Better Than the First One

Betrayed:  A House of Night Novel #2 by P.C. Cast and Kristen Cast

Teen Paranormal

I liked this one so much better than the first one.  I hope that's a trend and it's one of those series that gets better and better as they go along.

Zoe is still trying to come to terms with her new powers given to her by Nyx, an ancient and mythical vampire goddess, and Zoe's rise to power as the leader of the Dark Daughters.  Her 'old' human life threatens to intrude once again when local teenagers are killed and all fingers point to the vampire school.  Zoe's other big problem in this book is resisting the temptation to taste blood, especially when it is being offered by her hot ex-boyfriend.

This one definitely rated a PG13 or higher so be cautious if you are a parent buying this.  It is much more mature than the first one in the series.  There are a lot of sexual situations in the book--fondling, groping, heavy petting, etc.  One thing I really didn't like about this book at all was the absence of a love interest--her new boyfriend is away at a drama competition and Zoe claims to be unsure whether they're really together or not.  HUH?!?!  That wasn't how the last book ended.  When she then goes on to essentially cheat on him with her ex-boyfriend,  I found that very unlikeable and out of character for her.  She didn't really even like her ex-boyfriend in the first book and now she can't stay away from him.  HUH!?!?  Her long speeches about doing the right thing and having honor fall kind of flat.  I get the author is trying to create a love triangle but that's not the way to do it.

Still, I enjoyed it overall and am looking forward to the next one.