JULY 2010 BOM House of Night Book 2 "Betrayed" Discussion 1, Week 1, Ch. 1-7

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Permalink Reply by Jennifer Surdam on July 3, 2010 at 2:48pm

1.) I'm loving it! I still think it's great, and I love that they include a lot of sexy stars as part of the vampyre culture.

2.) I think it's very interesting, compared to the Twilight lore. What I think is really interesting is that while vamps in the House of Night series are distinct and Marked, they are still essentially like humans, they look like humans, they have many of the same human concerns, and they have many of the same beliefs, but in different ways, if that makes sense. They may be super-human in other ways, but we're not that different. In Twilight, there's a pretty massive distinction between vamps and humans--vamps are gorgeous and perfect, super-strong, and have very distinct characteristics that make them very, very different from humans. They don't even really have the same cares and concerns as humans. They sorta parade around as humans. This seems more realistic in a totally different way than Twilight does.

3.) I think Zoey's doing pretty well, but she's maybe starting to get in over her head? I think it'll be interesting to see how things all turn out. She's got a lot of responsibilities after only a month in the House of Night. That's a lot for any teen!

4.) I think it's really cool that she spent so much time researching the way any normal person would about how to lead the Dark Daughters. I think it was really awesome that she got some great ideas about it from another school model, and I think it's great that she decided to totally change the Daughters in a way that would be incredibly different from any way they'd ever experienced before. I can't wait to see how that plays out.

5.) I'm a little surprised, in a way, because she's so into Erik, but this is so common with teens--having the proverbial crush on a teacher. I'm definitely curious to see how it will go, because I think Loren should have stopped it much sooner. But we know Zoey is very powerful, and her power of compulsion may be one that is irresistible, and she doesn't really even know it yet, so I can't wait to see how they take it, and in what direction.

6.) What did you think about the encounter with her parents, and do you think she'll ever forgive her mother? Me: I think it went about the only way it could go, and I'm not sure when she'll forgive her mom, if it ever happens. I think that it's interesting that her parents even came, to be honest--I didn't think they would!

Hugs and BB,
jen :)

Permalink Reply by MerrySparrow on July 3, 2010 at 6:49pm

1. I love the vampyre lore in this. Their affinity with different aspects are interesting and quite neat. Like Neferet's affinity for cats and healing or Zoey's affinity for all five elements. You definitely don't see many fledgling vampyres going to a prep school. Sorry, I just finished Marked before I started reading Betrayed.

2. It's quite different. With the House of Night vampyres, they get hungry for regular food and blood, well not so much for fledglings. That excludes Zoey since she's so special which I think that will play a bigger part in upcoming books, but anyway. With Twilight, you've got your basic vampire lore right there with a few exceptions. But I like the differences. We're not bombarded with the same things over and over again. It's an unusual kind of vampire yet believable.

3. Well, for only being there for only a month now, I think Zoey is adjusting very well. She made friends in the first 24 hours of being there, got a cat, discovered new things about herself, and took over Aphrodite's place as leader of the Dark Daughters AND trainee for High Priestess. Me personally, I don't think I would have been able to do all of that in less then one month. I think her only problem right now is how "freaky" her mark is and how to deal with Aphrodite.

4. She's doing a great job with the Dark Daughters so far. She's bouncing ideas off of her friends and asking her mentor what she thought about her ideas. Plus, she's using other resources besides her friends for ideas. I think she's really going to turn that group into a good thing if she keeps up the work she's doing.

5. I'm not to thrilled about it since she is seeing Erik. I think they have been trying to control themselves since their relationship is teacher/student.

6. Do you think Aphrodite will pull off the plan her parents gave her or do you think Zoey will always be one step head?
I think that whatever Aphrodite is trying to do won't completely work. I think Zoey will be strong enough to handle it or Neferet will not stand for it. Either way, I think Zoey will stay leader and Aphrodite will just have to stand up to her parents.


What did you think about the encounter with her parents, and do you think she'll ever forgive her mother?

I think that Neferet handled her step-'loser' well. I do wish that her mother would take her daughter's side instead of putting her tail between her legs and doing whatever her new husband wants her to do. I wasn't too sure if they would show up either, but I'm glad her grandmother did. I don't know if Zoey ever will or not. If she does, it will be a very long time away.

Permalink Reply by Jennifer Surdam on July 9, 2010 at 2:17am

I think all in all, Aphrodite is kind of a spoiled brat who wants to please her parents, but also wants to do the right thing ultimately, cuz she knows right from wrong, and she understands what going beyond the bounds of right means. She recognizes that Zoey got leadership of the Dark Daughters for a reason, and that reason was right. But I think that she also wants more than she deserves as well. So I'm watching to see which will ultimately win with her, and I think ultimately, right will win over in the end. I think she has a deep need to please her parents, so I think she'll try to do as they wish, but I think she'll probably chicken out in the end. With Zoey, I think Zoey's always going to be smarter than Aphrodite, so I think that Zoey will always beat Aphrodites in anything that happens, no matter what Aphrodite does. Collateral damage may be heavy, and that's going to really be the issue, IMHO...

Hugs and BB,
jen :)