Much like Order of the Phoenix was for Harry Potter, this entry in the House of Night serves mostly as transition from Zoey discovering her power to actually having to use it against real evil. Roughly the same quality as the other books in the series but contains a lot of exposition as the authors try to connect the vampire world with Native American and Christian folklore and beliefs. The intersection of belief systems has always been a bit clunky in this series and remains so. Also, the Casts are not as skilled as J.K. Rowling at inserting appropriate humor into deathly situations and they still feel the need to repeat much of what happened in the previous novels. They do manage to create some interesting scenes and new characters that are sure to play larger roles in the next book. ( )

The House of Night series is unlike any other vampire series I’ve read. I really enjoy the series and it’s interpretation of vampires. I’m especialy looking forward to reading the next novel. I was disappointed in Untamed. After reading all of the previous novels and immensely enjoying them, Untamed fell short of the standard that had been set. Most of the novel was spent on explaining what happened in the previous three novels, and while I understand how that can be necessary, it took up valuable room in this novel that could have been used for things much more exciting. Like Zoey making out with Erik.... Despite its rough spots and flaws, I still was unable to put this book down! The combo writing team of P.C. and Kristin remained true to their signature style! Drama, suspense and humor, all present and accounted for! There were a few grammatical errors that I was surprised to find, but I think that shouldn’t have precedent over enjoying the novel. I was also surprised with the direction the authors have taken with the character Aphrodite, and I can’t wait to see what happens to her! And while there were a lot of questions answered within the novel, there were also slews of unanswered questions introduced. If you’re a fan of the series, you won’t want to miss this one. ( )

http://bookcrossing.com/journal/70519... ( )

Zoey Redbird's life is sooooo full of drama right now. All of her friends think they can't trust her but soon they learn as to why. She has no boyfriend, which is kind of a relief right now. Neferet, the high priestess of this House of Night seems to be up to something that is terribly wrong and dark. Zoey knows this and when there is a surprise visit from the High Priestess of all vampyres - then she knows something is really up. Once she gets through to her friends as to why she can't tell them everything - Erik, her ex, comes back into her life as he has already gone through the full Change. But he's as cold as ice towards her, until she finally gets in his face. Aprhodite, who saved Stevie Rae, but has become a different kind of human and that changed what Stevie Rae was. Aprhodite had a terrible vision that consisted of Zoey's grandmother and a poem, but when they realized what it meant that evil was coming to Earth, they decided that as a group they could expose the monsters Neferet had been making and then the action begins! Quite the surprsie at the end and I'm dying to read Hunted to find out what's going to happen to the group!

P.C. Cast and her daughter have created a wonderful world with this series of books. All of the characters have evolved so much since the first book. So if you're looking for a cool vampire series to read (and you don't mind reading YA novels) then I would suggest this series for you! ( )

Thank goodness this book was better than book 2, Chosen! It still was not one of my favorites and I still wanted to stop at the beginning and rant at Zoey for being so fickle when she starts to develop an interest in the new student, Stark. At the end of Chosen it seems like the action is finally going to start but Cast seems to be dragging the story out. I loved that we continue to see Aphrodite’s character grow and evolve as she tries to make up to Nyx, all the wrong she has done. I actually feel that while Aphrodite is maturing, Zoey continues to make the same mistakes over and over. I do feel bad for Zoey over the treatment she receives from her friends and especially Erik. She did behave totally skanky but now as her teacher, Erik had no right to take his anger out on her in the classroom. Yet again, the action starts to ramp up at the end of the book and will leave you hanging. I will give Cast that, they sure know how to hook you into the next book. ( )