so little interest for me. I'm saying that it was bad. Just didn't enjoy the first one. But this one finally picked up. There were some interesting things happening. Seems like maybe some character development on some of the characters and a fun mystery that I'm interested in discovering the answers to.
The Zoey is so hot that everyone must be with her thing though. Yeah, I was over that sort of thing before I hit adulthood. Seriously eye-roll worthy. Now to be fair. I was like 20 when this book first came out. But I would like to think that I would have found that cringey even then. Also, I don't like using derogatory terms toward women, but she needs to sort out her feelings before she really hurts someone. This is not a reverse harem book, so either sort it out or don't date anyone till you do. Trying to account for the fact that she is young, but still.
I'm going to recommend readers be 16+
Content warnings are sexual content and emotional abuse.
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https://www.instagram.com/darklittomes/
Zoey has been blessed by the vampyre goddess Nyx. She is about to take over for the dark daughters. Add in a gigantic love square, and her life is pretty hectic. But dark things are happening. Boys are going missing, boys she used to know. There are the ghosts that bleed. And something is telling Zoey that Neferet is not who she seems to be.
This book was better than the first. I almost didn't continue the series because the first book held so little interest for me. I'm saying that it was bad. Just didn't enjoy the first one. But this one finally picked up. There were some interesting things happening. Seems like maybe some character development on some of the characters and a fun mystery that I'm interested in discovering the answers to.
The Zoey is so hot that everyone must be with her thing though. Yeah, I was over that sort of thing before I hit adulthood. Seriously eye-roll worthy. Now to be fair. I was like 20 when this book first came out. But I would like to think that I would have found that cringey even then. Also, I don't like using derogatory terms toward women, but she needs to sort out her feelings before she really hurts someone. This is not a reverse harem book, so either sort it out or don't date anyone till you do. Trying to account for the fact that she is young, but still.
I'm going to recommend readers be 16+
Content warnings are sexual content and emotional abuse.
Follow me on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/darklittomes/
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March 26, 2024:DD 5-tähteä on tällekkii antanu teini minä. Edelleen läppä sarja, ja varmaa pakko jatkaa seuraavaa osaa jossai vaiheessa :D
December 10, 2015
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Go check out my Betrayed review!
Go check out my Betrayed review!
January 1, 2024
For the life of me, I can't understand why this series has got even the shred of fame it did. Although I haven't finished the book yet, I know I can't go on much longer without throwing a full-blown rage fit about how horrible this book is, unless, of course, I write a review. I suppose a better title for my rant would be Everything I Hated About The House of Night Series because that's all I am going to talk about here.
For those of you who don't know what this book is about, the main character is a bratty teenager called Zoey Redbird. One day in school she gets "marked" and now has to move into the House of Night to complete her transformation into an adult vampire. There she makes friends, enemies and boyfriends, all for no apparent reason, and life goes on as you would expect it to in a book.
When the second book begins, she is the leader of this elite group called Dark Daughters and Sons, has a boyfriend named Erik, is lusting after a vampire named Loren, and is starting to get attracted to her ex-boyfriend Heath, who likes (or should I say loves) her back.
I shall write the rest of my review in points, to make it easier for you and me both.
1. Get an editor Casts, or do it yourself. Here's the formula for writing a cheap, quick, and effortless book as demonstrated by the Casts -
i) Always write the first thing that comes to your mind. You are free to use the words "loser", "hee hee" and "random" as many times as you want.
ii) Don't waste your time editing. Your first and only draft is what you publish. This method works, as is proven by the House of Night series.
iii) Get your daughter to help you write. This will make the process both faster and cheaper. It's okay if the writing style changes drastically every few chapters. Remember, how much ever you think editing is necessary, it's not.
iv) There's no need to have a plot, as long as the protagonist has multiple boyfriends. Even if it starts getting so repetitive that the second book is exactly the same as the first, don't worry; in fact, you're on the right track.
v) Again, never forget, DON'T EDIT WHAT YOU WRITE.
2. Nala. Nala is a cat who has "chosen" Zoey to be her owner. Can we please take a moment to talk about the fact that all she ever does is "complain" and scare the "bejeezus" out of Zoey? Thank you. There's absolutely no point of her in the story, and that wouldn't have been such a problem, if only she didn't feel like something they had added just to make the book longer. As mentioned earlier, they have no plot, so having something to add a paragraph or two to each chapter really helps.
3. How Stevie Rae "twangs". Okay Casts, we get it. People from Oklahoma have a Southern accent. But that doesn't mean that every time your character from Oklahoma talks, they have to "twang". Each time Stevie Rae is mentioned, it is closely followed by the word "twang". Yet, the next time we are reminded again about how Stevie Rae is from Oklahoma and "twangs" when she speaks.
