BURNED (House of Night, #7)

In TEMPTED, Kalona killed Heath. Zoey Redbird witnessed the murder and though she sent out her element ‘Spirit’ to protect Heath, she was unfortunately too late. The shock shattered Zoey’s soul, dissolved all her intricate vampyre tattoos (save the outline of a crescent moon) and left behind the shell of her comatose body.

Her soul and it’s fragmented pieces now whirl incoherently in the Otherworld where Zoey also encounters the soul of Heath. If Zoey’s soul is not returned to her body in seven days, she will die and her fractured soul will roam forever in unrest.

Stark, Zoey’s oath-sworn warrior witnessed Zoey’s mortal fall and despite his mind-numbing grief knows that he will do anything to get Zoey back, even it means dying himself and heading off to the Otherworld to yank Zoey back to the land of The Living.

An intent which is bolstered by Aphrodite’s startling visions and Kramisha (the newest Vampyre Poet Laureate)’s cryptic poems. Everything points to the fact that Stark will have to die, become a Shaman and then enter Nyx’s realm to convince Zoey to return.

Warrior Stark’s work is cut out. Besides the obviously gruesome fact that he has to drop dead, he also has to deal with several road-blocks:
a) No warrior in times past has ever returned from the otherworld; either alone or having rescued his high-priestess.
b) Kalona, weakened by Zoey’s last-ditch attempt to save Heath is in a debilitated state which is fully exploited by Neferet. Wielding the powers of darkness, she orders Kalona’s weakened spirit to head off to the Otherworld and make sure that Zoey never, ever returns.
And the third and most pressing problem
c) Zoey is grieving the loss of Heath. She feels responsible for his death and bogged down by her vanishing spirit, she may never want to return back to her body and the living world.

Stark’s seemingly impossible quest and the painful journey that he undertakes is what BURNED is predominantly all about.
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I enjoyed seeing my favourite character go through the drill of self-evolvement and maturity. The Scottish legends woven in, added the essential touch of mystery and olde worlde lore. Add to that the ancient symbolisms of the Black and White Bulls (depicting Light and Darkness respectively) and you have a tale that binds urban fantasy with mythical elements.

An intriguing parallel story was Stevie-Rae’s relationship with Raven Mocker Rephaim. Full credit to the Cast duo for building up a tale that makes you root for the unlikely pairing of a red vampyre and a supposed monster.

I don’t care what the critics say, I loved BURNED. I adored Stark and his true-blue heroic quest. Heath, the only human in the whole proceedings rises to the occasion even in The Otherworld and has you applauding him for his selflessness and All-American bravado. Zoey, despite being the satellite around which all else orbited, was effectively relegated to the background and that worked perfectly well.

A lovely tale and all I can say is that it is going to be a lo-ong and impatient wait till AWAKENED comes out.

See also : Marked (House of Night, #1)
See also : Betrayed (House of Night, #2)
See also : Chosen (House of Night, #3)
See also : Untamed (House of Night, #4)
See also : Hunted (House of Night, #5)
See also : Tempted (House of Night, #6)
See also : Awakened (House of Night, #8)

See also : Destined (House of Night, #9)

TEMPTED (House of Night, #6)

I like it when a series progresses from wince-inducing to wholly-engrossing with each successive instalment. It’s a much better scenario than getting hooked on to the first book and then watching the downward spiral with a feeling of dismay. The House of Night series, I am happy to report, just got better with TEMPTED.

HUNTED ended with Zoey Redbird banishing the avenging immortal: Kalona and his vile consort (and former High Priestess of the Goddess Nyx): Neferet. But the respite is temporary. The nasty duo has only faced a minor setback and will definitely return with a vengeance.

As the nerd-herd and the red fledglings take shelter at the Benedictine Abbey, Zoey has to deal with a whole new set of developments.

Stark (Zoey’s oath-sworn warrior) has been badly wounded. Stevie-Rae seems to be lying through her teeth and harbouring dangerous secrets. Heath and Erik continue their oneupmanship battle for Zoey’s affections. Aphrodite's visions spell doom, despair and the end of the civil world unless Zoey takes action.

