Betrayed (House of Night #2) By Kristin Cast + P.C. Cast

Betrayed By Kristin Cast + P.C. Cast

Published: October 2007
Pages: 320
Age Group: Young Adult
Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Fledgling vampyre Zoey Redbird has managed to settle in at the House of Night. She’s come to terms with the vast powers the vampyre goddess, Nyx, has given her, and is getting a handle on being the new Leader of the Dark Daughters. Best of all, Zoey finally feels like she belongs--like she really fits in. She actually has a boyfriend…or two. Then the unthinkable happens: Human teenagers are being killed, and all the evidence points to the House of Night. While danger stalks the humans from Zoey’s old life, she begins to realize that the very powers that make her so unique might also threaten those she loves. Then, when she needs her new friends the most, death strikes the House of Night, and Zoey must find the courage to face a betrayal that could break her heart, her soul, and jeopardize the very fabric of her world.

When I said that I was in love with the cover of Marked... I lied. Well no, but now it is a lie because HELLO!!! have you seen the cover of Betrayed? Yeah, it is absolutely gorgeous! I love the covers of these books, even the textures are enchanting!

The principle issue I have with this book is Zoey, the main character. She has transformed from a strong-willed, driven teenager hero into a whiny, self-conscious little girl. The plot of the story -Zoey being able to use all five elements, fighting and beating the "popular kids" having multiple gorgeous boyfriends at once, fighting against the undead- creates the possibility for an extremely powerful main character. I picture someone similar to Rose Hathaway from Vampire Academy. However Zoey is none of these things. She is smart in life or death situations, but the majority of her time she just finds ways to make her problems worse and complains about them.

Something I noticed that surprised me very much was typos. During both the first and second book (and even in the third that I am currently reading) I found multiple typos. I noticed two of them in the second book as well as the first. This really surprises me because I would think that after being out for over a year the publisher would have noticed and fixed them on the newly printed copies.

My least favorite scene from the book was when Stevie Rae died. The reason is Zoey's reaction. She expected all of her friends to take care of her and spend their time comforting her instead of grieving for their lost friend. This was especially weird because Erin, Shaunee, and Damien had known Stevie Rae for months longer than Zoey had. It just seemed so unreal that they would be able to comfort Zoey so warmly rather than grieving.

Though many parts of the book bothered me, there were parts I enjoyed very much. For instance, I don't know about you but if some gorgeous vampyre poet was writing me poetry and it showed up mysteriously, I would have melted. I love the way Zoey's boyfriends treat her. She is lucky to have so many understanding people in her life. Not many boyfriends would be understand if you were knowingly dating someone else. If Zoey didn't create so much extra drama, she would have the perfect life.

I also love the change in Neferet's character. I always wondered if she was too good to be true. Apparently, she is. Her character is very well established and left me furious but at the same time intrigued. I still have a hard time believing she is purely evil. I hope there are more twists coming with her character because every time she is a part of the scene something interesting happens!

The books are becoming repetitive and slightly boring to me, but Zoey's boyfriend troubles are still enough to keep me interested! Look for my upcoming reviews as I finish the series!

3/5