Like I predicted, I was unable to put Hunted down as well! I've been three for three with the last part of the House of Night series. To make sure I don't forget anything in my review, I'll stay up a bit longer to write the review!
From Amazon.com...
"What if the hottest guy in the world was hiding a nameless evil and all he wanted was you?
At the start of this heart-pounding new installment of the bestselling House of Night series, Zoey's friends have her back again and Stevie Rae and the red fledglings aren't Neferet's secrets any longer. But an unexpected danger has emerged. Neferet guards her powerful new consort, Kalona, and no one at the House of Night seems to understand the threat he poses. Kalona looks gorgeous, and he has the House of Night under his spell. A past life holds the key to breaking his rapidly spreading influence, but what if this past life shows Zoey secrets she doesn't want to hear and truths she can't face? On the run and holed up in Tulsa's Prohibition-era tunnels, Zoey and her gang must discover a way to deal with something that might bring them all down. Meanwhile, Zoey has a few other little problems. The red fledglings have cleaned up well--they've even managed to make the dark, creepy tunnels feel more like home--but are they really as friendly as they seem? On the boyfriend front, Zoey has a chance to make things right with super-hot ex-, Eric, but she can't stop thinking about Stark, the archer who died in her arms after one unforgettable night, and she is driven to try to save him from Neferet's sinister influence at all costs. Will anyone believe the power evil has to hide among us?"
Like with Untamed, I enjoyed this book better than the first three. I felt like Zoey was finally starting to grow up and her character was facing odds that she (gasp) might not be ready to face. The book moved quickly and I found myself completely enthralled with it.
I loved Aphrodite's character. (I feel like I'm repeating myself haha!) She's just so surprising in every way. When I was reading Marked I just hated her! And with each book I find that I have gotten very attached to her character.
I also loved how the Casts' brought in the Virgin Mary. At first I thought maybe they had something against religion, so it was nice to see the comparison between Nyx and the Virgin Mother.
This novel seemed to be very well thought out. Everything happened for a reason — and the reasons were identified throughout the book. It's always nice to read a well thought out book like that.
I didn't like that Untamed and Hunted were so closely related — I'm glad that I started reading this series late because it would have driven me mad with the way Untamed ended, absolutely no closure, if I couldn't have immediately picked up Hunted.
The boy thing, again, bothered me. Three guys, come on — I know this is fiction, but please! Heath — please, we all know what needs to happen to him. Erik — she doesn't deserve him. Stark — I'm drawn to him, but I also have a pathological inability to be a good judge of character. Zoey just drives me crazy with all of these boys — I mean, it's just ridiculous. It's also slightly petty. I'm kind of getting annoyed with how quickly Zoey feels an attraction to the male species — it took her and Stark all of five minutes! I just feel like it's so one dimensional and fake. Now I realize that this isn't supposed to be a romance novel so I shouldn't expect mounds of development — but it seems as thought the Casts' were torn between romance and the supernatural. And if you are going to attempt to do it all, then you should attempt to make it worth reading by adding some depth(in regards to the relationship triangle, square, whatever). I could go with the flow of Zoey having an unexplained connection with one guy — but two, possibly three? That's stretching it a bit for even this English major.
Zoey's friends are starting to bother me too (besides Aphrodite, of course). I think that the Casts' have a very skewed view of bisexuals, African Americans, and even rich people (so pretty much everyone). I liked Damien, before he met Jack — now the two of them are just ridiculously cliche. And having more than one best friend who is a bisexual, it is kind of offensive. They must also believe that African American characters like Kramisha don't use proper grammar and in actuality have HORRIBLE grammar — again this is slight offensive and annoying. Finally, "the Twins" are beginning to drive me crazy. If you've at all read the books, I think you know why. Speaking of crazy — the recapping has gotten ridiculous. If readers have made it to book five, I don't think you need to recap the whole thing starting with book one! I found myself skipping entire paragraphs and eventually pages because of all the recapping — and not just of major events. But little things that should be put into the category of "show don't tell" — like that Damien is a nerd, Jack is Damien's boyfriend (therefore, they are gay), 'the Twins' aren't really twins, Zoey likes brown pop, etc etc. The list just goes on! It's sickening. I kind of hope the next book is the last because eventually I'll be skipping chapters of recapping!
Now I know I say I loved the book, but there are all these things I can point out that I really dislike about it. And the only thing I can say about that is that it's much easier to find the faults of a novel, for me anyway, than to point out exactly what makes it good. I really did enjoy the book and cannot wait for October — but at the same time, I need a break. I've read the last three books in the last three days and need a 'time out' from Zoey and her boy problems. I will be happy to begin reading The Man Who Loved Jane Austen tomorrow.
Check out my reviews for the first four books: Marked, Betrayed, Chosen, and Untamed.