YA Review: Origin by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Title: Origin (Lux #4)

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

# of Pages: 400

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Publication Date: August 27th 2013

Source: Purchased

Level: Young Adult

Rating: 5 Hearts

Synopsis

Daemon will do anything to get Katy back.

After the successful but disastrous raid on Mount Weather, he’s facing the impossible. Katy is gone. Taken. Everything becomes about finding her. Taking out anyone who stands in his way? Done. Burning down the whole world to save her? Gladly. Exposing his alien race to the world? With pleasure.

All Katy can do is survive. 

Surrounded by enemies, the only way she can come out of this is to adapt. After all, there are sides of Daedalus that don’t seem entirely crazy, but the group’s goals are frightening and the truths they speak even more disturbing. Who are the real bad guys? Daedalus? Mankind? Or the Luxen?

Together, they can face anything. But the most dangerous foe has been there all along, and when the truths are exposed and the lies come crumbling down, which side will Daemon and Katy be standing on? And will they even be together?

My Verdict
(CONTAINS MINOR SPOILERS)

Ahhhhhhh! I can't even tell you how hard it was to wait for this book to come out, but if you've read the rest of the series I'm sure you know exactly what it was like. I literally woke up on the 27th, got on my computer and downloaded this Kindle book. I would have devoured it in one sitting if it wasn't for the fact that I had to go to work =P so it took me longer to get through than I would have liked.

Unlike the rest of the books which were told from Katys perspective, this one was told using dual points-of-view since Daemon and Katy are separated for a decent chunk of it. I really loved getting both POVs; it made me love Daemon just that much more. 

We are introduced to some new characters, Archer, being the main addition. I'm curious to hear how others felt about him?? I liked him from the first moment he and Katy met. I just knew he was gonna end up helping them out. Even though Daemon & Katy still don't trust him, I really think he's one of the good guys. At least I hope he is! I want him and Dee to get together =)

The pacing of this one was SO much  better than the last, it starts right in the thick of things and there was never a dull moment. The 400 pages flew by because it was one thing after another right until the very end.

After that horrible cliffhanger that was book three, I kept waiting for things to go bad in the last few chapters, dread in my stomach waiting for it to come, but I'm happy no I'm THRILLED to report the ending this time around was not a cliffhanger. I repeat NOT A CLIFFHANGER. I don't feel the need to hunt Jennifer down and force her to tell me what happens next like I did last time around. No, this time, I am content in waiting. 

YA Review: Shadows by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Title: Shadows (Lux #0.5)

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

# of Pages: 180

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Publication Date: February 21st 2012

Source: Purchased

Level: Young Adult

Rating: 4 Hearts

Synopsis

The last thing Dawson Black expected was Bethany Williams. As a Luxen, an alien life form on Earth, human girls are…well, fun. But since the Luxen have to keep their true identities a secret, falling for one would be insane. Dangerous. Tempting. Undeniable.

Bethany can’t deny the immediate connection between her and Dawson. And even though boys aren’t a complication she wants, she can’t stay away from him. Still, whenever they lock eyes, she’s drawn in. Captivated. Lured. Loved.

Dawson is keeping a secret that will change her existence…and put her life in jeopardy. But even he can’t stop risking everything for one human girl. Or from a fate that is as unavoidable as love itself.

My Verdict

Normally the novellas released as in-between parts of a series are really short, so I was pleasantly surprised by how long this was! I seriously paid $3.99 for a "novella" once that was literally 20 pages, so when this one kept going on and on I felt like I had won the lottery.

I was so excited to get to know more about Dawson, Bethany, and their relationship before all the crap hit the fan. Dawson was so sweet and adorable, the complete polar opposite of his twin brother Daemon. It also made it so much sadder seeing how he was before and knowing how he is after, when he's an empty shell haunted by all he's been through. Bethany was actually totally different than expected. Now I don't know if it was just me being stupid but I thought Bethany was a blonde?? At least that's how I always pictured her, with pin straight blonde hair and kind of mousy. I never felt like I knew Bethany from reading the other books. Dawson was so in love with her but she just seemed so blah.  I enjoyed getting her POV and seeing that she was just as much in love with Dawson as he was with her. 

Overall, this was a great addition to the Lux Series and I'm hoping there are some more novellas to come!! Maybe one about the Thompson siblings? 

Book Review: Opal by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Title: Opal (Lux #3)

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

# Of Pages: 382

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Publication Date: December 11, 2012

Source: Library

Level: Young Adult

Rating: 4 Hearts

Synopsis

(From Goodreads)

No one is like Daemon Black.

When he set out to prove his feelings for me, he wasn’t fooling around. Doubting him isn’t something I’ll do again, and now that we’ve made it through the rough patches, well... There’s a lot of spontaneous combustion going on.

But even he can’t protect his family from the danger of trying to free those they love.

After everything, I’m no longer the same Katy. I’m different... And I’m not sure what that will mean in the end. When each step we take in discovering the truth puts us in the path of the secret organization responsible for torturing and testing hybrids, the more I realize there is no end to what I’m capable of. The death of someone close still lingers, help comes from the most unlikely source, and friends will become the deadliest of enemies, but we won’t turn back. Even if the outcome will shatter our worlds forever.

Together we’re stronger... and they know it.

My Verdict

With the second book surpassing the first, I was expecting things to keep getting better and for this to be my new favorite, but unfortunately that didn’t happen. This was my least favorite of the three.

While it was nice that Katy and Dameon were finally an official couple, I got tired of reading page after page of them making out. The romance was really steamy in this one, a whole slew of descriptive make-out scenes along with one sex scene. I was really getting tired of hearing about Dameons rock-hard abs and great body. It’s book three, I’m pretty sure we all know what he looks like at this point and the fact that he’s hot! I don’t need Katy to go over these points every time he enters a room!

