Probuđena

House of Night #8

by P.C. Cast, Vladimir Cvetković Sever (Translator)

Velike promjene dočekuju Zoey Redbird, najdarovitiju početnicu od pamtivijeka, nakon buđenja iz smrskane obamrlosti i povratka s Onog Svijeta u zamak Sgiach na otoku Skye.

Oboružana Mrakom, Nadsvećenica Neferet dobila je od Visokog vampyrskog vijeća ovlast za povratak u Kuću Noći u Tulsi, gdje se nedavno ukazao onaj bijeli bik čija se prethodna pojava na ovome svijetu gubi u maglama povijesti.

Ondje je čeka škola gdje uglavnom nisu svjesni njezine mračne preobrazbe, kao i najdraži sin njezina besmrtnog priležnika Kalone – Rephaim, nazovigavran koji u sebi nastoji zatomiti klicu ljubavi prema Stevie Rae, ljubavi koja bi mogla nepovratno promijeniti svijet Zoey i njezinih prijatelja…

Genres: Young Adult, Vampires, Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance, Supernatural, Fiction

236 pages, Paperback

First published January 4, 2011

About the author

PC was born in the Midwest, and grew up being shuttled back-and-forth between Illinois and Oklahoma, which is where she fell in love with Quarter Horses and mythology (at about the same time). After high school, she joined the United States Air Force and began public speaking and writing. After her tour in the USAF, she taught high school for 15 years before retiring to write full time. PC is a #1 New York Times and #1 USA Today Best-Selling author and a member of the Oklahoma Writers Hall of Fame. Her novels have been awarded the prestigious: Oklahoma Book Award, YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers, Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award, the Prism, Holt Medallion, Daphne du Maurier, Booksellers’ Best, and the Laurel Wreath. PC is an experienced teacher and talented speaker. Ms. Cast lives in Oregon near her fabulous daughter, her adorable pack of dogs, her crazy Maine Coon, and a bunch of horses. House of Night Other World, book 4, FOUND, releases July 7th, 2020. More info to come soon about the HoN TV series!

Reviews

[Evelin]

ALL THAT I CARE ABOUT IS REPHAIM AND STEVIE RAE. NO ONE ELSE.
I THINK I AM IN LOVE WITH A HALF BIRD HALF MAN........WOW.

[Jacqueline · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm sorry, but I've had just about enough of HoN. Zoey annoys me, the way they write Stevie Rae's accent ticks me off (I'm a Southern Girl), Kramisha sounds uneducated (we know she is educated) and the way the Casts portray Jack and Damien suggests that they've never actually met any gay men. I swore I wouldn't read any more of this series after reading the 7th book, but I read this one because I had invested too much time in the series. I wish I would have stuck to my original plan. One of the few good things in this book is that Zoey only had one boyfriend this time, but I cannot understand the Casts' obsession with Heath. I can't stand Heath and I was so happy when they killed him off. Why couldn't they let him stay dead??? I like Stark. I've always liked Stark. Zoey should be with Stark. Now they've foreshadowed him becoming "evil". Also, I am so tired of reading "bullpoopies", "heehees" and "I heart me some...". Aphrodite is the only good thing about HoN, but she's not enough to keep me interested in reading any more of these. So, to the Casts: you should have stopped three or four books ago. HoN has officially exceeded stupid and 12 of these horrific installments is beyond the definition of the word "overkill".

[Joyzi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book Review

***contains spoilers***

Pros
1. Rephaim was finally turned into a human being and OH MY GOD they finally kissed!!! Idk I can't really expressed my emotions about it. I really love that part, aaaaaaaaaawwwwww, it was just so sweet and I cried reading it.

2. Heath was back and it was very shocking. I love love love the twist on Heath's character and I really was excited for the next book because of it.

3. Kalona can actually go to Stark's body and they're like connected somehow. So okay he found it out when he was actually going to Zoey's soul/mind but what happen was he goes into Stark's. In that moment actually when Kalona do that, Zoey and Stark were like having sex and then OMG it was funny *inserts my uncontrollable laughing here* idk when I read that scene I can't stop laughing. OMG *head desk* honestly the way I imagined it was pretty hilarious like Kalona goes into Stark and Stark was like idk having an "orgasm" *insert my uncontrollable laughing here for the 2nd time* and because of "too much pleasure" the connection broke off *uncontrollable laughing continues*...

4. I also love the part when Neferet make an alliance to the white bull. I think it was also a pretty nice twist that I was anticipating for the next books. Idk I felt like it was a bit funny and also a bit "erotic" (or maybe it was just me *wearing my I'm a perv shirt* -kidding-) that Neferet was naked all the time when she was talking to the bull and I find it very shocking that she was naked (repetitive much?) but then she was like riding the bull. That was just deeeeescuuusssstttiiiiinnngggg!

Cons
1. Too much pop culture references. I was literally pissed off by the constant mention of Glee, Trueblood etc. because I can't relate what the heck are they talking about since I don't watch TV shows anymore. Also I felt like it made the writing lazy and crappy since these conversations were unnecessary, and will not contribute to the plot and character development. It appears to be a waste of pages and also this is just "stereotyping" and the authors violated this rule "Show not tell."

2. Grammatical mistakes. I was shocked that I noticed not 1 but 5 grammatical errors though I didn't have the book right now, so I'll mention stuff but I can't put pages on it.

-What it is? should be What is it?
-They's should be They're
-Forgivens should be forgiven

3. Zoey and Stark were incredibly horny characters. It was just annoying, actually I could have given this book 5 stars but Zoey Redbird, you just ruined the book for me. Zoey was like this "Okay so Heath died" --mourn for a moment-- and then --she get over it-- and then --she moved on-- and then "I wanna have sex with Stark btw." She's just really idk *head desk*, she's incredibly horny and also have an amazing bad history of sex. First she lost her virginity to Loren Blake who happen to just have sex with her because he was Neferet's lover and he didn't care about Zoey at all but Zoey thought that Loren loves her and blah blah blah *too lazy to elaborate* and then in this book she had sex with Stark and Kalona (as mentioned above, see Pros #3). Btw should I considered that a threesome? Kalona-Zoey-Stark threesome? Whaddya think?

4. Horrible dialogues.

Zoey- "Bull poopie" and "Hee hee"

The queen *who I forgot the name*- awful accent

-some lines are cheesy: RephaimxStevie rae, DamienxJack, ZoeyxStark

But still, still, still will read the next book up until the last book >.< This is guilty pleasure ladies and gentlemen. I'm addicted to it but I admit the books were crappy but I love 'em because they're funny, entertaining and I love Rephaim and Stevie rae's love story. I'm such a sucker for Beauty and the Beast type of love stories. Yeah these two are the sole reason I'm still hangin' up. ^^

Short Review
Okay I think this book is more of a filler and the things happened in this book was like just the beginning of a new conflict to the series. I'd really love to give this one 5 stars but there are just so many things that I really didn't like about it. *sighs*

I just wanna say that this one is a classic example of actually a great plot/idea however it was written and executed very poorly. My in depth review tomorrow.

Random Babbling before I Read the Book
I HAVE NOW IN MY HANDS THE COPY OF THE BOOK

*drumrolls*

WILL READ AFTER MATCHED
________________________________
hey guys i just found this book trailer on youtube and I'm seriously freaking out right now. The vid says kalona and erebus are like two souls that are separated? Is this true? Is the ARC available yet?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsAPPn...
_______________________________
I want to know more of Kalona's back story. Also want to have perspective coming from Neferet this time. More stevie rae and rephaim on this book.
_______________________________
OH MY GOD.OH MY GOD.OH MY GOD.OH MY GOD.OH MY GOD.OH MY GOD.OH MY GOD.OH MY GOD.OH MY GOD.OH MY GOD.OH MY GOD.

