Leafing Through Pages: Untamed (House of Night #4)

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

Stars: 3 / 5

Recommendation: Continuing in the world where humans and vampyres co-exist, this time around the plot is really gripping and keeping the reader at the edge. With romance, mystery, learning to live a new life; and above all trust, friendship and belonging; everything melded together in the plot, the series is growing on me.

Untamed is the fourth 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 September 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 17-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 plot begins two days after the previous book Chosen ends. Zoey loses her boyfriends and her close group friends in a matter of a week’s time, all thanks to some crappy decisions she made and some powerful people trying to discredit her. While Neferet declares war on humans on account of two dead Vampyre Professors, she has to get back her friends and help them understand that Neferet is wrong in waging the war. But who will listen to her?

This is by far the best book I read in the series. It has grit, mystery, courage, romance and even thwarting of evil – all in equal amounts. I finally enjoyed the series with this book. Even got some tears when I read about James Stark’s situation in Chapter Thirteen. There are tons of literary references,  but more on Bram Stoker’s Dracula. I recently completed reading that book and was pleased to see the references.

Zoey is growing stronger as each episode passes. And she is much better in this book, although she freezes at the most important time just like any teenager. Se is more decisive and less impulsive this time around. She is a teenager of course and all the teenage angst and emotions need to be there in the plot. All the supporting characters are changing considerably too showing their real strength ad growing into adults far too sooner.

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.

Again there is a cliffhanger and enough sub plots for more books to be grafted by authors Casts in future. This time they did speed up the plot a bit balanced way. 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 is really gripping and keeping the reader at the edge. With romance, mystery, learning to live a new life; and above all trust, friendship and belonging; everything melded together in the plot, the series is growing on me.

Spoiler Alerts:

Plot Reveals:

1. Dark Daughters & Sons is constantly referred to as just Dark Daughters since previous book Betrayed. Might the authors have changed it?
2. Stevie gets a new mark that is red in color as opposed to the standard color of sapphire. Stevie kind of forms a leader for the undead kids who also have the red crescent moons. Naturally one can assume that they will Change like Stevie Ray. They all live in the abandoned tunnels that Stevie is trying to make them livable. Who are these new vampyres is a mystery still.
3. Heath breaks up with Zoey after being unimprinted in Chosen.
4. Zoey’s grandmother meets with a car accident and is under the care of Sister Mary Angela.
5. Kalona is raised from dead by Neferet who announces herself as Queen Tsi Sgili, starting a rampage on humans.
6. Shekinah is hurt by Neferet but not sure if she is dead or alive.

Sub-Plots:

1. Zoey’s birth family and friends: 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; John Whitehorse, friend of Zoey’s grandmother
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 human 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 Kevin Marx (his twin sister, Anne is a powerful adult vampyre).
5. Street Cat’s Benedictine nuns: Sister Mary Angela; Sister Bianca; Sister Fatima.
6. 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?
7. 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?
8. From Marked:
   • What deal Neferet made with the Saint Augustine People of Faith Church monks aka Cascia Monks to take over their monastery and convert it into House of Night?
9. From Chosen:
   • Heath loses the imprint when Zoey imprints with Loren, but she loses that when Loren is killed.
   • Now that Loren is dead, what happens to his cat Wolverine? And what happened to Neferet’s Cat Skylar?
10. House Of Night Residents:
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • Staff – Neferet, High Priestess & Zoey’s enemy; Professor Doner; Professor Vento; Professor Penthesilea; Professor Bryan “Dragon” Lankford, fencing master; Professor Garmy; Professor Lenobia, equestrian instructor; Professor Anastasia, Dragon’s wife; Professor Erik Night, Drama replacing Professor Nolan who was killed in Chosen.
    • Adult vampyres – Sappho, media specialist; Shekinah, High Priestess of all vamps; Miss Taylor, an acolyte to Nyx.
    • Fledgling vampyres – Enyo; Deino; Pemphredo; Sarah Freebird; Diana; Drew Partain; Walter; Thor; Amanda; Kaci Crump; Cassie Kramme; Becca Adams.
    • Zoey’s friends here: Stevie Rae Johnson, becomes the first Red Vampyre; Damien Maslin and Jack Twist, gay couple; Erin Bates and Shaunee Cole, Twins NOT by birth, but due to their minds working equally, Shaunee dating Cole Clifton while Erin is dating T. J. Hawkins; Their elements are – Shaunee is Fire; Stevie Rae is Earth; Aphrodite become something more than a human when trying to save Stevie Rae; Erin is Water; Damien is Air and Zoey is all elements including Spirit.
    • Sons of Erebus, elite Vampyre Warriors: Ate, their leader; Darius; Stephan.
    • Animals in residence – Beezlebub, Erin & Shaunee’s cat; Cameron “Cammy”, Damien’s cat; Persephone, horse; Nala, Zoey’s cat; Duchess “Duch”, Stark’s Labrador Retriever; Nefertiti, Darius’s calico cat; Maleficent, Aphrodite’s cat.
    • Red Fledglings Undead Vampyres who Change to them, led by Stevie Rae – Elliot; Venus Davis; James Stark
    • Kalona and The Raven Mockers: He was an angel who fell and turned evil.

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

1. On Pg. 18, it is mentioned that Neferet announces a human-vampyre war because of Loren’s death. But shouldn’t the authors have included Professor Nolan’s death too?
2. On Pg. 23, Aphrodite asks Zoey to meet her at her room. Instead at the beginning of Chapter Four we see that Aphrodite actually meets in Zoey’s room, not the other way round.
3. On Pg. 155, Line 10 from bottom, shouldn’t it be “..shook my head…”?
4. On Pg. 261, Line 3, it should be “…when did you turn…”