Apollyon by Jennifer L. Armentrout

This is the fourth book in the Covenant series by Jennifer L. Armentrout.

My review of #0.5: Daimon.
My review of #1: Half-Blood.
My review of #2: Pure.
My review of #3: Deity.
My review of #3.5: Elixr.

WARNING - This will contain spoilers for all the previous books in the series! Proceed reading with caution!

Aiden has taken Alex off of the Elixr, and now all she wants to do is find her Seth, her First, and give him what he wants - her power.

Just when she was about to escape and try to find Seth, something triggered inside of Alex. When she saw the rose pendant on her necklace, all of her memories with Aiden came rushing back. And with Seth screaming in her head, she was finally able to find a way to sever the connection with Seth, bringing back the old Alex.

Now Alex needs to learn how to fight with her new found powers - since she's not crazy with Seth in her head or doped up on the Elixr, she can finally see what she has become: the Apollyon.

And she is also able to be with Aiden finally. With a war going on between Half-Bloods, Pures, the Gods and mortals, no one cares if a Half-Blood and a Pure date right now.

But dating is not the only thing on Alex's mind. She has to figure out how to stop Seth and Lucian from destroying the world. And they will, once Seth connects with Alex and is able to take her power. Then he will be the God Killer.

It also doesn't help that every God Alex has come across has tried to kill her. With Alex gone, the fear of the God Killer won't exist. Except now no one can kill Alex, save for Seth and her God relative Apollo. But that doesn't mean that can't rough her up a little bit...

Alex is on a mission to figure out how to stop Seth from being the God Killer. She is running from Seth only to kill time in order to find the answer.

And she does find the answer. But it's not what she wanted. In fact, it's the farthest thing she ever wanted to happen. Because it will be the end to either her or Seth. One cannot be alive when the other has the transfer of power.

So Alex will have a big decision to make. And it won't be an easy choice, because there will be lives lost and loved one broken. But she will need to decide soon, because innocent people are dying every day.

Read Apollyon by Jennifer L. Armentrout to see what happens!

My Thoughts/Reflections
I freaking love Jennifer L. Armentrout! I really do! I say this all the time and sound like a broken record, but she is amazing and writes the best worlds to get sucked into. The whole journey Alex and her friends traveled took me into another world where Gods were avenging something and daimons were feeding as often as they wanted to.

So, the book. I really like how Alex has grown. Sure, she was always thinking that everyone was with Alex because she was the Apollyon when really they were with her in order to make everything right. But for the most part, she learned how to hold her tongue and not lash out insults... well most of the time.

And we got to see Caleb again! I was so excited about that! He talked some sense into our dear Alex a few times, which she definitely needed and was too stubborn to listen to anyone else.

One of my favorite scenes in this novel was when Alex was fighting against the war machines outside of the college they were traveling to. She just snapped and her fifth power came into focus. She was so angry and protective that she didn't need to think twice about using her power - she just did and it was an amazing scene to read!

And the ending! We find out who Seth is related to, via the Gods and it was a shocker. I had no ideas ahead of time who it could be, because I knew it would be revealed sooner or later. But the way the God was revealed - amazing.

I cannot wait until the next, and final, book of this series comes out in December! I want to know how everything ends! Although I'll be sad to see this series concluded... It's a vicious cycle.

Obviously anything written by JLA is a high recommendation from me. I would say that you should read this book in order from the beginning to fully understand what is going on. But why wouldn't you want to read all of these books?!? Go! Now!

Elixir by Jennifer L. Armentrout

This is #3.5 novel in the Covenant series by Jennifer L. Armentrout.

My review of #0.5: Daimon.
My review of #1: Half-Blood.
My review of #2: Pure.
My review of #3: Deity.

WARNING - This review WILL contain spoilers from the previous novels. Do not continue reading if you have not read the previous novels, else you will find out exactly what has happened throughout the first four books!

When Alex became the next Apollyon, Aiden wasn't sure what was going to happen. But the minute he saw her eyes, he knew that the girl he was holding was no longer his Alex. Now she was connected to the First, to Seth, and she wanted to be near Seth instead of Aiden.

But Aiden is going to make sure that it doesn't happen. He already knows that Seth is taking over Alex, so they had to knock her out and moved her to another location where she didn't know, while also trapping her in a cell that will keep even Apollyon's from escaping.

