Untamed By: P.C Cast + Kristin Cast

Right off the bat, this is my favorite book of The House of Night series. Yes, it's only book 4, but it is fantastic. This book doesn't deal with Zoey's love life as much as the others have. I'm all for the ooey-gooey bits, but this one does well without her having a boy (or man) in her life. It focuses on Zoey coming into her own and she is beginning to portray the high priestess that she really is.

A new character, Stark, is introduced, but his part is just too short in this book, so I'm hoping there will be more to come of him in the future books. Neferet has truly gone evil and Aphrodite is, gasp, nice! I finally like Aphrodite and am happy to read about her snobby self without wanting to smack her. Zoey's Grandma comes to stay at The House of Night and it is easy to feel the love all of the fledglings feel towards this woman. The Cast's did a wonderful job of weaving Cherokee stories into the book for both background purposes and featuring the tales up front and center.

The novel is a quick read because it's just so hard to put it down. The book comes to a close in the midst of the action and you are left unaware of what's happened to some of the characters outside of the main group of friends. It is the biggest cliffhanger of the series thus far, leaving us waiting to find out how Zoey will save the world.

Chosen By: P.C. Cast + Kristin Cast

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 vampirie realm. I really can't praise this series enough.

The drama was way more engaging, the characters more interesting. I feel like more things were explained, & things are starting to take shape. Personally, my favorite part is that Zoey, the main character, messes up completely while in a love triangle... Well it's more of a square... anyway she messes up, and she realizes that she's gullible and a bit stupid. Finally a dumb character who admits to it.

Zoey’s hormones get 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) who she thought loved her but he was just using her to find out what she knows. I just find it sickening that Zoey is supposed to be this strong, smart, independent young woman, yet, she's not intelligent enough to not have sex with a grown man!

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.

-Tanya

Betrayed By P.C. Cast + Kristin Cast

This one started off slow, but after about fifty pages, I was captivated. I believe the reason the beginning was slow was because it basically just went over everything that happened it the last book. However, once the story got going, I couldn't put the book down. I thought this one was a lot better than the first, and it'll be great if the series keeps getting better. 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?

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. It's a really emotional book, and deals with a wide range of themes including death, and as the title suggests, betrayal. The loyalty among Zoey's group never falters though, and it really strengthens the book. Yet, Zoey is confused over not one, not two, but three guys in this book. Does that make her a slut?

1. Her uber-cute human ex-boyfriend Heath 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 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.

-Tanya

First Blog

Are you sick of vampire stories and blood sucking? Well Marked by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast is NOT the book for you. It's not your typical vampire book with sparkling vampires who run fast or fangs that rip people's throat open. In this mother and daughter duo the Casts’ birthed a new type of vampire stories, House of Night Series. The book is told through the eyes of Zoey the main character while she’s in high school and has to make a huge transition never thought realistic. Zoey is presented throughout the book as an average everyday teenager. The book fleshes out Zoey by describing her physical traits. She is described to have indecisive hazel eyes, long straight black hair, high Native-American cheekbones and an olive-ish complexion. The movement of the book is a tad bit slow at the beginning which kind of made me want to stop reading. Time is moved forward by the author telling us the time for when Zoey has class, or the sun being up or down. A couple pages into the book you realize the Cast’s were only preparing you for what was next to come. Paying attention to small details does help because any little thing that seems irrelevant may pop up later in the book. There was some confusion in the book, whether she was conscience or not, but the Cast duo tried their best to make it as clear as possible. What really caught my attention in this book is how there's a tie between a Cherokee tribe and vampires. The use of Native-American language was so unique and beautiful I wanted more. Zoey transitions from an average teen with worries about math tests to a fledgling,  not quite a vampire yet, that experiences death of classmates. These tragic events scare her of the change the fledgling body goes through. But they made her stronger, independent and more careful of herself and those at the house of night.