Bemind

House of Night Other World #1

by P.C. Cast, Henny van Gulik (Translator), Kristin Cast

Het Huis van de Nacht is terug!

De kudde oenen is al een jaar uitgewaaierd over het land. Ter gelegenheid van Zoeys achttiende verjaardag roept Stark iedereen weer bij elkaar in Tulsa. Maar Tulsa blijkt niet meer zoals het was. Vreemde, duistere tekens worden zichtbaar – zou het kunnen dat Neferet zich toch weer roert? Zoey wil niets aan het toeval overlaten en roept haar vrienden op om samen met haar een nieuwe laag van bescherming over Neferets gevangenis te leggen. Koud kunstje, of toch niet? Niets is ooit wat het lijkt in het Huis van de Nacht en de vrienden moeten opnieuw samen ten strijde trekken. Maar een jaar is lang. Kunnen ze nog steeds op elkaar bouwen of zijn ze te veel uit elkaar gegroeid? Zal de duisternis vriendschappen vernietigen of zal Zoey erin slagen om degenen die ze lief heeft te redden?

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

336 pages, Paperback

First published July 11, 2017

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

[Scholar inArmor · Rating 1 out of 5]

Let me start from the beginning...

I have read every House of Night novel and novella, liked the characters and lore and magic & vampyre elements. But, sometimes storylines were so poorly written that I was like "Why do I even try?". I tried because the HoN series was full of positive vibes and love. Even though that combo was sometimes getting on my nerves (specifically Grandma Redbird) because I wanted action and hardships and difficult decisions and drama.

I never gave up on reading the whole series and I am glad I didn't. As I was reading the HoN series I grew attached to the characters and I wanted to know how it all ends...

After the HoN series was wrapped up, P. C. Cast & Kristin Cast tried to write solo series. I did not read them because at that time I had about ten series I was already following. Unfortunately, judging by the reviews I can say that the fans did not like their individual series either.

Mother & daughter duo decided to revive their HoN world and I was really excited. I wanted to know what was happening to my people: Zoey, Stark, Aphrodite, Darius, Stevie Rae, Rephaim, Damien, Shaunee, Erik, Shaylin, Nicole, Kalona, Lenobia...

You cannot fathom how disappointed I was when I had read the chapter in which Aphrodite's mother is having a press conference to announce her campaign. "Make Tulsa strong again"? Driving vampyres away from Tulsa? Big Oil? The battle for the environment? Fox News?



I have read books written by many authors, all of them "spreading" liberal views and love through their main characters. To choose these kinds of books it is my imperative as a book reader. But, when anti-hero/villain characters are role-playing actual/current political situations/campaigns it's non-excusable foe me. Political propaganda, left or right, is something I do not wish to see implemented in the books that are labeled as a paranormal young adult.

To make things worse, she is openly fetishizing Shaunee just because she is a black girl dating a white boy. She is his "Nubian Princess" with her "black girl magick". Who does that? Who even thinks that?

Don't even get me started on stereotyping both Damien and Jack.



It's hypocrisy if you ask me.

[HippieWitch · Rating 5 out of 5]

This new series that's from another series was amazing, now I need to get my hands on the other series it's based off. I enjoyed every page of this book and highly recommend it. The second book Lost to this series comes out June or July 2018 I'd have to check again which month exactly. I can't wait to get my hands on it.

[James S · Rating 2 out of 5]

