Burned picks up right around where Tempted left off. Zoey is dead... well not completely dead, but close enough. But in order to get their High Priestess back, the gang is going to have to go through some interesting trials.Now, I have been a long supporter of the House of Night series, and have stuck by it throughout some high and low points. And Burned, for me, ranks in about the middle, more leaning towards the high point than low. The action is here... the bad guys are there... the only real thing missing was Zoey. Burned differs from the six previous novels in that it is 90-95% Stevie Ray. When I began the novel, I was actually quite excited about this. Stevie Ray, in the beginning of the series, was one of my favorite characters, and I was looking forward to seeing if this was the still the case once I got into her head. The verdict... the novel was okay being from mainly her point of view, but I really missed Zoey. Zoey is the glue that hold not only the House of Night gang together, but the series as well. And without her, I felt like the novel had a much different feel to it.One of the biggest differences that I noticed about this novel is that all the character voices are starting to blend together. Honestly, it has been a while since I have read any of the previous novels, so I am not sure if this is a new issue or a reoccurring one. In Burned, the issue seemed to reside mainly with Stevie Ray and Dallas. Stevie Ray would speak, then Dallas, and they sounded exactly the same. Their wording... tone... almost everything was practically a mirror of each other.So, where does this leave me with Burned and the House of Night series? I am not sure yet. It is true that I devoured this novel, reading it in two sittings. I love the way Burned flowed, and kept my attention glued to its pages. The magic of the series is definitely still alive and well. But I want more Zoey. While Burned ends in a nice wrapped up sort of way, readers of the series will be aware that there is still much more to come. And I personally cannot wait.
