"Some loves will last ’til your dying breath
Every choice has consequences—but seventeen-year-old Layla faces tougher choices than most. Light or darkness. Wickedly sexy demon prince Roth, or Zayne, the gorgeous, protective Warden she never thought could be hers. Hardest of all, Layla has to decide which side of herself to trust.
Layla has a new problem, too. A Lilin—the deadliest of demons—has been unleashed, wreaking havoc on those around her…including her best friend. To keep Sam from a fate much, much worse than death, Layla must strike a deal with the enemy while saving her city—and her race—from destruction.
Torn between two worlds and two different boys, Layla has no certainties, least of all survival, especially when an old bargain comes back to haunt them all. But sometimes, when secrets are everywhere and the truth seems unknowable, you have to listen to your heart, pick a side—and then fight like hell…"
"Every touch has its price
Layla Shaw is trying to pick up the pieces of her shattered life—no easy task for a seventeen-year-old who’s pretty sure things can’t get worse. Her impossibly gorgeous best friend, Zayne, is forever off-limits thanks to the mysterious powers of her soul-stealing kiss. The Warden clan that has always protected her is suddenly keeping dangerous secrets. And she can barely think about Roth, the wickedly hot demon prince who understood her in ways no one else could.
But sometimes rock bottom is only the beginning. Because suddenly Layla’s powers begin to evolve, and she’s offered a tantalizing taste of what has always been forbidden. Then, when she least expects it, Roth returns, bringing news that could change her world forever. She’s finally getting what she always wanted, but with hell literally breaking loose and the body count adding up, the price may be higher than Layla is willing to pay…"
"One kiss could be the last.
Seventeen-year-old Layla just wants to be normal. But with a kiss that kills anything with a soul, she's anything but normal. Half demon, half gargoyle, Layla has abilities no one else possesses.
Raised among the Wardens—a race of gargoyles tasked with hunting demons and keeping humanity safe—Layla tries to fit in, but that means hiding her own dark side from those she loves the most. Especially Zayne, the swoon-worthy, incredibly gorgeous and completely off-limits Warden she's crushed on since forever.
Then she meets Roth—a tattooed, sinfully hot demon who claims to know all her secrets. Layla knows she should stay away, but she's not sure she wants to—especially when that whole no-kissing thing isn't an issue, considering Roth has no soul.
But when Layla discovers she's the reason for the violent demon uprising, trusting Roth could not only ruin her chances with Zayne… it could brand her a traitor to her family. Worse yet, it could become a one-way ticket to the end of the world."
"It's a beautiful day for a war.
As the mortal world slowly slips into chaos of the godly kind, Alexandria Andros must overcome a stunning defeat that has left her shaken and in doubt of their ability to end this war once and for all.
And with all the obstacles between Alex and her happily-ever-after with the swoonworthy Aiden St. Delphi, they must now trust a deadly foe as they travel deep into the Underworld to release one of the most dangerous gods of all time.
In the stunning, action-packed climax to the bestselling Covenant series, Alex must face a terrible choice: the destruction of everything and everyone she holds dear… or the end of herself."
Okay, this series has regretfully been turning me down. Sentinel may be here, but it doesn't deliver as strongly as the second or third books. From the fourth, it goes downwards, but it is so subtle that you barely notice it until the final installment, Sentinel.
First of all, I hate the classic "Don't ask questions" crap authors pull on their readers. The ending is entirely questionable. I highly doubt someone like Seth with that much ego would bow down to forces who want to enslave him for eternity, but oh, well. I guess that is the course of the story, right? No crap plot pushes from the author, right?
Nope. Yep. Whatever. There are a few disappointingly weird plot devices used by the author. Seth, in the end, served only to give a "Happily Ever After" to Aiden and Alex while he just rots in Hell. Not literally, of course. But some might think servitude is rotting in Hell. Dang it. I already revealed too much already. Great. Now I'm being repetitive. You see how much this book is affecting me? I want to kill it. This book, I mean. Gosh, I'm really disappointed in Sentinel. It is just that some parts of the plot is just...so awfully convenient. The ending, especially, is what I consider a very, very, very loose end.
Anyway, in the beginning of Sentinel, Alex is thought to be pregnant. Actually, I don't think that is even the beginning. It was more like the middle. Anyway, this is one lesson in disguise: Kids must practice safe sex or abstinence unless... Huh. I don't really have a good comeback line right now. Unless... I can't really think of anything. Ending with 'they want to be pregnant' isn't going to go so well.
On the other hand, we have great character growth on Alex, Aiden, and Seth (even though his character growth is somewhat questionable; I will still include him). Alex gets more mature for her age. And yes, she weirdly gets her "Happily Ever After" even though she dies in the end... Yeah, I just revealed another spoiler to you. Sorry, guys. Aiden's softer side is revealed. Plus, we get more insight on his insecurities. Hmm...now that I'm thinking about it, Aiden's character growth doesn't sound like character growth. Never mind, it is just insight. And Seth? Well, I already told you. He made a lot of sacrifices for Alex, who is the girl he will never have but will always love. Isn't that so tragic? Well, I'm not really into him. So I don't think it is. I'm not trying to break any feelings here, but Seth was always a jerk to me. A very smug, arrogant, and overconfident jerk. That is some of the insult among a bookful of insult.
