I started reading the first book of this series about 5 days ago and was hooked. I almost liked it more than the twilight series. I love the action and different spin P.C. Cast and her daughter take to create this amazing young adults vampire series! You all will love it if you loved the Twilight series.

I like these series but if you want Vampire don't read this one. It is more about the earth, and other elements but not enough blood sucking stuff. :) Not to say I don't like the story of all the books in the series. It just doesn't do a whole lot about vampires. She loses all her men in this book but at least she got some kind of action. I did not like the 4th book.

This was an awesome book. It was very sexy and clean at the same time.
I would read it all over again..I think this is my favorite book from the whole series..

I loved this book, altho it defiantly left you craving more. I cant wait for the next book to be released, seems like it can never be too soon.

CHOSEN
P.C. CAST & KRISTIN CAST
Paranormal YA

Rating: 4 Enchantments

The third book in the House of Night series, CHOSEN picks up shortly after `Betrayed'. Dealing with the secrets she has to hide from her friends, knowing that any knowledge of Stevie Ray's condition could put them, not too mentions Stevie Ray, in jeopardy, Zoey decides the safest thing for all involved is to keep the secret to herself...and Aphrodite. But that's not the only thing she has to deal with. Heath is still desperate to maintain their relationship, Erik is her vampyre boyfriend and Poet Laureat Lorne Blake is making her contemplate having three boyfriends at once.

My biggest issue with CHOSEN was it felt like there was a good portion of the book that was a rehash of back story and that had me skimming sections to get past what I already knew. However, there are more than enough unexpected twists and jaw dropping turns that kept me glued to the story. The conflict between Neferet and Zoey deepens, almost hitting a crescendo with a startling discovery of just what exactly the high priestess is willing to do to destroy Zoey. Aphrodite becomes a frenemy of sorts to Zoey, something the group just can't understand with their limited knowledge of what is actually going on.

I love the dynamic between Zoey and Aphrodite, the friendship that seems to be forming between them or at least a very unlikely alliance. Now that Aphrodite is on Neferet's bad side, the two girls have some common ground, including the fact that they're the only two at the House of Night whose minds she can't read.

Look for UNTAMED, the fourth book in this great series to release September 2008.

Lisa
Enchanting Reviews
August 2008

If you like vampire stories, this series rocks. Right on up there with the Twilight Series. Maybe not quite as good, but great reading. Highly recommended. Not just for teenagers. Good reading for older folks, too.

I picked up this series because I have started to like more "paranormal" series vs. reading just stand alone novels and I have to tell you that I wasn't sure if I was liking the series with just book one-up until the middle to end of the book. That was when I realized that it was pretty cool. It took a while to get used to Zoey's (the main character) narrative but by this book (book 3) you feel like you know her and aren't suprised by anything that comes out of her mouth. This book picks up where the 2nd one leaves off: Zoey is the leader of the Dark Daughters and is imprinted with Heath her "ex" human boyfriend, dating Erik Night one of the most handsome and popular students at the House of Night, and is being flirted with by the mysterious and handsome poet Loren, which is a teacher at her school. Suddenly not only does Zoey have to deal with her bloodlust issues and dating 3 guys at once - she has to come to terms with the realization that her best friend - who is now the Undead dead - needs her help or her soul will be lost to darkness forever and that humans are stalking vampires and murdering them - causing the vampires at and students at the House of Night to become uneasy with humans being so close to them. This book was really good (the best of the 3 out so far) and I can't wait for more to come!!

It just feel wrong. The way the Cast write the story with all the typos, annoying. About the 3 guys interested in Zoey, why? She is a Mary Sue and her calling herself a "ho" after three books calling Aprhodite a "ho". She's just so hypocrite. Zoey is a flat Character and this series lost their way.

I really enjoy the idea of these books. I CAN'T STAND, however, the authors' tendency to re-tell the reader all of what happened in the previous books. I mean, who is reading book 3 without having read some of the other books? Do we really have to get the Cherokee translation for daughter again? PLEASE stop treating us like we are total morons with the memory of a two-year-old. The overt sexuality is a bit much for any teens that I teach, and I couldn't safely recommend this to a teen without worrying about a parent freaking out. Definitely not Twilight, even though I find the initial ideas and characters much more intriguing.

Let me just start by saying that I have read all the House of Night books, and that I really like this series.

However while searching for a book for my 9 yr old son this book popped up, now while this book is fine for perhaps ages 15, 16 and up defiantly not for the 9 - 12 year range.

Now while I thoroughly enjoyed hot vampire sex I'm sure it's not something you'd want your 9 - 12 yr old reading.

