nika_nix's review against another edition
4.0
I remember reading these series about four years ago and I loved the series so much and now I decided to continue where I stopped. After 4 years I was amazed how much of a plot I actually remember but there were still some parts I didn't remember. To 11-year-old me these books were awesome and because of that my rating on Goodreads for first eight books is 5 of 5 stars but I know that would change if I reread books now (what I'm not going to do). Main thing that bothered me while reading were dialogues. They were just terrible, especially when Zoey and her friends talked to each other. What's with that language? It's like author wanted to sound cool because of teen readers but seriously, who speak like that? I was shocked. This book would be so much better if just dialogues were different. And the other thing that also bothered me, but not as much as dialogues, were the characters. Most of them were so shallow and stupid and all of them were built on a stereotype what was really annoying. I also want to say that I liked 3rd person writing much better than 1st person writing, maybe that was because Zoey was so annoying, but I also realized that the writing is better in 3rd person, there was more description, deeper thoughts and we got to know characters better than when we were in Zoey's head.
Now the characters. Zoey was so annoying and stupid. She did nothing except whining throughout the whole book. She is supposed to be some badass protagonist or something but she did NOTHING for the plot. I just wanted to slap her. Stevie Rae was okay but I hated how she is built on a stereotype and all that, just not convincing enough. But I did like her relationship with Rephaim and how she defended him and wanted a normal life for him. Rephaim is probably my favourite character in the book because he is one of rare characters in Destined with who I could connect and understand hih thoughts. He just wanted to be loved and I hated how everyone was accusing him for that. I just loved him in this book and I'm really glad he didn't die in the end because that would really suck. Kalona is also one of my favourite characters, he is just so powerful and beautiful and awesome and I totally understood him. And I loved the ending, how he came when Stevie Rae called him and said Rephaim he was sorry and then said Thanatos he will protect her and all that. Amazing end, loved it so much. I don't get it how can anyone hate Kalona. Neferet, in the other hand, is terrible, disgusting, awful bitch. I hate her! She doesn't have any reason to be evil except that she thinks she is better than anyone else. Like, seriously? I could never like her, she is very hateable villian. I don't even want to write about her anymore. Another character I could really understand and connect with is Aurox. I loved that character, I liked how he was confused about who he is, how he wanted to be good but Neferet made him do terrible things and how he struggled to be himself, not just Neferet's slave but he lost that battle... amazing. probably the character with most potential in the whole series. I also likes Shaunee a lot in this book because she was finally becoming her own person and not just the part of the Twins. There was a lot of character development and I was so happy for Shaunee. Erin, in the other hand, was left aside, forgotten. When Twins separated all focus was turned on Shaunee and her thoughts about that, but we didn't get anything from Erin, she was just left in the background and I didn't like that. Aphrodite was probably the shallowest character ever and she could be so much more if the authors tried to give her a shot. I don't get it. I like Aphrodite but she was such stereotype. Just no. It could've been so much more. Darius was more like a pet than real human being. He was always in the backgroun, he talked very little and he was just driving them in that bus. He was so unimportant and I didn't get the point of his existance except for Aphrodite to have a boyfriend. Again, it could've been so much more. Stark... I loved him while reading these series but in this book I realized how much of a jerk he is, like the rest of male character in the book actually (except Rephaim and Kalona). His relationship with Zoey was so fake and it was all about kissing and sex. Urgh. Stark could've been such an amazing character just if authors made him a bit more of his own person and not just another man in Zoey's life (because she had a lot of guys in her life - she IS a slut - I mean, Heath, Erik, Loren, Kalona, Stark... did I forgot someone? Prabably.). I like all that Guardian stuff but as her boyfriend he was just a douchebag. I was so dissapointed. I liked Lenobia and her cowboy Travis. They were so cute together and I loved reading about them. Probably the cutest parts of the book were the ones with those two. Beautiful. I also liked Erik and Shaylin and I thought that is another great idea for a plot but then they were forgotten and left aside like the authors didn't know what to do with them anymore. Very dissapointing.
