Review: Tempted by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast

Book Details:
Tempted (House of Night, Book 6)
by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Published 2009, St. Martin's
Hardback, 319 pages
ISBN: 9780312567484

Synopsis:
"So…you’d think after banishing an immortal being and a fallen High Priestess, saving Stark’s life, biting Heath, getting a headache from Erik, and almost dying, Zoey Redbird would catch a break. Sadly, a break is not in the House of Night school forecast for the High Priestess in training and her gang. Juggling three guys is anything but a stress reliever, especially when one of them is a sexy Warrior who is so into protecting Zoey that he can sense her emotions. Speaking of stress, the dark force lurking in the tunnels under the Tulsa Depot is spreading, and Zoey is beginning to believe Stevie Rae could be responsible for a lot more than a group of misfit red fledglings. Aphrodite’s visions warn Zoey to stay away from Kalona and his dark allure, but they also show that it is Zoey who has the power to stop the evil immortal. Soon it becomes obvious that Zoey has no choice: if she doesn’t go to Kalona he will exact a fiery vengeance on those closest to her. Will Zoey have the courage to chance losing her life, her heart, and her soul? Find out in the next spectacular installment in the House of Night Series, Tempted."

In terms of plot, I would say this is the worst book of the series. Loose ends are left dangling all over the place, more questions are formed than answered, and (spoiler!) the main character, Zoey escapes into the afterlife "Otherworld." The last page is like a huge "To Be Continued..." and I just hate so-called endings like that. Most of the book is spent making plans regarding Kalona and Neferet, the red fledglings, and the House of Night school, but very little is actually accomplished. I appreciate that the series seems to move in real-time, but at the same time, things need to move a bit faster for anything to actually happen. The most exciting thing was Stevie Rae's near-death experience, which isn't saying much. I was greatly antipating the group's trip to Venice, but their meeting with the High Council was strangely short and anti-climactic. I think that at least one vampyre on the council should have disagreed with Neferet's lies, since Kalona's hypnotic powers are supposed to rely on choice.
The things I did like about the book are what I've like about the entire series. I love how the characters all strive for normalcy, even when everything around them is completely paranormal. I love the dialogue and how it is very typically teenager-ish. I also love how Zoey makes tons of mistakes, even though she has the favor of the Goddess. The one "loose end" that did seem to get taken care of in a way was the Imprint between Aphrodite and Stevie Rae being broken, though it just formed another loose end with Stevie Rae hiding the Raven Mocker Rephaim from everyone else.
I will likely stay loyal to the series in the hopes that the plot improves with the next book, Burned.

The Cover: I always like the covers for the House of Night series because they give different angles of Zoey Redbird's tattoo markings, this one included. This cover is a bit different from the rest, in that two other people are pictured on the cover with Zoey Redbird. One is obviously Stark, Zoey's sworn Warrior, but the second guy is in the shadows, which I think means that it is Kalona, though he does not have his trademark black wings. It wouldn't make sense for it to be Heath, otherwise.

First Line: "The night sky over Tulsa was alight with a magical crescent moon."
So this is a good first line if the reader is already familiar with the House of Night series, since it mentions the moon. Otherwise, the sentence is bland and boring and very unenticing.

Favorite Quote: "Nerd herd, focus. You're here to help the fledglings. Dour One and Dour Two aren't important," said Aphrodite.
"Dr. Seuss reference. I like it," Stark said, giving me a check-me-out-I've-always-read-books hottie grin.



Read For: Pages Read Challenge, Support Your Local Library Challenge, Speculative Fiction Challenge

Teaser Tuesday: Tempted

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

1. Grab your current read.
2. Open to a random page.
3. Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page.
4. BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!).
5. Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!


My Teaser:

"Look, what I'm saying is you need to be one hundred percent, and not drained like an extra-dry martini during brunch at my mom's country club."

 "Your mom really drinks martinis at brunch?"

"Of course she does." Aphrodite shook her head and looked utterly disgusted. "Try not to be so naive. Anyways, just don't do something stupid because you're feeling all Lifetime Movie of the Week and in love with Stark." - pg. 87, Tempted by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast

What are you reading this week?

YA Bloggers Book Battle

The Shady Glade is hosting a Young Adult Bloggers Book Battle, and I look forward to participating as a judge. Twenty-Four titles are in the competition this time, and a book trailer was even made to promote the competition. The titles are as follows:

1. Eighth-Grade Superzero by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich
2. A Match Made in High School by Kristin Walker
3. A Spy in the House by Y.S. Lee
4. Ash by Malinda Lo
5. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
6. Because I Am Furniture by Thalia Chaltas
7. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
8. Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves
9. Brightly Woven by Alexandra Bracken
10. Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev
11. Hearts at Stake by Alyxandra Harvey
12. Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins
13. Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
14. Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey
15. Magic Under Glass by Jaclyn Dolamore
16. Prada and Prejudice by Mandy Hubbard
17. Silver Phoenix by Cindy Pon
18. The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting
19. The Dark Divine by Bree Despain
20. The Demon's Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan
21. The Iron King by Julie Kagawa
22. The Season by Sarah MacLean
23. Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler
24. You Are So Undead to Me by Stacey Jay