I just finished the 3rd book in the series-Chosen-and I have to warn you.
It's an intertaining story; however, MANY of the books characters are poorly undeveloped. The "twins" are too much alike and have no real personality of their own, and you hardly ever hear from Erin. The story itself takes place over the course of 2-3 months (that's ALL 3 books.) And yet these people she meets are her best friends right away, but once Zoey runs into some problems they turn on her. Then the nastiest character ends up being more of a friend then the rest of them.
The guys are all 3 the same, and fall for Zoey sooo fast for no reason. I thought there would be a lot more to Erik Night and was totaly let down. Zoey starts of telling Erik how "I'm not that kind of girl," and then she ends up being "that kind of girl," with 3 diff. guys!! Don't get me wrong, Zoey is a likable girl and even relatable, but for a smart girl, she sure is dumb! And then there is the whole repetitive problem...after the first book-Marked-the other two books repeat almost everything over in the fist half of the books!! I don't know about you, but if i need THAT much of a recap, then I can just go back to books 1 and 2!!...GET ON WITH THE STORY! lastly, I really feel that the books should span a much longer deration of time; all of book 2 takes place in a matter of a week. Come on, give us some more time with the characters, let ginuine love and trust, and friendship develop for a while longer so that the things that happen between the charachters is more beleivable.

In the beginning of this series I was a little worried but each book has drawn me in. Definitely a good read for this genre.

Okay I tried to like this book. I'm young at heart and enjoy a good high school story, but this one has a some glaring problems that I could not get past.

1. There are more run-on sentences and typos in this book than I have ever seen in a professionally published novel. Two sentences cannot be hooked together with just a conjunction. The comma is not optional. This mistake is nearly on every page of the book, at least every other page.

2. It is never okay to portray a student having sex with a teacher as a good, exciting thing. This book is listed as a teen novel. What worse message can you send than it's exciting and wonderful to get physically involved with the teacher? I'm no prude, but it's not cool for a young high school girl to make out with an adult male teacher. It's not even legal.

3. Zoey is a spoiled and unlikeable character. She'll make out with anyone with lips, and we're supposed to think it's okay bc she has a fleeting moment of guilt? Wrong. She's spoiled and cruel. If a guy were physically involved with 3 or more women at the same time he'd be portrayed as a player and a jerk, not a hero. It's not okay to toy with people's emotions in a relationship by cheating on them, and it's not okay to describe it as a fun thing. If it happened in the book with the attitude that it was a bad thing, then it would be different. Honestly if a guy were playing Zoey like she is playing them, wouldn't we hate the guy? Then how can we like Zoey without having a sexist double standard? In fact the only redeemable trait I can find for Zoey is that she wants to help Stevie Rae. That's just not enough for me. Who wouldn't want to help a friend in an extreme circumstance?

4. Zoey's grandmother was the most likable person in the book for me up until when she became a hypocrite. She seems to be an open-minded accepting person bc she is kind to Zoey when her mother is not. However she is angry with Zoey's mother and step-father bc they won't accept Zoey's religion, but then she makes a blanket comment about Christianity's main tenant being that things that are different are evil. I don't doubt that many people claiming to be Christians behave this way, but there are idiots in every religion. The main tenant of Christianity is "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." (Love your neighbor as yourself.) That seems pretty tolerant of everyone to me. I KNOW many people don't follow this, but if they don't they're not really a Christian at all. You can't criticize someone for being intolerant of your religion while making a snarky, incorrect, generalization about another. It is hypocrisy, and characters that we are supposed to love should not be hypocrites. I'm all about tolerance, but it needs to be tolerance for all, not just those that you personally like.

5. The twins behaving like they're in a Doublemint gum commercial for the entire story also drove me crazy.

6. Every guy is described in the same way. They're all tall and drop-dead gorgeous. It's like they're all mannequins from the same department store, except for the one Christian male in the story. Characters need to be diverse, and love has to be based on more than being gorgeous. Don't get me wrong. There's nothing wrong with beautiful characters, but they can't be cardboard cutouts. Each needs to be unique, and if they're a romantic lead they need to have other admirable traits besides being Zoey's lapdogs (or how's about a personality?). In this book it's one cardboard cutout that's been xeroxed a few times.

I can enjoy a great dark story provided that it's well-written, with likable characters, and a good message. Even the most brutal tragedy can have a good overall message. Chosen, however, had none of these details for me. I'm sorry to leave a book a one star review, but I can't bring myself to rate it any higher.

This saga has been quite consistent. To be honest, I fell in love with Twilight but New Moon and Eclipse broke my heart and Breaking Dawn was a painful read; I almost killed myself. But this series continues to provide me a consistent stream of entertainment since it didn't get my hopes up that high and then shatter it. This book is adequate but a good read none the less. I think this one is not as good as Betrayed though. but yey, go zoey get that neferet!

I read the reviews on this book before I bought it and was really surprised at the number of people that didn't like it since the previous books were so awesome. I am even more surprised now that I have read the book because I think it complements the series extremely well. Zoey is not perfect and neither are her friends. Throughout the book I kept asking myself what would I do if I was in Zoey's shoes and I never did come up with an answer. She has to make extremely tough decisions and as such, she becomes a stronger and wiser "fledging". A reoccurring theme in the book is forgiveness so I feel that although the ending left you hanging and was more somber than the others have been, you still feel the hope of a better tomorrow for book 4.