P1/2--Massive spoilers ahead

Three years after mother-daughter team completed their magnum opus—The House of Night series’ Redeemed—PC returns to the wonderful(?) world of Vampyres and Magic in the newest sequel, and start to a completely new story, Loved. Join Zoey Mary-Sue Redbird and her “Nerd Herd” once again as they tackle the forces of Darkness, unravel deeper mysteries, and ultimately set the stage for the Other World arc.
What can be said about this particular entry that hasn’t already been said about nearly every book in the series already? The writing, which had always been subpar at best, trash at worst, somehow takes several steps backwards in terms of quality. This isn’t figurative in the sense that the quality of the story and characters are lacking (they are), but the actual writing itself has gone downhill. Story and character quality aside, the book is absolutely riddled with spelling errors, format errors, and even simply inaccurate statements. In the first third of the book alone, Aphrodite’s mother, who had previously been relegated to a handful of unimportant scenes, is finally named, but inconsistently switches between “Francis” and “Frances”. Even prior to this, established Red Vampyre, Kramisha, is mistakenly labeled as a Blue Vampyre in the early chapters of the book. On this particular error, I reached out to PC, and she informed me that this was a First Edition error and has since been corrected. That’s all well and good, but the characters within a story are the most important aspects to the story. Without them, why are we even reading this story? I would never be so arrogant as to insist on perfection from my favorite authors—indeed, as a writer myself I am prone to making errors. But I can say with certainty that I, nor any “mainstream” or established author would make such a mistake in characterization. You never read about a brunette Weasley in the Harry Potter universe, an Ender without a tortured soul in the Ender’s Game books, or an overly feminine, girlie-girl Lisbeth Salander in the Millennium books. I cannot emphasize this point enough. Errors in writing are okay, in moderation. Errors in characterization are not! And as for that other error? The Frances/Francis thing? PC, you have editors, it’s their damn job to catch such obvious mistakes. If a character were misnamed “Stephen Rae” or “Erica Night”, you know the fan backlash would have been extraordinary.
To expand upon the ever-diminishing quality of the writing, things such as the unnecessary and obnoxious teenager-isms make their triumphant return. Pop culture references are back in all their glory (never mind the fact that every entry in the series is written to be taking place during the time of the books’ publication, which creates its own mess of inconsistencies), inadvertently screwing up the timeline of the books and horribly dating it for anyone who may want to read these books even a few years from now. And my personal favorite (read: most hated) feature: the parenthetical asides. You cannot go more than a paragraph or two before Zoey, or some other PoV character feels like the need to add shit that no one was asking. Zoey, who the hell cares what the lettering on your black jacket says? Who cares if you love you some whatever/whoever the hell you named drop this particular instance (seriously, I can’t even be bothered to go back and check, because this happens so, so often in this series)? Why do we even need this absolutely unnecessary fluff (FLUFF!)? Hell, just writing my own personal asides within this paragraph to both parody and emphasize the issue was incredibly obnoxious for me, now imagine that every few paragraphs, nonstop.
One issue I’ve always taken with the characters in the House of Night series is that they’re so over the top in their teenagerness. How many times did I read someone calling someone else “cray”? How often does Zoey Mary-Sue Redbird say, aloud, “OMG”? But both of those problems pale in comparison to the sheer vulgarity of these characters. These kids curse more than the worst case of any inner-city school kids you could ever imagine. Don’t get me wrong here. There’s nothing wrong with cursing. I curse. You curse, and you’re fucking lying if you try to pretend otherwise. But it is nonstop within this story—no, within this series. Even Damien, the ever-lovable token gay of the group, has such an absurd out of character piece of dialogue that I put the book down and jotted in my notes how ridiculous this line was coming from anyone, let alone the mostly-civil Damien. It’s so out of character and jarring that it pulled me from the story, but, sad to say, that’s just the norm for this story. Readers can and will be pulled out of the story several times.
Another characterization issue that was particularly jarring was Shaylin’s line (in context, she’s joining in her friends’ mock-teasing of Erik) of “ I shall nevah eat pussy again.” Look, there’s nothing wrong with sexuality in literature. Hell, there’s nothing wrong with sexuality period. People can discuss sexuality, and everyone jokes about it. But it needs to make sense in context; it needs to come from the correct characters. Shaylin Ruede is not that character. Shaylin was introduced into the House of Night story pretty late in the game, in book 9 of 12, Destined. She received very little screen time there, but in the books that followed she was elaborated upon. Interestingly enough, Shaylin was always portrayed as a fairly reserved, if sometimes blunt and outspoken person. She didn’t curse in excess, and her (frankly shoehorned in) lesbian sexuality is only ever lightly touched upon when she begins a relationship with fellow Red, Nicole (this entire relationship deserves its own critique for how poorly it is written and implemented). She went from this relatable, even likeable character within this universe of unlikable characters, to someone crass and vulgar. Like with the Damien example before, it’s so out of character that it tears the reader from the story. It was this particular scene that had be beginning to believe that there’s a very large disconnect between what the authors think their target audience is like, and what their target audience is actually like. Even in a group situation, even amongst friends, you’d be hard pressed to find your average teenage girl casually talking about whether or not she’ll eat pussy again, even in jest.
Finally, in what is probably the worst offender of character bastardization, is Aprhodite Queen Bitch LaFont. Not much of her established character is really changed that much here, but her more reprehensible qualities are turned up to eleven. We, the readers, are supposed to understand that she’s a young woman who struggles with the fact that her parents were terrible pieces of shit who never really loved her. I get that. I can wrap my mind around that and even understand it on a personal level. I relate. What I cannot relate to, and I’m sure many others cannot as well, is the sheer indifference, and dare I even say cruel indifference she views her mother with. Yes, there is a line thrown in there about her mother poking the cracks in Aphrodite’s façade and nearly making her cry, but it feels so inorganic and disingenuous that it comes off as trite. Moving on, perhaps the greatest offense to her characterization is her ultimate fate near the end of the story. From book two in the series up until the very last, a major arc in Aphrodite’s character was learning to see past her bigoted, even racist view of humans and accept that she is perhaps the most human of everyone else. She even gives up her Mark and status as a fledgling/vampire in order to restore the humanity of the feral red fledglings. She must learn to come to grips with the fact that, while she is still a Prophetess, she is no longer vampire-kind, but human. And she does! For as obnoxious as her character has always been, she learned and grew throughout the story in a very natural, organic, and believable way. Aphrodite was one of the best written characters in this story. And how does PC pay off that wonderful development? By turning Aphrodite into a vampire that is neither Red nor Blue (hereby classified as a Purple Vampyre), in order to serve as a “bridge” between the two denominations. Aphrodite, the most extraordinary human, got her Vampyre status back just because she learned to stop pining over her horrible mother. I can’t even express how absurd this is. And, to top it off, we learn that she’ll lose these new-found Vampyre powers and status over time, as she uses her powers to help others. But why? That was my single greatest lingering question after reading this book. Why?
I haven’t touched upon Zoey’s character, as well as a new character introduced (or reintroduced?) in this book, but that will be explained shortly. Zoey, as always, is a damn near superfluous character. That is all that needs to be said at this juncture.
Loved begins with Zoey dreaming, once again, that she is in Capri (by this point, I’d be surprised if she dreamed of any other place), watching Someone, Nobody, and Who Cares, play a game of Does it Even Matter? Kalona, Redeemed Immortal and Warrior of the Goddess Nyx visits her in her dream to warn Zoey of a disturbance in the force, so to speak, and advises her to read Neferet’s journal, conveniently hidden beneath her floorboards. Why Neferet ever dug it up from her original resting place and replaced it within what was originally her bedchambers doesn’t even make sense in context. And, ultimately, what they learn from the journal is of absolutely no importance to the story. Yes, it helps to connect back with the previous arc of this series, and at the end of the book it does give Zoey a bit of characterization that I desperately thought she needed, and expected her to get, at the end of Redeemed. I can say, insofar as Neferet’s journal is concerned, I’m glad it at least gave that final bit of closure.
