Review | "Sentinel" by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Sentinel by Jennifer L. Armentrout
YA Paranormal published November 2, 2013
Spencer Hill Press
Author's website  |  Goodreads  |  Buy the Book on Amazon

Synopsis from Goodreads:

It's a beautiful day for a war.

As the mortal world slowly slips into chaos of the godly kind, Alexandria Andros must overcome a stunning defeat that has left her shaken and in doubt of their ability to end this war once and for all.

And with all the obstacles between Alex and her happily-ever-after with the swoonworthy Aiden St. Delphi, they must now trust a deadly foe as they travel deep into the Underworld to release one of the most dangerous gods of all time.

In the stunning, action-packed climax to the bestselling Covenant series, Alex must face a terrible choice: the destruction of everything and everyone she holds dear… or the end of herself.

My Thoughts...

I am just going to do a really quick review on this book.  It's been a little while since I read it so there are some details that I don't really remember very clearly.  I did love the book, though, and I thought it was the perfect ending for this series.  I am sad to see it come to an end but happy that there is going to be a spin off series which was set up perfectly in this book.  This was a 5 star series for me, I loved every book in it.

Aiden is one of my favorite characters in any YA series without a doubt.  He has every quality that you could possibly want in a male lead character.  I also really enjoyed Seth's character in this book and I am looking forward to his series for sure.  ALex faced quite a lot in this book and she was also stronger than ever.  She is prepared to become the god-killer, but she has NO idea what exactly she is giving up to become this.  The ending of this book blew me away, it wasn't something I was expecting at all.  Most of the action in the book comes toward the end.  Most of the rest of the book is the preparation for the showdown with Ares.

I have always been a fan of Greek Mythology and books with that as a theme.  That's probably one of the reasons I enjoyed this series so much.  Appollo played a pretty big part in this book with some appearances by other gods and goddesses and even a Titan.  This Titan is what sets up the new series that Seth will star in. 

While this series is a YA series there are some adult like situations between Aiden and Alex which I think Jennifer handles very tastefully.  They are sexy without being too descriptive.

I think this pretty much sums up my thoughts on this book.  As you can see I really did enjoy this series and if you like YA Paranormal and Greek Mythology then you will want to give this series a try!

XOXO, Shelly

YA Paranormal VIDEO Review "Origin" by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Origin by Jennifer L. Armentrout
YA Paranormal released 8/27/13

Author's website  |  Goodreads  |  Buy the Book on Amazon

Synopsis from Goodreads:

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 Thoughts...

Ignore the crappy quality, I recorded this one on my iPhone!  I considered not even posting it, but I figured since I did the review I may as well use it instead of typing it all out.

So, I hope you enjoyed my video post.  I think that I may start keeping them over on YouTube only in the future and just post a link to them here so you can go watch them there if you want to.  If you like them I hope you will go over and subscribe to my channel.  I am going to work on building up my followers over there.

YA Paranormal VIDEO Review "Alice in Zombieland" by Gena Showalter

Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter
YA Paranormal released 9/25/12

Author's website  |  Goodreads  |  Buy the Book on Amazon

Synopsis from Goodreads:
She won’t rest until she’s sent every walking corpse back to its grave. Forever.

Had anyone told Alice Bell that her entire life would change course between one heartbeat and the next, she would have laughed. From blissful to tragic, innocent to ruined? Please. But that’s all it took. One heartbeat. A blink, a breath, a second, and everything she knew and loved was gone.

Her father was right. The monsters are real….

To avenge her family, Ali must learn to fight the undead. To survive, she must learn to trust the baddest of the bad boys, Cole Holland. But Cole has secrets of his own, and if Ali isn’t careful, those secrets might just prove to be more dangerous than the zombies….

I wish I could go back and do a thousand things differently.
I'd tell my sister no.
I'd never beg my mother to talk to my dad.
I'd zip my lips and swallow those hateful words.
Or, barring all of that, I'd hug my sister, my mom and my dad one last time.
I'd tell them I love them.
I wish... Yeah, I wish.

