Alexis' Book Blog

Betrayed

Book # 2 of the House of Night Series

Authors: P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast

Year Published: 2007

Stars: 4/5

Synopsis:

Zoey has been at the House of Night for about one month when this book begins. This the second book in the series, the first book details how she gets to the House of Nights, what it actually is and we are introduced to her friends. In this novel, Zoey, our protagonist, gets betrayed (hence the title) by someone very close to her. But who? Is it one of her four best friends, Shaunee, Erin, Stevie Rae or Damien? Or is it one of the three men who are love interests of Zoey, Heath, Loren or Erik? Someone is killing humans outside of the House of Night and all signs point to a vampyre at the House of Night. It is up to Zoey to figure who is doing this, and she must elicit the help of someone she never thought she would.

Why I liked it:

First and foremost this book is a sequel and in the movie world a sequel always means it is worse than the original (with exceptions to Empire Strikes Back, the second Godfather and maybe Terminator 2). Not the case for this book. Although I have not officially reviewed the first book, I have read it, and I enjoyed this book more. Zoey is a likable heroine, much more likable than Bella from Twilight. Zoey makes mistakes, owns them and moves on. Her sidekicks create a fun environment when the action lags, leaving me entertained and not bored or annoyed that there is a lull in the story. Damien is my favorite of her sidekicks and he reminds me of Piggy in Lord of the Flies…he is the voice of reason. Which makes me like the series even more, because (although it is a fantasy/vampire book) it is more believable.

Second, and spoiler alert, one of main characters dies…at least for now. What drives me crazy about most movies and even books is that the main characters could have 100 bullets shot at them from point-blank-range and they just happen to come out of it unscathed….come on people! When a focal character dies, it may be sad, but it makes the story much more interesting.

Third, both Cast’s are good writers. I am not an expert literary critic, but I love that I can pick up the book and read sentences, paragraphs and chapters that flow nicely. It’s like the opposite of Stephen King. I love Stephen King, but when I read his books I have to be 100% awake. It has to be like 1pm, after 2 cups of coffee and then I can read his novels. They are great literary works, but sometimes it is just hard to follow. Anyway, back to Betrayed. The book is well-written, flows nicely, and is interesting… sounds like a triple threat to me .

What I didn’t like:

There is one thing I do not like about the story, and since it is a semi-big piece of the story, I removed a star. I cannot stand Heath. Heath is Zoey’s human exish-boyfriend and he bugs the shit out of me. I understand it’s just a book but whenever he enters the scene I read faster until I reach the next scene…without him. I also understand that some characters are written to be annoying, but I do not think that was the Cast’s goal with Heath’s character…I just hate him. He is a football jock…strike 1. He acts like a total moron in every scene…strike 2. And he is simply not a vampire…strike 3. Sorry Heath, you’re out!

Little Known Fact:

P.C. Cast, the mother, served in the United States Air Force for a few years and attributes her non-procrastination skills to the Air Force’s instillation of discipline.

Fun Fact:

The House of Night has a movie deal. Not sure how many are on the books, but the first is scheduled to come out in 2011.

Alexis