Author: P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast
Series: #3 - House of Night
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: September 29th, 2009
My Rating: 2.5 out of 5.0
Bloodlust and dark forces are at work at the House of Night…
Fledgling vampyre Zoey Redbird’s adventures at the school are about to take a mysterious turn. Those who appear to be her friends are turning out to be enemies. And oddly enough, sworn enemies are also turning into friends. So begins the gripping third installment of this “highly addictive series” (Romantic Times), in which Zoey’s mettle will be tested like never before. Her best friend, Stevie Rae, is undead and struggling to maintain a grip on her humanity. Zoey doesn’t have a clue how to help her, but she does know that anything she and Stevie Rae discover about the secretive and sinister power that’s turning dead fledglings into bloodsucking monsters must be kept secret from everyone else at the House of Night, where trust has become a rare commodity.
Speaking of rare: Zoey finds herself in the very unexpected position of having three boyfriends. Mix in more than a little forbidden desire to the equation and the situation has the potential to spell social disaster of massive proportions. Then, vampyres start turning up dead. Really dead. It looks like the People of Faith, and Zoey’s horrid step-loser in particular, are tired of living side-by-side with vampyres. But, as Zoey and her friends find out, things are not always what they seem…
Fledgling vampyre Zoey Redbird’s adventures at the school are about to take a mysterious turn. Those who appear to be her friends are turning out to be enemies. And oddly enough, sworn enemies are also turning into friends. So begins the gripping third installment of this “highly addictive series” (Romantic Times), in which Zoey’s mettle will be tested like never before. Her best friend, Stevie Rae, is undead and struggling to maintain a grip on her humanity. Zoey doesn’t have a clue how to help her, but she does know that anything she and Stevie Rae discover about the secretive and sinister power that’s turning dead fledglings into bloodsucking monsters must be kept secret from everyone else at the House of Night, where trust has become a rare commodity.
Speaking of rare: Zoey finds herself in the very unexpected position of having three boyfriends. Mix in more than a little forbidden desire to the equation and the situation has the potential to spell social disaster of massive proportions. Then, vampyres start turning up dead. Really dead. It looks like the People of Faith, and Zoey’s horrid step-loser in particular, are tired of living side-by-side with vampyres. But, as Zoey and her friends find out, things are not always what they seem…
My Review:
"I think I'm turning into a Ho." Zoey Redbird (pg. 82).
That sums the major issue I had with this book, the amount of boys that are interested in her are staggering and Zoey is just too whiney and gullible that it's laughable. Although the story was slightly better then the first there was still the underlying issue that the plot could move faster or it could be done differently. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying I could do it better it's just how the story or the main character acted that drove me nuts. So while the story was better and the character growth seems to falter, I enjoyed this book better than the last.
Zoey grows a bit in this book, but it's in a completely different direction. In past novels she is a whiney little high school girl who is worried about boyfriend issues and whatnot. However in this novel I think she becomes what she had hoped she wouldn't be. She gets tangled between three guys, two nearly the same age, and one who knows how old he is. The relationship with Loren was just wrong, and frankly she almost knew it and fell into his seduction. It was easy to catch on to, and was distasteful and wrong. Zoey falls hard in her character growth (almost growing backwards) but its a subplot to the whole story and Neferet.
Now my big problem with this book is the representation of men in this book. What I don't understand is Health and Erik know about each other. When Loren shows up and Erik questions her about it, she points the finger at him calling him jealous. Most guys wouldn't do that, they know she's with another but to throw a possible third into the mix, like or not, they would drop her like a rock. I wouldn't ask, I would just be done and move on. No name calling, no arguing, just drop it and move on, it's not worth the time and effort if she isn't going to choose. It's almost hard to read for this reason alone, I couldn't stand it. Guys won't always be there to pick you up, dust you off, and wipe your tears, if you keep pushing them aside and saying their attitude is the problem.