Ever since she was put in the cage, though, she hasn't been eating or drinking. It's going on four days and she is starting to weaken.

Then Aiden is confronted with a choice. Apollo is able to kill Alex because she is part of his lineage, and Apollo could do it if he thought it was necessary.

Or they could put her on the Elixir - a liquid made to put half-bloods in a comatose reaction where they become slaves to whomever compels them. Alex has always been afraid that she will become a slave - it is her worst nightmare.

Aiden cannot do either option to Alex, but if they don't do something to dull the connection between her and Seth, she will end up dying while giving Seth the ability to become the God Killer.

No matter what decision Aiden chooses, he knows he will never be able to live with himself again. Because both options break the trust he has with Alex.

Which evil will Aiden choose? Can he forgive himself for what he is about to do to the love of his life? Will his choice end up making the situation better or worse? Read Elixir by Jennifer L. Armentrout to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
Wow. This novella was really emotional! This is the first time we've read through Aiden's point of view (for a novella that is) and boy did JLA throw a punch into our stomachs after reading about Aiden's inner struggle with this choice!

I tried to give away as few spoilers as possible - for this novel - and I think I did alright. The gut reaction Aiden had when he was given his two choices was very emotional and I would never want to be put into his shoes right then.

The whole novella was really good and I think JLA did a great job with the whole thing! It definitely helped me since I was left with that horrible ending of Deity so at least I was able to find out what happened after Alex turned 18 and became the Apollyon.

So, yes, this is a short review and short thoughts/reflections, but it was also a short novella so I'm okay with that.

I will say that anyone who has read this series MUST read this novel as it is very important in the series and will probably have a great impact on the next novel. It's free on one website and only $0.99 on Amazon. I got it off of Amazon because I wanted it on my Kindle, so I was okay with spending less than a dollar on it.

One of these days I'm going to buy all of these books in paper versions because I love them that much!

Can't wait for the next novel and anyone who is a devoted fan of JLA needs to read this ASAP!!

Deity by Jennifer L. Armentrout

This is the third book in the Covenant series by Jennifer L. Armentrout.

My review of #0.5: Daimon.
My review of #1: Half-Blood.
My review of #2: Pure.

WARNING - This book will contain spoilers from the previous novels. Continue reading with caution!

After what happened in New York with the daimons and the furies, Alex just wants a break from everything Apollyon. Unfortunately, that's not going to happen since her 18th birthday is right around the corner and she will turn into the second Apollyon.

And now she has to go back to classes. Without Caleb. Everyone is looking at her with weird looks - either because of the upcoming Apollyon or because she has been in a lot of incidents lately, but either way she just wants to get away for awhile.

Then Alex has her own personal problems that include Seth and Aiden. Alex chose Seth, even if they aren't technically dating but are just hanging out a lot, but she can't forget Aiden, especially since he is always around protecting Alex from some threatening group trying to harm her.

And Seth is acting very odd. He seems to want to be with Alex, but she can't figure out if he wants to be with her because of the odd connection between them or if he actually likes her, or if he just wants to speed up the process where she becomes the Apollyon.

Everyone is saying that Seth just wants Alex to be the Apollyon so he can be the next God Killer, but Alex doesn't think so. Seth is different around her and actually cares about her, but lately he's been around her step father, Lucian, a lot and that is never a good thing.

The situation with Aiden becomes unclear. Alex can't stop thinking about him, even though she's decided that they can't be together for more than one reason. But the attraction between them is growing stronger and stronger - almost to the point of not being able to avoid it any longer.

Another problem Alex has is Major Telly wanted Alex dead. He's tried over and over to figure out a way to ensure she doesn't complete the transition to being the Apollyon because no one wants the second God Killer to awaken.

And it it wasn't for Apollo, Alex would be dead, after being stabbed. So now she needs to fight for what she has to do, but the deciding factor will but what will happen when she turns 18.

Can Alex figure out what is the right thing to do? What will happen when she turns 18? Will Seth keep his promise to protect her, or will it go horribly wrong? Read Deity by Jennifer L. Armentrout to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
It's been awhile since I read the previous books in this series, but I still found myself sucked into the Covenant world with Alex having a difficult life. And I loved it!

