Quick Note on the YA Crush Tourney (Pt. 3): #TeamJLAFTW!

Hey guys!

It's that time again. Time to vote for one of the most swoon worthy characters out there! Time for Jennifer L. Armentrout's characters to rock the YA Crush Tourney hosted by The YA Sisterhood. I already warned you about today's match, when Aiden (The Covenant) fights against Dimitri (Vampire Academy). It's a tough one, I know, but it's time for someone else to shine and Aiden is perfect for the job. Actually, he's perfect, period.  

If Kayleigh's (Aiden's advocate in the #YACrushTourney) post wasn't enough for you all (did you catch the "intense storm colored eyes that turn to shades of silver when he feels strong emotions" part? Or that he can control the element Fire and he's super fierce and protective??"), then how about a few extras? Let me give you a few convincing quotes (I'll do my best to be brief, but I'm not making any promises here):

The grin increased to a full smile. And… oh, man. He had dimples. The air in my lungs died. “I remember you, too.” (Half-Blood, pg. 141) *fans self*

Aiden stepped forward, his eyes were so bright and so warm. I wanted to forget about everything and fall into those eyes. Carefully, he reached out and with those fingers, he tucked back the strand of hair that always ended up in my face. I shivered, unable to help it. “There is nothing wrong with hope, Alex.” (Half-Blood, pg. 293) (so supportive!) *melts*

Aiden gave me one of his rare smiles. Every cell in my body warmed. I even forgot about the terrible thing I was training for. His smile had that kind of impact. (Half-Blood, pg. 299)

[...]his arms circled my shoulders. Slowly, carefully, I rested my head against his chest. My hands fell to the curve of his back and I inhaled deeply. His scent, a mixture of the sea and soap, filed me. The steady beat of his heart under my cheek warmed and comforted me. It was just a hug, but gods, it meant so much. It meant everything. [...] “You don’t have anything to worry about, Alex. I’m not going to let anything happen to you.” *sigh* He's  so caring and protective! (Half-Blood, pg. 339)

He moved, ever so slightly, and his lips brushed across mine once, and then twice. It was such a soft, beautiful kiss, but when the kiss deepened, it wasn’t a shy one. This was one of dangerously pent-up need, a desire that’d been denied far too long. The kiss felt fierce, demanding, and soul burning....[...] Every place our bodies touched, sparks flew. Aiden puled his lips away from mine, and I made a sound of protest, but then his mouth trailed across my throat and to the base of my neck. My skin burned and my thoughts were on fire. His name was barely a whisper, but I felt his lips curve against my skin... (Half-Blood, pg. 341)

*gets distracted by this particular scene for a while*

*clears throat* Where was I? Oh. Right. And I'm still at the first book here. The second one (Pure), is much more exciting and intense and heartbreaking and powerful and, well, spoilery, but I'll give you the highlights:

“You’re incredibly intelligent, Alex. Funny and…” “Pretty?” I supplied, only half-serious. “No, not pretty.” “Cute?” “No.” I frowned. “Well, then.” Aiden’s laugh sent shivers through me. “I was going to say ‘stunning.’ You’re stunningly beautiful.” (Kindle edition, pg 115 )

“Ever since I’ve met you, I’ve wanted to break every rule.” Aiden turned away, the muscles in his neck tensing. He sighed. “You’ll become the center of someone’s world one day. And he’ll be the luckiest son of a bitch on this earth.” (pg. 122)

Umm.... Remember how I didn't promise I'd be brief? Anyway, here's something from Aiden's POV. :D

My hands tightened on her shoulders. And a part of me— all of me—wanted to take her away, from all of this. Without really thinking, I pulled her against me and tried to come up with something to prove to her that she was going to be okay. But then she placed her head against my chest and I stopped breathing. (Half-Blood, Chapter 16, YA Heroine Tourney incentive)

