88) House of the Night by P.C. & Kristen Cast

The Blurb :

Until recently, Zoey Redbird was an average high-school student worrying about grades, boys, and breakouts. But priorities have a way of changing when you are Marked as a vampyre, enroll in the vampyre academy House of Night, and have to figure out a whole new social hierarchy, affinities for elemental magic, and physiological changes that make you crave blood.

My Review :

I have been following the House of the Night series since the beginning and although the series started losing me a few books ago I did actually enjoy the latest release. So when I saw there was a graphic novel for the series I decided to give it a try. I was curious to see what an artist did with the tattoos and the characters. In my mind it would look extremely cool.

My first impression when I saw this graphic novel was, 'Not another one'. Despite wondering how it would look on the inside I had to wonder why another Paranormal series was being made into a graphic novel. I agree that some of them are extremely well drawn but as a reader of full length books I have to say I don't want to waste my time with someone else's impression of what that world, characters etc look like. I have already made up my own mind and feel a little upset when the graphic novel version doesn't match my version.

Also why do we need graphic novels? There are already quite a few books in the series. The authors are obviously making enough money and have enough fans. Why bother? I can't believe that this kind of book makes an awful lot of money for anyone. Is it just to make the series look good? Boast about it being made into a graphic novel because nobody has made it into a film and or TV series?

Ok that aside. Was this graphic novel any good? Not at all. I found myself confused about where this story actually takes place in the series. The quality of the copy I had was awful and I could hardly read the text. The characters looked dark and dismal and these amazing tattoos I have heard so much about hardly showed up in the artwork. They should have popped and stood out but instead they looked like someone scribbled on the characters faces.

A plus for me was the history lesson. The way the elements mixed in with different parts of history was a nice touch and I am sure I would have enjoyed it better if the artwork had done it justice. However I was left very disappointed with the result of the inside drawings when the cover and other larger pieces of art looked really good.

If you are a huge fan and can't go without getting a copy then do so at your own risk. If you are not sure then stay away from this and borrow a copy somewhere. Maybe even go to your local book store and read it there. After all it isn't that long. I certainly won't be checking out any more graphic novels for this series. It could have been much better and I could have been very impressed. Unfortunately this one missed the target by a long shot.

151) Destined by P.C & Kristen Cast

The Blurb :

In Destined, the forces of Light and Dark collide as their epic struggle focuses on Tulsa's House of Night. Zoey is home where she belongs, safe with her Guardian Warrior, Stark, by her side and preparing to face off against Neferet. Kalona has released his hold on Rephaim, and, through Nyx's gift of a human form, he and Stevie Rae are finally able to be together if Rephaim can truly walk the path of the Goddess and stay free of his father's shadow.

But is Zoey really safe? Does she truly know those who are closest to her? And will love win when it is tested by the very soul of Darkness?

My Thoughts :

I haven't given great reviews to the last few books in the House of the Night series. They were not on par with the amazing first four or five books and I actually contemplated giving up on the series altogether. Destined is book nine and I didn't look for it when it came out or add it to my must buy list. Instead I used my audible credit and got a copy to listen to when I saw it advertised. I knew I would regret it but hey...

Anyway before I start my review of the actual book itself I have to say I was impressed by the narrator for this audiobook. She captured the characters really well and I loved her accents! I definitely want to listen to more books read by this girl. Not sure if I want to listen to this series but a big thumbs up to the voice on this one!

So back to the plot. Well Destined didn't really have, imho, a huge plot. It was a book that seemed to basically fill in the time from Zoey's mom's death to finding out who killed her. Which in all was five days. These five days consisted of the typical Aphrodite bitchiness, Zoey's cluelessness, Stevie Rae's sickening love for Rephaim, Neferet trying to be nasty and everyone else trailing them all around like helpless puppies.

While this sounds harsh I have to actually say that Destined was much better than the previous few books in the House of the Night Series. It seemed like things were getting back on track. Sure there was the usual death of a character and that stupid change of character perspective every few paragraphs but I actually enjoyed it a little bit. Destined has left me feeling like I want to check out the next book. This ninth book was not a waste of my time.

