The Continuing Zoey Redbird Saga.....

As faithful followers of this blog, you all know my love of both YA and Vampires. So it will come as no surprise that the next book I review is Hunted: A House of Night Novel (Book 5) by PC Cast and Kristin Cast (336 pgs, St. Martin's Press, 2009). Not only is it a selection for the YA Challenge 2009, but also for the Once Upon a Time III Challenge.

WARNING: There may be spoilers if you haven't read Book 4!

The dream began with the sound of wings. In retrospect, I realize I should have known that was a bad sign, what with the Raven Mockers begin set loose and all, but in my dream it was just background noise, kinda like a fan or the TV turned on to the QVC.

Immediately taking off where Untamed left us hanging, Zoey and her circle have fled to the tunnels to escape the demon Kalona, that Neferet has released to be her consort. Putting her faith in Stevie Rae and the new red fledglings, Zoey and the gang needed to regroup and decide what they were going to do. The Raven Mockers have started on a quest to massacre the humans; Neferet has turned away from Nyx and joined the Dark Side, increasing her powers along the way; Kalona has a strange hold on all the other residents of the House of Night. Trying to come up with a plan, they realize that one of the red fledglings' poetry seems to hold clues as to how they can stop Kalona.

But when Zoey's human ex-boyfriend, Heath shows up to try to help, he brings trouble to the tunnels. And Zoey is almost killed in the process. Weak and seriously injured, the only chance for her survival is to return to the House of Night to heal, among the adult vampyres. Leaving Heath and Erik to stay with Stevie Rae and the red fledglings, the rest of the gang heads right back into the fire of the House of Night.

Hunted, in it's entirety takes place in only 2 days. The action is fast-paced and immediate. But if I'm going to be honest, I was disappointed with this book. As readable as it is, it is not nearly as good (or well-written) as the previous book, Untamed. Why was I disappointed? Zoey never seems to learn her lesson. As a High Priestess in training, she should be more focused on the tasks at hand. But she keeps falling back into the same trap with the men in her life. She can't break with ANY of them, and now she has even added a new one to her entourage!!

More unanswered questions leave us hanging at the end: Most importantly....what is really up with the red fledglings?? Can they truly be trusted?? Which, of course, is a nice way of getting us prepared for the NEXT book. I really need to quit reading series books that have no endings because now I have no closure!

But my main disappointment with this book is the editing!! I've read a lot of ARC's that are considered uncorrected proofs. And that's fine. But for me to go out and BUY a new NOVEL to find blatant errors really bothers me. There are at least three major typos (including a name switch : Damian's name in place of Darius) that really irked me. It made the whole book seem like it was rushed to the shelf. There seems to be an inconsistency between the books in the series - an up and down in quality to them. Note to anyone at St. Martin's Press: If you need a new copy editor, I AM available!

All of that said, I still enjoyed the book. I still need to finish the series because I MUST know how it all ends! If you have read the rest of the series, you should definitely read this one. Just don't expect a lot of answers and don't expect to be 'wowed' like before! 3.75/5

SO Excited!

One of my favorite series is the House of Night Series by PC and Kristin Cast. Book 5 is being released next Tuesday....March 10!! I can NOT wait!! I will probably be waiting at Barnes & Noble when the doors open!


This is the first book that is being released in hardback. A little more dollars...but if the last book is any indication, it will be well worth the money.

Here are the links to my reviews of the first 4 books:

Marked: A House of Night Novel

Betrayed: A House of Night Novel

Chosen: A House of Night Novel

Untamed: A House of Night Novel

Here is a look at the new book trailer for Hunted: A House of Night Novel:

Darker and More Sinister than the First

After reading the first book in this series, I couldn’t wait to jump into Betrayed: A House of Night Novel by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast. This is book number two in the continuing story of Zoey Redbird and the House of Night and the first book that I read for the Fall into Reading 2007 Challenge.

One month after entering the House of Night, Zoey Redbird thinks she has it all figured out. She has survived her first month as a fledgling and finally feels like she belongs. She has a new boyfriend, and she has been made the leader of the Dark Daughters - only the most elite group in school. After the mess Aphrodite made of the Dark Daughters, Zoey wants to bring respect to the organization. She wants the Dark Daughters and Sons to be about more than looks and popularity. By creating a Prefect Council, she is well on the way to achieving that goal.

But then something unimaginable happens: human students start dying. And not just any students, but kids Zoey knew from her past life. When the police come to the House of Night to question Zoey, a bad feeling starts to creep into her stomach. And Heath, her human ex-boyfriend, is STILL trying to get back together with her. She knows that because she has tasted his blood: he has Imprinted with her. This means there is a strong bond between them, a bond that is not easily broken.

When a death among the fledglings rocks the House of Night, Zoey is forced to take a closer look at all the weird things that have been happening. She is even getting a strange feeling about Neferet, the High Priestess and her mentor. Neferet is acting funny, not at all like a High Priestess should. It is up to Zoey and her friends to figure out what is happening at the House of Night.

When I read Marked, I was sure this series would be a hit. And I was extremely pleased that Betrayed, as a sequel, more than lives up to expectations. This book is progressively darker and more sinister than the first, with an underlying ominous current of tension that is brought out in the first few chapters and plays through the entire book. P.C. Cast and her daughter, Kristin, have created a world in which “darkness does not always equate to evil, just as light does not always bring good.” Their writing is simple and enthralling, leaving you wanting more - it is truly addictive. I, for one, cannot wait until the series continues with Chosen in 2008. 4.5/5


Copyright Stephanie Toland/2007 for curled up with a good kid's book

Christmas in September

As you know, I recently reviewed the book Marked: A House of Night Novel by PC Cast and Kristin Cast for CurledUp.com. You can read my review here. It's the first in a new YA Vampire series and I was really impressed with how good it was. Yesterday, I went out to the mailbox and there was a package waiting for me from CurledUp. Now...I thought this was strange, since I got a package of Young Adult books last week. Imagine my surprise when I opened it to find the second installment of the House of Night Novels called Betrayed!! This book is not scheduled for release until Oct. 2nd! I was doing a happy dance in front of the mailbox!! It looks like I'll be reading this one.....sooner than I had hoped!!





This has actually be a great week for receiving ARC's. (not that I need anything to read mind you, but who can pass up on free books!) As I said, I just last week got a box of YA books from CurledUp. I like reviewing YA books, so they sent me some more!! 7 books that I would like to have reviewed by the end of the year:

• Girl 15, Charming but Insane by Sue Limb
• Better than Running at Night by Hillary Frank
• Journey to Mythaca by Eve Baumohl Neuhaus
• Kiss & Blog by Alyson Noel
• Saving Zoe by Alyson Noel
• School's Out by Christophe Dufosse
• Psyche in a Dress by Francesca Lia Block

In addition to those, 4 more came this week. Barnes & Noble book groups is now offering a "First Look" club (and I think you can still sign up for it). They sent me an ARC that looks just fabulous, as well as 3 others from various publishers:

• The Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff (B&N First Look)
• The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry (FlapJack Press)
• The Spanish Bow by Andromeda Romano-Lax (Harcourt)
• The Reincarnationist by M. J. Rose (Mira)

Having a book blog has definitely increased my list of review books!! In fact, I need to finish up some challenge books and get going on these!!