Overall, I think Sentinel could had been better. It had the potential to be better, but it ended on a terribly sour note.
Rating: Two out of Five
"Fate isn’t something to mess with… and now, neither is Alex.
Alex has always feared two things: losing herself in the Awakening and being placed on the Elixir. But love has always been stronger than Fate, and Aiden St. Delphi is willing to make war on the gods—and Alex herself—to bring her back.
The gods have killed thousands and could destroy entire cities in their quest to stop Seth from taking Alex’s power and becoming the all-powerful God Killer. But breaking Alex’s connection to Seth isn’t the only problem. There are a few pesky little loopholes in the whole “an Apollyon can’t be killed” theory, and the only person who might know how to stop the destruction has been dead for centuries.
Finding their way past the barriers that guard the Underworld, searching for one soul among countless millions, and then somehow returning will be hard enough. Alex might be able to keep Seth from becoming the God Killer… or she might become the God Killer herself."
Wow. Apollyon is certainly sick, or at least in the beginning of the book. It goes all wrong, because Alex was way too into Seth. She keeps on calling him "my Seth" and all those other mushy, gooey words. This is the exact reason why I will never be on Team Seth. Heck, there was never a Team Seth in the first place. It was always Aiden from the beginning to the end. Always, always, always Aiden.
Anyway, Apollyon gets very interesting. We see other gods and goddesses. And we finally get to met the villain. For one, I will tell you that it isn't Lucien despite what he has done to Alex or Seth. It is a god. And it is the most obvious god of all. It was simply too predictable. Heck, if I tell you the name of the villain, it wouldn't even be a spoiler. It is just that obvious. And who is the villain? Ares, the god of war.
Alex and Aiden go even further. That is all I need to say and will say. Their relationship deepens even more, especially at the beginning of Apollyon. Needless to say, it is terribly sweet and adorable. This time it isn't Dimitri who is bad. It is Rose. (That is a reference to Vampire Academy, guys).
And Alex matures even more. I have a small feeling that Alex is almost ready for her role in the battle against Seth and Lucien and everyone else. Whatever her fate is, I can easily predict that her future road is going to be fun.
Throughout Apollyon, I never let go of my interest for one second. I was always entertained while reading the entire book. Even the "my Seth" parts weren't enough to get be disgusted enough to abandon Apollyon. (Plus, we get to see how arrogant and self-absorbed Seth is in those small moments). Even through the lows of Apollyon, I kept reading. And yes, there were a few low parts of Apollyon. It obviously wasn't Hermes, the messenger god. It was Ares. Even Apollo couldn't see that. I'm pretty sure Athena, the goddess of wisdom, could tell Ares' work on the mortal world. She hates him with a passion, remember? Greek mythology, in some ways, is the loosest threads of this series.
Overall, I think Apollyon is definitely worth reading. Try to read Half-Blood first. I never liked reading out of order. I definitely had done that before.
Rating: Three Point Five out of Five (Ares is so obvious; he isn't the god of wisdom).
""History is on repeat, and things didn't go so well the last time. "
Alexandria isn't sure she's going to make it to her eighteenth birthday--to her Awakening. A long-forgotten, fanatical order is out to kill her, and if the Council ever discovers what she did in the Catskills, she's a goner... and so is Aiden.
If that's not freaky enough, whenever Alex and Seth spend time "training"--which really is just Seth's code word for some up-close and personal one-on-one time--she ends up with another mark of the Apollyon, which brings her one step closer to Awakening ahead of schedule. Awesome.
But as her birthday draws near, her entire world shatters with a startling revelation and she's caught between love and Fate. One will do anything to protect her. One has been lying to her since the beginning. Once the gods have revealed themselves, unleashing their wrath, lives will be irrevocably changed... and destroyed.
Those left standing will discover if love is truly greater than Fate..."
Apparently, the Greek Gods do exist. At least in that world. We first see the introduction of Apollo, who happens to be as annoying as Apollo from Percy Jackson. Oh, and there is also his sister. And Lord Death is hanging around, too. And Poseidon. Oh, it is a full party. Some of the Olympians aren't in Deity, but they are certainly there and they do exist in Half-Blood world. Some of the gods yet to make an appearance includes Ares, Athena, Zeus, Hera (that cow lady), the drunk, and a few others.
Deity takes off with a good swing. First of all, we have a bunch of crazy people going around. Plus, we have Seth going possibly insane with his lust for power. And yes, his lust for power grows and grows greater with each second he spends with Alex. It is actually pretty terrible to see him go that way. (And yes! I was right. There was something off about Seth, and now his evil side is all out and in the open). Whoops! Spoiler alert is a bit late.