4. Everything has just one characteristic. I had mentioned this in my review of the first book as well, but it really needs to be discussed again. It's not just about the authors' vocabulary, but also how their imagination refuses to create complex people, places or objects. Zoey has long hair. Okay but it has a colour, style, thickness, or some other notable characteristic too right? The Casts: No. Erik is cool. What else? Nothing.
5. No description of anything. This point does overlap slightly with my previous one, but the utter laziness in writing has been taken to such an extent that nothing is enough to express it. All the people and places have no life what-so-ever. Everything is just there. I'll admit that long descriptions of scenery or some irrelevant matter get boring at times, but that doesn't mean everything has to be plain and bland.
6. Zoey wants to be in two three relationships at once. I get the love triangle authors create to make their story interesting. But this is just a whole new level of cool handsome guys falling for the main character. Her boyfriend situation made at least a little sense in the first book. Heath still liked her but now she liked Erik. But this whole "Erik is not exactly my boyfriend" (he is) and "Loren is so romantic" (he's not) and "I like Heath too" (...) thing is getting out of hand.
7. This is how the whole book goes - To be honest, in my humble opinion, to speak the truth, if you ask me, as I see it, in my estimation, to be completely truthful, I believe that I have totally forgotten how this sentence began.
In short, nothing makes sense. The authors have added a lot of brackets (don't get me wrong, I have nothing against them, but not so many when you're writing a book), and sometimes the tense or pronouns don't even match.
I can see that most of my points just boil down to the lack of editing by the authors, but there are so many examples of those that I can't help but write about it again.
8. Carelessness. There is something called fact-checking, Casts. And there is something called making sure what you are writing matches what you have written before. I can see why the latter may have happened though. The mother-daughter duo just writes what they feel like without bothering about anything. They probably have an idea about what they want to write and discuss it with each other before, then both of them end up writing the same thing.
9. Zoey and her friends think they're so cool. Ever since Zoey became the leader of the Dark Daughters, she had wanted to make some reforms. Since all her friends are the "Prefects" (the other main people who lead the group) with her, one of them thinks that they should do something to preserve their names and identity so that the future generations will remember them. And here, my friends, is where they have an amazing (not so much) idea. 'Let's stick our hands in some mud and then dump the mud outside so that people will walk all over it!' (Make handprints on cement blocks to put in the courtyard as fancy stepping stones. Basically that.) And what does Zoey think of the idea? "Unique and cool, just like us!"
10. How Zoey thinks she's a Goddess. Once Zoey hears some news on the TV that her ex-boyfriend has gone missing. It's understandable that she feels shocked (since she still has feeling for him, because why not), but the extreme over-acting of Zoey's is just too much. First, she starts feeling dizzy and then her knees buckle. Her faithful boyfriend, whom she does not deserve, catches her. She yells for a bowl because she wants to puke. She pukes in the bowl someone immediately thrusts in front of her face. Gets nauseated by the smell of her puke. Says ugh. Orders the bowl away. And all this while, her friends look at her with worried expressions and whatnot, and the authors give exaggerated descriptions of how much it affects her.
Even after Stevie Rae's death, I saw no reason why it should affect Zoey the most. After all, everyone else had known her for longer, while Zoey had been friends with her for only a month or two. But no, of course not, Zoey the Goddess-chosen fledgeling should always get what she wants and if she wants to be carried on the stretcher with the dying person, so be it.
11. Hypocritical characters. I found Zoey exactly like how she thought Aphrodite (her enemy) to be. Mean, snobbish, bossy, manipulative, selfish, controlling and egoistic. Even all her shallow friends hated Aphrodite for being just like how they were. Hypocritical people are the worst. Zoey and all her friends were also very judgmental and rude to people who weren't a part of their friend group; which was a big part of the reason why they wanted to reform the Dark Daughters in the first place.
12. Everyone is so stupid and everything is so obvious. I can already tell that the "Betrayed" part refers to Neferet. And that Zoey is going to become more or less Aphrodite's friend in this book. All the characters take so much time to comprehend simple stuff. Even when Stevie Rae became unwell, it was so predictable that she would die (since that's what fledgeling vampires do in their world), but they realise only once she dies that she had been showing those symptoms.
13. Too much stereotyping. Zoey is the epitome of stereotyping. She judges people based on absolutely nothing. She hates something about everyone who isn't her. Just because some girl is blond, she's mean. Only because someone's 'carrot coloured' hair are ugly, they're a loser. Only because some guy is handsome, he is sweet and romantic (and likes Zoey, but that's not the point).
