Review | White Hot Kiss – Jennifer L. Armentrout

White Hot Kiss by Jennifer L. Armentrout

The Dark Elements #1

348 pages
Published: February 25, 2014 by Harlequin Teen
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Summary:

One kiss could be the last.

Seventeen-year-old Layla just wants to be normal. But with a kiss that kills anything with a soul, she’s anything but normal. Half demon, half gargoyle, Layla has abilities no one else possesses.

Raised among the Wardens—a race of gargoyles tasked with hunting demons and keeping humanity safe—Layla tries to fit in, but that means hiding her own dark side from those she loves the most. Especially Zayne, the swoon-worthy, incredibly gorgeous and completely off-limits Warden she’s crushed on since forever.

Then she meets Roth—a tattooed, sinfully hot demon who claims to know all her secrets. Layla knows she should stay away, but she’s not sure she wants to—especially when that whole no-kissing thing isn’t an issue, considering Roth has no soul.

But when Layla discovers she’s the reason for the violent demon uprising, trusting Roth could not only ruin her chances with Zayne… it could brand her a traitor to her family. Worse yet, it could become a one-way ticket to the end of the world.

Review:

To be completely honest, I did not know what to expect with this one. I absolutely love anything and everything from Jennifer L. Armentrout. But I admit, the cover and the title threw me off. It was pre-judgment on my part but who else hasn’t judged a book by it’s cover. I seriously don’t know how she does it! Every. Single. Time. I read her books and she pulls me into the world and makes me addicted. White Hot Kiss is no different! I cannot wait to read more from the series. I was really hesitant at first about the whole gargoyles but hey! It’s a new topic and it was cool.

The main character is half Gargoyle/”Warden” and half demon. You know with that kind of DNA she is bound to be something special. She lives with Wardens, who protect the world and she is raised into believing that demons are the big bad wolves. (Aren’t they always?) Anyway, her purpose with the Wardens come into question when she meets the demon Roth. Layla is in luuuurve with her best friend Zayne but it’s a huge no-no because she’s half demon (the whole soul sucking thing) and they can’t have kids to increase the Warden population. I loved both Zayne and Roth, for different reasons. They are very different in personality but they are similar in how much they care for Layla and want to protect her … it’s just displayed in a different way.

Other than having amazing characters, the plot was so fantastic! It kept you on the edge. It had romance, friendship, action, and you know lots of drama to keep you glued to the pages. Now there are some frustrating scenes with Zayne but in the end, you can tell how much he does care and love Layla. Now that ending, prepárate! (Get ready/prepare yourself). It’s intense and shocking and it will leave you crying on the floor! It was so surprising. I cried a lot haha.

Review | Sentinel (Covenant #5) – Jennifer L. Armentrout

Sentinel

Jennifer L. Armentrout
297 pages

Synopsis:

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.

Bullet Review:

“He was my strength when I needed him to be, my friend when I needed someone to talk me down, my equal in a world where by law I would always be less than him, and honest to gods, he was the love of my life.”

Can I just say how much I looooove Aiden?! He’s so perfect. I love Aiden and Alex, they’re perfect. This book’s perfect. Jennifer L. Armentrout is perfect.

♥ What can I say other than that Sentinel was the perfect ending that I could hope for the series. It was honestly so amazing how everything turned out

♥ Armentrout continues the series where it left off and keeps you wanting more and at the edge of your seat.

♥ The writing is just as amazing and it is the same Armentrout, witty type of dialogue that she loves to use in her books

♥ One of the best things about this book is that you really see the development of Alex’s character. She is so much more mature and level headed than when we first met her. I actually love her now. She’s uses her brain to make her decisions and is less likely to act on her impulsiveness.

♥ The best thing about this series is the dynamic relationship between Alex and Aiden. Let’s not kid ourselves, anything with Aiden is amazing. They are truly made for each other. They understand each other so much emotionally and they are in sync in battle. It was amazing to read.