On saying that, I really hope the authors don't decide to do what they seem to be aiming to do. Small Spoiler Alert! Someone died...leave them be and don't bring them back. Zoey was just imagining that person and it wasn't him. Please, please, please let him rest in peace. We do not need more love triangles and I certainly don't need Zoey to suddenly have the power to bring back the dead. She can do enough already.

So in conclusion, this was not as bad as its last few predecessors. If you were thinking of giving up on the series then Destined may just win you back. However be warned that there are still three more books to come. Can you manage that? After all we have come this far! I seriously think I need to see this one right to the end but I can't wait for it to be over.

6) Awakened by P.C & Kristin Cast

The Blurb -

Exonerated by the Vampyre High Council and returned to her position of High Priestess at Tulsa’s House of Night, Neferet has sworn vengeance on Zoey. Dominion over Kalona is only one of the weapons she plans to use against Z. But Zoey has found sanctuary on the Isle of Skye and is being groomed by Queen Sgiach to take over for her there. Being Queen would be cool, wouldn’t it? Why should she return to Tulsa? After losing her human consort, Heath, she will never be the same – and her relationship with her super-hot-warrior, Stark, may never be the same either…

And what about Stevie Rae and Rephaim? The Raven Mocker refuses to be used against Stevie Rae, but what choice does he have when no one in the entire world, including Zoey, would be okay with their relationship? Does he betray his father or his heart?

My Thoughts -

The House of the Night series is going strong and this 8th book in the bestselling series was, to be honest, disappointing. Many fans will not agree with my views and many others will wonder why I am not praising this book/series when everyone else is loving it in so many ways. There are many little reasons why this series is starting to frustrate and annoy me and I can only wonder if I am the only person who wishes the story would go back to being as good as it was when it all began eight books ago.

I think the first time I started to think something was wrong was when the story started being told from different perspectives and not just from Zoey's. It was confusing at first and while I have dealt with the change of format I still don't like it. Which brings me on to another reason I am getting fed up with this series...the huge amount of characters.

Keeping track of many different characters isn't really difficult. I do it all the time with the various books and series I read each year. However I am finding it really hard to keep up with the who is who, who did what, why and when etc. Which leads me to my next problem - The story! It seems to have grown and spiralled out of control. The plot keeps twisting and changing all the time making it hard to understand what is happening and why. Is there even a real plot any more? It feels like things are just being thrown in there to keep the story going in anyway possible and to fill up the pages. It is starting to remind me of what I did watch of LOST.

Why did I even finish this one then? Well I was still interested in seeing how things played out and see if the mess was cleaned up by the end of the book. Actually the ending just kept going and going. Each time I thought it was done there seemed to be more. However when the end finally came I just felt nothing. No 'I need to know what happens next' and definitely no 'wow what a great ending'. It was over and that was it.

There are many more little things that bugged me this time around but I don't want to nitpick. To sum things up I am just not happy with the direction things have taken and I am not impressed with the format. The style seems different and the plot is wild and unstable. There should be more doing and less beating around the bush. Was there really any progress made in Awakened?

Fans may hate my views and I don't blame them. I will still recommend this series and this new book to friends and fans. My views are my views and I am aware that I may be the only person in the world who didn't really like this book. Maybe I can stop myself from ordering book number 9 when it comes out. Although for some reason I know I am going to end up reading it anyway.

House of the Night Contests

I thought this may be of interest to some of you!

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To celebrate today's new book trailer and the release of 'AWAKENED', P.C and Kristin Cast's latest novel in the House of Night series, St. Martin's Press is offering a fantastic once in a lifetime chance for a fan and their guest to fly to Tulsa to tour the sites from the books and have lunch with the authors!

We are offering the new book trailer for 'AWAKENED' to post on your blog, along with a link for your readers to enter the House of Night contest.

