Tempted (Book 6) of House of Night Series

This covers the sixth book in the House of Night (HON) series as well as the series as a whole.

In the HON books, vampyres (spelled with a "y") are marked around the age of 16 with a blue crescent moon tattoo smack-dab in the middle of their forehead.  They do not have a choice in the matter; they are "chosen" by the Goddess Nyx and it just magically appears with no warning. Once marked, they have to grow into their vampyre status and not everyone makes it - some die.  While growing into this true vampyre state, they must be surrounded by vampyres and go to finishing school and learn the history and ways of vampyres.  In Tulsa, OK, this finishing school is called the House of Night. Newly marked vampyres are called fledglings and if they complete the change, they are given the official title of vampyre and have tattoo-runes displayed on their face/body representing their special powers/affiliations with the Earth. This series follows Zoey Redbird, a newly marked fledgling and her transition into the world of vampyres. Zoey is a descendant of the Cherokee people, who supposedly had an affiliation with the Goddess Nyx and when combined with other elements described as the books progress, you discover that Zoey is special to Nyx and may be the only hope to keep the world from falling apart. Zoey has typical teenage fledgling and vampyre friends that help her on her way and as the series progresses you learn a little more about how their fate may not be great for everyone.  Kids die, vampyres die. Battles are fought and alliances are drawn.  It's a wild ride.

I read books 1-5 during the summer and since book 5 left on a major cliffhanger, I was foaming at the mouth for Book 6.  In late October, my wait was over.

Now for a specific opinion of Tempted - Book 6  (Don't read the synopsis if you haven't read the other books yet)

Tempted: A House of Night Novel
Published: October 27, 2009
Hardcover: 336 pages
Synopsis: 
So…you’d think after banishing an immortal being and a fallen High Priestess, saving Stark’s life, biting Heath, getting a headache from Erik, and almost dying, Zoey Redbird would catch a break. Sadly, a break is not in the House of Night school forecast for the High Priestess in training and her gang. Juggling three guys is anything but a stress reliever, especially when one of them is a sexy Warrior who is so into protecting Zoey that he can sense her emotions. Speaking of stress, the dark force lurking in the tunnels under the Tulsa Depot is spreading, and Zoey is beginning to believe Stevie Rae could be responsible for a lot more than a group of misfit red fledglings. Aphrodite’s visions warn Zoey to stay away from Kalona and his dark allure, but they also show that it is Zoey who has the power to stop the evil immortal. Soon it becomes obvious that Zoey has no choice: if she doesn’t go to Kalona he will exact a fiery vengeance on those closest to her. Will Zoey have the courage to chance losing her life, her heart, and her soul?

My Opinion:
Okay, so here's the thing.  The last book left in a cliffhanger and I was yearning for some closure. The first 5 books had some good action as well.  This book lacked any closure and was void of action.  It was simply an in between book where I was stuck in 300 pages of a bad episode of the Bold and the Beautiful. What did we really learn from Tempted? A new prophecy, two new dreams and more Zoey triple boyfriend drama. A tragic ending once again left us on edge. I feel like, and I believe this is the first time I have ever said this, that PC Cast is writing these books with entirely too much detail and dialogue and not getting to the point.  As a reader, I want answers, I want action, and I want closure.  How much longer can she possibly carry this series on? I'm afraid that my interest level may be worn out and I'm just not sure my wallet will be full enough for another empty installment of the HON novels.

On a plus side, I loved the new take of writing from different character's perspectives in this book and I think that really helped me connect with them.  The series as a whole is interesting in the Goddess Nyx take on things and how it all mixes with Catholicism and ancient history.  I also like how the vampyre itself is not a violent person but someone who is one with nature and history. I give the series as a whole 3 stars, but Tempted by itself only earns 2 stars for a lack of plot. The next book is called "Burned" will be released in April 2008 and something tells me that it won't come close to ending anytime soon.