Chosen by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast

Still reeling from the death of her close friend, Zoey's birthday comes, and her friends all combine to give her presents themed around Christmas- which she absolutely hates. Even Eric, her boyfriend, gives her a pearl necklace constructed to look like a snowman. But when she confesses to not liking Birthday presents themed around Christmas- because her birthday is the 24th, her friends are a little annoyed. Why didn't she tell them?!

Well, she did tell someone- and that was the friend who died. Meanwhile, Loren Blake, the vampyre Poet Laureate, has expressed an interest in Zoey, and she's more than a bit flattered by the attention. And he gives her a present that isn't Christmas-themed, a pair of diamond earrings. Zoey knows she shouldn't accept them, but gives in and does so anyway.

Meanwhile, she meets her grandmother and mother for a Birthday meal at a café, and once again, her mother totally ignores Zoey's likes and dislikes by giving her a Christmas-themed gift and cake- and the cake was a sale cake! Zoey, who forgave her friends, is less forgiving towards her mother, who didn't even come alone, but with her husband, who Zoey calls "The Step-Loser". But once her mother leaves in a huff, Zoey is able to enjoy a nice day with her Grandma Redbird.

Back at school, Zoey is now juggling three boyfriends, even Heath, whom she shouldn't be seeing. He wants her to drink his blood, and she can't resist doing so, especially when Heath keeps cutting himself around her. She's too weak where he is concerned.

Back at school, she finds it hard to be around her friends, and not wanting to tell them what is going on because it endangers them. So, amazingly, she's spending time with Aphrodite, who has shown an unexpected Earth Affinity and replaced her Dead friend in the circle with the others.

But is her dead friend really dead? Why does Zoey see her hanging around the campus, and can Zoey bring her back to herself so that her friend no longer has to kill? While her other friends are a bit turned off by Zoey needing so much time alone, and to think, Loren Blake continues to make inroads on her heart. And by the time she is ready to bring back her friend to the land of the living, she has made a tremendous mistake- allowing Loren to overcome her imprint with Heath, by forming an imprint with him.

Zoey feels the bond between herself and Heath break, and feels pain, but knows it will be infinitely worse for Heath. And then, Loren makes love to her, and, caught up in the moment and their imprint, Zoey allows it. But afterwards, they are discovered by Eric, and his reaction isn't pretty. He declares her a worse bitch that Aphrodite, which causes Zoey more pain. And the rest of her friends also reject her. And when she goes in search of Loren, she discovers that his whole romance with her was intended to drive her friends away from her and leave her isolated and alone. And she completely fell for it.

Now a social outcast and her heart completely broken, Zoey is further rocked by the seeming "death" of Eric. But it's not death, he's merely completed his transformation into a vampire, and wants nothing to do with her. In fact, he's planning on leaving the school, and her, forever.

Earlier, Zoey and Aphrodite had discovered the death of one of the teachers, the Drama teacher, Professor Nolan. She was apparently slain by humans opposed to vampires, as she was crucified with a bible verse pinned nearby. Now, another vampire is slain, and it's Loren Blake, and he also is pinned with a Bible verse, beheaded and crucified to the Front Gates of the House of Night.

Neferet, grieving for the death of her lover, declares war on the Humans. But can Zoey still fight against Neferet, alone and shunned by her friends as she is? Who will she turn to now for help?

I think I was gasping (inside, at least) every few chapters when I read this book. So much happens so quickly that takes Zoey from high to low. At one point it seems like she has it all, and then loses it so quickly that it's breathtaking. In the end, the only friend who sticks by her is Aphrodite, and she would hardly call Aphrodite a friend.

Zoey tries to so hard to keep herself going, but the death of her close friend in the last volume has really taken it out of her, and she can't explain to the rest of her friends what she is doing with Aphrodite, or why she's out and alone so often. And Zoey finds the attentions of Loren Blake- a full-grown male vampire, incredibly distracting and flattering. Little does she- or we- know that his entire "romance" with her is nothing more than a snare.

This book blew me away with how good it was, from the opening to the very startling and amazing ending. Every book just seems to keep getting better and better, ratcheting the tension up on Zoey, and we see her starting to crack a little under the pressure of keeping her friends out of the loop for their own safety and to keep them from knowing about the whole "undead" vampires that Neferet is creating to bring forward her war on humans. This series just continues to improve and keep my interest. Highly recommended.