"You don’t have anything to worry about, Alex. I’m not going to let anything happen to you.” The moments those words left my mouth, I knew I’d crossed some invisible line that I could never, ever go back from. They weren’t just words. They were an oath that I’d keep true to the end of my days. (Half-Blood, Chapter 16, YA Heroine Tourney incentive)

The quick inhale drew my attention, and I looked at her. She was so godsdamn beautiful, it hurt to look at her sometimes, and she didn’t even have a clue. Muscles in my stomach tightened. That pressure increased. I sucked in a deep breath of air and it went nowhere. (Pure, car/zoo scene, YA Crush Tourney incentive)

Clasping her cheeks, my mouth found hers as her hands settled against my chest. My heart was beating like I was a sixteen-year-old kissing a girl for the first time. Ridiculous, but she had that kind of effect on me. Always had. The kiss wasn’t gentle or soft. There wasn’t a questioning nature to it. I took her into me, because I wanted her. Wanted her more than I’d ever wanted anything in my life, and gods, there were so many things that I wanted, but she took the top spot and she stayed there.  (Pure, car/zoo scene, YA Crush Tourney incentive)

Ok, I'll stop now. But do you see what I mean when I say Dimitri, who?:))
*Thanks Jennifer L. Armentrout for the quotes and incentives and thanks Christina (Bibliophile Mystery) for helping me with picking the quotes.;)


And because we're all about #TeamJLA today, we have to support Daemon from the Lux series as well. He's against Peeta (The Hunger Games), but Val (Stuck In Books) does a great job at telling you why you should vote for Daemon (but, c' mon, who doesn't love Daemon Black?!) Get the deets on the fansite. (remember that they host a giveaway for a pre-order of Onyx, Lux #2.)

Here are our incentives:

750 Votes:
A teaser from Deity
 A teaser from Onyx

1100 Votes:
 A signed ARC of Onyx (signed by me, Pepe, and Sztella)

1600 Votes:
A teaser from Cursed
 A teaser from Daemon's POV

2100 Votes:
 A Daemon Invasion Swag pack giveaway

2800 Votes:
 A small scene from Deity in Seth's POV

3400 Votes:
 A teaser from Onyx, Deity, Cursed, and Unchained.

Winning Votes:
Aiden's win: A Seth POV from Deity. (Yeah, you read that right)

 Daemon's win: a sneak peek at the "Library Scene"

 Remember... if Aiden or Daemon make it into the Final Four, you will get to see the uncut Laptop Scene!

Now let's recap:

> Go HERE to vote for Aiden and HERE to vote for Daemon.
> Leave a comment on Jennifer's blog, there will be prizes.
> Check out Kayleigh's #TeamJLA post, vote and enter the giveaway (she's offering a pre-order of Deity and Elixir and if Aiden wins, she will add another JLA book of your choice, already released or future release!)
> Go HERE to get all the good stuff about Daemon and enter the giveaway to win a book of your choice (by Jennifer L. Armentrout) and awesome bookmarks.
> Go HERE to enter the giveaway for a pre-order of Onyx.

And last, but not least, spread the word!!!
#TeamDaemon
#TeamAiden
#TeamJLAFTW

xoxo

Quick Note on the YA Crush Tourney (Pt. 3): #TeamJLAFTW!

Hey guys!

It's that time again. Time to vote for one of the most swoon worthy characters out there! Time for Jennifer L. Armentrout's characters to rock the YA Crush Tourney hosted by The YA Sisterhood. I already warned you about today's match, when Aiden (The Covenant) fights against Dimitri (Vampire Academy). It's a tough one, I know, but it's time for someone else to shine and Aiden is perfect for the job. Actually, he's perfect, period.  