14. Final thoughts. I am writing this part of the review a few days later, and I have finished the book now. I'll admit it got better at the end. The plot-wise ending of the story was obviously quite predictable, but at least there was a plot toward the end. I have sort of the same problems with this book as I did with the last one. It started off terrible, without any semblance of a plot. The last like three or four chapters finally had some sort of story (even though it was obvious), and I hated the characters all along.
Erik and Zoey's fake relationship somehow still existed in the second book. But he wasn't even in the book for the first half, which made it easier for the authors, since they didn't have to write any cringy scenes about how the amazing Erik likes the undeserving Zoey. Of course, all her friends remained her friends, and Neferet betrayed her and all, as had been obvious. They added a few more guy characters in this book, to pair up all her friends, but apart from that, it was the same as the first.
Thank you for reading my rant :) You can also find this review and others on my blog at https://mybookjourneyblog.blogspot.com/.
For those of you who don't know what this book is about, the main character is a bratty teenager called Zoey Redbird. One day in school she gets "marked" and now has to move into the House of Night to complete her transformation into an adult vampire. There she makes friends, enemies and boyfriends, all for no apparent reason, and life goes on as you would expect it to in a book.
When the second book begins, she is the leader of this elite group called Dark Daughters and Sons, has a boyfriend named Erik, is lusting after a vampire named Loren, and is starting to get attracted to her ex-boyfriend Heath, who likes (or should I say loves) her back.
I shall write the rest of my review in points, to make it easier for you and me both.
1. Get an editor Casts, or do it yourself. Here's the formula for writing a cheap, quick, and effortless book as demonstrated by the Casts -
i) Always write the first thing that comes to your mind. You are free to use the words "loser", "hee hee" and "random" as many times as you want.
ii) Don't waste your time editing. Your first and only draft is what you publish. This method works, as is proven by the House of Night series.
iii) Get your daughter to help you write. This will make the process both faster and cheaper. It's okay if the writing style changes drastically every few chapters. Remember, how much ever you think editing is necessary, it's not.
iv) There's no need to have a plot, as long as the protagonist has multiple boyfriends. Even if it starts getting so repetitive that the second book is exactly the same as the first, don't worry; in fact, you're on the right track.
v) Again, never forget, DON'T EDIT WHAT YOU WRITE.
2. Nala. Nala is a cat who has "chosen" Zoey to be her owner. Can we please take a moment to talk about the fact that all she ever does is "complain" and scare the "bejeezus" out of Zoey? Thank you. There's absolutely no point of her in the story, and that wouldn't have been such a problem, if only she didn't feel like something they had added just to make the book longer. As mentioned earlier, they have no plot, so having something to add a paragraph or two to each chapter really helps.
3. How Stevie Rae "twangs". Okay Casts, we get it. People from Oklahoma have a Southern accent. But that doesn't mean that every time your character from Oklahoma talks, they have to "twang". Each time Stevie Rae is mentioned, it is closely followed by the word "twang". Yet, the next time we are reminded again about how Stevie Rae is from Oklahoma and "twangs" when she speaks.
4. Everything has just one characteristic. I had mentioned this in my review of the first book as well, but it really needs to be discussed again. It's not just about the authors' vocabulary, but also how their imagination refuses to create complex people, places or objects. Zoey has long hair. Okay but it has a colour, style, thickness, or some other notable characteristic too right? The Casts: No. Erik is cool. What else? Nothing.
5. No description of anything. This point does overlap slightly with my previous one, but the utter laziness in writing has been taken to such an extent that nothing is enough to express it. All the people and places have no life what-so-ever. Everything is just there. I'll admit that long descriptions of scenery or some irrelevant matter get boring at times, but that doesn't mean everything has to be plain and bland.
6. Zoey wants to be in two three relationships at once. I get the love triangle authors create to make their story interesting. But this is just a whole new level of cool handsome guys falling for the main character. Her boyfriend situation made at least a little sense in the first book. Heath still liked her but now she liked Erik. But this whole "Erik is not exactly my boyfriend" (he is) and "Loren is so romantic" (he's not) and "I like Heath too" (...) thing is getting out of hand.
7. This is how the whole book goes - To be honest, in my humble opinion, to speak the truth, if you ask me, as I see it, in my estimation, to be completely truthful, I believe that I have totally forgotten how this sentence began.
In short, nothing makes sense. The authors have added a lot of brackets (don't get me wrong, I have nothing against them, but not so many when you're writing a book), and sometimes the tense or pronouns don't even match.
I can see that most of my points just boil down to the lack of editing by the authors, but there are so many examples of those that I can't help but write about it again.
8. Carelessness. There is something called fact-checking, Casts. And there is something called making sure what you are writing matches what you have written before. I can see why the latter may have happened though. The mother-daughter duo just writes what they feel like without bothering about anything. They probably have an idea about what they want to write and discuss it with each other before, then both of them end up writing the same thing.
