Cupid and Psyche

The book I'm reading has countless references to greek mithology, so I was intrigued to know more about it. And I happened to stumble on this sentence that means a lot to me:

"Darwin saw the butterfly as an apt emblem of the soul because it began as an earthbound caterpillar, 'died' into the pupal stage, and was then resurrected as a beautiful winged creature."

Destined, P.C. and Kristin Cast

Plot:

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.

My Opinion: It has spoilers!

'Destined' is the ninth book of the HoN sequel.
As expected, new characters are born/created while others die.

A good example is Aurox and Dragon.
Aurox is a weapon designed to follow Neferet's command, however due to the fact that Neferet's sacrifice was imperfect (Linda Heffer - Zoey's mom was the sacrifice), Nyx took the advantage and merged the Vessel's body with Heath's soul (Heath's request to reborn).
When Aurox faces with Zoey, he is able to feel!
Zoey is the button of Aurox's self-destruction as a weapon (Aurox takes the form of a bull, when corrupted by Darkness). Nonetheless Aurox is not gifted with Free Will and easily succumbs to the sharp tendrils of Darkness, killing Dragon - The Sword's Master.
Dragon faces a crossroad: 1) Kill Rephaim to vengeance his mate's death (Anastasia - The Rituals & Spells Mistress); 2) Protect Rephaim, as if he's a regular student, like a Sword's Master is expected to do.
Dragon's soul might be filled with anger and sorrow, but those feelings aren't strong enough to surrender to Darkness. Relying on his oath, Dragon saves Rephaim from Aurox in the middle of a ritual. Unfortunately he dies, double-breasted by one of Aurox's horns. Now, good side of things - Dragon is capable of meeting Anastasia in the Otherworld.

The splendid duet of Erin + Shaunee (the half-brained twins, metaphorically) is now told apart. Shaunee understands the harsh relationship some of us might have with parents. So she chooses to help Rephaim with his daddy issues.
To be honest there was no need for the duet to be told apart, if Erin learned to listen and to understand other people's point of view (She is the embodiment of the element Water - My favourite element! So I'm a little disappointed with her).

Erik, the jaw-dropping gorgeous boy with Hollywood expectations, sees himself wronged by Nyx because she made him a Tracker (a vampire that selects the humans who are destined to turn into vampires). When his instinct takes over control, he comes across a blind girl who is his target. Nothing goes according to plan, and Erik ends up turning the poor girl into a Red Vampire - then the Goddess gifts her with True Sight.

Lenobia - the horse's Mistress - is forced to accept the presence of a human in her stables. She falls slowly in love, as well as he does. But Lenobia holds a Vow, that keeps her away from humans in order to smooth the scars of her ancient soul. (I still need to read 'Lenobia's Vow' so I can't say much about her.)

Tenth book (Hidden) here I go!

'Destined' quotes

"I do not think. I do not feel. I am a weapon." Aurox, Chapter One, page 8

"I learned young that evil sometimes likes to be bragged about, even when it would be best if it kept a low profile. It has been my experience that Darkness's true struggle isn't against light and the strength of love and truth and loyalty. I think evil's greatest threat comes from its own pride and arrogance and greed. I've yet to see a bully who doesn't gloat, or a thief who doesn't brag. That's why they get caught. Darkness could get a lot more of its destructive work accomplished if it was more, shall we say, circunspect." Lenobia, Chapter Seven, pages 64/5

" 'No. Not a demon. I am Neferet's to command.' Aurox turned away then, leaving them behind, but he could not leave their words behind. They followed him down the hallway. He's a freak, they whispered. Something not right." Aurox, Chapter Twelve, page 130 

" 'Darkness does not always equate to evil. Light does not always bring good.' Maybe things aren't exactly as they appear." Rephaim, Chapter Sixteen, page 171

"Over more than one hundred years the one consistent thing I have found is that there really is no normal when it comes to women!" Dragon, Chapter Eighteen, page 201

"The dead move like the wind, or at least they do as they manifest to me. They are ethereal, diaphanous. They appear to have no real substance, though they are, indeed, very real." Thanatos, Chapter Twenty-Two, page 234

"It is admirable as well as understandable for you to desire justice. Let this be a lesson to the rest of you - there is a distinct difference between wanting to gain revenge and exact vengeance, and wanting the truth to shine forth so that justice for all is illuminated." Thanatos, Chapter Twenty-Five, page 271

"The question of what we are can only be answered by ourselves. We each decide what we are by the life choices we make. How we were made, who are parents are, where we are from, the color of our skin, who we choose to love, all those things do not define us. Our actions define us, and will keep defining us untill even after death." Thanatos, Chapter Twenty-Five, page 273

