Customer Reviews

House of Night, Books 1-4 (Marked / Betrayed / Chosen / Untamed)

5 star:		(58)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

After reading the Twilight series, it left me wanting more Vampire series books. :) I tried the Sookie Stackhouse series, which I LOVE and highly recommend, and then Vampire Academy, which is another wonderful series. But House of Night just didn't do it for me. It IS a "good" read, but just didn't live up to the intrigue and excitement that other vampire series have.

The main annoyance I had with this series was how Zoey has been with so many boys that I lost track of who she's actually with. She and her friends refer to other girls (Aphrodite, namely) as a "ho", and yet Zoey's with at least 4 men in the series! Albeit only one sexually (briefly), but it just pulls away from any solid plot in the book with her running from one man to the next. Then Zoey's character ultimately dumps one of her boyfriends (the same one that caught her in the act w/another man) because he's too jealous of other guys. Umm, ya think? I just didn't get that contradiction in the story, or why Zoey has to run in the arms of so many men!

In short, enjoyable read, but in my opinion (not speaking for everyone), these are not up to par with other vampire series books.

This is an engaging and very entertaining vampyre series that older teens will devour!

Marked

When Zoey is Marked, all hopes of fitting in at her suburban high school seem to suddenly vanish. She already feels like a stranger in her own family, and when her religious step-father finds out that Zoey has been Marked to undergo training to become a vampyre, he is convinced that she is evil, and together, he and her mother refuse to accept that Zoey has only two options...learn how to become a vampyre, or die.

Fitting in at her new school, The House of Night, is nearly impossible as well, for the goddess of the night, Nyx, has bestowed special powers upon Zoey, making her the most powerful fledgling in history, and earning her many enemies. But Zoey is not alone. With the help of some newfound friends, her spiritual Cherokee grandmother, and her mentor, she will learn to embrace her talents and take the first step to righting the many sinister happenings at The House of Night.

Marked is riveting and fast paced right from the very start. Zoey's biting wit and easygoing, honest demeanor make Marked an easy read to get sucked in to (no pun intended). While the exposition of the story may seem a bit too hasty, the Casts make up for it in suspense and remarkable character development, in not just Zoey, but every person, friend or foe. The tone of the novel is pitched perfectly, and it includes references to drug, alcohol, and sex without being graphic, but entirely realistic and plausible. The Casts certainly know how to speak teens' language, bringing us a thrilling novel that will make the heart pound, the mind race, and will ultimately capture the imagination.

Betrayed

Even after her first month as a fledgling at The House of Night, Zoey Redbird's life still is as fast paced and hectic as ever. As the new leader of the Dark Daughters, she's responsible for turning it into a respectable and admirable club. Also, she seems to find herself with two boyfriends...with another guy sending her some mixed signals. On top of all of that, Zoey has been seeing some dark and mysterious creatures on the east wall. She wonders if it's all a trick of the mind, until human teenagers start disappearing...and winding up dead. Zoey will have to start facing the facts, especially after a shocking death in their midst reveals that what she has seen is no figment of her imagination...and what's truly horrifying is the identity of the person behind it all.

Betrayed picks up on all the suspense and thrill right where Marked left off. Full of twists and turns that flow fluidly and a continuation of excellent character development, Betrayed reveals more sinister plots and dastardly deeds that will leave readers reeling. The many normal teenager issues and feelings are melded with the supernatural happenings to create an adventurous and believable story. Though the world in which Zoey lives is unfamiliar, the Casts make the reader right at home with their smooth and inimitable writing style.

Chosen

Everything has changed for Zoey at the House of Night. Her best friend has turned into the stereotypical vampire, and is quickly losing her grasp on her humanity. Her mentor has now become her enemy, and Zoey might be forced to make her worst enemy her ally. Zoey has now acquired three boyfriends, and can't seem to get rid of any of them.

And then the People of Faith decide to strike out against the vampyres in an unprecedented attack against te House of Night, leaving some of their own truly dead. Zoey and her friends will have to struggle to stay together during a time when no one is as they appear, and trust is hard to come by. Zoey especially will get a taste of the responsibility and heartbreak that being a priestess entails.

The third book in the House of Night series is as exciting and heartpounding as the first. If it hasn't been evident before, it is now crystal clear that the Casts have planned out every detail of the House of Night series impeccably, making for a smooth, irresistable story that leaps out of the pages at you. Chosen is a bit darker than its prequels as certain secrets come to light and new mysteries surface, but not without the same wit and great action. Zoey continues to mature and grow as a person, making this just as much as a down to earth coming of age novel as an engrossing supernatural thriller. The Casts leave the reader with an ending that will make them groan in anticipation for the fourth novel.

Untamed

This book is pivotal: full of twists and turns you won't see coming and surprising, explosive ending that will have you scrambling for HUNTED!

I wanted to like this series, but I simply could not get into it. The concept behind the series was an interesting premise in that vamps could be changed and be forced to go to a different school. The plot for the first two books was kind of intriging until I couldn't stand the main character, Zoey Redbird, any more.

Zoey is one of the most annoying main characters I've ever read about. She's extremely Mary Sueish in regards to how the story is set up. She goes on and on how much she can't stand things, and almost automatically anyone who doesn't agree with her opinion is either a "ho" or a "hag from hell." She pretty much bashes "people of faith" repeatedly until it makes it sound like anyone who doesn't worship Nyx should be put to death; believe me she does make it sound like anyone, not just her stepfather, who worships a nonpagan goddess is an idiot. She is very quick to judge people in the story, and since the story is told in POV the whole time, readers are privy to all her thoughts.