My Thoughts...

So, I am changing the format here just a bit as you can see by what I have going on up there.  It's a little less cluttered and hopefully will make things a little easier for me when it comes time to post.  Also, you can see by the post title that this is a video blog!  It's something new I am trying and I may go to a mostly video format if time (and a quiet house) permits.  I kind of like it, it's easier to put my thoughts into words, sometimes.  We will see how it goes... 

So here it my very first video review...I hope you enjoy it.  Sorry about the crummy quality, I am still learning the whole process and hopefully they will just get better and better.  I may have to get a better camera for that to happen so please bear with me until then!

Thanks for watching!

BLOG TOUR YA Paranormal Review "Resilient" by Patricia Vanasse

Title:  Resilient
Author: Patricia Vanasse
Publisher:  Pants on Fire Press
Publication Date:  September 2, 2013
Genre:  YA Paranormal

GoodReads | Amazon 

Synopsis from Goodreads: 

Livia has never felt like she fits in. As normal as it sounds, Livia is anything but ordinary. She can feel every emotion of every single person around her, and it’s maddening. In pursuit of some psychic quiet, she moves with her family from New York City to Whidbey Island in the lush and sleepy Pacific Northwest. But when a horseback riding accident in her new home gives her a broken leg that heals in a day, she finds that another unexplainable ability has manifested, and her life isn’t about to get any easier.  

Adam has no problem fitting in and making friends. In fact, he’s the top of the school, the boy everyone knows and loves. However, people only see what he allows them to. No one knows what Adam is truly capable of. After witnessing Livia’s accident, Adam sees something intriguing in her quick recovery, something that gives him hope that he’s not alone.  

Adam is the only one whose emotions Livia can’t read. Afraid of not knowing what goes on behind his dark eyes, Livia decides to keep him at a distance. Yet the more she tries to ignore him, the more alluring he becomes, and while their personal quests for identity will inevitably bring them closer together, it is the confirmation of what they really are that threatens to tear them apart.

Resilient, told in alternating point of views, is a gripping story of survival and romance, in which two teenagers face the consequences of being anything but normal.  

My Review...

I really enjoyed this book.  I read it right after spending a week reading a long book with very thought provoking material.  This was the perfect read to kind of cleanse my palate   That's not to say that it was a fluff read with no substance.  This wasn't a completely original premise, in fact, I have read a handful of YA books with this theme just this year.  This take on the "super" abilities makes for a very interesting story.  I just hope we don't have to wait too long for the 2nd book in the series!

This story is told from alternating 1st person POV's from Livia and Adam.  I actually quite like reading a story that's told like this.  It's a nice change to be inside the minds of both main characters without it being an omniscient POV.  

Livia is a teenager whose life is being uprooted.  She is getting ready to start her senior year of high school when her parents decide to move from New York City to the Pacific Northwest.  Both her parents are doctors and she has twin brothers who are only 6.  She has always known that she was adopted and when she was younger she realized that she had the ability to read the emotions of the people around her.  She doesn't know anyone else who is like her and to make matters more complicated, as she gets older she starts to develop even more abilities.  She keeps these new discoveries from her parents, but she does confide in her uncle.  Once she moves to Whidbey Island and meets her new neighbor Adam things start to get even more complicated, especially when he seems to be the only one whose emotions she can't read (sounds a little familiar doesn't it?).

I loved Adam!  He is Livia's age, he's her closest neighbor, his dad is an old friend of Livia's dad.  He trained the horses the Livia's dad bought.  He's just an all around good guy.  He is more similar to Livia than she knows.  He doesn't read emotion but he can control anger (remind you of anyone, maybe Jasper Hale?).  The difference is that the only one he confided in was his best friend, even his parents don't know about his abilities.  