♥ In every review for the Half-Blood series, I have swooned over the magnificence of Aiden over and over again. I mean, I even named one of my Sims kids after him! Ha I’m a nerd. He is everything you would want in a character. Very funny, dependable, loveable, caring, sweet, physically active and strong, loyal, and every nice adjective out there.

♥ The last time I brought up Seth, it was not good. I never really loved him as a character because he was so arrogant and I think what happens to him in this book really knocks him down a peg or two. I liked that he knocked down a peg or two but it made me feel for him. He’s got a series all to himself, I’m still deciding on if I will read it or not.

♥ The ending was fantastic and I wish it didn’t have to end. I wish I got to know more about the war and the relationships with the Greek gods and the future of all the other characters. But I know, the book can’t go on forever. We can only dream.

Review | Don’t Look Back – Jennifer L. Armentrout

Don’t Look Back

Jennifer L. Armentrout
384 pages

Synopsis:

Samantha is a stranger in her own life. Until the night she disappeared with her best friend, Cassie, everyone said Sam had it all – popularity, wealth, and a dream boyfriend.

Sam has resurfaced, but she has no recollection of who she was or what happened to her that night. As she tries to piece together her life from before, she realizes it’s one she no longer wants any part of. The old Sam took “mean girl” to a whole new level, and it’s clear she and Cassie were more like best enemies. Sam is pretty sure that losing her memories is like winning the lottery. She’s getting a second chance at being a better daughter, sister, and friend, and she’s falling hard for Carson Ortiz, a boy who has always looked out for her-even if the old Sam treated him like trash.

But Cassie is still missing, and the truth about what happened to her that night isn’t just buried deep inside of Sam’s memory – someone else knows, someone who wants to make sure Sam stays quiet. All Sam wants is the truth, and if she can unlock her clouded memories of that fateful night, she can finally move on. But what if not remembering is the only thing keeping Sam alive?

My Review:

I was stuck in a life I didn’t remember, squeezed into the shell of this girl – this Samantha Joe Franco – and the more I learned about her, the more I was starting to hate her.

It’s always a challenge when you read a book from one of your favorite authors, especially when you’ve constantly given their books 4-5 star ratings. It places a lot of expectations on the next book. It makes you wonder if this will be the book that breaks the high rating streak. I was indeed nervous about Don’t Look Back because I have loved all the JLA books I’ve read before. I was worried that I wouldn’t like this one as much, especially since it was contemporary and I was used to reading fantasy and science fiction from JLA. However, after the first couple of chapters, it was clear that I didn’t have anything to worry about. JLA always had the ability to transport me to the world she writes but Don’t Look Back was different. It was like I was the main character. It left me in more suspense than I could have imagined. Guys, I am beyond serious. There were moments were I was living each day as Samantha, that I was about to have panic attacks. I was worried I actually was going to start hallucinating! I was sweating, anxious and panicking. My heart rate was incredibly fast and it was just a wild ride.

Sammy, the new Sammy, was very likeable. I think that it would have been different had we met her before her amnesia. It was crazy because you sort of feel this disconnect between the Sam she was now and the mean, bullying Sam she was before. I liked how bold and confident she was. She went through a very traumatic experience and she came out strong. If I was in her place, I know I’d be a mess. I’d be crying all day and not wanting to face the school, the world. Sammy was a terrible bully before and honestly, if we met her at that state, she probably would not be a likeable character. Since we met her after the incident, she kind of gets a clean slate. What I love about her is that when she remembered how terrible she was, she was regretful and she wanted to change.

Scott, her twin brother, is just amazing. I am in love with him. I love how supportive he was and it seems like he was always supportive of Sammy, even when she was a monstrous person. I love protective he was over his sister without being overbearing. I loved his relationship with Julie and I love how he wasn’t like the other “rich” and “snobby” kids in school, including his past sister. Carson, Scott’s best friend, was also incredible. Even from the beginning, you could tell that he didn’t have the best relationship with Sammy yet he still gave her a second chance at redeeming herself. He is a total sweetheart and I loved every part that he was in. As for Del the Dick, Sammy’s boyfriend, well … he’s given that nickname in the book for a reason. Wow. I honestly hate his guts. As for Cassie, we’re only told about her through Sammy’s memories and from other’s opinion of her and let’s just say she wasn’t popular for being sweet. She’s pretty much the most hated person in the school so the suspects weren’t exactly a short list.