*deep breaths, deep breaths*

Rephaim was the one on the cover!(Rephaim's reflection on one scene of Burned!)

I wish he will be human next time!

Gosh I'm so excited for this to come out!!!

[Dixie Downing · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the last book, I am so excited for this one. Stark and Zoey are definately going to end up together. No doubt about it. But Stevie Rae and Rephaim. I want Rephaim to turn into that boy he was in Aphrodite's vision. Stevie Rae deserves to be with the one she loves! Ugh. Neferet and Kalona. No one likes them, but even after everything that's happend, I can't help but feel bad for Kalona. He's stuck with Neferet forever. Could his punishment get any worse?

[Kirtlyn]

okay to everyone who is opposed to strong language i suggest you not read this review. But i just gotta get this off my chest.









Just what the FUCK does P.C Cast think she is doing? okay i was extremley happy to get my copy of awakened, and was sooooo happy when i read zoey and stark did it (i mean i have had ALOT of fantasies about that, usually with me in zoey's place), but then P.C cast is just going to ruin their relationship by adding this "totally gorgeous" vessel! I mean did she really have to make him hotter than stark? Just exactly how many hot guys are there, in this world together in one area,-none the less Oklahoma?????
And i guess by her writing that little part from stark about how he dosent care that zoey is with other guys...uhhh

I
CALL
BULLSHIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What guy on this eath would want the gf that they are oh so serious about to be with other guys. None the less why would any guy be attracted to this whore???????????? Zoey better be pretty fuckin GORGEOUS to be causin all of this drama...

And another thing... Why the fuck is heath back in the story????
okay it was sad in Burned blah...blah....blah.. we cried what the fuck ever....we were depresse for a day whenever we thought about the ending of the book....BUT WE GOT OVER IT!
and then youre just gonna randomly throw him back in the story!!!!
and she just HAD to make him strong, and POWERFUl and a GREAT fighter!!!!
NOT OK!!!!!!!!!!
How about you stick with what you have and add on to Stark's strength.?!?!?! huh.? how about letting him defeat kalona/neferet?????
i repeat.... NOT OK!!!!!!!!!!


Its fucked up!
Heath better sacrifice himself in the last book or something to protect zoey, or i am going to hop inthis damn book and kill him all over again!

[Sydney · Rating 4 out of 5]

What the...? If this is supposed to be Rephaim then why does he have a nose? It clearly states in one of the books he has a beak? I'm starting to think this is Kalona. Dang. Hopefully Stevie Rae and Stark get their happy endings and I hope to god that Dallas electrecutes himself. That would just be comica(: I also swear to "Goddess" hehe. That if Zoey hurts Stark by getting involved with other boys I am going to kick her mortal butt. I am sick of how much of a sleeze she is. Heath is dead, The Poet guy is dead, and stupid Eric is out of the picture. Please Ms. Cast! No more guys! Just a healthy relationship between Z and Stark. Kk?

[James Tullos · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you'd told me that today I'd be reading a book where the protagonist's ex boyfriend's soul would be put into her mother's corpse, I wouldn't have believed you.

[Isamlq · Rating 2 out of 5]

A couple of months ago, I was obsessed with the House of Night. But so many books have passed my hands between then and now. Now I wonder what I saw in them that just clicked. I’ve heard that others disliked the series from the start because the language was unrealistic and a couple of characters trite etc, etc. Yet, I enjoyed the books nonetheless.

Having read AWAKENED I find myself re-evaluating my position… some non-issues just woke me up. Has Stevie rae always read like that? Are twelve books to long for one series? Were there that many pop-culture references in the previous books?

Apparently Stevie Rae (and all the others in the book) have always been like that. I get that some authors connect with readers by being "in the now.” = lots of slang. BUT, why on earth did I not notice until now?

And as to my second question, me thinks twelve is too long. I’m losing interest and experiencing the same thing I feel when a new TRUEBLOOD episode comes out (peace Sookie fans!) It just seems that with every book some new element is added, and I just don’t see how everything will be tied up in the end.

A couple of non-issues dragged my rating from a 3. to a 2.5 too. One of which is why do pop culture references work in some books but not in others (here)?

P.S
If you're a fan of HoN, you get more of the same stuff here.

P.P.S
It blurs the lines between YA PNR and adult PNR... (Hmmm... I guess the characters are developing after all!)

____

I am so irritated by some things that I can only express myself in Filipino:

Alam kong di ito ang pocus ng libro pero pabalik-balik ung utak ko dito (...maski nung nasa Chapter 15 na ako.) Bakit sa ibang libro OK ang pop-culture references pero dito hindi?

At, ako lang ba ang naka-feel na napaka-pilit ng pag-lay ng groundwork sa GLBT lit? Isang bagay na nagustuhan ko sa KONLT at R.Cohn/D. Levithan team-ups ay ang "matter of fact treatment" ng topic na ito, pero sa Awakened feeling ko "laying the groundwork" towards the demise of one charry lang ito...

OK. Sa totoo lang, mas maganda ang ineexpect ko...! GRRRR!

[Kristy]

I want this just so I can take a dump on it and mail it back to the Cast family!!!
Seriously, worst series ever!

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Warning: There is a lot of negativity in this review. Please don't get all "If you don't have anything nice to say DON'T SAY IT AT ALL!"

Please. The point of reviewing is to share one's personal thoughts of the book. The point is to share the opinions even when they differ from others. Because they're opinions. It really doesn't take any longer to rant than it does to rave, and either way it's to express strong thoughts and feelings. I want to express myself. Besides, I'm typing all this on my nook during free time at school so I'm not exactly missing anything.

Now, first order of business - LOOK AT THAT COVER! I DEMAND THEE TO LOOK AT IT! I swear the covers are the best part of the series and this is my favorite. It's gorgeous and it's my bird boy; who remains to be pretty much the only character I really like. The Destined cover sucks though. Just saying.

Now I move onto my very long explanation of my feelings on this series since Marked. I'd really rather not do eight separate reviews so I figure I'll combine them all here.

First of all, to summarize my feelings of HoN:


I didn't like Marked. I really didn't. At the time I suffered from an OCD of finishing any series I'd started and that's pretty much the only reason why I moved onto Betrayed. Also... I was not aware it would be 12 freaking novels. I continued beyond the sequel because it did get a little better with each book. I even found myself starting to enjoy the series to some sick extent. The Cast can't hardly write decent characters but they do have an interesting mythology to their world. In the beginning I was very intrigued by the idea of Wiccan-like vampires, as well as the other crap they kept adding.

Sadly, the series has dragged the plot through the mud and back. Zoey and the gang rarely solve anything while villains and problems just keep coming. It's hard to believe they haven't been sleeping for the past eight books for all the progress they've made! Along with that, the mythology that once interested me has been piled and piled onto and is now a mess. I all but smashed my head against the wall when they decided to add fae into the mix at Awakened (or perhaps Burned since sprites were mentioned). What's the point? Eight books and you've decided to add a completely different species out of the blue for no particular reason at all? I think the Cast team bit off more than they could chew with a 12 book contract and are just trying to stretch it as thin as possible to fill the requirement.

It's all probably connected - which is why it's been able to hold me thus far - but now I'm just tired of it all. It's the story that never ends and can no longer make up for the horrible characterization and teen drama.

