Betrayed: House of Night by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast

The exciting sequel to Marked! This one is exciting for a few reasons. There's a lot of action, it gets extremely steamy, and it delves a little more into the vampyre world and learn so much more stuff. In this book, the series really starts moving and setting everything up for later books. Also, in this book, a few of the things I know happened from my first time reading happened, so it's nice getting some clarity on my vague memories. I'm still really glad that I'm re-reading this series.

(Credit: Kelsey Darling)

Five Sentence Summary

It's been one month since Zoey saved her almost-ex-boyfriend, Heath, from the evil spirits on Samhain and taken over the Dark Daughters. Zoey and Erik have started dating, she is ignoring Heath to the best of her abilities, and she is starting to feel a little more normal, despite the fact that she is completely abnormal for a fledgling. But then students from Zoey's human life start to go missing and it is looking like vampyres are involved. Then Loren Blake, the very hot adult vamp teacher, enters Zoey's life and she feels an instant attraction to him. Feeling stressed about the new emotions with Erik and Loren, Zoey leaves school one day, she runs into Heath, drinks his blood, and they are now Imprinted; but being Imprinted turns out to be a life saver. But none of this matters when Zoey loses someone close to her, nothing else matters, especially when learning that someone she trusts is at the center of it.

(Source: Giphy)

Likes & Dislikes

(Warning: After this, there are spoilers)

• I know this was an issue with the first one, and I'm sure it will be an issue for the rest of the series, but I cannot stand the "hag from hell" and "skank" and "slut" comments. I know they're 16 and they do not understand how damaging those words are. And I know that the authors wouldn't condone those words being used against real people, but it feels like they are used so much more in this book. Those statements are so cruel and hurtful. Judging a person because of their sexuality and promiscuity, or the opposite, is wrong. Just because it isn't your life style doesn't mean that it's wrong.
• The only other thing that kind of annoyed me was that in the first few chapters, they recap a lot of the first book. I hate when books do this. I know not everyone does this, but even when new books in the series are released, I always re-read the ones prior to it. I don't need it to tell me what I already know.

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• Zoey, in regards to her vampyrism, makes some huge strides. I mean, she has her seriously teenager moments, but when she is in High Priestess in training mode, she takes everything more serious and tries to make the moves that she knows Nyx would want instead of taking the easy way.
• The scenes with Zoey and Loren are extremely hott! A little cheesy (the whole poetry reading thing is a bit much for me), and a little wrong, given the fact that she's a minor and he's a teacher, but I have a feeling anyone would have a hard time turning Loren down. And aside from some inappropiate lingering, nothing happens.

Commentary

So like I said, this one has a little bit more going on in it, which makes sense; you expect that each book has a little more drama as you become more familiar with the world it takes place in and more characters are introduced. The big things in this one are: Zoey's love rectangle (since it's 3 guys, not two); Zoey and Aphrodite; the gang and their affinities; Neferet; and Stevie Rae.

The love rectangle is a bit annoying because Zoey knows that what she is doing is wrong, but she does it anyways. Her current boyfriend is absent for a chunk of the book. He's in LA (I think) for a monologue competition, so this is how Zoey finds herself in situations with Loren and Heath. 

Loren Blake is the Poet Laureate and is extremely young and extremely hott. When Zoey finds herself alone with him in the computer lab, they connect through a love of writing and their discussion for the changes she wants to make to the Dark Daughters. Later though is when things heat up between them. They run into each other outside and Loren uses Zoey and her tattoos as his muse. The scene is extremely intense, but Loren, knowing better, breaks off the eye contact and leaves. But that doesn't stop him from writing a haiku about her that is more than a little suggestive.

"Ancient Queen awake

A chrysalis not yet formed

Will your wings unfold?" (p. 69)

After that, he leaves to support his students in the competition, so Zoey doesn't have to worry about him for the rest of the book.