Other than the characters, the writing really shined for me. I love the way JLA wrote the book and how she paced it. She made it more suspenseful and I love that you don’t expect what is coming next. She made it so mysterious and it definitely helped me love the book even more. The plot twist in the end was just surprising! It was a real shocker. I had a couple of suspects along the way but I just didn’t have anything to stick it to this person. It was just really surprising! I felt like I was Sammy, I couldn’t trust anyone because I didn’t know who to trust. Overall, the book automatically became a favorite of mine and I’ve been doing nothing but recommending it to all my friends!

Review: Apollyon (Covenant #4) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Apollyon

Jennifer L. Armentrout
Covenant Book 4
343 Pages

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Synopsis:

 

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.

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Bullet Review:

❤ I hated … despised the beginning of this book. Alex is officially an Apollyon and I hate her guts. Well I hate Seth’s guts, which has now become Alex’s guts. I just hate how Seth doesn’t see the wrongness of what he’s doing to Alex!

❤ It’s a minor spoiler but it happens a lot sooner than I thought but Alex does snap out of it and the story really begins from there!

❤ I am so proud of the person that Alex has become in this series! She’s so mature, no longer reckless, very selfless, and willing to sacrifice her life for those that she loves and for the cause.

❤ Aiden — my agapi *laughs, cries* Aiden was probably at his lowest in the series because of the desperation that he was under when Alex became Apollyon. In his last attempt, he gave Alex elixir. I didn’t like it this low and guilt-ridden Alex. He always felt guilty and sad and just no. I want my baby Aiden back *cries*

❤ I love how everything was finally clicking together. The plot was fantastic and the prophecies from the first two books were on point! We see who’s really behind all of this and how everyone and everything is connected. It’s genius!

❤ There was a couple of scenes in the Underworld and I was really looking forward to it. I thought it was going to be a lot darker than what really happened. I was expecting some Percy Jackson darkness in Tartarus haha. I’m glad it wasn’t terrible and that it didn’t make me gross sob but I don’t know maybe I kind of wanted to? (I’m sick and twisted, I know)

❤ JLA’s writing is excellent, as per usual. Her pacing is always consistent and wonderful. I love the simplicity of her writing. It gets to the point! I love that you don’t have to read through bullcrap to get to the main idea.

❤ Now the one behind all of it! I have to tell you. I was surprised. But it made sense. I made crazy guesses based on all the Greek myth books I’ve read before and I was right! But still! It was a great twist.

❤ There’s a battle in the end and wow. That was literally so heartbreaking. I was sobbing. I was screaming. My heart was racing. I was jumping. I was all over the place. It was amazing! This was what I wanted from the Tartarus scene but hey, as long as we got one of them in the book right?!

 

Review: Deity (Covenant #3) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Deity

Jennifer L. Armentrout
Covenant Book 3
330 Pages

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Synopsis:

History is on repeat, and things didn’t go so well the last time.

Alexandria isn’t sure she’s going to make it to her eighteenth birthday–to her Awakening. A long-forgotten, fanatical order is out to kill her, and if the Council ever discovers what she did in the Catskills, she’s a goner… and so is Aiden.

If that’s not freaky enough, whenever Alex and Seth spend time “training”–which really is just Seth’s code word for some up-close and personal one-on-one time–she ends up with another mark of the Apollyon, which brings her one step closer to Awakening ahead of schedule. Awesome.

But as her birthday draws near, her entire world shatters with a startling revelation and she’s caught between love and Fate. One will do anything to protect her. One has been lying to her since the beginning. Once the gods have revealed themselves, unleashing their wrath, lives will be irrevocably changed… and destroyed.

Those left standing will discover if love is truly greater than Fate…

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Bullet Review:

❤ Now that’s a 5 star book! I am in love with this series!

