Reading Awakened

Sorry no book give away yet but I am reading again....well sort of reading. It is going to take me longer to get through a book because I am going to use my Audible credits to buy audio books that will be read on the elliptical.  I usually buy nonfiction on audible these days but I have loads of it and quite frankly it is just getting boring. 

I have a hard time reading when I work out because trying to keep my heart rate up and balance turning paper or kindle pages can be rather dangerous for me. Then a gain few people manage to trip up stairs and over there own feet so I am sure it is just me. Since I will only have about an hour 2-4 days a week to listen it will take a week or two to finish a book. I started Awakened by P.C. and Kristin Cast today and got in a full hour. Right now I can all I can say I hate Neferet and I really wish they would have started the story with one of the characters on the good team or even Kolona would have been better than.....well you get the picture. 

I may be a little more harsh with my reviews because a book read while working out needs to take my mind off the fact that I am working out. I usually watch a good action packed movie or television show and at the gym I take music that will keep me moving. It needs to either motivate me or make it so the time passes without thought. Awakened started out slow but it picked up after the first thirty minutes and kept my attention. 

That means the book reviews around here are really going to change if a book is really boring I might just say so and move on to another book. I might be giving snippets of reviews to come and I might very well have to give a listen to some books I have already read or listened to so I can get a review out. I know for sure that I have a few I have listened to and not reviewed. 

I am really excited about reading again and hope to bring you at least 2 book reviews a month. I know it isn't like it used to be but maybe I will get to the point where I can get one a week again soon. Thanks to all my readers who support me!

Avon

Scentsy

Herbalife

Read more...

Tempted House of Night 6 Book Review

This book was great. I loved almost every minute of it unlike the last book that I was bored with. The only thing that still gets to me is that this book has a bunch of teen banter that just bugs me. 


They made some improvements to the back story problems they have had in each book. In the first five books they spent large portions of the first few chapters rehashing what happened in the previous books. In this book they did not spend much time at all on that, but gave you subtle hints and reminders. Also the teens in the book were starting to act more mature than in any other book. For these two improvements I was extremely grateful. 

WARNING this review will contain spoilers if you have not read books 1-5. I try not to give away too much about the current book but you need to read books 1-5 before reading this review.



This book was fun and I was never bored. Zoey Redbird has a lot to think about with three boyfriends and the world as we know it about to end if she can't figure out what to do next. She is learning to handle the more important things instead of worrying about the men who all want to be with her. Now she has Eric, Stark and Heath as well as the evil Kolona all vying for her attention.


She didn't kill Kolona and Neferet in the last book just sent them away temporally. Now that she knows her connection with Kolona he is invading her dreams and she starts to feel things for him that defy all logic. Part of her is the woman created to love the evil beast and part of her is still Zoey Redbird.She is forced to make decisions based on the truth and turns to guidance from her goddess.

On top of the mess with Kolona, Zoey also has to confront Stevie Rae who has been hiding things from her. There are more red fledglings and they are bad news. Stevie Rae also has her own side plot in this book which I can't wait to see developed later. I can't give it away now but it has to do with her always wanting to give others a chance to change. 


There is a great plot going on with Stark, Heath and Zoey that left me saying "you have to be kidding me" in the end. Stark accepts his role as his priestesses warrior and Heath accepts his role as Zoey's consort and they begin to work together as a team well at least when it is important. In the end they left you with you jaw dropping and you fists raised at the time you will have to wait to find out what is going on.


I wish I could write more but I might give away too much. This book was one of the best thus far and because of the level of entertainment and the improvements made I am giving this book 5 stars. It is not the best book I have ever read but it was good and I just can't say enough for the improvements in this book.

Read more...

Book Review -- Hunted --House of Night Book 5

Hunted is the fifth book in the House of Night Series. I have really enjoyed this series and I felt like I waited forever for this book. I was very disappointed to say the least. I read it in one day trying to get to the good part and there wasn’t one.



