*This review likely contains spoilers for those who have not read the first eleven House of Night books. You've been warned.
Despite the fact that everyone seems to hate the House of Night series (I will never understand why people who hate a series continue to read and bash the books, but whatever), I LOVED these books. Go on, judge me; I don't care. The first three weren't the best, but from the fourth book on, I was really impressed. Very few series have been this fun to read. Redeemed is the twelfth and final book, and I must say I'm sad that Zoey Redbird's story has reached its end. However, I found that Redeemed was quite satisfying. I flew right through it.
The end of the previous novel, Revealed, was a bit crazy, so right away it's apparent that Zoey really has to get her shit together before Neferet and Darkness take over the world. In order to restore balance, she must also be balanced, and she and her friends are running out of time. Once again the Cast women write through multiple narrations to tell the story, so Zoey's resolution isn't the only one to look forward to: Kalona and Aurox/Heath notably take the spotlight at times, and I must admit that the twists revolving around these two characters truly surprised me and had me gasping/OMG-ing. (Anyone catch the 'true love' thing at the end? Anybody?) We also get an interesting new relationship.
Even aside from all this, my favorite aspects of this series are found full force. The characters are humorous and continue their growth quite smoothly, and of course, the magick. I have always loved the spellcasting of the House of Night and how it relies on the elements and circle-casting; it's so interesting and fun! Granted Nyx's vampyres tend to get in on most of the action in this department, but it always made me happy to see the humans get involved in their own way, be it through Aphrodite's visions, Grandma Redbird's smudging, or the nuns' prayers. The House of Night series has always seemed to encourage spiritual unity, and it's quite prevalent in Redeemed.
The afterward/epilogue brings a sense of finality to a series full of chaos, and I thought it was lovely to check in on the Nerd Herd as adults in action and see how they made a difference among vampyre and human communities. I realize that a lot of people hated on this series so hard because the characters are so silly... but what does it matter? It's amusing, and furthermore, there are a lot of silly people in the world. As the Cast women enforce, it's about the purity of one's intentions and whether or not they intend to do good in the world. The House of Night series preaches love and forgiveness, hence the title of the last book being Redeemed, and I'll always hold it in high regard. This long series finished up well.
"Merry meet, merry part, and merry meet again."
Despite the fact that everyone seems to hate the House of Night series (I will never understand why people who hate a series continue to read and bash the books, but whatever), I LOVED these books. Go on, judge me; I don't care. The first three weren't the best, but from the fourth book on, I was really impressed. Very few series have been this fun to read. Redeemed is the twelfth and final book, and I must say I'm sad that Zoey Redbird's story has reached its end. However, I found that Redeemed was quite satisfying. I flew right through it.
The end of the previous novel, Revealed, was a bit crazy, so right away it's apparent that Zoey really has to get her shit together before Neferet and Darkness take over the world. In order to restore balance, she must also be balanced, and she and her friends are running out of time. Once again the Cast women write through multiple narrations to tell the story, so Zoey's resolution isn't the only one to look forward to: Kalona and Aurox/Heath notably take the spotlight at times, and I must admit that the twists revolving around these two characters truly surprised me and had me gasping/OMG-ing. (Anyone catch the 'true love' thing at the end? Anybody?) We also get an interesting new relationship.
Even aside from all this, my favorite aspects of this series are found full force. The characters are humorous and continue their growth quite smoothly, and of course, the magick. I have always loved the spellcasting of the House of Night and how it relies on the elements and circle-casting; it's so interesting and fun! Granted Nyx's vampyres tend to get in on most of the action in this department, but it always made me happy to see the humans get involved in their own way, be it through Aphrodite's visions, Grandma Redbird's smudging, or the nuns' prayers. The House of Night series has always seemed to encourage spiritual unity, and it's quite prevalent in Redeemed.
The afterward/epilogue brings a sense of finality to a series full of chaos, and I thought it was lovely to check in on the Nerd Herd as adults in action and see how they made a difference among vampyre and human communities. I realize that a lot of people hated on this series so hard because the characters are so silly... but what does it matter? It's amusing, and furthermore, there are a lot of silly people in the world. As the Cast women enforce, it's about the purity of one's intentions and whether or not they intend to do good in the world. The House of Night series preaches love and forgiveness, hence the title of the last book being Redeemed, and I'll always hold it in high regard. This long series finished up well.
"Merry meet, merry part, and merry meet again."
