Book Review – Oblivion (#1.5 Lux) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

The flip side of Obsidian.

Genre: Y/A, Science Fiction, Romance

No. of pages: 352

From Goodreads:

I knew the moment Katy Swartz moved in next door, there was going to be trouble. Lots of it.

And trouble’s the last thing I need, since I’m not exactly from around here. My people arrived on Earth from Lux, a planet thirteen billion light years away. Plus, if there’s one thing I know, it’s that humans can’t be trusted. We scare them. We can do things they only dream about, and honestly, we make them look weak as hell. ‘Cuz they are.

But Kat is getting to me in ways no one else has, and I can’t stop myself from wanting her–or wanting to use my powers to protect her. She makes me weak, and I’m the strongest of our kind, tasked with protecting us all. So this one simple girl…she can mean the end for us. Because the Luxen have an even bigger enemy–the Arum, and I need to stay on my game.

Falling for Katy–a human–won’t just place her in danger. It could get us all killed, and that’s one thing I’ll never let happen…

This was a nostalgic read. It felt like I was reading ‘Obsidian’ all over again. I enjoyed living in the Daemon-Katy world once more. Plus, I really enjoy Jennifer L. Armentrout’s writing.

Though, there wasn’t anything new brought to the story told from Daemon’s point of view. I would have liked the opportunity to learn more about Luxen history, more about Daemon’s relationships with others of his clan. It was all repetitive. If there hadn’t been so many years between when I had read the debut of this collection, and this read, I may have gotten bored. In fact I did a lot of speed reading because it was all so familiar.

The other thing is that ‘Oblivion’ felt dated. My reading habits have grown and evolved, the market has changed. The old tropes just don’t hook me so much anymore. A brooding, rude, on-again, off-again love interest is more frustrating than titillating. I found myself poking at character behaviour… but at least there was no eye rolling involved.

For all of the aspects that detracted from my enjoyment, the nostalgia, great writing, humour, and guilty pleasure all helped keep this novel in the wheelhouse of indulgent fun.

There’s not much I can add to the characters than what has already been said in reviews of the previous books in this collection, so this is a very short review. I’m relieved that Jennifer L Armentrout is moving on from this series, because it was starting to feel like flogging a dead horse.

I am interested in reading ‘Obsession’ a book told from an Arum’s perspective, and there is a new trilogy set in this universe following different characters which I will tackle next. We do get more of Katy and Daemon, but they are not the protagonists. Hopefully this will grow the universe and breathe new life into something that was getting slightly repetitive and drawn out.

Overall feeling: Nostalgia

© Casey Carlisle 2019. 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.

Book Review – Shadows by Jennifer L. Armentrout

A steamy beginning to a sultry saga.

Genre: Y/A, Science Fiction, Romance

No. of pages: 179

From Goodreads:

The last thing Dawson Black expected was Bethany Williams. As a Luxen, an alien life form on Earth, human girls are…well, fun. But since the Luxen have to keep their true identities a secret, falling for one would be insane.

Dangerous. Tempting. Undeniable.

Bethany can’t deny the immediate connection between her and Dawson. And even though boys aren’t a complication she wants, she can’t stay away from him. Still, whenever they lock eyes, she’s drawn in.

Captivated. Lured. Loved.

Dawson is keeping a secret that will change her existence…and put her life in jeopardy. But even he can’t stop risking everything for one human girl. Or from a fate that is as unavoidable as love itself. 

This is the prequel (novella) to the Lux series, dealing mostly with Dawson and Bethany. I felt like it was the best written book I’ve read in the franchise to date.

There wasn’t a saturation of heavy petting, the pace and story line moved along at a great pace throughout.

Plus the bonus of learning about the story arc leading up to where ‘Obsidian‘ kicks off the series is a wonderful addition to the franchise. I’m always down for more Daemon goodness J

There are some ironic nods to what happens in the series to bring a smile to your lips, and I love Armentrout’s style with dialog of the youngsters, her turn of phrase is current and comical in places.

It also sets up Daemon’s attitude towards humans much more effectively than any other book in this series, and I can totally relate to his rude obstinate behaviour towards Kat starting in ‘Obsidian‘ now. So that was a plus to redeem him and his behaviour, because Daemon really fitted into the bad boy trope… at least this is deconstructed a little.

On a side note – Daemon and Dawson in the same room shirtless – it’s just too much!!

‘Shadows’ brought all the feels, passion, love, fear, determination, frustration, and conflict… everything to make this a stand out tale – a must have for anyone who loves the Lux series. Highly recommended.