And yes, the characters are awful and only get worse. I think I might have just gotten used to it; perhaps in the same way one might get used to a foul odor if they deal with it long enough. Must have not been as accustomed as I thought because it did get to me.

My main problem is the protagonist: Zoey Redbird. I've actually hated her from the beginning. She's the beautiful Chosen One of the Goddess Nyx- meaning Nyx basically just decided to make her the most powerful fledgling/vampire in history by gifting her with all 5 elements. Most vampires only get one gift (if they're lucky) but Zoey gets five right off the bat for no particular reason except she's just that super uber special. After becoming chosen, Zoey transfers to her new school. It's there she immediately gains a group of friends. It's there she brings down the seemingly untouchable Queen Bee. It's there she quickly becomes the leader of the school's most prestigious club. It's there she takes on the esteemed role of High Priestess in training. It's there she begins a relationship with literally the hottest guy in school, while her ex continues to pine for her as if she herself is a goddess.

This is all just the first book.

The first 306-paged book.



By this point I know I've been exposed to the worst case of Mary Sue since Twilight. In fact, now that I think of it, both these chicks are vapid lovers of prissy vamps and have last names relating to birds. How precious.

Zoey really just gets worse from there. I pitied her at some points but that was largely due to my own deep hatred of Nefret and Heath. Truth is: Zoey is immature, hypocritical, shallow, and stupid. She judges and complains about anyone different from herself. I was particularly offended by her sneering of goths, or rather, "losers" as she calls them. I've never considered myself goth but I've always loved black, spikes, and skulls so people typically assumed I am, or used to. I was criticized by other kids in both middle and high school for being "the creepy goth girl." Thankfully, I haven't had to deal with that in recent years but I haven't forgotten about it. It made me sympathetic towards kids who really are goth, to say the least.

The protagonist is supposed to be someone you can relate to, not your bullies.

And isn't at least one goth going to pick up a vampire book? Not to be stereotypical but... seriously!?

Zoey certainly has the makings of a bully, such as stressing her positive qualities in light of others negative qualities. Like how she's not like "those freak anorexic girls" or those girls "with the raccoon eyes." Alright, Zoey. We understand you're not like those silly girls with the horrible mental illness that kills millions of teenagers every year. And thank you for reminding us what FREAKS they are! And, like, no way! It's so interesting how thin you apply your eyeliner. The fact you're specifically not like the "raccoon girls" makes me like you more as a person.



To make a point of how both judgmental and hypocritical she is: The slut bashing. She talks trash about girls she finds slutty and loves to chortle about what a "skanky ho" Aphrodite is. Girls like that are bellow Zoey, who would never do anything that's considered slutty. Oh no! She might be getting into sexually charged bloodsucking with her ex while flirting with her teacher but that doesn't make her disloyal to her current boyfriend!

In all seriousness... this girl is ridiculous when it comes to men. I remember her saying something along the lines of: "It doesn't feel like I'm a slut, it feels like I'm attracted to multiple guys."

No, honey. Just no.

There's nothing wrong with being attracted to multiple people at once. It happens. However, it is wrong to act on that attraction while in a relationship. Zoey basically accepted the idea of having "three boyfriends" like it was an accident. Her "official" boyfriend was Erik, who had no idea she was involved with Heath and Loren. You guys remember Loren, right? The teacher who Erik caught shaking up with Zoey? She cheated on him, plain and simple and yet... amazingly, they make ERIK the bad guy for being angry. Yes, he said some harsh things to Zoey but for crap's sake he walked in on her and Loren in a naked embrace! It's bad enough to know you've been cheated on but it's got to be so much worse to actually see it. If the situation had been reversed, Zoey and her friends would no doubt be spitting fire about what a jerk Erik was for sleeping with some "ho-bag." But the situation isn't reversed. Instead her friends comfort her from the big bad (now ex) boyfriend.



I'm not even getting started on Kalona and Stark. There just aren't enough characters allowed on goodreads reviews for me to go on and on about how Zoey is a classic TSTL protagonist that attracts unrealistically gorgeous men just by breathing... or that she develops an attachment to one of them despite knowing he's a thousand or so year old serial rapist and murderer. In a sense, I understand the circumstances made it difficult for her not to have an attachment. Even so, she allowed herself to be unnecessarily vulnerable and trusting towards someone she knew was the enemy. It took him killing Heath in front of her to finally accept he truly was evil.

A lot of people dismiss her messing around with different guys because it's acceptable for a High Priestess to have a warrior, a human consul, and a vampire lover. This could be a legitimate part of their culture but it also sounds like an excuse. Keep in mind she didn't even find out about this until AFTER the Heath/Erik/Loren fiasco so it's not as if she was just embracing customs. It really could have always been part of the plan, but at the point of revelation it's as if the authors were just yelling: "SEE! IT'S OKAY, SHE'S NOT A SLUT!!!"

Actually it still doesn't seem right. Does it count when your consul and warrior are also basically your lovers? And should it really be justified if it hurts the guys involved? It's true they accepted her inability to commit because they wanted her happy, but they were obviously unhappy with it considering they were committed to her alone. I get not everyone is into monogamy, but this is just selfish no matter what.

Her screwing around also got in the way of the plot too much. The world is falling into chaos but Zoey likes to spend most of her thinking time mooning over how troublesome it is to juggle boyfriends.



Oh man, I could go on but really shouldn't.

The supporting characters helped but as the series progressed they became less important. Or rather, maybe they just seem less important because I'm so tired of them. They really became more like like Zoey's litter of loyal puppies and comedy props than actual people. The Twins were kind of funny at first but then just got repetitive. Damien is alright and actually seems to have a brain cell but that's about it. Jack was sweet but he was little more than technologically-skilled arm candy. Aphrodite is a rival turned ally and actually had some depth. I started liking Aphrodite and her blunt ways, especially because she was the only one who really bothered to knock sense into Zoey. HOWEVER, her sour attitude also became repetitive and now she just seems obnoxious. Every time she talks I imagine her screeching in my ear.

Heath... oh Heath. No one is this stupid. No one. He was a fracking damsel in distress with a dick. He has his place in the plot later in the books, but he really just came off as this unnecessary love interest that obsessively followed Zoey. When not doing that, all he did was moronically stumble into danger and Zoey would nearly kill herself protecting him. Heath's head was so far up his ass he could tongue his intestines. When I picture him, he's a studly blond with an crap-eating smile and eyes that stare as if the lights are on but no one's home. He'd just pop out of nowhere to smother Zoey with his "It's you and me babe!" drivel. It was disgusting and it was greedy. He loved her so much but all he really did was complicate her life by constantly pursuing her and making it difficult for her to move on. It was all about him every time he tried to shove himself into her existence, even after the first five or so times she said they were over. It's why I actually managed to be proud of him when he finally let her go in Burned. It was a little over due but it's nice that he finally decided to do something for her own good.

I like Stevie Rae. Sue me. I didn't care for her much at first but the rebirth gave her an interesting perspective on life. Though honestly, I don't think I would've liked her nearly as much if it wasn't for Zoey. Being inside Stevie Rae's head was like popping a pain killer after such a long time in Zoey's head. I felt brain cells dying whenever I read that girl's raw thoughts and spoken words. I'm not even kidding. There were times while reading Zoey's POV where my brain felt as if it were suffocating! You know the aching yet empty feeling of a tooth cavity? That's what my head felt like whenever she said something particularly stupid. Scared the crap out of me!

Many hated the switch from first person to third person narrative but I loved it. I prefer third person because I believe it opens the story more when you're able to see it through the eyes of others. It's especially exhilarating when you have a protagonist like Zoey to take a break from.