Things have already been stirred up for Adam, but Livia's appearance brings even more trouble for the both of them.  They each learn things about each other, themselves and their families that will alter their lives and eventually take them on a journey far away from the people they love.

If you are a YA Paranormal fan then I suggest picking up a copy of this book.  Like I said, it's not completely original.  There are things that reminded me of books like Twilight and The Luxe Series, but overall it's a great story.  The characters are very likable and there was no lull in the story.  At times the writing is very simple, but I was so immersed in the story that I couldn't put it down.  I am looking forward to seeing what happens in the next installment.

About the Author

Patricia Vanasse was born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Now she lives on Whidbey Island in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, two adorable children, and two crazy dogs. She has been trough Culinary Arts, Psychology, Law School, and now has finally found her passion in creative writing. She also loves traveling, cooking, and is an avid reader. Her strength- believes that everything is possible.

Author Sites:

Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook 

GIVEAWAY!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

YA Paranormal Romance Review & Giveaway "Infinityglass" by Myra McEntire

Title:  Infinityglass (Hourglass #3)
Author: Myra McEntire
Publisher:  Egmont USA
Publication Date: August 6, 2013
Genre: YA Paranormal Romance

Buy this book on Amazon 
Author's Website 
Author's Goodreads Profile

Synopsis from Goodreads:  

The stakes have risen even higher in this third book in the Hourglass series.

The Hourglass is a secret organization focused on the study of manipulating time, and its members — many of them teenagers -­have uncanny abilities to make time work for them in mysterious ways. Inherent in these powers is a responsibility to take great care, because altering one small moment can have devastating consequences for the past, present, and future. But some time travelers are not exactly honorable, and sometimes unsavory deals must be struck to maintain order.

With the Infinityglass (central to understanding and harnessing the time gene) at large, the hunt is on to find it before someone else does.

But the Hourglass has an advantage. Lily, who has the ability to locate anything lost, has determined that the Infinityglass isn't an object. It's a person. And the Hourglass must find him or her first. But where do you start searching for the very key to time when every second could be the last?

My Thoughts...
This is the last of the 3 Hourglass books and while I didn't review the first 2, I did enjoy them immensely and I will probably talk about them a little in this review.  I want to make this totally clear as well, this is NOT a standalone book you absolutely need to read the first 2 books before you pick this one up.  Also, I am not planning on any spoilers for this book, but if you haven't read the previous books there will be some spoilers for those books.  There is no way to avoid that so if you plan to read them you may want to skip this review until you have read them all!  I will say this first though, if you like YA Paranormal Romance, time travel, Sci-fi, characters with extraordinary powers, etc...then you need to read this series.  It's very well written, it's a finished series now and I blazed through these 3 books in no time at all.

So, the first book is written from Emerson's Point of view, first person.  Then the 2nd book is written in first person from Kaleb's POV, which I must say, I enjoyed reading a YA book from the male perspective.  Now, this one is also in first person with the POV being split between Dune and Hallie.  I know that when you see that synopsis you automatically think that this book is going to be from Lily's POV and that's totally misleading!  I thought the same thing, but it's not the case.  I am so glad that we get the split POV in this one because getting to know Dune better was a pleasure there is no doubt about that!

Hallie's dad is the head of Chronos which is locate in New Orleans.  He is a businessman and runs Chronos accordingly.  It's not at all like The Hourglass where everyone is like family.  He barely acknowledges that Hallie is his daughter most of the time.  Hallie has been sheltered all her life and while there is a reason for that he not lenient with her in the slightest.  She is schooled at home and even has her own dance studio with a private teacher coming in to teach dance.  She is only "let out" to do jobs for Chronos.  More surprisingly her work partner is Poe!  With all this she has become quite adept at sneaking out and it helps that her particular ability is being able to change her appearance at will.