There was a lot of down time in this novel compared to the others, but I don't think that was anything wrong. Stories need down time and Alex needed to figure out what she wanted. Sure, she's going to be the Apollyon but she can also enjoy making out with a boy here or there.

So yes, Alex did chose a guy and she did get deceived by another boy.

The part that I really enjoyed during this book was getting to meet more Gods. We met Apollo and Artemis, we read about Poisiden and also met Hades for a bit. It was also very humorous with the Gods when they interacted with one another.

Before, I did have a guy that I hoped Alex would end up with, but now I'm not sure who she should be with. There are good and bad things about both of them and I kinda just want a new hot guy to come in and sweep Alex off of her feet and there will be nothing bad about him. But I know that won't happen, haha.

I really enjoyed this novel and the ending was very interesting... I'm excited to see what will happen for Alex after she becomes the Apollyon and what will occur with Seth as the "God Killer".

If anyone wants to read this, I would definitely recommend that you read the first books in the series. Even after I read them, it took me awhile to get into this world, so I could never imagine someone just jumping in with this book!

For devoted fans of JLA, you must read this book! And for anyone who likes mythology, I would definitely recommend this series!

Wait for You by J. Lynn (Jennifer L. Armentrout)

Avery moved from Texas to West Virginia to get away from what happened at home 5 years ago. No one at her college knows the rumors that spread like wildfire at home, and she can finally be at peace - well mostly. She doesn't trust guys and is very much a loner, but she likes it like that.

And she even made some new friends at school - something she didn't have at home after the incident. So life was going well, until she ran into the most beautiful guy she's ever seen.

Cameron Hamilton. And yes, she literally ran into him before class. That was before she ran away from him just as fast.

Only getting away from Cam isn't that easy, especially when he decides he wants to be around some more. So not only do they have the same class together, they were made partners for that class. All semester. And the best part? He's across the hall in her apartment building.

The more Avery's around Cam, the more relaxed she gets around him, which is weird because she is never relaxed around guys. And now she's doing things that she swore she wouldn't do, like to go parties or drink. Because everything relates to that one Halloween night 5 years ago. And she won't go back to that dark place.

But Avery is not the only one that is hiding a dark past. Cam also has a secret he is keeping from Avery, something he is not proud of, but would do again in a heartbeat if it happened again.

When Avery's past comes back to haunt her, she needs to make a decision. Can she confront it and retell it to Cam, who has become a huge part of her world, or will it forever haunt and terrify her to the point where she can't tell Cam, and might lost him for good? Read Wait for You by J. Lynn to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
Just a forewarning, this is a NEW ADULT novel, which means that it's a little bit more mature and graphic than a YA novel but not too racy like an adult novel. Mainly, New Adult (NA) novels are set in college and are about characters who are starting to grow up, but still do things that are immature.

I put in the title Jennifer L. Armentrout because J. Lynn is her pen name for adult and new adult novels, and I want to make it very clear that I love this author no matter what name she uses! So, yeah, it's the same amazing writer for all of the reviews that I've done for her novels - just to make sure everyone knows that!

I loved this book. Avery is a tough cookie. She went through a horrible ordeal and came out a survivor, if not a little wounded by it.

But Cam - he's hilarious and sexy and protective. He's everything one could want in a classmate/class partner/neighbor across the hall.

So, yes, this is a lot like the other New Adult novels that have been released, but I think the author put enough new content in to make her own novel in this "new" genre.

My favorite part is the Sunday morning breakfasts. That is such a small detail in a college student's life, but the author made it a big deal and it was also the way that Avery and Cam got to relax around one another without a crowd around to make Avery nervous or self-conscious.

Oh! And Raphael! Cam's turtle! Hilarious introduction at the apartments with his turtle. Just little things like that really make this novel come to life and unique, while also having me laugh out loud while reading.

And the dark pasts for both Cam and Avery made me understand the characters even more. But what happened to Avery, after I found out, really made my jaw drop. I knew something along the lines happened, but not that!

So yes, I would recommend this novel to other New Adult readers. It's a must read and I think a lot of people will like the small things that happen between Cam and Avery!

Opal by Jennifer L. Armentrout

This is the third novel in the Lux series by Jennifer L. Armentrout.

My review of #1: Obsidian.
My review of #2: Onyx.