If Kayleigh's (Aiden's advocate in the #YACrushTourney) post wasn't enough for you all (did you catch the "intense storm colored eyes that turn to shades of silver when he feels strong emotions" part? Or that he can control the element Fire and he's super fierce and protective??"), then how about a few extras? Let me give you a few convincing quotes (I'll do my best to be brief, but I'm not making any promises here):

The grin increased to a full smile. And… oh, man. He had dimples. The air in my lungs died. “I remember you, too.” (Half-Blood, pg. 141) *fans self*

Aiden stepped forward, his eyes were so bright and so warm. I wanted to forget about everything and fall into those eyes. Carefully, he reached out and with those fingers, he tucked back the strand of hair that always ended up in my face. I shivered, unable to help it. “There is nothing wrong with hope, Alex.” (Half-Blood, pg. 293) (so supportive!) *melts*

Aiden gave me one of his rare smiles. Every cell in my body warmed. I even forgot about the terrible thing I was training for. His smile had that kind of impact. (Half-Blood, pg. 299)

[...]his arms circled my shoulders. Slowly, carefully, I rested my head against his chest. My hands fell to the curve of his back and I inhaled deeply. His scent, a mixture of the sea and soap, filed me. The steady beat of his heart under my cheek warmed and comforted me. It was just a hug, but gods, it meant so much. It meant everything. [...] “You don’t have anything to worry about, Alex. I’m not going to let anything happen to you.” *sigh* He's  so caring and protective! (Half-Blood, pg. 339)

He moved, ever so slightly, and his lips brushed across mine once, and then twice. It was such a soft, beautiful kiss, but when the kiss deepened, it wasn’t a shy one. This was one of dangerously pent-up need, a desire that’d been denied far too long. The kiss felt fierce, demanding, and soul burning....[...] Every place our bodies touched, sparks flew. Aiden puled his lips away from mine, and I made a sound of protest, but then his mouth trailed across my throat and to the base of my neck. My skin burned and my thoughts were on fire. His name was barely a whisper, but I felt his lips curve against my skin... (Half-Blood, pg. 341)

*gets distracted by this particular scene for a while*

*clears throat* Where was I? Oh. Right. And I'm still at the first book here. The second one (Pure), is much more exciting and intense and heartbreaking and powerful and, well, spoilery, but I'll give you the highlights:

“You’re incredibly intelligent, Alex. Funny and…” “Pretty?” I supplied, only half-serious. “No, not pretty.” “Cute?” “No.” I frowned. “Well, then.” Aiden’s laugh sent shivers through me. “I was going to say ‘stunning.’ You’re stunningly beautiful.” (Kindle edition, pg 115 )

“Ever since I’ve met you, I’ve wanted to break every rule.” Aiden turned away, the muscles in his neck tensing. He sighed. “You’ll become the center of someone’s world one day. And he’ll be the luckiest son of a bitch on this earth.” (pg. 122)

Umm.... Remember how I didn't promise I'd be brief? Anyway, here's something from Aiden's POV. :D

My hands tightened on her shoulders. And a part of me— all of me—wanted to take her away, from all of this. Without really thinking, I pulled her against me and tried to come up with something to prove to her that she was going to be okay. But then she placed her head against my chest and I stopped breathing. (Half-Blood, Chapter 16, YA Heroine Tourney incentive)

"You don’t have anything to worry about, Alex. I’m not going to let anything happen to you.” The moments those words left my mouth, I knew I’d crossed some invisible line that I could never, ever go back from. They weren’t just words. They were an oath that I’d keep true to the end of my days. (Half-Blood, Chapter 16, YA Heroine Tourney incentive)

The quick inhale drew my attention, and I looked at her. She was so godsdamn beautiful, it hurt to look at her sometimes, and she didn’t even have a clue. Muscles in my stomach tightened. That pressure increased. I sucked in a deep breath of air and it went nowhere. (Pure, car/zoo scene, YA Crush Tourney incentive)