I loved Stevie Rae's relationship with Rephaim. Loved it. I remember I was actually getting sick of House of Night by Tempted and it was the introduction of their relationship that kept my interest. I wanted to find what would become of them and I wanted to find out more about Rephaim. He eventually became my favorite character because I loved his design, as well as his lack of atrocious excuses for "teen talk" the Cast infected the others with. Ugh.

Their relationship was also refreshing because it was different. Being inside Zoey's head was all: HOT GUY HOT GUY SMOKING HOT GUY LUST UBER SEXY EPIC LURV HOTTIE HOT GUY EPIC LURV WITH NEW SMEXY GUY SEX DROOL HOT GUY NEW LURV WITH DIFFERENT GUY HOT GUY HOT GUY. Seriously, there might have been some feelings in there but it was majorly just all flawless men and heated physical passion. With Rephaim and Stevie Rae it was emotional. Obviously it didn't start with looks but instead bonding from mutual trust and respect. It's very Beauty and the Beast but hey, I like it. Especially after the sausage-fest of fecking perfect men.

So yeah, I read on and I adored Burned. It's my favorite in the series because Zoey was absent for most of it and I got to see the development of Stevie Rae's new romance. It's the only book I gave five stars and I read it like fanfiction... Sad.

Now, I'm going to take a little aside to do some defending. I've done enough tearing down, so I'm going to take a break to build up.

Stevie Rae didn't become a new Zoey. She may have been nursing Rephaim while dating Dallas but her intentions were completely unromantic. She didn't accept her growing feelings for Rephaim until after it was over between her and Dallas. It was hard for her to realize she even had feelings. And there was that other guy people keep bringing up... whose name I cannot recall. I don't even count him because all they had was a quick interest in each other back when she was Blue. I don't think they were even official, but either way it was over with after she died. They don't see each other again until several books later and then it's just this very brief moment of "Oh hey, it's nice to see you! I'm so glad we're not dead!" So Stevie Rae has had more than one love interest but she can actually move from one to the other, unlike Zoey, who just juggles them all at once. I also felt Zoey's relations mostly consisted of: "You're hot. I'm hot. I feel so drawn to you somehow..." It came slower with Rephaim and Stevie Rae but that's what made it seem like something was actually there. They made each other better people.

Rephaim also gets a bad reputation because his daddy is the thousand year old serial murder/rapist Zoey had a thing for, and he's done some killing himself. Maybe raping, I don't know. What makes it different for me is that Kalona chose to become the way he was; Rephaim was raised into it. Once he started realizing what light was compared to darkness and what it really meant to love and be loved, once he realized he could possibly change he actually wanted to. And he did. That was part of what made his story with Stevie Rae so great to me. Kalona was a story of falling from grace; Rephaim was a story of redemption.

If there's anything I don't regret about reading this series, it would be the relationship between this Raven Mocker and Red Vampyre. Bird Boy and Okie. They were a very lovely and interesting development.


But even their relationship alone can't hold me anymore. I loved the outcome even though I found him to be a bit whipped in this book. I was very touched by Kalona's decision but really none of this can make up for the declining plot and crappy characters.

Diving deeper into that: What is with this language??? The Cast team try so hard to sound like teenagers and they fail so hard it embarrasses me to even be a teenager. Supposedly P.C Cast was a high school English teacher and that's where she got her material from. I have never, in my life, heard anyone speak with such idiocy. There's a lot of valley girl slang and fabricated words and I haven't heard either since late elementary to early middle school. Though I will admit, I have a friend who's a few years older than I and he does recognize some of the lingo... from the 90's. The phrases and words used in this book have no business in 2007 and beyond. I also heard that P.C writes and Kristin goes in and "teen-ifys" it. Well Kristin...

STOP IT!

Just...

Just stop it!

Who says "hee-hee's"? WHO??? And another thing about Zoey... what's with a 17 year old girl using the word "poopie"??? I hate that word. I cannot stand that word. From toddler to tween, my younger sister used that word as a substitute for almost every adjective available. My mom, my dad, and myself all tried to train her out of it because we're just so sick of hearing it. There's just no one who would actually make that word a part of their daily vocabulary. I get that this is supposed to be some kind of endearing character quirk of hers... it's not.

There were a lot of problems with the writing. I'm not going to bother getting into them all. I will say there were a lot of inconsistencies. The only one that immediately comes to mind happens to be in this book. It's when Stevie Rae drove Zoey's car.... the car that was stolen at the end of the last book. There was no explanation of how it got back. No hint it had ever been gone. It was just... there. Also had problems with all the pop culture references! These can be fun IN MINIMUM but this series is so stuffed full of Glee and Trueblood you'd think they were being paid to advertise. Heck, there's a scene in Destined dedicated to a not-so-subtle advertisement of the Sookie Stackhouse series. One that could only logically be completed with a cheesy grin and thumbs up at the camera.

And just... ugh... There's nothing for me anymore. I couldn't even get 40 pages into Destined before I closed the book, put my head in my hands, and wondered why I was wasting my life. I could barely even gather the energy to read that far and it's safe to say I will never pick it up again. I've even lost the fire to continue with this review/rant. I don't blame anyone for liking this series because I was oddly addicted to it for some time as well. But seriously: I'm tired of the plot, I hate the main character, I'm sick of her twisted love life, and I'm saddened by her fellow twits friends. There is nothing for me. I quit.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well.

What can I really say? The House of Night was the first vampire book series I had read and while it has a good plot, I feel like the books have spiraled down to disappointment since Untamed released. None of these recent books have had the feel to them that Chosen and Betrayed had. Stark is a total Gary Stu and Zoey is nothing more than a Mary Sue who has to be defined by a man (or some guy by her side) for her to feel 'powerful'. I thought that High Priestesses were all about feminine power but if they need a man by their side then there's nothing powerful about it.

I strongly dislike the fact that the authors seem to be catering to the fans of Zoey/Stark since their relationship makes no sense whatsoever. They met in Untamed and they're soulmates in Hunted? Seriously, WTF?! Love at first sight books are full of EPIC LAMENESS.

I will read Awakened just to see if anything will change but my hope for this series is gone.

(As a sidenote: Rephaim and Stevie Rae's relationship is creepy as hell. Why would anyone say they think Rephaim is hot when he killed an innocent woman, has a beak, and looks like a big bird with human legs? Really? Is that the new teenage wet dream? If so, then that's gross)

Addendum: Oh my goodness. I was pissed beyond belief before reaching page 100. Please prepare for a much longer review! One with very angry thoughts. I will probably abuse the capslock too but OH WELL. This book deserves it. I am LIVID right now.

EDIT: Now for my review.

This book pissed me off in the worst possible ways. I couldn't believe some of the things that went on.

The first thing that pissed me off was Zoey in the beginning. She chooses to stay on the Island of Skye so she doesn't have to deal with the troubles in Tulsa or the path that Nyx has given her. I wanted to slap Zoey because she chooses to avoid her responsibilities just so she could have sex with her boyfriend Stark every night. Oh, and she just came back from the Otherworld after saying goodbye to Heath who died because of her. So she said goodbye to one boyfriend and is now fucking the other. Go Zoey. You're not a whore. Not at all. *Eyeroll*

Back in Tulsa is where something horrible happened that brought me to the edge of tears (but I never cry at books - I just get seriously pissed): Jack dies. Yeah, Jack. The cute blonde kid, possibly the sweetest character ever in this series. He is killed by Neferet as her sacrifice to the debt she owed him. I was pissed beyond belief. This all happened within the first 100 pages of the book, too. What really sucks is that Damien, Jack's boyfriend, witnessed it too. It sucks on so many levels. First, Damien and Jack were lucky to find each other and then they're seperated by a murder done by an evil bitch who needs to seriously go DIAF.