WARNING - There may be spoilers from the first two novels in this series. Proceed with caution!

Katy is a hybrid - human who now has alien powers thanks to Daemon healing her and transferring a part of himself to Katy's DNA. Which is not the best thing that has happened because now Daemon and Katy are connected together. And that also means if one of them dies, the other will too.

Not exactly the relationship they wanted, but there's nothing they can do about it.

Besides their connection, and their budding romance now that they are both admitting their insane attraction to one another and are starting to date, there is a ghost who has walked back into their lives: Dawson - Dee and Daemon's twin (triplet?) brother.

Only this isn't the same Dawson the Black's remember. He's more reclusive and solidarity. And he is on a mission to get his one true love out of the clutches of the DOD - no matter if it costs his life in the process.

And with the recent death of Adam, Dee's boyfriend, things are very tense around the West Virginia area. Especially since Dee is not talking to Katy, because Katy did sort of spare the life of Adam's killer, Blake, and was a little bit responsible for Adam's death in the first place.

But Blake has come back with a proposition: he can get Beth back, along with his friend Chris from the DOD, but they all need to work together. Which is a problem since everyone wants to kill Blake for the events that unfolded around Adam's death.

So while they are all planning a rescue plan, Katy is also trying to keep her alien powers under control and is practicing them so she won't slow the aliens down. She doesn't want to be a hindrance to them; she wants to help them.

However, things are not going as planned and Katy has a suspicion why. As much as she trusts and loves Daemon, there are some things she can't tell him because it would cause him to murder Blake.

Will the rescue mission work? Can they get both people of out the DOD's clutches and everyone will live happily ever after? Or will something go wrong and another person will be lost from Katy's life? Read Opal by Jennifer L. Armentrout to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
NOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!! Why?!? I cannot handle this cliffhanger!! I need to find out what happens next - like now - and it better be good and not bad news!!!!

Seriously?! The last 4 pages had me in shock, terror, sadness, anger, and the LAST PAGE?!? I was crying. It was heartbreaking. My heart broke and I have still not gotten over the shock and utter despair that I feel right now.

Okay, okay... I need to breathe and wipe away my tears and talk about my thoughts of the WHOLE book and not just that horrible ending.

I absolutely and ridiculously love Jennifer L. Armentrout. There, I've said it. I've read 7 of her novels and have starred every single one of them 5 stars. And I've read all 7 of them in the past two months. That is pretty impressive for my ratings!

This book went above and beyond what I could have expected from this series. Now that Katy and Daemon admit their attraction for one another, there's less hate-hate relationship going on and more kissing and steamy romantic scenes. Don't get me wrong, I love both of those scenes so it was a win/win situation for me.

I loved the scenes with Daemon, Dawson and Katy. Katy was able to chip away Dawson's remorse and bring out the old Dawson a little bit, which made Daemon happy. Extremely happy and he was more than willing to reward Katy in a certain way...

So yes, I loved this book. The ending was a torture chamber. Knowing what was going to happen but not being able to take my eyes away from the book and reading each excruciating word was amazing and heartbreaking.

And now I have to wait 7 whole months until the next one comes out. That is going to feel like forever. I'll have to go through my favorite scenes over and over to make me happy again.

If you haven't read this series, or even this author, you are missing out!! I don't know what else to tell you. This series is amazing. This author is amazing. If you want great characters, great writing, and a great story line, please pick this up!!

In the meantime, I'm going to go build a time machine and fast forward to July so I can continue this roller coaster of a ride in the Lux world! ;-)

Pure by Jennifer L. Armentrout

This is the second book in the Covenant series by Jennifer L. Armentrout.

My review of #0.5: Daimon.
My review of #1: Half-Blood.

Warning - There will be spoilers from the first two books in this series. Continue reading at your own risk!

Being back at school isn't all Alex thought it would be. Now she gets cracks from not only her classmates, but also from her pure-blood teachers who think she's only at the Covenant because of her connection with her uncle and stepfather.

Also, she now has to hide her tags from the daimons that tried to change her - bite marks all up and down her arms and on her neck. But that doesn't stop the stares from everyone around her.

While also doing school stuff, Alex has to train with BOTH Aiden and Seth, alternating days and weekends with them. It's a lot of testosterone going around where Alex is concerned.

