Leafing Through Pages: Chosen (House of Night #3)

For review of all books in this series: Go here.

Stars: 3 / 5

Recommendation: Another series set in a world where humans and vampyres co-exist; with romance, mystery, learning to live a new life; and above all trust, friendship and belonging; everything melded together in the plot. It does come with a few flaws. But the book isn’t completely unfortunate either.

Chosen is the third book in the House of Night young adult vampire-theme based fantasy fiction series co-authored by P. C. Cast and her daughter Kristin Cast, first published in March of 2008. We continue with the story of Zoey Redbird as she moves through the process of Change to become a vampyre.

The stories in the series revolve around 16-year old Zoey Redbird is marked by a vampyre tracker forcing her to leave her home and family and move into the House of Night boarding school in Tulsa, Oklahoma as a fledgling Vampyre. But learning to be a vampyre is not easy, specially when one is Marked as special by the vampyre Goddess Nyx. Also all doesn’t seem to be what it looks like in the boarding school as well. What follows are a series of adventures in each book; uncovering hidden mysteries; finding true love; and above all embracing the destiny and live through it shining bright. The stories are told in first person narration.

The story in this book begins after the incidents from the previous book Betrayed. Zoey’s best friend Stevie Rae is undead and struggling to maintain a grip on her humanity. Zoey wants to help her as much as she can, but then vampyres start turning up dead, really dead. She has to take help of her friends and unravel another mystery and save the vampyres.

The plot continues from when Stevie Ray had died of Change but then was raised as undead by Neferet, the High Priestess. It was sad to see Stevie Ray’s role changed like that since I liked her better than our lead heroine Zoey.

Authors Casts put Zoey in a love quadruple with three boy friends which actually I didn’t like much – her human boyfriend Heath whom she accidentally gets imprinted; her vampyre boyfriend Erik Night who was actually Aphrodite’s boyfriend but changes sides; and her teacher Professor Loren Blake, where she doesn’t stop him from kissing her or even encourage him to do it. Why did she need a third boyfriend? And that too a Professor. In real world this would be considered sexual assault by a professor on a minor. It didn’t sit well, but it was needed for the story I guess.

Zoey is growing stronger as each episode passes. However, I would like her to be a bit more decisive, less impulsive and less potent to charms that make her lead by her libido. Hopefully in the next book things might be different for her. She is a teenager of course and all the teenage angst and emotions need to be there in the plot. Erik is evolving as well and his character is not so much confused compared to previous books.

I have read several other young adult fiction by other authors that come in the similar paranormal genre. However only few authors made a practice of using the teenage language in their stories even though the characters are teens. Authors Casts have done the same practice in this book. Although it irked me, it seemed reasonable since we are reading it from a teenager’s point of view.

The books start off slowly and in the end rush like a speeding train. Yet the authors Casts leave so many open ended plots and leave a cliffhanger making the reader want more. I wish the speed of the plot is balanced through out.

Authors Cast continue to give us the medley of teenage emotions. Repeat paraphrasing has reduced a lot in this book. Continuing in the world where humans and vampyres co-exist, this time around the plot turns a little deadly. It is enough for me to continue with the series even though the quadruple romance didn’t sit well with me.

With romance, mystery, learning to live a new life; and above all trust, friendship and belonging; everything melded together in the plot, it does come with a few flaws. But the book isn’t completely unfortunate either.

Spoiler Alerts:

Plot Reveals:

1. Aphrodite joins the Circle as Earth now that Stevie Ray is Undead.
2. Dark Daughters & Sons is constantly referred to as just Dark Daughters since previous book Betrayed. Might the authors have changed it?
3. Because of Loren, Zoey loses the imprint of Heath, but she also loses her boyfriend Erik who catches them in action. In the end with Loren being killed she loses that imprint with Loren as well.
4. Professors Nolan and Loren Blake are murdered in this plot. Who is behind it is yet to be found?

Sub-Plots:

1. Zoey’s birth family – Mom Linda Heffer, step-father John Heffer, Elder of the People of Faith Church; older sister; younger brother Kevin; Grandma Sylvia Redbird; Paul Montgomery, her biological father.
2. Zoey’s friends and teachers from her school in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma before she was Marked: Kayla Robinson, her ex-best friend; Heath Luck, her ex-boyfriend & football team quarterback; Mrs. Day, Chess Club head; Mr. Shaddox, History teacher; Kathy Richter
3. People of Faith Church members – Dr. Asher, family shrink; Damien’s father is a minister at the Dallas branch.
4. Law Enforcement – Detective Martin; Detective Marx (his twin sister, Anne is a powerful adult vampyre).
5. From Marked:
   • What deal Neferet made with the Saint Augustine People of Faith Church monks to take over their monastery and convert it into House of Night?
6. From Betrayed:
   • Zoey gives an oath of one favor to Aphrodite in this plot. What does Aphrodite ask of Zoey is something we need to watch out for?

House Of Night Residents:

1. A Junk DNA strand triggered by hormonal changes in humans, starts the whole Change into a vampyre. The fledgling vampyres have to go through four years of Change process that are divided into four classes – third formers, fourth formers, fifth formers, sixth formers.
2. Dark Daughters & Dark Sons – A group of elite fledgling vampyres. Zoey is the leader of this group & High Priestess in training as of Marked. Zoey is the Lead Dark Daughter.
3. Staff – Neferet, High Priestess & Zoey’s enemy; Professor Doner; Professor Vento; Professor Penthesilea; Professor “Dragon” Lankhord; Professor Garmy; Professor Lenobia, Equestrian; Professor Anastasia, Dragon’s wife.
4. Adult vampyres – Sappho, media specialist; Erik Night, a drama student & one of Zoey’s love interests, he becomes an adult Vampyre after going through the Change in this book.
5. Fledgling vampyres – Enyo; Deino; Pemphredo; Sarah Freebird; Diana; Drew Partain; Walter; Thor; Amanda; Kaci Crump; Cassie Kramme; Cole Clifton.
6. Zoey’s friends here: Stevie Rae Johnson, her roommate who is now becomes a different kind of Vampyre – Red Vampyre; Damien Maslin and Jack Twist, gay couple; Erin Bates and Shaunee Cole, collectively called as Twins even though they are NOT by birth, due to their minds working equally, Shaunee is interested in Cole Clifton while Erin is interested in T. J. Hawkins; Their elements are – Shaunee is Fire; Stevie Rae was Earth; Aphrodite become something more than a human when trying to save Stevie Rae; Erin is Water; Damien is Air and Zoey is Spirit.
7. Sons of Erebus, elite Vampyre Warriors: Darius.
8. Animals in residence – Skylar, Neferet’s cat; Beezlebub, Erin & Shaunee’s cat; Cameron “Cammy”, Damien’s cat; Persephone, horse; Nala, Zoey’s cat; Wolverine, Loren’s cat.
9. New species of undead vampyres are being created & Neferet is somehow responsible, led by Stevie Rae – Elliot; Venus Davis.

Grammatical / Character / Plot / Geographical / Historical / Mythological Errors:

1. On Pg. 138, Line 13, it should be “…Nyx has given Aphrodite…”
2. On Pg. 140, Line 8, there should be a space between “fucking” and “thing”
3. Although 2 nights pass between Zoey’s birthday fight with her mother and the next time Zoey call her mother to ask something, on Pg. 163, it is shown as if only one night has passed.
4. On Pg. 203, Line 4 from bottom, it should be “Nolan”.
5. On Pg. 242, Line 9 shouldn’t it be “..I knew that I….”
6. Erin’s interest seems to have been shifted from Drew (As of Betrayed) to T. J. Hawkins in this book.