House of Night (XII) - Redeemed by P.C. and Kristin Cast
Finally, the last part of this over-long series: Redeemed (in German Erlöst, in French Sauvée). I read it in German where it contained 533 pages. Originally published 2014.
All Zoey wants is to die. But her friends and family won't let her. Plus, she still has a job to do: Defeat the Tsi Sgili, who runs amok in Tulsa, thinking of herself as a goddess, controlling and killing her “disciples”. But how can you stop an immortal? Through the old magick, that corrupted Zoey and nearly made her kill innocents?
Interesting conclusion. The ideas were... well, romantic, but not so bad. The solution for all problems was obvious since the eighth part of the series, but apart from that, there were a few nice ideas in it. I like Detective Marx. And, strangely, also Lynette. I know it's weird. I wonder why she didn't realise Neferet was going to kill her no matter what she'd do.
But what bugs me is that... here are so many plot lines just ignored! So many details that should have been taken up again. Like Z's family. Okay, her mother is dead, her grandmother is her world. But she has a brother and a sister as well. All we know about them is that a) her older sister is a cheerleader, according to Z a whore and forced Zoey once upon a time into a cheerleading summer camp, b) her little brother is called Kevin and likes bloody video games which he hides from his mother and c) that both of them were at a friend's of their Mom when Linda died (as teenagers. Just saying). That's all. I mean, I know that some people don't like their siblings and aren't really close to them. But, seriously? When Kalona asked Zoey whether or not she has a brother and she says “yes” you're like what the fuck? Who... oh, right. There were maybe two sentences about him in the first part. Zoey mutated, she nearly died several times, their mother died et cetera... and they never show up? It's like they don't even exist.
Apropos family: What happened to Mr. Heffer? Okay, he slept with his secretary. Then Linda died and he ceases to exist. Oh, by the way: What about Linda's funeral? Why didn't Zoey go and meet all her family there and shows she had a life outside of the House of Night? Oh, right, there wasn't a funeral. Why should there be, I mean, it's not that someone important to Z died. That's a common problem here, by the way. Aphrodite's father didn't get one, either. And he's like totally a Joe What's-his-name in town.
And what about the Daughters of Night or Darkness or whatever they are called in English? They... well, they only seemed to exist to a) show how bad Aphrodite is in the first part and b) give Zoey prestige and power to show how good and nice and wonderful she is.
Spoiler:
And after Kalona, they simply disappeared and their members neither tried to help in school, nor try to take Z's place. They just don't exist any more. Why. The. Heck. Didn't. They. Show. Up? Besides, Z could have used her power as their head to bring the school back to Nyx. But no.
Then, what I'd like to know is how things turned out at the Isle of Skye? The white bull said that he'd invade the island. Okay, fair enough. What happened then? Did she win, did she loose, who died...?
What about the rest of the old magick, the fey? Did they show up, in the end?
What was actually this Darkness – it stayed with Neferet, even when the white bull left her. So it has to belong to her, right? What is it?
And what is the counter part to the white bull's helpers? There has to be something, hasn't it? I mean, the basic concept of this black and white bull thing is balance! So, if one of them has an advantage, the other one gets it as well, sooner or later.
Spoiler:
And why the heck do the humans still trust the vampyres, after their favourite, Neferet, turned visibly psycho?
But, that's not all. Because there are not only missed chances, but also mistakes – as always...
- Reporters – with camera teams – film with i-Phones? And these are the clips on internet, not the ones by real cameras?!
- Priestesses can't feel the emotions of their warriors.
- the place of Cleopatra's ritual: so powerful, so much history... why was it never, ever even mentioned before???
- Wasn't the Circle supposed to be sleeping in the cellar?
- Spoiler:
If Kalona's technically not immortal any more, why does this whole immortal blood thing still work? And can he even leave the Otherworld, being dead?
- Why should the Darkness fear the white bull? This doesn't make sense.
- What is it now, Margenta or Margareta?
- How does Lynette know Stevie Rae's name?
- With a slit throat you don't cry bloody tears! Why should you?!
- Spoiler:
Why doesn't Thanatos have a corpse? Every other vampyre and fledgeling has one! Oh, wait, maybe it's because she doesn't get the no-funeral curse nearly everyone gets!
- What sacrifice has Neferet made to make her “children” try to murder Zoey? That was Neferet's problem the whole time, wasn't it: That she didn't have a sacrifice big enough to murder Z that way.
- And, by the way, Erik seemed to really love Shaylin. How could he fall for Shaunee so fast? Oh, right, that's House of Night. People fall more often in and out of love than they change clothes.
So... this is the worst ending a series could ever have. Which is actually so sad! There was so much potential in it; original ideas, a nice goddess, a strong but imperfect main character. It could have been great! If one had just corrected the countless mistakes – and maybe concentrated on few main themes instead of so many! I mean, what do we have in this series for plot lines?
Spoiler:
Zoey against Aphrodite, Aphrodite turning good, Stevie Rae turning bad and then good, the red fledgelings and vampyres, Zoey screwing up with Heath and bonding with him, while being with Erik. Than there's the Loren business, Neferet turning out to be bad, Kalona coming out of bloody earth, Stark dying and changing sides, than getting good again. Not to mention Zoey struggling with her power – even though the magic solution is always to cast a circle – let's see, what's next? Oh, right; the Ravenmockers, Neferet turning totally evil, Stevie Rae and Aphrodite, Aphrodite und Darius, Stevie Rae and Rephaim, Rephaim turning good, Zoey and A-ya, Zoey believing Kalona could be good, Kalona and Neferet going to the High Council and Neferet saying she's Nyx, Kalona killing Heath and Zoey's soul shattering, Stark saving her and getting a new prestige class to talk in D&D (which doesn't suck at all, even though it is a little nerdy). Neferet controlling Kalona who breaks free in the end... and that's the first seven books!!!!!! That's all far to much to do right! And then, the whole main theme changes: The main theme has been good against evil, more or less. Now it's LOVE LOVE LOVE! Balance and love some more. With new major powers – fey and old magick, the bulls – introduced in the seventh part, I'll give you that. But apart from that, the only thing that hinted towards this was in the very first part and these hints were two lines. From now on, everything changes focus. And the characters get far too powerful. The idea that all friends of Zoey get talents makes sense, but now it's far too much! And most of them are unnecessary. Zoey's totally special powers don't make a difference much longer. Now it's old magick as key to everything, craziness of Z included. Not to mention that Heath can't stay dead, and the characters can't really develop, except for really really fast and unrealistic changes, like with Erik. Nyx gets a personal role and suddenly turns from wise, old goddess into a giggling teenager. Seriously?
I must admit that this is all very disappointing. I think, that two series with the same main characters would have made more sense: in one, the evil is... let's say Kalona and the second the enemy is Neferet. That you get hints and nudges about Neferet being evil in the first series AND learn the basic concept of the world. And then, in the second series this basic concept and the old magick gets more important than Z's powers. Add to that a little more character development, less changes of relationships and much less mistakes and you have two really decent series. Like this? Not so much.
In brief:
So... sorry, but I have to give zero stars. Really.
Prequel: