Blogtober (#26) | Blog Tour, Playlist, Favourite Quotes, Giveaway + Review: Forgotten (House of Night Other World, #3) by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast

6:30 AM

I. AM. OBSESSED. (Again? Still?) My year of House of Night goodness (I've finished rereading the original series and am officially caught up on this new spin-off) continues with the gorgeously crafted third installment of House of Night Other World: Forgotten. Spoiler alert! If you thought Loved and Lost were brilliant, Forgotten is just as good.

About

Forgotten (House of Night Other World #3)
by P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast
Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
Release Date: October 29th 2019
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Before he was freed by Neferet, Kalona was imprisoned within the earth for centuries because of the Darkness in his heart. But what happened to the Other World’s Kalona? It’s as though he’s been forgotten, or maybe he never existed at all...

In the present, Other Neferet may have left her House of Night, but she has far from given up her goal of immortality and world domination. As she operates in secret to gain access to Old Magick, the new High Priestess, Anastasia Langford, works toward peace and acceptance for the vampyres of the Other World. But just as Other Kevin’s broken heart will take time to heal, peace in that world will also take time and work—and not all of the Other World vampyres want peace. After all, why should they return to being shunned by humans, especially when they’ve had a taste of how it feels to be in power?

Meanwhile, Zoey is desperate to help rid the Other World of Neferet once and for all, and not knowing what’s going on over there is eating away at her. But, as the Nerd Herd warns, it’s far too dangerous to call on Old Magick time and again. As a distraction, she throws herself into her work and attempts to bring the humans and vampyres of Tulsa closer together with the first human-vampyre swim meet in history! It’s too bad that something always seems to go wrong whenever the stakes are high.

What happens when worlds clash and powers that should be left alone are awakened? Can Other Kevin and his world heal from the wounds Neferet continues to inflict? Can Old Magick ever truly be harnessed and used for good? Or will Darkness extinguish Light and leave our heroes broken, hopeless, and as forgotten as Kalona of the Silver Wings?

Don’t miss this second to last volume in the House of Night Other World saga!

Forgotten by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast

Rating: ★★★★★

As always, a copy of this book was provided by the publisher or author in exchange for my honest review. This does not effect my opinion in any way.

Little, mostly unimportant note. Can I just say that, while reading Forgotten, I felt that feeling I used to get when reading the original series? Let me explain: when I first read House of Night, it was this time of year. I still wasn't a huge reader. It was a lot like today: Chilly. Autumn wind. Lack of sunshine. Early sunset, that made the sky a gradient of reds and pinks and purples and blues. Picking up Forgotten was almost like slipping through time--suddenly it was over a decade ago, and all I wanted was to curl up with this series.

P.C., Kristin, you have my whole heart! Dang. This was fantastic. Another knock-out that left me in a heap of heart-pounding emotion. Just when I think they could no longer surprise me, they do and I'm 100% under their spell. If you aren't reading the House of Night Other World series, yet, you are truly missing out--this is the most fun I've had all year.

Forgotten was incredibly delectable and proof that these two only gets better with time. End review. (If only I could end my review with that and an emoji, I don't know, throwing a book at your feet.)

It goes without saying that it takes a specific brand of super-author to continue writing books set within an established world/series and making sure that they feel familiar, yet brand new. House of Night is better than ever. Every page of it feels brand spanking new but nostalgic for us oldies. I've been with this series since high school and have, quite literally, grown up with these characters.

Forgotten is proof of what I've said since reading and reviewing Loved: the House of Night Other World is the Cast's best series yet. In all its familiarity, there's this achingly intense feeling of newness that keeps us turning the pages. Tension, hope, romance, action and prophecies galore. Not a single moment is wasted. And from the very minute you open its pages, and lose yourself in a new world, you are devoted to only this book.

Not only does it honor the original series, heart and soul, full of mythology and enthralling dramatics, it builds itself a new arch of mythology, fear, hope, love and more. Captivating as it is intense and, at its strongest points, unsettling (to think of what Other Neferet could do!), there is no doubt in my mind that Forgotten is one of the best installments yet. As Aphrodite would say, "The Nerd Herd rides again!"

(Although, the narrative is split into various parts and our world has less page-time.)

