Review - Opal - By: Jennifer L. Armentrout (Lux Series #3)

Title: Opal
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Release Date: December 11th, 2012
Series: Lux #3
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Synopsis via Goodreads

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.

My rating:

All right, I'll admit it. I couldn't control my inner fangirl once I got my hands on this book. Daemon is just so...Daemon. I can't count how many times I did a mental happy dance once he said something funny or just plain naughty.



Moving on...this book tops each previous one in the series. And here I thought it just couldn't get any hotter than Onyx with all of the spontaneous combusting going around, but I'm so glad I was wrong. I enjoyed Opal from page one. It was flawless. Each of my expectations were met and then some. Jennifer L. Armentrout kept didn't pull any emotional punches, either.

What I Especially Liked:

1) The Realism of Dee & Katy's Relationship:
In the aftermath of Adam's death, I didn't expect Armentrout to really focus on how Katy & Dee's relationship would be impacted. I thought she'd mostly stick to the main storyline, and either not address the tension at all or have it be non-essential. But I'm so glad that it was a prominent aspect. I'm glad that I got to see how hurt Dee was, and how authentic her reactions were. I'm glad that she took time away from Katy to collect herself, and didn't rush back into their best-friend-hood. It was all so realistically refreshing, and I'm glad that Katy was understanding about it.


2) The Recurring Characters:
Most of the character that are introduced in Onyx are back with a vengeance in this novel. After the first time it happened, I was shocked.



I didn't expect the person who came back to be back so soon. I was on the edge of my seat wondering how everyone, especially Daemon, would react. After the second time, the character who came back wasn't around for very long...if you know what I mean. So, that character didn't have as much of an impact as the crapstorm they caused did. Still, with each person who came around the action aspect inched up that much more and I loved it all.


3) Katy's Ongoing Frustration w/Daemon:
I think that this was what drew me to the series in the first novel, Obsidian. I liked that Daemon was a cocky asshole and I especially liked that Katy (unlike many heroines in the YA genre nowadays) didn't take any of his crap. In Opal, she still doesn't and I love the consistency. Now that Katy and Daemon are an actual couple, Daemon pulls back the asshole remarks but never stops being his arrogant self. Katy's frustration moves to Daemon's undying need to protect her in this book. I found myself siding with Katy time and time again when her safety was brought up. Daemon's hypocrisy knew no bounds (I still love him, though). There'd be a situation when they were planning something dangerous and Daemon would say something like "I don't want you to go. I just want to protect you." And Katy would argue that if she asked him not to go, he'd refuse. Which was completely true, of course. I felt the same mild annoyance that Katy did, and I think a book it a million times better when I can feel what the character's feeling.


4) The Return of Dawson
Ever since Dawson came back everyone had been on edge waiting for him to go off his rocker and try to rescue Bethany on a suicide mission. And while I did share their fear that Dawson would try to rescue her and end up dead in the process, I also found it endearing. His determination to get to Beth was impressive. His dedication was everlasting. Going through the pain of trying to resist onyx only on the possibility that he'd see her again...Dawson immediately became a character that I liked and will continue to like.

5) The Ending







IT DESTROYED ME. I knew Armentrout would deliver with a fantastic, unbelievable ending. I knew I would remember it and cherish it and obsess over it until the next Lux novel came out. And I will. But....like I said, it destroyed me. It simply broke my heart in two. Shattered it to pieces. I didn't know whether I should start bawling for Katy & Daemon's relationship or rage at the unfairness of it all. I knew something would go horribly awry. Armentrout kept hinting at it. I knew the shit would hit the fan. I just didn't expect it to do so in the way that it did. I'm so distraught right now. I need the next book. Need it.

Favorite Lines:

1) "Maybe I wouldn't have to worry about her [Katy's Mother] and Will. Maybe I needed to worry about her and Daemon. Cougar."

