I've finished reading the second of the House of Night Novels by P.C. and Kristin Cast, Betrayed. It took me a while to get through it, but once I got half way through I couldn't put it down!
in my blog to see the review for the first House of Night book — Marked.
From Amazon.com...
"Fledgling vampyre Zoey Redbird has managed to settle in at the House of Night. She’s come to terms with the vast powers the vampyre goddess, Nyx, has given her, and is getting a handle on being the new Leader of the Dark Daughters. Best of all, Zoey finally feels like she belongs--like she really fits in. 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. "
What I liked about the book was that it was a quick read after I got half way through, again. Like the first of the House of Night novels, Marked, Betrayed took me a while to get into. But, once I got into it went fast. Unlike Marked, Betrayed's language didn't bother me; it seemed more adult and mature — Thank You. (It drove me crazy in the first book.) I also loved how the relationship with Aphrodite and Zoey has begun to progress.
What I disliked about the book was that it took me a while to get into and once I did get into it I found that the storyline was lacking. I think that Marked and Betrayed could have been made into one book, since the first half of Betrayed was summing up what happened in the first book, Marked. That, and the story lines were so connected that it just felt like it was drawn out into two books for no particular purpose. The climaxes of both books were extremely similar, and I'm hoping that the Casts' changed it up in the third novel, Chosen. Like Marked, Betrayed's ending was very quick — the climax started and the book was concluded in the last ten pages. I also had a hard time relating to Zoey in this book. Without giving anything away, I'll just say that she has several (three) love interests. And all the while she's telling herself she isn't a "vampyre slut". I just had a hard time dealing with this, but I am kind of a prude and I don't do well with infidelity, so maybe it's just me. And finally, it wasn't a surprise to me who the 'betrayer' was — it was kind of given away early on in Marked.
Just to note, this could just be my opinion. My mom, who also read these books right before me, cried when reading Betrayed (she never cries when reading literature). She was that attached to the characters. And while I was sad, I wasn't moved to tears and I continued reading.
Overall, I was disappointed — for all the above reasons. But like before, despite it all, I am very excited to finish this review and begin the third book, Chosen. I do have to finish up some summer school homework first, but details.
Will I recommend this book to my students? Like before, I do need to watch the sex content. Hopefully the third novel will grab my attention more quickly and I will thus change my opinion of the series. But as of right now, I would only recommend this to my students who only want to read vampyric stories, or to students who have a hard time finding something that they like. A series is perfect for these students because the adventure doesn't end after one book.
I'm off to read Chosen! (After completing some homework)