Overall feeling: Just brilliant!

© Casey Carlisle 2016. 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.

Book Review – Opposition by Jennifer L. Armentrout

An end to alien antics (well, sort of)

Genre: Y/A, Science Fiction, Romance

No. of pages: 352

From Goodreads:

Katy knows the world changed the night the Luxen came.

She can’t believe Daemon welcomed his race or stood by as his kind threatened to obliterate every last human and hybrid on Earth. But the lines between good and bad have blurred, and love has become an emotion that could destroy her—could destroy them all.

Daemon will do anything to save those he loves, even if it means betrayal.

They must team with an unlikely enemy if there is any chance of surviving the invasion. But when it quickly becomes impossible to tell friend from foe, and the world is crumbling around them, they may lose everything— even what they cherish most—to ensure the survival of their friends…and mankind.

War has come to Earth. And no matter the outcome, the future will never be the same for those left standing.

 

I was excited to see how this series was going to end and dived into ‘Opposition’ eager for an explosive conclusion… but I ended up not really enjoy it as much as the rest of the series. Even though there is another book due for release in novel due for release on Dec 1^st this year (‘Oblivion’ the beginning told from Daemon’s point of view – a ‘Midnight Sun’ of the Lux series. I wonder if it is going to pick up where ‘Shadows’ left off or use that novella as a foreword?) ‘Opposition’ wrapped up Katy and Daemon nicely.

There was too much lovey-dovey-ness, it became so repetitive and at inappropriate times. Daemon was starting to get on my nerves. And Katy to some extent… when did they get so stereotypical? I think it was the rehashing of intimate moments in the series – I was overlooking it in previous novels, but by this, the 5^th book, I was hoping Jennifer L Armentrout would have come up with more imaginative ways to create intimacy.

Loved the epic battle and obstacles overcome with the Arum. But it’s not made too easy and there are some plot twists that had me ‘What tha!?’ My favorite is still the Las Vegas battle scene from ‘Origin.’ We see all aliens (and hybrids) using their powers with reckless abandon. Although I can say I wanted more face-offs, the pacing and action scenes have been so engaging.

Some of the insights from this conclusion have also got me wanting to read ‘Obsession,’ a stand-alone from an Arum’s POV… color me intrigued. I wonder how different the narrative will be from Daemon? Will it shed any more light on the history between the Luxen and the Arum, or is it merely the story of one alien connecting with yet another unsuspecting human?

The ending felt kind of weak. It was great how everything was tied up in a pretty white bow, but I wanted more bang for my buck. I mean, hello, the world was invaded by aliens and we just go back to the way things were before? There should be some sort of remaining tension or disorientation…

On the whole another enjoyable installment, I’m a little glad the series has wrapped up, the bright and shiny feeling I had when beginning had faded. Still highly recommend to those who love drama, action and aliens in a small town high school setting. Still has aspects that remind me of ‘Twilight’ and ‘Roswell,’ and Katy and Daemon will always have a special place in my heart.

Go alien glowy-ness!

Overall feeling: Ordinary but very cute

 

 © Casey Carlisle 2015. 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.

Book Review – Origin by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Tune in for another episode of Daemon and Katy embracing glowy alien powers and fighting off every enemy the universe can think to throw at them… all the while keeping it a secret from Katy’s mum.

Genre: Y/A, Science Fiction, Romance

No. of pages: 364

From Goodreads:

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?

‘Origin,’ the fourth book in Jennifer L. Armentrout’s Lux series really turned up the heat. Great to see a lot of things go wrong for Daemon and Katy, it brought back the angst and allowed them to really stand on their own as characters – and define themselves apart from each other. Our two love-birds are put through the ringer with plenty of action and subterfuge.

We get a bigger dose of alien powers as Katy’s circle of friends expand (I use ‘friends’ loosely). There is still lengthy, piney and over-described kissing scenes to be expected with Armentrout’s writing. If there were only a number of scenes, I’d love the indulgence, but with overstimulation, I was skipping forward most of it after a ways into the book.

There is so much I want to add to this review, but would only be listing a number of spoilers for those who have not read the series… but there are many surprises and some of the assumptions from the first three books are turned on their heads. I loved the action and the plot twists adding more an element of surprise that lacked in previous novels.

More of the spicy Daemon, and alien goodness from the Lux series. Looking forward to what the final book in the series, ‘Opposition’ brings.

Overall feeling: Afterglow and cuddles…

© 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.

Book Review – Opal (book #3 in the Lux Series) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Alien puuurrrfection!