"Fear can be beneficial if it is tempered with common sense and courage." Thanatos, Chapter Twenty-Six, page 285

Torment, Lauren Kate

Plot:
Hell on earth.
That's what it's like for Luce to be apart from her fallen angel boyfriend, Daniel.
It took them an eternity to find one another, but now he has told her he must go away. Just long enough to hunt down the Outcasts - immortals who want to kill Luce. Daniel hides Luce at Shoreline, a school on the rocky California coast with unusually gifted students: Nephilim, the offspring of fallen angels and humans.
At Shoreline, Luce learns what the Shadows are, and how she can use them as windows to her previous lives. Yet the more Luce learns, the more she suspects that Daniel hasn't told her everything. He's hiding something - something dangerous.
What if Daniel's version of the past isn't actually true? What if Luce is really meant to be with someone else?
The second novel in the addictive FALLEN series...where love never dies.

My opinion: It has spoilers!
Torment is the second book of Fallen's sequel writen by Lauren Kate.
It is indeed an interesting story, however (in my point of view) this writer still has a long path to blaze through her writing career.
As odd as it sounds, her writing skills remind me of my own.
I'm really disappointed with the general male's personality - they all seem like little puppies trying to protect the main character.
However just like everything in life, this book has its perks.
Before anything else I would like to highlight a few quotes of Torment (This is me trying to translate quotes):
* "You need to trust that the ones that surround you will be faithful to their natures. Even when it may seems like they are betraying who they are."
* "The feeling of lonelyness in a big group of people is the worse kind of lonelyness, but I can't help it."
* "Luce already trusted in the wrong people. A thoughtless occupation at best. At worse, is a good way of being killed."
* "Daniel had adviced Luce to trust her instincts. But her feelings seemed very unreliable."
* "The fact of being connected to him forever, like a puppet to its puppetman."
What really caught my attention was the huge amoung of concepts between angels and demons.

I read this book in my idiom (shamely) so I'm not sure about its right terms in English.
Anyway, we have God and we have Lucifer. Lucifer is a fallen angel that rebelled against God - creating the free will.
Between the fallen angels, there's the ones that are actually angels (white wings) and there's the demons (golden wings).
The shadows are like 'portable videos'. They're appear to be irregular clouds of darkness that record important historic events. Later we get to know that we're able to travel through space and time by them.
Also, we find the Nephilim - half angel and half human creatures. Genious mortals that have been offered special gifts.
Finally we have creatures that were banished from heaven, as well as from hell. They are blind and their wings are painfully degenerating.

The supernatural world is facing an ancient war, that started with a forbidden love between a fallen angel and a mortal. Both of them were curse to endure a love that will never be.
In this book, Luce (the mortal girl) basically finds out more about her other lifes with Daniel (the fallen angel white winged).

All in all, the lesson is: how many lifes does we have to live to find someone that's worth dying for?

Awakened, P.C and Kristin Cast

Plot:
Exonerated by the Vampyre High Council and returned to her position of High Priestess at Tulsa's House of Night, Neferet has sworn vengeance on Zoey. Dominion over her immortal consort Kalona is only one of the weapons she plans to use against Z. But Zoey has found sanctuary on the Isle of Skye and is being groomed by Queen Sgiach to take over for her there. Being Queen would be cool, wouldn't it? Why should she return to Tulsa? After losing her human consort, Heath, she will never be the same - and her relationship with her super-hot-warrior, Stark, may never be the same either...
And what about Stevie Rae and Rephaim? The Raven Mocker refuses to be used against Stevie Rae, but what choice does he have when no one in the entire world, including Zoey, would be okay with their relationship? Does he betray his father or his heart? In the pulse-pounding 8th book in the bestselling House of Night series, how far will the bonds of friendship stretch and how strong are the ties that bind one girl's heart?

My Opinion: It has spoilers!

Awakened is the eighth book of House of Night's sequel. As amazing as it sounds, the story still surprises me in every turn of pages.
P.C. and Kristin Cast stretched out their horizons and wrote our delight story from other character's point of view. For example we have chapters destined to Jack's (Zoey's gay friend), Neferet's (Hight Priestest that turns her back to the Goddess) and Linda's (Zoey's mother) side of the story.
It's a win-win game, because there's no way that the reader gets bored while reading.

