Book Review: Nyx in the House of Night

Title: Nyx in the House of Night
Authors: P.C. Cast, Karen Mahoney, Jana Oliver, Ellen Steiber, Jeri Smith-Ready and more.
Release Date: May 17, 2011

The House of Night is no ordinary school—and not just because it's for vampyres. It's a place where magic, religion, folklore, and mythology from multiple traditions merry meet and meld to create something incredible and new.

In Nyx in the House of Night—a 2-color illustrated companion to the House of Night series—some of your favorite YA authors, plus a few experts, help you navigate the influences behind the House of Night series in a guide that would get even Damien's seal of approval.

Travel with P.C. Cast as she gets her first tattoo in Ireland, climbs the ruins of Sgiach's castle, and discovers the lore that led to the Isle of Skye vampyres. Read Kristin Cast's defense of women in history and mythology who, like Zoey, have made a practice of juggling multiple men. Sit in on a vampyre lecture by Bryan Lankford, the real-life basis for House of Night instructor Dragon Lankford, on the parallels between Wiccan and vampyre circle rituals. Tour Tulsa's House of Night landmarks with local Amy H. Sturgis and much more!

My Thoughts:
Nyx in the House of Night is a rich and comprehensive guide into the mythology, folklore and religion in the House of Night series. Several authors, some more famous than others, have contributed with their stories about everything from vampires, goddesses and wiccans to tattoos!

I was surprised with how well-researched and well-written all the stories were. I could tell that all participating authors had put a lot of effort and work into their contributions - they certainly hadn't been written in a day! Some of my favorite stories included P.C Cast's interesting tale about her research trips in Ireland, and Jana Oliver's lighter story about the history of tattoos.

On the negative side, I felt like some of the stories tended to go on for too long, which sadly made me lose interest in what the author was telling...

Overall, an impressive and interesting collection which digs deep into to rich mythology and religion in the House of Night series. A must read if you are a big fan of the series, or interested in folklore, mythology or history in general!