Betrayed (House of Night, Book 2) by PC Cast, Kristin Cast Summary and Reviews
|
List Price: Our Price: $4.91 You Save: $4.04 (45%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $4.81 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of Betrayed (House of Night, Book 2)
Book Review: My daughter loves this book
Summary: 5 Stars
This was the first item on my daughter's Christmas list. She devoured the book in 3 days. She has since reread the first book in the series and has asked for the next as soon as it is published. Book Review: How Can You Stand Her?
Summary: 1 Stars
It was very difficult for me to finish this book. I had to keep putting it down and do something else before I could muster the courage to pick it up again. This book, put simply, is a train wreck--horrible, but you can't stop looking.
The first book wasn't half bad, if you could look past the flat, uninteresting characters, bad narrative, and terrible grammar. (Isn't PC Cast a professor? I can only pray not for English.) The first book had new, innovative ideas for the teen-vampire genre.
This book was awful.
Zoey's perfect perfectness is disgusting. She has virtually no flaws. Any minor flaw she might have doesn't even matter, like the fact she's not as good as Damien in fencing. She's unique and hates it. She's modest, but it's not even to a fault. It's just revolting to imagine someone like this exists.
In fact, Zoey is pretty much what every girl wishes to be. She's perfect, has one mean villain, wonderful, loyal friends, and three studly guys lusting after her. (Don't even get me started on that. As soon as Loren came into the picture, I nearly dropped the book like hot iron.)
Her friends lack personality. There is a portion in the book wherein Zoey names their virtues, but we never see much of them.
And the authors are very obviously emoting in their books. Their clear disdain for any sort of Christian-based religion oozes out of the first chapter (I'm not even religious, but the sheer disdain and self-righteousness made me feel queasy). Every female who hates Zoey is a "ho". And, of course, Zoey and Aphrodite both had such terrible upbringings.
Truth be told, despite Aphrodite's trite childhood, she was the only vaguely interesting character. She did more showing than telling, and when she did it was pretty much the only time these authors abide that rule. Flat statements of how the narrator hates homophobes and believes more "white men should date women of color" to "expand their horizons." Seriously, SHOW these things, don't give the reader a lecture.
If you appreciate vampires, good writing, and interesting characters... DO NOT pick this book. I can't stomach any more of Zoey, and buying the third book when they decide to unleash it on the world is a definite NO from this avid teen-vampire reader.
Book Review: Where the heck are the editors?
Summary: 1 Stars
Had I not been required to read and review this book, I might not have read past the second or third chapter. I had a hard time believing how bad it was, however, and kept thinking it would get better.
The authors start out with a great concept: a vampire finishing school. However, they seem utterly unable to evoke any sort of sense of place, and scenes that take place within the school are largely indistinguishable from those that take place outside it. The idea of a vampire finishing school lends itself to some sort of dark humor, but alas, any humor whatsoever is absent entirely from the clumsy and self-serious narration.
The narrator is not particularly believable as a teenager, and the authors abuse the first-person narrative by violating the best-known precept of good writing: show us, don't tell us. They never bother to show what they can have the narrator tell us, laboriously and without grace. Oh, and with as many adjectives as possible. (Where were the editors? It didn't have to be this bad.) It's hard to understand why everyone likes the main character, as she's about as prone to repeating herself, using exactly the same phrases, as the stereotypical elderly lady you can't get away from. Oh, old Zoey's on again about how she's the only fledgling to have power over all the elements and to have a filled-in tattoo! Smile and nod, folks, smile and nod.
Finally, the plot itself has little sense of momentum. Most of the events, rather than seeming to arise organically out of what has come before, seem manufactured to get the narrator where she needs to go.
There is the start of some decent character development in Aphrodite and Neferet, but not enough to make me read anything else in this series. What a pity such a great concept was so thoroughly wasted.
For vampire stories with actual wit and good writing, I'd suggest Tanya Huff's Blood series instead, Kim Harrison's Hollows series, or Stephanie Meyers' books. You can get your vampire fix without having to endure this sort of bad writing.
Book Review: It was alright...
Summary: 3 Stars
I have to say, I was a real fan of Marked, the first novel in the House of Night series. Like most sequels, however, Betrayed can't compete. The plot seemed rather random, especially with the "cliff-hanger" ending; the romance, while well written, seemed there just for the sake of "spicing up" a not-so-developed story.
Still, I can't complain about the romance. Loren was a great character, and I liked how Cast tried to make Zoey get in touch with her adult side when she was around him.
The religion bashing was harsher this time, and definitely not subtle. Although every religion has its negatives - and yes, often they are awful - most books show an understanding of the fact that religion itself is not bad, but the people who twist it. The Casts came off as just wanting to rant at non-Pagan religions, without actually understanding them or their background. Did the parents come to visit for any other purpose?
More (graphic?) sexual (not always romance) scenes. Take that as a negative or positive as you will.
Still, Betrayed is written with its great humor still there, and Aphrodite is finally fleshed out, making her one of the characters to empathize with the most.
A second book in any series usually is just a connecter, which I felt that Betrayed was. I'm still looking forward to Chosen, the next book in the series, though.
Book Review: Addictive vampire tale
Summary: 4 Stars
Zoey is starting to feel like she belongs at the House of Night with her new friends and Erik, her hot new boyfriend. But then the unthinkable happens. Human teens are being killed and all the evidence points to vampyres. Zoey finds out that the very powers that make her unique might also threaten those she's loves. When she needs her friends the most, death strikes the House of Night. Zoey must find the courage to face a betrayal that could break her heart and jeopardize her world.
The House of Night series is like addictive candy. Once you start to read the story, you can't put the book down.
Vampyres are not the cliche monsters of a Dracula tale. They don't burn up in sunlight(though the sun does bother them), have fangs, or die with a stake in the heart.
I really liked how Zoey shows her vulnerabilities--how she still cares for her human ex-boyfriend, Heath, how she refuses to see the bad in one of her friends, and her struggles to fight back against something that she knows is wrong. The authors do a great job portraying teen fledglings. I can't wait to read the next book, CHOSEN, that comes out in March.