House of Night (5) - Hunted by P.C. and Kristin Cast
Now to Hunted, part five of the House of Night Series (in French Traquée, in German Gejagt). I read it in German where it contained 546 pages. Originally published 2009.
It went wrong. Everything went so wrong. When Kalona's freed, Zoey and her friends flee to the tunnels – while the New Year's Eve turns into a living nightmare, Zoey begins to dream of the fallen angel and the seers have two prophecies for her. But then, something terrible happens: and the only person who can save Zoey's happens to be the one who wants to kill her most.
Okay, this book is really cool!
Spoiler:
First of all: I adore Stark! He's the most interesting character of the series (unfortunately this changes after they're officially together) and he's her most gorgeous lover! Stark as the bad guy to be redeemed is just wonderful, this behaviour suits him well. By the way, I love the scene in which they sleep in the same bed. And the one where he tries to convince her his bow is the solution for everything. This is so typically... I just wanted to write “male” but that's not exactly true. Because I could totally imagine trying that one (but not for real). However, it's cool how he changes slowly.
The whole new plot in school – especially the twins' and Damien's way of keeping infos from the enemy – is well done.
What's also well done is the new imprintings.
Spoiler:
Seriously, Aphrodite and Stevie Rae? Oh, good God(dess)! So well done!
By the way, Aphrodite and Darius? I like these two together. I like Darius, period. He's calm, down-to-earth and dependable. Additionally, it's cute how he's so in love with Aphrodite – of all the people! But he's someone who protects people and sees the good in her. Like I said, he's a good person.
Spoiler:
Erik has been abducted by aliens as well – this is the only way I can explain his behaviour. He changed so much, he isn't the same person any more! He's a sex-obsessed, full-time jealous ass, and that doesn't make sense: There's nothing here that even remotely fits to the Erik from Marked (Gezeichnet)! Nothing! Okay, granted, he got really hurt in Chosen (Erwählt). He has no reason to trust her any longer, especially not with other guys. But he said he still wants to be with her. And this shift is just way too overdone, seriously.
Additionally, there are other mistakes in this book:
- Okay, let's start with the beginning for a change.
Spoiler:
Stevie Rae's wound: They say the arrow is in the middle of her (flat) breasts. That would mean it went through her breastbone and her spine? Huh? A wooden arrow? Okay, fired by a vamp, so the strength should be there that it's more or less possible. So... let's say her breastbone and ribs didn't shatter and perforate her inner organs (which would be pretty realistic): Why could she still move her body below the hit? Because this should be an incomplete paralysis. Or a complete one, which means that she couldn't even feel anything below the place she was shot. And... what about all that flesh between breastbone and spine. I don't have that much knowledge about the stuff the skeletton and muscles encompass, but shouldn't there be at least a really heavy bleeding which makes things like moving impossible? Or surviving for more than a few minutes?
- Talking about wounds: The way the Ravenmocker hurt Zoey would have either killed her a few seconds after the attack or it wouldn't have been crucial. In the first case Z would have had problems with breathing, because her lung/heart would have filled with her own blood and , well, this makes functioning a little difficult. She wouldn't have survived the transport. The alternative would be that the Ravenmocker didn't even scrap an artery, which would mean she wouldn't have lost so much blood and, well, she wouldn't have to go to Neferet. So this is completely bullshit.
- And the last wound: Darius' blood couldn't spray the whole room. This is impossible. The room is too big, the wound too small and there is too less resistance inside the cheek to built a pressure big enough to really make the blood spray more than a few centimetres. Seriously, Where were the lectors? Or the common sense?
- To continue with the list of mistakes: Zoey didn't pass out two or three times in her entire life, but 3 times in Marked (Gezeichnet), when she was marked, when she fell down and when Nyx kissed her; one time in Betrayed (Betrogen),when Neferet manipulated her memories; and now two times in Hunted (Gejagt) (when she was transported out of the tunnel and when Kalona carried her. That makes six times!
- Spoiler:
Additionally, the scene with Rephaim and Kalona, when she woke up and opened her eyes, expecting Kalona and seeing the Ravenmocker, doesn't make much sense, either. I mean, this is a damn Ravenmocker. Who just came from outside. Where he killed people. What did he do, take a shower and use Kalona's aftershave? Maybe one of the air refreshers for cars? She must have smelled at least the blood in his feathers and that stuff, right?
- And last but not least - when Zoey made the tree fall, it must have hurt her, because she stood on the roots.
Apart from this minor (cough cough) stuff, the book was tense. I really enjoyed it.
In brief:
I give this book a star for the ideas, minus two for the mistakes in content and character. Plus the SoGH.
Prequel:
Sequel: