Scan barcode
rachaelarsenault's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
0.25
This book had a plot! And... That's honestly the only positive thing I can say about it.
Ye be warned: This review is all spoilers.
For one thing, the plot wasn't very good or well-executed. The core conflict is that Neferet kills Jack, all the main characters know she killed him, but they have no way to prove it because she has an airtight alibi. Jack's death is Bury Your Gays at its worst, including Jack never calling for help and singing himself out by covering a Glee cover of a song from Wicked that does not remotely fit the Celebration Ritual he was rehearsing for. His death isn't part of any kind of character arc and involves no agency on his part. He just dies because the narrative demands it. And the conflict that comes from this death, the conflict that is supposed to be the central focus driving the plot, just kind of... stops. Everyone forgets about it once Zoey returns to Tulsa. Nyx literally shows up in person at Jack's funeral and she never outs Neferet as the murderer, nor does she even declare that Neferet has turned from Nyx's path.
The other core conflict is Kalona being under Neferet's dominion because of the Oath he swore to her at the beginning of Burned. Kalona plans to distract Neferet by starting a war using the red fledglings (specifically Stevie Rae) and using them to defeat the High Council, so Neferet can take over and then start a war with humans... Yeah, it makes as little sense as it sounds. Anyway, he plans to use this to distract Neferet so that he can then figure out how to free himself of her control. Literally all of this ends up being entirely pointless. He never tries to use Stevie Rae and he was never actually under Neferet's control because giving a piece of his immortal soul to Stark nullified the terms of the Oath. So this conflict also just ends unceremoniously.
Oh, but Kalona also uses his connection to Stark's soul to control him and be predatory and sexually aroused by Zoey. The narrative does not frame this as creepy, but instead focuses on how overjoyed he is to find himself in Stark's body in bed with Zoey. It's super disturbing. And it's only made worse by the fact that Kalona, while planning to escape from Neferet's control, fantasizes about how he will enslave her once he's free. But he's supposed to make a step forward in his redemption arc in this book, as evidenced by the white feather he leaves behind in the climax.
Then there's Stevie Rae, who's conflict has been the same since Tempted. It should have been different in this book because of the end of Burned, with her dramatically leaving Rephaim and saying they can't be together if he still follows his father. But it's not. That's quickly brushed aside. So, given that this conflict has been drawn out over three entire books, you would think it would have a very dramatic, intense conclusion. It... almost does? I can see how the scene is supposed to be dramatic. But it just doesn't work. For one thing, Rephaim showing up to the funeral and Stevie Rae being shocked doesn't make sense because their Imprint means she would have known he was there before he showed himself. And then the way everything is resolved is kind of ridiculous. Rephaim doesn't finally defy his father and unequivocally choose Light over Darkness, no matter what it costs him. No. Instead, he and Stevie Rae appeal to Kalona and convince him to free Rephaim, and then Nyx shows up and makes him human. Well, there's some "punishment" involved, but it's such a meager punishment that it might as well not exist. He turns into a bird during the day, when Stevie Rae and literally everyone else in their circle is asleep. So, basically, Rephaim and Stevie Rae do nothing to resolve their conflict and have it solved for them. Not exactly a satisfying conclusion for a three book long conflict.
And then we have Zoey. Our main character. The central protagonist. The only character whose narration is in first person, symbolically prioritizing her part of the story over everyone else's.
Uh. Zoey does nothing in this book. Literally nothing - she doesn't have a source of conflict until chapter fifteen, when she learns of Jack's death. Her only role is to lead the funeral rite. Even in the climax, the only thing she contributes is using her new title as queen (which still makes no sense and doesn't entail any, you know, responsibilities) to declare the tunnels a new House of Night. And by "new House of Night", I mean "new dorm", because there's no classes there and she demands that they be bused to and from the tunnels to the actual House of Night for classes.
Otherwise? Zoey spends most of the book frolicking around Skye, being told how special and powerful she is, and explicitly refusing to return to Tulsa and deal with her responsibilities as a High Priestess and the Chosen One in the fight against Darkness. This isn't a source of growth for her character. She refuses to go back to her responsibilities, fully plans to attend school on Skye and have Sgiach ship all her friends to the Isle for her, and then only decides to go home when she learns that Jack died.
Oh, also, I hope you like homophobic jokes. There's a lot of jokes with Damien and Jack as the punchline.
