Reading Princess: P.C. & Kristin Cast's novella, Kalona's Fall

Welcome readers! We are here on this lovely Thursday to review another House of Night novella, Kalona's Fall.

 

(Click the photo to purchase your own copy via Amazon)

This is the latest installment in the House of Night Series and, by far, my personal favorite. Kalona is a fallen immortal and anti-hero of the series. Much like Neferet's Curse (my review of that novella is here), novella is an origin story. 

Check out a snippet from the House of Night website below:

In KALONA’S FALL, the shadows in Kalona’s past will finally come to light… We will learn about the winged immortal’s secret history and discover how he went from being the Goddess’s Warrior and Guardian to her enemy and betrayer. Did Darkness taint Kalona as it did Neferet, or has the powerful immortal always preferred power over honor, and control over faith? This novella will be crucial to fans’ understanding of Kalona, before his role in the explosive final installment of the House of Night, REDEEMED coming in October 2014.

Ah-ha! Besides this novella being insanely wonderful, this book also has a lot of key character information that is supposed to play a big part in the final novel. Exciting!

Kalona has been a favorite character of mine since his debut in Untamed, the fourth book in the house of night series. He started out as a "conduit of evil" but his character has progressed and developed by leaps and bounds since that early novel. I love Kalona's sassy dialogue that covers his more trusting and loving nature.

The only fault I had with Kalona's Fall was that I felt the first few chapters were very stiff. It almost read like the first few verses of the book of Genesis in the Bible, but not quite as memorable. This novel also follows the classic "trials of three" trope which is a little played out, in my opinion.

In conclusion, I found Kalona's Fall to be a great read with lots of character information for Kalona. 

I give Kalona's Fall 4 out 5 crowns!

PRINCESS APPROVED!

 Be sure to leave comments below!

Princess K, out!

Reading Princess: P.C. and Kristin Cast's novelle, Neferet's Curse

I have been burning through the House of Night series this past week. Two full novels and two novellas. So good that I could not put them down!

Ah, books. :)

Anyway, this week's review is for the House of Night novella, Neferet's Curse.

Order your copy from Amazon here.

Here is a snippet from the House of Night website:

The White City, 1893: In turn-of-the-century Chicago, with the World’s Fair bringing bustle and excitement to her home city, sixteen-year-old Emily Wheiler should be reveling in her youthful beauty and the excitement around her. But her whole life changed when her mother died, leaving her to be the Lady of Wheiler House. Her father, a powerful bank president, is at the center of an important social hub for the booming young city, and he needs Emily to do everything her mother would have – to be a good hostess and make sure the mansion runs smoothly.
As Emily uneasily tries to replace her mother, she also longs for more… for love and a life of her own. When a handsome young man notices her at one of her father’s parties, it seems that her hopes may finally be coming true. Until her father forbids her to see him – or any other man – and starts revealing a darkly violent side that even he can’t understand.
At last, afraid for her life and with nowhere to turn, Emily is Marked by a vampyre and brought to the Chicago House of Night, where she begins a magickal new life that should allow the wounds from her past to heal. But as she gains strength, and a powerful new name, she carries a dark need to wreak vengeance on the man she trusted most.
From victim to High Priestess, beautiful young woman to powerful seductress, Neferet’s journey begins in NEFERET’S CURSE…

This novella follows the origin story of the series' villain, Neferet. Neferet has been one of my favorite characters since the series began and I love finding out more and more about her past. She is such a complex character with many trials and personal tragedies that lead into who she is at the series beginning.

I love period writing in the Victorian age and this book does deliver. Set in the late 1800s Chicago, Neferet's Curse outlines the life of Emily, the daughter of socially elite man who just lost his wife. This novel does have some dark and violent themes so I would not suggest it to anyone who has deep problems with the ideas of incest or rape.

I thought that some of the themes would not be fitting for the YA genre but the writing is so very subtle when it comes to these issues and there are no vividly graphic scenes.

In the end, Neferet's Curse was the perfect companion to the HON series and I recommend it to anyone who loves a good villain's origin story.

I give Neferet's Curse 4 out of 5 crowns!

PRINCESS APPROVED!

Read on, interwebbers and be sure to check out the House of Night Series by P.C. & Kristin Cast.

Princess K, out! 

Reading Princess: P.C. and Kristen Cast's House of Night novel, Hidden.

What a week! I talked about the tragic (or lack thereof) things from my childhood, undertook a new fitness challenge, and made some delicious muffins!

Now it is Thursday and we have a new book review! This time I am starting with a new series of books that I have been reading over the years.

The House of Night series by P.C. & Kristen Cast!

There are currently 11 novels in this series, with the 12th and final book coming out in October. The Casts have also released 4 novellas and the Fledgling Handbook to supplement the series. Boy, they sure have been busy!

A little back story on this series since I am beginning this series of posts towards the end: House of Night takes place in a world where Vampyres are commonplace and humans can be marked to become a fledgling. The series follows Zoey Redbird, a teen in Tulsa, Oklahoma and her adventures into this new world of Vampyres, immortals, and goddesses.