Clasping her cheeks, my mouth found hers as her hands settled against my chest. My heart was beating like I was a sixteen-year-old kissing a girl for the first time. Ridiculous, but she had that kind of effect on me. Always had. The kiss wasn’t gentle or soft. There wasn’t a questioning nature to it. I took her into me, because I wanted her. Wanted her more than I’d ever wanted anything in my life, and gods, there were so many things that I wanted, but she took the top spot and she stayed there.  (Pure, car/zoo scene, YA Crush Tourney incentive)

Ok, I'll stop now. But do you see what I mean when I say Dimitri, who?:))
*Thanks Jennifer L. Armentrout for the quotes and incentives and thanks Christina (Bibliophile Mystery) for helping me with picking the quotes.;)


And because we're all about #TeamJLA today, we have to support Daemon from the Lux series as well. He's against Peeta (The Hunger Games), but Val (Stuck In Books) does a great job at telling you why you should vote for Daemon (but, c' mon, who doesn't love Daemon Black?!) Get the deets on the fansite. (remember that they host a giveaway for a pre-order of Onyx, Lux #2.)

Here are our incentives:

750 Votes:
A teaser from Deity
 A teaser from Onyx

1100 Votes:
 A signed ARC of Onyx (signed by me, Pepe, and Sztella)

1600 Votes:
A teaser from Cursed
 A teaser from Daemon's POV

2100 Votes:
 A Daemon Invasion Swag pack giveaway

2800 Votes:
 A small scene from Deity in Seth's POV

3400 Votes:
 A teaser from Onyx, Deity, Cursed, and Unchained.

Winning Votes:
Aiden's win: A Seth POV from Deity. (Yeah, you read that right)

 Daemon's win: a sneak peek at the "Library Scene"

 Remember... if Aiden or Daemon make it into the Final Four, you will get to see the uncut Laptop Scene!

Now let's recap:

> Go HERE to vote for Aiden and HERE to vote for Daemon.
> Leave a comment on Jennifer's blog, there will be prizes.
> Check out Kayleigh's #TeamJLA post, vote and enter the giveaway (she's offering a pre-order of Deity and Elixir and if Aiden wins, she will add another JLA book of your choice, already released or future release!)
> Go HERE to get all the good stuff about Daemon and enter the giveaway to win a book of your choice (by Jennifer L. Armentrout) and awesome bookmarks.
> Go HERE to enter the giveaway for a pre-order of Onyx.

And last, but not least, spread the word!!!
#TeamDaemon
#TeamAiden
#TeamJLAFTW

xoxo

Review: Obsidian (Lux #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Hi!

First off, give me a moment to bang my head on the wall for not reading something written by Jennifer L. Armentrout before (especially after all my crazy attempts to get an ARC of Half-Blood over the summer -which I didn’t get, but still…)

Second, I’ve got to say that this is my kind of book and my kind of writing style! I love it! I may or may not have become a crazy stalker fan of Jennifer L. Armentrout. :D 

And third, there may be some gushing, fangirling (is that a word?) and plain old swooning in this review. Now that I've got that off my chest and you’ve been warned, here goes:

Obsidian (Lux #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Release Date: December 6th 2011
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Available as: e-book, Paperback, 266 pages

Goodreads / Official Website

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.

My thoughts: (No spoilers)

Obsidian was a quick, fun, sexy read. It’s one of those books that captures you from the very first pages and you end up read in one sitting, that reminds you why you  love reading (and blogging, for that matter) so much, puts a big smile on your face and lets you craving for more. In one word: delightful!

Katy and her mom move from Florida to a small town in West Virginia to try to get a new, better life after Katy’s dad died. Things haven’t been easy for them since that happened, but they hope they can put it all behind and start over.  To prove her mom she really wants to ‘make an effort’ to make things better, Katy tries to get to know her neighbors next door, who apparently are close to her age and go to the same high school. But her attempts at getting some kind of social life don’t go so well, because when she meets Daemon, things are pretty clear: he’s arrogant, infuriating, rude and well… a jerk. A gorgeous one, but still… A jerk. They just can’t stand each other. But thanks God for his sister, Dee, who’s cool and friendly and seems eager to hang out with Katy. Sadly though, there’s no spending time with Dee and avoiding Daemon at the same time, so she gets to be around Daemon quite a lot. Maybe a little too much for her liking. And despite Dee’s efforts to make them get along, it seems impossible. They fight, they banter, they fire mean, rude words at each other. But seriously - who are they kidding? They are just as intrigued and attracted to each other as they are angry and exasperated.  They’re drawn to each other and the chemistry between them is undeniable.

