Reading With Tyler

Name: Loved
Series: House of Night Other World #1
Author: PC and Kristin Cast
Publisher: Head of Zeus
Format: Kindle
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Paranormal, Supernatural
Noted Tropes: Alternate Universe, Vampyres, The Chosen One, Magical School, Prophecy, Zombies
Steam or Spice: None

Rating:

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Review:

I believe that when this post goes up, there will still be reviews going up of the House of Night Series, but I didn’t read this book until after I finished that series – nothing was spoiled for me. That being said, this series is a sequel series to House of Night and so there will be spoilers for that series in the review.

Whose bright idea was it to put a bunch of newly 18 year olds in charge of the school? Well, Nyx I suppose. Zoey is, as we know, a High Priestess and she is now in charge of the Oklahoma House of Night. Some of the other members of the North American High Council she formed have separated across America so that they can run some other schools. The goal being, improve Human and Vampyre relations. Until Stark, Zoey’s warrior (and lover) calls them all back to surprise Zoey!

Naturally, that’s not the only surprise Zoey is in for as she’s visited in her dreams by previous bad guy – turned good guy, Kalona, warning her of potential evil. Let me tell you, something felt wrong right off the bat. Then Aphrodite pops up with a vision and it only adds to the confirmation that something is wrong. But first let’s begin with what that vision showed: Zombies. This series that has always been about Vampyres, fledglings and humans, has added Zombies into the mix. Kind of anyway. And the way that was initially pitched in the book didn’t have me excited for what was to come.

However, the Casts were quickly able to explain the presence of the Zombies and have them make sense. The way in which they did this? An alternate universe where the rules as we had come to know them, didn’t apply in the same way. One of the characters from the AU was called Kevin and he’s Zoey’s brother (in both worlds!) and so that was a really cool dynamic to get in this book as previously Zoey hasn’t exactly gotten on with most of her family and her siblings are scarcely mentioned.

I really like AU Kevin and I hope that the rest of the Other World series follows Kevin rather than Zoey and her team. That being said, if we end up with books from House of Night repeated but from Kevin’s point of view and world, I’ll be sorely disappointed. So, I hope whatever the Casts have in store for us, it’s different and unique (similarities are fine, but please! make it different!).

Grandma Redbird coming in once again and just being the sweetest, move loving and sympathetic grandmother there is! She always knew the right thing to say, and knew what was needed of her, when. This woman was wise and an absolute staple in the House of Night Series, and so I’m thrilled she’s back and just as she always has been.

I couldn’t give this book a high rating because, as someone who doesn’t like the real world blending into my books, I found that the Casts were making too many comparisons to the ‘MAGA’ campaign in America in the way LaFont was running for Mayor. I really could have done without it, and it sadly ruined the fantasy of the book for me. I understand the ‘write what you know’ premise, but at least disguise it better…

All in all, I enjoyed Loved and I liked revisiting characters that I thought were lost. I will continue the series at some point, because at the end of the day I’m a sucker for a magical school and vampyres. But it probably won’t be right away.

“Sometimes our spirit weeps. When it does you must work at comforting it, and then healing it.”