Destined by P.C. and Kristin Cast

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Summary:

Summary:

Breathing hard, Aurox stood there over the bodies of his vanquished enemies. He turned to Neferet.

"Very good," she said in her emotionless voice. "Let us leave this place before the authorities descend."

Aurox followed her. He walked heavily, his hooves gouging furrows in the dirty alley.

Weak. He felt weak. And more. There was something else.

"What is it?" She snapped at him when he hesitated before entering the car again.

"I do not know. I feel--"

She laughed. "You don't feel at all. You're obviously overthinking this."

"Yes, Priestess." Aurox got in the car and let the world speed past him.I do not think. I do not feel. I am a weapon. 

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 whole 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's 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.

Review:

I'm going to be honest with you.  I have had a love/hate relationship with this series for the past year or two.  I really enjoyed the first few books and then it started turning strange.  The last book nearly had me quitting the entire House of Night series but I thought I'd give it one last shot.  I received a copy of Destined from the book publisher and I'm glad I read it.  The House of Night is almost like watching a cheesy soap opera but instead, you're reading about it.  Some of it is so incredulous and you wonder how you can possibly watch another episode because its reaching new heights of ridonculous but curiosity always gets the best of you and you crack open the next book in the series.  

Let's talk Neferet.  How can this woman still be employed?  How does no one except for Zoey's herd nerd see how evil this woman is?  Has she truly escaped the scrutiny of all of her peers?  And, especially after the last stunt she pulled at the end of book #8?

I have to admit that I enjoyed Destined.  Sometimes the crazy talk and swearing bothers me.  I still wouldn't recommend it to a younger audience but the "teen talk" is identifiable for mid-teens to an older audience.  For those of you who are (ahem) in your 20's+, be forewarned...the bantering might start to drive you round the bend.  The story continues at the House of Night with Zoey's crew trying to prove that Neferet is indeed in league with Darkness and there are several deaths that gang need to deal with.  I was pleasantly surprised with the end and how quickly the pace picked up.  I will be waiting for Book #10 called Hidden coming out in October.  I'm such a sucker...hey, when you've invested this much time into a series, its hard to quit.  It's called A-D-D-I-C-T-I-O-N...yes, I'm one of those people easily influenced by an infomercial...

Oh, and one last thing...if you have never read a House of Night title, please don't start with book #9.  That's just silly.  If you're going to start part-way through, at least go with #1 or #2.