Awakened: Number 8 in series (House of Night, #8)

by Kristin Cast, P.C. Cast, and Kristi

Exonerated by the Vampyre High Council and returned to her position of High Priestess at Tulsa's House of Night, Neferet has sworn vengeance on Zoey. But Zoey has found sanctuary on the Isle of Skye and is being groomed by Queen Sgiach to take over for her there. Being Queen would be cool, wouldn't it? And what about Stevie Rae and Rephraim? The Raven Mocker refuses to be used against Stevie Rae, but what choice does he have when no one in the entire world, including Zoey, would be ok with their relationship? Does he betray his father or his heart?

• ISBN10: 1905654847
• ISBN13: 9781905654840
• Publish Date: 4 January 2011
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 19 September 2011
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group
• Imprint: ATOM
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 304
• Language: English

Reviews

[FranJessca @ A Book Lovin' Mama's Blog]

I originally read and reviewed this book on my first blog – Mrs. Papillion, aka “The Book Worm.” Now, ten years later, I’m re-reading this book to finish reading the series finally. It is finally time to go back through my books and finish the series I never quite finished. I’m glad I’ve dived back into the House of Night world. This series is one of the first YA series I read after reading the Twilight series. I wanted something to fulfill my vampire obsession at the time, and the HoN series definitely helped. (I’m still obsessed with vampires in my thirties. I don’t think I’ll ever outgrow them.) 

Storyline/My Thoughts: The first time I read Awakened by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast was when it was first released in 2011. I enjoyed the book, and I gave it a 5-star rating back when I first read it in 2011. Unfortunately, now that I’m older and my tastes have changed, I ended up giving this book a 4-star rating this time around. Don’t get wrong, I still enjoyed this book but found some issues that drove me crazy. I’m going to wait to get into those later in my review.

If you haven’t read this series before, then be forewarned that this book was written in the early 2010s. Be prepared for outdated things in this book that teenagers did and liked back then in the early 2010s. If you’ve read the previous books, then you know what has happened up until now. (I’m going to try not to spoil anything in my review for readers who haven’t read this book or read the series yet.) 

Both the Authors made my tear ducts work overtime in this book the first time I read it and now a second time. From the previous two books to this one, I was an emotional wreck. Why, oh why did the authors have to kill off another character or two in this book? It’s just crazy. You would think it was enough what they did in the previous book(s) to Zoe and the crew, but no, they had to do it again. Zoe is still recovering, and so is her Warrior, Stark, on what happened in Burned. 

This time around, though, readers will realize even more how evil Neferet really is in this book. Even Kalona questioned her motives when they returned to Tulsa, and that’s saying something. I wish she would go away, but unfortunately, we need her; otherwise, there wouldn’t be any drama. Books always have to have an antagonist in them, especially if it’s this kind of storyline. Neferet will dive deeper into darkness in this book, which I would think she couldn’t go any deeper, but she did, and it’s worst. I feel for Zoe on finding out what Neferet is up to now in the next book. It’s bad enough that Neferet is having people turn against Zoe and her crew. Truth is finally going to come to light on what has been happening to Stevie Rae while Zoe has been away, and she may end up losing her friend, or her friend will have her back.

My favorite thing about this book was how Stark has changed and grown. He’s become a true warrior to Zoey. I’m also glad Zoey is with him and not Erik. Erik drove me crazy, and he’s not boyfriend material for her. Stark has his duties first to Zoey, though, and he takes them seriously, but he loves Zoey, and she loves him. I’m a little scared of what is happening to Stark after returning from the otherworld. When Stark retrieved Zoey from the otherworld, something occurred to him that he’s not even aware of yet, but someone else is and is using it against him. (I’m vague because I don’t want to spoil anything.)

The authors threw so many twists and turn in this book. I wasn’t prepared for it, but that’s what kept me on the edge of my seat. I look forward to re-reading Destined next when I get a chance. 

Here are the things that irritated me when reading this book and why I didn’t give the book five stars this time around. I’m only giving it four stars now. (I think it’s due to me being older, and my tastes have changed, and I notice things that normally wouldn’t bug me back then and do now.) 