Aphrodite’s mother, Frances, takes center stage as this story’s secondary antagonist. Her goal is to become the new mayor after her husband’s untimely demise at the hands of Neferet the year before. By becoming so she hopes to oust Tulsa of the Vampyre influence, though, as pointed out by her own daughter, her knowledge on the subject is flawed and lacking. Interestingly, PC makes a point to inject her own political fears into France’s political platform. Her stance to “Make Tulsa Great Again” should ring familiar to anyone reading this book in the year 2017, perhaps even in 2018 or 19. Frances is so obviously meant to be the Donald Trump of this universe, and while there’s nothing inherently wrong with commentating on the political climate on your platform, the way Frances and her agenda is portrayed is so absurd and in your face that it can’t help but feel cringe-worthy and obnoxious. Someone reading this particular part of the story can’t help but wonder if PC meant for Frances’ rabble-rousing to be a form of satire or parody. Sad to say, this simply isn’t the case. Frances LaFont is the Donald Trump of the House of Night Universe.
Zoey, Stark, Aphrodite, and Darius next visit Neferet’s grotto to check things out, as they fear Neferet may be stirring. It turns out she is not, but somehow a nearby flower shop’s roses have begun to turn black and ominous looking. Of course, Aphrodite has a vision here, and sees a new foe emerge and destroy Tulsa—among their numbers is an undead Jack. In the vision Aphrodite as (who she believes to be) Damien is killed by Jack (who died during the events of Awakened) after breaking a Circle. Aphrodite warns the group and they return to the House of Night to convene with the rest of their High Council—Stevie Rae, Shaunee, Damien, and co. A quick aside here: Why Zoey and co. are the leaders of the new High Council of the United States makes absolutely no sense to you or to me. It is ridiculous both in context and out. Just chalk it up to yet another instance of Zoey Mary-Sue Redbird being ridiculously fucking special. PC, try to justify this in-universe all you want. It will never make even a modicum of sense to readers over the age of sixteen.
Zoey and co. finally reunite and catch up. During this expositional dump we learn that Rephaim (who is my personal favorite character in this series. He was one of the few examples of great character development in a series otherwise barren of it) communes with his father in the spirit world during his nightly outings as a bird, when his human consciousness is asleep. He offhandedly reveals that Zoey’s dream with Kalona doesn’t make much sense, and Kalona makes a point never to revisit times or places that he once trafficked with Darkness in, which means the Kalona in her dream could not really be Kalona. This is played off as a “who is lying: Kalona, Nyx, or Aphrodite” moment, but it doesn’t fool anyone.
The group decides that they will strengthen the protection on Neferet’s grotto in order to ensure she remains trapped. After yet another expositional dump, they convene at the grotto and begin casting their circle. Of course, this is a House of Night novel, so nothing can ever go according to plan, and appropriately, Frances LaFont appears and disrupts the ritual. Zoey being Zoey thinks some not-so-nice thoughts about the hag, and as a result the monsters from Aphrodite’s vision emerge from the ground and begin to attack—among them Jack who is also a red fledgling.
This marks the second time rogue red fledglings (this time treated more like classic zombies) become a threat to Tulsa. And…it’s utterly unremarkable. We’re given two very short PoV chapters from two characters who make a single appearance apiece and then are both killed. Once again, their inclusion was utterly superfluous. We also learn that Kevin Heffer is a commander or general or whatever. What this means isn’t immediately apparent. And who is Kevin Heffer you ask? I’m sure most people reading this book would be scratching their heads at the name. Avid readers will recall Heffer as being the last name of Zoey’s so-called Step-Loser, John. But who is Kevin? Turns out that he is Zoey’s younger brother—a character so vitally important to both the plot and Zoey that he is mentioned a grand total of two times in the previous twelve books, if that. To be completely honest, I couldn’t even be bothered to go back and confirm these appearances because it is just so contrived and a blatant ass-pull. Anyway, Red-Jack is captured by Team Zoey and taken back to the House of Night, while the rest of the Rogue Reds scatter and flee. Something, something, Frances gets bitten and has three days to live, something, something. Seriously, these Reds are just so inconsequential. In the end most of them are either killed by the Sons of Erebus, regain their humanity due to Aphrodite’s previously mentioned new powers, and join the House of Night, or commit suicide out of guilt. I honestly couldn’t care less about these characters, and will you. They’re just fluff.
Back on the subject of Aphrodite’s mother: She is indeed bitten and infected, and when it comes to these Otherworld (no, not THAT Otherworld, but an alternate House of Night world) Reds people bitten by them are infected and die within three days, rise again in another three as zombies, and then die again for good within a week. Who cares? I don’t. You certainly don’t. Frances is basically given a death sentence, and I guess you’re supposed to feel bad for her? But it’s really hard to give a damn at all when she’s such a flat, one-dimensional facsimile of Donald Trump. No, that’s actually took kind an analogy here. Frances LaFont is a fucking cunt, has no redeeming qualities, and if you’re anything like me, if you’re not rooting for her to just kick off already, you just don’t care about any of this. Aphrodite visits her in hospital as good daughters do, they fight, Aphrodite gets drunk and stoned, she and Zoey fight, Aphrodite storms off, cries to Nyx, finally gives up on her mother (whom no one who has read these books would even believe she still gave a damn about in the first place), and Nyx gives her new powers, makes her a Purple Vampyre, and blah, blah, blah, I’ve already been over this.
Meanwhile, Red-Jack (known as Other Jack) is actually a nice return of a previously well-written character. He’s similar enough to his original persona, but just different enough that he stands on his own, and the execution is written well. I can’t help but feel happy for Damien and Jack. What about Damien’s previous boyfriend, Adam? Oh, they broke up off-screen before the story started. Damien couldn’t move past Jack, just more clichéd shit. He’s presented as a tragic monster, torn between wanting to become good and stay in this new world, and becoming a monster like the rest of the Other-Reds. In theory this is a tried and true inner struggle, but we’ve seen it before with Stevie Rae, Stark, and Dallas (I guess), so this just comes off as more of the same, but not quite as poignant as previous iterations. What can I say? It’s just been done to death, and even though I like Jack (Other Jack or otherwise), it doesn’t add anything to his character that wasn’t already there, but it doesn’t take away from him either, so it’s inoffensive at worst. As you would expect, he regains his humanity (again, thanks to Aphrodite’s Purple Powers) and chooses to stay with Damien in this House of Night.
Shortly after, Kevin Heffer and his gang (those who aren’t taken hostage, killed, or committed suicide) come to the House of Night to ask for help. It turns out that in their world, Neferet is in open war with the world, Zoey is dead, Stevie Rae is dead, and a handful of things established in this world didn’t happen the same way in that world. It is at this point that Zoey and co. learn that Kevin is “his world’s version of Zoey”—chosen by Nyx to combat Neferet and her Darkness. And it is at this point that I must break from the summary and discuss a few things.
I immediately took issue with Zoey’s non-existent brother coming into this world from the Otherworld as a Red Vampyre. It simply does not make sense in context at all. Somehow, we the readers, are supposed to believe that in a completely alternate world, where Zoey isn’t the chosen one or whatever, that her brother is? In the whole wide world of Vampyres it’s Zoey’s brother who takes up that mantle? The introduction to a separate House of Night world opens the door to discussions about multiple universes and all the complications that come with it, and we’re supposed to believe that out of any of the infinite worlds they could have connected with, they just happened to open a gateway to the world where Zoey’s brother is that world’s Mary Sue? Why not Stevie Rae? Why not John Heffer? Hell, why not Heath? If we’re suspending our disbelief enough to believe that this world is different enough that certain people have changed roles, some Vampyres are no longer Vamps, and some humans are no longer human, why not make that world’s Zoey a more compelling character, one that we, the audience who have followed twelve books worth of characters, are more inclined to connect with and care about? Who went into Loved caring about Zoey’s no-name brother? Or is that somehow supposed to be the appeal? The only way this makes sense at all is if Zoey is the Chosen One across all universes within the House of Night (multi?)verse. If that’s the case, fine, I can accept that. But that would mean that Kevin (admittedly, not a terribly written character, a farcry better than his older sister) is and always was destined to be her backup, in case she failed or fell or turned to Darkness or anything else that would render Zoey unable to stop Neferet. And that would have been an interesting and compelling narrative to explore. How often do we get to see the main hero/heroine fail in their quest,