Genre: Y/A, Science Fiction, Romance

No. of pages: 382

From Goodreads:

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.

I liked how the start of this book picks up straight after the last one (Onyx) and with introducing another character to the Main Cast, changing the dynamics of the group adding tension, making it a much more interesting read. I always feel spurned on to dive into the next book in the series straight away, but am purposely pacing myself… too much Lux can be sugar sweet and result in toothache.

The repetition that I have now found typical of Jennifer L Armentrout was still present – descriptions of Daemons eyes, body, kisses, or in fact anything to do with Daemon is nice – but every time he’s in the scene… it’s started to get annoying! Come on Jen – it’s the third book we already know how hot he is and the things he does to our bodies!

A slow, wry smile teased Daemon’s lips. “Simmer down, Kitten, before I have to get you a ball of yarn to play with.”

It was great to see Kat flex some serious muscle, after being the verbal sparring wallflower for so long, she finally gets to train and match it with the best of this series antagonists! Girl power! So much more fun to read than the repetitive swooning.

Even the tension between Dee and other cast members had me turning the pages in hope that things could be resolved and I’d see glimpses of that old girly-fluffy Dee! Because of this, the series had been getting better, I love the ever evolving relationships, and Armentrout isn’t afraid of pitting any against the other.

Jennifer certainly knows how to drip feed you information to keep the story moving forward. Don’t expect me to blab about it here – you’ll have to read the book for yourself, but so far each edition of the Lux series has revealed surprises to have me eager to discover what’s going to happen next. And therein lies the beauty of this series – I still get serendipity with each volume. Plenty of action, mystery and intrigue mixed in with the romance… the unpredictability of events is definitely a good thing.

Overall feeling: guilty pleasure to the max!

     

© 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.

Book Review – Onyx

From Goodreads:

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 Defence 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…

I’m beginning to develop a love/hate relationship with this series. It is a guilty pleasure – I am drawn to the trashy Mills & Boon-esque love story, the teen angst, the drama, the all-stakes action (with some sci-fi thrown in for good measure). I definitely enjoyed this book more than the debut Obsidian. Daemon Black still has me melting into a pool of my own making. Although I am periodically pulled from the narrative with the writing style when Jennifer L Armentrout attempts ‘teen-speak’ – it comes of off as trite on occasions. But then again it is her target market – not an ol’ bitty of my vintage.

A plus for the story telling typical in this genre – the protagonists weren’t so two dimensional, and in addition to the plot twists, you were never entirely sure who they were. I liked how I was kept guessing at their underlying motivations. It created some great tension.

The biggest failing for me was the repetition of our main character (Katy’s) inner lamenting. Although her mental dialogue was sufficiently angsty, at times became frustrating and boring, as it had only been described ten pages before. So too were her, (and the love interest – Daemon’s) behavioural patterns. As much as I love the uncertainty of their reasoning, at times felt a little too drawn out.

The last little niggling thing that kept pulling me from the narrative were some of the long-winded kissing scenes… don’t get me wrong, I love a great hot and steamy snog-fest, but Onyx had me squirming at times, like I’d just walked in on my parents playing tonsil hockey.

One the whole, I enjoyed this second instalment in Jennifer Armentrout’s Lux series, the pacing was superior to its predecessor. As was the predictability of the storyline, it had me guessing at aspects of the plot. There are still some glaringly obvious forecomings, but that did not distract from the experience.

There were some definite laugh out loud moments in this book, but overall seemed few and far between than in Obsidian, but we’ll worth the wait. I miss Katy’s goofs, clumsiness and one liners.

I liked Daemon a lot more at the end of this novel, upon completing Obsidian, I really felt him to be a little too contrite and nearly blew my interest in the series; but totally redeems himself in Onyx. Katy grows up a little more in this edition, but as stated earlier I felt her narration annoying at times. She’s always had a backbone (which I like) but wasn’t given the opportunity to let her sass shine as much here. Also the great relationship she had with Dee (Daemon’s Sister) fell by the wayside for much of the book. That disappointed me – great girlfriends are hard to come by, and Katy and Dee have been my favourite lit gal-pal pairing to date.

Whether Jennifer’s writing is improving, or the storylines becoming more intricate and realistic, Onyx is definitely a fun read. I’m a sucker for a bit of romance and a bit of science fiction with a side of teen angst. I’d recommend this series to anyone who is a sap for gorgeous brooding men, aliens, and some heavy petting.

The Third book, Opal, is in this months T,B,R pile… so stay turned for a review of that one 🙂

    

© Casey Carlisle 2015. 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.

Book Review – Obsidian

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.