Click on the cover to purchase your own copy of HON Hidden from Amazon.com!

Here is a summary straight from the houseofnightseries.com:

Hidden, the tenth installment of the series, the stakes are higher than ever before.

Neferet’s true nature has been revealed to the Vampyre High Council, so Zoey and the gang might finally get some help in defending themselves and their beloved school against a gathering evil that grows stronger every day. And they’ll need it, because Neferet’s not going down without a fight. Chaos reigns at the House of Night.


As with all of the House of Night books, this novel is rife with pop culture references, humor, and a fight between light and dark alongside the struggles of teenagers. I found all the characters delightful and having grown from one book to another. Without giving too much away, I am worried for one character who may be switching sides! (GASP!) The cliff hanger in this novel is not nearly as sharp as many of the other books but I was still relieved that the next book in the series is already out.

CONS:
The only issues with this book, to me, are that the pop culture references are going to become severely dated within a short span of time and that the "teenager drama" is still a little too prevalent. These people are fighting a timeless, ancient evil but the main character is still worrying about her ex-boyfriend? I suppose it adds an air of humanity and relate-ability to these characters but I believe it tends to overshadow the true story line.

Overall, I found Hidden to be a fun and sassy read. I give it 3.5 out of 5 crowns!

PRINCESS APPROVED!

I will continue to read and review the remainder of the House of Night novels and novellas in the coming weeks. 

Leave your own comment below or suggest a book!

Princess K, out!

Reading Princess: John Green's "Paper Towns"

Hello all!

As a Princess, I believe it is important to further my knowledge through reading....and its just fun!
I'm sure most of you have seen the new movie The Fault in Our Stars.

 

EXCELLENT movie! Jeremy and I saw it in theaters and I am not ashamed to say that I bawled like a school girl in public over this film.

Anyway, I had read The Fault in our Stars several months before the film was released.

Yeah, I sobbed through the end of the book, too. Jeremy was actually like:

OK, enough GIFs! The point is: I loved The Fault in Our Stars so much (besides viciously deleting my kindle copy from my library in a fit of rage) that I had to read more of John Green's novels.

So, the next trip to Barnes and Noble led to the purchase of Paper Towns. (Which is also getting a movie?! STFU!)

(Click the image to buy your own copy from barnesandnoble.com!)

Now, John Green is known for his unique take on the "coming of age"/"American high school" story genre. Green is a mad genius for his ability to engage his characters in unique, and in this novel, highly hilarious scenarios while all the while leading the reader to a grand philosophical turning point.

Summary from John Green's Website:

"Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she cracks open a window and climbs back into his life–dressed like a ninja and summoning him for an ingenious campaign of revenge–he follows. 
After their all-nighter ends and a new day breaks, Q arrives at school to discover that Margo, always an enigma, has now become a mystery. But Q soon learns that there are clues–and they’re for him. Urged down a disconnected path, the closer he gets, the less Q sees of the girl he thought he knew."

This book is down right....hilarious! From the "World's Largest Black Santa Collection" to the night of mischief that Margo drags Q through, Paper Towns had me rolling with laughter not even 15 pages in!
While Paper Towns does follow the idea of a "coming of age" genre that is so popular today, it does not revolve around a tragic love story/triangle (how refreshing!)  Not only do we find the hilarity in what we think could be the impossible, but we are also shown that it is never too late to do something outside of your comfort zone...or just plain crazy!
One point I saw very interesting in Paper Towns was the concept of mirrors and windows. Q says something to the effect of everyone looking out into the world only really sees a mirror of what it is they want to see. (I swear, next time, I will actually write this quote down!) This is also true for the way we look at people. We project this image of what we want them to be, mirroring our wants, and that is what we see.
This concept got me thinking about my relationship with Jeremy. I have known him for almost ten years and I realize that in the beginning, I only saw him as a mirror of my own desires. However, as time as progressed and we have grown closer and farther and then closer still, the mirror has begun to crack and break, bit by bit. Where there is no mirror, there is only a window and now I see more and more of him for what he really is. The more of that mirror that fall away, the more I fall in love for things that are uniquely him. I know that the mirror will never fall away completely, but I feel the more time we spend together, the more I will be able to see him as he is.

I highly recommend Paper Towns by John Green to just about anyone and give it 5 out of 5 crowns!

PRINCESS APPROVED!

I intend to read the rest of John Green's books before the end of the year, so check back soon for more reviews!

Until next time, 

Princess K 

NEW HARRY POTTER STORY!!!

OHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGOD!!!!

J.K. ROWLING HAS PUBLISHED A NEW SHORT STORY ONLINE! GO READ IT! NOW!
http://mic.com/articles/93087/j-k-rowling-just-released-a-new-harry-potter-story-online?utm_source=policymicFB&utm_medium=main&utm_campaign=social

Ok.....read it?
Wasn't it awesome?! It's been so long since Harry was that little boy under the stairs. *sniff* And.....did you catch the "possible" teaser of a new book coming out July 31st?! :D

Leave a comment about what you thought!