Hunted (House of Night, #5)

by P.C. Cast

and my weird dreams, I’d created bottles of brown pop hanging from the limbs like bizarre fruit, just waiting for me to pick them.

This is a serious, prophetic dream, and then they add in this nonsense.

At the edge of the meadow, just inside the shadows of the trees,

Why do vamp books always have to have meadows

“Yeah, I know you. I made you up. This is my dream. You’re a mixture of Zac and Johnny.”

“What do you want?” I said the words quickly so he couldn’t hear my voice shaking. “You know what I want, my love. I want you.”

GOD BOYFRIEND NUMBER 5. HOW MANY LOVE INTEREST CAN ONE GIRL HAVE?????????

I could feel the chill that came from his unsubstantial body.

can you not find a synonym??

“No! You must have me mixed up with someone else. I’m not A-ya.” “You’re wrong, my love. I feel her within you.”

You see. Now she's even MORE extra special.

Even though his physical form was only semi-substantial,

PICK ANOTHER WORD

You like the pain. It brings you pleasure.” His wings got more insistent, his body harder and colder

We all knew she was kinky after book 4

Looking at sleeping Stevie Rae I found it almost impossible to believe that just a few hours ago she’d had an arrow sticking through her chest and we had had to escape from the House of Night

You're telling me this book starts only HOURS after the last ended. So if we're keeping track it's only still only been two months and a few days since she came o the house of night.

“Please. His warrior-ness is obvious. He’s built like a mountain,” Shaunee had said, giving Darius an appreciative leer.

Have we ever learned what Darius looks like aside from tall and buff?

Shaunee is a caramel-colored

enough. Every freaking book.

have to explain after you’re fixed up and not en brochette anymore.” “En—Huh?” Shaunee said. “Bro—What?” Erin said.

This is so tired

Jack gasped and fell back against Damien,

surprised she hasn't mentioned they're gay yet

Oh, Jack and Damien are a couple. Which means they’re gay teenagers. Hello. It happens. More often than you’d expect. Wait, scratch that. It happens more often than parents expect.

Good lord. There it is

“Damien, maybe you and Jack could, uh, go back to that kitchen you found and see if you can whip up something for us to eat,”

Because the gay boys are too faint of heart to see blood.

glaringly silver knobs, muttering that he hoped it could pick up something down here. “Where’s Venus?” Stevie Rae asked Erik. It obviously hurt for her to talk, and her voice had gone all shaky. Erik had glanced back toward the round, blanket-draped entrance to the room that served as a door, which was empty.

Can i skip this. We know they remove the arrow. Does it matter how? This just serves to clunkily reintroduce all the characters, but I finished untamed two days ago, I don't need this. Don't think i'd need it if it had been two years.

I mean, Aphrodite had even leaned suggestively into Darius, who wrapped an arm around her and bent to kiss her as Stevie Rae continued sucking on her wrist.

I mean, she could also be kissing Stevie Rae

I felt guilty watching, even though there was an undeniably sexy beauty to what was happening between them.

“Interesting . . . to think some guys would really find that a turn-on.” Damien had come into the room behind

bruh

Darius managed to break the kiss, pulling Aphrodite close to him and holding her tight against his chest. “Priestess, this will humiliate her,”

Then why did you make out with her while she's getting vamp oral from Stevie Rae?

I’d felt a prickle of unease skitter down my spine at the shocked expression on Aphrodite’s face, which turned out to be an accurate premonition of weirdness to come.

She's just had her first lesbian experience and now she's confused about her sexuality lol

Before they could answer Aphrodite spoke up. “Uh, no blood for me. I have one word for that: disgusting. But I will take the booze.”

Maybe water would have been a good idea

“I was just going to say how interesting it is that Stevie Rae and Aphrodite have Imprinted.”

Now this is interesting lol

“Z? You killed someone?” Jack asked.

3 someones but we don't remember the two human guys she yeeted into traffic

Venus was sleek and sexy in a pair of tight designer jeans and a simple cropped black tank that had a rhinestone skull’s head on it.

God that was "sleek" in the 2000s

Okay, dying and un-dying hadn’t improved this kid any. He was still pudgy and

A short, Hispanic guy who looked seriously thuggish with his sagging pants and his multiple piercings nodded his head, sending his thick dark hair waving around his face.

Really? You can't have a poc man without making him "thuggish" This is like the 3rd time she's described a man of color this way. And the last two she murdered in cold blood.

“Dallas is next.” Stevie Rae pointed to a kid standing behind Venus. At the sound of his name he kinda slouched around her and mumbled what sounded like a version of hi. He would have been totally unremarkable looking if it hadn’t been for the quick intelligence in his eyes and the kinda flirty smile he threw Stevie Rae.