Picking up almost immediately in the past, Forgotten first explores the origins of the Other World's Kalona, Nyx and Erebus. Which is something I absolutely never knew I needed. Readers will see instantly how the relationship between two brothers, one full of joy and the other jealousy, varies from our world vs. this one. It all starts in such a familiar way--but the path that this version of characters walk is, in the end, drastically different.

I loved noting all of the differences that came with this new exploration of brothers, because it absolutely changes EVERYTHING--which is the entire point of House of Night Other World: one choice can lead us down a separate path and change the entire landscape. With all of these changes, it sets up something unique for the upcoming novel, and definitely gives us a new tone to read by.

As for the rest of the Other World, we pick up pretty quickly after the events of Lost. Other Kevin is still grappling with the loss of Other Aphrodite, and the characters work to conceal the fact that there is a mirror world from Other Neferet. Their next step? Protecting themselves from her allies that remain, and trying to prevent the now-disgraced High Priestess from obtaining immortality.

They work diligently, too, to clean up the messes that Neferet left at the House of Night; attempting to mend relationships between vampyres and humans, as well as easing the growing tension amongst vampyres.

Neferet, of course, works tirelessly on her path to immortality. She is a BOSS. An evil genius. An always wonderfully dynamic villainess that leaves us with a series of complexities. We are treated with a surprisingly different Neferet, as she seeks out answers to the mysterious arrival of "Ghost Zoey Redbird" in Lost, forms her own following, and sets on a quest for domination.

As always, I loved seeing the different versions of familiar friends and foes (Kevin, Stark, Grandma, Anastasia, Dragon, Erin, Dallas, Shaunee, Neferet, Lynette and more) interact, work and spent a great deal of time comparing them to their counterparts from our world. Forgotten gives us new chapters in each of these variation and I really appreciate the development we get to see--I really, really loved knowing that we don't know everything about that world, because it is not our own.

(I'M SORRY, I'M TRASH FOR AU WORLDS, OKAY? Blame Doctor Who.)

Meanwhile, in our world, life must continue on after the traveling between worlds. Zoey, Stevie Rae and Rephaim learned, and went through a lot, in their time spent in the Other World. Now, they must get back to business as usual as well as deal with new threats that might arise.

Changes are-a-coming. Zoey, in all her High Priestess glory, must work to strengthen the relationship between humans and vampyres. In doing so, she opens up new opportunities for her students (and in the process, one student stands out) and Tulsa in general. This, of course, is more complicated than one might expect. Can she work to fix things? Or is it too late?

Aphrodite, too, has a new path to walk. Knowing that her Other World counterpart sacrificed her life, and lost it in the process, is weighing heavily on her. Mostly, she worries for Other Kevin and the loss he must be facing. Still, her duties as Prophetess never rest--and neither does she.

Ultimately, the story of two worlds expands beautifully and leaves readers in a fit of questions. It is a whirlwind of action, mystery, intrigue and romance. One thing is certain: we will all be anticipating the next, and possibly final, installment to the House of Night Other World series. I can honestly say that this series is superior to the original and has left me breathless every step of the way.

No matter the world it is set within, at its core, this series is all about connection. Connection to our family, friends and lovers. Connection to our world, and its elements. Forgotten doesn't forget this and benefits deeply from that.

Favourite Quotes

"Once upon a time, long, long ago, there was only the Divine Energy of the universe. Energy was neither good nor bad, light nor dark, male nor female--it simply existed, a maelstrom of possibilities, clashing, joining, and growing. As energy grew, it evolved. As it evolved, it created."

WHY: I think that this sets the tone perfectly for not only the novel, but the series as a whole. It speaks to the fact that there are many worlds. Because of many choices. And the energy that lead us there. Aka, it is the perfect opener.

"Joy isn't easy or inherent. It is a choice, and not always an easy one--not at first."

"To overcome jealousy and anger you only need joy."

WHY: Aside from the connection between people (or, well, vampyres) the Cast's always know how to to get straight to the point about emotions. Be it grief, joy, love, hate or anything in between: they know how to write it in full colours.

"Like all males, he'd already forgotten that he'd asked what she desired. Neferet had learned early that men liked to mouth words that said they cared about how women felt, but their actions always spoke louder--always showed that their true compassion and concern was only for themselves."

"I will never belong to anyone except myself."