I was amazed how authors can do such a fantastic job with one character and leave other shallow and boring. If they put a bit more effort in their writing, these series could be much more better and amazing. I mean, I like the series and they are good, but it frustrates me that it could have been so much better. Idea is amazing, plot is interesting, there are a lot of characters that could be unique and interesting but they all seem the same bacause they were presented to us badly.There were highlights of the book, some really good parts where EVERYTHING was good and I couldn't believe that the same wirter wrote that and the text few pages earlier. Best example are parts with Kalona and parts with Aurox, they were amazing, I really enjoyed them. And then, there were these parts with Zoey and her friends or with Zoey and Stark and I was just like WHAT? How can someone write that good and that bad at the same time? I was actually dissapointed while reading this book because I expected much more but it's okay. While reading, I got the impression that authors came up with some really cool idea (like Shaylin, Aurox, splitting Twins...) but then they didn't know what to do with it so they just passed on the main plot and forgot about these things. Writers shouldn't do that, and even if they do, there are editors who should do their job and tell them that they should do something with that idea when they brought it up in the first place. So frustrating!
Anyway, I do recommend this book (these series) because they ARE good and they ARE interesting and I still remember how much I enjoyed reading them four years ago.
Now the characters. Zoey was so annoying and stupid. She did nothing except whining throughout the whole book. She is supposed to be some badass protagonist or something but she did NOTHING for the plot. I just wanted to slap her. Stevie Rae was okay but I hated how she is built on a stereotype and all that, just not convincing enough. But I did like her relationship with Rephaim and how she defended him and wanted a normal life for him. Rephaim is probably my favourite character in the book because he is one of rare characters in Destined with who I could connect and understand hih thoughts. He just wanted to be loved and I hated how everyone was accusing him for that. I just loved him in this book and I'm really glad he didn't die in the end because that would really suck. Kalona is also one of my favourite characters, he is just so powerful and beautiful and awesome and I totally understood him. And I loved the ending, how he came when Stevie Rae called him and said Rephaim he was sorry and then said Thanatos he will protect her and all that. Amazing end, loved it so much. I don't get it how can anyone hate Kalona. Neferet, in the other hand, is terrible, disgusting, awful bitch. I hate her! She doesn't have any reason to be evil except that she thinks she is better than anyone else. Like, seriously? I could never like her, she is very hateable villian. I don't even want to write about her anymore. Another character I could really understand and connect with is Aurox. I loved that character, I liked how he was confused about who he is, how he wanted to be good but Neferet made him do terrible things and how he struggled to be himself, not just Neferet's slave but he lost that battle... amazing. probably the character with most potential in the whole series. I also likes Shaunee a lot in this book because she was finally becoming her own person and not just the part of the Twins. There was a lot of character development and I was so happy for Shaunee. Erin, in the other hand, was left aside, forgotten. When Twins separated all focus was turned on Shaunee and her thoughts about that, but we didn't get anything from Erin, she was just left in the background and I didn't like that. Aphrodite was probably the shallowest character ever and she could be so much more if the authors tried to give her a shot. I don't get it. I like Aphrodite but she was such stereotype. Just no. It could've been so much more. Darius was more like a pet than real human being. He was always in the backgroun, he talked very little and he was just driving them in that bus. He was so unimportant and I didn't get the point of his existance except for Aphrodite to have a boyfriend. Again, it could've been so much more. Stark... I loved him while reading these series but in this book I realized how much of a jerk he is, like the rest of male character in the book actually (except Rephaim and Kalona). His relationship with Zoey was so fake and it was all about kissing and sex. Urgh. Stark could've been such an amazing character just if authors made him a bit more of his own person and not just another man in Zoey's life (because she had a lot of guys in her life - she IS a slut - I mean, Heath, Erik, Loren, Kalona, Stark... did I forgot someone? Prabably.). I like all that Guardian stuff but as her boyfriend he was just a douchebag. I was so dissapointed. I liked Lenobia and her cowboy Travis. They were so cute together and I loved reading about them. Probably the cutest parts of the book were the ones with those two. Beautiful. I also liked Erik and Shaylin and I thought that is another great idea for a plot but then they were forgotten and left aside like the authors didn't know what to do with them anymore. Very dissapointing.