[Dana Al-Basha | دانة الباشا]

Today March 10, 2017 was epic! Kristin Cast announced that she and her mother will release another book in the House of Night series! I'm over the moon happy! But please release it in book form not only as an ebook!

Celebrate the House of Night 10th anniversary with Loved, the HoN novel you've been waiting for. #HoNLoved

Did you see the cover reveal!?!? It's mainly white, which means a new era for the House of Night books!

[Kira Simion]

I can't take the blurb seriously when the so-called butt kicking group calls themselves the "nerd herd." There's only so much I can take.

[Chelsies Reading Escape]

My taste have change so much since reading all the House of Night novels. I just have a feeling reading this will make me cringe, but Im doing it anyways for old time sake. I finished the series in my first years of University, back when I hadnt read as much YA. Ive read 200 + books (mostly YA) since finishing the HoN series so I doubt it will live up to all the great YA books Ive read. However I might get nostalgic. We'll see. Let me know in the comments if you want to know my thoughts once I read it and Ill write a review for it.

[Nicole Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just loved being back in this world again!! I'm a huge fan of this series and this book did not disappoint! I can't wait for the next one!! It was pretty entertaining and there were some questions answered from the original series. I just love everything about this series from the characters to the world and I really missed reading about everyone!! This book made my day and if you love house of night then you need this book in your life!! 5 fucking stars! !!! I am biased though I can't help but love every book in this series! !

[Leandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS BOOK WAS AMAZING. THANK YOU P.C. CAST.

My review is up on my blog

MY REVIEW: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Bw2l...



I AM BEYOND EXCITED FOR THIS. CAN YOU HEAR ME SCREAM???






THE COVER HAS FINALLY ARRIVED
BEHOLD

It's so pretty!

[☯~☽~•Patricia Mainard•~☾~☯ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book! It was so good the characters, the plot everything was amazing. I love this series so much!

[Kasandra · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm thoroughly disappointed. My friend and I have read every book in this series. Nowhere in the previous books did P.C. drag current political events into the story line, let alone push her political views onto us. I have no idea why she felt it was necessary to do that in this one. What I do know is that people generally read this genre of book in order to escape the real world, not have it thrown up at every turn. If we wanted that, we'd turn on the news or pick up the paper. But what makes it worse is that she clearly expresses her views as a liberal, which don't get me wrong, is certainly her right to do so. But what isn't right, is to insinuate that those of us with opposing views are less than herself. I would think that as an author of this type of series, one would want to appeal to a large array of people, not turn away fans by downgrading them. Anyway, that's just my opinion. I'm not looking to start a debate. I just felt that not many reviewers had addressed this issue, so I wanted to make people aware, the way I wish someone had done for me before I wasted my time and money.

[Ahanika Alexander]

OMG!! I can't wait to read this. *anxiously awaiting*

[Alice4170 🌙 · Rating 5 out of 5]

10/5 ⭐️
SO MUCH LOVE FOR THIS BOOK! I CANT EVEN PUT INTO WORDS HOW HAPPY I AM TO BE BACK IN THIS WORLD! THIS BOOK WAS EVERYTHING I HAD HOPED FOR

[Mary]

I'm not going to rate this because I haven't read it, but just... *deep sigh* no.

-_-

[Lila · Rating 4 out of 5]

They just took unrealistic to a whole other level.

Firstly, Zoey is just now turning 18 and they have all been 'adulting' for the past year? I mean, come on! That's completely unrealistic.

Secondly, zombies?! I am speechless. I really hate zombies.

[Beatrice]

House of Night series has a spin-off?? Why was I unaware of this shit. I thought this series is over. 😂😭

[Alex · Rating 1 out of 5]

This felt, in the worst possible way, like a spin-off movie to a show that has already been running for 5 seasons too long. Somehow, the new book feels much more hatecrime-y than the 2000s books. Where the original saga at least pretended to have some sort of internal consistency, this book says "fuck it, actions don't have consequences anymore".
This book wants to be more mature than the original books by pretending to discuss some really heavy topics, but in the end none of them matter because all of them are solved in 5 chapters max and it's all very distasteful. However, Aphrodite stan forever, my problematic Queen.