Kalona and Neferet step up their world-domination plans by scooting off to the island of Capri where the Vampyre High Council holds court. So it’s time for Zoey and her pack to make a trip to the sunny climes and face the dubious charms of Kalona, who still has the ability to make Zoey’s soul hesitate and wonder whether he really is the big, bad winged monster that everybody claims he is.

Life as Zoey has come to accept it, is about to change drastically...again!

The book was good, with minimal annoying teen-references. The plot thickened, the characters fleshed out and Rephaim, the injured Raven-Mocker (and favoured son of Kalona) made a wary appearance on the palette of dubious but memorable characters. Coupled with a fine cliff-hanger of an ending, the story was engaging and readable. It shows that the Cast duo has soaked in the misgivings of their fans, critics and naysayers; shaped up their writing act and delivered a worthy instalment.

See also : Marked (House of Night, #1)
See also : Betrayed (House of Night, #2)
See also : Chosen (House of Night, #3)
See also : Untamed (House of Night, #4)
See also : Hunted (House of Night, #5)
See also : Burned (House of Night, #7)
See also : Awakened (House of Night, #8)

See also : Destined (House of Night, #9)

HUNTED (House of Night, #5)

UNTAMED ended with Stevie Rae getting struck by the unwavering arrow of James Stark, the newest red-fledgling and possible minion of Neferet (High Priestess gone bad with a vengeance). As Stevie-Rae's blood soaked into the earth, Kalona, the suppressed evil/ fallen God was released from his centuries long imprisonment and Neferet’s evil plans finally came to a head.

Zoey Redbird, unable to deal with this fresh and bone-chilling terror, fled 'The House of Night' with her nerd-herd and decided to seek refuge in the underground tunnels which are inhabited by Stevie Rae and her army of red fledglings.

In HUNTED, Zoey needs to find a way to vanquish Kalona, who happens to have the psychic ability to enter her dreams and play hockey-with-her-hormones. When an almost fatal wound forces Zoey to return to 'The House of Night', she is frazzled to see that the entire school (save a discerning few) is under the spell of Kalona and his physical perfection (read: really hot God-like awesomeness complete with massive black wings). She also encounters Stark who appears to be struggling between good and evil. While he isn’t being the stereotypical vamp who sucks blood from a bunch of dizzy females, he still feels the core connection to Zoey.

So, along with the reappearances of ex-boyfriend : Erik and imprinted human : Heath, Zoey is dealing with her reluctant attraction to bad/good boy, Stark.

Teenage angst coupled with the need to vanquish ancient evil, Zoey has her work cut out.

The instalment is readable with some cool kick-a** action and a few poignant moments. The series appears to pick up with each instalment and the emotional growth of Zoey is interesting to watch.

See also : Marked (House of Night, #1)
See also : Betrayed (House of Night, #2)
See also : Chosen (House of Night, #3)
See also : Untamed (House of Night, #4)
See also : Tempted (House of Night, #6)
See also : Burned (House of Night, #7)
See also : Awakened (House of Night, #8)

See also : Destined (House of Night, #9)

Navratri - Day #1

Navratri begins...and as I read the related literature, I'm filled with a sense of rightness. There's something pretty awesome about our Goddesses...they are warrior women, demure consorts and the erudite guides to all things artistic, creative and knowledgable.
I scoured Google for some different artwork on the Goddesses and I came across this supremely cool piece of art done on DeviantArt.com by the artist *Araniel*. Stated below, are her descriptions of each goddess.

~ First is *KALI*, who came of Durga (Mahadevi) when she was in a rage. Kali is the Goddess of time and a fierce warrior who vanquished the demon Raktabija to protect her devotees who regard her as a Mother Goddess.

~Secondly is *MAHADEVI*, the Mother Goddess who became the wife of Shiva, Parvati and finally as the ultimate Warrior Goddess, Durga and Kali.

~ Thirdly, there is *SARASWATI* who is the Goddess of Knowledge and the Arts and it is said to be believed that Artists, writers, musicians and students are part of her family and protected by her.

Each aspect of the divine Goddess appealed to me : Warrior....Writer...Consort.

