Review: Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Release Date: November 29, 2011

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Pages: 299

Received: Purchased

Rating: 4 out of 5 Books

GOODREADS BLURB:

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 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.

THE GOOD:

Ms. Armentrout is a phenomenal storyteller! The narrator of the book, Katy, is great, and keeps a fresh feeling sense of being a teenager throughout the book. I really enjoyed the relationships that were built throughout the book, and I loved Dee. She kind of reminded me of Alice from Twilight, but that isn't a bad thing...I think Alice was one of my favorite characters from that series! BUT! Obsidian is NOTHING like Twilight, so don't be scared if you didn't like it, and don't be bummed if you start reading this, looking for a Twilight-esque book. Armentrout is a strong writer and gives so much life to her characters, that you want to root for them all throughout the book. There are plenty of one-liners throughout that make you laugh at the wittiness of her characters, but it isn't over the top. Her world-building is fun and I enjoyed every twist and turn of this ride. You'll more than likely but up late into the night reading this. I know I was!

THE BAD:

I didn't like that in a few places Armentrout just expected her readers to accept that things "just were." I marked four different places where Daemon or Dee expressed that the bad guys (the Arum) "didn't need a reason" or that their own abilities were "just because we can." Once even Daemon says, "Matthew explained it to me once. Honestly, I wasn't paying attention." If you have abilities, wouldn't you know how they worked? Why would Katy just accept this cop-out of an explanation? I wasn't necessarily left out of anything that was detrimental, I don't think, but I really feel like Armentrout could have done a little bit better with her explanations on why things in her world were the way they were. She also used the phrase "Sweet Baby Jesus" at least five times, and while it was funny the first two or three, I got tired of reading it over and over. Just my opinion. :)

OVERALL:

Armentrout's voice was great and I loved reading from Katy's POV. She was an excellent narrator and held my attention. The sexual tension was great between her and Daemon, and I enjoyed waiting on that big kiss to happen. I think she lightly touched on what will become the crux of book two, and I wish she would have given me more, but I totally get why she ended where she did. She's got me hooked for the second installment for sure!! :) I had to take away a star for what I explained in "the bad" section, but this was a very entertaining read that you won't want to put down! Armentrout is an excellent storyteller and now I'm going to have to go get Half-Blood and see what that series is all about.

FAVORITE QUOTES:

"Beautiful face. Beautiful Body. Horrible attitude. It was the holy trinity of hot boys."

* * *

"It was either him or me and my friends. That alien asshat had to go."

RATING: 4 of 5 Books

Review: Legend by Marie Lu

Legend by Marie Lu

Release Date: November 29, 2011

Publisher: Putnam Juvenile

Pages: 305

Received: Purchased

Rating: 4 out of 5 Books

GOODREADS BLURB:
What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic’s wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic’s highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country’s most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.

From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths—until the day June’s brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family’s survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias’s death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.

THE GOOD:

Ms. Lu's imagination knows no bounds, but here's the thing: she makes it all BELIEVABLE. Everything she said, I felt myself thinking, "Oh man, what if America ended up like this?" I can see it, and that kinda freaks me out! She builds her world exquisitely, and her characters are always on point. Day is absolutely the most awesome character I've read all year. He is just amazing. The way he grows through the story is awesome, but I think June is the one that grows the most. She is such a BA heroine, and I like that you see her discover the world around her.

THE BAD:

Nothing was necessarily bad, but I did feel like June came to the major revelations all at once, in an info-dumpish kind of way. That was just me, though. Some may like it. I would have liked to have seen a redeeming characteristic in Commander Jameson, and I didn't like that Thomas was so cold-blooded, although I suppose that was the goal of Lu. So you see, the "bad" wasn't bad, it was just personal preferences. :)

OVERALL:

I really enjoyed Lu's world, and I will definitely be getting the second installment when it releases. This was a fun book to read, and by the end I was totally invested. It was a little slow at the beginning, but the world building was necessary, and I appreciated it when the book really started moving. Like I said, Day is probably my favorite character of the year. I would have loved to watch him pull off more shenanigans, and I hope that the second book will provide that. Lu wrote a great book, and I am looking forward to reading the next one.

