Review: Destined (House of Night #9)

Title: Destined (House of Night #9)
Author: P.C. and Kristin Cast
Rating: 3/5 stars

Goodreads Summary:
.....
Breathing hard, Aurox stood there over the bodies of his vanquished enemies. He turned to Neferet.

"Very good," she said in her emotionless voice. "Let us leave this place before the authorities descend."

Aurox followed her. He walked heavily, his hooves gouging furrows in the dirty alley.

Weak. He felt weak. And more. There was something else.

"What is it?" She snapped at him when he hesitated before entering the car again.

"I do not know. I feel--"

She laughed. "You don't feel at all. You're obviously overthinking this."

"Yes, Priestess." Aurox got in the car and let the world speed past him.I do not think. I do not feel. I am a weapon.
......
Zoey is finally home where she belongs, safe with her Guardian Warrior, Stark, by her side, and preparing to face off against Neferet -- which would be a whole lot easier if the High Council saw the ex-High Priestess for what she really is. Kalona has released his hold on Rephaim, and, through Nyx's gift of a human form, Rephaim and Stevie Rae are finally able to be together -- if he can truly walk the path of the Goddess and stay free of his father's shadow.


But there are new forces at work at the House of Night. An influx of humans, including Lenobia's handsome horse whisperer, threatens their precarious stability. And then there's the mysterious Aurox, a jaw-droppingly gorgeous teen boy who is actually more -- or possibly less -- than human. Only Neferet knows he was created to be her greatest weapon. But Zoey can sense the part of his soul that remains human, the compassion that wars with his Dark calling. And there's something strangely familiar about him . . .

Will Neferet's true nature be revealed before she succeeds at extinguishing Light? And will Zoey be able to touch Aurox's humanity in time to protect them all? Find out what's destined in the next thrilling chapter of the House of Night series.


My Take:
I feel like it took me forever to finish this book. I just didn't like it as much as the others in the series. All the other books were written in this way, but for some reason only in this book did it really get under my skin that the language used a lot of teenage jargon that really isn't used. It's almost like they were trying to make up a lot of their own teenage sounding words so it would appeal more to YA. I don't know if it worked for actual teenagers, but it definitely didn't work for me. (I'm in my early twenties and I use a lot of slang but this was just too different for me.)

There didn't seem to be much happening in the story. This book was basically just a huge set up for the next book, I think.

Zoey is keeping secrets from people and I'm not understanding why exactly. All we hear is something like 'I won't tell Stark about this' but she never goes on to say why. You would think she would want her guardian/warrior/amazingman to know everything, but she doesn't. She's keeping secrets and I don't like it, and even think it's slightly out of character for her.

Aphrodite seemed to take a full swing back into b*tch. I thought she was getting better, but after reading this, not so much.

I'm also not completely understanding what it is Zoey is seeing when she looks through the pendant the Skye island queen lady gave her. I could use a better explanation on that.

I LOVED the new story between Lenobia and her new cowboy! I don't understand why all of that was in the book, probably just for the next book. But I think all of those parts definitely could have been left out unless they play a big role coming up. It's almost like I was reading two different stories in one binding.

There was also a lot of repetition in this book. They would tell a small scene from two different viewpoints when I didn't think they needed to.

I know I did a lot of complaining in this review, but I was REALLY looking forward to this book because the previous two were probably my favorites, but I was vastly disappointed. We have to wait a whole year for these books and I was expecting more :/ They could have at least made it longer.

Overall, I wouldn't call this book a waste of time. Just a disappointment. I will tell you though, I'm glad Zoey isn't always the main focus anyone. If you're a fan of other characters, like Repheim for example, you'll be happy they are in this book a lot. It's like the 'nerd herd' goes every-freaking-where together.

I FINALLY picked a career

Yes, it's true! I've finally decided what I want to do with my life :) And I've picked.........

English Education!

I'm elated I've finally made up my mind. I've been toying around with this idea forever, literally since about 4th grade, and I've finally yielded to my hearts calling. 

I started out undergrad planning to go into Math Education but I wasn't completely sure, and after a quarter, I was still undecided. I finally graduated with dual degree in Business Administration (specifically  International Business) and Psychology. No, I couldn't pick just one. Are you crazy? A girl has to keep her options open. But throughout undergrad I tutored a kid in English, read to little grade school children and was even a teaching assistant for a class. I loved every minute of all those things, yet I still wasn't sure what I wanted to do with my life.