To make matters worse, now that everyone knows half-bloods can turn into daimons, a daimon attack happened on campus, and everyone is looking at Alex and Caleb since they were the latest victims on getting attacked by daimons.

Now Alex has to prove to everyone that she is not involved in the daimon activities happening around the Covenant - which is a little hard since she tends to get defensive when that topic is brought up - especially when it concerns her mother.

Seth has decided to start hanging around Alex more and more, while Aiden has been pushing her away. And to top off everything, her and Seth are connecting a heck of a lot more. Seth can feel Alex's emotions as if they were his own and sometimes Alex can feel certain things about Seth...things she'd rather not know about.

As if Alex hasn't been through enough, her and Caleb were attacked on campus by daimons, and Caleb didn't make it. The grief Alex feels from both her mother and Caleb's death takes the toll on her, causing Alex to act rash - more so than usual.

When Alex goes to the Council to do a statement about what happened with her mother in Tennessee, she knew that she would get grilled. But the council members have it out for her and want her to go into servitude instead of fighting daimons.

Can Alex find a way to convince the council that she is becoming mature and responsible? And what is going on between the trio: Seth, Alex and Aiden? What will happen as it gets closer to her eighteenth birthday, when she will Awaken with her Apollyon powers? Read Pure by Jennifer. L. Armentrout to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
There is so much packed into this novel! I love it!

Okay, this series just gets better and better. If I thought I loved Alex before, she grew on me even more during this novel.

I also have to say that I am really enjoying Seth. I know some are all "Aiden!" because he is sacrificing his love for Alex to keep her safe, but Seth is such a tool but a clown around Alex that I can't help but love him. And saying that will not spoil anything as I have no idea who Alex will pick in the end between the love triangle :)

I feel like I've been on an adventure throughout this novel, but the one thing that broke my heart was losing Caleb. Alex's reaction to his death was spot on for any best friend losing their other half (friend half) and I don't blame her one bit for all that she went through after that horrendous fight.

Armentrout is amazing to be able to come up with so much in this different world from ours and keep it simple so the reader won't get lost in all of the madness and blame fest. I truly enjoy reading this series and am very upset that I have to take a pause and wait until another library lets me check it out (it just came out this month, so it's too "new" to send to me - boo!).

I will be continuing this story, though, and I may just have to buy the series when they are all released to have my own copy.

I urge everyone (well female readers would appreciate it more, I think) to go read this series now! I have fallen in love with it and I think others will too :)

Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout

This is the first book in the Covenant series by Jennifer L. Armentrout.

My review of #0.5: Daimon.

After having watched her mother be killed by a daimon, Alex is on the run from a group who are, for some reason, tracking her down. When she was in a fight with three of them, reinforcements came to help - members of the Covenant who she used to know three years ago.

It was all well and dandy that Aiden, the crush she had for years before leaving the Covenant, came to rescue her, but Alex was not very appreciative at the time.

Now she's back at the Covenant, where she finds out that her uncle, Marcus, is the new dean at the school and her stepfather, Lucian, is one of the Ministers of the Covenant. And neither really liked her that much three years ago, so she was expecting some bad news.

With the help of Aiden and two other pure-bloods, they were able to convince her uncle to train over the summer and try to catch up so she can go to school in the fall. And her personal trainer for the duration?

None other than Aiden himself, who Alex has found out she still has a major crush on him.

Just when things were getting to be a routine, her stepfather decides to come visit - which did not make Alex overly happy. And she also found out that the Apollyon (the one half-blood who has all of the powers of a pure-blood and more aether than a pure-blood) was with him.

The minute Alex and the Apollyon, Seth, eyes meet, there is an instant connection. Not attraction, just a feeling Alex gets whenever he is around. And she sees tattoos. Tattoos that none of her friends can see.

With her stepfather comes bad news - her mother is alive. But she was changed into a daimon. And for some reason, she is coming back for Alex, and killing any pure or half-blood in her way to get Alex.

Now Alex, after finding out that she herself is the second Apollyon of this generation - something that caused a fuse the last time two were alive at the same time - has to deal with this news along with the idea that her mother is a daimon and might have to kill her so she won't kill anyone else.

Life for Alex is not all that grand lately. What will happen to Alex since Marcus and Lucian know she's the second Apollyon? What is the connection she feels with Seth, even though she's very much attracted to Aiden? Will Alex have to kill her mother, or is her mother stronger than Alex and will kill her first? Find out all of these answers by reading Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout today!