❤ The romance, the action, villains, pot twists, surprises — just wow. I was so speechless when I finished reading this book!

❤ While Alex did mature even more, she still angered me with how dense she was over things. I don’t know how she didn’t see what Seth was doing (totally cryptic, I knew but not spoilers). I thought it was obvious what he was trying to accomplish haha

❤ Do I need to say anything about Aiden? Other than he’s been the only perfect person in this series. I am 100% biased by the way.

❤ Seth was the worst! I cannot stand him and it just got worse and worse in this book. *tries to calm self*

❤ The villains here were very well written! It really makes you hate them. Lucien is the worst. He’s so vile and horrible!

❤ Like I said, plot twists! One of them surrounds Leon and I did have my suspicions but oh my gods! It was so fantastic and I just loved everything surrounding that. I love his character and how he would just pop in there.

❤ We get to see more of the minor characters like Deacon, Luke, Lia, and Olivia. We learn more of Aiden’s past *that scene down memory lane, I choked up so much!*

❤ We’re finally getting more answers and more information on the Apollyons and a clearer picture on who the really villain is! It was such a fun read and that last chapter!!! Have the next book handy!

Review: Pure (Covenant #2) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Pure

Jennifer L. Armentrout
Covenant Book 2
329 Pages

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Synopsis:

There is need. And then there is Fate. Being destined to become some kind of supernatural electrical outlet isn’t exactly awesome–especially when Alexandria’s other half is everywhere she goes. Seth’s in her training room, outside her classes, and keeps showing up in her bedroom–so not cool. Their connection does have some benefits, like staving off her nightmares of the tragic showdown with her mother, but it has no effect on what Alex feels for the forbidden, pure-blooded Aiden. Or what he will do–and sacrifice–for her. When daimons infiltrate the Covenants and attack students, the gods send furies–lesser gods determined to eradicate any threat to the Covenants and to the gods, and that includes the Apollyon–and Alex. And if that and hordes of aether-sucking monsters didn’t blow bad enough, a mysterious threat seems willing to do anything to neutralize Seth, even if that means forcing Alex into servitude–or killing her. When the gods are involved, some decisions can never, ever be undone.

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Bullet Review:

This is the first time I’m doing bullet reviews. They’re essentially short and quick reviews. I read a lot of books during the decathlon and now I’m piling up on reviews I haven’t done haha. So I decided short and sweet will do!

❤ Great sequel to Half-Blood

❤ Definitely better than the first book but still lacking in something that I can’t exactly put my finger on

❤ Very nerve-wracking with the events occurring in the novel but it made it really fast-paced

❤ We get another prophecy here, courtesy of Grandma Piperi. Just as crazy sounding. But I really enjoyed trying to crack it and making my own theories (I got some right, some so so wrong!)

❤ Pure will take you on a little rollercoaster ride of emotions. You’re just up and down and happy and sad and anxious. It’s intense.

❤ The plot was one of my favorite things because there were some great twists and surprises. Get yourself ready.

❤ There are still a lot of questions and mystery surrounding the bigger picture of the series, which is great because it keeps you hooked and reading the rest of the series.

❤ The action was just as good, if not better. There’s a particular scene at Catskills and ugh it was extremely crazy.

❤ Alex: She matured from the events with her mother and Caleb in the first book and she’s still not as mature as I want her to be. She still makes mistakes that lead her to precarious situations but she’s not perfect and she’s better.

❤ Aiden: Is there any way that he can be even more perfect?! I love him. He’s absolutely head over heels for Alex … I don’t care what he says! He’s the sweetest and how he takes care of her, just kill me now.

❤ Seth: I love his banter with Alex but I can’t stand him and his whole “we’re meant to be” thing. It’s not even because I ship her with Aiden but because he makes it so so creepy, possessive, and controlling.

❤ Final thoughts: It’s a great setup for a very promising sequel!