[Daemon] “You’re nothing like I expected.”
 “What did you expect?” I was sort of turned on by the fact I had surprised him. Weird. My eyes dropped to his poetic lips. Such a waste of a mouth.
“You and I have to talk.”
 “We have nothing to talk about.” His gaze dropped, and the air suddenly felt steamy. Unbearable.
“Yes,” he said, voice low, “we do. Tonight.”
 […] The teacher cleared his throat. Blinking tightly, I saw that we had the entire class transfixed. Flushing to the roots of my hair, I turned around and gripped the edges of my desk.

And just when Katy thought things couldn’t get any worse, a freak accident reveals Daemon’s secret identity and his unnatural (alien) powers. And like that wasn’t crazy enough, when Daemon uses those powers to save her life, he marks her and puts her into the spotlight where others like him and big bad guys can see her.  So he has to stay close to her to protect her, at least until the mark disappears. And slowly, things get even more interesting and their attraction even harder to ignore – not that they don’t try to act like there’s nothing going on.

At first, I noticed that one of the blond boys was turned in his seat, talking it up with a boy at the table in front of them. Then I shifted my gaze, and my eyes locked with Daemon’s. Even though several tables separated us, my breath caught. There was something…wicked in those emerald-colored eyes. Consuming. I couldn’t look away, and he didn’t either. The distance between us seemed to evaporate. A second later, he smirked and turned away, focusing on what Ash was saying to him.

Anyway, there’s not much I can say about the plot, the official blurb sums it up pretty well and I don’t want to spoil anything for you. But I can tell you that there’s lots of action, villains, likeable badass characters, hot aliens (and when I say aliens don’t think little-slimy-green-men kind of aliens, but ‘I-Am-Number-4’-only-better kind of aliens) and some pretty steamy scenes that make you devour every page of the book.

We were too close and there was too much tension between us. His gaze burned as it latched onto mine. He lowered his head, and I forgot how to breathe. Fascinated, I watched his lips slowly curved into a smile. It was hard to pay attention to his words when he spoke, but they somehow made it through the strange fog clouding my brain. “I have a strange idea that I should test this out.” “Test what?” My eyes dropped to his lips. I felt myself sway.

The writing is amazing, you can’t not get pulled into the story and enjoy every second of it! Katy has a super awesome voice, as you can probably tell from the synopsis. She’s spunky, fun, clever and she can hold her own when it comes to confronting Daemon. Though he tries to be all bad boy and to intimidate her into staying away from him and from his sister, Katy is not one to get scared and back down easily. All on the contrary. The tension between them, their banter and the innuendos are so hilarious and adorable! And totally hot! Really, sometimes I was surprised smoke wasn’t coming out of my screen. (umm… no pun intended here;) )

[Katy:] “Stalking me again, I see. Do I need to get a restraining order?”
 “In your dreams, Kitten.” He smirked. “Oh wait, I’m already starring in those, aren’t I?”
I rolled my eyes. “Nightmares, Daemon. Nightmares.”