Stevie Rae is back, and she is probably the main reason I enjoyed this book. Her death and undying of sorts makes the main plot of this book just amazing. Trying to figure out what is missing with Stevie Rae and what it means to choose a path in life is great. Stevie Rae is the life of this book, and with her comes of lot of mystery which again opens the story up for more. The whole lacking a soul bit was a bit over the top though, I like when they stepped back and said it was her humanity. It's the sense of right vs. wrong and what it means to be human, which Stevie Rae needs.
Aphrodite again steps to the front in my mind in this novel, and it's mainly her spunk that makes her fit the space well. She doesn't put up with anything, and while she comes to Zoey's aid, she snaps at her friends. It's great to see Aphrodite change and grow into her role more, I love how she is transitioning, and her growth. She's the one character that I have found more relatable and likable than the rest of the characters. It's how the others turn on Zoey and question her instantly, Aphrodite is the one that sticks with her and has her back when no one else does. She was great.
So while this book just falls short, it's still better than the last few books. That's not saying it's all that much to be proud or going home to tell everyone about. Zoey is by far one of the weakest representations of her character and she falls short is this novel hard. I almost stopped reading the series (the marathon) because of how bad she is in this one book. However Stevie Rae's dilemma and Aphrodite's great character transition that give this book some life. I will finish my marathon, I just hope I don't want to strangle Zoey or any of the close circle before the end.
That sums the major issue I had with this book, the amount of boys that are interested in her are staggering and Zoey is just too whiney and gullible that it's laughable. Although the story was slightly better then the first there was still the underlying issue that the plot could move faster or it could be done differently. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying I could do it better it's just how the story or the main character acted that drove me nuts. So while the story was better and the character growth seems to falter, I enjoyed this book better than the last.
Zoey grows a bit in this book, but it's in a completely different direction. In past novels she is a whiney little high school girl who is worried about boyfriend issues and whatnot. However in this novel I think she becomes what she had hoped she wouldn't be. She gets tangled between three guys, two nearly the same age, and one who knows how old he is. The relationship with Loren was just wrong, and frankly she almost knew it and fell into his seduction. It was easy to catch on to, and was distasteful and wrong. Zoey falls hard in her character growth (almost growing backwards) but its a subplot to the whole story and Neferet.
Now my big problem with this book is the representation of men in this book. What I don't understand is Health and Erik know about each other. When Loren shows up and Erik questions her about it, she points the finger at him calling him jealous. Most guys wouldn't do that, they know she's with another but to throw a possible third into the mix, like or not, they would drop her like a rock. I wouldn't ask, I would just be done and move on. No name calling, no arguing, just drop it and move on, it's not worth the time and effort if she isn't going to choose. It's almost hard to read for this reason alone, I couldn't stand it. Guys won't always be there to pick you up, dust you off, and wipe your tears, if you keep pushing them aside and saying their attitude is the problem.
Stevie Rae is back, and she is probably the main reason I enjoyed this book. Her death and undying of sorts makes the main plot of this book just amazing. Trying to figure out what is missing with Stevie Rae and what it means to choose a path in life is great. Stevie Rae is the life of this book, and with her comes of lot of mystery which again opens the story up for more. The whole lacking a soul bit was a bit over the top though, I like when they stepped back and said it was her humanity. It's the sense of right vs. wrong and what it means to be human, which Stevie Rae needs.
Aphrodite again steps to the front in my mind in this novel, and it's mainly her spunk that makes her fit the space well. She doesn't put up with anything, and while she comes to Zoey's aid, she snaps at her friends. It's great to see Aphrodite change and grow into her role more, I love how she is transitioning, and her growth. She's the one character that I have found more relatable and likable than the rest of the characters. It's how the others turn on Zoey and question her instantly, Aphrodite is the one that sticks with her and has her back when no one else does. She was great.
So while this book just falls short, it's still better than the last few books. That's not saying it's all that much to be proud or going home to tell everyone about. Zoey is by far one of the weakest representations of her character and she falls short is this novel hard. I almost stopped reading the series (the marathon) because of how bad she is in this one book. However Stevie Rae's dilemma and Aphrodite's great character transition that give this book some life. I will finish my marathon, I just hope I don't want to strangle Zoey or any of the close circle before the end.
