Customer Reviews

Untamed (House of Night, Book 4)

5 star:		(92)
4 star:		(40)
3 star:		(17)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Untamed picks up almost immediately where Chosen, its predecessor, left off: Zoey has lost not one but all three of her boyfriends (and one in a particularly gruesome way), and her friends are hacked off because she's been keeping secrets from them, regardless if it was for their own good. But Zoey's strong, and she decides to face her issues head on: she plunks herself among her friends and get them to see her motives and even gets them to begin to accept the not-quite-so-hateful Aphrodite. But there's still plenty of angst to go around as Zoey must decide what to do about evil High Priestess Neferet and the red fledglings, one of whom is her undead best friend, Stevie Rae.

Untamed definitely continues the darker themes that gathered steam in Chosen. After Aphrodite shares her visions that show Zoey dying and Zoey is attacked in the night by unseen forces, the group moves forward in trying to discover what Neferet is planning and how the red fledglings will fit into it. The arrival of High Priestess Shakinah brings Zoey some sense of comfort because Neferet has someone to answer to, but soon things become even more tense with the death of yet another fledgling and the arrival of Erik as a teacher at the House of Night. When Zoey's Grandma becomes a target of the darkness, Zoey brings her to stay at the House of Night as both a help and a comfort. While all of this takes place, Zoey also discovers help from a most unusual place: a Benedictine nun named Sister Mary Angela becomes not only a source of comfort but a strong ally against the coming Evil.

While Zoey's romantic struggles take a back seat to the events taking place during Untamed, the friendships become stronger. I love the developing bonds between Zoey and Aphrodite; I think they need each other. I love the animal antics involved in this book as well because they provide a necessary comic diversion that keeps the novel from being only dramatic. I love the relationship between Zoey and her grandmother, and the fact that her friends are included in their feelings helps to bring some stability in a wild situation. And while Zoey is still unsure of herself, she is also learning to trust her instincts. My only complaints with the novel come from the almost instantaneous connection Zoey feels for the tragic Stark, and the rather neat way safety is obtained for some late in the story. But this series just keeps improving, and I am hooked. I can't wait to see where Nyx is going to lead her Dark Daughter next, and March seems like an awfully long time to wait. I'd actually give this novel a solid 4.5 stars. Recommended.

Untamed is the fourth book in the House of Night novels. P C Cast and her daughter once again pulled a magnificent story together of the life and destiny of a young fledgling vampyre. In this book Aphrodite is having bloody visions of Zoey's death and a great war between vampyres and humans. Zoey's friends must reconcile with her "omission of truth" or condemn her to a death without any allies.

Erik has become the new drama teacher since the death of their Professor in the last book. He still hasn't forgiven Zoey for cheating on him, and is still heartbroken. Heath, her once human familiar, is no longer her imprinted, and is also deeply hurt. Her one time lover is dead by human hands and everyone is looking at Zoey, including the High Priestess of all vampyres, an unexpected guest to the school. Zoey has to save the world and fight for the forces of good, prevent an old angel/demon from breaking free of his prison and protect her loved ones.

This book was an extremely quick read and I am pleased to say was deeper and grittier than the last three books. Zoey has finally drawn a line and is gathering her protectors/loved ones/vampyres to her like moths to flames. This is a definite addition to the series. The only bad thing I can say is that the newest novel, which will be released in March of 2009, will be released in hardcover.

Zoey isn't having the best of weeks. All her friends are mad at her. They felt betrayed by the fact that Zoey was keeping secrets from them. They just didn't understand she was trying to keep them safe. She didn't have a boyfriend anymore. Last week, she had 3! But Loren Blake, the adult Vampyre Poet Laureate, seduced Zoey into thinking he was in love with her. Neferet, the evil High Priestess, had set up Zoey. And when she was with Loren, the imprint she had with her human boyfriend, Heath, was broken. In addition, Erik Night, the gorgeous fledgling that had just made his transformation to adult Vamp, walked in on them. Heath isn't speaking to Zoey and now, neither is Erik. This was all before Loren was killed in a bizarre ritual that was causing Neferet to wage a war against the humans. So, yes. Zoey's life sucks alot right now.

