From the Archives: Book 12: "Burned" by P.C. and Kristin Cast

 

"Burned" by P.C. and Kristin Cast

Verdict: I don't know why I read these books.

"Burned" is the latest in the House of Night Series, a young adult vampire series authored by P.C. Cast and her daughter Kristin Cast. Since classic vampires are quickly becoming vampires of the past, this series also puts a new spin on them. The books focus on fledgling vampires, or teenagers, that have not fully turned. Not every teen who begins the transformation (chosen by a goddess, no biting involved) survives the transformation, but while waiting for it they attend school at House of Night and gradually mature into full vampires. Each fledgling is marked with the outline of a crescent moon on their forehead. When they mature, the crescent fills in along with other markings on the brow specific to that person's talents. As the vampire becomes more powerful, the markings spread to the rest of the body. The series primarily follows Zoey Redbird, a chosen one of the Goddess. She receives a filled in crescent almost immediately and every book her markings grow- yet she is still a fledgling. Overall, the House of Night Series has some major issues but is simply a fun, action packed, easy read.

Plot holes is this series' big struggle. Here are a few examples. The age differences between characters changes from book to book. Pop culture references cause time continuum contradictions. This usually happens because each book's timeline lasts anywhere from two days to one week. So Even though no time had passed between the last book and the "Burned" release, there are now new pop culture references, such as the television show "Glee". This poses a problem because Glee did not exist in the prior book, so how did they ever watch it, when no time has passed, and they definitely did not have time to watch T.V.? Another example of this is that characters now had up to date cell phones, such as the iPhone. When the town and the characters are in crisis, how do they find time to buy new devices? These seem like minuscule things but I can't excuse them. These are things authors should notice and fix.

If you are unlike me and can read a book without over-thinking it and tearing it apart, then House of Night is fun and easy to read. The books have great characters overall, and the idea is very unique and interesting.

 

*Because of the major plot holes, I have since come to not recommend these books. They did start off well, but declined in quality at an alarming rate.*