RATING: 4 of 5 Books

Review: Destined by Jessie Harrell

Destined by Jessie Harrell

Release Date: March 27, 2007

Publisher: Mae Day Publishing

Pages: 260

Received: Purchased

Rating: 4 out of 5 Books

GOODREADS BLURB:
When Psyche receives a prophecy gone horribly wrong, she learns that even the most beautiful girl in Greece can have a hideous future. Her fate? Fall in love with the one creature even the gods fear.

As she feels herself slipping closer into the arms of the prophecy, Psyche must choose between the terrifyingly tender touch she feels almost powerless to resist and the one constant she's come to expect out of life: you cannot escape what is destined.

OVERALL:

Destined is a fast, fun read that anyone who is a fan of mythological retellings will enjoy. Like paranormal romance? This one's for you, too. :) I really enjoyed this book, and Jessie did a great job of keeping me wanting to turn the pages.

THE GOOD:

Harrell's writing is easy, fun, and contemporary. You never have to worry about not understanding her writing - she put this book it a teen's voice from today and it was great! I've read some reviews that scoff at the non-traditional Greek dialogue, but here's the thing - Harrell made this HERS, and I liked it. If it would have been all old language and what not, I probably would have given up on it. I liked her twist on things and I never felt that her personal touches took away from the story. Instead, I feel it made the book that much better. Her characters were fun and I enjoyed embracing them. Psyche was so much fun to watch, and Eros - gods love him - was a typical guy. I love that while they're gods and demi-gods, Harrell made them feel very real and very human. Hopefully I don't get struck down for saying that. :)

THE BAD:

There were times that I felt details or comparisons were forced, but it was only once or twice. Other than that, I really enjoyed this book.

OVERALL:

This was a fun read! I have a son that takes up most of my attention, but this book diverted me a bit. :) It was definitely a book I'd recommend to anyone, and I can't wait to read more from Harrell. I have a feeling we've only scratched the surface of her abilities!

RATING: 4 of 5 Books

 

Review: Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

GOODREADS BLURB:
"You can't touch me," I whisper.

I'm lying, is what I don't tell him.

He can touch me, is what I'll never tell him.

But things happen when people touch me.

Strange things.

Bad things.

No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal, but The Reestablishment has plans for her. Plans to use her as a weapon.

But Juliette has plans on her own.

After a lifetime without freedom, she's finally discovering a strength to fight back for the very first time—and to find a future with the one boy she thought she'd lost forever.

Okay, wow. Where to start...

This book started off arduous difficult tough to read. The prose was complicated complicated complicated and hard to follow at times.

I really wanted to put the book down.

BUT.

Wow. Once it got going, dialogue picked up, and Adam showed up, I changed my tune. Mafi has TALENT. TALENT TALENT TALENT (and I mean that with no pun alluding to the book at all!) :) I can't wait to read more books from her!

THE GOOD:
I felt everything that Juliette felt. Saw everything she saw. There was no detail that was left out from her emotions, or even how they were processed in her mind. I don't think I've ever felt like I knew a character as intimately as I felt I got to know Juliette. I really was rooting for her the entire time, because she was simply transparent and honest in her thoughts and emotions. Adam is genuinely a good guy. Mafi leaves the book at a sensible point, yet leaves me invested enough to go "I need more pages!" at the end. That's a good thing. :)

THE BAD:
Like I said, I was really struggling to enjoy this book for the first 25%. I only kept going because two good book reviewing buddies told me I needed to and I hate to put a book down, so I did. The prose feels overdone and the constant strikethrough of words is taxing. While I totally understand her point and goal with this idea, I think someone should have put a leash on it at the same time. It works, it really does, it just was a bit overboard in the beginning. Other than that, I really enjoyed the book!

CONCLUSION:
WOW. That's all I've to got to say. This author has a lot of talent, and if you enjoyed Hunger Games, this is definitely the next book you should pick up. The writing is hard to get used to at first, but I promise it's totally worth it to get through the first bit and get to the meat of the story. You won't regret an adventure into this book, and it will definitely leave you wanting more.

FAVORITE QUOTES:
"Hope is a pocket of possibility."
* * *
"I am a being comprised of letters, a character created by sentences, a figment of imagination formed through fiction. They want to delete every point of punctuation in my life from this earth and I don't think I can let that happen."

RATING: 4 Books