In addition to all that stress, Zoey is also dealing with the Stevie Rae/Aphrodite issue. By casting her circle for Stevie Rae, she is no longer undead, but has transformed into some kind of other vampyre. Her mark is now colored in just like the adult vamps, but it is red. But with Stevie Rae gaining her humanity back, it caused Aphrodite to lose her mark. Now she is no longer a vampyre, although only Zoey and Stevie Rae know. But she is still having visions. And now her visions include Zoey's death and an all out war between the vampyres and the humans. And it looks like it is up to Zoey to stop it.

Book 4 starts a few days after Book 3 ended. And it is way darker and more sinister than any of the preceding books. Zoey is way less whiny in this book. And it looks like she is stepping up her game. It's going to come down to a battle between good vs. evil, and Zoey is finally becoming the Priestess she was chosen to be. She has firmly taken control of who she is, and gathering around her those that want to fight the evil that has come to the House of Night.

PC and Kristin have certainly brought their A-game with Untamed. They wrote an excellent novel, which was an extremely fast read for me, because I just couldn't put it down! The series just keeps getting better and better. And I can't wait to see how things shake out in the next installment!!

Good:

The House of Night series is one of my favorite series', simply because they are fast-paced, sarcastic, and extremely exciting. This book was not an exception to that pattern.

Bad:

Okay. Here I go. This is probably the first time that I have a serious complaint about a main character.

I am not usually a person who focuses on the personality of the main characters. There are books that I've read and loved that other people could not even finish because they seriously disliked the main characters (Jessica Darling from Sloppy Firsts and Bella Swan from Twilight being prime examples of my favorite books that I often hear complaints about the main characters). I have never been one of those people.

However, Untamed just may be an exception.

Zoey isn't a bad character... she's realistic and brave, which is great. But my problem with her is her attitude. She has power that other fledglings, and even grown vampyres would KILL for, and yet all she does is complain about her powers and the complications they bring, and about all the guys in her life. I understand the fact that she is a teenager and that entitles her to a bit of angst and complaining, but come ON! Halfway through the book I wanted to just close it and throw it across the room... Zoey pissed me off so much. Instead of doing something about most of her problems, she just complained and complained...

I have a thing for strong female leads. Zoey is not one of them... and I don't mind a little weakness, but she really started to annoy me. She needs to grow up.

I also had another problem with this book... the convient coincidences. I know that events in a book have to lead up to other events, but it seemed just too obvious. Fantasy books should be a little believable... and this book was hardly that. Even if the events are unbelievable, the book should at least have a decent flow of events. But it just seemed like the authors threw Zoey in stupid situations just because they could, or to prove a point about something that's almost irrelevent.

Worst out of the series so far... but I am still hoping for better from Hunted, the fifth book in the series.

Although the plot line was interesting, I could not get past the horrendous grammatical and typesetting errors! Their copyeditor needs to be fired. I'm willing to take the job. Also, do the authors own a thesaurus? My friend counted 90 "saids" in a 11 page spread!!! I realize publishing every 6 months or so is fast turnaround, but there is really no excuse for all those errors. I have my bachelor's degree in English and found several sentences to be muttled up enough I had to re-read them. Anyway, intriguing plot, not the greatest revising and editing.

When I first started this series I was intrugued and a bit excited but now I feel that the books are to short and reveal to little. There can a bit to much bickering with the twin and sometimes I just have to skim read over them because it just gets on my nerves. I don't think I will continue to follow the series after this book. I was disappointed. It seem to just drag on with no real results.

I BOUGHT this book because I felt I HAD to give the House of Night another chance. First off, Amazon's Kindle prices are ridiculous! And yet, I still buy. There is something wonderful about being able to read in absolute comfort....no balancing the book, getting the right light, etc. And there is the fact you know you are getting ripped off by paying $7-$14 for an ebook!!

I digress....The House of Night series has left me angry over the $$ I've wasted. Untamed was so poorly written, that I actually had to skip the dialogue,the inane, cutesy, utterly moronic dialogue and force my way through the story. Things could have been so different if the efforts of the authors would have been focused on literary skills and not blowing through the process to produce another book.Half of the book is the re-telling of what we've already read in the last three books.

There is one book left in the series, but I can not lift my finger to press '1 click buy'........Don't Get Started!!

