Name: Lost
ISBN: 9781538440742

Kristin Cast

P. C. Cast

In the second part of this adventure series, readers follow Zoey, Stevie Rae, and Rephaim to an alternative version of the House of Night, where dangers take the form of friends, and allies are found in the strangest places.

Lost

Jessica 

House of Night Other World: 
Loved: ★★★★☆ (4.5) 
Lost: ★★★★★
Forgotten: TBD 


  (Original) House of Night Series
: 
Marked: ★★☆☆☆ (2.5)
Betrayed: ★★★☆☆ (3.5)
Chosen: ★★★☆☆ (3.5)
Untamed: ★★★★☆
Hunted: ★★★☆☆ (3.5)
Tempted: ★★★★☆
Burned: ★★★☆☆ (3.5)
Awakened: ★★★☆☆ (3.5)
Destined: ★★★★☆
Hidden: ★★★★☆
Revealed: ★★★★☆
Redeemed: ★★★☆☆ (3.5)

Blog | Twitter | Instagram | Full review also found here at Booked J. 


  "Well, I think if you're a decent person and you don't stand up to against monsters, then you're worse than one of them."


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.

First things first: I adored Lost. Even more than I adored Loved. Which surprised me a lot because this is the highest I've rated one of these books since high school! I've been rereading the original series recently but my experience with it hasn't been the same--that changed with the House of Night Other World series: everything has felt electrifying and new again. All those feelings of new and engrossing plotlines came rushing back. 

I don't say this a lot about ongoing series like this one, but it feels brand new and lively and I never want it to end. The entirety of Lost shows us that the dynamic mother daughter duo of P.C. and Kristin Cast is, somehow, only just getting started. Further, the Cast's writing, and the world of magical mythology set within the House of Night and House of Night Other World series, ages like fine wine. With time, they've gotten so much better and so much more engrossing. A feat I didn't know possible. 

To be completely honest with you, I wasn't sure I'd like the new series. I've been attached to these characters for so long. Nearly half my life. For as long as I've been seriously reading. Even though the storyline has only spanned for over a year, there's this familiar quality to it that comes with the time since its initial publication. The Nerd Herd, of course, rises again--and it is like we are being reunited with old friends. 

Many author's struggled to find their characters again, but time is certainly on the Cast's side. Not once does the extended universe, the inclusion of more worlds and different versions of our beloved characters, feel tedious. It is as enthralling, new, dramatic and mysterious as always. If you are a fan of House of Night, you will adore House of Night Other World. Perhaps even moreso than the original novels, like me. 

Familiar faces come back to play in Lost. Whereas Loved felt like a love letter to the world we know and adore, and of course, the fans and characters, Lost feels like this and more. This time around, that love letter extends to familiar faces and many that we'd lost. Which feels beautiful, captivating and left me anticipating every last page. I never wanted Lost to end. 

The plotline is fairly complex, but still simple at its core: the battle of good vs. evil continues. In the Other World, at the Other House of Night, Other Kevin has to seek out allies of his own to beat the never-ending threat that is Other Neferet. During this time, he learns that he can wield Old Magick and as we already know: magic, especially Old Magick, comes at a cost. Kevin, sadly, doesn't know this--and this puts him, and his world, in danger. 

Still, Kevin works to gather his own circle of allies. Not without complication. With his humanity fully restored, he now has to work overtime to have two faces. Convincing his allies he is good may be even harder than convincing everyone else he is merely a mindless Red Vampyre. 

During this time, he struggles to hide the truth of who he is from Other Stark, Other Neferet and more, while seeking out the guidance of his grandmother; eventually befriending Other Aphrodite, Anastasia and Dragon in the process. For readers, this feels intensely bittersweet and familiar: in our world, Anastasia and Dragon are gone, and seeing them again comes with a lot of emotion. 

Back in our world, Zoey can sense this and has to come to terms with the fact that only she can help her brother.After her dreams are visited by Other Zoey, who shares her memories, of her murder, Zoey is left shaken but is fast to understand what she has to do next. Which means, it is her turn to cross into his world. Armed with determination, fear, Stevie Rae and Rephaim--this fraction of the Nerd Herd has to make a deal with Old Magick, and travel between worlds.

I loved seeing the collision between these two worlds again. This time, seeing the Other World was a great comparison to our world. We always knew that there'd be little light and hope left if Neferet hadn't been defeated, but Other Neferet is truly a source of darkness and it's startling to see how far she would go. As always, the mythological aspects that the Casts incorporate into Lost are gorgeously crafted and engulf readers instantly. 

Parallel universes are always a sweet spot for me and seeing how everything is woven together, the two worlds we see in Lost, is completely compelling and unique. This is the best book in the series as a whole and I cannot wait to dive into Forgotten--I have a feeling that P.C. and Kristin Cast are only just getting started. And I'm completely under their spell.

P.C. Cast

The moment Other Kevin returns to his world trouble begins... Back in Tulsa, things have settled down since Zoey closed the tear between worlds. But Zoey knows the truth. In the Other World her brother is using Old Magick, unaware of the dangers it holds. She knows she must help him – after all, he's her little brother. Though, in doing so, she may just have to lose those she loves... From the bestselling authors of The House of Night series comes a new trilogy following the kick-ass heroine that is Zoey Redbird.