I loved reading Obsidian from Katy’s perspective! She has such a fun voice and the way I could relate to her was almost crazy, with her being a blogger and all. She’s also level-headed, determined, caring and even gets to kick some butt by the end. Really, you can’t not love her! And then there’s Daemon. *dreamy sigh* He’s the perfect bad boy everyone loves to hate!  He’s arrogant, mischievous and kind of a smartass, always laughing at Katy and having a mean comeback to throw at her, but he can also be really sweet, charming and intense. He’s very protective of his sister and his family, which explains his behavior around Katy and well, humans in general. But either way, he’s a very complex and swoon-worthy character and no matter what, there’s always a reason behind his actions, which makes it so much easier to overlook his bad temper and manners. Also, did I mention that he’s hot, has badass powers and the best one-liners? *swoon*

*Whispers* There’s this one scene that everyone was expecting and yet no one saw it coming, not then and there anyway, but... Holly smokes! *faints* (um, yeah, smoking hot – and I mean, literally smoking hot - doesn’t even cover it). Chapter 26. Enough said. ;)

Ok, moving on.

Another thing I really liked about this novel is the complexity of the secondary characters. They all have great abilities, but they also have their own well crafted personality. They all add to the plot and make the story captivating and a total page-turner. And though some of the aspects of the novel may seem familiar, Jennifer L. Armentrout brings enough originality, humor and plot twists to keep the pace flowing and the reader invested in the story. 

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed Obsidian and probably my review doesn't make it any justice, but I’m sure it will appeal young adults and adults alike! I had three other quotes to tease you with, but I think I've already overdone it, so you'll have to read the book and discover the pure awesomeness of it for yourselves. ;)

Amazon / Barnes & Noble / The Book Depository

***Review e-copy provided by the publisher Entangled Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you!

P.S. Because I love Daemon and he totally makes it on my top 10 book boyfriends, here's a lovely button for our collection: (courtesy to Lewis @ Entangled Publishing):

P.P.S.If you're not convinced yet, Stuck In Books have prepared A Week of Obsidian and they have some pretty cool features (including a fun interview with Katy) and giveaways you might want to check out. ;)

xoxo

Review: Obsidian (Lux #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Hi!

First off, give me a moment to bang my head on the wall for not reading something written by Jennifer L. Armentrout before (especially after all my crazy attempts to get an ARC of Half-Blood over the summer -which I didn’t get, but still…)

Second, I’ve got to say that this is my kind of book and my kind of writing style! I love it! I may or may not have become a crazy stalker fan of Jennifer L. Armentrout. :D 

And third, there may be some gushing, fangirling (is that a word?) and plain old swooning in this review. Now that I've got that off my chest and you’ve been warned, here goes:

Obsidian (Lux #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Release Date: December 6th 2011
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Available as: e-book, Paperback, 266 pages

Goodreads / Official Website

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.

My thoughts: (No spoilers)

Obsidian was a quick, fun, sexy read. It’s one of those books that captures you from the very first pages and you end up read in one sitting, that reminds you why you  love reading (and blogging, for that matter) so much, puts a big smile on your face and lets you craving for more. In one word: delightful!

Katy and her mom move from Florida to a small town in West Virginia to try to get a new, better life after Katy’s dad died. Things haven’t been easy for them since that happened, but they hope they can put it all behind and start over.  To prove her mom she really wants to ‘make an effort’ to make things better, Katy tries to get to know her neighbors next door, who apparently are close to her age and go to the same high school. But her attempts at getting some kind of social life don’t go so well, because when she meets Daemon, things are pretty clear: he’s arrogant, infuriating, rude and well… a jerk. A gorgeous one, but still… A jerk. They just can’t stand each other. But thanks God for his sister, Dee, who’s cool and friendly and seems eager to hang out with Katy. Sadly though, there’s no spending time with Dee and avoiding Daemon at the same time, so she gets to be around Daemon quite a lot. Maybe a little too much for her liking. And despite Dee’s efforts to make them get along, it seems impossible. They fight, they banter, they fire mean, rude words at each other. But seriously - who are they kidding? They are just as intrigued and attracted to each other as they are angry and exasperated.  They’re drawn to each other and the chemistry between them is undeniable.

