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Read Haunted (2005)

Haunted (2005)

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Rating
4.07 of 5 Votes: 3
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ISBN
0553587080 (ISBN13: 9780553587081)
Language
English
Publisher
bantam spectra

Haunted (2005) - Plot & Excerpts

Reread 2012 Haunted was one of of the first urban fantasy novels I read. It might have been 2007 or 2008, I'd hadn't voluntarily read a book in years - the too many study books and 'really good Dutch literature' my mom forced on me having quashed my appetite for reading all together. But I was commuting 3 hours a day and I desperately needed something to fill the time with, so I accepted my sister's suggestion to pick up a book from her book shelf. At that time I had only read the occasional English book for school, never heard of urban fantasy before and thought 'feisty heroine' was some sort of street name for the drug. I also didn't realize Haunted was a number #5 in a series. It didn't matter. I loved this book. I remember being totally immersed in the world, amazed by the creativity and the movie like scenes, and loving- absolutely loving- Eve. So when I decided to reread this book almost four years later, with now a whole lot of books under my belt, I was a little anxious, afraid that I'd maybe not like the story as much as I remembered liking it. Turns out: I still do.Eve is great fun: she can be insecure, she can be overconfident, she can be vulnerable and a total conniving bitch, she can be a pain in the ass, she can be loyal as hell, but however she is and whatever she does, she is always entertaining. The story is mainly set in the Afterlife (Eve being dead an all) and an interesting Afterlife it is. No white clouds, harp music or eternal peace, this Afterlife is a curious mixture of everyday places and movie set theme parks. I loved the idea but it also raised a lot of questions in my head. As much as I liked the fact that there are different dimensions and planes, that some fill their time with an actual job while some play Pirates of The Caribbean all day, I don't understand the point. Maybe the concept is too abstract to get my head around but I don't understand why an Afterlife is so much like regular life, only without the responsibilities and deadlines or the human needs. How can an endless life with more of the same, but without evolution, without growth, be fulfilling? I can see how it can be fun for a while, but forever? (Really though: what would be fun forever?)Despite this somewhat philosophical dilemma, I did love how the Afterlife was portrayed. There's a little bit of everything there to tickle everyone's fancy (or fetish, as Kristof would say). I also loved the hell dimensions, with my personal favorite being Lizzie Borden's personal hell, which I think was totally movie-worthy. The times when she politely excused herself to wield her hatchet had me laughing out loud. Besides being humorous and engaging, the story has some really dark and gruesome parts. As a contrast: Eve's relationship with Savannah and Kristof made for some really touching moments. Having read the short Beginnings in Tales of the Otherworld very recently, I was very curious to see some Eve and Kristof interactions. And though, in typical Amrstrong style, we don't always get to see everything, the connection between those two is undeniable. Which made the end all the more bittersweet...All in all: Haunted is a great book and gets to stay on my favorites shelf (4,5 stars).

Spectacular!Oh, I guess I should say more...Let me start at the beginning, not of this book, but of this series.Kelley Armstrong's Otherworld was just barely on my radar until I saw the new TV series - Bitten. I picked up the first book, also called Bitten, and was hooked on the story of the only female werewolf, Elena Michaels. Book 2, Stolen, continued with the same main POV character and also introduced other supernatural beings, like witches, sorcerers, vampires, and so on. Then came Book 3, Dime Store Magic, with a new main POV character, Paige Winterbourne. She was a witch introduced in Stolen and was the guardian of young Savannah Levine (who is a powerful child of a witch and a sorcerer). Book 4, Industrial Magic, kept Paige as the main POV character and introduced the Fates, ghosts, and Eve Levine (the ghost of the half-demon/witch mother of Savannah).The new main POV character of this book, Haunted, is Eve Levine. I was ready for a new POV character because I sensed a pattern to Ms. Armstrong's series of 2 books per POV character, then switch to someone else. However, I never thought a ghost would be a worthwhile main character.Ghosts! This book is full of ghosts...and demons...and angels...and everything in between. From the previous book, I knew that ghosts had their own realm that was like the living world in many ways. The Ghosts in this series cannot directly interact with the living in most cases. The differences between the different beings and the different realms (including hells and paradises) are expertly woven into a "quest" type adventure story. I continue to be blown away by the world/universe-building of this series!Several characters from previous books make appearances throughout, but do not steal the thunder of Eve and her mission. She is given a task from the Fates as payback for a favor they granted to her at the end of Industrial Magic. So, without any true spoilers, she has to find a demon called Nix that escaped a hell dimension and is now influencing people to go on killing sprees.The twists and turns of the adventure are a wild ride, but the climactic ending is the real reason this one jumped to the full 5 star rating for me. So much happens to Eve AND many of the supporting cast and it sets up a direction for the future of this series. I am still hooked on the Otherworld and this just served to keep me addicted!