Zoey and Stark (her Warrior, Guardian, Boyfriend) decide to stick around the Isle of Skye for a few days, in order to recover their energies from the exhausting trip into the realm of Nyx.
However reality doesn't take long to succumb over their souls. Soon they start receiving calls from their freinds. They get to know that Jack is preparing a whole welcoming party - he has organized the events, he has made the decoration and he even is planing to sing 'Defying Gravity - Glee'.
I suspect that Jack has an afinity with Spirit (the purple element), but the book doesn't really mention it.
His soul is uncapable of being tainted, due to that fact Neferet kills him using his essence to pay her debts to Darkness. He dies with honour, defying gravity 'till the very end.
Damien (Jack's boyfriend) and Duchess (Jack's dog) break down and surrender to tears. Erik also cries for his dorm's partner death.
Neferet keeps looking for stronger and invincible weapons to start a war with humans. She has recently allied with the embodiment of Darkness - a white bull.
Kalona (a fallen angel that fell for his sin - obsession), after failing his mission to kill Zoey while her soul was shattered in the realm of Nyx, desperatly tries to break his oath with Neferet. When he realizes that his immortal being has never really belonged to her, he reclaimes his own freedom and walks the lonely path of rejection.
Kalona's favourite son - Rephaim - faces two harsh choices, whether to remain by his father's side (like he always has) or pay his life debt to Stevie Rae.
Meanwhile, Heath is given three choices for his future: 1) remain inside Nyx's domain, living a fake hapiness that slowly washes away his human memories; 2) the chance to live again, with a different body/memories/story; 3) incorporate the Vessel (named Aurox) that Neferet is summoning - as her brand new weapon. Excited with the thought of seeing Zoey once again, he choses the latter.
Since the murder of Anastasia, Dragon is in the middle of a crossroad, whether he joins Zoey's team to avoid a war with humans or let his rage take over control, not fulfilling his mate's promise.

All in all, I got to highlight the splendid writing style/ideas that these two american girls have.
I 'heart' P.C. and Kristin Cast!!!

'Awakened' quotes

"He'd been born of hate and lust, pain and Darkness. He was a monster. Not human. Not immortal. Not beast. Monster. Monsters didn't dream. Monsters didn't desire anything except blood and destruction. Monsters didn't - couldn't - know love or hapiness: they weren't created with that ability." Rephaim, Chapter seven, pages 64/5

"If there is one lesson I have learned over several lifetimes, it is that there is nothing that is unbreakable. Nothing. Not the strongest heart, not the purest soul - not even the most binding of oaths." Kalona, Chapter seven, pages 69-70

"No, what's insanity is steppin' aside and lettin' the bad guys win. (...) All I'm gonna say to you is this: evil wins when good folks do nothing." Stevie Rae, Chapter thirteen, page 137

"What you need to remember is this: the only person's actions you can control are you own. Protect your own. Stand up for what you believe in. That's it - that's all you can do." Mama Johnson, Chapter seventeen, page 185

"See with the soul and not your eyes
because to dance with beasts you
must penetrate their disguise."

"Beasts can be beautiful
Dreams become desires
Reality changes with reason"

"My mama used to pune her roses real fierce, and I thought she was gonna hurt them, maybe kill them. When I asked her about it she told me sometimes you have to cut away the old stuff to make room for the new. Maybe it's time to cut away some old stuff." Stevie Rae, Chapter Twenty-three, page 250

"I'm going to give you a choice between three futures. You may choose one of the three, but know before you hear the choices that once you decide upon a path, the outcome is not set - it is only your decision that is set. What happens thereafter is left up to chance and fate and the resources of your soul." Nyx, Chapter Twenty-four, page 275

"If I begin taking away free will and controlling the decisions of my sons and daughters, when does it end? Will I not simply become puppet master, and my children marionettes?" Nyx, Chapter Twenty-five, page 277

"So is God a girl, or did my sins send me to Hell? (...)
Here we are not worried with past sins. Here, in my Otherworld, we care only about your spirit and what essence it chooses to carry with it: Light or Darkness. It is a simple thing, really." Linda and Nyx, Chapter Twenty-six, page 289

At First Sight, by Nicholas Sparks

Plot:
There are a few things Jeremy Marsh was sure he’d never do: he’d never left New York City; never given his heart away after barely surviving one failed marriage; andhad  never become a parent. Now Jeremy is living in the tiny town of Boone Creek, North Carolina, engaged to Lexie Darnell, the love of his life, and anticipating the start of their family. But just as his life seems to be settling into a blissful pattern, a mysterious and disturbing e-mail sets off a chain of events that will change the course of this young couple’s relationship. How well do we really know the ones we love? How do we handle the inevitable doubts, fears concerning parenthood, and stumbling blocks that are sometimes placed in our way? Continuing the story of the young couple introduced in Sparks’s bestselling True Believer, this novel captures all the heartbreak, tension, romance and surprises of those who are newly wed. An astonishing tale about the love between a man and a woman and between a parent and a child, At First Sight is about endings that bring new beginnings . . . tragedies that lead to unexpected joy . . . and, most of all, the magic of everlasting love.

