Hidden: A House of Night Novel

I have read all of the House of Night (HON) books. I have to say that this was truly my favorite! There were so many wonderful parts of the book! I read it relatively fast considering all that is going on in my life. I re-read the 8th and 9th books before getting this one, so I was up to date on what was happening! Like I said there were so many great parts to this book! Many wonderful things happened to the characters which they deserve. There is always bad stuff happening, and now a few good things come out amongst the bad! Some of my favorite things in this book are (SPOILER ALERT!!! Do not read any further if you haven't read the book yet!): * I love that Kalona went to the side of Love and Light! * It seems like Kalona will get a second chance with Nyx (can't wait to find out in the next book!!) * It was very interesting that the circle lost Water (Erin) but found a good replacement (Shaunee)! * Neferet finally had to pay for some of the bad stuff she did (Can't wait to find out in the next book!!!) * Aphrodite is so funny! She makes me laugh out loud while reading!!! * Aurox and his struggle is wonderful too! * Thantos makes a great High Prestess! * Grandma Redbird was (as always) a wonderful presence in the book! * Damien may have found someone too (again can't wait to find out in the next book!)!! * A new character was introduced- Erebus straight from the Otherworld. There has been mention of him in previous books, but he actually has a part in this book! * The last scene is amazing!!!! I love it when Stark tells Zoey to look into the mirror and Zoey says I know what Heath looks like. I got tingles. I highlight passages that I really enjoy, and I highlighted a bunch of Aphrodite's comments as well as that last few pages! I read the last 20% of the book faster than I have read any other book. I was literally on the edge of my seat. I have tons of homework to do, but I could not do homework until I knew what happened! Seriously, BEST HON EVER! I have really loved all of them, and have read the novellas and fledgling handbook. I can't get enough of this series. I am sad that the next book doesn't come out until fall 2013. The Cast ladies left the series in a great place where just about anything can happen. Will Neferet live? Will everyone live happily ever after? What will happen with Damien and his new guy? Will Kalona ever be forgiven by Nyx? Is Erebus going to be a permanent character? I do not think my review even does justice with this book. Finally some positive things are happening to Zoe and her Nerd Herd! Thank you P. C. & Kristin Cast for a great story!!

Best series I've read in a long time I love these book.

I almost didn't buy this latest book in the series when I read some of the reviews. I heard many laments of 'filler' and deterioration of values and content. I have found this disappointment with other authors. I must say that is NOT the case here. The depth of research into the reverence and history of the wise woman along with many character twists are a realistic way of showing readers change is the results of choices made. The richness of background shows research and respect of the cultures depicted. I found Zoey's continuous inner dialogue realistic, unlike the hero of action movies. Zoey's self doubt, desire to be just be a 'normal' kid is realistic and doesn't set up impossible standards for young adults filled with self doubt to try to follow. The multiple plot twists and further definition and growth of characters are well paced and well written. The only downside would be the too convenient replacement of Erin from Zoey's inner circle who, along with an unusual gift of her own just happens to also have a water affinity- too contrived. A few trial and errors perhaps, replacing Erin with Nicole would have been a bit more plausible. I have read other complaints regarding the character Aphrodite; her vocabulary, attitude and skirting the border of substance abuse. This again, is a correlation of today's world. This girl's background was a way of showing that people aren't what they appear. Even 'poor little rich girls' can grow up in an abusive atmosphere and are just as needy of guidance in morals,healthy relationships and in learning how to trust. The substance abuse is a dangerous topic well handled. Many kids stray due to experimentation and fall into an abyss difficult if not impossible to climb out of. Other kids are simply following in the footsteps of their parents whose hypocrisy doesn't comprehend their addiction to prescription drugs and alcohol is no different than drugs on the street except for what happens when you get caught. In closing, from learning in the past this series is written by a mother daughter team comprised of a career high school teacher and her daughter a college student shows the love and experience the authors have for teens. This is demonstrated throughout their works. The authors know and understand all too well the pain of the emerging adult and painful transition of adolescence. This mother daughter team shows a respect, compassion and understanding while spinning a great tale deserving of two thumbs up!

I think Hidden is a good addition to the House of Night series. I really like Shaunee more now that she's on her own. She's a much better character now and she uses her brain more. I'm still not sure what I think of Shaylin. She's just kind of there. She's part of Zoey's group, but she's not very interesting yet. Erik (Zoey's ex-boyfriend) is in this one for a bit and he annoys me. He's still a self-centered jerk. One of the main characters changes a lot in this book. I was surprised about it and disappointed in her. I get little too into the characters sometimes and think of them as actual people. *shrug* This character wasn't ever one of my favorites, but the change was pretty abrupt. There is more death in this book. They've been killing someone, or something, off in each one. To balance it, two characters have been given love interests. I hope it works out for them as the series continues. This one has quite a bit of action because of the showdown with Neferet. It's crazy that it took this long for the vampire council to realize that she's evil. Have they not seen her? Zoey and her friends have to throw everything they have at her in order to save someone they love. I was slightly disappointed with how the book ended, but I knew they wouldn't be able to kill her off that easily.

Amazing book series! The book itself came in perfect condition. I love hardback books as its easy to have my on bookshelf.

Just finished reading Hidden. And the first word the comes to mind is "WOW". It took me just 2 days to read it and that was with working full time, taking care of my son who just had surgery and even helping him with his homework. It was so hard putting it down. So on to my review. SO much happened throughout this installment. I am not going to give my synopsis, because I know other readers have already done that. There was so much action, sadness, shockers, happiness, and even disappointments. It was so well written, it reminded me of the first House of Night books that I so loved. After reading the past few of them, I was thinking that PC & Kristin Cast could have ended the series already. Some of them I have to say seemed to feel like filler books. BUT being such a HON huge loyal fan, I never gave up. And I have to tell you I am sooooo glad I didn't give up. This was such an amazing book. There wasn't anything I didn't love about it. The story was great in that I enjoyed how the plot was going. The characters, I loved them all, even though seeing the downfall of some of the character, made me sad, seeing the turn around of others made all the difference. I loved seeing all the characters interact again. Of course one of my favorite characters is Aphrodite. I can't get enough of her comments and her interactions with Zoey, the Nerd Herd and even Shaylin. She had me laughing throughout. And seeing Stark and Zoey together and how much they've both grown and the love they share helps Zoey through all her trials through out this book. And of course, let's not forget Neferet. Seeing how out of control she is was shocking. How low she's gone and how evil she's become is shocking. All in all, I would say this was one of my favorites in a while. The last few seemed slower but Hidden got us back on track. So much happened and it left us wanting to read the next one.

Yet another amazing book in this series. This has become my most favorite book series that I have ever read so far. Unlike so many other books, its not fluff, it really has a great story, and often when you re-read it you will find plenty of things you missed the first time. The series delves into all sorts of issues from the expected love and friendship etcetera, to more intricate issues that most books don't delve into much like religion and tolerance and being truthful and trusting, things many people won't touch with a ten foot pole, and it does so in a way that's very relatable to most readers. I would recommend this book to anyone from people just entering their teens to adults of any age as well, as the books are entertaining, informative, and have a very positive message running just under the surface of the main plot throughout the entire series.

Awesome