My Thoughts/Reflections
This book was amazing. I was not bored once throughout the novel and read it in one sitting. There was also so much information and action in here that I was thrown for a loop time and again with the new content Armentrout shoved in here - very eloquently shoved, but still shoved.

Alex is amazing. Purely amazing. She had to leave her mother when she was murdered, fight off daimons after no training for three years, face her uncle and stepfather, not knowing the outcome, go to school and train with her hard-core crush, learned that her mother WASN'T dead, but turned into the thing she is training to kill, found out that she's the second Apollyon, when the last time that happened, they killed BOTH Apollyon's, AND still had time to break a few rules here and there.

She's amazing.

And there are so many boys! Ha, just kidding, but Aiden is very serious, and so is Seth though they are a different serious from one another. Caleb, Alex's best friend, is hilarious and her two elders (uncle and stepfather) are just plain weird.

Overall, this was a great book. There was a lot of information, but it was well spread out really well to give the reader enough time to get over one shock after another.

I cannot wait to read the next books in the series to see what happens with all of the characters. I think I'm going to enjoy this Covenant world very much :)

I think all should read this. It's different than other stories and has many twists and turns. The only thing I'm upset about is that not all of the books are out so I can read them back to back. Guess I'll get over that, though!

Daimon by Jennifer L. Armentrout

This is the prequel novella (#0.5) in the Covenant series by Jennifer L. Armentrout.

For three years, Alexandria, or Alex, has been living in the human world and trying to blend in like a human. Even though she's not. Far from it.

She's actually a half-blood: half human and half God. Her mother is a pure-blood and her father was human. Because of that, Alex has superstrength and speed. Before moving to the human world, she was being trained to protect all pure-bloods from daimons - half-bloods gone rogue.

Daimons one mission in life is to get the aether from pure-bloods - the essence that makes them a God, basically.

Alex doesn't know why her and her mother left the place where all God descendants live: the Covenant. She tried to ask but her mother never gave her an answer.

But one day, the daimons came to Alex's house. And they killed her mother when taking her aether. If that wasn't hard enough, for some reason they are also chasing after Alex, who has a smidgen of aether inside of her as she is only half-blood.

Now Alex has to decide what to do. Fight every daimon that comes after her, or go to the Covenant, the place where her mother has been running from for three years. Whatever Alex decides, it will change the life she knew for good. Read Daimon by Jennifer L. Armentrout to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
I'm glad I read this before the first two novels that I have staring at me right now because this novella really explained the setting and world that I'm about to dive into. I also got to meet Alex without the who love fest that will eventually happen, so I can remember her as an individual and not a love-couple.

I felt like somethings were missing, but I wasn't too concerned by it since I do have the next book to delve into. I really like Alex and think that I will keep liking her throughout the series.

I also like having the background story for one of the main characters.

Because it was such a short novella, I don't have too much to say. I would recommend this to any reader who is in love with Armentrout's works and who wants a very unique twist on mythology. If you want to know more about this series, I will have the review for the first whole book tomorrow, so come back and read it! There will definitely be more details about this unique world!

Cursed by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Two years ago, Ember was in a car accident with her family. She died in that accident, felt her soul leave her body. But her 3 year old sister, Olivia, brought her back from the dead. Just by touching her.

Now, two years later, Ember is taking care of her mother and Olivia. Her father died in the car accident and her mother is acting like Ember died with him - which she technically did though now she's alive and doing the everyday normal stuff.

Well...almost normal.

When Olivia brought her back to life, she got her own ability. While Olivia can bring back dead things to life, Ember has the opposite ability - with just one touch, any living thing will die.

Ember found this out by touching animals and plants, so now she has a no touch policy that everyone in her life knows.

But no one wants to get close enough to touch her anyway. A side effect of being dead is that her blue eyes are now pale blue, almost transparent. And she has scars on her arms and upper body. She's known as the freak and gets tormented everyday at school or in town.

That doesn't stop her from taking care of Olivia, though. Her mother is useless when it comes to going to work, etc. so Ember gets the groceries, takes care of Olivia going to school and back, pays the bills, and other adult things.