My Opinion: 'It has spoilers'
'At First Sight' it's the sequel of 'True Believer'.
First of all, let's recall a few basic things about the story:
1) Jeremy is incapable of having children, at least that's what the doctors say. The only person who knows that is Lexie, his fiancée.
2) 'True Believer' ends with Lexie confessing to Jeremy that "They are having a girl!" - proving to Jeremy that miracles are out there and that many things in life can't be explained by scientific facts or theories.
3) Jeremy writes articles for a NY's magazine. His articles reveal the truth and offer an explanation for paranormal phenomena that happen,which can be fictional or even fake. In other words, an opportunity showed up in South Carolina, in a village called Boone Creek (a fictinal town - created by Nicholas Sparks) where the dwellers believed that, in a foggy night, the ghosts of their ancestors appeared inside the grave borders, claiming to protect the village that once belonged to them. In 'True Believer' Jeremy finds out what's causing the ghostly lights to appear, while he falls in love with a woman that works in the local library.

After deciding to live with Lexie (in her small little town), Jeremy begins to feel the difficulty of dealing with her pregnancy, the slow refurbishment of their future house, the preparations for the wedding and the fact that in small towns there's no secrets or any privacy. With this overwhelming tension Jeremy ends up not knowing what to write, risking to be fired.

As expected there's a few ups and downs in their relationship:
1) Lexie starts to visit her childhood friend - Ronnie - intending to find out where is Rachel - she ran away, right after arguing with Ronnie. When Jeremy is driving through town, he accidently sees the two of them holding hands. Meanwhile Jeremy receives two twisted e-mails which ask if Lexie is really carrying his baby (and connecting the dots - his trust in Lexie is put to test)
2) At his bachelor party, he gets to know the identity of those e-mails - which is his friend and work partner Alvin - and that Rachel spent a couple of days with him, in NY. Taking the advantage of being in NY, Jeremy walks by his parents house and discovers that Lexie has been sending letters - mainly about how the wedding's preparations were going, how's going to look their future house and that both of them were happy and healthy. His love for Lexie increases and sets his soul on fire.
3) They have a small wedding in a beach with their closest friends and family. As the tension and excitement sets down a little bit, Jeremy is once again able to write articles (being this way able to support his family). Now it's time for the trips to the hospital for doing the scans. The doctor tells them that the baby is healthy. However the amniotic band is freely swimming around the baby and if it fixes to any part of the baby, she might have some disabilities (not being able to run or throwing a ball) or may even die. It's a harsh time for the young couple, but when it's time to bring to the light another life, Lexie's life is traded by her own daughter.

The best part of the book is when Jeremy is able to accept her lover's death and take care of his daughter. Everyday he recalls details of Lexie in Claire, and when she is struck with nightmares, Jeremy brings her to the cemetery where he saw Lexie for the first time, where he met the supposed ghosts of Lexie's parents and the reason why he came to Boone Creek. After that foggy night, Claire has never woken up screaming again.

Movie quote

"I think that's bullshit! Total bullshit! You met somebody. Somebody very cool, from the sound, does it? How many weekends have we spent driving around looking for exactly that thing? And it never happens! It never happens... But it did. So now what? You go one bump and you gonna bill. Put your hands up and walk away. (...) No it wasn't. It was sex. One time. The first time. You don't know anything from that. You gonna tell me you don't think it worths giving one more shot? You think it's about letting go. No! It's about sticking with it and be a man. And I don't mean it no bullshit way, like you're tough or you're a dick. Being a real man! (...) You're. You're a man. Now act like it!"

This quote is from a movie called 'The First Time'. And this line is said by a friend of the main character (that I can't recall the name), when Dave (the main character) is talking with his friends about what he felt while doing It.

It happens that most teenagers (if not all) dream about having sex in their heads. However, when they find the guts to actually do it, it's not a big deal or it turned out to be a complete disaster.
What lead us, teenagers, to want it so much?
1) Blame the hormones!
2) Blame the porn videos/movies/books!
3) Blame the society's way of thinking!

