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.
Hunted is the fifth 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 2009. 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 who is marked by a vampyre tracker forcing her to 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 the very night where the previous book Untamed ended. Kalona and Neferet take over the House of Night along with the Raven Mockers who wreak havoc in Broken Arrow and Tulsa in Oklahoma. Barely Zoey and her friends along with Darius the Erebus warrior escape by the skin of their teeth. Now they have to go back into the House of Night and fight Kalona and Neferet before their plan to overtake the High Council is put into motion. And Zoey needs every one she can tap into for her aid.
Just when I started to like the series, Authors Casts put Zoey again in a quadrangle love story – Heath Luck, her human ex-boyfriend, who again imprints with her; Erik Night, now an adult Vampyre wants to get back with her; and James Stark, the newly turned Red Fledgling, who for some reason captures her attention. I wonder why Zoey’s character comes closer to becoming a ho, as she calls herself, when she is supposed to be the High Priestess with high morals. She likes and loves all three of them. Who will she eventually chose as her consort and as her mate?
Zoey is growing stronger as each episode passes. However, she falls back into her teenage angst, freezing up at the most opportune times, and again keeps making impulsive decisions. 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 showing their real strength ad growing into adults far too sooner.
I personally didn’t like the characterization of Heath in this book. He is very selfish, and behaves like a kid who lost a toy when continuously Zoey keeps telling him that he has to move on. He almost causes her to die with his stupidity. This cannot be love. This is blind obsession. Will Heath change for better in future is what we have to wait and see…very patiently.
There is no Cliffhanger but Authors Casts have left enough meat for readers to anticipate and ponder on for the next book. What direction the tale will take with so many angles, we have to just wait and see. 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. Yet I am still stumbling through.
Spoiler Alerts:
- Plot Reveals:
- Dark Daughters & Sons is constantly referred to as just Dark Daughters since previous book Betrayed. Might the authors have changed it?
- Stevie Rae and Aphrodite get Imprinted when Aphrodite gives her blood to Stevie Rae to save her.
- Red Fledglings still have trouble controlling their blood lust. And there are more Red Fledglings who are yet to be seen.
- James Stark gets injured at the end of the book.
- Sub-Plots:
- 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
- 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
- People of Faith Church members – Dr. Asher, family shrink; Damien’s father is a minister at the Dallas branch.
- Law Enforcement – Detective Martin; Detective Kevin Marx (his twin sister, Anne is a powerful adult vampyre).
- Street Cat’s Benedictine nuns: Sister Mary Angela, prioress; Sister Bianca; Sister Fatima. Zoey starts charity with them.
- 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?
- 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?
- From Chosen:
- Now that Loren is dead, what happens to his cat Wolverine? And what happened to Neferet’s Cat Skylar?
- From Untamed:
- Kalona is raised from dead by Neferet who announces herself as Queen Tsi Sgili, starting a rampage on humans.
- 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.
- Staff – Professor Doner; Professor Vento; Professor Penthasilea; Professor Bryan “Dragon” Lankhord, fencing master; Professor Garmy, Spanish teacher; Professor Lenobia, equestrian instructor; Professor Anastasia, Dragon’s wife; Professor Erik Night, Drama.
- Adult vampyres – Sappho, media specialist; 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; Aristos; – Most of them are killed by Raven Mockers.
- 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; Maine Coon Shadowfax, Professor Dragon Lankford’s cat; Guinevere, Professor Anastasia’s Cat; Professor Lenobia’s Cat.
- Red Fledglings, Undead Vampyres who Change to them, led by Stevie Rae – Elliot; Venus Davis; Montoya; Shannon Compton; Sophie; Dallas; Anthony “Ant”; Johnny B; Gerart; Kramisha, Vampyre Poet Laureate bestowed by Zoey and her Prefect Council; James Stark, second Red Vampire to undergo Change after he pledges his allegiance to Zoey becoming a Warrior – They live in the abandoned tunnels
- Kalona and The Raven Mockers: A Fallen Angle tuned Evil; Rephaim is his spoken son.
- Grammatical / Character / Plot / Geographical / Historical / Mythological Errors:
- On Pg. 26, Aphrodite introduces everyone to Venus. But again the introductions happen again on Pg. 34. May be because there are more Red Fledglings by then?
- Poetry is discovered in Kramisha’s room which she herself has written in Chapter Eight. However on Pg. 146 it is mentioned that the poetry written by Kramisha was discovered in Aphrodite’s room.
- On Pg. 222, Line 9, there is an closing quote that is not required.
Galavant Reflections 