Hunting a fallen angel...and still too many boyfriends! (Hunted - P.C. Cast)

Member Name: eilidhcatriona

Product:	Hunted - P.C. Cast
Date:	10/11/09 (61 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: An improvement on Untamed

Disadvantages: Enough with all the boy issues!

Hunted is the fifth book in the House of Night series by P.C. and Kristen Cast. The series is about Zoey Redbird, a teenager who is Marked to become a vampyre. However, she isn't your average vampyre fledging, as she has special abilities and her vampyre tattoo markings are much more advanced than those of her classmates at the House of Night school.

I'm going to warn you now, in reviewing this novel I will have to reveal some plot details of the previous novels, particularly the fourth one, Untamed, so please don't read on if you don't want to know!

In the fourth novel, we saw an ancient fallen angel of Cherokee legends rise, and his nasty minions took over the school and the town. Zoey and her friends escaped, and now they are trying to figure out what to do and how to defeat Kalona.

I previously reviewed Untamed, and my conclusion wasn't entirely favourable. I felt the story was getting a little farcical now it was bringing Cherokee legends to life - somehow vampyres and everything that comes with them is easier to deal with! Strangely though, I didn't find Hunted to be farcical. The story seemed to fit and make sense, and I think this may be due to the fact that for most of Untamed, the legends were just that - legends, although with the possibility they may be real. Now in Hunted, they are real and something which Zoey and her friends have to deal with. I think this took away the element of farce for me.

Story-wise, by the time you get to Hunted, it really has taken off. The series up to this point has taken place over the course of only a few months, so each novel really is very detailed and only covers a few days. Hunted takes place over I think about two days, which you only really realise after you finish it - the action is constant that it seems more like a week. The story is very exciting, and almost always on the go - I couldn't stop reading!

One thing which has remained constant for me throughout the series is the irritation I feel at Zoey's language and style of narration. This lessened with Hunted, and I'm really not sure why. I think the story was so packed that Zoey had less time to be annoying, but I think I also must be getting more used to her style and I went into the novel knowing what it would be like.

A negative for me is Zoey's love life. She keeps telling us that she is not a "skanky ho" (an example of her lovely teenage language), but somehow she always has three guys on the go and just doesn't know what to do about it! I'm getting a bit tired of it now. I actually thought it would be better after one of the original three died, but of course Zoey has managed to find an even more complicated replacement for him. I rather wish she'd just make a decision, sort things out and cut off the others. This was the same all the way through Hunted, but near the end there is a decision of some sort, and I think she made the right choice - but we'll have to see how that pans out in the sixth instalment. Hopefully we'll get a break from her incessant guy worries.

I'm going to put in the same warning that I have on my previous House of Night reviews - this book is not suitable for younger readers. It is full of swearing and strong sexual references. Personally I'd say over 16s, but I think I must be getting old because I know I was reading much worse at a younger age than that! But parents, be advised these are not pretty little stories for 12 year olds.

I would definitely recommend Hunted, but you really do have to read the novels in order as the catch ups that Zoey gives at the start of each novel tend to be a bit vague. However, if like me you were a bit disappointed by Untamed, persevere with Hunted - it does get better again! I'm now off to order book six from Amazon...

Summary: Worth reading even if you were disappointed with Untamed