[Aly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zoey and the Nerd Herd are all back again! I am so glad to come back to a new series of House of the Night. I am so glad the authors decided to write more adventures for the vampires and fledging's. There would be no Nerd Herd without all the great charterers in this series. Aphrodite and Stevie Ray and many more are what makes this book great and makes it feel like home. This book we even met some new vampires! I can't wait to read book 2!!!

[Nancy The book junkie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 3.5/5

Review to come!

[Rachael Arsenault · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m having a hard time figuring out what to say about this book because it honestly seemed… kind of pointless? The only way I can think to explain it is going to involve a lot of SPOILERS. You’ve been warned.

So, we open with a dream where Kalona gives Zoey a warning, and then we learn Kramisha has written a poem and, later, Aphrodite has a vision. These are three things that have not happened for almost a year. This all leads to Zoey and her friends performing a protection ritual to keep Neferet entombed, which naturally goes wrong and opens a portal to an alternate world.

That’s our build up. That’s what sets everything in motion. So far so good – this seems like a reasonably okay way to open a book (though the actual execution leaves a lot to be desired, but I digress).

Then we have the introduction of our core conflicts: Jack is back but he’s a flesh-eating, bloodthirsty, zombie-making red fledgling, though he wants to be fixed and remain in Zoey’s world so he can be with Damien again. Also, the other red fledglings and vampyres brought through the portal are going to start a zombie apocalypse in Tulsa if Zoey and her friends don’t stop them. Another subplot is Aphrodite’s spirally addiction and her mother’s political plot against vampyres.

Okay, so we have three core conflicts, all of which are at least tangentially related to each other, since Aphrodite’s mom is bitten by one of the Other vampyres (which will kill her and turn her into a zombie) and she takes Zoey and friends accidentally opening the portal as a sign of vampiric ill-will toward humans. Our resolution needs to fix Jack so he and Damien can be together again, stop the Other vampyres from destroying Tulsa, and help Aphrodite overcome her addiction while also putting her mother in her place and preventing her from gaining political power to oppress vampyres.

So Aphrodite cries in Nyx’s Temple, has a very sudden epiphany about her mother and just… sobers up and moves on from her trauma, and as a reward Nyx Marks her as a new kind of vampyre and restores the humanity of all the Other vampyres and fledglings, while also healing Aphrodite’s mom so she doesn’t die from her vampyre bite. This not only resolves Aphrodite’s subplot very gracelessly, but magically fixes Jack and stops the Other fledglings and vampyres from starting a zombie apocalypse. So… All the conflicts are resolved in one scene that involves no problem-solving, no agency, no real growth or overcoming challenges. Aphrodite just sort of decides to stop being affected by her mother’s abuse and presto! Everything else is fixed.

And yet there are still eighty pages left of the book at this point.

I should mention the other subplot that was kinda loosely introduced prior to this: Zoey’s brother, Kevin, also came through the portal. The problem with this subplot is that Kevin has literally zero presence in the original series – not a single appearance or line of dialogue – and there’s no real time to establish his character or show his bonds to other characters before we’re expected to care about him.

And, yeah, we’re expected to care very quickly. He has one short scene before Aphrodite fixes everything and that’s it. He becomes prominent to the book after that, and by that point we’re expected to be really invested in him and really care when Zoey recognizes him and orders the TPD not to shoot him or the vampyres with him. But Zoey has never cared about her brother prior to this – she’s barely ever thought of him. So introducing an entirely new plot that hinges on her and her friends searching for her brother and fearing for his safety after you’ve already resolved the three core conflicts of the book is just… annoying.

It’s also a huge waste of time. A chapter from Kevin’s perspective tells us that he and his surviving men plan to go to the Tulsa HoN at sundown because he, too, recognized Zoey and is hopeful when he realizes that she’s a High Priestess. So the near 20 pages we spend with Zoey worrying about him and searching for him is all just a pointless headache. Nothing of consequence happens, and readers already know Kevin isn’t going to seek her out peacefully anyway.

Then we spend the rest of the book getting infodumps about how Kevin’s world is different from Zoey’s, along with the realization that he’s his world’s Zoey (AKA the Chosen One) and he has to go back. It’s supposed to be a heartbreaking scene when they send him back over, but… I’ve been given no reason to care about him. I’ve been given no reason to care about his relationships with the other characters.

So we had three core conflicts that were solved suddenly, effortlessly, and nonsensically, and then we had a new conflict that made no sense, carried no weight, and just kinda dragged on for no real reason. And they weren’t even good conflicts!

Let’s start with Jack and Damien. First problem: In order to make Other Jack have motivation to want to stay in Zoey’s world, Other Damien has to be dead. Rather than have him simply reject the Change or die in the war or something, the authors decided that Damien needed to have an Issues Subplot, so Other Damien committed suicide because Damien has apparently been depressed his whole life. It was never shown in previous books because he masks it very well – and by that, I mean the authors only just now thought to introduce this personal conflict to the books. Now, this isn’t a problem in and of itself; there are plenty of people who mask mental illness extremely well and never have friends or family pick up on it. That’s fine. The problem is that then Grandma Redbird randomly swoops in, immediately deduces that he’s depressed – sorry, I mean that his “spirit weeps” – and tells him that he needs to choose to embrace joy, or else he will either die or live a life of misery. She then says a bastardized Cherokee prayer to help “heal” his depression.