We already know that Dune's ability is related to water and tides, but we find out so much more about him in this book.  He is the big Samoan boy with dreads and big brains in the other books, but he changes pretty dramatically in this book when he is assigned to help protect Hallie.  Dune was the one who was able to crack open the Skroll and he knows more about the Infinityglass than anyone else in either Chronos or The Hourglass.  There are two things that he never banked on though.  One is that the Infinityglass is a person and not an object he needs to go on a quest to find and two, that he would fall in love with her.

When Hallie is accidentally "activated" things start to happen really quickly.  She starts to learn things about herself and her family that she never expects.  Dune is there to help her deal with and process all this new information.  He is also her saving grace when the "rips" start to affect her differently than they do everyone else.  He brings the rest of The Hourglass crew to NOLA to help finish this once and for all.  Once they are all together Teague and Jack make their move to use the Infinityglass to their own gain.  

The ending of this story was nicely wrapped up which is a nice thing these days.  There were really no loose ends left "just in case".  I was a little disappointed in the ending, just a tiny bit.  There was so much build up in all the books and it just seemed to be over really quickly.  I didn't dislike the ending, it just seemed a little abrupt after all they had been through.

Like I said, this is a really well written series and I enjoyed it so much.  I am looking forward to see what Ms. McEntire has up her sleeve for us next!

*Disclaimer:  I was provided with a copy of this book courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*

I have been authorized to giveaway ONE HARDCOVER copy of Infinityglass along with an Infinityglass poster!

So...here are the rules:

• Must be at least 15 to Enter
• You must live in the US for hard copy books.
• You will have 24 hours to contact me once it's confirmed that you are the winner and I have emailed you.
• Failure to contact me in 24 hours will result in my drawing another name as winner. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

YA Paranormal Review & GIVEAWAY "Imposter" by Susanne Winnacker

Title:  Imposter (Variants #1)
Author:  Susanne Winnacker

Publisher:  Razorbill 

Publication Date:  May 23, 2013
Genre:  YA Paranormal
Format:  Kindle 489 KB  |  Hardcover 288 pages

Buy this book on Amazon:  Hardcover|  Kindle Edition

Author's Website:  http://www.susannewinnacker.com/
Author's Goodreads Profile:  Susanne Winnacker

Synopsis from Goodreads: 

Can Tessa pose as Madison . . . and stop a killer before it’s too late? 

Tessa is a Variant, able to absorb the DNA of anyone she touches and mimic their appearance. Shunned by her family, she’s spent the last two years training with the Forces with Extraordinary Abilities, a secret branch of the FBI. When a serial killer rocks a small town in Oregon, Tessa is given a mission: she must impersonate Madison, a local teen, to find the killer before he strikes again. 

Tessa hates everything about being an impostor—the stress, the danger, the deceit—but loves playing the role of a normal girl. As Madison, she finds friends, romance, and the kind of loving family she’d do anything to keep. Amid action, suspense, and a ticking clock, this super-human comes to a very human conclusion: even a girl who can look like anyone struggles the most with being herself.

My Thoughts...

This was a great start to a new series.  While it's not an altogether original concept, it's a fresh take on it for sure.  I have to say also, that Tessa's "power" is pretty phenomenal.  All the Variants have pretty awesome powers and I don't even think we have seen the best of them yet.  We don't even't know the half of what Major can do!

A serial killer is terrorizing a small, relatively quiet town.  He is strangling people and the only thing that really ties them together is the "A" he is carving at the top of their rib cage.  The last girl he tried to kill didn't die.  She's in the hospital in a coma.  She is going to die, though, only the doctors and the FEA knows this though.  Tessa is only 16, but she is about to go on her first assignment.  She is going to mimic Madison's DNA and replace her in an effort to catch the killer before anyone else dies.

Tessa seems to fall into Madison's life pretty easily.  It's so different from her own and really it's the life that she always wanted for herself.  She has these really clear moments where she thinks that she can actually stay there and be Madison and I know I wanted her to be able to as I was reading.  I wanted that normal life for her just as much as she did.  I liked Tessa from the beginning, there was never a moment that I didn't really connect with her character.  I felt like she was really well developed and I am anxious to see how she grows throughout the course of this series.