I was amazed how authors can do such a fantastic job with one character and leave other shallow and boring. If they put a bit more effort in their writing, these series could be much more better and amazing. I mean, I like the series and they are good, but it frustrates me that it could have been so much better. Idea is amazing, plot is interesting, there are a lot of characters that could be unique and interesting but they all seem the same bacause they were presented to us badly.There were highlights of the book, some really good parts where EVERYTHING was good and I couldn't believe that the same wirter wrote that and the text few pages earlier. Best example are parts with Kalona and parts with Aurox, they were amazing, I really enjoyed them. And then, there were these parts with Zoey and her friends or with Zoey and Stark and I was just like WHAT? How can someone write that good and that bad at the same time? I was actually dissapointed while reading this book because I expected much more but it's okay. While reading, I got the impression that authors came up with some really cool idea (like Shaylin, Aurox, splitting Twins...) but then they didn't know what to do with it so they just passed on the main plot and forgot about these things. Writers shouldn't do that, and even if they do, there are editors who should do their job and tell them that they should do something with that idea when they brought it up in the first place. So frustrating!
Anyway, I do recommend this book (these series) because they ARE good and they ARE interesting and I still remember how much I enjoyed reading them four years ago.
justcrystalxo's review against another edition
5.0
so good! i have always loved this series and every book keeps me wanting more. i cant wait to find out what happens when they all go back to the h.o.n & neferet actually gets taken down.. or will she weasle herself out again somehow. &&&& even tho i totally didnt like heath being back... i want to know if aurox gets to choose his own path eventually.
andshe_reads's review against another edition
5.0
Firstly I have to say OMGosh this was seriously freaking amazing.. and truly worth the wait!
I actually pre ordered this for my kindle and Tuesday Morning when I woke I could have peed myself with excitement haha =) DORK! lol!
I gotta admit I didn't think this would be as good as it was, I thought it may start dwindling and get boring but oh so no it didnt!
I've always loved how Cast tells the story through each of the many characters I like the different perspectives you see on whats going on through their eyes. And it doesnt get confusing funnily enough it kind of just picks right back up character after character!
A couple of new characters are introduced in this chapter of the House of night which was actually really awesome, a couple of new personalities thrown into the mix. Although i'd class Aurox as a new personality not really a whole new character seeing as we know who he was before!! Shhhh :p lol
Cast sets the scenes really well like many of the other House of night books always painting such a vivid setting that you can just see right there, I don't know about you but as im reading I can see it all forming in my head, Grandma's lavender farm, the house of night, the depot. I kinda make my own image from her descriptions =)
I'll leave it there because seriously I wanna gossip about how groovy this book was & I will seriously be spoiling it soon and I dislike that lol. It was awesome ( im my opinion ) so go.. go read it =)
Happy reading
Anna =)
lindaunconventionalbookworms's review against another edition
5.0
This book was completely in the spirit of HoN. There was the mystery, the fight-scenes, the beautifuly mythology, the strong friendships and Neferet was even more scary than usual.
I loved how Stark and Zoey interacted, but I didn't like so much that they are keeping things from each other - even if they both thought they were doing so to shield each other. A Queen and her Guardian need to be completely open with each other.
I was very happy to see that Dragon finally chose the right path - especially after reading his short-story about how he became a vampire, and his relationship with Anastasia.
I was heart-broken with Zoeys feelings surrounding her mother's death - the sadness and even more so the feeling of things being unresolved between them. However, the fact that she had the vision of her mother entering the Otherworld helped both Zoey and me...
I cannot wait for the next installment in this series, I love how they use the mythology, and the spell-casting is always awesome. And the surprises at the very end made me feel that new and interesting things will always be waiting to happen in HoN.