I like this series, but I did have some problems with this one because I felt that the problems were repeated over and over again, and not only was it repetitive it was getting annoying. I enjoy reading these books but I had thought that Zoey's character was stronger and more mature than how she acted in the books and her friends should not have just BAILED on her, they should always stick around no matter what, they should try to understand where she is coming from and how she must feel.

But the only thing that really bothered me was the repetitiveness as I mentioned at the begining, I hope the next book isn't like that because with each one they seem to keep getting better.

I like this series, but I did have some problems with this one because I felt that the problems were repeated over and over again, and not only was it repetitive it was getting annoying. I enjoy reading these books but I had thought that Zoey's character was stronger and more mature than how she acted in the books and her friends should not have just BAILED on her, they should always stick around no matter what, they should try to understand where she is coming from and how she must feel.

But the only thing that really bothered me was the repetitiveness as I mentioned at the begining, I hope the next book isn't like that.

Oh my god this so far is the best book in the house of night series!!! I loved it, it made me laugh, it made me cry, and it made me feel like Zoey! The way it was written let me be connected with the characters and it felt so real!!! I can't wait for the next one to come out!!! This series is even better than the Twilight series!!!

After finishing the second book, I was eager to continue the series. My enthusiasm diminished as I progressed through the book. It took me much longer to get through this book, and I read other books while attempting to finish it.
First, the whole "3" boyfriends has gotten stale and degrading. Zoey is supposed to have been "Chosen" by Nyx as exceptional and has powers that exceed any before, yet she continually makes bad choices, even murderous, through the book. One thing I've learned from relationships is if you can't decide who you want between 3 guys, or 2 for that matter, you're probably not meant to be with any of them. I was relieved to see the relationships dwindle by the end of the book. Erik was a bit of a disappointment, but I think he too needs to grow up like Zoey and he had the most potential. The "ho" comment repeatedly thrown out was just tacky!
I also understand that Zoey is a teenager and of course she's going to make mistakes. I just felt she has regressed as the novels have went on, not developed. She needs to be a bit less judgmental. After all her mistakes, she still quick to put others down for their mistakes.
Finally, how superficial were her friends. The descent and realistic step seems like most people would ask why. Especially girls. We over analyze everything, so we want our questions answered. We would have asked more questions before being so quick to shut out.
Hopefully the next book gets back on track. I'll give it one more shot.

The complications Zoey encounters in her new life at the House of Night escalate to new heights in this third installment of the series. Betrayals, deceptions and abandonment, horrors themselves, weave a path through gruesome murders occurring along the outside walls of the school. Who is murdering vampires? How can Zoey save her undead dead friend, Stevie Rae, without losing the trust of her friends? And how does she choose between the three men in her life? This vampire story will leave you thirsty for more.

Everything has changed for Zoey at the House of Night. Her best friend has turned into the stereotypical vampire, and is quickly losing her grasp on her humanity. Her mentor has now become her enemy, and Zoey might be forced to make her worst enemy her ally. She's has now acquired three boyfriends, and can't seem to get rid of any of them.

And then the People of Faith decide to strike out against the vampyres in an unforeseen attack against the House of Night, leaving some of their own truly dead. Zoey and her friends will have to struggle to stay together during a time when no one is as they appear, and trust is hard to come by. Zoey especially will get a taste of the responsibility and heartbreak that being a priestess entails.

The third book in the House of Night series is as exciting and heart pounding as the first. If it hasn't been evident before, it is now crystal clear that the Casts have planned out every detail of the House of Night series impeccably, making for a smooth, irresistible story that leaps out of the pages at you. Chosen is a bit darker than its prequels as certain secrets come to light and new mysteries surface, but not without the same wit and great interactions among Zoey and her friends. Zoey continues to mature and grow as a person, making this just as much as a down to earth coming of age novel as an engrossing supernatural thriller, with an ending that changes everything. The Casts with leave the reader groaning in anticipation for the fourth novel.

I loved the book and the action in it, but I was left STUNNED by the behavior of Zoey's friends. They turned out to be overy judgemental and fickle. I love how Zoey's story progresses, but if i was her, id definately find better friends.

After having been let down by Betrayed, the second book in the House of Night series, I wasn't sure what to expect with Chosen. Would Zoey be able to save her undead dead friend Stevie Rae? Would she ever resolve the boyfriend drama? What about her rivalry with High Priestess Neferet? It had seemed we were heading somewhere, and I wasn't sure it was going to be worth the ride, but I plunged ahead into Chosen anyway. And I was pleasantly surprised.

Zoey's world is crashing around her in Chosen. She's still got the boyfriend dilemma (why on earth didn't she just stay with Erik?), and her relationship with young professor Loren Blake is still just icky. Heath's still around, still Imprinted, and Zoey's still confused. In fact, this confusion takes a major amount of energy and drives a lot of the plot in Chosen. Meanwhile, Zoey's relationship with her mother and step-loser continues to deteriorate, and there's another Full Moon Ritual coming up. Zoey's unsure what to do to save her best friend Stevie Rae, but she knows she must do something, and it's going to have to involve arch-nemesis Aphrodite. Sound like enough turmoil? It's not. Adult vamps are turning up horribly murdered, and war against the humans is about to be launched.