Burned, of P.C. and Kristin Cast

Plot:
Things have turned black at the House of Night. Zoey Redbird's soul has shattered. With everything she's ever stood for falling apart, and a broken heart making her want to stay in the Otherworld forever, Zoey's fading fast. It seems more and more doubtful that she will be able to pull herself back together in time to rejoin her friends and set the world right. As the only living person who can reach her, Stark must find a way to get to her. But how? He will have to die to do so, the Vampire High Council stipulates. And then Zoey will give up for sure. There are only 7 days left... Enter BFF Stevie Rae. She wants to help Z but she has massive problems of her own. The rogue Red Fledglings are acting up, and this time not even Stevie Rae can protect them from the consequences. Her kinda boyfriend, Dallas, is sweet but too noisy for his own good. Then truth is, Stevie Rae's hiding a secret that might be the key to getting Zoey home but also threatens to explode her whole world. In the middle of the whole mess is Aphrodite: ex-Fledgling, human, trust-fund baby, total hag from Hell (and proud of it). She's always been blessed (if you could call it that) with visions that can reveal the future, but now it seems Nyx has decided to speak through her with the goddess's own voice, whether she wants it or not. Aphrodite's loyalty can swing a lot of different ways, but right now Zoey's fate hangs in the balance.
Three girls... playing with fire... if they don't watch out, everyone will get Burned.

My opinion:
In the seventh book of HON sequel we can 'embody' many more character's perspectives, such as, the almighty Kalona.
As it is said in the plot, we have three different 'intrigues' going on, linked by friendship bonds.
The main one is about Zoey. At the moment, she is inside Nyx's realm, also called the Otherworld - a place where souls are trapped and unable to move on, due to unfinished businesses left behind on Earth.
Zoey isn't dead! But that's a truth that Neferet definitely wants to eliminate. That's the reason why she sends her lover - Kalona - to the Otherworld, trapping his body with webs, made of darkness.
Pieces of Zoey's soul are scattered through Nyx's realm. She better re-unite them before her body starts to perish, but it's a harsh task to accomplish, especially after witnessing her consort's death - Heath.
In one way or another, Stark succeeds and enters into Nyx's realm. First of all, he needs to find Heath and tell him that he must move on to a better place - Heaven-, where he can rest in peace, and also help Zoey to re-join her lost soul pieces.
However it turns out to be the other way around. Right before Heath leaves Nyx's domain, he promises to return to Zoey, no matter what, in this life or in the next one.
Stark also comes up with a prophecy that turns out to be a map about how to return to the real world, while fighting against Kalona.
Zoey finally recovers her sanity and (all alone) she puts together all her missing soul pieces. Meanwhile Stark is fighting against the immortal being, and transforms himself into a Guardian - Shaman.
Both of them return home safe and sound.

Stevie Rae's story is the one that excited me the most.
Rephaim pays back his life debt, by saving Stevie Rae from being toasted under the sunlight. And both of them accidently create an Imprint! Which also proves that the Darkness inside Rephaim's body can be controlled.
The fact that Rephaim discovers the true meaning of love is a pretty moving chapter.
Despite of being born out of a violent and cruel act of rape, Rephaim has the Free Will to choose between his father's path (Kalona - Fallen Angel - Immortal) or standing by Stevie Rae's side.
Being two sides of the same coin, Rephaim and Stevie Rae help each other, find out a way of getting back, both Zoey and Kalona alive.
When the mission is finally accomplished, they face an inconvenient truth. Their love might not be accepted neither by the figure of Light nor by Darkness.

All in all, it was an enjoyable book to read, filled with ups and downs, just like a rollercoaster. I hope this sequel NEVER ENDS!
Thank you very much, P.C.and Kristin Cast you have made my teenage life more interesting every minute that goes by.

Night Fury's Oath

Shot and beated down,
forgotten in enemy's ground.
Wearing a dirty, torn, black dress,
with a perfect angelic body injured.
Time for the life withing her to be claimed
Shall she be chosen between Light and Darkness.

Claws and fangs lurking within the night,
battlefield revealed by the moonlight.
A sky's creature stalks these lands,
looking for his mistress.

Scars turning back into smooth skin,
(as the cure being a moist lick)

Pleasure and tension are shared by the blood bond,
wiping tears and any trace of fear away.

But it's a high price to pay,
In order to keep the world's balance,
If someone lives,
Somebody had to die!

Stealing a truthful passionate kiss,
the loyal Night Fury
offers his heart
so as to save his mistress' life.

Resting a delicate pale hand
on his chest, covered with black feathers,
(which moves up and down
in such an eerie speed)
the fallen angel screams her legacy
Freedom!

Her eyes become white,
her heart stops beating,
her body returns to the sky,
her seed full fills its transition.

Ripping out her mom's heart
'the source of an immortal's power'
and devouring it, like a famished cub,
The Nephilum rises
and a new era begins.