Let's talk about Alec for a bit.  I LOVED Alec!  What I didn't love is how much the relationship between Tessa and Alec was like other book relationships.  These are the 2 that immediately came to mind as I was reading, Rose/Dimitri from Vampire Academy and Alex/Aiden from the Covenant Series.  Basically it's a younger girl/little bit older guy who is put in charge of training or who is a mentor in some way but who is also responsible for protecting the girl when they are on whatever "mission" they are on.  In the case of this book, though, Alec has a girlfriend.  It's never really clear what's going on with Alec and Kate.  He has very obvious feelings for Tessa though and this results in some pretty steamy kissing scenes.

There are some pretty tense moments as Tessa and Alec close in on the killer.  Tessa learns thinks about Madison that even her closest friends didn't know.  Her secrets go pretty deep and some are pretty unexpected.  In the process of catching the killer they discover more Variants living in Madison's home town.  They also get some pretty chilling details regarding a rogue group who is recruiting Variants for their own agenda and it's not a good one.

So, I really enjoyed this book.  It was action packed and had some pretty intense moments.  I truly didn't know who the killer was until it was revealed.  I had my suspicions, but even up to the very end I thought it was someone else!  I loved the characters and I think that there are some minor characters that have tremendous potential and I hope we see them popping up in the series at some point.  This is a YA so there was no concerns about content.  I would let my 13 year old daughter read this if she expressed interest in it.  I am looking forward to the next book in the series!

*Disclaimer: I was provided with a copy of this book courtesy of the publisher in exchange for my honest review.*

I have been authorized to giveaway ONE HARDCOVER copy of Imposter!!  So enter for your chance to win.

So...here are the rules:

• Must be at least 13 to Enter
• You must live in the US for hard copy books.
• You will have 24 hours to contact me once it's confirmed that you are the winner and I have emailed you.
• Failure to contact me in 24 hours will result in my drawing another name as winner. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

YA Paranormal Review "Moonlit" by Jadie Jones

Title:  Moonlit
Author: Jadie Jones
Publisher:  WiDo Publishing
Publication Date: April 16, 2013
Genre: YA Paranormal
Format:  Kindle 559 kb  |  Paperback 310 pages

Buy this book on Amazon:  Kindle Version  |  Paperback
Author's Website:  http://www.jadiejones.com/
Author's Goodreads Profile:  Jadie Jones

Synopsis from Goodreads: 

Eighteen-year-old Tanzy Hightower knows horses, has grown up with them on Wildwood Farm. She also knows not to venture beyond the trees that line the pasture. Things happen out there that cannot be explained. Or undone. Worse, no one but she and the horses can see what lurks in the shadows of the woods.

When a moonlit ride turns into a terrifying chase, Tanzy is left to question everything, from the freak accident that killed her father to the very blood in her veins. Broken and confused, she turns to Lucas, a scarred, beautiful stranger, and to Vanessa, a charming new friend who has everything Tanzy doesn’t.

But why do they seem to know more about her than she knows herself?

My Thoughts...

I ended up really enjoying this book.  It did take me a little bit to really get into it, but once I did I read through it really quickly.  I had this really heavy feeling of foreboding throughout a lot of the book for some reason.  That's not necessarily a bad thing, it definitely built a lot of tension for me.

The world that Ms. Jones built for this story is unlike any I have read before.  I think it has tremendous potential for sure, there are times that it is confusing though.  There is a lot of suspense all through the story and a lot of that is due to the fact that while the story is rolling right along nicely, for most of the book it's still not really completely clear what is happening.  It's one of those stories that's nearly impossible to review because to talk much about the plot will spoil something somewhere!  I think that I will have to leave the plot for now and just talk generally about the book itself.