I didn't love Choosen and as a result began to worry for the future of the series, so it was with trepidation that I began Untamed. Happily my doubts were erased within the first page of the book, and I have to say that untamed is the best of the series so far. The book opens just days after the events of choosen and Zoey is facing the reprocussions of all the secrets she kept and the weight of her mistakes is heavey indeed. Zoey is walkimg around under a storm cloud of loneliness, guilt,and hurt but she has no idea how dark things are about to get. Aphrodite has lost her Mark but not her visions and she's seeing Zoey's death. A few versions of it actually, and the only way to avoid one of them is to make things right with the friends who aren't speaking to her,and just in case fixing her life and trying to change the future weren't enough to worry about. When in the grip of a terrible vision Aphrodite pens a prophacy in Zoey's Grandmother's hand writing that points to Neferet's unthinkable end game scheme. The campus is full of strange crows, the high priestess of all Vampyre high priestesses is currently in residence at the school, there's a new guy at the House of Night, and Eric's back and teaching Zoey's Drama class. Stevie Rae is leading the red fledglings with secrets of her own, and Zoey's made friends with an unusual Nun. Before it's over The House of Night will explode in fire death, and chaos, and Zoey will face the possibility of a truly crippling loss.

We see a much more mature Zoey in untamed, she's far more in control and willing to tap into her gifts and have faith in the outcome. Zoey refuses to be bullied and won't back down. The ladies Cast have crafted a serious page turner here, with a giant pay off and a mother of a cliffhanger I will defintely be be wating for Hunted in 09

Wow. This series has just been so up-and-down for me. I was disappointed by the previous entry into the House of Night series. But Untamed not only made up for all of the issues in Chosen, it is easily the best so far in the series. I wish all of the previous books had been on par with Untamed.

What did I like so much about this book?

Well, my favorite thing about the series thus far has been the rituals, the legends, and the mythology. In this book these elements are brought to the forefront of the novel. In the last hundred or so pages we are treated to a legend of epic proportions and exciting revelations in the plot. It was a welcome break from Zoey and her boy issues.

And though Zoey hasn't gotten less annoying I am choosing to overlook it in this review. (I think I've already made my opinions clear.) But I love Aphrodite; she surpasses the main character by miles. I sometimes find the things she says a little too far out there to be believable. (The beginning of the novel, for example. I found the way she addresses the entire cafeteria in such a superior and condescending way to be much too outrageous. And the fact that no one stepped up to kick her ass was also a bit galling. If anyone spoke like that in my high school they would end up with a broken face.) But save for brief passages like these I do so love reading about Aphrodite. In fact, I love reading about Stevie Rae as well. If the Casts would ditch Zoey and perhaps write about the two of them I would be one happy reader.

And this book redeemed itself in my eyes with the inclusion of the Sister Mary Angela, the nun who works at Street Cats. I was excited to see her portrayed as a positive, accepting character. It threw off the generalization made in previous books that all people of faith are "People of Faith". You go, Casts!

It also seems that Zoey's relationship with Heath is done for. With Heath done for and Loren--well--dead, it seems that the irritating love triangle subplot is coming to a close. I don't care who she ends up with at this point. Just get on with the plot.

And what did I not like about this book?

The appearance of Stark makes me wary. Zoey doesn't need any more love interests. And why is it that they like each other so much after a single conversation? Does everyone in this book fall in love with Zoey after setting eyes on her? I much preferred the relationship between Aphrodite and Darius--now, there's a love interest with actual potential. (And Zoey honestly has the gall to call Aphrodite a ho? As far as we've seen Aphrodite sticks with one boy at a time instead of falling over anyone that goes near her.)

And the one other thing that irked me out of the story was a passage near the beginning of the book. I'll quote it for the purpose of this review:

"Sadly, it was the Twins who answered me and not gay, and therefore more sensitive and polite, Damien."

...What? Since when is being gay equivalent with being sensitive and polite? Sounds like another sweeping generalization.

I probably won't be picking up Hunted until it comes out in paperback for two reasons: one, I don't want to pay the hardcover price and two, I have the first four in paperback and I like my books to match. So I'll be taking a break from HON for a while but expect me to come flying in with a new review as soon as the paperbacks are on the shelves.

I have read every book in this series so far. And I so far think that Zoey Redbird is a caring yet shelfish charter. The series it self is interesting to say the least I however dont know about the vampires also being witches thing going on there.... I will finish out the series like I do any series that I start but it will not be on my top series to recommend. also I wish that they would make the books longer. I mean I understand that they are geared for young adults but y.a. have read thick books like Twilight series, Vampire Diaries, Harry Potter, ect. The house of night books could have easily been combined from soon to be 6 books into 3 and saved the readers the headached of trying to jump from book to book.