The lucky winner will receive a 3-day, 2-night trip to Tulsa, Oklahoma for two people which includes airfare, hotel accommodations, a tour of Tulsa and lunch on Saturday, April 30th, 2011 at the Chalkboard Restaurant with the authors. In order to enter the promo, they must answer three questions about the series.

More about the contest

Contest rules

Also, St. Martin's is also holding a contest via the House of Night Facebook fan page. Fans can enter for a chance to win 1 of 30 complete sets of House of Night books.



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It looks like I won't be reading this one yet. Amazon isn't sending the book via Kindle to poor little me in Europe.

61) Burned by P.C & Kristen Cast

Zoey Redbird's soul shattered when she saw everything falling apart around her. Now Zoey's body remains alive with her friends refusing to mourn her death. It is only her soul that is gone, in pieces in the Otherworld. They have seven days to get Zoey back before she fades away forever. If only they could communicate with her and help her back.

BFF Stevie Rae wants to help Zoey but she has enough problems of her own to deal with. The Rogue Red Fledglings are making a nuisance of themselves and Stevie knows she will have to let them suffer the consequences this time. But that is nothing compared to the big secret Stevie is hiding from everyone, even her kinda boyfriend Dallas. Her secret could actually help get Zoey back but if she reveals it to the others the poop is going to hit the fan big time.

Stuck in the middle is Aprodite. No longer a fledgling she is still blessed by Nyx. Her visions may be able to help Zoey but she isn't sure how. She really wants to do the best she can for everyone involved but it is clear to her that not everyone has total faith in her. Which is to be expected.

All three girls have had alot of pressure put on them again. Not only does Zoey's fate hang in the balance but everyone elses as Neferet and Kalona try and take over the world. Will the girls come through this time? Or will they all get burned?

The House of the Night series has come a long way since the first book 'Marked'. With so many players and such a deep storyline it is nice to see that the authors have adapted how they write the books to make sure that the reader can follow the story. The story in Burned is told by many different characters and therefore other perspectives. This sounds like it could be confusing but the change in person is clearly marked which makes the change in the narrative easy to follow.

Seeing things from the perspective of different characters was an interesting development in the series but I also realised that there was alot we don't get to see in this book. Some of Zoey's friends, for example the twins, are only mentioned in passing and the school itself is hardly seen or heard of. The distance from the House of the Night disturbed me quite a bit and I hope things will be brought back to the school again in the next book.

Another side effect of the ever changing characters perspective was the lack of Zoey. In a way this was a nice change and a chance to see and get to know other characters much better. I enjoyed following Stevie Rae's side of things and actually looked forward to seeing the story move over to her. I would have liked to have gotten to know Aprodite in the same way but her part in this book was slightly smaller. Understanding the role Stark played in everything that happens in this new release was made easier by seeing it from his standpoint. So all in all I hope this new trend in the books continues.

As for the story itself, well things are getting a little, in my honest opinion, off track. I wonder how many more books are planned for the series and if there is actually an end in sight. At some points I thought that this book was just drawing things out that little bit more. Giving the authors time to decide where they really want to take this. Even though I really love this series and would like to see it continue, I also want to see things finally come to a head. Maybe not the end of things all together but at least a new enemy or a different storyline about the House of the Night.

Any fans of this book would be out of their mind not to rush out and buy this new installment. It is a must buy and must read to anyone who has been following the House of the Night series. Now that I have come this far I know there is no turning back. Even if there are small things that annoy me there are still alot of things I love about these books. Sure Burned wasn't as good as the first few books but it is just part of a continuing story that I am definitely going to read to the end. Whenever that is.

195) Tempted by P.C. & Kristin Cast

Zoey Redbird has just banished an immortal and a fallen High Priestess, saved Stark's life and nearly died. You would think that after so much action that she would get a break. Unfortunately things are not getting any quieter in the House of the Night school. Three guys all think they are Zoey's Boyfriend, her grandmother is still in hospital, her best friend is keeping secrets from her and she still needs to take care of her friends.