The story was pretty slow going. There was a little action at the beginning followed by a lot of training and build up for the big action scene at the end. And to make matters worse, that scene it had been building up to for 366 pages cuts off during the most intense moment of the book. Bam. Gone. Nothing. I cannot even believe it ended where it did. Probably one of the worst cliffhangers I’ve ever read! I was one Miss Cranky Pants that night, that’s for sure.

I loved getting to learn more about Dawson in this one. I wasn’t sure how I felt about him at first since he hardly ever talks, but he really started to grow on me by the end. I discovered that there’s a short story called “Shadows” that is all about Dawson and Beth before all the crap hit the fan. Hopefully that will give us a better look at what’s going on inside that brain of his ;)  I’ll definitely be reading it sometime during my three-month wait for book number four!

Book Review: Onyx by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Title: Onyx (Lux #2)

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

# Of Pages: 366

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Publication Date: August 14^th 2012

Source: Purchased

Level: Young Adult

Rating: 5 Hearts

Synopsis

(From Goodreads)

Being connected to Daemon Black sucks…

Thanks to his alien mojo, Daemon’s determined to prove what he feels for me is more than a product of our bizarro connection. So I’ve sworn him off, even though he’s running more hot than cold these days. But we’ve got bigger problems.

Something worse than the Arum has come to town…

The Department of Defense are here. If they ever find out what Daemon can do and that we're linked, I’m a goner. So is he. And there's this new boy in school who’s got a secret of his own. He knows what’s happened to me and he can help, but to do so, I have to lie to Daemon and stay away from him. Like that's possible. Against all common sense, I'm falling for Daemon. Hard.

But then everything changes…

I’ve seen someone who shouldn’t be alive. And I have to tell Daemon, even though I know he’s never going to stop searching until he gets the truth. What happened to his brother? Who betrayed him? And what does the DOD want from them—from me?

No one is who they seem. And not everyone will survive the lies…

My Verdict

I almost gave this book four hearts instead of five because there were a few things I didn’t love about it. Then I was thinking, any book that roots you to a chair for eight hours because you can’t pull yourself away to sleep like a normal person, or has you seriously considering driving an hour to the nearest library that has a copy of the third book deserves the full five hearts!

Now down to business, I want to apologize upfront if a few of my details are a little off. I read all three of these book so close together that they have become one big blur in my mind.

It’s funny because Katy & Dameon pretty much switched places for me in this book. In the first one I really liked Katy and hated Dameon. In this one Katy bugged me a good three-quarters of the way through, while Dameon took a total 180 and was super sweet and not 98% jerk Dameon that we met in book one. 

We get introduced to some new characters in book two that bring along some interesting twists and turns I didn’t see coming. We also got to learn more about the Luxen race, their powers, and history, which I really enjoyed. Also, every little comment about book blogging brought a ridiculous smile to my face +D

There is SO much more I want to say but can't without spoilers so my lips are sealed!

Overall, while it got off to a frustrating start it really picked up and easily became my favorite one in the series so far. Bring on book number three! 

Book Review: Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Title: Obsidian (Lux #1)

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

# Of Pages: 361

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Publication Date: November 23^rd 2011

Source: Library

Level: Young Adult

Rating: 4 Hearts 

Synopsis

(From Goodreads)

Starting over sucks.

When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I'd pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring.... until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.

And then he opened his mouth.

Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something...unexpected happens.

The hot alien living next door marks me.

You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon's touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I'm getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades.

If I don't kill him first, that is.

My Verdict

I can’t tell you how excited I was to read an alien book! Vampires, werewolves, zombies, there are plenty of books out there about them, but aliens? Not so many. I don’t know if any of you have seen the TV show Roswell (or read the books) it’s about a group of teenage aliens and my favorite show ever! If you haven’t seen it I highly suggest you go watch it immediately! Anywho, the synopsis of this book sounded very similar; boy saves girl, girl finds out boy is an alien, chaos ensues. So obviously I had to read it.

The whole love/hate relationship between main characters Katy and Daemon is what really pulls you in. There is something addicting about their constant bickering that keeps you turning pages.

I really liked Katy most of the time. Her snarky comebacks, loyalty to her friends, and selflessness were admirable. Plus, she gains a few bonus points for being a book blogger =) However, there was one event, (a school dance) where she made some unbelievably STUPID decisions against her friends warnings just to spite them. I was like WHY are you being so stupid?! Listen to your friends, they’re trying to protect you!! Also the way she would totally melt down and believe Dameon hated her when he would lie about his feelings for her. It was obvious he liked her, but when he would say otherwise she totally believed him even though she denied her feelings for him as well.

Dameon was a piece of work. Looked like a Greek god, acted like the biggest jerk on the planet. His attitude was infuriating 98% of the time. There were a few moments where he was actually sweet, but those moments were far and few between!

I think the alien part could have been done better. The fact that Dameon and Dee had been hiding their true identities for years was hard to believe, considering they weren’t very good at it. They said completely obvious things to Katy like “You’re not one of us” and  “I want Dee to have friends like her” but didn’t expect Katy to pick up on the fact that something was off. How dumb did they think she was? Some of the alien aspects also weren’t explained enough for my liking but what can you do.

Overall, this book kept me turning pages and dying for the next installment, which I’m probably going to end up downloading on my Kindle because the library only has one copy that’s going to take way too long to arrive!! It was no Roswell, but I’ll take what alien love stories I can get thank you very much.