Review: Destined

Destined
By P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast
Release Date: October 25, 2011
Series: House of Night

Description:
In Destined, the forces of Light and Dark collide as their epic struggle focuses on Tulsa's House of Night. Zoey is home where she belongs, safe with her Guardian Warrior, Stark, by her side and preparing to face off against Neferet. Kalona has released his hold on Rephaim, and, through Nyx's gift of a human form, he and Stevie Rae are finally able to be together if Rephaim can truly walk the path of the Goddess and stay free of his father's shadow.

But is Zoey really safe? Does she truly know those who are closest to her? And will love win when it is tested by the very soul of Darkness? Find out what s destined in the next thrilling chapter of the House of Night series.
Review:
So this book did not disappoint.  It had the typical House of Night properties that made all the other books good.  In this book we find Rephaim as a boy during the day and a bird at night, Dragon is still mad at him for killing his mate.  Stevie Rae is very much against Rephaim and Kalona having any relationship whatsoever.  Neferet has a new slave boy named Aurox who was given to her by the White Bull.  Who is her consort (weird and gross and so very wrong). Erin and Shaunee are at odds with each other, twins no more.  Damien is still grieving the loss of Jack.  Stark is still surrounded by darkness because Kalona is still visiting him in his dreams he just doesn't know this yet, although maybe in the next book things like this will change, but I doubt it because after all it is Kalona.  Aphrodite is still her bitchy self but you have to love her.  There are new characters introduced into this book.  Lenobia is given a larger part especially now that there are humans working at the Tulsa House of Night.  Thanatos is back again in search for Neferet's real agenda.  There is also a new student that Erik marks who has True Sight after being blind.

A major part of this book has to do with the murder of Zoey's mother, and the reason behind it.  In this part of the series all the core group goes to Grandma Redbirds Lavender farm to relive the murder of Zoey's mother to see the truth behind it, who murdered her.  There are small things that happen here and there but I really don't want to give away too much if you haven't had a chance to read it yet.  I will say this the ending is not a major cliffhanger but it is.  It's definitely not as bad as previous cliffhangers.  All in all it was a good addition to the series and may the stories continue.  I'm ready for Neferet to be gone or at least taught a really good lesson because she is starting to get a little too cocky.

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. This feature is great because everyone loves lists, including me.

This week's Top Ten is:

Top Ten Childhood Faves

1.  The Cat in the Hat - This is going very far back of course in my Childhood.  I still love this book, I read it to my five year old all the time.  I think I just really love the whole rhyming of the entire book.  Dr. Seuss what a genius. 

2.  Sweet Dreams Series - My friend got me addicted to this series.  She had me literally roaming every single Library in our surrounding area for these books.  We would literally read them in a day and then return them to get more books.  It was fun to share something with a friend.

3.  Christopher Pike - I used to read anything by Christopher Pike I was obsessed with those scary stories.  The who did it kind of things.  Now that I think about it almost reminds me of Scream or movies like that.  Because they were all about teens.  Oh to go back to those days, sigh.

4.  R.L. Stine - This was pre-Goosebumps when his books were much like Christopher Pike's books think the Fear Street Series.  I don't know how Goosebumps is because I've never really read them but I heard they were good too.

5.  Flowers in the Attic - V.C. Andrews was really big when I was younger - seeing Flowers in the Attic on TV was a crazy movie.  It's like did they really just do that.  My girlfriends used to get me into these series and it's just like soap opera drama.  I never got to read all of them and probably wouldn't have time to now but I have fond memories.

That's all for my list now because really I focused on these books a lot and they were all mainly series so I was addicted.  Sure sometimes I'd pick up a Babysitters Club book or something along those lines but nothing could beat these authors or books when I was younger.  Memories!

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following: •Grab your current read •Open to a random page •Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page •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!) •Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Here's my teaser for the week:

I wake up inside a machine. I can’t see anything, I’m in a tube and its insides are pressed up against me and the noise, so much noise, a harsh rhythmic clanging. I’ve dreamed myself inside a grave, I’ve dreamed myself dead, and I scream and scream and scream.

As I Wake
By Elizabeth Scott
Release Date: September 15, 2011

Monday Musing

MUSING MONDAYS… is a weekly event where MizB at Should be Reading will ask a book/reading-related question, and you answer with your own thoughts on the topic.

