I have read all of the House of Night series.
Truthfully, I'd not been aware of it until I saw the authors recently on TV. I got the books and started reading. Will it outdo Twilight series? No. Harry Potter? No. But is it an innovative take on vampyres? Yes.
Zoey Redbird has been marked - some weird looking dude appears before her and says some weird words, and disappears. She discovers she has the outline of a crescent moon on her forehead! This means she is tapped to be a student and part of The House of Night - a school for fledglings who will either become a vampyre, or their bodies reject the process and they die!
But she sees the Goddess Nix, and the Goddess finds favor with Zoey, and the Goddess fills in her crescent – something that usually doesn’t happen until a fledgling transforms into a vampyre.
Zoey, dealing with an uncomfortable situation at home - her step-father is very dominating of her mother, and Zoey is miserable, so picking up and leaving to a boarding school for pre-vamps sounds pretty good to her. Zoey finds friends who in various books are BFF's or giving her the cold shoulder.
Zoey has found she has a great gift given to her by the goddess Nix - she can cast the circle and can call on all the elements - indeed the first book's magic - was, well, when the magic of the circle comes.
Zoey's mentor and counselor is Neferet, who at first in my mind resembles the good witch from The Wizard of Oz - very beautiful, very powerful. Neferet is the High Priestess of The House of Night. She becomes like a surrogate mother to Zoey.
The whole series is addictive to me - I love vamps - indeed am writing my own vamp novel based on my popular short story THIRST - but I have more questions than answers -
Who pays the kids' tuition and living expenses?
Aside from the undead (they chomp down on their victims), how do the adult vamps feed? Dixie cups? I know sometimes blood is mixed in wine - but I want to know -
The path of Neferet has been really great - from goody two shoes to oh my gosh – creating horrid undead from dead fledglings, plotting to take over by allying with and wanting to be all powerful consort of the immortal Kalona - whom she brought back by an ancient magic – a fallen angel who is gorgeous with black hair and black wings. Did I mention this dude is evil incarnate?
The kids are fighting back uniting in the name of following Nix.
How do all of the kids when they are marked all of a sudden give up their religions and follow Nix? Although the Goddess Nix is wonderful and in book four the nuns say she is another name for the Holy Mother –
The timeframe from Marked to Hunted is only a few months since Zoey was marked at her mortal high school to the present. That’s a lot of action for the span of five books in such a small time.
Lots of everyday questions - but the series is a lot of fun and you root for all the kids who are part of Zoey's life.
The additions of Native American culture are amazing and the most important element of strength that Zoey had - to learn about the Culture, and a great deal of the mythology, is great.
I have to admit I read each book in a day - and have already ordered book six.
It is a great series - I am older than what the books are intended for, but that is true of a lot of Twilighters, and Harry Potter fans. The older fans can enjoy it too.
Aside from some of the questions I mentioned - and more - I love this series -
Now my vamp hero from THIRST is nothing like these - well maybe poetic like Loren - although he doesn't look like Loren - but he has the heart of a poet yet can bite you in the throat if you cross him!
This makes the concept of vampire or vampyre stories so much fun - any take on them, make it believable in some magical way, and you have a winner!
Got to read all the books - and read again!
Excellent!
ellen george
Marked ISBN10:0312360266, Betrayed, ISBN 10L 0312360282, Chosen ISBN 10: 0312360304, Untamed ISBN 10: 0312379838, and Hunted ISBN 10: 031237982X, authors P.C. Cast and daughter Kristin Cast, St. Martin's Press, review/musings by ellen george