I liked that this book showed us another side of Zoey--the confused teen who is led by her hormones to do things she knows she shouldn't. Yet Zoey still wants to protect her friends, though they don't understand. I was disappointed in their treatment of Zoey at the end; sure, she didn't make the best decisions but they are supposed to be her friends, the ones who have supported her throughout her transition into the House of Night. So now Zoey's alone, more confused than ever, and her worry over both Stevie Rae and Aphrodite will be driving her actions in the next installment. I hope the Casts will show us a continually maturing Zoey, not just a powerful one, in Untamed. I'll be waiting for it.

An excellent book that illustrates faith in oneself and courage. While everything is going wrong for our heroin, she doesn't let it destroy her. This character doesn't feel self-pity, she rolls with it, and keeps moving forward. It's a great read for teens and adults.

Alright, it was a mistake to read this book when the 4th one isn't out yet. It has the biggest 'cliff hanger' of all the books, and leaves you feeling more than a little pissed off. At one point when Zoey doesn't defend herself (which is what I think her character would do) you just want to throw the book down and quit reading it. I'm one of those people that needs closure, and if you don't have the 4th book handy, you definatley will be tapping your fingers til September (especially if you've made it this far).

This book shows how Zoey Redbird is growing into the lovly High Priestess we will soon see her become.

Chosen was even more action packed than the first two books in the series. Things started off slowly, and by then end, I was left sort of shell-shocked, wondering how everything had spiraled out of control so easily.

Still reeling from the events of Betrayed, Zoey is trying to continue in her position of leadership of the Dark Daughters, while attempting to figure out how to untangle her romantic life, save her best friend, and deal with the fact that the High Priestess of the school has become twisted and evil. Zoey makes some hard choices, including keeping secrets from her friends and lying to her boyfriend Erik, in order to do what she thinks is right; only in the end does she realize that her lies and deceptions have played right into Neferet's hands.

The third book was really hard to read, because all along, I knew that Zoey's secrets would eventually catch up to her. In lying to her friends, who would have helped her with Stevie Rae and tried to keep the secret, she demonstrates that she doesn't trust them, and that she is in turn not worthy of their trust. Even though she makes decisions, she doesn't stick to them, like with her decision to stop seeing Heath and not allow herself to be swayed by Loren Blake. All of her strength of will seems to have disappeared.

The hardest part to read was her betrayal of Erik, during his Change, with Loren. All along she has been telling Erik that she was better than Aphrodite, and her actions made her look, to him, exactly the same. Zoey had a long, hard fall off of that pedestal.

The one-dimensionality of supporting characters continues to bother me. All the realness of Zoey's friends seems to have vanished in this book--how could only one of them have known that she didn't like Christmassy birthday presents? And, even if they were hurt by her lying to them about Stevie Rae, the fact that they were supposed to be her closest friends and they couldn't even give her the chance to explain why she did it rankled. Even Neferet is extremely one sided, and as the villainess, she should have something interesting to bring to the table. We've only seen glimpses of her hatred of humans, and her darkness--give us a real reason to root for Zoey, other than the fact that the story is in her head.

I'll be reading the 4th book, but I'm definitely hoping for a stronger storyline, less romantic moping, and more strength and determination from Zoey.

As I read "Marked" and "Betrayed" i was just impressed. I loved the story, the characters and everything around them. i liked how it turned out with zoey and erik. But since the first time that Loren Blake appeared, i knew that it would end of bad.
so it did. i was a bit dissapointed. i nearly cried. everytime Zoey said she has to break up with Loren and she didn't. Now this. I'm really really sorry for Erik! ;) But i do hope that in untamed, the two will have a second chance, or at least, the two will work it out to be friends.
i really can't wait until October. I'm so excited what will happen!

Honestly I'm not sure how this author has won so many awards. And I worry about whether her daughter actually speaks like the teens in this series do. I've gone this far in the series just because....I'm not always good at letting a series drop once I've started. It's like watching a movie you think isn't so good, but you've already started so you might as well finish. Some aspects of the story are interesting, but honestly I cannot stand how some of the main character's speak. They sound SOOOO immature. Real teens would be highly embarrassed to speak like that whether they are "innocent and pure" or not. Honestly. The twins get on my nerves and the main characters use such babyish/lame words and phrases that I can't even remotely take them seriously when they talk about feeling womanly or talk about anything regarding sex. They use elementary school insults and talk about peeing themselves on a regular basis. I kept hoping I could ignore how they speak or that it would get better, but they do it way too often to be ignored. Like I said, some of the story is interesting. But I am way too often annoyed by the main characters to root for them properly. If there are to be many more books in this series, I hope I can wean myself off. Books like Vampire Academy are just so much better. They put this series to shame.

Great series but this book was a bit of a let down. I like happy endings! I can't help it. So the unresolved ending was off-putting plus all this other negative stuff happened to the heroine, which she didn't quite triumph over. I hope the next one ends better.

Once again the Cast ladies keep me flipping the pages. I can't wait for book 4!

