Untamed: House of Night, #4 -- P.C. & Kristin Cast

Spoilers about the first three books below.

At the end of Chosen, fledgling vampyre Zoey Redbird had no boyfriend (down from three -- one dead, one definitely hating her and the third maybe possibly hating her), no friends (unless you count her ex-enemy Aphrodite and her undead ex-roommate Stevie Rae), and the school's High Priestess now knows that Zoey knows that she is a big fake and totally evil rather than loving and nurturing and wise.  Oh, and that same evil High Priestess has declared a secret guerrilla war on the humans.  And there are an awful lot of ravens around...

Spoilers about Untamed below.

Improvements from last time:

There is a group of hip, cat-loving, judge-not-lest-ye-be-judged-type Benedictine nuns to represent nice Christians and counter-balance the fact that every single other Christian that has appeared in this series has been either a bigoted, possibly murderous freak, or completely subservient to said bigoted, possibly murderous freak.

Problems:

This book could have easily been a good hundred pages shorter if the authors had not felt the need to rehash the events of the previous three books over and over and over again.  And again some more.  Not just events, but simple details about the vampyre lifestyle:  If a reader hasn't figured out by page 134 that day and night are switched for the vampyres, it's sink or swim time. 

Still with the typos.

Zoey's assumption that everyone she meets is going to take issue with vampyres or her gay friends is really getting old.  Zoey:  The chip on your shoulder.  Lose it.

Every time Zoey does or says something remotely leader-like, she says something along the lines of "Their looks of growing confidence made me think that I might, someday, become a halfway decent High Priestess".

Two of the "big words" that Damien used that the Twins complained about:  'flummoxed' and 'nefarious'.  Okay, these kids are supposedly studying some pretty hardcore literature, and their lack of knowledge makes me question the quality of their House of Night education. 

All of Zoey's friends continue to be walking quirks:  Damien and his vocabulary and the Twins with their Twin-ness.  Poor Jack is still just around to gush at everyone, but especially at Damien: "You're so smart about movies!  You know all of them."

I am getting very tired of the word "exotic" used to describe every single person who isn't white.  As well as the word 'u-we-tsi-a-ge-ya' followed up by the phrase "the Cherokee work for 'daughter'".  That's been explained at least twice in every single book.

This book is set LITERALLY a couple of days after all the shit went down with her last three boyfriends.  You'd think that maybe she wouldn't be interested in anyone at the moment.  HA.  The second she sees the new guy, Stark, she goes jelloid.  (And, as does every straight guy in her orbit, so does he, even though he's all distant and tortured and Bad Boy-ish with everyone else.)  And then he dies, like, three seconds later, and the death scene is full of more terrible cliched cheese than Trinity's death in the last Matrix movie and Dizzy's death in Starship Troopers combined:

"I should have kissed more than your hand . . . thought I'd have more time," he whispered between liquid, panting breaths.  ". . . too late now."

And that's not all.  It's full of lines like this:  "I felt Stark's kiss on my lips all the way back to the dorm as the surreal croaking of ravens filled the night."

Remember that terrible line about Pamela Anderson in the first book?  Well, the simile gets used again in this one: "Aphrodite gave Neferet a big reassuring smile that was as fake as Pamela Anderson's boobs."

Due to the rehashing and to a serious lack of action up until the last ten pages, Untamed was pretty much a big lead-up to the next book in the series and thus, flat-out boring.  At least the other ones, while also rife with problems, were entertaining.

___________________________________________________

Previously:

1.  Marked
3.  Chosen

Comments

[sassymonkey]

I do think the authors are improving their rehashing a bit. It's now only 100 pages instead of half the book. That being said I think I'm passing on the rest of the books. Doesn't help that they are being released in hardcover.

[reader]

I'm not into vampires or vampyres or however the book spells them, so I won't comment on that -- but your review cracks me up. These books are terrible, awful, and yet... you keep reading the series? What? Is this one of those bad car accidents on the highway, and you just have to see it for yourself? :)

[Leila]

It's totally a trainwreck thing. Can't help going back for more, even though I know I shouldn't. But this one may have cured me of my affliction.

[annie]

Gah! Not the Pam Anderson's boobs metaphor again! That one makes me want to tear my eyeballs out.

Also, it feels a little dated. Shouldn't it at least be Tara Reid's boobs?

[Allie]

I am so glad I am not the only one who felt this book was messed up. I looked at the reviews at amazon and I couln't believe it. What is a gay tornado? And the girls who kept calling each other "twin"! How does that not fustrate people?! Mind boggling!