There are A LOT of problems with how this particular issue is handled. First, that Grandma Redbird knows Damien has depression at all, since the only justification the authors give for it essentially amounts to: “Well, Native Americans are wise and magical and just know things about people sometimes.” This is an ongoing problem with Grandma Redbird’s character, but that doesn’t make it any less offensive or infuriating. Second, the authors have Grandma approach Damien with this advice unsolicited. He is not seeking advice or support or therapy. Grandma just gives it to him. Third, this is presented as, like, the true and good and perfect solution to depression. Just embrace joy! The only reason you’re depressed is because you’re too afraid to let yourself live your life fully because it opens you up to heartbreak and failure. And while I’m sure this is true of some people’s experiences, I’m not sure that’s true of Damien, whose depression is canonically something he’s struggled with for years and which stems from neglect and homophobia he faced from his family and community. Learning to cope with that is a little more complicated than just “embracing joy”. Fourth, the fact that they use language about “healing” depression at all, and especially because they use ~*Cherokee magic*~ to speed along the process. Cherokee spiritualism and religious beliefs are not mystical and magical, and constantly presenting them as such is super offensive. Moreover, you don’t heal from mental illness. It’s always there. Instead, you cope and grow and learn how to thrive in spite of it.

Also, the conclusion to Damien’s depression subplot is basically the same as the conclusion to Jack’s quest to have his humanity restored and Aphrodite’s struggle to overcome her addiction and mother-daughter conflict: He does nothing and it magically goes away. More specifically, he falls asleep in Jack’s room and wakes up to find Jack healed. And from then on his depression is never so much as hinted at.

Let’s look at Aphrodite’s subplot a little more now. This is, as I’m sure you guessed, another Issues Subplot. Aphrodite drinks too much and likes to pop Xanax. She’s an addict, and this is specifically tied to her abusive and neglectful upbringing. This, in theory, makes perfect sense. The problem is the execution (as always). For one, even though Aphrodite is constantly drinking and at one point pops two Xanax pills in one go, we never see her intoxicated except in one pivotal scene. She always seems perfectly coherent and normal. And when we do reach that pivotal scene where she’s actually behaving like a highly intoxicated person, the other characters’ responses are awful. Especially Zoey’s. See, Zoey decides the appropriate way to react to Aphrodite’s drunkenness is to yell at her, throw away her flask, and grab her by the shoulders and violently shake her, which is all followed up by using her position as High Priestess to order Aphrodite into sobriety.

Here’s the thing: Zoey knows that Aphrodite has gotten wasted after visiting her mom in the hospital, she knows Aphrodite’s mom is dying, and she knows that Aphrodite’s mom is a core source of her trauma. She also knows that Aphrodite’s mom’s main methods of abuse are yelling at Aphrodite, hitting her, and trying to control her – three things that Zoey does in this very scene. But Zoey is never presented as being in the wrong for this. Instead, Aphrodite is the one who apologizes to Zoey later when she has sobered up. It’s a really, really awful, insensitive, and just completely clueless representation of dealing with addiction.

The way Aphrodite “heals” doesn’t help matters, either, since she essentially just decides to get over her mother’s abuse, in much the same way that Damien just sort of decides to stop being depressed. It implies that mental illness and addiction are mind-over-matter issues rather than complex conditions influenced by upbringing, oppression, and the socio-political environment people exist under.

I know I’ve already rambled on for a long time, but I still have barely touched on all the major problems in this book. I’m serious. It’s that bad. To save myself and everyone else some time, here’s the highlights reel of awful, so to speak:
->The rampant nepotism of the North American Vampyre High Council just being Zoey and a bunch of her friends.
->Damien and Stevie Rae abandoning their posts at their own HoNs after less than a year, but not actually having to step down from their positions on the Council. Because, again, nepotism.
->Shaylin and Nicole go to San Francisco because it’s gay. Damien goes to New York, which is also a massive hub of queer culture and important historical landmark for Pride. Shaunee goes to New Orleans, which is known for being a hub of black culture. Stevie Rae is the only one who doesn’t go to her own Stereotypes Land.
->The ritual Shaylin talks about casting for the opening of the San Francisco HoN made all the women present start making out with each other, including all the straight women. It’s portrayed as funny, but it’s extremely creepy.
->The authors completely misuse the term “black girl magic” and also have Erik utter the words “Nubian princess” in reference to Shaunee.
->There is still plenty of sex shaming and body policing in this book. Even Erin, who doesn’t appear in this book, is brought up just so she can be called a slut.
->Why is it called the Other World? The Otherworld already exists in this series – it’s Nyx’s realm. Could the authors not think of any other term for their alternate dimension?
->The pre-story text claims that Shaylin has a “special maturity” because she used to be blind, which is some seriously ableist BS. Disability does not make you wiser or more mature and it isn’t uplifting or empowering to imply otherwise.
->Zoey makes really weird, selfish changes to rules at the HoN, like Spaghetti Madness on Tuesdays because it’s her favourite meal and relaxing the dress code because she wants to lounge around in sweatpants and a ponytail. This doesn’t do much to convince me that she’s a wise and responsible leader in spite of her young age.
->The requisite terrible poetry. I mean, there’s a prophetic poem in this book, but I genuinely have no idea what it was predicting. Maybe the theme of the book? Or just that it was going to snow? It doesn’t end up actually contributing anything to the plot, and it isn’t even a good poem in the first place.
->Frances LaFont’s whole political campaign makes no sense, especially since it’s trying to parallel real world politics. Vampyres can’t be a stand-in for Mexican and Muslim immigrants and other people of colour suffering under the Trump administration because they’re the elite. They are the richest and most powerful people in Zoey’s world – the mayor of Tulsa can’t do anything to them.
->The fact that the authors double down on this political parallel by comparing Frances LaFont’s prejudice against vampyres TO THE HOLOCAUST
->An unending amount of just really bad dialogue.

And I’ll stop there, because if I don’t, I’ll be here all day.

[Amy Burrows · Rating 4 out of 5]

The House of Night series returns in a thrilling new series with the beloved Nerd Herd!

Its Zoey’s 18th birthmas and the Nerd Herd arrive back on home soil for a surprise celebration. Aphrodite, Zoey’s right-hand woman and Nyx’ prophetess, has a vision that leaves her worried for her friend’s lives.

