Monday, March 22, 2010

Hunted, A House of Night Novel

This book is about 320 pages but it all takes place in two days. Of course, the book wouldn't have been as long if the authors didn't recap everything over and over again.

Everything happens in only two days but the things that take place feel like it has been in place for a long time. Like it feels like they are in the tunnels for days even though it is only a day. And, Stark has pretty much did every girl in the school but only had a day to do it? And Zoey falls completely in love with Stark even though she knows him for a day? And Kalona and his crew can take over and kill pretty much all the sons of erebus in a day? I mean they are warriors no battle ends in a day...

The authors are trying to portray good characteristics to young adults it seems like. Always preaching in Zoeys voice. But yet, Zoey can kiss nearly every boy in school and it is okay. This book shows it is okay to sleep with a boy, it is okay to kiss 4 guys in the same day. Even though Zoey makes excuses it still seems okay. I don't think the authors are really getting the right points across.

It also feels like the authors pretty much wrote these books just to let out steam about their students because they both are teachers correct? Or at least one of them are. There is a line on page 252 that isn't even necessary. It even shows how unnecessary it is by putting it in parentheses it says: "(at the House of Night professors can call kids idiots when they act like idiots because the idiot children can't run home to their mommies and cry about it; hence there is a lot less idiot behavior at the House of Night than at most public schools)". Seriously? It seems like the author called a student a idiot and cried about it to their parents and she had to vent about it in the book. Not cool.

Not only that, but there are a lot of occurrences that the author confuses the names Damien and Darius. Or at the end calling Zoey's Grandma Stevie Rae's Grandma. There are also punctuation mistakes that left me confuse and trying to figure out if someone was still talking or not. Overall though, I am still going to read the next book since they were all given to me to read. But, I don't think I would have kept reading if that wasn't the case.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Untamed, A House of Night Novel

The 4th House of Night Novel starts off with Zoey abandoned by all. Her three boyfriends are no longer in the picture, her best friends don't trust her anymore, Aphrodite is missing and so is Stevie Rae. But of course, this is Zoey and in a matter of pages she has everything she wanted yet again. Aphrodite is with her, Stevie Rae is fine and her best friends trust her again. Oh, and Erik is starting to talk to her again. Everything is good in the life of Zoey except that Neferet trying to destroy the world.

I really try to like these house of night novels, but there are so many things that make me roll my eyes. Must Zoey really emphasize how rich Aphrodite is? Everything of Aphrodite's is explained with and adjective to describe how rich she is. The authors over describe everything to the point where you don't even want to read anymore because it is repetitive. Yes, Aphrodite is rich it doesn't need to be pushed in our face anymore. That isn't the only thing the authors overly explain over and over again, just one of the many examples.

Also, how can it be that Zoey is always in the right place at the right time? She just so happens to wander by and hear conversations that give her the one up on the situtation. And when everything is not going her way she can just magically call up the elements and they will willingly do her biding.

Zoey is nearly an adult at the age of 17. But she is still portrayed as a kid and everyone else around her as a kid. If the authors wanted to portray everyone younger then they should have made the characters 13 and 14. Not 17 and 19. Zoey is running around saying bullpoopy and other childish words. Yes, I get the fact that the authors doesn't want Zoey to cuss but there are other more mature words that she could use and not cuss. I think that is what is making me have a hard time with this novel, they are suppose to be an older age than they are actually are but there choices of dialogue are making them feel much younger.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Chosen, A House of Night Novel

Zoey recently found out her best friend is still alive but different. As in red eyes, turns into dust in the sun, needs blood all the time, undead different. Zoey is also still having guy troubles. She must decide between Heath her long time on again off again boyfriend, Erik the fledging superman, or Loren the vampire part-time teacher who is to old for her.

I really don't know what the author is trying to accomplish. She tries to tell everyone that being racist is bad, smoking is bad, homophobes are bad, and many other things but at the same time her characters are having sex with minors, calling each other hos and cussing up and down. The characters really don't have any personality. Erik talks exactly the same way as Zoey. I think the only character that might be a little different than the rest is Aphrodite.

I also hate it how the main character calls everyone 'kid'. Seriously, Erik is what, almost 19 and yet she still calls him kid? He is about 2 or 3 years older than her he is not a kid. And the main character herself is what, 17? and she is certainly not a kid anymore. A 12 year old in this book would be a kid not a 17, 19 or 16 year old. I think it is because the author is a teacher and she sees the characters as kids so she incorporated herself into her main character by calling everyone a kid. I don't know why but it really annoys me.

Even though the characters have no personality and the lessons in the book are tilted, I still enjoyed the plot. Like all the other House of Night books so far, the first couple chapters were hard to get into but after a couple chapters the story started to go on a roll. Although, again, I would probably never would have picked this series out on my own to read.

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Betrayed, A House Of Night Novel


Continuing on with the House of Night Novels, Zoey finds herself in a lovers....square? Three guys potentially going after her and she can not figure out which one to be with. Erik the hot fledging, Heath her boyfriend from when she was a human or Loren the off limits Vampyre teacher. Everybody loves Zoey.

