Book Review: Origin (Lux #4) by Jennifer Armentrout

Genre: Young Adult Paranormal Romance Series
Publisher:  Entangled: Teen (August 27, 2013)

Publication Date: August 27, 2013

Links:  Goodreads Amazon

 

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 Overall Impression of the Book:

Oh Jennifer…you are still amazing.  What can I say about this book?  I liked this book but I did not love it.  It was missing something.  This book did not evoke the same emotion as the first three books in the series did.  If I do not want to want to throw my Kindle across the room at least twice while reading a book, you have failed :-).  I did like the innocent intimacy between Kate and Daemon…who is still awesome by the way!!  This book also had a lot of surprises that I appreciate in this series.  The Origins…now that was a very creative and interesting way to breathe life into the series, keeping things fresh.  One thing I love about the Lux series is that when think you have things figured out, there is always something lurking around the corner!!   This is one of my favorite YA Paranormal Series by far.  I can’t wait for the final book.

Characters

 

Daemon – Love him still!!  There is something about that sexy green eyed alien that makes my toes curl :-).  In this book you get to see a very different side of Daemon.  Don’t get me wrong he is still a jerk and he is still awesome, but he is also very much in love…and you can see this in every action that he makes.  He will do anything, say anything, and destroy anything for Katy.  He was a man on a mission from page one, but this mission is only the beginning.  I can’t wait to see if his love for Katy is strong enough for him to do what’s right in the next book.

Katy – I liked Katy in this book, which is a change from the last book.  In the last book Katy left me royally pissed off, but I think she redeemed herself in this book.  At the end of the day they are all teenagers who are dealing with bad situations, so sometimes there is no right answer.  Her whole life has changed in a matter of a year and she is trying to deal with that.   Can’t wait until the next book to see the kind of woman Katy becomes.  She has some hard choices ahead of her.

Plot and Writing

 

The writing is great as usual.  Ms. Armentrout is a professional.  This is the 4^th installment of the Lux series.  Jennifer has done an excellent job progressing the storyline.  Each book adds something new and fresh about the world of the Lux.   This story was all about sacrifice.  Everyone that was a part of this story sacrificed something for someone else and, I think that was one of the best parts of the book.  The book was also action packed and fast paced.  Yet again we are left with a cliffhanger, but this cliffhanger was not as devastating to me as the last one, but it is still very intense.  I look forward to the final book in the series and the resolution of the Lux and the Origins. 

Book Review: Opal (Lux Series #3) by Jennifer Armentrout

Genre: Young Adult Paranormal Romance Series
Publisher:  Entangled: Teen (August 27, 2013)

Publication Date: December 3, 2012

Star Rating:  4/5
Links:  Goodreads  Amazon

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. 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 Overall Impression of the Book:

WHY IS THIS HAPPENING!!!. Is this really how the book ended???  This is beyond unfair.  I would rather them take Dawson again then Kat (I know that sounds terrible). Oh Daemon, the love of my life.  Well after Christian Gray and Travis Maddox but I love you still.  He is so wonderful and romantic in this book.  I know this is a YA novel, but they could have included a little more spice between Daemon and Kate, but it was still good.  What a cliffhanger, and this is so unfair.  This book was the cliffhanger to end all cliffhangers.  Now I have to wait until April 2013 to reader the next book…REALLY!!  I’m going to have dive face first into another series so I will not lose my mind.  Which reminds me, this is the exact reason I usually wait until a series is complete before I start reading it.  I am a impatient woman…what can I say :-).  Opal was a great read and I cannot wait until Origin comes out.  By the way...I am a PNR psycho now because of these books.  Thank you Jennifer L. Armentrout for introducing me to this awesome genre!! And Blake you are beyond a freaking jerk!!

Characters:

Daemon – I love me some him :-).  He is still awesome and I love it.  You see a different side of Daemon with each book and I love that.  I love a characters that evolves.  You never get bored when you are reading about Daemon Black.