I think that I was just a little lost with the paranormal part of the story.  While I think it's original I think that it needed to be set up better and more clearly.  I think that what happened is that in the effort to keep the suspense going the whole paranormal aspect is revealed in little bits and pieces and you have to fit all those bits together to form a whole picture.  I know that I am making it seem like the book is overly confusing and it's really not!  It's more that she only reveals the true nature of what's happening a little bit at a time so you don't get a real sense of the story as a whole until it's very late in the book.  By then, the book is over and the story isn't done.  I think that since this is the first book in what I assume will be a trilogy, then this is just set up and that's good.  That means that the next book will be better since we have a better sense of what the story is about.

I will say that I thoroughly enjoyed Tanzy and especially Lucas.  I am looking forward to seeing what will happen with them in the next installment.  I hope that this review didn't confuse you too much, there are times that it's really hard to properly review a book because of plot spoiler stuff.  This is definitely one of those times.  I will just say that if you like unique paranormal stories you will probably enjoy this book.  If you like horses then you will also.  I did enjoy it despite my issues with being somewhat confused at times!  I will also keep reading the series for sure.  This is a YA book so other than some kissing scenes there were no other content warnings to give.

*Disclaimer: I was provided with a copy of this book courtesy of the author in exchange for my honest review.*

ARC YA Paranormal Review "Apollyon" by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Title:  Apollyon (Covenant #4)
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publisher:  Spencer Hill Press
Publication Date:  April 9, 2013
Genre:  YA Paranormal Romance
Format:  Kindle --- KB  |  Paperback 360 pages

Preorder this book on Amazon:  Kindle Edition  |  Paperback
Author's Website:  http://www.jenniferarmentrout.com/ 
Author's Goodreads Profile:  Jennifer L. Armentrout 

Synopsis from Goodreads: 

Fate isn’t something to mess with… and now, neither is Alex.

Alex has always feared two things: losing herself in the Awakening and being placed on the Elixir. But love has always been stronger than Fate, and Aiden St. Delphi is willing to make war on the gods—and Alex herself—to bring her back.

The gods have killed thousands and could destroy entire cities in their quest to stop Seth from taking Alex’s power and becoming the all-powerful God Killer. But breaking Alex’s connection to Seth isn’t the only problem. There are a few pesky little loopholes in the whole “an Apollyon can’t be killed” theory, and the only person who might know how to stop the destruction has been dead for centuries.

Finding their way past the barriers that guard the Underworld, searching for one soul among countless millions, and then somehow returning will be hard enough. Alex might be able to keep Seth from becoming the God Killer… or she might become the God Killer herself.

My Thoughts...

I was so excited to get approved for an ARC of this book from Spencer Hill Press.  I will be honest and tell you that at that point I hadn't read the first 3 books, but I love Ms. Armentrout's Lux series so I was pretty confident that I would like this one as well.  Boy was I ever right!  In fact, I think this series is even better than the Lux series.  I blew through the first 3.5 books in this series in just a couple of days and finished this one in maybe 5 hours!  Notice I said 3.5, I started reading this one immediately after the 3rd book and I kept feeling like I was missing something.  I normally don't read mini books or novellas because they are usually about minor character and don't contribute overly to the story as a whole.  In this case, though, you really need to read Elixir first or you will be lost when you start this book.

In my opinion, this was the best book of the series and I have no doubt that the final book will be even better.  I gave all the books 5 stars, but I would have given this one even more if I could have!  Since this is and ARC review I am going to try not to post anything that will spoil the story for you.

I am a big fan of the Dark Hunter series by Sherrilyn Kenyon.  It's roots are based in Greek Mythology and that's one of the reasons I love it so much.  This series is like a YA version of that.  The whole class structure/caste system reminds me a little of the Vampire Academy series.  There is a clear separation of the Half-Bloods and the Pures.  The Pures are directly descended from the Gods and the Halfs are a mix of Pure and mortal.  The Pures are allowed to mix with mortals although it's frowned upon, but the Pures and Halfs can NOT mix.  Alexandria is a half (technically she's more than that since her father was a half and her mother Pure) and Aiden is a Pure.  Mixing of the Breeds is strictly forbidden and ends badly for everyone.  Aiden and Alex are to the point now where this is being overlooked because of all the other things that are happening.  I have a feeling at some point it will become a bigger issue, if only for a moment.

