Obsession by Jennifer L. Armentrout - Team Luxen or Team Arum?
Synopsis: Hunter is a ruthless killer. And the Department of Defense has him firmly in their grasp, which usually doesn’t chafe too badly because he gets to kill bad guys. Most of the time he enjoys his job. That is, until he’s saddled with something he’s never had to do before: protect a human from his mortal enemy.
Serena Cross didn’t believe her best friend when she claimed to have seen the son of a powerful senator turn into something… unnatural. Who would? But then she witnesses her friend’s murder at the hands of what can only be an alien, thrusting her into a world that will kill to protect their secret.
Hunter stirs Serena’s temper and her lust despite their differences. Soon he’s doing the unthinkable—breaking the rules he’s lived by, going against the government to keep Serena safe. But are the aliens and the government the biggest threats to Serena’s life… or is it Hunter?
Review: Do the cover models remind anyone else of Eliza Dushku and an older more muscly Tyler Posey (from Teen Wolf)? I can’t be the only one to think so. This is apparently a stock photo for another book I saw recently so make sure you grab the right one! I held off on reading this one until I was caught up with the Lux novels. I prefer adult novels to YA, so while I do manage to enjoy the Lux series quite a bit, I was definitely curious about the series potential at an adult level. Some things felt the same but it also felt very different in a good way. I would definitely read more Arum novels in the future. Take out a couple of sex scenes and tone down the content and it probably isn’t much different from what you’d find in the Lux novels even with the darker tone.
Hunter was pretty entertaining and funny making it an enjoyable ride to learn more about the Arum. I was glad to get a lead male with a distinct personality from Daemon. There’s always two sides to every story and I appreciated this exploration of their world. The chemistry and build up with Serena is about as good as it gets for a standalone.
We see a cameo of Daemon here and then it turns out Hunter makes a cameo in the 4th Lux novel (chapter 6 to be exact). While you don’t have to read one to enjoy the other it does make things more fun and there are some relevant plot lines that tie into the main series! I liked the series overlap and appearance of Luc, my favorite side character of the series.
After I was finished I was left wanting more, so I think that means Armentrout did her job! This book does make me wonder if any readers are more Team Arum or Team Luxen. Anti-heroes are as popular as ever and the Arum have genuine substance now. I can’t quite decide which team I’m on. Perhaps that means a few more books are in order, you know, so I that can properly decide ~_^.
Shadows (Lux 0.5) by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Synopsis: 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. 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.
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.
Review: I probably should have read this one in the order of the books’ publications as opposed to catching up with the main books first. Maybe that would have helped me to be remotely interested in the story. Unfortunately this was the weakest installment I’ve read of the series and I ultimately didn’t really like it. The relationship between Beth and Dawson was too rushed and sappy. It was so bland compared to Daemon and Katy. I wouldn’t have minded this prequel if they were already together for some time and this was just a side story that leads up to the current events of series. I like them and their relationship better as a supporting aspect of this series. As front and center they don’t do the series proper justice. But hey, at least it was free!
Origin (Lux #4) by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Synopsis: Daemon will do anything to get Katy back. 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?
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?
Review: After the cliffhanger of book 3 there was no way I couldn’t read this one right away. I whizzed through it too. This was easily the best book of the series. I was genuinely put through the emotional wringer and there were some truly surprising developments.
Origin, the title, denotes a new race we learn about in this book. Apparently Luxen and hybrids can procreate and they are the result, something great than its two parents. Good thing Katy and Daemon use protection, eh?
This novel was different from the others in that we get alternating POVs of Daemon and Katy. That was a nice workaround considering how long Katy’s held captive. As the book explores the heart of Daedalus I really found myself wanting to give them the benefit of the doubt. It really was as the synopsis said. Even the Arum’s existence and purpose isn’t quite as black and white anymore. But that was clearly a mistake as one particular scene was so horrific and left me so angry and appalled I just wanted them all to die horrible painful deaths. It was absolutely infuriating and I’m upset all over again simply writing about it now.
There were other surprising twists, particularly on Katy’s part with her abilities and how far she’ll let her anger carry her. Though I was completely fine with those developments. I’ll just say that he had it coming, though the actual timing of it was unexpected.
Daemon and Katy….let’s just say that the angst factor is amped up to a 9/10 for these two. The devotion was nice, but I could have done without one decidedly annoying decision on their part. It didn’t really add anything to the relationship and felt overly dramatic and somewhat out of character if anything. There’s a development with Dawson and Beth too, but I saw that one coming a mile away and it didn’t annoy me at all.
While new characters are introduced the lives of others are put into jeopardy, further proving this threat is very real. There’s yet another cliffhanger as well, but this time it’s one I actually could get behind.
If my understanding is correct, the next book is the last book of the series. I’ve grown attached to the characters and will miss this world, but Armentrout has definitely proven herself to be a very capable author and if this book was this good, I think she has the goods to let this series go out with a bang.
I read Shadows (Lux #0.5) and Obsession this week, so now I’m all caught up and the reviews shall soon follow. This is the first series in a while where I’ve been motivated to catch up with all the books. Normally I might read a book or two of something and then move on to another series and come back to read more at a later time, but this has been good enough for me that I just can’t wait. I am definitely a fan of Jennifer Armentrout’s writing.
Opal (Lux, #3) by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Synopsis: No one is like Daemon Black. When he set out to prove his feelings for me, he wasn’t fooling around. Doubting him isn’t something I’ll do again, and now that we’ve made it through the rough patches, well… There’s a lot of spontaneous combustion going on. But even he can’t protect his family from the danger of trying to free those they love.
