Bookish Mumma

There was another chapter of pure flashback which I couldn’t quote from. So I included an extra chapter of House of Night here. It does mean that the next post will be the final chapter analysis post for the book though. Then there will be a full review after, like always.

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.

She was a vampire, but she wasn’t a monster. Could there be more like her?

Of course there can be, but finding them in a world as dark and violent as this would make it hard to find. Of course she is finding it so hard to reconcile that.

I want to be brave and strong. I’m not. I’m scared as I look down into the blackness, my heart thundering, blood rushing.

I like that she is so clearly aware of her fear. She’s not blindly rebellious or fierce. She WANTS to be, but she’s not and she knows that.

In a sudden burst of insanity, I thrust my head forward. I catch him on the nose, pain blooming on my forehead as he jerks back.
“There she is.” He’s on me again before I can take a step, a malevolent grin on his face as blood drips down his upper lip. “My little rabbit has claws.”

This feels like a violent little game to him and I’m here for it. I think he’s trying to rile her up on purpose and I definitely want to see more of it. It’s a little glimpse of light and humour when the themes are so violent.

This is the flashback chapter of House of Night. While this built a lot of history and lore for Valen as a character, it wasn’t safe to quote both for the violence, but also because it was more of a spoiler that wouldn’t be good for someone who hadn’t read it yet. It’s worth reading and I liked it, but I couldn’t share it myself.

I don’t know why he wants to goad me. Hasn’t he done enough?

Because it’s fun?

I yank away from him, and he lets me. With an aggreived sigh, he gestures for me to continue down to the Green Flame Level. “I won’t leave you alone with him. In case you weren’t paying attention at the ball, you belong to me. I don’t let paunchy little bitches like Whitbine play with my toys.”

Yes! I am absolutely here for Whitbine slander! He’s a whiny little dick and that’s an insult to dicks.

I am not the same person I used to be. No longer Doctor Georgia Clark, do no harm, help everyone no matter their situation. I’m something else, something that survives in the deep, deep dark.

Survival makes everyone into something new. Not a single person ever, fantasy or otherwise, goes through a period of survival and comes out on the other side okay or unscathed.

Maybe it’s Stockholm Syndrome or simply a trauma bond. Or maybe I’m just lonely and pathetic.

Maybe it’s Stockholm Syndrome. Maybe it’s Maybelline.

Panic grips me, but I can’t do anything. No matter how hard I try, I can’t get air. His blood pools in my mouth, going nowhere, doing nothing.

Okay so this makes me go into my logical brain. What is the properties of vampire blood and do they only kick into effect once they hit a certain point of the GI tract? The mouth is still a pretty absorbent little machine even if all everyone thinks of is the taste buds on the tongue. If the blood just needed to be absorbed, it would start taking effect.

I hover, tears welling as I look down at him. Not a human, but a creature. A soul? But he saved me. Gorsky, a fellow human, gave me no such grace. But Valen did.

Sometimes the most human creatures are the monsters and the most monstrous of all are the humans.

“How did you know I was in trouble?”
He shrugs. “Just lucky timing.” He peers into the corridor. “Unlucky for Gorsky, I suppose.”

There is 100% more to it right there and it’s going to drive me nuts. I can just tell that Celia isn’t going to give that away in this book and will save it for the next.

My career is in IT and I saw this while I was writing this post and thought it was too funny not to share. 404: millennial ranting not found.

It’s fucked up and wrong and sick on so many levels, but I feel safe knowing that the worst monster of them all is the one standing guard outside my door.

Hey, best that he is or other monsters could come knocking and you find yourself in the middle of a power struggle.

Conclusion

Even though chapters 17 – 19 were a little lacking in quotable moments, 20 and 21 came through! I honestly feel like House of Night makes 3 steps forward and one step back in the story. Gorsky doesn’t feel like a useful character at all and has now met his untimely end, but even as a plot device for exploration and dialogue, he was lacking. That’s not to say that the story isn’t worth reading because of one pesky little human. The book so far is engaging and I do love the interactions of Georgia and Valen I just wish that there was more of it, even if he’s off ending humans in droves.

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.