[Daemon] “You’re nothing like I expected.”
 “What did you expect?” I was sort of turned on by the fact I had surprised him. Weird. My eyes dropped to his poetic lips. Such a waste of a mouth.
“You and I have to talk.”
 “We have nothing to talk about.” His gaze dropped, and the air suddenly felt steamy. Unbearable.
“Yes,” he said, voice low, “we do. Tonight.”
 […] The teacher cleared his throat. Blinking tightly, I saw that we had the entire class transfixed. Flushing to the roots of my hair, I turned around and gripped the edges of my desk.

And just when Katy thought things couldn’t get any worse, a freak accident reveals Daemon’s secret identity and his unnatural (alien) powers. And like that wasn’t crazy enough, when Daemon uses those powers to save her life, he marks her and puts her into the spotlight where others like him and big bad guys can see her.  So he has to stay close to her to protect her, at least until the mark disappears. And slowly, things get even more interesting and their attraction even harder to ignore – not that they don’t try to act like there’s nothing going on.

At first, I noticed that one of the blond boys was turned in his seat, talking it up with a boy at the table in front of them. Then I shifted my gaze, and my eyes locked with Daemon’s. Even though several tables separated us, my breath caught. There was something…wicked in those emerald-colored eyes. Consuming. I couldn’t look away, and he didn’t either. The distance between us seemed to evaporate. A second later, he smirked and turned away, focusing on what Ash was saying to him.

Anyway, there’s not much I can say about the plot, the official blurb sums it up pretty well and I don’t want to spoil anything for you. But I can tell you that there’s lots of action, villains, likeable badass characters, hot aliens (and when I say aliens don’t think little-slimy-green-men kind of aliens, but ‘I-Am-Number-4’-only-better kind of aliens) and some pretty steamy scenes that make you devour every page of the book.

We were too close and there was too much tension between us. His gaze burned as it latched onto mine. He lowered his head, and I forgot how to breathe. Fascinated, I watched his lips slowly curved into a smile. It was hard to pay attention to his words when he spoke, but they somehow made it through the strange fog clouding my brain. “I have a strange idea that I should test this out.” “Test what?” My eyes dropped to his lips. I felt myself sway.

The writing is amazing, you can’t not get pulled into the story and enjoy every second of it! Katy has a super awesome voice, as you can probably tell from the synopsis. She’s spunky, fun, clever and she can hold her own when it comes to confronting Daemon. Though he tries to be all bad boy and to intimidate her into staying away from him and from his sister, Katy is not one to get scared and back down easily. All on the contrary. The tension between them, their banter and the innuendos are so hilarious and adorable! And totally hot! Really, sometimes I was surprised smoke wasn’t coming out of my screen. (umm… no pun intended here;) )

[Katy:] “Stalking me again, I see. Do I need to get a restraining order?”
 “In your dreams, Kitten.” He smirked. “Oh wait, I’m already starring in those, aren’t I?”
I rolled my eyes. “Nightmares, Daemon. Nightmares.”

I loved reading Obsidian from Katy’s perspective! She has such a fun voice and the way I could relate to her was almost crazy, with her being a blogger and all. She’s also level-headed, determined, caring and even gets to kick some butt by the end. Really, you can’t not love her! And then there’s Daemon. *dreamy sigh* He’s the perfect bad boy everyone loves to hate!  He’s arrogant, mischievous and kind of a smartass, always laughing at Katy and having a mean comeback to throw at her, but he can also be really sweet, charming and intense. He’s very protective of his sister and his family, which explains his behavior around Katy and well, humans in general. But either way, he’s a very complex and swoon-worthy character and no matter what, there’s always a reason behind his actions, which makes it so much easier to overlook his bad temper and manners. Also, did I mention that he’s hot, has badass powers and the best one-liners? *swoon*

*Whispers* There’s this one scene that everyone was expecting and yet no one saw it coming, not then and there anyway, but... Holly smokes! *faints* (um, yeah, smoking hot – and I mean, literally smoking hot - doesn’t even cover it). Chapter 26. Enough said. ;)

Ok, moving on.

