Bookish Mumma

I have to say, House of Night is definitely a different kind of vibe than what I have read before. Not entirely, there are some familiar themes starting to come in, but the overarching themes of horror and violence are different. It gives the text a little extra bite, but also means there is less for me to write that is safe to read in these snippets. I found enough in this block, but just a heads up for future posts. In those cases, I will add an extra chapter or two to make something worth reading.

If you would like to read this book to fill in the gaps, you can find it here.

If you’d like to read any of the previous posts, you can read those here.

I can’t work like this… That’s not true. I can, but it’s hard, and I HATE it.

Oh we have ALL been there. I’ve felt it in my last role, I’ve felt it in my first… Hell, I’ve felt it about THIS.

Finding a way out is imperative, but I stick to my room. The thought of running into Valen again is enough to keep me inside – at least for now. But being alone in here is slowly driving me mad. All I do is think. And thinking about the past – the parts of it I can remember – causes nothing but a special sort of anguish. I don’t want to relive the horror of it, but I have to.
It’s all I have left.

When all you have left is horror, it still holds weight in the mind. I’m not really all that surprised that she feels this way. She doesn’t want to, but she has to because what’s left after?

Sitting and wallowing are no longer options.

This wouldn’t be a story if it was, though I’m glad that this came in a way that suits Gerogia, not just in a way that is like “Okay, this is a story and now lets get her up and running now that she has had a bite to eat. Time to get her to pick up a sword and fight”. Instead, it’s a way that is more likely. She doesn’t pick up a sword, she starts to explore a little at a time.

When I reach the end of the hallway, I turn back and examine the rooms along the other side. It reminds me of a fancy hotel, room after room after exquisitely furnished quarters. Who needs this much space?

Welcome to the Hotel California
Such a lovely place (such a lovely place)
Such a lovely face
Plenty of room at the Hotel California
Any time of year (any time of year)
You can find it here

Side note, no one needs that much space, it’s an egregious show of status.

“Venturing out, little rabbit?” Valen’s voice slithers through the darkness.

The default nickname for a FMC is a random animal and ‘little’ in front of it, I swear. I’m not saying it’s bad, I just think it’s amusing in contexts like House of Night. Little rabbit, little squirrel, little sloth?

“Why so skittish?” Whitbane clucks his tongue. “Don’t you remember me?” He smiles, his fangs descending into sharp points.
“Do what you came here to do, and get out,” Valen snaps. “I don’t have time for your games.”

Is this a hint of the ‘touch her and die’ trope? Please? With cherries on top?

The hallway begins to narrow and makes several turns, a labyrinth that has me worried about losing my way. But there aren’t options, only a steady advance toward whatever lies at the end, to the minotaur waiting in the depths.

Ahh so we’re looking at Georgia as a retelling of Ariadne. I’m glad too, not a story that gets told often.

“I was just-“
“Snooping. I’m aware.” He stares down at me, the shine in his eyes particularly predatory. “You’ve scoured a few floors so far. Find an escape yet, little rabbit?” He smirks.

Anytime you want to drop the romance tropes I can see simmering below, Celia, I am right here to read them!

The first conversation shouldn’t have been difficult. A woman’s cycle is a common knowledge, a biological fact. Even so, her mentioning the scent thing – I cover my face with my hands. Its like I’m thirteen again, hiding in a bathroom stall as I feverishly phone Juno. She saved me that day.

I think if anyone told me that they could smell my period, I would be equally embarrassed. It’s a fact that they happen, they’re inconvenient, but I don’t need to know that the vampires can smell it!

I’ve filled half the journal by the time I can’t feel my fingers. My words turn into jumbles of botched letters. Finally, I stop. The pain in my head has grown so bad that my vision is blurry. I know I’m missing chunks of time, of information. But what I remember now lives in this book. It’s all I have. Cradling it close, I hold onto it like a mother with a small child. It’s everything to me, my only possession. A splinter of myself embedded inside it, keeping my fractured thoughts alive for a little longer. Just a little longer.

It’s all she has that is hers at the moment, the feeling is understandable, but at the same time, it’s a dangerous possession. If she is writing down everything that she remembers, if Valen finds it, he could use something – anything – from it against her.

Conclusion

This is a horror romance, but the start of the book is the most horror I’ve seen so far. In this block, it’s strayed away from horror and that may well be temporary, so we will see how that comes back in. I’m seeing hints of romance tropes which I’m looking forward to. I find it strange and interesting that the offspring of a vampire and a human in House of Night was a minotaur. That’s unique and somehow natural to the story, but still out of place.

If you would like to read this book to fill in the gaps, you can find it here.

If you’d like to read any of the previous posts, you can read those here.