Why do authors feel the need to kill of their sweetest characters? Do they think it's a good idea? I have to say a big HELL NO to that. My respect for authors are gone when they pull stunts like that. Cassandra Clare did it to Max in her TMI books and now PC & Kristin have done it to poor Jack. His death was UNNECESSARY. It broke my heart into a million tiny pieces.

The characters that annoyed me most in this book: Stevie Rae, Aphrodite, Kramisha, Neferet, Zoey, Stark, and Dragon. I wanted to shake all of them and asked why they were being such dumb asses. Maybe hating on Kramisha is a little too out there but the dumb bitch was making fun of him before he died. She may not have been doing it to his face but it still pissed me off that she was talking about him like that and referring to him as 'gayboy'. Bitch, please. You need to get Hooked on Phonics.

However, the other characters do deserve major hate. I don't know what was up with Stevie Rae but she was bipolar to almost everyone and I don't even know why she's a High Priestess. She's not a very good one. Aphrodite was a bitch to everyone and she doesn't deserve the respect she gets from fans. I like her to a certain extent but after a while her bitchy ways start to piss people off.

Zoey is off dilly-dallying on some island with a guy she barely knows ignoring everyone back home just so she can take a 'break'. OK, yeah you've faced some hard times but you have things to do and vacationing on some island with your *boyfriend* (who you've only known for a few week jsyk) is not the right thing to do. I can't believe it took a death to make her come back. People die because of Zoey and instead of trying to stop it, she runs away.

Erik Night gained back the respect he lost from me in the past two books. Jack's death seriously hurt him and even Zoey herself said that he'd been arrogant and possesive but there was still something good inside him and maybe if she hadn't treated him so horribly, he would've been different. I still stand firm on the belief that if he hadn't had two shitty ex-girlfriends, he wouldn't have been a jerk to Zoey. Just saying I understand where this guy is coming from.

Too many people have died in these books. I know that killing off characters have become popular for authors to write but it wasn't necessary for this book. Nolan, Loren, Anastasia, Heath Luck, Jack, and now Zoey's mother Linda have all been killed off and for what? What does it serve? Nolan and Loren's death in the beginning of the series (when the books were really good) were used to start a war between vampyres and humans. Anastasia was killed by Rephaim. Heath was killed by Kalona because Kalona is also an evil douchebag who needs to seriously get off his high horse and get his act together. But Jack and Linda's death were seriously two of the most unecessary plot points ever written.

[Emelie · Rating 5 out of 5]

i can't wait till this book comes out! im so excited.
i would love to see more stevie rae & rephaim.
i just love that nothing can break them apart.
not him being apart of darkness.
and the fact that she follows light.
i just think its so adorable!
CANT WAIT!!!!
best books i've ever read.
and i dont just say that for any book.
but wow.. what a wonderful series.
i hope theres more books after this 8th one.
i dont want it to end!
it definaitly beats the twilight series.
and thats a serious statement.

[Damari]

Another one? :/

[Kristi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked it, wasn't a favorite but the whole Neferet/Kalona thing is getting old old old!
Find a new storyline/tragedy already. We're into what, the 8th book? and we're still dealing with the same crap with Neferet? Gimme a new baddie besides the White Bull, he's still just an off shoot of Neferet.
For a bunch of century old Vamps on the council, they're pretty stupid---I'm not seeing the wisdom here. It's time to let the Neferet/Kalona drag itself out and bring in a new storyline with the same cast, sans Neferet and Kalona!
There's got to be more mischief for the fledglings then those two.

[Sophia Triad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Right... so this is the book in which
1. Two more important characters die. I felt so sad for both of them.
Actually for Jack I was sobbing when I read what that bitch Neferet did. Zoey’mother's death was somehow milder.

2. One important character is back from the dead. Yeah! I loved this complication. “If it has to do with Zo, then I say yes.” sweet Heath...

3. Two important characters finally have sex!

“I’m not trembling because I’m scared,” I whispered against his lips between kisses. “I’m trembling because of how much I want you.”
“You’re sure?”
“Totally sure. I love you, Stark.”
“I love you, too, Zoey.”
So cute!

4. One important character becomes the man that he was meant to be.
Rephaim and Stevie Rae will finally have a chance to be together! Double cheering here!

5. One important character still wants to be part of the action, although he has starting being not that bad in this book. He lifted himself up on his elbows and his gaze met mine. For a flash that lasted less than a second, I saw something within his eyes that made my soul shiver. I flinched back, Stark blinked, and looked at me with a total question mark that turned into shock.Kalona, you naughty man!

I liked this book because it is like a turning point to the House of Night story, like now that Zoey is back and well and powerful let's move on.
New adventures and the old characters are transforming, maturing and evolving.

[Nasty Lady MJ · Rating 1 out of 5]

To see full review click here

A long time ago, I decided to read all of the House of Night books because I thought it would be an interesting experiment. I knew I might get annoyed, but I could get drunk and have some shits and giggles.

However, now that I'm on the eighth installment it doesn't read so much like shits and giggles anymore. Instead, its really a cry for help for humanity. I seriously think PC and Kristin Cast are a prima facie case of why the world can't have nice things. And this installment of the so called drinking game (though for the safety of you're liver we can't actually make it a drinking game anymore) is going to focus on why they're proud members of the bottom 1% of dumb asses in the world.


1) Normal people would not kill off a character to a song and dance montage-let alone a song and dance montage sung by the cast of Glee. However, that's how the Casts decide to kill off a character that essentially has had less airtime than Zoey Redbird's cat.

A part of me is naive enough to state that the Casts are just uber fans of the show Glee, but then I read shit like this where the Casts bitch about how their shitty series wasn't given a plug on the show and I'm like not uber fans..more like uber sell outs.


2) The Casts don't believe that people need to be emotionally ready for sex. I kid you not. The characters act like their in second grade with the way they talk about bodies. Yet the amount of boinking that went on in the first forty pages of the book makes it look like Fifty Shades of Night (a very scary thought, please fan girls do NOT make a crossover based on these two series).

Look, I'm all for YA books where the characters are sexually active relationships. Its realistic, but don't have them talking about bodies like their gross if they're engaging in coitus. Or if they do, have them mess up because if they can't talk about intercourse without going ew cooties over it then they don't need to be having sex. Seriously, everyone in this book talks like they're on one of those TGIF sitcoms when it comes to sex and life in general. And we all know what happened to those child stars after their respected series ended.


3) Being culturally offensive. Its appalling how many cultures that the Casts have defended. Even I know that the Scots don't talk that way the Casts say they do and the only exposure I've had of Scotland is Harry Potter and the Traveling Chanel. That is sad people.

Though I can tell you, from personal experiences, that no self respecting Okie talks like Stevie Rae. Most of my mom's side is from Oklahoma and none of them speak with an accent remotely like Stevie Rae's, they don't care for stirrup pants, and none of them (that I know of) engage in bestiality. Though I'm sure one or two of them does like Kenny Chesney, but hey....no one's perfect.


4) Fact checking. Biggest logic fuck up this installment it only takes three hours to fly from Scotland to Oklahoma. I guess they could be flying the Concorde but it doesn't exist anymore so there goes that theory.

5) Condescending tone. Is it just me or do these books in general talk down to their audience? I swear, if Damien gives me one more vocabulary lesson. I will hurt him. I just will. And yes, I know he is a fictional character but still...Also, speaking of condescending look at this little article that one of my GR friends let me know about. Seems like the Casts don't like people calling them out on their bullshit. We'll be talking more about this when I read that particular installment.