Another thing I really liked about this novel is the complexity of the secondary characters. They all have great abilities, but they also have their own well crafted personality. They all add to the plot and make the story captivating and a total page-turner. And though some of the aspects of the novel may seem familiar, Jennifer L. Armentrout brings enough originality, humor and plot twists to keep the pace flowing and the reader invested in the story. 

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed Obsidian and probably my review doesn't make it any justice, but I’m sure it will appeal young adults and adults alike! I had three other quotes to tease you with, but I think I've already overdone it, so you'll have to read the book and discover the pure awesomeness of it for yourselves. ;)

Amazon / Barnes & Noble / The Book Depository

***Review e-copy provided by the publisher Entangled Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you!

P.S. Because I love Daemon and he totally makes it on my top 10 book boyfriends, here's a lovely button for our collection: (courtesy to Lewis @ Entangled Publishing):

P.P.S.If you're not convinced yet, Stuck In Books have prepared A Week of Obsidian and they have some pretty cool features (including a fun interview with Katy) and giveaways you might want to check out. ;)

xoxo

Cover Reveal: Onyx (Lux #2) By Jennifer L. Armentrout

Hey guys!

I'm really excited and honored to take part in the Onyx Cover Reveal today! And just you wait till you see how absolutely stunning it is! *bounces up and down*

Onyx is the second book in the Lux Series by Jennifer L. Armentrout. Obsidian, the first book in the series, comes out on December 6th 2011. I had the opportunity to read an early copy of it and it's super awesome, I'm sure you will love it too! 

Ok, enough talk already. Here's what you should know:

Obsidian (Lux #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Release Date: December 6th 2011
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Available as: e-book, Paperback, 266 pages

Goodreads / Official Website

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.

And now...

*drumroll*

Onyx (Lux, #2)

OMG! Isn't it GORGEOUS?! I love the blue-ish theme. And how adorable are Katy and Daemon holding hands?<3 I also like that you can still see Daemon's beautiful, eerie eyes. *swoon* Anyway, I LOVE the cover and I can't wait to have both books on my keeper shelf!

Onyx comes out in May 2012,

so it's still early for the full official synopsis, 

but here's a sneak peek:

No one is who they seem. And not everyone will survive the lies…

Until then, make sure you grab a shiny copy of Obsidian:

Amazon / Barnes & Noble / The Book Depository

*There are big discounts on B&N for the digital edition and on TBD for the paperback edition;)

So... thoughts?:D

Cover Reveal: Onyx (Lux #2) By Jennifer L. Armentrout

Hey guys!

I'm really excited and honored to take part in the Onyx Cover Reveal today! And just you wait till you see how absolutely stunning it is! *bounces up and down*

Onyx is the second book in the Lux Series by Jennifer L. Armentrout. Obsidian, the first book in the series, comes out on December 6th 2011. I had the opportunity to read an early copy of it and it's super awesome, I'm sure you will love it too! 

Ok, enough talk already. Here's what you should know:

Obsidian (Lux #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Release Date: December 6th 2011
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Available as: e-book, Paperback, 266 pages

Goodreads / Official Website

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.

And now...

*drumroll*

Onyx (Lux, #2)

OMG! Isn't it GORGEOUS?! I love the blue-ish theme. And how adorable are Katy and Daemon holding hands?<3 I also like that you can still see Daemon's beautiful, eerie eyes. *swoon* Anyway, I LOVE the cover and I can't wait to have both books on my keeper shelf!

Onyx comes out in May 2012,

so it's still early for the full official synopsis, 

but here's a sneak peek:

No one is who they seem. And not everyone will survive the lies…

Until then, make sure you grab a shiny copy of Obsidian:

Amazon / Barnes & Noble / The Book Depository

*There are big discounts on B&N for the digital edition and on TBD for the paperback edition;)

So... thoughts?:D