Untamed (House of Night #4) PC and Kristin Cast

Untamed is the fourth book in the House of Night series by mother and daughter duo, PC and Kristin Cast. It is published by Atom Books and is 464 pages long.

What has happened so far

Zoey Redbird recently got marked by a Tracker, meaning that she had to move to the House of Night in order to maybe become a vampyre. If she doesn't die first. Zoey is unlike any of the other fledglings though. She has been extremely blessed by the Goddess Nyx who gave her powers that she never expected. Zoey can has an affinity for all five elements: Earth, Air, Water, Fire and Spirit. She has also overthrown Aphrodite as the leader of the Dark Daughters, taking the lead for herself.

Beginning a new life has been hard but at least Zoey has her faithful friends, Stevie Rae, Shaunee, Erin and Damien to help her out. Not to mention human boyfriend Heath, who she imprinted with and talented fledgling boyfriend Erik. Football players from Zoey's old school went missing and were murdered so she had to save Heath before he was killed as well. After best friend Stevie Rae died and came back as something else, Zoey wasn't coping very well and managed to annoy everyone she cares about.

Untamed
Extremely special vampyre fledgling, Zoey Redbird isn't have the best time lately. She has quickly found out that being special and gifted doesn't equal happiness and an easy life. After keeping important secrets from her friends, Zoey finds herself quite alone, not even having one boy on the go. The only people that are still talking to her are un-dead Stevie Rae and bitchy and newly unmarked Aphrodite.

Neferet has declared a war on humans after several of the teachers at the House of Night were murdered. Zoey knows that Neferet is wrong and planning something even more sinister but no body trusts her enough to listen. An ancient evil being is about to be resurrected and with Zoey alone, it doesn't seem as though things will work themselves out this time.

What I thought
Untamed has a completely different feel to it compared to the previous books in this series. While Zoey's problems seemed quite important in the other books, they don't even come close to what is going on this time. I really enjoyed the fact that this plot had a lot more depth to it and that it will continue into future books. It is extremely fast paced and concentrates much more on action and build up of tension rather than romance which I was so thankful for.

As much as I like Zoey, there is only so much of having too many boyfriends that I can handle. The fact that she had lost almost everyone close to her in the previous book meant that she had a lot of time on her hands to figure out what and who was really important to her. For this reason, I saw a different side to Zoey and one that I actually preferred. She was a lot more serious but it wasn't in the depressing way that I had expected it to be. A lot more is revealed about Zoey's personal life and I felt like this gave me the opportunity to reconnect with her and remember the reasons why I liked her in the first place.

Even though Zoey is having problems in the romance department, that doesn't mean that everyone is. Damien and Jack are as happy as they ever have been and I love how cute they are together. It was so nice for Damien to find someone in a school where the gay guys are not always so open and ok about it. Aphrodite also gets a slice of the happiness in Untamed and it was about time. She really has changed over the course of this series and I feel as though she doesn't deserve all of the negativity that she receives. After having her mark taken away, a whole new side of her is revealed and her love interest has quite a lot to do with that. Of course, the bitch is still inside her and it is nice to see that she hasn't lost that as it is what makes her so funny.

As I have said in previous reviews of books in this series, Zoey is of Cherokee (Native American) descent and we get to find out more about the history of these people in Untamed. Not only do we learn more about that but also more about vampyre mythology and the way that the two were blended was really interesting and these parts were some of my favourites.

The House of Night sees many changes in Untamed but not all of them for the better. With Neferet wanting a war to start, evil is all around and in places that aren't expected. Many of the students have no idea about what is happening and go about their daily business. There is a certain eeriness surrounding the plot because you never really know what is lurking in the shadows of the school until very far into the book. I loved the not knowing and being able to imagine what was there for myself.

Overall
Untamed is a fabulous addition to the House of Night series and one that kept my attention throughout. I don't see this series weakening any time soon, especially with the plot developments that happened in this book. Things are about to get really rough for Zoey and the gang but are they all going to be able to cope or even survive? I damn well hope so.