6) People still trusting Neferet. Does she have to nuke them to get them to realize she's the big bad? And what's with her walking around naked everywhere? For some ritual apparently, but we're not told why she needs to be naked. Dr. Evil was better bad guy than this. And really, why do try to over-sexualize her? Is it to show us that sex is evil? Because honestly this character's sexuality is so comical that I almost read it as a parody on slut slamming. But after reading eight of your books, Casts, I know you're not clever enough to do something like that. More or less you probably think sex is evil and lead very sad lives. Oh, and you probably still believe that Anthony Weiner is a changed man.

7) Bestiality. I don't even have to go into much detail on this. I don't care that you transformed Stevie Rae's animal friend into a human. It's still gross. Period. And if you call me a bigot, I swear I'll send PETA out on your ass because animals no matter if they can talk to you or not are not our special friends.

8) Please stop trying to tell us that a character is bad, that a couple shares chemistry, and that I need to kiss Zoey's ass. You'd think that this is the first book that Dumb and Dumber has ever published with the amount of telling that goes on. But nope, this is the eighth installment in this series. And Cast Snr has published several more books before and I highly suspect Cast JR had a couple of fan fics out there (that's purely speculation though). The point is they shouldn't be relying on the telling crutch. And we all know that Prince Eric was smart getting away from Zoey and her forty husbands. If Damien calls him a Douche its his loss. We all know what really happened, the Casts finally watched The Marvel Universe movies and replaced their Christopher Reeve crush with Robert Downey JR. Which I guess is respectable, but I am wondering if its going to flip flop now that Man of Steel is out and Henry Cavill is well...let's just say is SMeyer would've got her wish and he would've been playing Ed-tart, I could understand why girls would go gaga over him.

9) The fact that the Casts decided to give us Grandma Redbird's shit a chapter. Okay, technically its her shitty daughter. But we're told how big a POS she is throughout the entire novel that I just decided to go for it. Grant it, I know I'm being crass but after eight fucking installments of these books I think I have the right to be as rude as I want. And honestly, why would Zoey's mother who had minimum screen time and was basically forgotten with the past four or five books be mentioned. Only to merely kill off a character that wasn't Grandma Redbird that's why. And man, do I hate Grandma Redbird. But I'm digressing. The point is, insignificant characters got a POV. And why do I care about these insignificant characters? What point do they serve?

10) As bad as soap operas are, they never bring back unpopular characters because they know it will make the fans upset and they won't give a shit that some dumb ass who they have no attachment to has come back from the dead. This is why popular characters are resurrected from the dead multiple times. The Casts however took this advice backwards and resurrected an unpopular character that everyone with half a brain and a grain of self respect hates.

Yes. Heath is back from the dead.

I know I want to hurt something too.

[Theresa Dye · Rating 5 out of 5]

i cant wait it has to be amazing

Im going to start this one tonight:)

[Rachel (The Rest Is Still Unwritten) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read in Jan 2011

I’d been eagerly awaiting this book's release and while I enjoyed it, I found I didn’t love it like I was excepting to. I liked it, but I didn’t love it. To me the previous two books in the series have been the best of the series, but this one lacked whatever it was that made those ones great in my opinion.
The storyline was as usual complicated and everything was happening at once. There was a lot happening.....perhaps too much. I love complex storylines, but I’m beginning to feel like there’s too much going on with this series at times. Just when it seems like everything’s good and as it should be, something changes and alters and sometimes it’s just strange. This book was also very up and down emotional wise. Something horrible would happen, and then something happy and then horrible again. It changed constantly.
To start off I have to say.....I really don’t like Zoey. While she started out as a cool heroine in the first couple of books, she’s deteriorated in my opinion. She annoys me to no end and I hate the choices she makes. I feel like she carries on sometimes over things and she just gets on my nerves. It’s really hard to read a series when you don’t like the main character. I think one of the only reason’s I’m still reading this series is that with the change in POV’s that has now begun, I’m able to see and hear more of the characters I do actually like. They’re what make the series worth reading, although this book unfortunately revolved around Zoey mainly once again and they faded into the back ground.
I also didn’t like the parts where Neferet was front and centre. Even though I understand that it’s important to understand what she’s doing, I honestly couldn’t care less about her and therefore I found myself bored during those moments.

I was really shattered by Jacks death. He was such a sweetie and one of the truly good characters in this series; it was sad to see him go. His death and the moments after it with the funeral and everything were really emotional and it was impossible not to feel sad. My heart broke for Damien. He loved Jack so much and it’s heart-breaking that he lost him.
I LOVED what transpired between Stevie-Rae and Rephaim. They’re one of the things I love most about this series. Perhaps it’s that tinge of forbidden that I love so much, but they go together so well despite their differences and I was soooo happy to see them get to be together. I loved the moment when Stevie-Rae let everyone know about her and Rephaim. I thought it was so great that she defended him and didn’t want to hide what they had any longer, despite knowing how everyone would respond. It was very sweet.
I know Rephaim has done some horrible things in the past, things that he regrets and will never be able to change, but it’s so great knowing he wants to be different. That meeting and caring about Stevie-Rae the way he does makes him want to be different. I was ecstatic when he chose Stevie-Rae over his father and then Nyx allowed him to be human from dusk until dawn. It’s so great that he can be a human boy and they can be together like they should be. I loved it!

Now for some things that really irk me.....
I must say it was weird to see Kalona get into Stark’s mind. I love Stark, I’m team Stark all the way and I really hope that Kalona will leave him alone. Although I’m not holding my breath. I also hope that Kalona isn’t going to use Rephaim in some way like Stark suggested. He and Stevie-Rae have been through enough.....just leave them alone!! I’m upset at the thought that they may get messed around with again.
As for Heath.....god! Doesn’t anything ever stay left alone in this series? He was dead, and now he’s coming back in some way.....it’s just annoying! Now that his soul is in Neferet’s Vessel it looks like there’s....yet again....ANOTHER guy for Zoey. Hasn’t she had enough? I mean really. How many guys does one girl have to get mixed up with? It’s just too much.

Anyway....ramblings aside, I liked this book, but hopefully the next one is a tad better.

[Jay G · Rating 5 out of 5]

Want to see more bookish things from me? Check out my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfer...

so bad... but so good

[Fangs for the Fantasy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Zoey is taking a holiday to avoids all the drama and sad things that have afflicted everyone (but which makes her super sad because she’s so special). The bad guys are not respecting her wish for a happy holiday so Zoey will eventually have to get back into the action

Meanwhile the redemption of Rephraim continues, because what’s a little murder when you’ve decided a guy is going to be your freaky birdy love interest?



Zoey spends a lot of this book hanging out on the Isle of Skye-author-isn’t-quite-sure-about-the-difference-between-Ireland-and-Scotland-but-likes-guys-in-kilts (Scotland doesn’t use Euros) deciding she wants to take a time out because it’s all so sad and hard and everyone else tries to think of ways to get her back into the action. Also I’ve been to the Isle of Skye – it’s not just a made up place but the author has just overlaid the whole island and made it vampire world.

