“Chosen” by P.C. Cast & Kristen Cast

Oh Man! This is a highly addictive series!

In this book, "Chosen," the heroine, fledgling vampyre, Zoey Redbird, finds that her friends have turned on her and she ends up turning to her sworn enemies for friendship. Her best friend, Stevie Rae, is undead and struggling with her humanity and Zoey doesn't have a clue how to help her. Now Zoey finds she's got three boyfriends, which can be a social disaster.

I was bothered by the fact that Zoey falls in love with her teacher and ends up having sex with him. I know this occasionally happens in real life and I know we don’t want to treat it like it should never be brought out of the closet. However, this is a YA (Young Adult) series. I do expect to read some language and sexual innuendo or perhaps tame sex scenes, but I don’t think things like this should be introduced as acceptable to our teens. The fact that she falls in love with just about every boy she makes contact with is grating, but it is a known fact with teens. Hormones are coursing through her veins.

Although I found a couple of points to take issue with in this series thus far, I did enjoy the overall story. The basic plot to the story focuses on a murder that happens on campus. This causes Zoey to move off campus where she attempts to save her best friend, Stevie Rae. Of course, Stevie Rae, now a red vampyre, seems to have lost her humanity, but Zoey can’t believe this to be true, and she makes it her goal to try to save her best friend.

Neferet is as evil as ever and we see what else she has to offer as she attempts to get rid of Zoey. I think out of all these characters, I truly love Aphrodite. She seems to put everything out there whether you want to hear it or not. Even in the most “Valley Girl,” “Rich Bitch” kind of way, Aphrodite holds no punches.

Again... a very addictive read! I couldn't and didn't put the book down until I was done!!

Now, if you have read the first two books of this series then this book is a must-read. However, if you are checking out the series as a mother or father of a teen who wants to read this, be cautioned there is adult content here… more than most other paranormal YA books.

“Betrayed” by P.C. Cast & Kristen Cast

After reading "Marked," there was only one thing I could do and that was to continue into the series by reading, "Betrayed."

Betrayed is the second installment in the House of Night series. It is dark and sexy, and was fantastic to read. It picks up where Marked left off.

Our heroine, Zoey Redbird, seems to be an anomaly among fledglings in the House of Night. She is the most powerful fledgling at the House of Night and quite possibly the most powerful in vampyre history. After taking over leadership of the Dark Daughters and Sons, she seems to be settling in nicely at the House of Night finishing school. She finally feels like she belongs. In this book, Zoey is determined to change things in the school, from a snobby elitist clique to something of substance, meaning. We begin to see Zoey feel comfortable in her own skin and she actually seems to mature a little.

Along with Zoey’s growing pains with learning to be the priestess that she seems to be training for, her love life seems to be a mess. She finds herself in love with two boys and one of her professors. Just when things begin to look up, trouble happens to the humans in her old life. They keep disappearing. Zoey must find the courage to face a betrayal that could break her heart and her soul.

Once I started to read this book, I couldn't put it down. It was obvious how hooked I had become. I like how the Cast’s are developing the characters and how they seem to get along with each other in this series. Each character is beginning to grow into what they believe is their path in life. Even though I really like Zoey, I think I like Aphrodite and Stevie Rae a little better. They seem to be the most open and straight forward what’s happening throughout the book.

I find it odd that the Cast’s did not proofread their books though. I’m seeing a number of grammatical errors throughout the story. I can only hope they will see this in their future installations.

If you enjoy vampire stories, this is a good one. However, it is not like your typical vampire story. I think that is why I thoroughly enjoyed it.

You can visit the Cast's website to learn more about their other books in this series. http://www.houseofnightseries.com