With rabid red vampyres on the loose any differences must be put aside to save the towns fellow vampyres and humans from being infected and ravaged. Little do they know that they come from an alternate world, the Nerd Herd has a huge shock when some of these newcomers are identical to loved ones they have lost. Zoey thinks her old enemy Neferet may be stirring and be behind the attack, with their own individual issues coming along the way that threatens to make the situation worse, the group must pull together to stop the evil threatening to ruin their town.

“You have no reason to show shame. Sometimes our spirit weeps. When it does you must work at comforting it, and then healing it.”

I have never read the first House of Night series, so I was apprehensive about this book. My main concern being I know none of the characters or any previous events. I am glad to say I was wrong in that, there is a very comprehensive introduction to each of the characters at the start that gave me an insight to their personalities and any key events that would affect my understanding.
Zoey and the Nerd Herd have heaps of banter along the way that made this truly entertaining to read, the relationships were easy to pick up on and each character had a vivacious personality. The story itself was easy to understand with no prior knowledge and would be suited to a younger audience as well as those (like me) that are a little bit older but enjoy the straightforward but charming plot.

Thank you to Head of Zeus for sending me a finished copy, I wouldn’t have come across this book if I hadn’t been asked to read it for an honest review. I am keen to carry on with this series and have already bought the first books of the previous for my kindle!

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where to even start, oh my goodness... I was absolutely ecstatic when I learned there was another HON book coming out. I preordered it on Kindle AND hardback the moment I could.
I can't recommend this series enough. I wholeheartedly believe there is something in it for everyone. So beautifully detailed, they truly take into the world that is the House of Night. It feels like you grow & experience everything with the characters, the good as well as the bad. You laugh, smile, & cry (both sad AND happy cry).
I could gush on & on about this book, but no one likes spoilers, right?
You don't have to read the entire series to enjoy this book, there's a bit of a catch up at the beginning, but I can guarantee it's well worth it to read them all. I really enjoyed reading the reader's Q & A at the end as well. I'm so pleased there will be another great HON story in 2018, I only wish I could travel through time to read it now.

[Allison ☾ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well this book was only $1 so I can't be too mad.


The storyline was engaging but not much has changed since the other series. Everything is still sickly sappy, from the BFF dialogue to Grandma Redbird baking cookies for the gang. Also once again we left on a cliff hanger so nothing got solved.


There was a little bit of political propaganda in this but it didn't really take away from the story or phase me.


I'm tired of people being resurrected so everyone can be paired off into perfect couples. Even Shaunee got paired up for the sake of it with a guy who has already dated 2 of the main characters.


The best thing about this book was Zoey not having 3 boyfriends.

[Shambrie Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can't wait for it to come out

[Barbara Carpenter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this Series and this is my All time favorite Author. Love Everything she has out!

[Vidhya · Rating 2 out of 5]

No - Sorry - I just cannot.. No..
So I loved the HoN series, having read every single one of them. However, towards the end it was all about completing it and not necessarily enjoying it.
But when Loved got released, I could not wait.
I tried so hard to procure a copy so I could read it. Fingers crossed, hoping things would have changed, hoping that it would be amazing and would blow my mind!
Sigh..
If only..
I want to know how Zoey is exactly the same as I had read in Marked? How ? Just how can there be absolutely zero character development? And this is what bugs me about this book. I cannot read the same series for 15 years of my life and realize I have grown and the characters haven't.
And Neferet. Seriously?
It's not enough that Zoey spent 12 years trying to kill her, but now - Again?
Are there really no other villains in this fantasy world? Like really? No one?
I am sorry to all the loyal fans, but I am one too.
And I -- have been left disappointed.

[Elizabeth · Rating 1 out of 5]

Estoy con el corazón roto y enojada. Le tengo mucho cariño a los personajes, por lo que no entiendo porqué sobre-explotarla de esta manera. Y no es que no haya disfrutado el libro, ciertamente tiene el estilo y humor de todos los demás, es que no le hayo pies ni cabeza a todo esto.

SPOILERS

Ok, aquí el origen de los problemas es que existe un mundo alternativo donde Neferet gobierna, los vampiros rojos no recuperaron su humanidad y varios de los que conocemos murieron (o los que fallecieron en el arco principal no murieron ahí). La Oscuridad piensa que es buena idea traer un poco del caos de ese mundo alternativo al original y de alguna manera, no muy creíble, logra engañar a Zoey y el CÍrculo para que Invoquen a varios de esos vampiros e iniciados rojos.
Mi problema con esto es que nunca nunca se dio a entender que existían mundos paralelos, inversos o lo que sea. En el libro La Caída de Kalona se habla sobre la creación de ese universo, se menciona la anterior existencia de otros dioses, la Madre Tierra, la creación de los vampiros, pero nunca se insinúa que haya estos tipos de realidades. Supongamos, que si hay físicos en nuestro mundo que estudian esto, porque no también en el de HON y que en este, de hecho, son reales y se han comprobado. No obstante, no ofrecen una explicación, ni comentan algo meramente científico que me haga creer en tal posibilidad.. y si todos aceptan tan fácilmente que 'si son de otro mundo', ¿que motivo los llevó a aceptarlo tan rápidamente y sin cuestionar nada?. Esto es la típica explicación de "un mago lo hizo", "es que es magia". Bueno, pero en HON muchas cosas se explican así, ¿entonces porque está me molesta tanto? Por que parece que es una idea sacada de la manga sólo para vender y exprimir más a los personajes y trama.

[Edit 2021: PC Cast ha respondido que con respecto a la existencia de otros mundos estos son un reflejo del nuestro, pero que cada persona ahí es única y no comparte alma con su contraparte. Además de que solo se debe seguir con la ficción y que no hay o habrá explicación científica. Such a bother and lame.]

