Chosen: A House Of Night Novel Novels & Stories

Spoilers for 'Chosen', obviously! After the horrible ritual that kills Zoey's human boyfriend Heath, the book ends with Zoey and her friends stopping Neferet's immediate plans and exposing her as a traitor to the High Council. The key conflict of Neferet's betrayal gets resolved in the sense that the secret's out—she flees the Tulsa House of Night, and everyone knows she's the villain now. But it's a pretty bleak resolution because she gets away and Kalona, the fallen immortal, is freed.

Zoey's inner conflict about her powers and her relationships is left super messy, which I liked. She's grieving Heath, her link with Stark is getting stronger, and her trust in adults is completely shattered. The book closes with her circle of friends solidifying as her real family, preparing to face whatever's coming next. It felt less like a neat ending and more like surviving a disaster and staring at the wreckage, which fit the darker tone the series took here.

Zoey Redbird is the central protagonist throughout most of the books. She's the fledgling with the unique crescent moon mark and an affinity for all five elements, which is super rare. The story follows her from being Marked and entering the Tulsa House of Night school, dealing with the whole Neferet situation, and navigating her complicated relationships. I mean, her circle includes a lot of the other main characters too—like her best friend Stevie Rae, the red fledgling who becomes the first undead High Priestess, and Aphrodite, who starts off as the mean girl but ends up being a crucial prophetess. Then there's the whole love triangle, or more like a polygon, with Heath, her human ex-boyfriend she's still connected to, Erik Night the hot actor fledgling, and Stark, the red fledgling archer who becomes her Guardian. Honestly, the cast around her is huge and sometimes hard to keep track of.

Neferet is arguably just as central as an antagonist. She's the High Priestess of Tulsa's House of Night who turns out to be consorting with Darkness and manipulating everyone. Her descent into outright villainy drives so much of the series' conflict. Kalona also becomes a major figure after he's freed—the immortal, fallen Warrior who battles Zoey and her group. The list feels endless when you consider all the important vampyres and humans that cycle through Zoey's life.

Okay, I've got a pretty strong opinion on this one, and it might be a little unpopular. I was deep into the paranormal YA scene when 'House of Night' came out, and I devoured the first few books. The initial setup with Zoey at the Tulsa House of Night, the vampyre mythology being tied to Native American lore, and the whole Marked process hooked me. It felt fresh compared to a lot of other vamp stuff at the time.

But around book four or five, the series started to really lose me. The relationship drama between Zoey and, like, three different guys just overwhelmed the plot. It became less about the cool paranormal world and more about who was kissing whom, with a side of 'dark evil' that felt recycled. The writing style also began to grate on me—the constant slang and ‘nothin’ like, totally’ dialogue from supposedly ancient vampyres pulled me out of the story. If you’re a paranormal fan looking for tight world-building and consistent lore, this might frustrate you. There are better series out there that handle similar themes without the baggage.

I still think the first three are a fun, quick read if you’re in the mood for something undemanding and dramatic, but I wouldn’t put it high on a must-read list anymore.