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Destined

P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast

Published 2011          325 pages

Reviewed by Georgia

Summary (from the book jacket)

Can love win when it is tested by the very soul of darkness?

Zoey is finally home where she belongs, safe with her Guardian Warrior, Stark, by her side, and preparing to face off against Neferet – which would be a lot easier if the High Council saw the ex-High Priestess for what she really is. Kalona has released his hold on Rephaim, and, through Nyx’s gift of a human form, Rephaim and Stevie Rae are finally able to be together – if he can truly walk the path of the Goddess and stay free of his father’s shadow.

But there are new forces at work at the House of Night. An influx of humans, including Lenobia’s handsome horse whisperer, threatens their precarious stability. And then there is the mysterious Aurox, a jaw-droppingly gorgeous teen boy who is actually more – or possibly less – than human. Only Neferet knows he was created to be her greatest weapon. But Zoey can sense the part of his soul that remains human, the compassion that wars with his Dark calling. And there’s something strangely familiar about him…

Will Neferet’s true nature be revealed before she succeeds at extinguishing Light? And will Zoey be able to touch Aurox’s humanity in time to protect them all? Find out what’s destined in the next thrilling chapter of the House of Night series.

The Review

I have to admit that, four years ago when I started reading Marked – the first book of the series – I didn’t think that House of Night would turn out to be such a great read! Honestly the series has evolved in such a way that is both exiting and fascinating.

But first thing first: Destined is the ninth book in the series and continues exactly where Awakened left off. The Nerd Herd is back in Tulsa with new allies and old enemies trying to figure out how to move on and how to deal with Neferet and the threat she poses to their lives at school. To begin with, I believe that it is important to read Burned, Awakened and Destined together. They truly form the three parts of the same plotline rather than three individual books. Reading Destined on its own is not recommended, despite the fact that the authors give clues of past events in the series. I believe that it would not do the story justice nor would it be as easy to follow as one may think.

With Destined the authors have established the use of the multiple point of view in their narrative and it seems to be the best recipe in order to deliver the plot, which has become more complex, as it encompasses intricate and obscure themes relating to the fight between good and evil, relationships, loss of loved ones, friendship and that little journey, which we all eventually take: to know oneself. With this type of narrative the readers get to see both sides of each story and of course to follow the sequence of events with clarity. This type of writing requires great discipline, in order to ensure coherence and to avoid confusion. The authors have truly perfected their writing skills.

Furthermore, this way of storytelling helps massively with character development. And in the House of Night series it is really the characters that make the story! Not only the main ones, but also secondary or tertiary characters come into the forefront highlighting the plot and giving pieces of information about what is happening or what is going to happen. Their presence enables the readers to build a portrait for each of our heroes, to remodel it and to update it according to each character’s reaction to the various circumstances described in the book. Somehow this trick makes the story more appealing, more realistic and of course more tangible.

Lastly Destined can be safely considered as a crescendo of action, which culminates in the last three chapters. Each chapter is somehow like levels in a game: you have to continue to the next one until you reach the final stage. Since the narrative flows, the action is compact and the pace never slackens you end up having finished the book, thinking that it just cannot be it, that there is more. Unfortunately, Hidden, the next one in line, is yet to come. As a comfort, readers will rejoice with this book. They will learn more about their favourite characters, many things in the complex and sublime world, that HoN has become, will be explained and of course they will be entertained, because ultimately a good book does just that.

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