Review: Burned (eng.)

(© goodreads)

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‚Burned‘
by
P.C. and Kristin Cast

House of Night # 7.
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Synopsis:
Zoey Redbird is the youngest High Priestess in House of Night history and is the only person – vamp or fledgling – that can stop the evil Neferet from raising all kinds of immortal trouble. And she might just have a chance if she wasn’t so busy being dead.
Well, dead is too strong a word. Stevie Rae knows she can bring her BFF back from her unscheduled va-cay in the Otherworld. But it’s going to take a lot more than hoping to bring Zoey back. Stevie Rae will have to give up a few secrets of her own … (Source: Goodreads)

My thoughts about the book:
I almost need a whole month to finish this one book, which doesn’t mean I haven’t had time to read, because in this time I almost read 8 other books, which were great and thrilling, where ‘Burned’ was just annoying and I also had to remind me to keep reading so I could finish it at last. This fact alone should show how I liked this book and how my opinion is to this 7^th HoN book, but I want to make a little explanation nonetheless.

The story begins like in every other book exactly where the last part has ended and tells us how Zoey’s soul shattered after she had to watch how Kalona killed Heath and then she  had thrown her whole spiritual strength at Kalona. What here maybe sounds interesting, unfortunately, is not written very thrilling in the book, especially in the beginning where the story really dragged and needed much time to improve.

At the beginning Zoey finds herself in the ‘otherworld’ and spends there her time with Heath, who wants to stay with Zoey in this ‘in between world’ and doesn’t plan to go on in the peaceful world where death souls go. In the meantime Zoey grows paler every hour, while she is losing her memories because of her splittered soul and which parts of her also whirl around in this ‘otherworld‘ and which she can’t unite together again in herself. For whom this is too complicated or too supernaturally, I’m sorry to say that it won’t become better throughout the book. A large part of the story happens in this ‘otherworld‘ in which all physical rules are taken away and to add is the fact that in this world Zoey irritates me even more and is much more nerve-racking than already in the ‚real world’.
Furthermore this whole thing with Zoey and her coming close death was blown up too much and too desperate, that I actually had to laugh at the end because of the solution the authors presented us. It was too simply knitted and basically the whole middle part of the book could have been scratched if only Zoey had put herself together again earlier. But to be honest I was never a fan of Zoey and also this book could not persuade me of her. And slowly I really ask myself, how can an author present her main character like this? For me Zoey has nothing particularly and special, charming or an attitude and behavior that makes her likeable. Hence, it is very irritating that all other characters in the book like Zoey and honor her like a young queen. *rubbish* For me this is totally understandable.

But I also want to mention a few positive sides: Therefore I start with the beginning love story of Stevie Rae and Rephaim. No matter how incredibly it may sounds, because actually he is Kalona’s son and therefore a raven mocker. But during the whole story we got to know Rephaim and his thoughts and with his refusing attitude and ‘I don’t want to be good‘-behavior, though he has already changed to the good and cares about other, about Stevie Rae, he started to win over my heart. Other positives things in this book were Stark (although he also scratched a little on my tolerance border with his unbelievable love for Zoey) and of course Aphrodite and Darius. Aphrodite brings a fresh wind in the whole plot and I like her with her hard shell and with her behave from high above and her ‘diva-attitude’, which she’s just using to protect herself (100 percent better than Zoey). Now I’m curious whether the plot is moving upwards again or if the story just keeps interesting only by the minor characters, or if the main plot all around Zoey also increases again in quality and in suspense.

Cover:
It’s nice to so also a other character on the cover besides Zoey, and though this Stevie Rae looks to innocent and childlike for me and her attitude in the book, it’s okay and suitable.

All in all:
This is another long book which is stretching like gum and where the supporting story with Stevie Rae, Rephaim and Aphrodite is more interesting than the main one. Just a book for real fans of the House of Night series – others could get their fingers burned.