I loved how Stark and Zoey interacted, but I didn't like so much that they are keeping things from each other - even if they both thought they were doing so to shield each other. A Queen and her Guardian need to be completely open with each other.
I was very happy to see that Dragon finally chose the right path - especially after reading his short-story about how he became a vampire, and his relationship with Anastasia.
I was heart-broken with Zoeys feelings surrounding her mother's death - the sadness and even more so the feeling of things being unresolved between them. However, the fact that she had the vision of her mother entering the Otherworld helped both Zoey and me...
I cannot wait for the next installment in this series, I love how they use the mythology, and the spell-casting is always awesome. And the surprises at the very end made me feel that new and interesting things will always be waiting to happen in HoN.
geo_ix's review against another edition
4.0
So at the start, I could NOT get into this at all. I don't know what it was but all the pop culture references and the constant replay of previous books makes me furious. By the 85%-90% mark I all of a sudden was like woo this is awesome and was blubbering like a baby. I went from like a 2.5 rating to this 4 with just that 10%. Okay so a 2.5 seems way low, but it felt like an ad for true blood and mac and shit. All the name drops and stuff I dunno made me fume. The story as a whole is AWESOME! But it rehashes and all that and the book could be summarised in a few short chapters or less if I was totally honest. My other pet peeve, is the change of view.... Zoeys is in first person and is the most used, the others however, I just noticed are third person and it feels a little weird to have both in the one novel.... I would have just left it all third person, or all first person....
Also spoiler....
But...
FINALLY KALONA IS ON THE ROAD TO NOT BEING A TWAT...
AND NEFERET IS ON THE ROAD TO HER DISTRUCTION!!!
WOOOOOO SUCCESS!!!! Victory is around the corner and it smells sweeter than Sunday pancakes doused in maple syrup and butter! Yep!
Also spoiler....
But...
FINALLY KALONA IS ON THE ROAD TO NOT BEING A TWAT...
AND NEFERET IS ON THE ROAD TO HER DISTRUCTION!!!
WOOOOOO SUCCESS!!!! Victory is around the corner and it smells sweeter than Sunday pancakes doused in maple syrup and butter! Yep!
jnlletrry's review against another edition
3.0
When I first started reading this book, I had read about three or four chapters in, and I asked myself, "Why am I reading this?"
It's not that I didn't like the book or don't the like series. I have enjoyed the series, but I was kind of upset with this book. It just seemed to go nowhere. The authors always take to the very end with subplots and stuff in between to keep you reading to the very end when The Big Something is going to occur, but The Big Something only takes up like twenty pages and then the book is over until the next one.
. . . I am curious as to how this whole Aurox/Kalona thing is gonna play out . . . Overall, I mean, if you have been a fan of the books since the beginning, I would recommend you read it, but if you just picked it up and thought, "Hey, this looks good," . . . Well, yeah.
It's not that I didn't like the book or don't the like series. I have enjoyed the series, but I was kind of upset with this book. It just seemed to go nowhere. The authors always take to the very end with subplots and stuff in between to keep you reading to the very end when The Big Something is going to occur, but The Big Something only takes up like twenty pages and then the book is over until the next one.
. . . I am curious as to how this whole Aurox/Kalona thing is gonna play out . . . Overall, I mean, if you have been a fan of the books since the beginning, I would recommend you read it, but if you just picked it up and thought, "Hey, this looks good," . . . Well, yeah.
bibliotequeish's review against another edition
These books were a real guilty pleasure.
I read them all, could not get enough, that doesn't mean they are good.
Some parts are, and most parts are just ... he's a bird right?
This series definitely got to the point where it was time to turn in the towel, and I think that time came and went a little while ago.
I read them all, could not get enough, that doesn't mean they are good.
Some parts are, and most parts are just ... he's a bird right?
This series definitely got to the point where it was time to turn in the towel, and I think that time came and went a little while ago.
redtemptation's review against another edition
3.0
I like the whole series, but I'm getting a little tired of the whole