Y’know I’d be sympathetic – but the shit she’s been through is not any deeper or smellier than what everyone else has been through (hey, remember Dragon mourning his wife of several centuries? Or Aphrodite changing species? Or Stevie-Rae and the Fledglings dying and coming back? Remember any of this?) and none of them had their soul shattered and then decided to take a prolonged island holiday. This follows book after book after book of everyone worshipping Zoey and centring her grief to the complete exclusion of everyone else’s. Stark’s death? All about Zoey. Stevie-Rae’s death? All about Zoey. Heath’s death? All about Zoey. Has anyone even told Heath’s parents yet? Anyone? Having an all-about-Zoey holiday so she can be all schmoopy with Stark the Redeemed Rapist and have a whole new set of vampires declare how super duper awesome she is just causes migraines.

And that’s ignoring the multiple prophecies all saying that if she doesn’t get her arse back into gear then the whole world is going to fall apart. No, screw prophecies, that is with her KNOWING Neferet is out there doing terribad awful things, but hey time out holiday time because precious Zoey!

Let’s hit another annoying element (and there are so many!): Rephaim’s redemption storyline – in fact, no, cut that. This isn’t a redemption storyline. Redemption storylines suggest some level of trying to make amends for the shit you’ve pulled. Redemption storylines mean actually working to earn forgiveness and being a better person. Wave the woo-woo of Nyxness and suddenly declaring yourself team good guy is not a redemption storyline.

Yet that’s basically what Rephaim does. As we all saw coming (with the inevitability of a train racing towards us while we’re tied to the tracks), Rephaim loves Stevie Rae (and she has a thing for bird guys) and that means all is good! Nyx even totally comes to seal the deal!


And, no, angst is NOT Redemption. Whining away that you’re a monster is self-absorbed self-pity, not redemption.

If I were the Dragon I wouldn’t forgive this bullshit either – “you’re sorry and have to have downtime when your girlfriend’s asleep anyway? Totally makes up for murdering my wife!”

(Oh and a side point on his - Rephaim continually beats himself up as a monster, as a "child of rape" - there is actually more shaming and attacking of Rephaim for being conceived through rape than there is of Kalona and Stark, actual rapists).

This is another really nasty problem House of Night series has – not just speeding people down the Redemption lines at a great rate of knots, but we also have this cult of forgiveness. These people (no, not people – men and I’ll come back to that as well) do terrible things and suddenly BING REDEMPTION and everyone is now expected to forgive them. Their misdeeds totally forgotten. The fact that Dragon doesn’t want to forgive Rephaim, the man who killed his wife, just days after she died (seriously, the ashes can’t even be scattered yet!) and doesn’t want Rephaim around him is seen as Dragon’s failing rather than completely natural. But we’ve seen the same thing with Stark before as well – absolutely no-one brings up his Red-Fledgling Rapist days and his victim has been thoroughly demonised.

Which makes me fear that we’re also looming closer to the biggie – the redemption of Kalona! Because he’s super duper sad (though can we shred hi “motivation” – he turned evil because Nyx friend-zoned him. Nyx wasn’t into you, she already had a guy Kalona, deal with it) and Neferet is being so very very mean to him and she’s the real bad guy! And look, he even let Rephaim switch sides! I shudder, but the more Neferet is demonised and the more we seem to be cutting Kalona some slack the more I can see this happening.

Because that is what this series wants – a female villain. Nothing about how Neferet is written suggests the slightest attempt at a redemption storyline for her. No way. She is evil evil evil through and through, embracing the darkness, kicking puppies and generally being universally awful. She’s also sexual and gets naked a lot because SEXY WOMAN IS EVIL IT IS KNOWN!

I’m going to have another rant about Nyx here – because she appears again and strongly hints to everyone that Neferet is totally not good. Y’know she could have done this several books ago or done it in front of the High Council or in front of any of the vampires who still think Neferet is a good guy – but nooooo. So she appears, tells everyone that Neferet isn’t all good, but mainly focuses on ramming forgiveness down Dragon’s throat. When she’s gone Neferet just mind controls everyone into believing her again with DARKNESS POWERS and Nyx does…. Nothing. Of course she does nothing. This series needs to make up its mind. Either Nyx decides free will means she can’t get involved at all – in which case she needs to stop throwing out prophecies and random appearances and squelching stomach cramps of guidance. OR she is an involved deity actively guiding, supporting and helping her supplicants – in which case she needs to get up a little earlier in the morning and getting her lazy deity arse in gear.


Read More

[Mari · Rating 2 out of 5]

I honestly don't know why I'm still reading this series. Maybe as ridiculous as the story gets, I want to know how it will end. I'm thinking I've slugged through seven books already so 2, 3 more shouldn't be too hard... but by the looks of it, the authors will probably churn out 8 more books before this series ends. They're bringing Heath back for cryin' out loud. C'mon, didn't we read an entire book mostly about Heath dying and finally being happy in the Otherworld? And it seems that they're bringing him back in Neferet's "vessel" and he'll be the tiny flicker of good in an otherwise evil creation. Uh, isn't that the same as Rephaim's story? And why bother with bringing Heath back when the awesomeness that is James Stark is already with Zoey? And that bit about Kalona having access to Stark? I didn't like it AT ALL. If the authors decide to make Stark bad again just to make Heath look good, I'm done with this series. Stark's pretty much the only character I like at this point. Rephaim, Stevie Rae and Aphrodite are okay I guess. The rest are so annoying, Zoey first and foremost. And aside from Zoey's gang and Lenobia, is everyone in the House of Night so frakking dumb that they go with Neferet's pronouncements right after they've seen and heard what Nyx had to say? That to me is a cop-out. It seemed like the authors were willing to make everyone else stupid just so they could get on with the story. Another thing I hate is all those pop-culture references that doesn't add anything to the story. It only makes the characters sound childish and cheap - trying too hard to be hip and "now" - removing any chance of the story being timeless. I guess it doesn't matter since the books are raking in profits now. And that may also be the reason why this series isn't ending any time soon, recycled characters and story lines be damned.

[Anne · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm done. This book annoyed me in ways I didn't think were possible. Was I really thinking that this book would be any better than the last one? God, I'm such a retard. There are so manymanymany different ways that this got under my skin, but I won't drag this review out. Instead, let me just sum up the entire experience for you with one example of the bizarro hell that is...Awakened.
Jack, the requisite bubbly sweet gay guy (for the record I'd like to see more surly gay guys in literature. Not every freakin' gay dude prances around being kind and sweet! I'm just saying.) gets the axe in this book. Sad, right? Noooo. Oh, there were tears running down my face, but they were the tears of laughter. Only, I don't think it was supposed to be funny. See, the evil chick needs to sacrifice an innocent incorruptible soul (duh! the natural choice is the gay guy!), so she ensnares Jack in her voodoo web of Darkness. He knows he is going to die, and begins to make his peace with death. *cue dramatic music* No. Seriously. Cue dramatic music! He then proceeds to sing a song. A song that he heard on the tv show, Glee. I've never seen Glee. So how do I know it's from Glee? 'Cause that's what it says in the book. Yes. Apparently, him singing the male part of a duet from this show should have brought me to my emotional knees. It didn't. Unless you count that I had to pick myself up off the floor, because my sides hurt from spasming so hard with laughter...that I fell over.

GLEE?! Are you #@$*ing serious?! Bwahahahahhaha! Ah, *wipes tear* I take it all back. That scene alone was worth reading the entire book!

[C.C. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh God! shoot me! I was really being patient with this series. After all the make outs,hook ups, betrayal,death,resurrection,hoe-ing. I really thought this was the last book. Can you say overkill? Why kill a person, oh wait make that 4 or more people, if all of them will just live again. All of them? really? The biggest overkill for me is Kalona bird man immortal warrior and his bitch deity Neferet. Is he really a bad guy? If he's so powerful and smart then how come Neferet have him on a leash.