This book did not live up to the first two. That in itself is a real shame. Zoey's constant self put-downs and the whole three guys being strung along was entirely dumb. I was having trouble liking her. Granted, her character is young, and the young are known for being dumb (at times), but there were times I wished she was real just so I could have the opprotunity to knock some sense in her. Overall, I'm still a fan of the series and I do plan on reading the next book in the series. I'm hoping for growth.

I think this is the only book that i have actually couldnt stand. I kept hoping it would get better, that maybe everything i predicted would happen and shock me, but no. It was like watching a movine that you knew the entire plot to in the first 5 minutes.
And the entire thing about her sleeping with a guy like its no big deal. Im srry but if you were dating someone for years and said no to them i would think you would know better than sleeping with a guy you barely knew for two months (and was a teacher). And i cont count how many times she said she was a ho or turning into one. Hello if you dont like who your being stop it.
If you like to read books that all about self pitty, stupid plot lines, flat characters, and barely has anything to do with the previous stories then read it.
Im not even going to bother with the next one

Zoey is back in the third installment of the House of Night series with more surprises for readers. Zoey has not one but three boyfriends, and a secret alliance with one of her enemies. Zoey has to figure out how to save her bestfriend and keep her other friends all at the same time. Chosen is just as good as the first two and leaves you wanting more.

I was absolutely enthralled with this book I couldn't put it down. I didn't read the other two book in this collection but you best believe I will. This book is a real page turner. I love the character of Zoey!!! If you like this you will also like Love Returns Through The Portal Of Time

Chosen is the third book in the House of Night series. When we left off Stevie Rae, was fighting to keep hold of her humanity and Zoey was doing her best to help her. Zoey was also dealing with being the leader of the Dark Daughters and with having 3 guys interested in her.

One of the things I really didn't care for in this book was, besides the way Zoey kept calling herself a ho because she was "involved" with 3 different guys (one of who is a teacher and she sleeps with) is how her friends jump and turn on her, at one point. They jump on her because they didn't know she didn't care for Christmassy themed birthday presents (she had told Stevie Rae) and because she kept the truth about Stevie Rae to herself, not telling them she was alive.

As to the 3 guys, Heath should of been gotten rid of in the first book, he's immature and totally unsuited for Zoey (even before her change). Erik is a self absorbed snot nosed jerk who can't see beyond he's own ego and jumps to all sorts of conclusions with Zoey after he catches her with Loren, who had sex with Zoey, just to wrap her around his little finger and to make her jump when he said to.

Compared to the other two books, this book was disappointing in that Zoey's friends are a bunch of hypocrites, Zoey herself is even more of a Mary Sue, and out of all the people in this series, Stevie Rae and Aphrodite are the only ones who have shown any growth or complexity.

I'm willing to give the next book Untamed a try, but I think this series is starting to go down hill.

The first two books in this series: "Marked" and "Betrayed" are excellent books to read and the book "Chosen" almost is equal to their excellence. Although there are a few parts in the book I was dissappointed with it was still hooking, exciting and overall very enjoyable...

Zoey Redbird is NOT a normal fledgling (young vampire). She been "gifted" by the goddess Nyx with special powers that have to do with all the elements (fire, water, air, earth and spirit) and has several very interesting tattoos that have appeared all over her body. In the previous two books Zoey has had to deal with many things that normal fledglings don't have to deal with and in this story Zoey is desperatley trying to bring her best friend, Stevie Rae back from the "undead".

Stevie Rae died as a fledgling as many fledglings do because her body rejected the "Change" to become a full-grown vampire but she didn't really die. She became what is called "undead". Zoey knows that Stevie Rae isn't like the other undead vampires and is desperatley trying to bring her back to her normal self with the help of her enemy/friend Aphrodite.

Meanwhile Vampires are being killed in cruel ways and strange messages have been written by them in blood. Could it be the Protectors of the Faith? Could Zoey's mother and step-loser be involved?

Read "Chosen" to find out!

In this third book of the House of Night series, Zoey's adventures at the vampyre finishing school have taken a mysterious turn. Her best friend, Stevie Rae--now truly undead and more like a zombie than a vampyre--is struggling to maintain her tenuous hold on humanity, while Zoey tries to figure out what she can do to restore her friend to her former self. Zoey also finds herself saddled with not one, but three boyfriends. And all these secrets she's having to keep from her other friends at the House of Night, who truly believe Stevie Rae gone, and know nothing about Zoey's secret rendezvous with her human ex-boyfriend and the sexy Professor Loren Blake.

But truly things are not as they appear when up is down and left is right! For some strange reason, the only one Zoey can turn to for help is her arch-nemesis, Aphrodite, while her real friends must be kept in the dark. And Dark forces are most definitely at work here now that several Vampyre professors have been murdered and set up to be found in suspicious positions, pointing to the People of Faith--Zoey's own zealous stepfather's religious group--as the most likely suspects!

Wow, talk about your cliffhanger ending. I had to check and make sure I wasn't missing the last few pages because I was dying to know what happened next! I think I may simply DIE waiting for the 4th book to come out! *giggle*

In any case, I loved this book as much as it's 2 predecessors, if not more so because I'm really beginning to really like these characters a lot. Even the ones I'm not supposed to, like Aphrodite. Though I suspect Ms. Cast is doing that on purpose. ;) I really like that though this is a young adult book, it's not very predictable or "dummied down" for a younger audience.