It's not a great life, but it's hers. Then everything changes when she sees an attractive guy in town. It changes because he actually looks at her and doesn't look disgusted by Ember's disfigurement.

Turns out Hayden is like Ember and Olivia - he has his own ability. So does his "family" who he lives with in West Virginia. And that is where Ember is sent after being ... abducted ... from her house.

Now she has to live with complete strangers to stay with Olivia. And everyone at this house hates her. Her ability to kill with a touch is not looked at lightly and no one wants her near them. Except Hayden. Hayden acts like her guardian angel and tries to help her handle her "gift".

When things start to show up in her locker, things that no one should know about Ember, she claims someone in the house did it. But other things start to happen, like a car trying to run her over, that makes Ember realize her past is not what she thought it was...

Can Ember figure out how to control this curse she has been given? Will she find out who is trying to kill her and why? Read Cursed by Jennifer L. Armentrout to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
I. Love. This. Author.

There, I said it. I first read her through the Lux series and now I just ordered her Half-Blood series which I know I'll love just as much as the previous series. And Armentrout didn't disappoint with this novel!!

Could you imagine killing a person with just a touch? Just a whisper of a touch, or bumping into someone at the grocery story and naked skin connected? That would be horrible, and Ember had to go through that everyday for two years.

Plus she was taking care of her 5 year old sister, and if anyone knows 5 year olds, they always want something and put up a fight when they don't get it. So having to take care of her and making sure she is wearing long sleeves and gloves before touching her has got to be hard on a person.

Ember is strong willed and tough, even if she thinks differently. Thankfully she is kind spirited and didn't want to use her "gift" or curse for bad.

I have always been a fan of X-Men and this reminded me of that movie a little bit. All of these gifted teens in one house learning to live with their ability. Although it was different because a lot of the abilities were mental - empathetic, telepathic, healing, killing. It wasn't shooting fire or ice at others in battle and it was a lot of internal struggling.

I feel the need to pick up every one of Armentrout's works and read and re-read over and over again. Sadly, I don't own any of her novels - I've checked all of the ones I've read out from the library. When I find some extra cash, I will be fixing this problem and probably buying all of her novels just so I can stare at them lovingly on my bookcase.

So basically, go read this book. And her other books! I would recommend this for any reader wanting to read something similar to X-Men that shows a lead female character struggling to live one day at a time, just to find out that she's not alone and may be able to make friends who are like her.

Fantastic novel! Fantastic Author!

Onyx by Jennifer L. Armentrout

This is the second novel in the Lux series by Jennifer L. Armentrout.

My review of #1: Obsidian.

Katy's life is upside down. Her neighbors are aliens and she's caught in the middle of an alien war between the Luxen's (the good aliens, also known as her neighbors) and the Arum's (the not so nice aliens who are trying to kill the Luxens).

Not to mention that her attraction for Daemon Black, the hot alien with smoking hot green eyes and over 6 feet tall, is off the charts and she's trying her hardest not to give in to temptation.

But after Katy helps save Daemon and Dee from an Arum attack, something has changed inside of Katy. Things are sort of...flying...without her touching them. Kinda like what Daemon and Dee can do... And that shouldn't happen if Katy was human.

The Arum is not the only thing Katy and Daemon have to worry about, now, though. The Department of Defense (DOD) is now in town. They know about Daemon and his friends from another planet and they are coming to "check up" on things.

Which means if they ever found out about Katy, things will be going down hill very quickly and Katy will be taken in for treatments...

Then a new boy comes into town, Blake, who is attached to Katy from the first instant. Something is definitely different about this boy, making Katy curious and Daemon furious with the attention Blake is giving Katy.

Can Katy control this new found power? Will she be able to help the Blacks or will her new ability hinder them? And can Katy stay away from Daemon and be with the "normal" new boy? Read Onyx by Jennifer L. Armentrout to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
It's official - I've found another amazing series and another amazing writer to obsess over!

I didn't think it could get any better than the first novel, Obsidian, but I was proven wrong, thankfully!

Sure, this novel did do the whole, "I'm gonna pretend I don't have feelings for you and ignore you while pretending I like someone else, and then have really intense, hot, steamy kissing scenes when I give in to temptation" story line.

And yes, I do hate those novels where one of the characters keeps a distance from the one they are attracted to when they OBVIOUSLY need to be together.

