Review - Betrayed by P.C. and Kristin Cast

Publisher: Atom

Publication date:2009

Pages: 375

Betrayed is the second book in the popular House of Night series by mother-daughter author team P.C. and Kristin Cast. House of Night is a supernatural series about young vampyre Zoey Redbird set in Tulsa. I read Marked, the first book in the series earlier in the year. A young person I work with recommended their latest offering 'Tempted' to me. Tempted is book six and I aim to get to it by reading the series alongside the many proofs I receive.

Seventeen year old Zoe finds herself marked by the vampyre goddess in a dream, the mark is a small tattoo that all fledgling vampyres receive. Vampyres are no secret in this book, but fledglings are excluded from the human community and sent to the House of Night boarding school. At the school they live by night and sleep during the day. The complication of the change from human to vampyre is that not all fledglings survive to be adult and as a result, some characters are lost along the way. It soon becomes clear that Zoey is extraordinarily talented. By the end of the first book knows she will become a vampyre high priestess, and eventually, take charge of the House of Night herself.

Both Marked and Betrayed were refreshing reads following several emotive and issue based teen novels. I love the way that Zoey, lead female vampyre says exactly what a teenage girl would think. No doubt due to a young author's realistic writing. In Betrayed Zoey must experience the complications of three men in her life - a human ex boyfriend who refuses to let go, a vampyre teacher's attentions and a vampyre boyfriend. She must also learn to control her yearning for blood, maturely deal with tragedy and as the title suggests, a betrayal of the greatest kind from a mentor.

I found Betrayed refreshing and light to read, but also funny and emotional in the right places. Zoey is a great example for girls her age, she has great energy and values. What is great about this series is that in the midst of the supernatural genre this book is addressing many teen issues, such as sexuality, relationships with parents, bullying and friendship. Series' in this genre are often associated with previous popular series', but House of Night has something new to offer. Betrayed will be loved by Gossip Girl fans for it's dark wit and sexy characters, and adored by Twilight fans for it's new take on the vampyre genre. A highly recommended light read.

8/10