Thursday 16 August 2012

The House of Night Series by P.C and Kristin Cast

Book so far: 10
Marked, Betrayed, Chosen, Untamed, Hunted,
Tempted, Burned, Awakened, Destined, Hidden
Publisher: St Martins Griffin

Basic Plot: Set in a world very much like our own aside one big difference. Vampyres (oh yes we use the old cool spelling here). When Zoey Redbird gets marked she is taken to the House of night, a vampyre finishing school, that is if she can undergo the change. With magic from the goddesses and a circle, Zoey realises she is more special than she thinks and there are going to be a hell load of problems heading her way.

Good Points: The whole plot I thought was fantastic. The first couple of  books being the best in my opinion are funny, exciting and at some points very tearful. Zoey's friends are a diverse bunch and Stevie Rae is just the best even if her name is a little annoying. The books also have their fair share of relationship troubles. Team Stark ALL THE WAY! Oh yes I stooped that low...
Basically its all very teenage drama , exaggerated a lot but hey the books are pretty addictive or they were when I first started reading them years ago. The whole save the good against evil is pretty much the plot to all the books and has worked for as long as I anyone can remember. In this case add vampires, romance, some red fledglings, teen drama and an action scene every now and then,alongside a large side of Shocker moments.

Bad Points: Though it does get a tad repetitive at times constantly calling upon the Goddesses and the whole ritual things the books at first don't have that many bad points. The later books aren't as strong as the first in my opinion and it does seem as though the story is being  dragged out too much.
But don't let this dissuade you not to read the series as the first books are awesome. HOWEVER and yes its in capitals for a reason. After beginning to read Richelle Meade's Vampire Academy series I can definitely see the resemblance between the two, but seeing as though I haven't finished that series yet I'll make my final judgement of which is better later.
Basically, yes the House of Night series is somewhat cheesy and the references to Paris Hilton and Ashton Kutcher that try and make it sound youthful and cool are a complete fail. Don't even get me started on the amount of product placement in these books- it is literally like a shopping channel.

To Sum Up... This series is worth checking out for the first couple of books. Yes I know it's vampires and that whole thing has become just a tad tiresome of late but this series is one of the few that make the exception (to some degree.)
One thing I would say about this series is that after the fourth/ fifth book the plot does get a little tiresome but keep reading because there are moments that are worth waiting for if you ignore everything i said about the bad points to the book.
Just try it. What's the worst thing that can happen... you grow a new obsession with old celebs and brand names.
Give em' a try!

2 comments:

  1. I liked the first 2/3 books when I first started reading them years ago. I just quickly lost interest in them but I know a lot of people who have enjoyed the series. (The things I overhear at work, usually consisting of what books young teenage girls have liked and want their friends to read)

    Fiona @ Midnightfantasybookreviews.com

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  2. I totally agree with your review of this series.
    I was OBSESSED while reading the first 4 books. Then it slowly petered off and now I know I am excited for Hidden but it might be because I feel a duty to see the series through...
    The language Cast uses is just too try hard for me. Drives me nuts...
    Thanks for sharing!!
    http://littlehyuts.blogspot.com/

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