Synopsis (spoilers):
In this second installment of the popular series, Zoey Redbird has now taken over as leader of the Dark Daughters and as High Priestess in training now that the goddess has gifted her with the affinity to invoke 5 elements – wind, air, water, earth and spirit. In the beginning of the book, it’s Parents Night. Her mother and stepfather come to visit and are appalled at how she has changed, even though Neferet tells them it is because of the goddess Nyx and that she has been gifted. Her stepfather leaves and basically tells her she is cut out of the family. Her mother follows him out, not disagreeing. At least she still has her grandma.
Zoey decides to change the way the Dark Daughters has been run in the past. She comes up with a prefect system (in which she is the head prefect). Damien, Erin, Shaunee, Stevie Rae, and Zoey’s new boyfriend Erik Night will all be prefect members as well as one of Aphrodite’s inner circle (still to be named). Aphrodite has fallen out of favor with Neferet (High Priestess of House of Night and Zoey’s mentor), as well as with her friends. A new kid enters the school – Jack Twist. He is Erik’s new roommate and Zoey instantly takes him under her wing. A romantic spark flares between Jack and Damien.
Neferet tells Zoey that she believes that Nyx (the goddess of Night that vampyres worship) has withdrawn her gift to Aphrodite – her ability to have visions that predict terrible events). However, when Aphrodite has a vision of Zoey’s grandmother dying as a bridge she is driving on collapses, she starts to think Nyx has not withdrawn Aphrodite’s gift. Zoey calls her grandmother and tells her to stay put and calls in a fake bomb threat on the bridge, when it is discovered that the driver of the barge that Aphrodite had seen crash into the bridge had a heart attack, Zoey knows Aphrodite’s vision was a true one. If she hadn’t stopped it, the heart attack would’ve caused the driver to steer into the bridge, killing all on board the boat and the drivers on the bridge.
Zoey begins to get an off feeling where Neferet is concerned. Not only is she being very harsh to Aphrodite and refusing to acknowledge her visions, but she announces Zoey’s new plan to run the Dark Daughters as her own idea. One night she also sees Elliott – a fledgling who had died a couple of weeks ago during the change. He has red eyes and smells of decay. He is near the east wall with Neferet and they are arguing. She lets him drink her blood. Zoey is confused and disgusted by this. Something isn’t right…
Zoey goes out into town to clear her head after she hears that two of Heath’s friends from a rival high school have gone missing – Chris and Brad. Chris’ body has been found – he died due to multiple lacerations and blood loss. Detectives have questioned Zoey since she had known Chris through Heath. They also want to talk to Loren Blake (he is a vampyre poet laureate – one of the first in hundreds of years and is part-time professor at the House of Night). Neferet tells them he is away cheering on students taking place in a Shakespearian monologue competition in London (which Erik takes first place in). Zoey knows that is false as she had seen him earlier that day. She wonders why Neferet lied. Zoey thinks the police believe vampyres might have something to do with it even though they have a pact with humans that they will never take their blood unwillingly. While she is out she runs into Heath. He offers his blood to her, even cutting himself to entice her. She cannot help herself and drinks from him. This solidifies their Imprint.
Amidst planning the new direction of the Dark Daughters, Zoey runs into Loren Blake. He is very young for a vampyre and extremely handsome. They flirt and she cannot believe how womanly and special he makes her feel. They meet again by the wall and he asks to see her tattoos. She pulls her shirt down to show him and is surprised at how he makes her feel. Her confusion over the now multiple guys in her life plagues her.
While casting her first circle in front of her peers, Zoey learns that Nyx has gifted her friends with the affinity of each element they have helped her call in previous circles. Shaunee has the affinity for fire, Erin for water, Stevie Rae for earth, and although Nyx rarely gifts men with an affinity for anything other than a physical affinity, he has blessed him with the affinity for air. As they finish casting their first circle, Stevie Rae becomes ill, coughing up blood. Her body is rejecting the change. Zoey goes to her and cradles her in her arms as her best friend dies.
Zoey and her friends try to go on without Stevie Rae. Zoey is heartbroken. Neferet gives her a vial of liquid to drink to keep nightmares away, however she runs into Aphrodite who tells her not to drink it. When her roommate and best friend Venus died, Aphrodite took it and it made her feel funny. She forgot mostly about Venus and it even took away her visions temporarily. Zoey doesn’t take it and has a dream about the smelly red eyed kids who had died. Stevie Rae is now their new leader and they take Heath. When she wakes up the next morning the news tells her that Heath is missing. She knows it wasn’t just a dream. She admits to Erik about her Imprint with Heath, but tells him that she still cares about him and wants to be with him. He is understanding and tells her he wants to be with her too.
While at the stables trying to mentally locate Heat, Aphrodite appears and tells Zoey to take Persephone (the horse she frequently grooms for her equestrian class) to find Heath. If Zoey looks deep inside, she knows she can find him. Zoey wonders if Aphrodite has changed. They’re definitely not friends, but they are not the enemies they once were.
Zoey does indeed find him. He is in the tunnels that run under Tulsa that were made during Prohibition. She rescues him from the red kids who are evil vampyres who care about nothing but feeding. They hadn’t killed Heath yet because his blood has been tainted by his imprint with Zoey. Zoey sees that Stevie Rae is in fact one of them. She has changed but Zoey knows she can save her. Heath and Zoey escape but right before they get out Stevie Rae finds her and asks Zoey to kill her. Zoey refuses. Stevie Rae tells her Neferet is responsible for this new batch of fledglings who have died and now changed into evil beings. Zoey tells her to use her affinity for earth to stay strong. She won’t forget about her and promises to come back for her. Stevie Rae agrees to wait for her.
Zoey calls one of the detectives that has shown her kindness (his twin sister became a vampyre). She tells him she found Heath and he tells her he’s on his way. Using the elements to escape has made Zoey weak. She runs into Neferet and tries to pretend to be thrilled and relieved that she found them. Neferet erases their memory. While passed out Nyx tells Zoey that the elements can restore her memory. On the way back to House of Night with Detective Marx, Zoey keeps trying to remember what happened, but a pain in her head blocks it. When she is right outside the wall to the school she tells Marx to pull over. She remembers what Nyx told her. She gets out and uses the elements to restore her memory and a searing pain spreads down her back. She doesn’t tell the detective what she remembers, but asks him to trust her. She gets back to the House of Night where her friends welcome her, as well as Neferet. Zoey subtly lets Neferet knows her memory is back and Neferet whispers a threat to her. Zoey loudly asks Neferet to look at her back and pulls her shirt up. All her friends gasp. She has more tattoos from Nyx all down her back that match the ones from her face, neck and shoulders. Neferet is speechless. Zoey goes to fake-hug Neferet and whispers to her that she knows everything and that this isn’t over.
Review (spoilers): 10 out of 10.
I love this series. With each book Zoey becomes stronger and more sure of herself. The death of Stevie Rae has made me tear up both times I have read this book. The writers do an awesome job of making you feel as if you have lost your best friend too. Although the men in Zoey’s life continue to grow, you feel as torn between them as Zoey does. The writer also makes you feel torn about Aphrodite. As horrid as she was in Marked, she becomes slightly more likable in this book. You want to hate her for her past transgressions, but you hold hope that she is starting to turn over a new leaf. While sometimes these books seem a bit too teenager-ish, the writers immerse you in Zoey’s life. You feel her love, pain, and confusion. I love this series and I always can’t wait to read more of it!
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