WHY: Other Neferet has a lot of great quotes in Forgotten. Some are spine chilling, some are oddly empowering. This version of Neferet is so complex and honestly? I would never mess with a character like Neferet, but I find myself infinitely more intrigued (and terrified) by Other Neferet. So much can be said, but I won't spoil it for you guys.

"We do not meet violence and hatred and ignorance with violence, hatred and ignorance."

WHY: We didn't really get to know our Anastasia well enough during House of Night, before she was killed. Other Anastasia has plenty time to shine. This is one of those moments.

"Do not hide your grief. There is no shame in showing your tears. Kevin, being a man means claiming all your power. Strength without honest emotion is toxic--to yourself, and eventually it makes you toxic to others. How can you truly love without showing sadness, acknowledging loss, dealing openly with despair?"

WHY: Again, this series is always great at portraying grief from many angles. I think this quote brings a lot to the table about men expressing grief.

Playlist

I'm a huge music junkie. If you think there's nothing I love more than literature, you're wrong. My love of music is entirely in a league of its own. No matter the genre, I'll probably give it a listen. Which is why I jumped at the chance to create a playlist for the tour.

I took this very seriously, which is why you guys are getting a long-winded description of whys and hows. I will keep spoilers minimal, I just have no self-control when it comes to talking about music.

For Forgotten and the music that fills the storyline, my intention was sort of subconsciously to build it as if I were picking out songs for a television series based upon it. The mood of Forgotten is, like most things House of Night, a mixed bag. There's this hopeful energy to it. There's the trial and error of not only coming of age, but embarking on a battle of good vs. evil. There's loss. There's fear. There's love.

Then, there's Other Neferet and the new kind of threat that she holds to two worlds. Not to mention her differences between our Neferet and the relationship she holds with Other Lynette.

Which is why I wanted to portray each energy in different ways. Connecting music to life (and in this case, fiction) is easy to do because every song is filled with words or musical notes that have different meanings. And the funny thing about adding songs to certain scenarios is that it could bring something entirely new to the table. It all depends on the moment--and in this case, those moments rely only on what P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast create on page.

Some songs hold more significance than others."Otherside" ties into the array of feelings that Other Kevin feels in his loss of Other Aphrodite and how he is approaching that grief. "Gun For a Tongue" feels very Neferet and Lynette. "Destroy Me" feels very much so like a song that would play in Loren Blake's presence when thinking of Neferet and the love/lust her holds for her. "Empires" and "Game of Survival" feel very much so like appropriate songs throughout the novel, but especially for the climax.

Some, moreso portray an atmosphere for specific moments: "Copycat" has a few meanings mostly a key moment between Neferet and Loren Blake. For songs like "Rival" and "Afraid of the Dark" you can practically here it pulsing throughout the entire story and tying into both sides."Bellyache", "Arsonist's Lullabye" and "Power" feel undeniably appropriate for background noise for the events leading up to, and during, Neferet's visit to the airport.

About the Authors

P.C. CAST

PC was born in the Midwest, and grew up being shuttled back-and-forth between Illinois and Oklahoma, which is where she fell in love with Quarter Horses and mythology (at about the same time). After high school, she joined the United States Air Force and began public speaking and writing. After her tour in the USAF, she taught high school for 15 years before retiring to write full time. PC is a #1 New York Times and #1 USA Today Best-Selling author and a member of the Oklahoma Writers Hall of Fame. Her novels have been awarded the prestigious: Oklahoma Book Award, YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers, Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award, the Prism, Holt Medallion, Daphne du Maurier, Booksellers’ Best, and the Laurel Wreath. PC is an experienced teacher and talented speaker. Ms. Cast lives in Oregon near her fabulous daughter, her adorable pack of dogs, her crazy Maine Coon, and a bunch of horses.

KRISTIN CAST

Kristin Cast is a #1 NY Times and #1 USA Today bestselling author who teamed with her mother to write the wildly successful HOUSE OF NIGHT series. She has editorial credits, a thriving t-shirt line, and a passion for all things paranormal.

When away from her writing desk, Kristin loves going on adventures with her friends, family, and significant other, playing with her French Bulldogs (Grace Kelly and Sir Laurence Olivier), and discovering new hobbies. This year she'll work on handstands, gardening, and taking her new puppy (Baloo) to puppy classes.

Find the Authors Online:

P.C.: Goodreads | Website | Twitter | Instagram

Kristin: Goodreads | Website | Instagram

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