What do You think about Haunted (2005)?

For pacing and plot line I think this has been the better book of the series so far.I was a bit prejudiced in the beginning, because the ghost angle didn't appeal to me. When a protagonist can't interact with the physical world the story seems to be less powerful, but it worked very well in this story because Eve moves through many different planes. The author always gives a darker edge to her stories, and both the good and the bad guys don't shy away from violence and deeds that are quite repulsive. It's the best quality of this series, I always know I'll get punched in the guts sooner or later in the story.I really liked Eve. She's unapologetically herself. In her life she made questionable choices and her reputation was earned, but she is simply a woman who decided to take her life into her hands, protecting herself and her daughter in the only way she deemed possible. Even when she is not forthcoming, when she knows she's being selfish, she admits it without inventing excuses. I think she's simply a realist.The romantic part was even less prominent than in the other books of the series, but there was love. The relationship between Eve and Kristof calls to me very much. They are older than the average romantic protagonists and I think the author did a wonderful job in portraying a sentiment which has been weathered by time and which has come out stronger for it, a love which is deeply rooted in Eve and Kristof. It was there in the comfort they gave each other, in the comfortable way they asked for help and showed their weaknesses. It was refreshing.The world building was very rich and interesting and Eve's enemy, the Nix, was a worthy opponent, especially because she was deliciously deranged.A surprisingly enjoyable read.
—Emanuela ~plastic duck~

I had some problems with this installment as it has been happening to me with the last books I have read in this series, specifically the very same thing that happened to me with book 4. First half of the book boring and very VERY slow. Many times I just wanted to stop with the book and read something else, but then the second half of the book was so amazing that it only took me 4 hours to read it,lol.But first I think the most important thing is to answer this question: Is it necessary to read the books in order? Do I have to read book 5 or can I skip it? Well, the answer to this questions are: Yes, the first 4 books should be read in order but you can DEFINITELY skip book 5 because (seriously) NOTHING important happens in this book. NOTHING. You could totally go straight to book 6 and you would not loose any important information, any, just what happened to Eve. But that's all, so if you feel like not reading this book just send me a private message asking me what happens with Eve and in a couple of lines I'll let you know and you can go on with the series and come back later when you feel like reading Eve's book. This book is only about Eve, the other characters of the series almost don't appear at all and nothing related to what has been happening in the rest of the series appears again.Now talking about the book, I just want to say that it definitely was better that what I expected it to be. Sure, the beginning was way too slow and annoying most of the time, but then the second half of the book was so good that I almost forgot how bored I was and believed this could actually become an amazing read. The ending was great too. I don't regret reading this book, it was really nice to know what happens with Eve, but right now I just can't wait to get back to the series. This just felt like a huge pause.
—valee

I have a reeeeally hard time rating this book. On the one hand, it is very well written. On the other, I did not like it. Since I rate books based on their enjoyability, three stars it is. For now. First of all, Haunted starts real slow and the snail pace continues for the first part of the book, then slowly picks up and, finally, towards the very end, it gets all action-packed and awesome. It was hard to get sucked into this book and it felt like a slow read, even though it wasn't. But this was not a problem for me.My biggest issue is the world. It is, as usual when it comes to Armstrong, brilliant. But I discovered that I have an issue with the afterlife. Zombies I can take any time. Ghosts? They bore the heck out of me. Add some angels to the mix and I won't be able to enjoy the book, no matter how good everything else is. Funny thing is, I have no problems with demons and hell, but I have yet to read an angel book that will rivet me.I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the villain and tiny snapshots of the Nix's life provided a much needed break from first person POV. The plot, however, took its sweet time to appeal to me and by the time it did, I already gave up on it and mostly concentrated on enjoying the characters.Oh the characters! If only all books had such amazing character development and realistic relationships. I found myself head over heels in love with both Eve and Kristof, even though I never cared for them before. Eve is a very strong woman with a peculiar sense of moral. She is also a dedicated mother, who doesn't want to let go. But Eve being Eve, she forces all her fears straight on. Kris, on the other hand, is one wonderful man. He's patient and understanding, and despite having his own demons and regrets, he's dead set on helping Eve and getting her back. And once he does, he won't let her go ever again. Oh, and he's a smooth talker. This is one of those couples that leaves you utterly satisfied, with a big grin on your face. They simply click. That's why, despite detesting the world and its creatures, I was able to enjoy the book and am currently having a hard time deciding between three and four stars.
—Ju

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