Cast, P. C., & Cast, K. (2007). Betrayed. New York, NY: St. Martin’s Press.
ISBN-13: 978-0312360283
Genre: Fantasy,
Romance, Vampires, Magic, Paranormal, Coming of age, High School
Reading level/
interest age: 16+
Plot summary:
Zoey is at the House of Night for a month when parent
visiting day finally arrives. She is happy to see her mother and grandmother
but Neferet, the school’s High Priestess, steps in and begins an argument that
has Zoey’s mother thrown out. Distraught, Zoey wanders the school grounds and
comes upon Aphrodite and her family. Aphrodite gets a harsh verbal lashing and,
shortly after her parents leave, Neferet approaches Aphrodite and tells her
some equally mean news. Zoey becomes suspicious of Neferet and later seeks out
Aphrodite to ask about her goddess-given ability to see the future. Aphrodite
warns Zoey of her latest vision that includes Zoey’s grandmother dying. Zoey
listens to Aphrodite’s advice and saves her grandmother from driving off a
bridge.
As if this was not enough to deal with, Zoey has also caught
the attention of the school’s poet, Loren. With Zoey’s high school sweetheart
Heath pressing Zoey into more than she desires and Erik showing interest, Zoey
is caught trying to balance all three. Then her roommate, Stevie Rae, suddenly
rejects the Change into a vampire and dies in a gruesome way. With Zoey’s
mother angry with her, boys harassing her, and her new best friend dead, Zoey
struggles to maintain her emotions.
Reader’s annotation:
Zoey has only been at the House of Night for a month and
already her mother is angry with her and boys want to win her love. She can’t
even talk to someone because her roommate and best friend just died. Is Zoey
strong enough to sort all of this out on her own?
Information about the
author:
P.C. Cast
“P.C. Cast was born in Watseka, Illinois, and grew up being
shuttled back-and-forth between Illinois and Oklahoma, which is where she fell
in love with Quarter Horses and mythology (at about the same time). After high
school she joined the United States Air Force and began public speaking and writing.
Since her tour in the USAF, she has been speaking and teaching professionally.
“Ms. Cast is an award winning fantasy and paranormal romance
author. Her novels have been awarded the prestigious: Prism, Holt Medallion,
Daphne du Maurier, Booksellers' Best, and the Laurel Wreath” (Amazon.com, 2014).
Kristin Cast
“Kristin Cast was born in 1986 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Along
with her mother, Phyllis Christine Cast, she is responsible for writing the
popular young adult book series House of Night. The House of Night series
includes nine vampire-themed novels which all center on the adventures of a 16
year old girl, Zoey Redbird, who is forced to attend the House of Night
boarding school in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Cast's hometown.
“All of the novels in the series are marked by eerie, single
word titles — Marked, Betrayed, Chosen,
Untamed, Tempted, Burned, Awakened, and Destined.
In addition to the nine full length novels of the series, Cast and her mother
have also written several other House of Night novellas to supplement the
series, including Dragon's Oath and Lenobia's Vow, with a third work titled Neferet's Curse set to be released in
February of 2013.
“Cast attended Broken Arrow High School, where she graduated
in 2005. She then attended the University of Tulsa for her college education.
In addition to the new novellas she is writing with her mother for their House
of Night series, Cast announced that she had also begun working on her first
solo novel” (EpicReads.com, 2014).
Curriculum ties: N/A
Booktalking ideas:
1.
What would you do if your stepfather was as mean
as Zoey’s?
2.
How would you handle Aphrodite after witnessing
the scene between her and her parents?
Critical evaluation:
The conflict in Betrayed
is very different from the first book in the series, Marked. Betrayed focuses more on Zoey’s relationships with the
other characters rather than leading up to a large climatic battle. If the
reader does not know that this series contains about fifteen books total, the
story line can seem confusing as Betrayed
leaves the reader feeling like they are missing something. The book is just a
puzzle piece in the larger tapestry the series weaves. No book can be read out
of sequence as each book contains just enough information to lead the reader to
the next one. Only the first few books have a sort of recap of the storyline
but this dissolves as the series continues.
Betrayed can also
be a bit difficult to read at times due to the sheer amount of unnecessary
parenthetical information. Zoey’s inner thoughts are an angry beehive leaving
the reader wishing the book was written in third person rather than first. Know
that the writing does get better in the later books but it will be a struggle
getting through the first few. The characters also develop and lose their
immaturity as the story progresses as well.
Challenge issues:
·
Negative portrayal of Christianity
Defensive Maneuvers:
·
Have the library’s collection development policy
memorized and on hand in case a situation arises.
·
Keep positive reviews on hand to refer to or
hand out when needed.
·
If the book has won any awards, mention them to
the patron and briefly explain the award.
·
Listen to the patron and practice good customer
service skills when communicating. Let the customer know where or if he/she can
escalate his/her complaint.
·
When necessary, cite sections of the ALA’s
Library Bill of Rights or refer to the ALA's
Strategies and Tips for Dealing with Challenges to Library Materials.
Why included:
Though the series starts out rocky and terribly written, it
does pick up towards the end. The dialogue gets shorter, the characters develop,
and the plot begins to click. Readers may not be able to identify with Zoey’s
vampire talents but she does struggle with boys, relationships, and enemies –
something all teens can relate to.
Reference:
Amazon.com. (2014). P.C.
Cast. Retrieved August 22, 2014 from
http://www.amazon.com/P.-C.-Cast/e/B001H6U4KC
EpicReads.com. (2014). Kristin
Cast: Bio. Retrieved August 22, 2014 from
http://www.epicreads.com/authors/kristin-cast/260/
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