[Calamity Jane]

In a way I get why you keep reading these books (the trainwreck thing, right?) since that's what I feel with every single book Stephenie Meyer has written.
Yet, I must say it's funny to read these reviews and then compare them to other reviews we may find in Amazon or Goodreads ;)

[Carol]

I totally agree on your review. For me Untamed was just a filler novel. Wonder how Hunted will be...

[Raschel]

Well you have that right, they rehash too much, but I find the constant boyfriend issues to be the trainwreck part..*sigh* the actual history and digging they put into the raven mockers and Kalona were rather well thought I have to say. Hunted was released (officially) yesterday and its so similar its not even funny. Seriously all these books can be broken down into:
I love him, but I feel so right with him and he makes me feel like a woman
My friends make me worry and the world is coming to an end
I have new tatoos and I like blood and it seems disgusting but its soo good!

and thats what I have to say about it all...the one to follow Hunted is Tempted and then there will be 3 books about the red fledglings. That is all they contracted for, but they said they like it so much they may go farther.

[angela]

I haven't read untamed yet but there is so much I agree on with the other people who comment. About half way in to betrayed I was skipping line because she keep repeating herself. I would understand if each book could stand on its own as a story but its not each book is more like a chapter in a book and I think it could be if she would quit repeating herself but that's how she makes her money right

[Beth]

Haaaaa wow thts amazingly what i thought but i kinda do like it i mean it has its flaws but its got a good plot

[marsha Adams]

I am a 7th grader teaher who offers as many opportunities for reading new material as possobile. I check Barnes and Noble book reviews and talk to my other students. I had not read this series but after a parent complained, I an now on an administrative leave untilfurther notice. I am in shock and simply have no ability to even function in this situation. Has been the biggest shocker of my life. I did not read the series and wish now I had. But at at this point it is too late.

[Sd]

@Marsha Adams...
I hope you got that resolved. The author credits as a "teacher/mother-daughter duo, with content editing and inclusion by students" mislead many teachers and district middle schools across the nation to (initially) recommend and shelve these titles.

[None of your buisness]

hey you people need to shut up these books are amazing and you guys are so stupid you keep going back for more because you like the books and Stephenie Meyers books were amazing i agree on that!!!! And the way the books were published are good and have a new way of doing things they make you laugh and the parent who obviously complained was either a stuck up rich person or one of those smart parents who take all the fun out of their kids life!!And if you guys don't like the books quit complaining just stop reading them then cause if you don't like the book and keep on reading them and just finding ways to complain then you obviously have no flipping life!!!!

[Stephanie Pereira]

The only way to know good literature is to read all kinds, whether good or bad. That way you can analyze the novel with a better understanding of what makes good literature. If you like the books that's your thing, and if they don't that's their thing. This site is here to show people what you as an individual thought about a book.

I have to say my thoughts on this book are quite similar to the majority here. The House of Night series are extremely similar to the Twilight Series. I feel that both Zoey and Bella have everything handed to them. Bella obviously a bit more, as Zoey clearly gets emotionally wounded, but in the end they end up with all the perks of being immortal and none of the down sides. They adjust to the lifestyle in record speed, as well as show that while only being immortal for a couple months they are more powerfully then most around them.

One last thing, Zoey's relationships make me less willing to read the books. I find myself thinking, "Please, please not again." I'm not saying that the series is horrid, but it's just not something that I would wait on!

P.S. If you want a good read for teens that's packed with both mystery and romance read the Scarlett Wakefield Series By: Lauren Henderson.

[Tracy Lemon]

Personally I think everyone should relax about the stuff in these books like how Christians and homosexuals are displayed. One, these books are FICTION, which means none of it is true. Second, the way the characters act is very true to real life. Face it, people act like assholes once in awhile. It's life. Just because the book is written like this does not mean that the writer believes it nor is she trying to impose any type of opinions on anyone. Get over it. Enjoy life, and have fun reading the books and maybe look up the definition for the word FICTION.

[Sadie]

I got this series from the library to read before my daughter read them and I am glad I did.
These books would be great if they fixed some things:
1) Took out the biggotted stuff about the people of faith... not necessary and doesn't do anything good for the books. Plus calling the male people of faiths pedophiles isn't really that great either. P.C. tuck in your shirt you biggot is showing.
2) The free use of the F word is totally unnecessary to tell the story.
3) The description of Aphrodite on her knees trying to give a blow job? So not what a 13 year old needs to read. Plus the blood drinking scene with Heath in the car is too much.
4) Zoey is really an anti strong female role model. She can't make up her mind, she jumps from guy to guy, she is way to focused on her looks and her self worth is tied up in what others think of her.
5) The use of the word Ho to describe Aphrodite because she tried to get with one guy while Zoey tries to get with three shows a complete lack of understanding of the definition of the word.

All in all my daughter and any other person would be better off reading anything but this tripe.

[Princess]

where can i read it online?