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.
Review: It didn’t take long for me to get to this one after finishing the second book. While I enjoyed it about as much as book two, it does come across as feeling like more of the same a few times with some notable exceptions. I enjoyed the heist angle, but that meant less awesome quotes about Katy’s book blogging.
We’re introduced to a few new characters and re-acquainted with old ones and once again, we’re left wondering if their motivations will work in Team Daemon’s favor or not. I’ve not read the prequel novella with Dawson (though I will very soon; it’s free), but he is in full emo mode with a side of douche as well. I don’t hate the character or anything like that because it’s quite clear that he’s been through a lot, but for his sake you really want this heist to work out so that he can pep up. Dee is also not the same bubbly character. She really lets Katy have it, though I understand her point of view as well. It’s still hard and at times annoying to read.
My favorite side character at this point is Luc, a prodigy and mysterious night club owner with all the deets on how to bust into Daedalus. Something has to be special about him to have so much power and information under his thumb.
Daemon and Katy become even closer. Even with his usual arrogance and wit, he still balances it with being a good partner for Katy. I could have done without a couple of scenes here and there and more plot, but I do like the pair so I won’t complain about it too much.
The funniest part of the book to me was the intentional irony in this quote:
“I couldn’t run down the hall, letting people free. We didn’t plan for that and we only had a set amount of time. It sucked—sucked worse than people who pirated books, sucked more than waiting a year for the next book in a beloved series, and sucked more than a brutal cliffhanger ending. Leaving here, knowing we could possibly be leaving innocent people behind, would haunt me forever.”
And then what happens? Armentrout leaves this book on a cliffhanger! Lucky for me, I could jump right into Book 4.
Onyx (Lux, #2) by Jennifer L. Armentrout
“Don’t forget. There are cooler things out there than fallen angels and dead guys. Just saying.” He winked.”
This quote is even funnier since she has a fallen angel series too now.
Synopsis: 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 Defense 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.
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 .
Review: Onyx, the follow-up to Obsidian, is pretty awesome! I thought it was much better than the first book, amping up the story was well as amping up Katy’s powers. I’m glad she gets an upgrade in the power category because she can be truly proactive instead of constantly playing damsel in distress. Granted, that still happens a lot but she is in over her head too much to have no defenses at all.
But as they say, with great power comes great responsibility. The stakes are higher for Katy’s safety as well as her mom’s and she needs to harness her new abilities. We meet a couple of new characters whose motives were pretty easy to guess early on, but their purpose completely changes the game. There were a few unexpected developments that prove no one is truly safe.
This is where the series went from okay to a true page turner, drawing me into the story and making me begin to really invest in the characters. Katy is so very amusing, especially when it comes to her blogging. She’s so relatable and I find myself often highlighting quotes about her blogging experiences.
“I wrote a quick review for Monday and then a longer one for Tuesday. The longer one was because I couldn’t stop gushing. I think I had a new book boyfriend and his name was Tod.”
and another fave:
“It had insta-love, the bane of my existence Girl sees boy and falls in love. Immediately. Soul make, breath stealing, toes curling, love after one conversation. Boy pushes girl away for some paranormal reason or another. Girl still loves boy. Boy finally admits love.”
Deamon’s great too with his constant one liners and perpetual nicknames for a new guy in town who is clearly not his favorite person.
Of course their relationship is reaches a new level, though it’s still executed in typical YA fashion with the constant back and forth, the interruptions to keep things from the point of no return, the high school level jealousy and drama, etc. I would definitely prefer if these novels weren’t YA, but it offers enough for me to still want to continue with it.
These books are good enough to want to read them back to back without breaking to read something else. I unfortunately wasn’t able to get to book 3 immediately after this one, but I had good excuses. After getting The Undead Pool (Hollows #12) ARC and World After (Penryn #2) ARC in my paws, they just couldn’t be ignored. But I definitely read read Book 3 as soon as I was able and I’ll have that review ready soon!
Obsidian (Lux, #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout
I’m actually close to finishing the third book in this series, but I’m playing catch up on reviews so I won’t get to them for a while yet. But I figure I should start from the top.
Synopsis: 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.
Review: After seeing these books pop up in my Goodreads friends notifications for a while, I decided to finally take the Lux series for a spin. I was forewarned that this series was very similar to Twilight, so I was a little apprehensive since I didn’t really think much of that one (no offense to Twihards), but I enjoyed this quite a bit more. Sure, you’ve got a teen moving to a small town who just so happens to run into a group of students in her new school who possess an otherworldly beauty and mystique, and then she’s in grave danger and the hottest one of all happens to save her with superhuman abilities, but that’s where the similarities ended for me.
I actually enjoy Daemon and Katy as our hero and heroine though I honestly didn’t feel like too much happened in this book. I think we were settling into the world and the characters. I find it very amusing that Katy’s a book reviewer and blogger. The jokes surrounding her hobby are very funny, probably because it makes her completely relatable as a book reviewer/blogger myself. It makes me wonder if the author dabbles in it. Since she writes so much I’d wonder where she finds the time!
Daemon is arrogant and often irritating, but he can be pretty funny too. Though he and his sister have suffered loss, a loss of personality isn’t one of them and I genuinely enjoy his development with Katy. They have great chemistry and this series seems like it’s got potential to be somewhat racy for a YA novel.
I enjoyed the read, but it wasn’t perfect. It didn’t feel slow per se, but it had a bit more of a contemporary feel at times and I occasionally found myself wanting the book to amp up the paranormal. As someone who typically prefer adult novels to YA, this has proved to be a happy middle ground for me and I look forward to reading the rest.
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