Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout (Page 11 of 13)

Bravo Jennifer, Bravo. When I read the synopsis of this book, I was utterly confused. There were so many terms that I had never seen or heard of, so I was nervous to give this book a try. But thank gods (lol) I did! I decided to go on blind faith because I loved Jennifer’s other YA series, which I still think about at LEAST once a week, and because she is a great writer. She has a way of getting under your skin and consuming you, and that is exactly what she did with this book. She invaded my mind and made me fall in love with yet another of her male leads. I shouldn’t be surprised, I really shouldn’t-she truly is an excellent author.

The story starts with Alex on the run, because her mother pulled her out of the covenant three years prior, and she is both trying to stay alive and make it back to the covenant in one piece after her mother’s gruesome death by Daimon. By being pulled from the covenant, she is now behind in her training, and there is still question as to whether she could truly catch up and resume studies with all her peers. In comes Aiden.

I can’t even begin to try and explain half-bloods and pures, so I will just make it simple and say that Alex and Aiden can’t (or at least aren’t supposed to) engage in a relationship.

She honestly isn’t even supposed to be in close proximity to him or be comforted by him-these are the standards they are to conform to. So forbidden love it is 🙂 and we all know that’s the best kind. Another thing that I can’t help but gush about is the amount of peril always discreetly placed within the pages by this author. I am always guaranteed to be on the edge of my seat and begging for more. I absolutely adore climactic suspense, and of course, Half-Blood delivered. I can only assume there is more to come with this promising YA series.

I have a feeling there is a somewhat complicated love triangle to come, and I don’t know if my poor heart can handle that after the series I just finished, sigh. But this is just one of the many sacrifices I would make so I can read another Jennifer L. Armentrout novel-they are all pure gold. So with a leary outlook on what Alex’s love life will come to, I move forward to Pure, the second installment in this series.

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.

I love love loved this book. I really enjoyed getting to know the characters a little more and learning what makes them tick. I was again enthralled with the story and couldn’t tear myself away from Jennifer’s flawless writing and quirky characters. There is just something so funny about her books and you can’t help but label them your favorites. When I put her books down, I don’t really “put them down”. I sit and think about the story and what’s next for each character and how it might turn out. I replay all my favorite scenes and even those that are just perilous with high tension. I become trapped in this other world where reality is skewed and I don’t want to find a way out-I’m perfectly content in my dream state of mind.

What makes the Covenant series so appealing is the characters. Each character has a certain mannerism you can’t help but to love or hate, making a strong connection to what happens to them.

You can’t create a fanbase by writing characters that people could care less about, you have to pull strong emotions from the reader and make them CARE what happens to everyone-good or bad. These books most definitely succeed. For instance, Alex has two guys pining after her, and I can’t help but to be obsessed with who she will end up with. I truly do not trust Seth completely, the other apollyon. I think he has a hidden agenda, and I don’t find him all that flattering anyway. Yes, he stepped up his game in this book, but I don’t think that I would much care for a guy trying to flatter me while having sex with any girl that will have him-gross. He does show protectiveness and a side of sweetness, but he never really got under my skin. I don’t feel the connnection with him like I do Aiden. Aiden is a whole other story. He is a pure while she is a half-we know this. But the fact is, we all know that by pushing Alex away, he is showing how much he TRULY cares for her, even loves her. I ALSO KNOW what’s hanging around his neck. I do. I am no dummy. Not that it isn’t obvious, but it causes my heart to expand and my feelings to grow fonder of him each time his necklace is mentioned. He is adorable, and I would be so sad if she doesn’t end up with him. He would do anything for her, and I can’t help but to fall in love with him more and more with each passing page.

There is also the issue of Furies, Gods, and Daimons all after Alex. A pure used compulsion on Alex AND another pure, which is against their laws, so someone really wants Alex dead. These are just a few of the many problems to come for Alex and her crew, and I can’t wait to see what happens. The next book, Deity, will surely have double the romance and suspense and…..well……I think I’ll start it now. What else is there to say? This series is awesome, take a chance and indulge in it. Happy reading!

Synopsis:

Now includes bonus novella ELIXIR

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...

That ending. Oh my. That ending was a low blow. A real kick in the teeth, that’s for sure. I was seriously breathless when I finished Deity. Jen has now went from “one of” my favorite authors TO my FAVORITE author. No one can do what she does, no one takes it where she is willing to take it. She pushes each character to both their physical and mental limit, making for the most entertaining and heart pounding twists, turns, and conclusions. Her writing is truly astounding. This story gripped it’s claws into me and didn’t let me go-it haunted me all night.

I can only be grateful that Apollyon, book 4, is coming out next Tuesday. I don’t think I could handle ANOTHER of Jennnifer’s book hangovers for months. I’m still waiting for Origin in the Lux series and I thought THAT was bad. But having two of her series all up in my thoughts all the time? No..it can’t be healthy for me.

Alex is back from New York and she has a secret about what happened there. A secret no one knows about except Aiden, Seth, and her. She must avoid trouble and keep the secret at any cost. The tricky part is that trouble finds HER, and it is a major problem. What happens after is a series of events that can only lead to ill willed power and destruction of their lives as they know it. Now, how anyone can be rooting for her to be with Seth is beyond me. He shows his true colors in this one, and they are not pretty. The thing is, I never once liked or trusted Seth. I’m not saying that goes either way after this book, but I just know who is right for her. Aiden is sweet, kind, caring, and willing to risk it all for her-for this forbidden relationship that can never happen. If that’s not love, I don’t know what is. He doesn’t want to suck power from her, just suck face-lol. Sorry, couldn’t resist. My point is that I absolutely love when boys get jealous in these precarious situations, and this book is no exception. I loved it. My heart swelled to two sizes too big when Aiden does what he does for her. He really is a great guy.

People we once thought had no morals come to light and show how wrong we really are, and others show the side of themselves we have all been waiting for. We get to see what everyone is really like, WHO everyone truly is, and we discover there are more allies and even more foes than we expected. So much happens it gives you whiplash, but the story is woven together flawlessly and you really couldn’t ask for more. I am guilty of always wanting more, more, more, but really, how much more could have happened? There isn’t even room for more peril-I think she filled this book’s quota.

So. To sum it up-The moral of the story is: apparantly the third book in all of her series have ungodly cliffhangers that are hard to get over, so I just need to get over it already. I don’t know what will come of the fourth installment in the Covenant series, but what I do know? I’m sure it will be brutal. You see, I have never read the fourth installment in any of her books-they are never released yet. But based on her writing style, it will most likely be a doozy. I just don’t know how she can top the ending of Deity. *shivers* So one can only hope I don’t have to wait too long for the fifth and final book or I don’t know if I can do it. It will sure be a long summer waiting for all of her books to come out 🙁