Zoey get almost everything she wants four awesome friends, guys swooning over her, leader of the Dark daughters but not everything is perfect. She keeps seeing dead fledgings turn into these red eye creatures also, humans are dying close to the House of Night making it look like the vamps are killing humans. When someone close to her is taken by these red eye creatures and someone close to her is turned into these red eye creatures Zoey takes it on herself to figure out what is going on and to save her friends!

The ending of this book didn't make me want to continue to the next book as much as the last one. It is kind of getting redundant now. And, the author summarizes so much from the previous book which seems like too much. I already know this, I read the first one...so move on! I started the third book a couple pages in and so far all it is is a summary of the last two. Sometimes you might want to put in a bit to let you remember but when it was say over and over in the first one, and over and over in the second I am pretty sure we got the point now.

I am starting to wonder if I will be able to get through all these books without getting bored of Zoey Redbird.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Marked, A House of Night Novel


My mom's boyfriend's daughter, who is 13, and happens to like some of the same books as me let me borrow her House of Night Series. I think I saw these on amazon before, but thought nothing about them. But since she thought I would enjoy it I decided to read them.

Right away when I started reading it, I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to get into the book. It seemed like it was going to be too young adult for me with no substance and a lot of teenager slang that I wasn't going to be able to take. But once it started to get more in depth into the House of Night with Zoey going to school there it started to get better. And now, I must admit that I am ready to read the next one.

The book just goes into alter reality where vampyres are known about. Heck, some of them are celebrities. I would like to know more about the history of this alter reality, how the vamp became how they are. I was confused at first because it felt like I should have known more before I actually started to read the book. Hopefully in some of the other books that follow it will give more information.

The book is about zoey redbird who gets marked to become a vampyre and she must move to the school House of Night in order to live. Because, if you get marked as a vampyre and don't go to the House of Night you die. The house of night is a place to go while you are living through the changing process to become a vampyre. You stay there for four years just like a high school and at the end if you can take the change you become a vampyre.

Zoey finds out she is not like all the other fledglings, she has extra powers and her mark is different than everyone elses.

After getting past the beginning it is a really good book, and now I am off to read Betrayed, the second book of the series.

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Mortal Instruments - City of Glass


I just finished the third book of the Mortal Instruments, City of Glass. I really liked this book a lot, it kept me enthralled in it the whole time. I really like how all the books were so intricately woven together that you didn't really catch what was going to happen until it did, but looking back there were always clues woven in so subtly that you still were surprised.

Even though I enjoyed the book, like the last one it had some discrepancies that left me going, what a second! I will list a couple that I think I saw. For instance, when simon was in the jail and Raphael comes to see him Simon says it is the first time he has seen Raphael since he was turned. But Simon previously talked about how Raphael had talked to him about some stuff, plus Simon knew some of the vampires names like he had hung out with them a couple times. Also, Simon said that after he was a Daylighter Raphael didn't like the fact that he didn't roam at night anymore. That would make you think that Simon had had contact with Raphael before the Jail incident.

Also, there was a point were Clary said she hadn't seen Magnus since he took the book from her. But, after Sebastian left Alec said Magnus helped perform the tracking spell on his stuff. Now, Clary might have not been there when that happened, but with Alec told her don't you think she would have asked about Magnus? Especially since she thought he just took the book and ran without helping her mom? Just saying...

I also didn't like the fact that Max death wasn't in more detailed. How did it happen? How did Isabelle escape? It was never fully described which left you wondering. Isabelle could have told more to Simon when he was comforting her but she didn't which left you feeling like you missed something.

There were a lot of other points where I felt I was missing something, but all together I really liked the books. I liked the angles she did. Making Vampires a little different than we were use to. Making the bad guy related was also a good move too. I can't wait for the fourth installment to come out and of course The Clockwork Angel as well.

Monday, February 15, 2010

Mortal Instrutments - City of Ashes

City of Ashes, was just as good as the first one. Although, I felt there were some discrepancies with time in the book and with things happening. I don't have any on the top of my head but I remember reading it and thinking that doesn't seem right.

Throughout the whole book there is the elephant in the room of Jace and Clary being brother and sister but not wanting to be because they want to be more intimate. At the same time, Simon wants to be with Clary and Maia wants to be with Simon and Alec wants to be with Jace it is like a love pentagon?

There was a point in the book where the inquisitor looks at Jace and has a look in her face that maybe, maybe Jace isn't Valentines son but really Jace Wayland? But we will never know because the Inquisitor dies right then! I really want him to not be Valentines son, so Jace and Clary can be together. Tons of times someone is in the middle of saying something really important and then gets cut off and I am like come on! What was he going to say!

I hope some things get resolved more like how Simon can now be in the sun. Is it Jaces blood that lets him? Is it because Jace gave it to him voluntarily? Also, is Jace really Valentines son because tons of time it says Jace doesn't look like Valentine and most of the time Valentines says you carry my blood. But in a way, Simon carries Jaces blood now too, does that mean they are related? Did Valentine infuse him with his blood to be better? But he is isn't really his father? I have so many questions. I hope City of Glass answers some of them. I am a couple pages into it so far. Hopefully they can get Clary's mom to wake up so she can clarify some stuff too!