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Untamed

P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast

Published 2008       338 pages

Summary (from book jacket)

Life sucks when your friends are pissed at you.
Just ask Zoey Redbird – she’s become an expert on suckiness. In one week she has gone from having three boyfriends to having none, and from having a close group of friends who trusted and supported her, to being an outcast.

Speaking of friends, of the two Zoey has left, one is undead and one is unMarked. And Neferet has declared war on humans, which Zoey knows in her heart is wrong. But will anyone listen to her?  Zoey's adventures at vampyre finishing school take a wild and dangerous turn as loyalties are tested, shocking true intentions come to light, and an ancient evil is awakened in PC and Kristin Cast's fourth House of Night novel.

The Review

Untamed is the fourth instalment in the popular House of Night teen fantasy series by mother and daughter writing team P.C & Kristin Cast.  Aimed at an older (15+) teen audience the whole House of Night series has a huge appeal for adult readers too and Untamed is no different in this regard to the rest of the series.

Events in Untamed start from where the action in Chosen (the previous book in this series) left off.  The book itself has an extremely short timeframe, with the plot of the novel taking place over just a couple of days which ramps up the pacing of the novel from fast to supersonic.  Action packed doesn’t even begin to describe it!

The thread of dark intrigue that has run through out the series finally comes to light with Zoey and her friends now fully aware that Neferet is no longer standing on the side of light and reason.  A new enemy is revealed during the course of the story - a blending of Native American myth with the existing vampire mythology that works well, giving Zoey a lot more to worry about than whether her friends are speaking to her.

The fast pacing means that the plot is more action driven and as a result there is less romantic confusion for Zoey and less emphasis on sex and bloodlust.  The overlong religious rituals (casting circles, lighting candles and calling the elements) that once acted as speed bumps for the fast paced plots of the previous novels are now more in keeping with the pacing and flow of the story and no longer act as a distraction to the reader.

In addition to having the cast of characters that readers have come to know and enjoy there is also the introduction of a couple of exciting new characters not to mention some major character development for Aphrodite and Darius – leading to some good banter and witty dialogue.

Untamed is another solid instalment of drama from the dark world the House of Night.  An exciting plot packed full of fantasy action, mystery, drama and vampyres serves to keep readers engaged and the cliff-hanger ending will certainly motivate readers to seek out the next book in the series (Hunted, due for publication March 2009.)

Suitable for both teens and older readers, vampire fantasy fans don’t miss this!

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