HAPPY NAVRATRI, beautiful people. :)

UNTAMED (House of Night, #4)

UNTAMED is a vast improvement on the previous three instalments. Finally there’s some “save-the-world-from-dire-distress” happening.

There’s a new powerful fledgling in The House of Night: James Stark who Zoey Redbird immediately forms a connection with. He reveals the affinity given to him by The Goddess Nyx and the two seem to share an instinctive understanding about the respective crosses that they must bear. Sadly, like all the other crappy things going on in her life, Stark dies before going through the "CHANGE".

With the brutal murders of two important vampyre teachers, The House of Night has upped it’s security. The vigilant warriors called The Sons of Erebus are stationed all over the school and Shekinah, the High Priestess of all vampyres has made an entry into the school.

But dark evil is slowly raising it’s head. Suddenly, Zoey begins to fear the friendly night as things get murkier. Neferet is playing a dangerous game and has decided to raise an ancient demon that will make all the problems that Zoey has faced up till now look like playground politics.

This was a good instalment...much, much better than the Gossip-Girl prattle of the preceding books. One of my favourite characters, Grandma Redbird is finally playing a chunkier and more involved role. The introduction of unbiased nun, Sister Mary Angela promises to be a surprising but convincing choice. Zoey displays a growing maturity and this worked for me because frankly all the “boyfriend-drama” was getting a tad contrived.

The writing was good enough to ignore the tedious repetitions. Truly, an episode that would have made Buffy and her Scooby Gang proud.

See also : Marked (House of Night, #1)
See also : Betrayed (House of Night, #2)
See also : Chosen (House of Night, #3)
See also : Hunted (House of Night, #5)
See also : Tempted (House of Night, #6)
See also : Burned (House of Night, #7)
See also : Awakened (House of Night, #8)

See also : Destined (House of Night, #9)

CHOSEN (House of Night, #3)

CHOSEN was a long-drawn out account of Zoey Redbird dealing with (in her own words) ho-ish existence.

All we read about is Zoey’s hormones getting pulled every which way with:
a) Human imprinted partner, Heath (who she intends breaking up with but instead has a hot ‘n’ heavy make-out session with)
b) Erik, her handsome fledgling boyfriend (who she wants to come clean with about her roaming eye but instead ends up having hot ‘n’ heavy make-out sessions with)
c) Loren Blake, temporary teacher (who she wants to break up with but as he apparently makes her "feel like a woman", she inevitably ends up...yep...you got it...having hot 'n' heavy make-out sessions with)

So in the midst of all this mind-numbing drama, Zoey is also trying to find a way to restore some semblance of normality into the life of her friend Stevie Rae, who died and changed into a snarling, undead creature. Along the way she has to keep secrets from her nerd-herd and rely on the reluctant assistance of foe-turned-friend, Aphrodite.

A Series-filler with minimal truly gripping moments.

See also : Marked (House of Night, #1)
See also : Betrayed (House of Night, #2)
See also : Untamed (House of Night, #4)
See also : Hunted (House of Night, #5)
See also : Tempted (House of Night, #6)
See also : Burned (House of Night, #7)
See also : Awakened (House of Night, #8)

See also : Destined (House of Night, #9)

BETRAYED (House of Night, #2)

In Book 2 of the 'House of Night' series, Zoey Redbird, the fledgling vampyre is coming to terms with her ascending powers. Along with her friends Stevie Rae, Damien, Shaunee and Erin; she hopes to bring about better changes as the new leader of The Daughters of the Dark.

She is also juggling her romantic alliances with Erik (fellow fledgling), Heath (her wholly human, not really ex-boyfriend who she has accidentally imprinted with) and Loren Black (a young Vampyre Poet Laureate and teacher who plays out a haiku-inspired flirtation with Zoey).

Matters get murkier when Stevie-Rae dies as she is unable to undergo the "CHANGE". But is Stevie-Rae really dead or has she morphed into one of the gaunt, undead creatures that Zoey had previously witnessed?

New enemies come to the fore and old foes come forward to assist Zoey.