If that wasn't enough, almost all the supporting characters are very sterotypical and flat. All of the gay characters, mostly Damien and Jack, have that annoying sterotypical "gay" squeal; Damien himself is called "Queen Damien" quite a bit for most of the series, and the author made Damien sound like a girl because he was gay. Almost all the guys Zoey meets want her because she's beautiful, and she easily winds up with three boyfriends, even though she acts like she isn't a slut (even though she really does act like it). Everyone caters to almost all her needs, and she practically doesn't try to earn it.

The plot mostly deals with highschoolers trying to fit in. Later in the series the true big bad is introduced. All I can say is that it was very slowly paced plot, and that if anyone couldn't stand the 1st book it doesn't get any better.

Believe me, I read the books until I couldn't stand them anymore. I was hoping to find a series that was just as good as the Vampire Diaries and Harry Potter, but I don't think I found it here. I used to like P. C. Cast's Goddess series, and HoN books pale in comparison to them.

I'm an adult male, which puts me way outside the target demographic audience of teenage females. But I got hooked on book one of the House of Night books and now enjoy the series. They put a very different spin on the standard vampire yarn, sort of a Hogwarts/Sixteen Candles thing with many creative and occasional grim twists. The trials and tribulations of our young "vampire" are well-written and a darn fun read!

I absolutly fell in love with this series! I read the first page of Marked and knew I was going to love it and they haven't let me down so far. Each chapter ends with you wanting more, I couldn't put it down! Cast has a terrific imagionation. This story is a whole NEW look on Vampires and how it might be like if the existed and everyone knew about them. Even how they are made is a completely different outlook. If you love Vampires like I do, and books like the Mortal Instraments and Twilight than you'll love this series. And, it's based on ancient pagan/wiccan beliefs and practices which are really cool and I could tell she did her homework. And, if you wait, it'll be soon new TV series! Can't wait for that to some out.

I purchased these books as a gift for someone who enjoys fantasy and likes vampire series. She said she enjoyed the books and they were a fun read.

My gripe about this box set is that it arrived severely damaged but the damage does not appear to be the result of poor packaging. The box set was crushed and every corner was bashed in. I initially assumed that the damage was caused during shipping but after contacting Amazon and getting a replacement set, the second set also came damaged. The second set came in a cushioned well packed box and the item was contained within a clear plastic wrapper. Inside the wrapped package I quickly noticed that the box had a puncture even though the wrapped plastic did not. I also noticed that the first set of books that arrived did not include the poster that is advertised on the box. It appears that the publisher (St. Martin's Griffin) thinks it is ok to sell boxed sets in this condition considering I ordered a couple of copies about two months apart and they both came damaged.

I bought this book set for my 13 year old daughter for christmas. Thinking that this series was geared for the teenage group I didn't think I needed to pre-read them, I was really wrong. I am a sports coach for our local middle school girls, so I am in no way oblivious to the expanding knowledge of our youth. I understand that teenagers are learning at a younger age about acts of a sexual nature but I was completely taken aback by the scene describing an act of fallacio by a young blond girl and then making several references to this act throughout the book. Our children already learn enough of this from their schoolmates, they don't need it in their literature too. Unfortunately my daughter was already half way through the fourth book by the time I started the first one.
Even if you can look past the sexual content targeted toward our youth, the complete lack of literary talent leaves much to be desired. I understand that the author was trying to reach teenagers on their level and encorporating her teenager daughter to do this, I'm sure seemed like a good idea at the time, however this entire idea should be reviewed and then discarded. If the author needs ideas from her teenage daughter to write novels, maybe it is time to find another profession. I was so disgusted by the writing style of this author that I couldn't get completely through the first book. The fact that the first book got past the publishers, let alone the following 6, is in itself a modern marvel. I can not at this point do anything about the four books that I have already purchased but this series in my household will remain incomplete.

I just started reading this series. Thought I might like it because I enjoyed Twilight so much. I am only just beginning the 3rd book Chosen. The first book, Marked, I did not think was that good. It was kind of boring, but I read it through anyway hoping it would get better, which it did. The second book, Betrayed, was much better than the first. I read it in a day. Now I am looking forward to the next book to see how some things turn out for the characters. So, so far, I would say it is worth checking out at the library and getting through the first book which is kind of necessary to understand the series. Then decide if you want to purchase. I should note if this is supposed to be for teens, I would not allow mine to read it at age 13. Maybe an older teen. It has quite a bit of language, including the worst of them, and some pretty surprising sexual talk.

This series was really hard for me to get into. I mean, REALLY HARD. I'm not a 15 year old teeny-bopper so the ridiculous slang that is thrown into every sentence threw me off a little bit. It is defiantly written in an immature way. But, the story line underneath it all is interesting enough to keep me reading. I'm now in the second book of the series and it has gotten better, even though they are constantly re-capping what has happened in the first book, which is annoying. Again, the story line is interesting and keeps me guessing, so if you're in for a true endeavor, read this series.

My daughter has been reading these books and comes out everyday with more similarities to the Harry Potter books. The school, the girl with the most powers, sworn enemies, the list goes on. Even though it is vampires, the similarities are never ending so much so she might write a paper for school on how many exist. There are plenty of other books about the supernatural out there which are much more original.