This book is worse than marked, in my opinion...Zoey's friends prove to be shallow and Zoey could have portrayed more of the character that she was in the first book. The fact that she kind of involved herself with three guys just makes her a slut. She hurt a lot of people, and she knew what she was doing. I also think that she shouldn't have lied to her friends about the whole christmas thingy, but seriously, they proved to be so shallow. My friends would never-in a million years-do that to me. They proved to be unrealistic and chosen took me forever to read...
I don't recommend it. After reading Marked, I didn't think that I would read the rest of the series, but I have a friend who doesn't think they're so bad and happens to be a speed reader. (She read Betrayed and Chosen in a day.) So, she kind of got me to read them saying that I would enjoy them more...didn't happen.

I love this series from two fellow Oklahomans! Not only is it a fresh take on the world of vampirism, but its fun to be able to discuss "fun" reads with my students every once in a while, and girls will definitely love this series. The books tend to use some foul language and have some sexual oriented scenes, but they don't cross any boundaries that students aren't already dealing with, plus they use much of the jargon and slang students use today. I highly recommend!

P.C. and Kristin Cast's "House of Night" is one of those series that started off with a lot of potential and now has no idea what to do with it. Marked (House of Night, Book 1) was a little rough around the edges, but a genuinely good start for the new teen series. Things started looking a little more troublesome in Betrayed (House of Night, Book 2), when the heroine showed less growth, because who needs to create depth when the protagonist is becoming increasingly perfect? The third book in the series, Chosen (House of Night, Book 3), was just full of sloppy character development and awkward plot transitions.

I kind of anticipated "Chosen" to expand further on the increasing conflict between Zoe Redbird and Neferet. After all, "Betrayed" did end with Zoe finding out the lengths that Neferet would go just to keep her secrets and hold up the facade of being a kind-hearted priestess. Somewhere in the chaotic narrative some professors were murdered, but those ended up looking like nothing more than devices to lengthen the page count. "Chosen" instead focuses primarily on Zoe's mess of a love life, the secrets she's keeping from her friends, as well as following up on the effects of Stevie Rae's transition since the end of "Betrayed".

I did like where the Casts went with Stevie Rae. The fact that the authors obviously cared not only about her character but about her friendship with Zoe really showed. These scenes are some of the most well-written in the entire series, and their connection with one another shines in every one of them. In fact, Stevie Rae shows the most growth of any character in the book, including Zoe. Oh, hell, let's just admit it: she outshone Zoe by leaps and bounds, and stole the entire book away from the heroine. This should NEVER happen in a first person novel.

Zoe, meanwhile, was floundering from page one. Perhaps the Casts realized that Zoe was becoming too perfect and was put on a pretty tall pedestal by all of the supporting characters. "Chosen" was a sloppy attempt to create Zoe's fall from grace--when she makes really bad decisions regarding her love life and when her friends finally realize how many secrets she has irrationally been keeping from them.

The terribly written "romance" in this book was absolutely agonizing to read. But then again, this isn't exactly anything new. First there's Heath, the idiotic sap of a human who, for some reason or another, can't quite understand that Zoe's affection for him appears to be less out of real attraction and more out of the desire for that wonderful tasting red stuff running through his veins. How many times has she tried to break up with him only to embarrass herself with a display of unbridled lust a second later? Who knows--obviously way too many to count. Then there's Erik, the almost-vampire whose romance with her is about as heated as the lukewarm coffee I'm drinking. It's possible that the only reason this relationship has managed to survive three books is because they are hardly EVER together. Obviously, someone has failed to inform Zoe the simple fact of relationships being built around trust, since the amount of information she confides in Erik is pretty much nil. And lastly, there is Loren Blake. Zoe deserved this one all the way. Loren spoke so prettily, he just about reeked of deception. The Casts should have developed this a bit more if they truly wanted me to be shocked by how it turned out. The worst part about this whole three boyfriends mess is the fact that Zoe spends nearly the entire book lamenting about how she's a "ho" and doesn't deserve any of them. Well, Zoe, you said it, not me.

The relationship between Zoe and her friends was equally as dreadful. I was getting there in "Marked" and "Betrayed", but "Chosen" pushed me to the threshold of just about despising every single one of Zoe's so-called "friends" (except Stevie Rae). Zoe's deviation to persona non grata among her peers was pretty well deserved, since she was keeping just about everything from them. "Chosen" made me realize just how little they actually know about Zoe--so little, they never even knew that she preferred the separation of her birthday presents from Christmas presents. But even before that, they were more of a nuisance than anything. Their dialogue with one another has become excruciating to get through. I suppose the Casts wanted it to come off as playful, but the sheer amount of "teen speak" has reached epic proportion. When it has infiltrated into the heroine's internal dialogue in astronomical amounts, my brain wants to explode to save itself from regressing to my middle school vocabulary.