These and many issues pepper the pages of BETRAYED. Reading the series is akin to watching a long-running afternoon soap. The plot is predictable and filled with tiresome repetitions. You know where the characters are heading but you still plonk down to get your daily dosage.

See also : Marked (House of Night, #1)
See also : Chosen (House of Night, #3)
See also : Untamed (House of Night, #4)
See also : Hunted (House of Night, #5)
See also : Tempted (House of Night, #6)
See also : Burned (House of Night, #7
See also : Awakened (House of Night, #8)

See also : Destined (House of Night, #9)

MARKED (House of Night, #1)

INGREDIENTS
~ One troubled (but attractive and quick-witted) teen heroine.

~ A new school/college/university/ random place of learning which plays backdrop to the “fitting-in” saga of aforementioned teen heroine.

~ One super-beautiful, super-snotty, super- all-things-HAGalistic teen queen and her equally stuck-up clique.

~ A handful of likeable waiting-to-bloom sidekicks.

~ An extremely handsome boy-wonder who craves new teen heroine but has also done the nasty with previously mentioned HAG-Queen.

RECIPE
Blend all the ingredients together and you have your run-of-the-mill Ya-Lit.

RECIPE WITH A PARANORMAL TWIST
Throw in the exotic element of Vampires and what you have is Ya-Lit with bloodlust, some cool undead action and the umpteenth attempt to correct the damage done by Edward Cullen and the rest of his sparkling-brigade.

MARKED is one such tale. Zoey Redbird is a 16-year old who gets ‘marked’ by a tracker. Being marked doesn’t mean that someone goes nuts on you with a Sharpie-Pen. It means that Zoey has become a fledgling who will soon CHANGE into a full-blown vampyre. In order to deal with the changes (read: not die), Zoey must leave behind her old school and enrol herself into the "House of Night" (a sort of finishing school for vampyres). What follows are the above-spouted clichés in varying but predictable degrees.

The book could have been loads better without the authors’ gratuitous sermonising and the clear demarcation between what is morally right and what is sluttishly wrong. Popular references were OTT and jarred the smooth flow of the text. Zoey could have been the perfect heroine without the unnecessary attempt to etch her character as the most mentally well-balanced teen possible. The supporting cast of characters are fun in varying degrees.

It’s always interesting to see an author’s representation of the Vampire world. The Cast mother-daughter duo does a good job on it. I especially like the whole concept of a fledgling resisting the “CHANGE”. It adds a degree of vulnerability to the self-assuredness of the immortals and makes for interesting reading. These points and a few other minute details laid down some good groundwork for future plotlines.

Not astounding vamp-lit, but a tad better than the Twilight series. Engaging enough to make me pick up the next two books.

See also : Betrayed (House of Night, #2)

See also : Chosen (House of Night, #3)

See also : Untamed (House of Night, #4)

See also : Hunted (House of Night, #5)

See also : Tempted (House of Night, #6)

See also : Burned (House of Night, #7)

See also : Awakened (House of Night, #8)

See also : Destined (House of Night, #9)

Silver Borne (The Mercedes Thompson Series, # 5)

Silver Borne is the fifth instalment of The Mercy Thompson series. Sadly, I haven’t read the previous four and so here’s a quick summary.

Mercedes Thompson(Mercy) is a mechanic and more importantly, a Native-American shapeshifter who can morph into a coyote. She can see the spirits of the dead and is resistant to most kinds of magic. She is the mate of her neighbour Adam Hauptman. Adam is the alpha of the Tri-Cities werewolves. Another key character is Samuel Cornick, a dominant yet kind werewolf who has had an on-again, off-again relationship with Mercy. He has now become one of her closest friends (and roommate).

Silver Borne begins when Mercy receives a call regarding the whereabouts of a book-store owner; Phin who had given her a book on the fae. Besides the investigation, Mercy is also working on her tenuous relationship with Adam and providing support to a dejected Samuel who has just made a failed suicide attempt.

In order to curb Samuel, his own “wolf”: Sam takes over. A werewolf has less control when it is in it’s wolf form and the shifting could prove to be a dangerous thing for the people surrounding Sam. Meanwhile, someone in Adam’s Pack who has never been too chuffed about Mercy’s intrusion, uses the pack-bond to enter her mind and cause rifts in the Adam-Mercy relationship.