Ahora vamos con Zoey y su recién descubierto amor fraternal. ¿Cuando a Zoey le ha importado su hermano? Solo lo menciona en el primer libro y ya. (Y no se si lo de Legacy se concidera canon). En Loved, intentan justificar ese desapego, pero las excusas son muy mediocres. ¿No pudo ni llamar cuando su mamá murió? Y ahora esperan que crea que se preocupa mucho por ese hermano vampiro traído del Otro Mundo.. Que por cierto tiene los mismos dones de Zoey y va a tener que luchar contra la Neferet de ese otro lado. Reciclaje de historia.

Ya vemos por donde va el asunto, Neferet de villana, otra vez. En esta ocasión con dos ejércitos (vampiros azules y rojos) y sin Kalona (por lo visto sólo existe una Nyx y un Kalona, y este no esparcio hijos en otras realidades), aliada a la oscuridad, pero sin que conozca el Toro Blanco, y no es un ser inmortal (por ahora). No me sorprendería que nuestra Neferet se liberara y terminaran enfrentado a dos Neferet, eso aumentaria el drama.
Pero hey, en este mundo veremos a los buenos ser malos y los muertos estar vivos. No, por favor. No quiero volver a ver a Heath ni a Erin (no me gustó que la llamaran slut y Zoey no la defendiera, aunque solía ser su amiga.. o al menos por Shaunnee), ni a Linda o cualquier otro que quieran traer a la vida. Ya con Jack es suficiente. Y lo de los buenos siendo malos no aplica mucho que se diga. Ya nos dijieron que la escencia de la persona se mantiene sin importar el mundo, por lo que sabemos que al final se harán buenos. Este es el mismo razonamiento que crearon las CLAMP para sus mangas.. así que... de innovador no tiene mucho.

Y surge mi duda: en el Otro Mundo (el de la Diosa, es que les llaman igual) llegan las almas de todas las realidades? o hay un Otro Mundo para cada una? El Damien y Jack que murieron se encontrarán ahí, y se enamoraran, aunque no sean los mismos a los que amaron en vida?

Otro aspecto que no me gustó, el de siempre, es el porque Zoey sigue tratando de lastimar a Stark, ¿porqué ahora quiere ir a ese otro mundo y encontrarse con Heath? No se merece a Stark.
Ya dejen a Heath bien enterrado, por favooooor!!!!

Y obviamente, necesito más de Stevie Rae y Rephaim, mis principales razones para seguir leyendo HON.. Sólo espero que no me los arruinen, como las Cast suelen hacer con ciertos personajes.

Aspectos positivos: como mencioné, es el estilo de HON, las personalidades de los personajes siguen siendo las mismas. La depresión de Damien tiene sentido. . aunque me gustaría ver una sanación más gradual y un proceso en esta. Y Aphrodite a hayándose a si misma!! Esto fue lo mejor. Ya era hora de ver a la chica amándose y cuidando de ella.

Para finalizar, al parecer este arco de Other World va a constar de 2 o 3 libros. . Ojalá así sea y no se les ocurra expandirlo y arruinar todo.

[Chandra Claypool (WhereTheReaderGrows) · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's been a year since the Nerd Herd beat Neferet and they've dispersed to live their separate lives. Zoey, having a dream about Neferet potentially emerging again, wants to bring everyone together. Her man, Stark, has already planned for this as everything is falling around her birthmas. Her now surprise becomes a reunion to try and stop her dream from coming true.

Their own personal tragedies have caused them to not only face the zombie apocalypse they accidentally unleashed in their world, but their own inner turmoils as well.

I had no idea this was actually a continuation of a prior series, so thank goodness for the intro recapping and introducing the characters - even though it was slightly daunting as a lot is thrown at you at once. However, it didn't seem muddled or confusing once you started reading. This is definitely YA with teen speak drizzled throughout. I loved the references to Joss Whedon and Caleb Roehrig's Last Seen Leaving book. **applause** Overall, we see a unit, a family, work together to right the wrongs and help each other through life struggles. It's a fast and easy read. Love YA books about vampires and zombies? Take a look into Loved!

[Aly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book from the beginning because they had a full recap of House of Night things in case the reader needed a refresher. They told us what happened, who the main characters are, and pretty much HoN 101. This is super helpful and I wish all series would do this!
The story picks up not long after the original series finished. I like seeing Zoey and her circle grown up and in their High Council positions. My favorite part of the book was seeing Jack again. He's so sweet and adorable and Damian needed him. It's crazy that there's another world out there where things have gone to shit and there's copies of our "Nerd Herd" living alternate realities. This book switched points of view quite frequently, as did most of the HoN books, and it's not my favorite. Having a couple points of view is fine, but more than 4 or so is a bit much for me. I did like seeing Aphrodite grow up and make positive decisions for herself and I love seeing Nyx. She's so kind and loving and the perfect goddess.
The ending was good and I'm looking forward to the other books in this series.

[Jennifer Leigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zoey and the Nerd Herd are back! This is not a drill! In this new series, Zoey and her friends have been scattered across the U.S fulfilling their new roles as fully changed vampyres. It has been one year since the defeat of Neferet, and there has been no life or death drama since. Until fear is brought on everyone with the thought that Neferet might be stirring. It is up to Zoey and her friends to ensure that whatever drama is coming their way, that they are prepared.
As a continuation of The House of Night series, the Cast’s do an amazing job bringing all of the characters back in their glory. Each character comes back stronger, and better than ever, and those that don’t, find themselves within the pages of Loved. The design of the cover and the chapter headings are beautiful. I can’t wait to see what else is in store for Zoey and the gang in the next book!
To see my complete review go to: http://www.boundtowriting.com/review-...

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ik heb de serie hiervoor komt niet gelezen. Je zou dit boek als losstaand kunnen lezen, maar dat raad ik je niet aan. Ik kende de personages niet en volgde het plot amper. Als ik vooraf had geweten dat er een complete serie voor komt, was ik hier niet eerst in begonnen.
En daarbij is de schrijfstijl echt YA.