Jennifer M. (Kaydence) reviewed on + 380 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
Welcome to House of Night #8. In this book, Zoey and Stark are back from the Otherworld. They have some battle scars and are trying to hide out, but they are alive and completely in love. With this information in hand, the nerd herd starts to plan a welcome back party. Jack, of course, is in charge of decorations. He is disappointed when Zoey and Stark push back their departure from The Isle of Women, but he understands. Meanwhile, Neferet gets Kalona back and since he failed, she has dominion over his immortal soul, or at least she thinks she does. She has him lashed by darkness and supposedly banished from her side, so the council forgives her and she returns to Tulsa. In Tulsa, Stevie Rae has to figure out what she is going to do with Rephiam. They are in love, but he is still bond to his father. Everything seems to be coming to a head, what paths are all of these well-known characters going to take?
I gave this two stars because of three main things. First, this has just as much sex in it as an adult romance novel. As a teacher, I am completely appalled by the amount of sex and the descriptions used in the sex scenes. Plus, Neferet does not seem to own clothing. I can't hand this book to a student without thinking that a parent would have the right to file a complaint against me recommending this type of book. I think the story could be told with much less intercourse involved. Second, I am tired of the word snot. We all know that when Zoey cries, she seems to get all snotty. Heath carried around tissues because of this. It seems like whenever anyone cries within the novel, which happens a ton, they are all snot tears. How many times do you have to say the same thing? Is there another way you can describe the type of tears that are falling? I feel like the authors just want to use the word snot because it has a tendency to make young adults giggle. Although, I don't think anyone needs to be giggling when something that is obviously sad just happened. Last but not least, especially from an English teacher's point of view, I miss foreshadowing. I enjoy the hints that are given in novels, but in Awakened, they don't give you subtle hints. The hints are more like freight trains running at you. Its like, "Oh, that ladder doesn't look too sturdy." Then they say that about four more times, and guess what, someone falls off the ladder. I feel like the authors believe that their audience is stupid and can't think for themselves, so they are telling you everything and not letting you infer. It makes me lose my interest and stop caring when actual events happen, since they have already been shoved down my throat.
So, you may start to wonder why I gave this a two instead of a one. The biggest reason for this is because Stevie Rae plays a very important role throughout this novel and she is my favorite character. I may not really like where her character is going, but I like her personality and jokes. The fact that I know she will be majorly important in the future books may keep me reading, but it's really hard to tell at this point in time.
I gave this two stars because of three main things. First, this has just as much sex in it as an adult romance novel. As a teacher, I am completely appalled by the amount of sex and the descriptions used in the sex scenes. Plus, Neferet does not seem to own clothing. I can't hand this book to a student without thinking that a parent would have the right to file a complaint against me recommending this type of book. I think the story could be told with much less intercourse involved. Second, I am tired of the word snot. We all know that when Zoey cries, she seems to get all snotty. Heath carried around tissues because of this. It seems like whenever anyone cries within the novel, which happens a ton, they are all snot tears. How many times do you have to say the same thing? Is there another way you can describe the type of tears that are falling? I feel like the authors just want to use the word snot because it has a tendency to make young adults giggle. Although, I don't think anyone needs to be giggling when something that is obviously sad just happened. Last but not least, especially from an English teacher's point of view, I miss foreshadowing. I enjoy the hints that are given in novels, but in Awakened, they don't give you subtle hints. The hints are more like freight trains running at you. Its like, "Oh, that ladder doesn't look too sturdy." Then they say that about four more times, and guess what, someone falls off the ladder. I feel like the authors believe that their audience is stupid and can't think for themselves, so they are telling you everything and not letting you infer. It makes me lose my interest and stop caring when actual events happen, since they have already been shoved down my throat.
So, you may start to wonder why I gave this a two instead of a one. The biggest reason for this is because Stevie Rae plays a very important role throughout this novel and she is my favorite character. I may not really like where her character is going, but I like her personality and jokes. The fact that I know she will be majorly important in the future books may keep me reading, but it's really hard to tell at this point in time.
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