9. Zoey and her friends think they're so cool. Ever since Zoey became the leader of the Dark Daughters, she had wanted to make some reforms. Since all her friends are the "Prefects" (the other main people who lead the group) with her, one of them thinks that they should do something to preserve their names and identity so that the future generations will remember them. And here, my friends, is where they have an amazing (not so much) idea. 'Let's stick our hands in some mud and then dump the mud outside so that people will walk all over it!' (Make handprints on cement blocks to put in the courtyard as fancy stepping stones. Basically that.) And what does Zoey think of the idea? "Unique and cool, just like us!"
10. How Zoey thinks she's a Goddess. Once Zoey hears some news on the TV that her ex-boyfriend has gone missing. It's understandable that she feels shocked (since she still has feeling for him, because why not), but the extreme over-acting of Zoey's is just too much. First, she starts feeling dizzy and then her knees buckle. Her faithful boyfriend, whom she does not deserve, catches her. She yells for a bowl because she wants to puke. She pukes in the bowl someone immediately thrusts in front of her face. Gets nauseated by the smell of her puke. Says ugh. Orders the bowl away. And all this while, her friends look at her with worried expressions and whatnot, and the authors give exaggerated descriptions of how much it affects her.
Even after Stevie Rae's death, I saw no reason why it should affect Zoey the most. After all, everyone else had known her for longer, while Zoey had been friends with her for only a month or two. But no, of course not, Zoey the Goddess-chosen fledgeling should always get what she wants and if she wants to be carried on the stretcher with the dying person, so be it.
11. Hypocritical characters. I found Zoey exactly like how she thought Aphrodite (her enemy) to be. Mean, snobbish, bossy, manipulative, selfish, controlling and egoistic. Even all her shallow friends hated Aphrodite for being just like how they were. Hypocritical people are the worst. Zoey and all her friends were also very judgmental and rude to people who weren't a part of their friend group; which was a big part of the reason why they wanted to reform the Dark Daughters in the first place.
12. Everyone is so stupid and everything is so obvious. I can already tell that the "Betrayed" part refers to Neferet. And that Zoey is going to become more or less Aphrodite's friend in this book. All the characters take so much time to comprehend simple stuff. Even when Stevie Rae became unwell, it was so predictable that she would die (since that's what fledgeling vampires do in their world), but they realise only once she dies that she had been showing those symptoms.
13. Too much stereotyping. Zoey is the epitome of stereotyping. She judges people based on absolutely nothing. She hates something about everyone who isn't her. Just because some girl is blond, she's mean. Only because someone's 'carrot coloured' hair are ugly, they're a loser. Only because some guy is handsome, he is sweet and romantic (and likes Zoey, but that's not the point).
14. Final thoughts. I am writing this part of the review a few days later, and I have finished the book now. I'll admit it got better at the end. The plot-wise ending of the story was obviously quite predictable, but at least there was a plot toward the end. I have sort of the same problems with this book as I did with the last one. It started off terrible, without any semblance of a plot. The last like three or four chapters finally had some sort of story (even though it was obvious), and I hated the characters all along.
Erik and Zoey's fake relationship somehow still existed in the second book. But he wasn't even in the book for the first half, which made it easier for the authors, since they didn't have to write any cringy scenes about how the amazing Erik likes the undeserving Zoey. Of course, all her friends remained her friends, and Neferet betrayed her and all, as had been obvious. They added a few more guy characters in this book, to pair up all her friends, but apart from that, it was the same as the first.
Thank you for reading my rant :) You can also find this review and others on my blog at https://mybookjourneyblog.blogspot.com/.
February 15, 2020
Been a while since I read the first book of this series but I noticed my library app had a few of the audiobooks to loan, so I decided to loan out book 2 and carry on!! I have the physical copies of most of the series from charity shop hunts so I may as well read them.
It wasn’t a bad book really, I remember moderately liking book 1 (despite the datedness of it and some weird stuff) but this was a solid read!
The story was interesting and it kept it on a nice cliffhanger, making me want to dive into book 3!
Still only a 3* though bc it wasn’t anything super special or shocking, but it was pretty fun!
It wasn’t a bad book really, I remember moderately liking book 1 (despite the datedness of it and some weird stuff) but this was a solid read!
The story was interesting and it kept it on a nice cliffhanger, making me want to dive into book 3!
Still only a 3* though bc it wasn’t anything super special or shocking, but it was pretty fun!
September 20, 2015
this book is where it all starts to go wrong for this series.
and btw does zoey seem like the sluty virgin or is that just me?
and btw does zoey seem like the sluty virgin or is that just me?
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