Character Analysis
Hot High Priestess
When Zoey wakes up for the first time in the House of Night, she gets to meet Nefret. And wow, is Nefret a looker. Here's Zoey's first impression:
I'd never seen anyone up close who was so perfect. She had huge, almond-shaped eyes that were a deep, mossy green. Her face was an almost perfect heart and her skin was that kind of flawless creaminess that you see on TV. Her hair was deep red […] Her body was, well, perfect […] This woman's body was perfect because she was strong, but curvy. And she had great boobs. (6.32)
Now, as far as we can tell Zoey is into dudes, not chicks, so this should tell us something about just how stunningly gorgeous Nefret is. And on top of that, Nefret has a vibrant personality—"She was amazing and awe-inspiring" (6.48)—and she is also extremely talented. She tells Zoey about her two affinities (it's rare to have even one): "My main affinity is for cats; I have a connection with them that is unusual, even for a vampyre. Nyx has also given me unusual powers of healing" (7.22). So Nefret is also powerful. Girl's got it all, it seems.
Priestess with a Plan
Even though Zoey's presence seems a little disruptive at the House of Night, Nefret seems to take everything in stride. She becomes Zoey's mentor (which is apparently a big deal) and arranges for Zoey to meet her new roomie and get her schedule of classes. So far so good, right?
Well… maybe not. When Zoey's first waking up in the House of Night, she gets this strange vibe when talking to Nefret. Specifically, she gets a "weird feeling, like someone had just hit me in my stomach. It was clear and it was specific, and it was telling me to shut up" (6.51). It's strange, but Zoey goes with it, holding back the truth about her vision of Nyx from Nefret.
Nefret also gives Zoey a weird vibe when it comes to talking about humans. Turns out Nefret had a bad past. As she tells Zoey: "My mother died when I was ten years old. My father did not remarry. Instead, he began to use me as his wife. From the time I was ten until Nyx saved me by Marking me when I was fifteen, he abused me" (20.41). Yikes—that's some heavy stuff. Nefret proceeds to tell Zoey that the humans in her past will become less and less important to her, and Zoey notices "a cold flatness to her voice that made me feel odd" (20.44). Huh.
What does Nefret have going on? We're not entirely sure, but Zoey notices a "weird darkness" (20.84) in her eyes when she talks about drinking blood from humans. This is apparently a controversial topic among vampyres, and we're not sure which side Nefret falls on. One thing's for certain, though: As Zoey's mentor, we definitely haven't seen the last of Nefret as this first installment in the series ends. And we're guessing not by a long shot.