Alex is an Apollyon who has just been Awakened.  Seth, the First has only to touch her to drain her of all her power and he will become the God Killer.  The Gods, obviously, don't want this to happen.  There is one God, though, who is helping Lucian and Seth.  This story starts out a little rough and it seems like all hope is lost.  Alex and Aiden each have their work cut out for them and they are definitely tested and tried throughout the course of the story.  They end up with some unlikely allies and an even unlikelier enemy who is going to make what Alex has to do even harder.

Throughout the whole story the love that Aiden has for Alex is just a beautiful thing.  He is patient with her when it seems like she can't be reached, he is hard on her when she needs it, but he is always there loving her no matter what else is going on.  I am so anxious for the conclusion of this story and it's going to be really hard to wait until Fall for the book to come out!  There is one more battle and I have a feeling it's going to be EPIC.

This is a YA book, but Alex and Aiden have reached an adult place in their relationship.  There are some pretty intense love scenes but they are tastefully done without detailed description.  I loved this series so much it's definitely one I will read again...probably before the last book comes out!  If you like YA Paranormal then I highly recommend this series.

*Disclaimer:  I was provided with a copy of this book courtesy of Spencer Hill Press in exchange for an honest review.*

Young Adult Paranormal Review "Opal" by J.L. Armentrout

Title:  Opal (Lux #3)
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publisher:  Entangled Teen
Publication Date:  December 11, 2012
Genre:  YA Paranormal Romance
Format:  Kindle 502 KB  |  Paperback 452 pages

Buy this book on Amazon:  Kindle Edition  |  Paperback
Author's Website:  http://www.jenniferarmentrout.com/ 
Author's Goodreads Profile:  Jennifer L. Armentrout 

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 Thoughts...

I think I like this series more with each book and I have to say that Pepe Toth (the cover model) just makes Daemon Black so much more drool worthy for me!  I don't see Katy this way though, I don't see her as quite so runway ready as Sztella always looks in these covers.

Ok, so on to the story...this one is just a continuation of the last book.  There isn't really a whole lot new added to the plot in this one.  They have Dawson back and he wants to get Beth away from the DOD facility where she is being held.  Dee is still mourning the death of boyfriend and because of how it happened she is still pushing Katy away.  Katy misses Dee, but she is spending a lot more time with Daemon now that they have kind of settled into a nice place in their relationship.  Blake shows up again and no one trusts him even when he sets them up with a contact who can get them inside the facility where Beth is being held.

We are introduced to a couple new characters who, frankly, scare me just a little!  They are able to do things that the others can't and I think we will see more of them in the next books.  Katy's mom makes a few cameo appearances like in every book.  In the earlier books I thought it was kind of neat that Katy was a book blogger, in this book it just seemed a little tedious to me.  I don't know what changed, it could have been because she just mentioned it more in this one that the other books.

I was a little disappointed that she didn't touch on how Daemon and Katy boost each others powers.  I did like that we got to see their relationship progress to the next stage.  Daemon is different in this book too, he's has grown quite a bit so he's not quite the same broody, cocky guy.  He has the girl so he's more confident and grown up in this book.  That doesn't make him one bit less HOT though!

There isn't as much action in this book and we don't encounter any Arum.  We get left with a HUGE cliffhanger which was NO fun at all!  I just hope that I don't have to wait too long for the next book.

If you like YA paranormal and you haven't read this series yet, you need to read it.  You will love Daemon Black just as much as I do!!  You can read my reviews for Obsidian and Onyx by clicking the links.