• Zoe and Stark were almost deciding not to go back to the Tulsa House of Night. They would leave their friends to deal with everything until something drastic happened that made them come back.
• Stevie Rae was keeping the big secret she’s been keeping from everyone. If only she would’ve said something earlier.

Other than those two things, I did enjoy the book. 

Standalone or Part of Series: It’s part of the House of Night series, and I recommend reading in order.

Cliffhanger: Yes.

Triggers: Murder/Death

Would I recommend this book? Yes. If you’re a fan of Young Adult Paranormal/Fantasy books, then you’ll enjoy this book/series. This is a Young Adult Paranormal/Fantasy book that focuses on teenage characters who have to save the world from a corrupt High Priestess who follows darkness instead of light now. The main protagonist, Zoey, has a lot of weight put on her shoulders, but her friends are there to help her along the way.

[angelarenea9]

This book was a little bit darker than the previous books. Zoey and Stark decide to stay on the island of Skye for a while until news of Jack's death reaches them from Stevie Rae, who has become the high priestess of the House of Night. Things are becoming serious with Stevie Rae and Rephaim, and we find out Kalona is not really bound. Sadly, at Jack's funeral pyre, Neferat starts trouble and all seems lost until Nyx shows up. She forgives Rephaim and allows him to become human at night. Once Nyx leaves Nepherat twists what she said to her advantage and Zoey and the gang leave for the tunnels.

I was a little bit disappointed by the fact that Zoey excused away Stark's abusive behavior in bed right at the end of the book, even though I am going to assume that it was Kalona controlling him. I am not a huge fan of Stark's character in general because I do not buy into the whole 'I was dark and it wasn't my fault' at the same time as 'I am that person I just have to choose to be good' he tried to rape that Becca girl, he probably raped other girls, and even though it was probably not him this time, it fits his character.

I did feel bad, however at the ending where Zoey finds out he mother is dead. It was such a bitter ending to that story line, that Linda would just be coming around (even if it is just because she caught him, and not because of the way he treated her children) and she goes and dies. That being said I am really glad it was Linda and not the grandmother!
It was also a little darker because of the random bestiality that showed up there at the end. I'm not talking about Stevie Rae. What was with that White Bull sex scene? Nope. Just nope.

[Kim Deister]

Awakened is the 8th novel in the House of Night series. As the character of Zoey Redbird was the clear main character throughout most of the series, I enjoyed seeing another take the forefront in this novel. The plot was more centered around Stevie Rae, Zoey's best friend and a new High Priestess to the red vampyres and fledglings. Her character became far more developed, putting Zoey in more of a supporting role. At times throughout the story, the continuing battle against Neferet and the Darkness she now commanded almost took a back seat to Stevie Rae's story. When that became clear to me, I was afraid that the story would begin to drag, as that battle is the center theme around which the series has been built. I do feel that at times it was almost too focused on Stevie Rae and her struggles, leaving out a lot of the interaction between the characters that gave the previous novels depth, interest and texture. At times, the battle with Neferet became almost an afterthought instead of a main plot point. I don't think these were the faults of poor writing, but rather too much attention to a single aspect of the story. There are series in which the different novels within it will focus on a different main character, a different point of view, within the same story line. This series has not been like that so focusing on a single aspect made the story lose just a little luster for me. That being said, I did love the ending. I thought I knew where it was heading, and that it would make for both a perfect ending and a perfect start for the next book. I was totally wrong. I like being wrong because it means it isn't predictable. The ending was a twist and allowed room for the next novel to explore. And once again, the cover art is beautiful, full of symbolism that directly relates to major plot points inside. All in all, I would recommend reading it. I may have found faults, but I definately did enjoy it. I gave it 3.5 stars.

[Linda]

I didn't want this book to end! It was both SO happy and at the same time devastatingly u happy. Zoey is so strong, and is always able to see into the heart and soul of her friends... And her enemies. Excellent story, totally aligned with the other House of Night books. I feel like a total series re-read right now.