There was a lot more of Zoey’s drama with boyfriends, now with Stark, Erik and Heath. Right away she gets back together with Erik the sexy vampire she was dating. Then she gets hurt and needs blood and low and behold Heath her human ex-boyfriend is there so she imprints with him again.


Then there is Stark and I am not even going to try to figure that one out. If that isn’t enough the evil being that Neferet awakened, wants Zoey thinking she was made for him. She can’t shake the feeling that she might have been made for him and she has dreams about him. I have grown extremely tired of this story line. The way it is heading it looks like she is going to be able to have several boyfriends and not have to choose.



The other thing that this book has it a load of idle chatter between regular vampire fledglings and red vampire fledglings as they are stuck underground hiding. You spend most of the two whole days down in the tunnels the red fledglings were living in. They spend a bit of time introducing you to some of the red fledglings and a lot of time talking about the new and improved living quarters. Did I say the story only takes place with in a two day period! Two days!



This book didn’t go much further than the last book and I don’t plan to keep reading the series if it says that way. I loved this series because it was generally fast paced keeping me on the edge of my seat. If it is going to move as slow as a soap opera then I am out. This book only gets 2 stars out of five.

Read more...

Untamed House of Night Novel Book 4 By P.C. and Kristin Cast

By the end of the previous book Chosen, Zoeys’ poor decisions changed her life dramatically. She finds out that Loren was only interested in her because he was helping Neferet with her evil plan to isolate her from her boyfriends and her friends. Well it worked she now has no boyfriends and Aphrodite is her only friend. Neferet is planning to awaken an evil creature that will take out humans and vampires alike.


Zoey is still under a lot of stress but with the boyfriend problem out of the way and the world to save, but she starts using her powers for the good of others. She works with Aphrodite, who is now human but still having visions, to uncover Neferets evil plan.


Zoey’s grandmother helps them decipher a legend from one of Aphrodite’s vision. Then strange creatures in the night keep attacking Zoey and eventually land her Grandmother in the hospital. Zoey has faith in a nun that she has met to protect her grandmother.


Stevie Rae is learning to control her new form and teaching the new fledglings under her power. Stevie Rae and her new vampires have more traditional vampire strengths and weaknesses and a powerful craving for blood.


Aphrodite actually helps Zoey gain her friends trust back by explaining why she couldn’t tell them what was happening. Her friends are still a bit weary of what is going on but much more understanding. Now Zoey, Aphrodite, Stevie Ray and the rest of the gang are going to try to stop Neferet from starting a war with the humans. This is just a taste of all the excitement in this book.



One of the things I really liked in this book is that they finally stopped bashing all religious people. I didn’t mention it in previous reviews because I had already read all of the available books and knew I could mention it here. They had the People of Faith as fanatics and it seemed that they considered all people with faith in the Christian God as such. I tried to think about what it would have been like to grow up with religious fanatics. I grew up in a conservative home but nothing like what is described in this book. Zoey had to deal with this when her step-father came into the picture, so I can see why she hated him and developed a distaste for Christian beliefs.


I also enjoyed a book where her love interests weren’t top priority and she still has potential to fix things with Erik. He is now a vampire and one of her teachers. Erik is still hurting and missing Zoey. What I enjoyed most is seeing Zoey grow up and learn to seek the source of her power for guidance.


I highly recommend this book to anyone who has read the House of Night series. I had no complaints about this book and find it very easy to give it 5 stars.

Read more...

Book Review -- Chosen: House of Night Book 3 By P.C. and Krisitin Cast

In the third installment of the House of Night Series, Zoey is learning how to cope with becoming a vampire and a huge amount of new responsibilities. Zoey has become the new leader of the Dark Daughters, is dealing with three love interests and the death of her best friend. She also has made a new ally with her former nemesis, Aphrodite.


Also let us not forget the goddess Nyx has chosen Zoey as the next high priestess which makes her different from the other fledglings. Neferet, who she thought was her mentor, is an evil, back-stabbing witch, who wants to start a war with humans. On top of that her family problems are getting worse than ever and she can’t think straight.