 

Review: Half-Blood (Covenant #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Half-Blood

Jennifer L. Armentrout
Covenant Book 1
281 Pages

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Synopsis:

The Hematoi descend from the unions of gods and mortals, and the children of two Hematoi pure bloods have godlike powers. Children of Hematoi and mortals–well, not so much. Half-bloods only have two options: become trained Sentinels who hunt and kill daimons or become servants in the homes of the pures.

Seventeen-year-old Alexandria would rather risk her life fighting than waste it scrubbing toilets, but she may end up slumming it anyway. There are several rules that students at the Covenant must follow. Alex has problems with them all, but especially rule #1:Relationships between pures and halfs are forbidden. Unfortunately, she’s crushing hard on the totally hot pure-blood Aiden. But falling for Aiden isn’t her biggest problem–staying alive long enough to graduate the Covenant and become a Sentinel is.

If she fails in her duty, she faces a future worse than death or slavery: being turned into a daimon, and being hunted by Aiden. And that would kind of suck.

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My Review:

My copy of Half-Blood had been sitting on my shelves for over 2 years now. Really bad. So I decided to finally give it a chance and lo and behold .. I really liked it! But why wouldn’t I? It had everything that I love: forbidden love, action, drama, Greek gods! It was great! However, as many people have already said about the book, it is very similar to The Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead. I won’t go too into detail in case you haven’t read TVA but the plot seemed very similar, along with the main character and some secondary characters. However, the more that the book progressed (probably the second half), you forget the similarities and Half-Blood becomes a book of its own. I honestly enjoyed Half-Blood more just because it was about Greek gods and not vampires.

Need covers itself with love, but need… need is never love. Always beware of the one who needs you. There is always a want behind a need, you see.

The main character was probably my biggest problem. It’s not that I didn’t like her. She was a very fierce and strong person, especially with everything that she went through before and during the book. I just didn’t like her impulsiveness and recklessness. It is the absolute opposite of me and it just really annoyed me because of course it would lead her to these consequences that could have been avoided. Anyway, that was honestly the only reason why I dropped a star. However, the great thing about it is that you can see how much she changed at the end. Um, I really love Aiden. JLA really knows how to make love interests very swoon worthy haha. He’s better than Dmitri (from Vampire Academy) in my opinion … and you know within appropriate age limits haha.

As for the plot, it was great and it had a good amount of surprises that I didn’t see coming. I thought that it was believable in the way that it progressed. I am really excited to see what is going to happen in the second book. Not just with Aiden and Alex but with the world, now with the new information on daimons. JLA’s writing is always great. She’s one of my favorites because her writing is so straightforward.

TL;DR: Half-Blood was an exciting start to the series filled with butt kicking characters, greek gods, and romance. While very similar to Mead’s Vampire Academy, it eventually has its own story that distinguishes from TVA.

 

Amazon Book Haul!

Hey guys! It has been such a long time since I’ve bought books … like a real book haul. I have been trying to save money but I just couldn’t do it anymore. I have over 115 books on my shelves that I have yet to read but I wasn’t really feeling any of them (whoops). So I went on amazon and just started “window shopping” and a couple of hours later, I ended up buying 7 books! Ha! I got carried away but you can’t really blame me, right? Funny thing though. I picked up one of my books on my shelves while waiting for my haul and ended up really loving it. Too bad it was the first book of a 5-book series and I didn’t have the rest of the books. Now I just want to  buy those books and finish the series. The irony haha. Anyway, here’s my haul. I think I bought wisely because I saved a lot of money (Thank you Amazon!).

(That's me attempting to be artsy-fartsy but histerically failing)

1. An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
2. P.S. I Like You by Kasie West
3. The Witch Hunter by Virginia Boecker
4. The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
5. White Hot Kiss by Jennifer L. Armentrout
6. The Beauty of Darkness by Mary E. Pearson
7. The Heart of Betrayal by Mary E. Pearson

I am so excited to get to reading! Even funnier is the fact that I’m currently NOT reading one of these books. Actual bookworm problems. Which of these books have you read? Which book do you recommend I read first?! Let me know below!