But somehow, Armentrout pulled it off so I didn't hate this novel.

In fact, I looked forward to those stolen kisses and when Katy lost her mind for a few minutes when kissing Daemon. But I sure do hope that the next book will involve more steamy scenes and less agonizing over the one they love.

I really liked the progressiveness of the situation with the DOD and the Arum's. Katy's new found power causes a lot of tension but she is trying her best to do what is right and she has nothing but Daemon's best interest at heart.

Also, I never mentioned in the first review, but I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that Katy is a book lover and a blogger. It makes me smile every time she has a little dance when new books come in the mail and when she does her "In My Mailbox" videos - especially the one where Daemon hosted as well.

It must be the inner book nerd in me. Oh well.

So if you haven't figured it out by now, I think everyone should read these books and any books by Jennifer L. Armentrout - even though I've only read these two novels so far.

But if her other novels are anything like these, I know I will fall automatically in love with them and will need my own copies (which I will be getting the Lux series for my own personal library at home, btw).

I'm ecstatic that the third novel, Opal, is coming out in December, 2012. Yes, it's still 3 months away, but it's not a year and I will be ordering this novel for the library I work at and will be THE FIRST person to read our copy.

I am going to use my librarian super powers to the max and make sure I read it as soon as physically possible.

Go get this book - this series - right away.

You won't be disappointed! (Or I hope not; otherwise I'll feel bad for straying you to an AMAZING book that you didn't enjoy!)

Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout

This is the first novel in the Lux series by Jennifer L. Armentrout.

 

Katy doesn't want to move. She especially doesn't want to move from Florida to a small nothing town in West Virginia.

But after her father's death, her mother needs to start over and start living again, which is hard to do in the apartment they had with him. So moving they are doing.

At first, it seemed like it could be alright. The next door neighbors include two teens her age, one girl and one guy. Dee, the girl, is an instant friend, which is good news for Katy. And the guy, Daemon, is smoking hot. Yes, she could get used to this arrangement.

Until Daemon opens his mouth and insults are flying out. Then Katy wishes she never laid eyes on Daemon, no matter how good looking he was.

Her neighbors aren't who they seem to be, though. Strange things occur when Katy is around them, things she can't explain.

And their friends, the triplets Ashley, Andrew and Adam, are the same way.

Then Katy finds out that they are aliens.

Which is weird enough except now she has traces of their magic clinging to her skin, attracting other aliens who are trying to kill her new neighbors.

So her plan of staying away from the annoying, infuriating neighbor boy goes up in smoke because he is the strongest of the 5 and has to be near her at all times in case the Arum, the bad aliens, decides to go after Katy while the trace of magic is still on her skin, lighting her up like a Christmas tree.

Basically she is stuck with him for awhile.

Things start to go downhill, though, when Katy is attacked by the Arum. Can Daemon protect both Katy and his family from the Arum, or will Katy be a liability that will get someone killed? Read Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
Oh. My. I've read amazing reviews about this series so I had high expectations when going into this novel.

And I was definitely not disappointed! It was everything that I wanted and I got even more!!

Also, I have to say that I am a devoted fan of the TV show Roswell from awhile ago. I was a little late in the fan club, but I have gotten there and I'll always be a fan. This book reminded me of it so much that it's no wonder I loved it so much!

Only it was better because I could enjoy the reactions myself when reading :)

So, Katy. She is one tough lady. Instead of running screaming for the hills when she found out that aliens actually do exist, she decides to stick around and learn more about their history, while also saving Daemon from a few sticky situations.

And Daemon. Oh, Daemon. He tried so very hard to be a jerk to Katy. And he was, but he always gave in to the nice, sweet Daemon just enough to keep Katy coming back for more, which I'm grateful for.

I'm not sure how to explain this novel. The attraction/chemistry is off the charts, the alien fight scenes were great, and the storyline was amazing.

I currently have the next book in the series in my possession, so you know I'm jumping into that right away to continue this great chemistry attraction between the two characters. I just wish I would have waited until the 3rd novel was out because I will be wanting more, I'm sure, but the end of the next book.

Ladies - this is a must read. A. Must. Read. I got this from the library, but I think I'll be buying it soon to add to my collection of novels that I reread just for the pleasure of it. Because I will be rereading this again in the near future.