Katy – Pissed me off in this book.  Her decision making skills are flawed by the hundredth power.  I wanted to slap her at least twice, which means something if you can get that kind of emotion out of me…so good job Jennifer :-).  I blame Kat for the ending.  As usual she should have listened to Daemon.

Blake – He is a terrible person.  I can’t count how many times I wanted Daemon to just “end him”.  He was beyond a freaking jerk…

Plot and Writing:  The writing is great as usual.  Ms. Armentrout is a professional.  This is the 3^th installment of the Lux series.  Jennifer has done an excellent job progressing the storyline.  Each book adds something new and fresh about the world of the Luxen.  This story was all about sacrifice.  You get more information about the Daedalus organization and the DoD’s role with the Luxen.  You also get introduced to Luc, who I think will be a key player in the rest of the series.  I can’t wait!!

Onyx (Lux #2) by Jennifer Armentrout

Genre: Young Adult (Paranormal Romance)
Publisher:  Entangled Teen
Publication Date: August 14, 2012
Star Rating:  5/5
Links:  Goodreads  Amazon

Synopsis

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 Overall Impression of the Book:

 

So I thought I loved Obsidian, and then I read Onyx. This book had it all. Daemon’s arrogant attitude, Katy given it back to him ten-fold, romance, action, mystery.  I could not put the book down.  This is one of my favorite books and I cannot wait until Opal comes out in Dec (2012).  I actually started the series with Obsidian so I have to go back and read Shadows to find out about Bethany and Dawson.  Dawson is Daemon’s twin brother.  I loved the characters and I was actually really emotional about some of the things that happened in the book.  Some of the events that took place in this book were heartbreaking.  Lastly, I cannot get enough of Daemon’s awesomeness!!

 

Characters: 

Daemon – We get to see another side of Daemon in this book.  He was a complete jerk in Obsidian but in this book the chemistry between he and Katy really starts to sizzle.  He is truly awesome and wants to protect Katy at all cost.

Katy – She really ticked me off in this book.  She has been infected with Daemon’s “alien mojo” and she is starting to change and develop her own abilities.  She made a lot of selfish decisions in this book that caused a lot of pain and heartache.  Relationships will not be the same when this books ends and you cannot tell who the good and bad guys really are.

Plot and Writing:  Again the writing is good, and the plot is fantastic.  The book keeps you guessing and the flow was great, no dead spaces.  The situation with the DoD is starting to heat up so the Luxen have more than the Arum to worry about at this point.  Excellent Read!!

Book Review: Obsidian (Lux #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Genre: Young Adult (Paranormal Romance)
Publisher:  Entangled Teen
Publication Date: May 8, 2012
Star Rating:  5/5 

Synopsis

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.

Overall Impression of the Book:

All I can say is WOW!! I enjoyed this book. I had no idea I even liked paranormal romance until now. Daemon was a jerk. I mean I disliked him but he was so witty and charming that I found myself smiling at him. I like Kathy and I loved Dee. This book is a must read. I bought Onyx the next day and read that book too. Yes it was that serious. After I realized why Daemon was such a jerk I really started to like him. I am in Graduate school with a ton of homework and I could not tear myself away from this book. Thank goodness Opal is not out until December or I might fail a course at school behind this series.

* This was a previous review posting from Goodreads

Characters:

Daemon – Is the hero in this story and who knew that aliens could be such jerks…and a sexy jerk at that :-).  He was a hero I loved to hate, but there is a method to his rudeness and horrible behavior that makes his character redeemable later in the story…and let’s not forget he is a hot powerful alien.  What’s not the love!!

Kathy – I really loved her character, and I loved how she stood up for herself.  She is also an avid reader and blogger so I love her even more...lol.  How she was thrown into the alien world was well done.  I cared about both the main and side characters in this book.  I love Dee to pieces...

Plot and Writing:  I loved the plot!!  The Luxen vs. the Arum; I mean who doesn’t love an alien war.  I was invested in this story and I desperately cared about the outcome.  Well done Jennifer!!  This book was an easy read like a YA Book should be.  The grammar in the book was fine and the book flowed very well.  There were no dead spaces and the paced moved well throughout the story.