2) " 'But you've broken the rules, Kitten. Several times. You're owed some punishment.'
My heart jumped. 'I am a rule breaker.'
His lips tilted up on one corner. 'You are.' "

3) "To my left, there was a blur of brown racing away from me. Most likely a deer or, knowing my luck, a chupacabra."

Review - Death and the Girl Next Door - By: Darynda Jones (Darklight Series #1)

Title: Death and the Girl Next Door
Author: Darynda Jones
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Release Date: October 2nd, 2012
Series: Darklight #1
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Synopsis via Goodreads

Ten years ago, Lorelei's parents disappeared without a trace. Raised by her grandparents and leaning on the support of her best friends, Lorelei is finally beginning to accept the fact that her parents are never coming home. For Lorelei, life goes on.

High school is not quite as painful as she thinks it will be, and things are as normal as they can be. Until the day the school's designated loner, Cameron Lusk, begins to stalk her, turning up where she least expects it, standing outside her house in the dark, night after night. Things get even more complicated when a new guy—terrifying, tough, sexy Jared Kovach—comes to school. Cameron and Jared instantly despise each other and Lorelei seems to be the reason for their animosity.

 What does Jared know about her parents? Why does Cameron tell Jared he can't have Lorelei? And what will any of them do when Death comes knocking for real? Thrilling, sassy, sexy, and inventive, Darynda Jones's first foray into the world of teens will leave readers eager for the next installment.

My rating:

My initial reaction when I first got my hands on this book:



I really, really wanted to like this book. I'm a HUGE fan of Darynda's Charley Davidson series, and I thought that in this novel she'd bring the same amount of witty comments, sexy heroes, and capable heroines. I was wrong. In actuality, I'd give this book 2.5 stars, and let me take you through my reasons why.

What I Liked

1. Lorelei's relationship with one of her best friends, Brooklyn - Their interactions seemed so real, and their comments reminded me a lot of the things I'd say to my best friend. The way that their friendship started (in the third grade, I believe) made me laugh. They're protective of one another, and you can tell that they really do value their friendship instead of Brooklyn being a simple "best friend plot device" with no personality that I see constantly in so many other YA novels.

2. Cameron - He made this entire book bearable. Amongst all of the confusion, and with Lorelei trying to figure out what was going on, his personality never changed. He was still pissed off and agressive and funny, and he seemed to be the only character with substance. Not once did he come off as 2-Dimensional, and all of his reactions--blown out of proportion as they sometimes were--seemed genuine to his character. His reasons for his hostility towards Jared were completely understandable in my opinion. Even their constant fighting had a purpose aside from Cameron's revenge. He was fighting Jared to protect Lorelei, and that raised him up a few notches in my book.

3. Cameron & Brooklyn's relationship - This was perhaps the biggest shocker of all. When Cameron came into the picture, I didn't really pay any mind to Brooklyn calling him "hot" or whatever. I never thought anything would come from it. But as the storyline progressed, so did their relationship, and I can't help but wonder what the future holds for these two. I may even read the next book to find out. Cameron seemed to lose some of his anger whenever he spoke to Brooklyn, and he seemed almost in awe of her, especially during their conversation about auras. Plus, he seemed to listen to Brooke when he would listen to nobody else, and I think he has a genuine respect for her.

What I Did Not Like

1. Lorelei & Jared's Relationship - Their relationship literally bitch slapped me in the face. It's not that I didn't expect for them to develop feelings for one another, but it just happened so fast that I couldn't help but facepalm mid-sentence when Lorelei mentally admitted that she'd "fallen in love" with Jared approximately 2/3 of the way into the book. *sigh* Really?