Ye be warned: This review is all spoilers.
For one thing, the plot wasn't very good or well-executed. The core conflict is that Neferet kills Jack, all the main characters know she killed him, but they have no way to prove it because she has an airtight alibi. Jack's death is Bury Your Gays at its worst, including Jack never calling for help and singing himself out by covering a Glee cover of a song from Wicked that does not remotely fit the Celebration Ritual he was rehearsing for. His death isn't part of any kind of character arc and involves no agency on his part. He just dies because the narrative demands it. And the conflict that comes from this death, the conflict that is supposed to be the central focus driving the plot, just kind of... stops. Everyone forgets about it once Zoey returns to Tulsa. Nyx literally shows up in person at Jack's funeral and she never outs Neferet as the murderer, nor does she even declare that Neferet has turned from Nyx's path.
The other core conflict is Kalona being under Neferet's dominion because of the Oath he swore to her at the beginning of Burned. Kalona plans to distract Neferet by starting a war using the red fledglings (specifically Stevie Rae) and using them to defeat the High Council, so Neferet can take over and then start a war with humans... Yeah, it makes as little sense as it sounds. Anyway, he plans to use this to distract Neferet so that he can then figure out how to free himself of her control. Literally all of this ends up being entirely pointless. He never tries to use Stevie Rae and he was never actually under Neferet's control because giving a piece of his immortal soul to Stark nullified the terms of the Oath. So this conflict also just ends unceremoniously.
Oh, but Kalona also uses his connection to Stark's soul to control him and be predatory and sexually aroused by Zoey. The narrative does not frame this as creepy, but instead focuses on how overjoyed he is to find himself in Stark's body in bed with Zoey. It's super disturbing. And it's only made worse by the fact that Kalona, while planning to escape from Neferet's control, fantasizes about how he will enslave her once he's free. But he's supposed to make a step forward in his redemption arc in this book, as evidenced by the white feather he leaves behind in the climax.
Then there's Stevie Rae, who's conflict has been the same since Tempted. It should have been different in this book because of the end of Burned, with her dramatically leaving Rephaim and saying they can't be together if he still follows his father. But it's not. That's quickly brushed aside. So, given that this conflict has been drawn out over three entire books, you would think it would have a very dramatic, intense conclusion. It... almost does? I can see how the scene is supposed to be dramatic. But it just doesn't work. For one thing, Rephaim showing up to the funeral and Stevie Rae being shocked doesn't make sense because their Imprint means she would have known he was there before he showed himself. And then the way everything is resolved is kind of ridiculous. Rephaim doesn't finally defy his father and unequivocally choose Light over Darkness, no matter what it costs him. No. Instead, he and Stevie Rae appeal to Kalona and convince him to free Rephaim, and then Nyx shows up and makes him human. Well, there's some "punishment" involved, but it's such a meager punishment that it might as well not exist. He turns into a bird during the day, when Stevie Rae and literally everyone else in their circle is asleep. So, basically, Rephaim and Stevie Rae do nothing to resolve their conflict and have it solved for them. Not exactly a satisfying conclusion for a three book long conflict.
And then we have Zoey. Our main character. The central protagonist. The only character whose narration is in first person, symbolically prioritizing her part of the story over everyone else's.
Uh. Zoey does nothing in this book. Literally nothing - she doesn't have a source of conflict until chapter fifteen, when she learns of Jack's death. Her only role is to lead the funeral rite. Even in the climax, the only thing she contributes is using her new title as queen (which still makes no sense and doesn't entail any, you know, responsibilities) to declare the tunnels a new House of Night. And by "new House of Night", I mean "new dorm", because there's no classes there and she demands that they be bused to and from the tunnels to the actual House of Night for classes.
Otherwise? Zoey spends most of the book frolicking around Skye, being told how special and powerful she is, and explicitly refusing to return to Tulsa and deal with her responsibilities as a High Priestess and the Chosen One in the fight against Darkness. This isn't a source of growth for her character. She refuses to go back to her responsibilities, fully plans to attend school on Skye and have Sgiach ship all her friends to the Isle for her, and then only decides to go home when she learns that Jack died.
Oh, also, I hope you like homophobic jokes. There's a lot of jokes with Damien and Jack as the punchline.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Death
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Ableism
More...