This week’s musing asks…

How many books do you read in a week? Month? Year?

Answer:
Seriously I wish I could say I read more than one book a week, and sometimes I do but usually it's been a little tough with the holidays and everything that's going on lately.  Sometimes I finish a book in a two days, sometimes it takes me two weeks it all depends on what I'm reading and the amount of time I have to read it.  I'm not a fast reader, I like to enjoy my book and savor it so I take my time with it.  In a week average 1-2 books, in a month average 4-5 maybe and a year well I am doing the good reads challenge right now I'm up to 75 out of 80 so I'm not doing too bad, I don't think. 

Friday 5 - Winter (Cold Weather)

So I never really share much about myself I think i did this meme once but I think i will make it a little more regular just so my followers can learn a little bit more about me every day.  Enjoy and share your responses, thanks!

Hello, and welcome to this week’s Friday 5 hosted here! Please copy these questions to your web space. Answer the questions there; then leave a comment below so we’ll all know where to check out your responses.

1.What’s your favorite thing about cold weather?
Lots and Lots of blankets, snuggling under the covers and sleep late on weekends.  Watching TV while lying on the bed reading.  Oh so blissful.  At least until the kids come in screaming and throwing everything around the room he he.

2.Soups and hot beverages seem to be everyone’s favorite cold-weather culinary combatant, but what’s another food that seems to take the bite out of the cold?
Well, I'm not really into hot drinks such as Tea or Coffee or Hot Cocoa, nope not for me.  I'll eat soup no problem but that's about it.  During the winter what do I like to keep me warm?  A good old bowl of Ravioli ha ha I haven't had some in so long I just gave myself a craving.

3.When the weather is just starting to turn cold but is not yet in full frigidity, what do you add to your bed until it’s time to break out the heavy artillery? (I said what, not whom!)
Ha ha who can I add, that would be a nice question lol.  I don't add anything to my bed but I do add something to my room.  Even though we have a central heater I always bring in my little space heater to make my room just that much more extra nice and toasty.  Oh it feels so nice especially in the morning when the temperature has really dropped.

4.What household chore seems especially unkind in these colder months?
Probably mowing the lawn but luckily I don't do it ha ha.  Other than that I don't know chores are chores you know. 

5.Among people you know, who seems most oblivious to cold weather?
Probably my oldest, she's five and thinks she rules the world.  Will get home from school put on some shorts and a tank top - mind you it's fifty degrees out.  She makes me cold sometimes ha ha.  I didn't think I would ever say that because my mother would always tell me that. Ha too funny how things come around again.

Friday Finds

This is where you share the book titles you discovered or heard about during the past week. These can be books you were told about, books you discovered while browsing blogs/bookstores online, or books that you actually purchased. This is a weekly event I discovered from Should Be Reading.

   

Open Minds by Susan Kaye Quinn

Shattered Souls by Mary Lindsey

Remembrance by Michelle Madow

My Soup to Keep by Rachel Vincent

You have Seven Messages by Stewart Lewis

Pine Light by Jillian Perry

Booking through Thursday - Mood Reading

A weekly meme about (mostly) books and reading. Hosted at Booking Through Thursday.

Today's question is:

Do you find that your mood affects the things you read? Like, if you’re in a bad mood, do you tend to indulge in reading that will support it or do you try to read things that will cheer you up? Do you pick different types of books on dreary, rainy days than you do on bright sunny ones? For that matter, does your mood color what you’re reading, so that a funny book isn’t so funny or a serious one not so deep?

I do believe that moods affect everything we do, it affects the books we pick up, the TV we watch, the music we listen to and they influence new moods as well.  Usually if I'm in a bad mood I won't read I'll just watch TV.  But if everything around me is insane and complete chaos and all I want to do is escape then I will definitely pick up a book.  It's been so busy with the holidays that I haven't had much time to read but I'm pushing forward trying to, as soon as these holidays are over (and I have my new Kindle Fire) I will be back on the ball again.  It's been tough though.  So my mood has been busy hectic and crazy with no time to read.

But back to the question at hand, yes I pick books depending on my moods sometimes.  Especially if I want to go to a happy place then I will have to read something super cute and fast that will get me all giddy inside, with much much swoonworthiness, such as Anna and the French Kiss or Going too Far.

How about you - are you a moody reader?