It was so incredibly unbelievable. She couldn't have had more than 5 conversations with the guy. Keep in mind: (view spoiler)[ he tried to strangle her, and she forgave him instantly. She didn't ask any questions, and she tried to keep Cameron from hurting him still (hide spoiler)] All she knew was that he'd saved her life, and that, apparently was enough for her to think she loved him. She didn't know anything about him at first, and even when she did find out his "secret", she didn't give a crap. In my mind, this was all puppy love. Seriously. I think that Lorelei felt sorry for Jared, and was so blinded by his stunning, gorgeous, beautiful, etc etc (I'm not even exaggerating here, she mentions his beauty ALL THE TIME) that she convinced herself "since he saved me, he must not mean me any harm whatsoever" and that she was in love with him. And Jared wasn't really better. He declared that after stalking her he never wanted to take his eyes off of her and that he couldn't let her die and blah blah blah.....keep in mind, he was thinking these things BEFORE he actually got to know her. I think they had one conversation before he saved her life and risked everything. And, of course, Lorelei felt SO guilty....I just couldn't believe their relationship. It felt too forced and too...shallow.

2. The "Sanctuary" Concept - Another thing that confused the hell out of me. In the beginning, we know from what Lorelei tells us that the Sancutary is like a church, and her grandfather is the Pastor. By the end, we find out that it's a super secret, super ancient organization and almost everyone in the city is in on it. My reaction: "wha....??" This came out of nowhere. It felt like a huge info-dump. One moment, her grandparents are normal citizens, and the next they know everything there is to know about angels and demons and possessions...it was just too much. Questions were being thrown around, and answered just as quickly. I could barely keep up. Lorelei finally finds out what happened to her parents, and Jared's identity is officially uncovered. We also find out some shocking things about Brooklyn and Lorelei. By the end of it, I was just like...



3. Glitch & His 'Tude - I really don't understand the purpose of Glitch's (aka Casey Blue-Spider) character. I mean, was he supposed to be the voice of reason, or something? No, thanks. I felt that the entire time, he was opposed to anything and everything Brooke & Lorelei wanted to do. He'd complain that he had football practice, or that he was grounded, and by the middle of the book I just wanted to shout:



I feel like Glitch's character could've been deleted, and the story would still flow. In all honesty, I think that the reason Glitch was actually in the book was to create a love triangle between Brooklyn, Cameron, and him. While I am interested in what would come of a love triangle, I don't care for Glitch at all. Plus, his refusal to admit what happened with him and Cameron made me angry and more confused than I'd been initially. I really hope Darynda reveals what happened all those years ago, or at least give Glitch some redeeming qualities. And while she's at it, maybe a 3 Dimensional personality.

4. Hardly any explanation - There were a lot of things in this book that just went unexplained, period. There were also some things that went unexplained until a few chapters later. I can't really mention them all without giving away tons of spoilers. For example, (view spoiler)[ Lorelei being hit by a truck in the beginning. I had no idea of what was going on. One second, she was being shoved by the kid on the skateboard, and the next she's in pain. I didn't figure it out until a while later, when it was voiced what had happened. (hide spoiler)] Another thing was, (view spoiler)[ the whole "Cameron of Jophiel" thing. The concept of Nephilim and the other types of angels wasn't really explained when first brought up. Luckily, I already knew what Nephilim were, so I could infer a lot. But still, for someone who had no idea what they were, this book would be very frustrating. (hide spoiler)] Mostly, the problem I had with this novel was that Lorelei had no idea what was going on, therefore the reader had no idea what was going on. It's a personal preference, really. I'm fine with mystery novels, but I don't want to feel completely and totally ignorant throughout the entirety of reading the book. Maybe others do, but I don't.


Favorite Parts:

"Do you know what she'd say if she were here right now?" Jared asked.
Cameron stepped closer. "You're a bitch?"
"Exactly." He closed the distance, meeting him head-on, challenging him with the heavy set of his shoulders. "Only she'd be looking at you."


"If I get hit," I said, interrupting whatever dire threat he had in mind, "shoved," I continued, stepping closer for effect, "or run over one more time today, I swear by all that is holy, I will make it my personal goal in life to have the person responsible sent to prison on charges of kiddie porn."