But after I graduated I knew I had to continue school - I'd be a permanent student if it paid - and I wasn't 100% sure on what for. I think it took me so long to decide because teacher's pay really sucks. But I've decided that I don't really care. I'll be doing what I love, and that's the end of it. 

I've started looking at programs already and I can't wait to see where my life takes me now. This is a HUGE step for me and I'm so glad I've finally taken a step towards something. 

:)

Tomorrow's Tuesday: Oct. 25th

Tomorrow is Tuesday!! and you know what that means?! Books are coming out :D

I'm so excited because so many books have come out this month that I've been patiently, ok, dying is more like it, to get my paws on. Luckily, tomorrow there are TWO that I'm running to get as soon as I wake up. 

The Iron Knight
by Julie Kagawa

Here is the Goodreads summary:

My name—my True Name—is Ashallayn'darkmyr Tallyn.

I am the last remaining son of Mab, Queen of the Unseelie Court. And I am dead to her.

My fall began, as many stories do, with a girl…

It's exciting because this book is from Ash's POV, where all the previous were from Meghans. It's understandable because it's about Ash's quest, and I CANNOT wait to get inside this guy's head. He's so icy, and we've seen him fervent and emotional but to be inside his head, I think is going to be a great ride. 

Destined
by P.C. and Kristin Cast

The Goodreads summary:

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? Find out what s destined in the next thrilling chapter of the House of Night series.

I've been following this series, and I know a lot of people gave up on it because they think things may have been taken too far, which they might have, but I'm still in love with the series. Ok, I'm in love with Stark, but I like to think the plot is interesting too :)

Review: Awake at Dawn (Shadow Falls #2)

Title: Awake at Dawn (Shadow Falls #2)
Author: C. C. Hunter
Rating: 5/5 stars

Goodreads Summary:
Now that she’s settled in at Shadow Falls Camp, Kylie Galen’s determined to discover the extent of her supernatural abilities. But with a ghost insisting someone Kylie loves is about die, a rogue vampire on a murdering rampage, and her sixth sense telling her someone is watching her, Kylie’s quest for answers is quickly put on hold.


To make matters worse, just when she’s about to give her heart to Derek, a half-fairy, he starts pulling away. When Lucas, a werewolf with whom Kylie shares a secret past, returns, Kylie’s feels more conflicted than ever. Her weekend with her mom should have been the just the break Kylie needs, but it turns out to be her breaking point. Someone from the dark side of the supernatural world has plans for Kylie--and it'll take all her resources to get back to Shadow Falls alive...
 My Review:
I'm a big fan of this series. First, there's so many different, uh, species, in thse books that it's hard not to love them. Each species, or maybe I should say paranormal?, brings a uniqueness to the book that's refreshing. Sometimes it's boring to always be reading about the same kinds of people. And the fact that Kylie has no idea what the heck she is kept me fascinated. She seems like she could be a mixture of things, and just when you think she might be one, she shows major signs of another. Crazy and interesting!
I feel like a lot of characters grew up in this book. Kylie matured quit a bit, and even though she vacillated through every emotion under the sky on every issue that came her way, she eventually made some really solid decisions. My favorite eomtional turmoil for her is the boys, of course.

I like that we really get to know Derek better in this book. He's one of my favorite characters and I really wish we knew more about how he's feeling. I liked him better than Lucas even in the first book (it was close though!), but this book really made me fall hard. I know it's no surprise Meghan doesn't pick one just yet. While she's mostly with Derek in this book, because Lucas is gone, Kylie still won't fully commit to him. She has a lot of unresolved feelings, and you'll find out what Derek thinks about those if you read. Remember, he can always tell what she's feeling - I feel so bad for him sometimes!

We get a huge taste of minor characters here. Some characters, like Della, Holiday and Miranda, I think are borderline major characters. There's so much between the burning, hidden romance of Holiday and Bunnett that I ate it all up!

I will say that all the different things happening to Kylie, like all the crazy changes she's experiencing, are a little hard to follow, but they were still fascinating, because it's all one step closer to figuring out who she is. At one point I thought maybe too much is changing with her, but then she stopped changing, so maybe it was just the right amount?

The threat at the end of the book seems to be a little strange to me. What those paranormals wanted seemed a little too off the wall for me, but it wasn't bad, just totally different than what I expected.

I didn't get the title of the book till I thought about it. Something keeps happening to Kylie right at dawn - a ghost appears. I won't say why or what she wants but it's got me curious about the next title, Taken at Dusk. What the heck could that mean?!

There are still so many questions left unanswered.. and so many feelings still needed to be explored, that I'm dying waiting for Taken at Dusk!! Please get here now :)