If Zoey could just get a good nights sleep. Kalona keeps invading her dreams and she knows that she still has to get rid of him permantly. How will she do it though? Can they all go back to the school or will they have to live with the nuns? So many questions and decisions need to be made. Everyone is looking at Zoey, the new High Priestess, to lead them into their future. Whatever it brings.

I have been a huge fan of this series since it came out. The last book in the series, Hunted, was good but I thought it lacked something. This newest installment lacked alot and I have to say it was, for me, the worst in the series.

The first problem was that this book suddenly has multiple narrators. The books were always from Zoey's perspective. However this time other characters also told their side of the story. This wouldn't have bothered me too much if it was a constant change between maybe a couple of characters but it seems the authors just kept changing to who they felt they needed to. Also the change of character didn't feel like a change of character. They all sounded like Zoey which made the change hard to notice and keep in perspective.

The second problem I had with this new edition is the lack of a real story. Usually there is a beginning, a middle and then an end. However this book just felt like the middle all the way through. So in this case 'Hunted' was the beginning and now 'Tempted' is the middle. This makes the next book 'Burned' the end? I have to say I am a little confused. Tempted seemed a little like a story arc and not much else.

My last big problem is Zoey's love life. She suddenly has three guys who all believe they are her boyfriend and also Kalona is is after her. Now I have nothing against relationships coming into a book and romance etc is fine and normal. However for a young adult series I think 4 guys/men is just a little too over the top and unrealistic. Give Zoey one and have one more on the side to keep things interesting but four? Boring, annoying and taking up too much time in the plot.

Don't think that this isn't worth reading though. With the faults it has and despite how frustrated I was with the ending it is still readable. Actually any fan who has been following the series has to read this to keep up with the story. However I have to say that I hope the next book, Burned, does actually make more progress than Tempted does.

All in all this series is great and I highly recommend it to everyone who likes vamps and wants to try something different. It is Young Adult but it isn't too young and actually is more adult in some respects. Deep, dark and unusual I really do like this series. Tempted however has let the series down.

186) Immortal: Love Stories With Bite by P.C. Cast & Others

Immortal: Love Stories With Bite is edited by the bestselling author of the House of Night series, P.C. Cast. Seven of the most popular Young Adult Paranormal writers all offer new short stories that prove that when you're immortal, true love really is forever.

Cynthia Leitich Smith starts things off with her tale about a love triangle between a vampire, a ghost and a human girl. Wonderfully written there are a few twists that I didn't see coming. This is an author I have to catch up with again.

The Kristin Cast takes the reins and introduces us to a new kind of vampire. This new kind of vamp is straight out of Greek mythology and can alter space and time. Very fresh and new it was nice to read something by this author without her mother and away from the House of the Night series.

Third up in this anthology was Rachel Caine. Her story is set in the Morganville Vampires world which is one of my favourite Young Adult series. However this was a little disappointing and it didn't quench my need for a new installment. Told from Shane's perspective this quite bland and not as much fun as a full length edition.

Next up was a new author for me. Tanith Lee's contribution was not my favourite in this selection but her story was well written.

Another favourite of mine, Richelle Mead was up next and she brought us something new. Her story about a young vampire on the run from the rest of her kind was certainly different. Nothing at all like her Vampire Academy series and I wished this one was a full length story.

Nancy Holder's story was about a post-apocalyptic New York. Vampires have attacked the city and one best friend is looking for the other. When they finally meet they need to make a choice that may kill them both. Very dramatic this was like reading about a movie.

One of my favourite authors was up next. Rachel Vincent added a story set in her Young Adult series 'Soul Screamers'. I loved the debut novel and was happy to see this small tale her in this collection. Now I am even more eager for the sequel!

Last up was Claudia Gray. This is an author I just got introduced to today (see my previous review) and I didn't expect to be visiting her Evernight series again so soon. However this short story about Patrice was very enlightening. I am looking forward to reading more about Evernight.

Altogether this was a well put together anthology. This really did have some of the best Young Adult authors out there and their was a wide variation when it came to the paranormal elements they wrote about. Of course, as always with anthology's, some stories were weaker than others but all in all this book was a good read.