Summer Series: House of Night by P.C. & Kristin Cast

 
 Note: This is a review of a whole series and the summary will not spoil any of the books, including the first.
Zoey is just a normal girl until one day after school she is Marked. Marked to be a fledgling where in the next four years she will either turn into a gorgeous full grown vampire or she will die in the changing process. While dealing with be the new kid in the elite school, her mom and step-dad’s disgust with what she’s become and the popular queen bee who can be quite the beeoch, she discovers she’s a standout among the fledglings. Her crescent mark is filled in, like an adult vampire, yet she is still a fledgling. Zoey realizes that that the Goddess has chosen her specifically for a job. She just not sure what that is yet. Follow Zoey on her journey through school, boyfriends, death, affinities, war, betrayal, and friendship.

To start I had a love-hate relationship with these books. I’ve heard really great things about them but when I read the first book in the spring I was sadly disappointed. But I decided I would give there series another try. So I really tried to like the books but the really weren’t that incredible and I only made it to book four. But here’s more specifically what I thought about it.

The Good: Zoey and her friends are funny and very relatable. They really made the story readable. They had a really interesting dynamic together that made me want to be their friend too. Stevie Rae is southern bell with quite a sense of humor and a “mother hen” outlook. Damon, their openly gay friend, taught me some new words that I’m sure will probably show up in my SATs for which I thank him. Lastly, Zoey, though I wanted to shake her senseless sometimes she really was a strong heroine who dealt with horrible circumstances very realistically, she didn’t pretend she was Super God and made everything perfect again. Because what teenager doesn’t freak out a little when they’re in over their head.

The Bad: Overall I thought the House of Night series was lacking in maturity and action. One thing that drives me crazy in a book is parentheses. I can deal with one or two but one every page, not so much. When a novel is written in first person, like House of Night, I feel there is no need for them especially when your going to say something like this; “I learned it from Star Wars (I know I’m such a geek)”. The novel fell flat in the action department. I wasn’t on the edge of my seat at all. The novel was also a bit predictable. It lacked intrigue, poise and overall sophistication. I felt like it was more written for middle grade. The only thing that made it YA was the swear words and occasional sexual references. Though it was nothing inappropriate and I would say middle grades could read it.

Overall: C- 

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