And the rivalry between Neferet and Zoe that I had been anticipating? Almost non existent. Neferet was gone nearly the entire novel. She made a couple of appearances, blurted a few of stereotypical villain-like threats and went away. Neferet doesn't exactly evoke any kind of fear or intrigue. She simply acts as a very two dimensional excuse for conflict, and whatever semblance of battle between the two has become more boring than compelling after 3 books of nothing happening.

RIP "House of Night". You weren't great, but you could have been a hell of a lot better.

In Chosen (3rd book of the house of night), Zoey must face difficult choices and risk loosing everyone she loves. Zoey is trying to do right and some how seems to end up doing the wrong thing, making her practically lose everyone. It is full of excitment and when you read the end you will be wanting the next book to see what happens next.

"Yep, I have a seriously sucky birthday," I told my cat, Nala. And Zoey Redbird couldn't be more accurate with that statement!! First of all her birthday is December 24th, and everyone always gets her Christmas themed birthday presents. Her mother has basically given up on her. Her step-loser (uh, step-father) is an elder in the People of Faith church. They believe that all Vampyres are evil, and now some not-so-veiled threats have been received. Her best friend, Stevie Rae, "died" at the last Full Moon Ritual. But I guess you have to use that term loosely. When a fledgling is "marked", the change process to become an adult Vampyre begins. Not all fledglings survive the change because their bodies reject it. Some die. But Stevie Rae's death was actually another type of change. Because now she has become "undead", almost a caricature of what people believe vampires to be: full of bloodlust, only can move at night, and rather evil. But at least in Stevie Rae's case, a small part of her humanity is still present and Z wants to help her.

Then there's the fact that she has 3 boyfriends. The wonderful Erik Night, who is an upperclassman at the House of Night and a total catch. Her human ex-boyfriend, Heath who doesn't really want to be an ex. Ever since Zoey drank a little of his blood, they Imprinted and Heath just can't leave Zoey alone. And then there is Loren Blake, the Vampyre poet Laureate. He's gorgeous, sensitive, an adult Vampyre and a teacher to boot. Completely off-limit to students, but he really has a thing for Z.

Finally, there is Neferet, the High Priestess at the House of Night. She was Zoey's mentor and friend, until she betrayed her. Zoey knows she has something to do with the Undead fledglings and Stevie Rae. Zoey knows in her heart that Neferet represents something evil, but she doesn't know what to do about it. She can't even discuss it with her friends. Since Neferet has the ability to read minds, the little her friends know, the safer they will be. Zoey feels awful about lying to them, but she really is doing it for her own good. Then there is Aphrodite....Zoey's sworn enemy. When Zoey took over control of the Dark Daughters from Aphrodite, Neferet told everyone that the Goddess Nyx had withdrawn Aphrodite's powers to see the future. But that wasn't true. And since Neferet was unable to read Aphrodite, she turns out to be the one person who can really help her navigate her way through the mess her life has become!

When Zoey and Aphrodite stumble across the body of one the adult vampyre professors, it's almost a certainly that something bad is on the horizon. A war between the humans and the vampyres is coming and Zoey is trapped smack dab in the middle.


Can I just say now how much I really LOVE this series?? With that said, I really hated the ending of this book. I do realize Chosen ended in a way that will lead us to the next book. Zoey is a wonderful character: she is strong, smart and vulnerable at the same time. When she makes mistakes, she tries to own up to them and that makes her something special. She has been blessed by Nyx with an affinity for ALL the elements AND the spirit. Again, that is something that has never happened before. She is definitely a High Priestess in training. She just needs to figure out who she can really trust and find a way to do something about all the drama that has become her life!

This book was fantastic, even with the ending that I didn't like and a Zoey that was more than a little whiney. Doesn't make it a bad book. Just leaves me on pins and needles until the next book is out. And I can't WAIT until Untamed, Book 4 in the House of Night series is released later this year!!

I completely blew through both MARKED and BETRAYED with great enthusiasm. But upon getting to CHOSEN, I'm sorry to admit to some disappointment. While I agree that Zoey was starting to become more perfect than real and that she kind of needed a good harsh wake-up call, I do not think this was the kind of wake-up call she should have gotten.
Yes, teenagers can be fickle; but as we saw in both MARKED and BETRAYED, Zoey's friends are anything but. They are strong, close-knit group of people who were as tight as family, and yet...suddenly they are falling apart. Yes, she tried to avoid hurting their feelings about the birthmas presents- how many of you would honestly tell your best friends that you hate the present they got you? And yet, they all took offense over a private birthday card they shouldn't have read in the first place. And at the end, when they found out that Zoey had kept Stevie Rae from them...okay, I can understand being mad. But abandoning her when she needs them the most? What kind of friends does she really have?
I also think that the thing with Loren was ridiculous. No offense to the authors, because I do love their story. But...what? She goes from a rather strong resistance to him (as well as to Heath and Erik) on the whole sex front to suddenly sleeping with him in a public place? Kind of a tacky way to make her problems explode, don't you think?
Although, I have to admit the basic story and the fight to save Stevie Rae helped pull the book up, the whole fickle nature of CHOSEN's storyline drags it down.
That won't stop me from reading the next book...