With all this stress it is no wonder she is making bad decisions. Zoey is also trying to save the undead creatures lead by Stevie Rae who is not really dead but not really alive either and struggling to hold on to her humanity. Neferet has a hand in making these creatures and Zoey continues her search to find out her secrets.


If all this isn’t enough teachers are turning up dead, brutally murdered and left on display. Zoey is feeling confused and betrayed and finds comfort from Loren a teacher who has been trying to seduce her. Nothing is what it seems in this book you will have to read to learn more and I can promise you a very fun read.


I really liked this book there was still a lot of review that was unnecessary. These dark novels are not written in a stand alone format you need to start from the first book. I liked the characters more in this book especially Stevie Rae and Aphrodite. Zoey starts to grow as a person in this book despite her personal issues and bad decisions.


I give this book 4.5 out of 5 stars, because I have very few complaints and I absolutely was addicted to this story at this point.

Read more...

Book Review -- Betrayed: House of Night Book 2 By P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast

Betrayed the second book in the House of Night series starts exactly where Marked left off. In this dark novel, Zoey takes over leadership of the Dark Daughters and with that comes more responsibility.


Zoey intends to change the way the Dark Daughters is run, and enlists her friends to help her. As she struggles with her new role as a leader she also finds that she has two boyfriends, and another possible love interest. If that isn't enough stress for a young girl she also finds that people from her past are turning up dead. Zoey is determined to find what is going on.



In what should have been one of Zoeys’ greatest moments, after leading her first ceremony of the Dark Daughters, a great tragedy occurs. The death of another fledgling. If that is not enough she is seeing the dead fledglings, even the one who died in her arms, alive but not the same.

So now Zoey has to solve the mystery of the weird dead but undead fledglings and find out who is killing people from her human life. All this just as she starts to accept the changes in her life and feels more comfortable with becoming a vampire.



All the stress causes Zoey to make a lot of bad decisions especially with the boyfriend situation. It also helps her tap into more of her powers and you start to see what she is really made of. In this dark novel some of the characters started to grow on me a bit more.


I did love this book, but there were quite a few things I didn’t like. They spent way to long updating us on what happened in the last book, and kept doing it through out the book. Also I think I could cast my own circle blindfolded with as many times as they went through the whole entire process from start to finish.



Oddly enough despite all the complaints I have with this book I couldn’t put it down. It was like an addiction or something. So I am going to have to give the book 4 out of 5 stars.

Read more...

Marked: House of Night Book 1 by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast

This was one of those dark novels that I couldn’t put down. The story is a about a human turned vampire with a strange twist making her one of a kind. Humans are marked as teenagers and sent to Hours of Night schools where they spend their time studying and changing into full fledged vampires. I actually enjoyed the story a lot despite the fact I did not find that the characters very likable. They felt like snotty teenagers to me the whole time except maybe Stevie Ray the best friend of the main character.


The story follows Zoey through her change from fledgling into a vampire. Zoey is thrust into a new life after being marked. She has to leave her family and friends to move into the House of Night or die. When she arrives Stevie Ray and her friends accept her into their group.


She also makes enemies as quickly as she makes friends. Zoey and her friends are appalled by the actions of Aphrodite the leader of the Dark Daughters, an extremely important school club. Zoey and Aphrodite become enemies for a variety of reasons you will have to read to find out.


Zoey also struggles with love issues, her human ex-boyfriend won’t leave her alone, and she begins to fall for a fledgling. She also struggles with being different than all other fledglings. There is so much thought put into the story that it just keeps drawing you in and you can’t wait to see what happens next.


I would highly recommend this book for all as I loved the next three books. I give it 4 out of 5 stars. Over all I thought it was a great storyline that is what captivated me and made me feel like I just couldn't stop reading. This book holds plenty of twists and turns in the plot and it moves quickly, and never leaves you feeling like it is getting old.


There are however a lot of things in the book that might be offensive to many people. There was foul language, some mild sexual situations, many things that people relate to witchcraft, and a serious disdain for religious people. I did wish I liked the characters more, and I do now as I have read 3 more books in the series but they kind of have to grow on you.

Read more...