Zoey has done a good job of ignoring Heath's phone calls and texts the past month, but when Zoey leaves campus one day to clear her head, she runs into him. They talk, and then Heath cuts his neck and Zoey drinks from him, and they Imprint, which for a fledgling is a big no no. Zoey regrets the inappropriate contact, but her lust for blood, especially Heath's, is only intensifying. Luckily, the Imprinting turns out to be a good thing when Heath goes missing. Through the bond they share, Zoey is able to locate him and uncover a deep, dark secret.

In this book, Zoey starts to feel a little bit for Aphrodite. At a Parents Day, Zoey learns that Aphrodite's parents are less than accepting of her and are extremely disappointed that she is losing her social status. Zoey also hears a horrible conversation between Neferet and Aphrodite in which Neferet very cruelly tells Aphrodite that her visions are no longer valid, that Nyx has taken away her gift. Neferet makes sure that the whole school knows not to listen to Aphrodite. She has also lost her friends since she's lost her title. But when Aphrodite has a vision that helps save Zoey's grandmother, Zoey beings to second guess her feelings about Aphrodite. It's not like they're braiding each others hair and painting their nails together at the end of the novel, but Zoey knows that there is something more to Aphrodite and that Neferet isn't right about her.

In Marked, Zoey learns that she has an affinity for all 5 elements. In Betrayed,we learn that Erin, Shawnee, Damian, and Stevie Rae also have affinities for the elements that Zoey gave them the first time they cast a circle. This is a seriously big deal and plays a part at the end of the book, as I'm sure the rest of the series.

"Confused, I followed his hand to see a beautiful silver thread of light connecting each of my four friends-the four personifications of the elements-and making a boundary of power within the candles that had already lit the circumference." (p. 208)

The first book somewhat alluded to the true side of Neferet, but I think you don't notice it until you read Betrayed, or unless it's a re-read and you know what's coming. Neferet isn't the perfect mother figure that Zoey had once thought. Although she can't put her finger on it, Zoey finds her intuition telling her more and more not to tell Neferet things, and boy is it good she doesn't. By the end of the book, both the reader and Zoey that Neferet is not as good as she portrays herself to be.

(Source: Giphy)

So the part with Stevie Rae was the horrible thing I remembered half way through the first book and although I knew it didn't happen in the first book, I couldn't remember how long I was going to have to wait until this horrible thing happened. This morning, I found out. Just after Stevie Rae learns she has an Earth affinity, and Zoey casts her first Dark Daughters circle, Stevie Rae's body rejects the change and dies in Zoey's arm. The description of Zoey's feelings had me crying at work, although I know I would have cried much harder if I had read it at home. I was overcome with emotion.

"'I'm staying with you. I won't let you be alone,' I said.

She grasped my hand and I was shocked by how cold hers was. 'I'm scared, Z.'

'I know, I'm scared too. But we'll get through this together. I promise.'" (p. 217)

"'Would you tell mamma and daddy that I love them?' I could understand her, but she sounded weak, and her voice was filled with a terrible wetness.

'Of course I will,' I said quickly.'

'And do something else for me?'

'Anything.'

'You don't really have a mamma or a daddy, so would you tell my mamma that you're their daughter now? I think I'd worry about them less if I know y'all have each other.'" (p. 220)

"Stevie Rae shut her eyes. She took a few more gurgling breaths. Then I felt her go completely limp in my arms and she didn't breathe again. Her lips opened just a little, as if she was smiling. Blood trickled from her mouth, her eyes, nose, and ears, but I couldn't smell it. All I could smell were the scent of earth. Then, with an enormous rush of meadow-filled wind, the green candle went out, and my best friend died." (p.220-221)

All I could think was "This is how I would feel if my best friend died." I love when an author can evoke such emotion from me, but it was very hard to read. But don't forget about Stevie Rae too quickly. Anything is possible in literature.

All I remember from the next book is that everything intensifies even more, and I think I remember a character that is introduced, but other than that, I don't know what I'm getting into, and I'm excited to find out.

Rating: 7/10

Pages: 310

Series: House of Night

Genres: Young Adult, Romance, Paranormal