Adding spice to the proceedings is a Fairy Queen who wants to lay her hands on the book that Mercy possesses. When the queen kidnaps Gabriel, (Mercy’s fully human friend and employee), Mercy is forced to step into the dangerous world of the fae.

Mercy Thompson is a wonderfully empowered female lead. She reminds you of the b**-kicking, smart-talking Buffy Summers. After sinking in the swamp of pathetic fantasy-leads like Bella Swan, Mercy is a breath of fresh air. She ups the cool-factor with her job (a VW mechanic), is fighting-fit and is ultimately a charming blend of common-sense and rash implemention.

Patricia Briggs weaves in the legends of the fae, werewolves, shape-shifters and an assortment of other supernatural creatures without ever losing a grip on reality. The back-stories are enticing and the plot is well-woven.

The series is a must-read for all fantasy fans who don’t want a sappy, dripping, *I-need-Mr.Sparkle* heroine at the helm.

Girl Meets Cake

Ya-Lit authors are getting sparkier and cheekier.

Girl Meets Cake is a classic example of an author who got it just right. Be it an endearing heroine, a crazy ensemble cast or a free-flowing plot-line...the book has it all.

Heidi Ryder is a plaited teen geek/fangirl. Constantly shuffled around by her parents, she has finally found her stomping ground at the posh Goldfinch Private School. Sadly, she’s not exactly at the top of the food-chain since her mother is school PE instructor and her dad is the caretaker/ handyman.

Not that any of this deters Heidi. She has spent a happy summer in fandom, watching reruns of the time-traveling detective show *Mycroft Christie Investigates* and having a crush on the lead actor, a debonair twenty-third century Posh Brit: Mycroft. She makes a bit of moolah working for the quirky tea-shop called “The Little Leaf” and is firm friends with it’s motherly owner Betsy and her lazily charming son, Teddy. On the friend front, she has her aptly named “Leftover Squad”. There's Fili:the obligatory Goth, Dai:the big hulking gay friend and Ludo:the frothy, cheery, get-on-your-nerves pretty girl.

As the new year begins, Heidi looks forward to spending a lot of time doing a lot of nothing with her mates. But when she suddenly finds Fili, Dai and Ludo all paired up and hand-clutchy with their newly acquired boyfriends, Heidi feels like the proverbial gooseberry. A series of confusing cross-connections (and a niggling sense of self-pity) lead Heidi to create a boyfriend. He’s angsty-hot, wears a leather jacket, drives a motorbike and spouts poetry at the drop of an emotion. Sadly, he’s also non-existent. Heidi’s plot thickens when she fleshes out Ed Hartley's (Mr. Figment of Heidi’s imagination) personality by creating a Social Networking profile for him and thereby opening up a whole new can of worms. Suddenly her friends are connecting with Ed, pouring their hearts out and generally have a happy gossip with him on matters undisclosed to Heidi itself.

Things bubble and boil as new dramas come to the fore. Secrets are being kept, love is being betrayed and actual 3Dimensional mysterious boys are suddenly showing an interest in Heidi.

A classic comedy of errors, Girl Meets Cake hits all the right spots. Heidi is a delightful heroine with her mutterings and imaginary conversations with Mycroft and her ability to weave a boyfriend out of thin air. The book is chatty and littered with e-mails and IMs and sufficient teenese to stay true to it’s genre. Somewhere in the long ramble is a lesson, but you appreciate it without doing an eye-roll.

Many of the reviewers had a grouse about Susie Day’s writing style as it bounces back-and-forth and leaves you a tad winded. This might be so, but I would like to think that it perfectly captures a teen’s mindset. They are legendary ( as was I!) for their low-boredom threshold and this was adequately captured by the author's oscillation between here-now-in-HappyLand ----and----burning-next-in-AngstHell.

Fun read...passing references to Cake ( which is always good!)...and a story that makes you want to finish it in one long, uninterrupted lap!

p.s. The book also goes by the title "My Invisible Boyfriend"