Kalona's Fall ( A House of Night Novella) by P.C. and Kristin Cast

“From the Sun and from the Moon, two winged brothers are born: golden Erebus, playmate and friend, and mysterious Kalona, Warrior and lover, companions of the Goddess Nyx.

From the first, Nyx loves them both deeply, but differently. With Erebus, she can talk and laugh and dance, and take joy in the games he plays among the humans of the Earth. With Kalona, the fire in he4r body burns bright, and she can rest in the solace of his strength and protection. But for Kalona, Nyx’s nights are not enough. Every second he is not with her he is filled with doubt and longing, and every time he fails to please her, he cannot forgive himself. Ruled by anger and jealousy of his brother, and consumed by love for his Goddess, Kalona seeks the power to prove his worth, and to claim once and for all that Nyx eternally belongs to him.”

I have followed the House of Night books for years. The covers intrigued me as a young teen and I avidly followed Zoey and her friends adventures. Don’t get me wrong, I cannot WAIT for the series to conclude later this year – it has gone on forever!

The Novellas that have been written alongside the series have been really interesting for me. As I’ve mentioned before, extra background information on characters and world building pushes all my buttons! So these novellas just had me drooling from the mention – especially when it was revealed which characters were receiving this honour. I also loved how they slot perfectly into the timeline of the series – and this one is no different. Once you’ve read this (if you hadn’t figured it out already) its crystal clear why the last book is entitled “Redeemed”. Though I sense there will be more to the overall series than meets the eye…

Anyway! On to the actual book!

Firstly the illustrations at the start of every chapter are gorgeous! I would seriously have them framed around my house - especially a very beautiful one of Nyx in a pool of water!

I really enjoyed this novella, admittedly less than Dragon’s Oath and Lenobia’s Vow but much more than Neferet’s Curse. I adored the titles given to Erebus and Kalona (playmate and friend, Warrior and lover respectively) and how simple misunderstandings lead to big mistakes, but freedom of will and choice allows us to learn and change.

I also loved how P.C. and Kristin built the world from nothing. Literally. The creation story in the beginning is lovely and reminded me of “The Magician’s Nephew” where Aslan creates Narnia (I never realised that story existed until I bought a Narnia box set – that nearly sent my detail-loving fangirl self over the edge).

In the House of Night series Kalona and Nyx seem older and mature – in this it was nice to see them as young beings – headstrong and impatient, rushing into life.  I didn’t connect with Kalona greatly – at times I found him whiney and annoying but overall I thought the book was brilliant and an excellent addition to the House of Night series.