Destined by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast

Destined by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast
336 pages, St. Martin's Griffin
Borrowed

"Zoey is finally home where she belongs, safe with her Guardian Warrior, Stark, by her side, and preparing to face off against Neferet – which would be a whole lot easier if the High Counsel saw the ex-High Priestess for what she really is. Kalona has released his hold on Rephaim, and, through Nyx's gift of a human form, Rephaim and Stevie Rae are finally able to be together – if he can truly walk the path of the Goddess and stay free of his father's shadow… But there are new forces at work at the House of Night. An influx of humans, including Lenobia’s handsome horse whisperer, threatens their precarious stability. And then there’s the mysterious Aurox, a jaw-droppingly gorgeous teen boy who is actually more – or possibly less – than human. Only Neferet knows he was created to be her greatest weapon. But Zoey can sense the part of his soul that remains human, the compassion that wars with his Dark calling. And there’s something strangely familiar about him… Will Neferet’s true nature be revealed before she succeeds in silencing them all? And will Zoey be able to touch Aurox’s humanity in time to protect him – and everyone – from his own fate? Find out what’s destined in the next thrilling chapter of the House of Night series."

For any of you who have read the extremely fascinating (and sometimes painfully repetitive) House of Night series, you will understand it when I say that this series has gone on for so long! It gets tedious reading these books because they tend to recap for half of the book and then they open up on some new story line that is very similar to the one that just concluded!!! It's so frustrating! But, lo and behold, these great authors bring out a book that actually progresses and brings new relationships to the series!

Destined was a very pleasant surprise. The romance is at an all time high and includes new relationships, including the wise horse trainer Lenobia and a new steamy character. Stevie Rae and Rephaim finally get to dive into a somewhat normal relationship while Zoey and Stark open up the book with a deliciously intimate scene!! I love it when these characters finally move on past a problem that has been going on for, like, three of the books.

At some points when reading this series, I just wanted to throw the books against the wall (even though I never did) because they can be really repetitive and that is one of my major pet peeves. But all in all, P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast are very talented authors that I think get lost sometimes in the multiple story lines that are occurring. Now, I think that they are beginning to find the path that will lead to the end of the series. I am curious to read the next book in the series, which is called Hidden, and a second novella to the series, Lenobia's Vow, will be released in the U.S. on January 31st. Keep going if you are a reader of the series and to those of you who are not, I truly do think that these books are unique and they also have wonderful humor that makes you laugh out loud and relationships that anyone can relate to.

Rating: 4 stars - I really liked it. Worth buying.

Check out an exclusive clip from the Destined audiobook below!