A boy annoying the sh!t out of you makes for some out of this world reading.
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 neighbour, 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 seal their abilities, and Daemon’s touch has lit me 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.
Many of my BookTube friends and fellow reviewers raved about this series, so I jumped in with high expectations… and was not disappointed.
Jennifer Armentrout’s style is very easy to read, and she paints some compelling characters, loveable, and ones we love to hate. I also found she wove some great angst and tension between the cast throughout the plot. Although it is not my favourite read so far this year, it certainly rests solidly in my top ten.
The boy-meets-girl, storyline is easily predictable, however the rest of the novel left me guessing up until the last page: mainly due to the volatile nature of most of the main characters. It has been a very long time since I’ve read a character I want to throttle, but compelled to find more about at the same time. Jennifer writes along this tenuous line expertly. I wouldn’t say it was a fast paced read, but there wasn’t a time where I wanted to put the book down for a rest.
picture from fuckyeadluxseries on tumblr
One of the down sides that stuck out like a sore thumb to me was the ‘bad guys,’ or the race of aliens which were Daemon’s enemy; I found them two-dimensional. Possibly there wasn’t time to develop a back story without killing the flow of the novel, but it left me thinking that their presence in the plot was a little trite and convenient – placed there as a tool to build tension. But really, that is the only aspect of ‘Obsidian’ that urked me.
It was easy to connect with Katy, from whose point of view the story is told, she is sassy, sarcastic and observant. She’s not one to roll with the punches and has a bit of spark. Never content with letting things simply happen around her, Katy challenges situations and people – and unknowingly puts herself in danger – and her engagement makes a gripping read. I especially loved her relationship with Dee (Daemon’s Sister) their bond was instant and unwavering despite their differences. It reminded me of friendships I have with girlfriends in real life.
Daemon was equal parts mysterious, infuriating, gorgeous and arrogant, all the while appearing at opportune moments to save the day. This bi-polar attitude had me salivating at each page (does that say something about me?) because I crave characters who are challenging and aren’t your typical all-round nice guy.
I read ‘Obsidian’ quite quickly and definitely recommend it if you are looking for a light science fiction YA read. If you were into the television series ‘Roswell,’ or the recent ‘Star-crossed,’ then this series will captive! I’m definitely looking forward to reading ‘Onyx,’ the next in this series and hope to see the more back story on the enemy aliens and witty banter between Daemon and Katy.
© Casey Carlisle 2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Casey Carlisle with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Casey Carlisle 