Rating:
2 of 5 points

Quotes:

Rephaim: „I’m here because she’s here, and she belongs to me.“

Stark: „I’m her protection! I don’t care if it’s in this world or the next. Just show me how to get where she is, and I’ll be there for her.“

Aphrodite: „Oh, for crap’s sake, I can barely look at it, … and I usually love sparkly things.“

Succession:

# 1: Cast P.C und Kristin – Marked »
# 2: Cast P.C und Kristin – Betrayed »
# 3: Cast P.C und Kristin – Chosen »
# 4: Cast P.C und Kristin – Untamed »
# 5: Cast P.C und Kristin – Hunted »
# 6: Cast P.C und Kristin – Tempted »
# 7: Cast P.C und Kristin – Burned »
# 8: Cast P.C und Kristin – Awakened
# 9: Cast P.C und Kristin – Destined

P. C. Cast

About the author – P. C. Cast:

P.C. Cast 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.  Ms. Cast is a New York Times 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.
(Source: http://www.pccast.net/biography.html)

Visit her Website »»

Review: Hunted

(© goodreads)

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‚Hunted‘
by
P.C. and Kristin Cast

House of Night # 5

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Synopsis:
Zoey and her friends as well as the red young vampires made it and could escape from the House of Night, like also from Neferet and Kalona. They find their asylum in the tunnels under the old train station, where the red young vampires and Stevie Rae live. Under the earth they feel save from Kalona and are busy with trying to trust each other (especially the red young vampires) and making plans against Neferet. But Zoey has a bad feeling again, mostly because of a weird dream she had about Kalona and which revealed that maybe she was his old love ‘Aya’. And then the unbelievable happens and Zoey gets attacked and is near to death…

My thoughts about the book:
The plot wasn’t so bad and it was sometimes thrilling and it has nice twists in it to gain more suspense. But the writing was still worse and annoying and Zoey is herself again, which means she is reckless, foolish, lying and unfaithful. I thought she has changed in book for to a better person but that was just an illusion and now we are back at book two – which means Zoey is imprinted with Heath (again), has a relationship with Eric, who she doesn’t really love (again) and is thinking about and is kissing a third guy (again)… Sorry, but WTF?? How stupid can one person be? OK, I’ve already said that, but it’s just hilarious how stupid and selfish Zoey is… and that she is always only thinking about the boy she is with right now and she cares for nobody else but him.. and this is the same with every guy she meets…(what a luck for Damien he’s guy, otherwise Zoey has tried with him as well).
My god, I don’t know why the authors focus soo much on the love problems of Zoey and why they let her do her stupid mistakes again and again. This fact with Zoey’s sex and personal problems really destroy a big part of the book for me (and I guess also for others). The plot would be good, if there wasn’t a main character called Zoey. Couldn’t they let her die or let someone else play the big part? God, I can’t stand her any longer and I’m scared she won’t be any better in the (at least) next two upcoming books.
But the positive thing about this book is that the story, beside the love part, got more interesting and thrilling. I like the twists in it and how it all turns out and that some teachers like Lenobia or Dragon are fighting together with them for the good in the world. And I also have to say that I really like Stark. I don’t know why, because Zoey is such annoying, but with him it’s better. He’s a great bad boy and I hope I’ll read more about him.

Cover:
Good but not the best in this series.

All in all:
My hope is strong but at the moment my hope is really shaking… and I don’t know for how long my hopes are with this series to get any better…(the hopes are with Aphrodite,Darius and Stark 🙂 )

Rating:
3 of 5 points

Succession:

# 1:  Cast P.C and Kristin – Marked
# 2:  Cast P.C and Kristin – Betrayed
# 3:  Cast P.C and Kristin – Chosen
# 4:  Cast P.C and Kristin – Untamed
# 5:  Cast P.C and Kristin – Hunted
# 6:  Cast P.C and Kristin – Tempted
# 7:  Cast P.C and Kristin – Burned
# 8:  Cast P.C and Kristin – Awakened
# 9: Cast P.C and Kristin – Destined