I have been eagerly awaiting "Chosen" since I read the first two House of Night novels. And it lived up to my expectations. Almost.

Zoey is a great character, very typical of a teenage girl. After being thrust into a powerful position in her vampyre boarding school, we watched her grow up a little bit.

But now, Zoey is finding out things about her mentor, the High Priestess, that she'd rather not know. Plus, her best friend Stevie Ray, who is dead but not quite, needs saving. Oh yeah, and Zoey has not one, but three boyfriends.

I really did enjoy the book. My main complaint is that Zoey, who has never said she was chaste, but has never acted promiscuous, is suddenly hooking up with three different guys. It seems completely out of character and it ticked me off.

When she was Marked by the goddess Nyx, teenager Zoey Redbird is taken to the House of Night School where she will eventually change into a vampyre or die. Her roommate Stevie Rae died in her arms but Zoe soon learned that she became one of the undead. Zoe is the most powerful fledging in vampyre history, able to call and master all five elements. She is trying to find a way to restore Stevie's soul and humanity but the high priestess in training can't tell her closest friends because their minds can be read by the perpetrator of this abomination.

Tensions rise when the fundamentalist group People of Faith beheads one of the vampyre teachers and nail her body to a wooden cross. The vampyre High Priestess calls in the Sons of Erebus, vampyre warriors, to guard the school. The only person who can help her get out is Aphrodite who knows what is going on with Zoey because she is the only other fledging whose mind can't be read. Trying to make up for her sins to the goddess, she helps Zoey and Stevie but the peace that has existed between humans and vampires is shaky and almost any action taken against a vampire will destroy it; Zoey will be in the middle of the two warring factions.

This is the third House of Night novel and it as just as compelling and spell binding as MARKED and BETRAYED. The heroine, a young teen, acts very mature for her age risking her friends' anger if they find out what she is keeping from them in order to protect them. Her nemesis Aphrodite is a bit softer than in previous tales because she knows her actions went against the will of Nyx. In the Cast mythos humans don't die to become vampires and humans know about their existence and for the most part accept them.

Harriet Klausner

Deffinitely the most intence of the series so far, and good enough to read cover to cover without putting it down. Having said that though,I admitt to being aggravted by a lot that went on. I have enjoyed Zoey's maturity level in the previous two booksMarked (House of Night, Book 1) and Betrayed (House of Night, Book 2) but while reading Choosen I as often as not wanted to reach out and shake her, it's possible though that these were the kind of feelings that the authors were trying to evoke. I also found the constant references to Z's romantic entaglements slightly tedious, though given how things worked out there should be some interesting interactions in future books. Assuuming that there's going to be more then the one we are promised at the end of Choosen "Untamed" I can't say that I liked this one better then Betrayed, but Choosen feels like sort of a middle point, amd I find that the middle point of a series can somtimes fall a little short. In short Choosen is well worth the read, and does it's part to propell the Zoey's story far forwad she learned some bitterly harsh lessons in this book. It will be very intriguing to see were the ladies Cast will go from here.

OMG. THis book was so friggin good. I love the writing, I love story, and I love the characters. It was great. I devoured it in like 2 days. SWEET

Chosen is the third book in the House of Night Series by PC Cast and Kristin Cast. The first book is Marked and the second is Betrayed. I started the third book and unfortunitly did the stupid thing and went to the back of the book before I started reading. I honestly just wanted to see if there would be a book after this one (which there is). However, I read the blurb of the next book. BIG FAT MISTAKE! I do not recomend doing this because becuase it affected me during the entire book. Now, if you remember the last book Zoey has quite a few problems and the main one she tries to work out in this book is the boyfriend issue. She has three: Loren Blake (adult Vamp and totally hot), Erik (Fledgling Vamp boyfriend), and Heath (Human Imprinted Boyfriend). Her bigger problems are that Stevie Rae is still Undead dead and losing her humanity every second, and Neferet is the cause and there is something seriously evil and wrong about her. Dispite having done the stupid by reading the back of the book I really liked it right the way through. I love Zoey and can only hope that she makes it through these trials on her way to Adulthood. I also hope that she still has a body left after all the freaking tatoo's she keeps getting. She seems to like it though so whatever.

The whole series is great, and Chosen, for me, has the best storyline so far. However, despite the creativity, a lot of the writing was irritating. Zoey turns 17 in the book but she and her friends talk like they are 13 or 14. I realize that this is a book for younger people but younger teens and preteens don't need to be reading slang and immature thoughts that could be expressed so much better through clear and descriptive writing. The plot is great and I do read these books because of that, but I wish that the writing style would be taken a step up. There's also a lot of side notes that don't really matter, like when Zoey said "I don't date girls" and then adds in her mind "Not that I have a problem with lesbians" or whatever. She's a powerful fledgling so she needs to act like one. However, the immature writing is the only problem I have with this book. Other than that, it's a real page turner with good plot twists and I enjoyed her love triangle...wait no, love sqauare.