You wanna know this book's life saver?
Aphrodite and Darius they are such a great team. I hope the two of them doesn't "die". Stevie Rae and Rephaim's love story is also adorable. And again I hope they dont "die".

Oh I almost forgot... I really wanna scream this at Zoey while she was on VACATION.

"WHADDA FUCK ZOE! THE WORLD IS ENDING, A FRIEND HAS DIED, AGAIN, WHILE YOU PLAY AROUND WITH LITTLE FAIRIES. NEFERET IS PLOTTING SOMETHIN WHILE YOU AND STARK ARE PUMPING AWAY UNDER A TREE! (DEEP BREATH)"

I know zoey is supposed to be a teen but still, if you were in her shoes would you be able to take a vaca like that?

Ehem! *blush* sorry I got a little carried away there. I just really wanna let it out

[Clary Morgenstern · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Sterne :)

[Lydia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 Sterne

[jay · Rating 2 out of 5]

i can't decide between rating this 2 or 3 stars, so im rating it 2.5.

this book had a lot of things i enjoyed. Stevie Rae and Rephaim being one of the main ones, as well as more vampyre lore/old magick being discussed.

but what really, really pisses me off.

Nyx is a goddess, and the authors have fully leaned into her with her "works in mysterious ways" bit. but at this point, it's just driving me nuts. Nyx will show up for Zoey, the main character, constantly save Zoey, make everyone around her have special convenient-to-the-plot gifts that save Zoey, AND make everything accessible for Zoey to just be the perfect powerful special main character. Yet, everyone else suffers because of it ??? SPOILERS AHEAD !!!! heath has died, her mom died, JACK died, yet Zoey gets to be constantly protected by Nyx?? how is Nyx going to stay out of her people's affairs yet meddle only for Zoey's sake? even at the ending, when she reincarnates Heath, for ZOEY'S sake, she is not giving her people free will like she claims! she is manipulating everything to work out for Zoey, yet also simultaneously hurting everyone around Zoey which then- hurts Zoey! it makes no sense 😭 god, I'm dedicated to finishing this series, but it's seriously driving me nuts. the amount of plot holes are insane too, like these authors seriously just... idk. idk what's going on😭 and Shaunee and Erin?? two of Zoey's best friends, been around since book one, and there's no substance to them? no conflict, no backstory, no character development? just "let's kick butt, twin." "alright twin!" and then they cry or laugh together depending on the situation.

okay, I'll stop now before i rant further. maybe this book deserves just two stars. all i know is, I'm on to the next one for better or for worse.

[Nancy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh. Dread. I'll start out with the positives -




Okay, I can only think of one. Such a great concept for a series of books. Bottom line - Zoey is a regular teenager girl who is going to high school when she is "Marked." This means that she will eventually turn into a vampyre. She's shunned by all and eventually reports to "The House of Night," a school for others who are beginning the change but not before she drives to see her grandmother, a Native American (Zoey is part) and experiences a spiritual experience with the goddess, Nyx, goddess of the moon. Zoey is destined to be a great leader.

Zoey arrives at the school which is very big into practicing Wicca. The high priestess, Neferet is stunningly beautiful but seems to be evil. Yada, yada, she really is evil, Zoey steps up, Zoey and her friends develop powers and affinities for the elements, have weird experiences, etc. See? Fantastic content for young adult audience. Then it goes downhill.

This book starts with Neferet having sex with some random warrior. He's not the one she wants so she kicks him out. But at least he's beautiful. She goes to the dungeon where she is keeping Kalona, an immortal, who used to be the Guardian of the goddess Nyx and who just failed to kill Zoey. Now he's a slave (including sex) to Neferet. Next scene: Zoey is on the island of Skye, recuperating from Book 7 with her guardian, Stark. They have sex in a grove and Zoey decides to stay on Skye forever. By the way, Stark is beautiful.

Interruption: Mothers, Are you feeling how appropriate this book is for young adults? But, wait. There's more.

Neferet has a debt to pay "darkness," the evil tendrils she commands to harm, maim or kill those she commands. She chooses to kill very sweet, very purple, very gay Jack, Damien's lover. And, oh, the stereotype is all over this one. Jack and Damien are completely about rainbows, puppy dogs, interior design, and painting their love for all the world to see. Did I mention these characters are sixteen?

Neferet makes her appearance at the council and - Surprise! All the adults are just too darn stupid to realize Neferet is evil. Because, as a rule, grown-ups just don't get it and really are not people to trust.

Meanwhile, our stereotypical southern, Stevie Rae is talkin' all southern for us and lamenting about her love, the Raven Mocker Rephaim. Rephaim is a great big bird, beak and all. But she loves him. It's important to point out how Rephaim was conceived. Kalona, his father, raped his mother and she died in childbirth. Special.

Continuing with socially unacceptable sexual practices, Kalona, Rephaim's father, discovers that he has a connection to Stark, Zoey's sex toy. He can travel into Stark's mind. Interesting twist to the story except HE ONLY CHOOSES TO DO SO WHILE STARK IS HAVING SEX WITH ZOEY! EWWW! She's 17 years old! Now we're talking statutory rape/rape (Zoey did not give Kalona permission to enjoy sex with her via Stark's mind).

Much to my better judgment, I did finish this book which gave me one more sexual anomaly. Neferet "gives herself completely" to the white bull. That's right, folks, beastiality.

Let's go over that list one more time:

1. Casual sex (even though they really LOVE each other)
2. Homosexuality and stereotyping of gay boys.
3. Rape
4. Statutory rape
5. Beastiality.

Almost insignificant is the book jacket that, if I had seen the inside of it, would have been a good indicator. Turn it inside out and you get a full poster of a teenage boy, well defined muscles, low slung jeans looking morose.

With four more books in the series to be written, I implore the authors to PLEASE develop a social conscience and 1) write better characters 2) stop insulting the reader with such garbage and stereotypes and 3) take writing workshops. I know P.C. Cast has earned prestigious awards but the characters lack depth, the story is not well developed, description of surroundings and action scenes lackluster or are absent, and the dialogue loses the genuineness by including the Scottish accent, Southern accent, and African American accent. Give the reader some credit in allowing us to create the accents in our heads. We know how to do that or sometimes we choose to concentrate more on content rather than worry about how something is said. 4) Stop grossing out the reader.

[Mιss •kαthєяίиє• Τhε Emεrαℓd Pяίиcεss® · Rating 5 out of 5]

I truly hope that Neferet is going to finally die in this one!!! She's causing too much trouble to everyone!! Why Nyx doesn't just take back the powers she gave her or fight her??

[18.02.2011]

OMG!!!!!! I had this book for a while and I didn't read it because I wanted to safekeep it until the next book would get out and I wouldn't have to wait for it. Unfortunatelly I'm not the restraint kind of girl. THIS BOOK WAS AMAZING!!!

Z was in the Skye Isle trying to get over her loses with Stark and decides to stay there for a bit. But Neferet starts plotting again and the result is tragic.

Jack's death, Stevie Rae's and Rephaim's love, Heath's love and devotion to Zoey and her mom's dying words were the highlights of the book. The white bull and Nyx play a dangerous game to win and Neferet is more powerfull than ever. In a few words, this book was a masterpiece. Sometimes I wish there was a book that got updated with the new chapters of the next books in a series so that we wouldn't have to wait.... Dreams...

[Catarina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Opinião no blogue: https://thegirlwhoreadssbooks.wordpre...

[Sandra Nedopričljivica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jedva čekam serijal privesti kraju. Nažalost, razvodnilo se, kao i mnogi s puno nastavaka.