Saturday, November 2, 2013

Book Review: Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout


Book Series: Lux, Book #1
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Genres: YA, Paranormal Romance, Aliens
Format: Audiobook
Narrator: Justine Eyre
Length: 9 hrs and 32 mins

My Ranking:

When 17-year-old Katy Swartz moved to West Virginia right before her senior year, she'd pretty much resigned herself to thick accents, dodgy Internet access, and a whole lot of boring, but then she spotted her hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up...until he opened his mouth.

Daemon Black is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. It's hate at first sight, but when a stranger attacks her and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something...unexpected happens. The hot guy next door? Well, he's an alien.

Turns out that Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities and Katy is caught in the crosshairs. Daemon's touch has lit her up like the Vegas Strip and the only way she's getting out of this alive is by sticking close to him until her alien mojo fades. That is, if she doesn't kill him first.



Aliens aren't my thing. Neither are hardcore sci-fi stories; I'm a paranormal girl - fairies, witches, vamps, weres and all the sexy little things that go bump in the night. Thus said, when I first heard about this series, it barely piqued my interest. Then a flash flood of Twilight comparisons came my way, and I was really turned off. I was fully prepared to pass on this series, but then Audible had a sale. They get me every time...

As I prepared myself to cringe my way though a saccharine sweet love story about two people who shouldn't be together, something magical happened. But the first page, I was smiling and laughing at these two characters get under each other's skin in such a hilariously way. This type of humor is definitely up my alley. And, upon finishing the book, said smile was still on my face.

I was surprised how much I liked Daemon, considering through about 75% of the book he was a jackass. But I didn't mind because he made up for it with his wicked charm and snarky, sexy sarcasm. That too, my friends, works for me. Also, I really appreciated that Katy didn't let him get away with it. She was a strong, independent and confident lead witch was refreshing. Too often you run into girls pining for complete jackasses how have cruel words and no heart to back it up... and the girl just takes it and continues to pine for him.

But, Daemon wasn't like that. Yes, he was over the top with this brush offs, but at least his goal was to literally make things so miserable for Katy she'd run screaming. Objective achieved; he came very close. He made it abundantly clear to Katy on many occasions he'd never want her around for himself and that a friendship with Dee wasn't gonna happen. I don't even believe his position truly changed in the end, despite everything. I can respect that.

Enough about Daemon, because I liked Katy just as much. She pushed back just as hard as Daemon shoved, and the end result was hilarious. These two stubborn characters clashed in the most excellent way, but at the same time their non-relationship felt real. Plenty of people have fallen for the wrong guy and Katy know she had, but could she stop? Hell no, not with all the charm he was laying on. Which brings me to the sexual tension ... wow! Definitely made this an enjoyable read.

To wrap things up, overall storyline was only okay for me. If Katy and Daemon weren't in the book, it's own, I find the a little weak. But as setup for the series well that's a different situation. This story felt like sturdy foundation to base the series on. Plus, it ended on a high note and I had stupid grin plastered over my face. Already started the next book and the prequel, Shadows.



For the most part, I liked Justine Eyre. Overall, I thought her voice was a bit too mature. Don't get me wrong, when she spoke as a female teen, she sounded young enough. But with what I'd call Katy's stream of concious, it didn't work. I also don't like how she spoke as Daemon. And she dragged her "m's".  Okay - perhaps I didn't like her. Well, let's just say her style is not mine.




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