Oh yeah, doesn't this dude get cucked by one of the raven dudes? lol

“Just a few days ago,” he said.

that sounds so stupid. Why does ya go so fast

CHAPTER FIVE “So we have p.b. and j., bologna, and processed American

why are we still in a flashback? Can we PLEASE just get on with it.

mayonnaise, peanut butter, and lettuce on wheat bread.”

eww wtf

“So we are to think of Kalona as a dangerous immortal and the Raven Mockers as his servants. Who is the other creature mentioned in the prophecy and also by Damien, a Queen Tsi Sgili?” Darius said.

This is so annoying. We already know all of this. And we're how far in?

“I was with him when he died,” I said, returning Erik’s questioning gaze and trying not to look as guilty as I felt for being attracted to yet another guy besides him.

It had just been a few days ago that I’d kissed Stark and he’d died in my arms, but it seemed like forever had passed.

that's because it's been a whole book

Into the silent pause that followed my words Erik said, “A Star Wars analogy always works.”

CHAPTER SIX “That’s it. I’m cutting you off,” I told Aphrodite as the red fledglings erupted into laughter. “Aphrodite—she crazy even when she not drunk and Imprinted,” Kramisha said. “We all used to her, though.”

Were still im this flashback

“Don’t go hatin’ on me, baby!” Johnny B said, trying (unsuccessfully) to sound black. Kramisha rolled her eyes at him. “You so crazy.”

I'm so tired

“Well, never mind. That’s not so romantic. That’s more like gay Bible Belt stuff.” He giggled. “Gay! Hee hees.” “You’re funny and cute. That’s why I love you,” Damien said,

“Okay, look. No damn way am I sleeping with you,” she said, trying hard not to slur her words. “Our Imprint is not that kind of Imprint. And even if I was gay, which I’m not, you are not my type.” “Aphrodite, I was not makin’ a move on you. That’s just stupid,” Stevie Rae said.

Itd be so much more interesting if you did.

“Not much trouble?” I said. Stevie Rae and I raised our brows at him. I swear his high, chiseled cheeks blushed just a smidgen of pink.

I think this is the first time Darius has gotten any kind of physical description which is funny because everyone is over described. In my mind Darius is a black man, always has been, but considering hes not a stereotype I doubt thats the truth.

the stupid sleeping bags. Just ignore them.” She gave us a hilarious attempt at a scowl, which turned into another manly belch, grabbed Darius’s hand, and staggered from the room while Stevie Rae and I laughed.

Have the Casts ever seen a woman drunk?

CHAPTER SEVEN “No, you two go on. Catch up with the others. I’m just gonna sleep,” Stevie Rae said as she curled onto her side, moving gingerly.

You do not have to detail every little thing they do. Please just GET ON WITH IT

started up her purr engine. Stevie Rae and I grinned at each other. Okay—SPECIAL NOTE: Duchess, Jack’s yellow Lab, is an anomaly. Stark brought her with him when he transferred to our school from the Chicago House of Night. Then he died. Jack adopted her.

THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH WHAT'S GOING ON WHAT. DUCHESS ISN'T EVEN MENTIONED BEFORE RANDOM DOG BACKSTORY THAT ANY RETURNING READERS WILL ALREADY KNOW

Nala making herself comfortable added a comfy, homelike touch to Stevie Rae’s room for Stevie Rae and me. “You and Erik go on. Get a shower or whatever,” Stevie Rae repeated sleepily as she cuddled with Nala.

I do not care about them taking a shower. I just want it to be back where we were when the book started. Why is this flashback so annoying?

“Bat, pigeons, ravens—I don’t care about distinctions right now. Any fluttery, flappy thing is not cool with me.” “I see your point,” he said, smiling at me. His smile didn’t do much to help my heartbeat slow down,

Bro i soooo don't care about this Erik stuff. Like, I know she doesn't end up with him and he will soon fade to the background as soon as Stark gets unevil.

“People, humans and vamps, would pay a fortune for art like this.” Erik didn’t add, if the world could ever know about the red fledglings and vamps, but the thought hung unspoken in the air between us.

I feel like this is getting dumber as we go on.

“Jessica Alba in Sin City. The kid has excellent taste. She’s one hot vamp actress,” Erik said quietly so as not to wake Dallas.

ugh. The dialogue here is so unnatural.

He shook his head. “No, I’m pretty sure you saved me because without you I don’t think I would have had any free will.”

ugh

Erik was talented and an honestly nice guy. I hated that we had broken up. I hated that I’d caused us to break up. In spite of everything that had happened, I wanted to be his girlfriend again. I wanted him to trust me again. I missed him so darn much . . .

Dude you would literally cheat on him again as soon as Stark or Heath came onto you

His smile widened. “Don’t you want to know how you saved me?” “Yeah, of course.” I wished I could fan my face so that some of the beet color might go away. “You saved me because, instead of being hypnotized by the power of Kalona, I was thinking about you.”

bro please. You can do so much better,