Alex matures even more. It is nice to see other parts of her. She eventually sees the ugly, yet also seeing the good in bad people (which is probably a dumb idea). She strangely (and yet also unsurprisingly) continues to believe in hope. Also, it appears that Aiden and Alex's relationship is in the clear by the end of Deity. I'm not going to say anything else, but I will tell you that they don't have to be in secret and hiding anymore.
Aiden is awesomer. (Is awesomer even a word?) You have to admit that he might be a little protective (okay, pretty protective) and undeniably hilarious. While I read Deity, I could swear all my smiles are because of him and his words. They are simply funny (to me) and a bit romantic (That I'll admit).
The end of Deity ends with an annoying cliffhanger. Grrr...I hate cliffhangers. That would be why I started the next book without thinking. Then again, in Wisconsin, I'm rarely thinking. I'm only doing and breathing and reading.
Let's talk about Seth. Actually, it begins and ends with insane. There is practically nothing else to be said.
The plot goes wild, as I mentioned before. Actually, I didn't mention it before. It all goes up and up and up until that cliffhanger. Gosh, why am I repeating myself? Ugh. That is terrible of me. Oh, I know why. It is because of the night owl I'm pulling.
Rating: Four out of Five
"There is need. And then there is Fate. Being destined to become some kind of supernatural electrical outlet isn't exactly awesome--especially when Alexandria's other half is everywhere she goes. Seth's in her training room, outside her classes, and keeps showing up in her bedroom--so not cool. Their connection does have some benefits, like staving off her nightmares of the tragic showdown with her mother, but it has no effect on what Alex feels for the forbidden, pure-blooded Aiden. Or what he will do--and sacrifice--for her. When daimons infiltrate the Covenants and attack students, the gods send furies--lesser gods determined to eradicate any threat to the Covenants and to the gods, and that includes the Apollyon--and Alex. And if that and hordes of aether-sucking monsters didn't blow bad enough, a mysterious threat seems willing to do anything to neutralize Seth, even if that means forcing Alex into servitude--or killing her. When the gods are involved, some decisions can never, ever be undone."
Yep, I was right. Things are totally escalating quickly. Everything is going insane and crazy and utterly awesome.
First of all, we have to talk about Seth. Now, Seth is the other possible love interest, although we all know that isn't true. He is somewhat suspicious and pretty much has little romance with Alex. I don't care what Alex says, but I know that he has no romance with her. It was always Aiden. In the beginning, it was Aiden. In the end, it will always be Aiden. That is perhaps the most obvious parts of the book.
But it gets wilder. Aiden sort of starts moving away from Alex in emotions. You get that feeling that he is very conflicted between the rules of his society and the feelings of his heart. I know that sounds pretty cheesy, but that is the truth. I really like all of that forbidden stuff. I guess that is why Romeo and Juliet got together despite their houses being so angry at each other. Love and lust and chemistry. Just like a typical teenage couple. Isn't that right?
Pure is very exciting. It was interesting seeing which direction Jennifer L. Armentrout was going to take the Greek myths. We had Percy Jackson. And then we had a bunch of other authors copying Percy Jackson, because of its popularity. But who cares? Greek is the new popular genre of this decade and the previous decade. I won't tell you which direction, because I already told you guys last time. I'm not repeating myself.
The greatest part of Pure was Caleb's death. Now, that wasn't a surprise. Caleb, Alex's best friend, was always predicted to die young by the oracle. Now that he is dead, he tore Alex's world apart while he spends his time and eternity in the Underworld.
Alex changes to be more mature. Caleb's death was the slap of reality. She is the Apollyon, and she has a job to do instead of being angry at everyone. It was a nice change now. Instead of being a young, angry lady, she is a more determine and frightening vengeful Apollyon. It gives us one question to ask: Will Aiden's love will be enough to bring her back from the darker side of her coin? Well, that is probably going to be legendary.
Overall, I think Pure is awesome. Even though Percy Jackson will always be the star of Greek myths, it is always fun to see other Greek-myths-based book.
Rating: Four out of Five
"The Hematoi descend from the unions of gods and mortals, and the children of two Hematoi pure bloods have godlike powers. Children of Hematoi and mortals--well, not so much. Half-bloods only have two options: become trained Sentinels who hunt and kill daimons or become servants in the homes of the pures. Seventeen-year-old Alexandria would rather risk her life fighting than waste it scrubbing toilets, but she may end up slumming it anyway. There are several rules that students at the Covenant must follow. Alex has problems with them all, but especially rule #1:Relationships between pures and halfs are forbidden. Unfortunately, she's crushing hard on the totally hot pure-blood Aiden. But falling for Aiden isn't her biggest problem--staying alive long enough to graduate the Covenant and become a Sentinel is. If she fails in her duty, she faces a future worse than death or slavery: being turned into a daimon, and being hunted by Aiden. And that would kind of suck."
Remember Percy Jackson? Well, Half-Blood is rather similar to those books. The difference is that Half-Blood is willing to go wrong. I mean, racy. (Ahh! I'm so reminded of Ruin and Rising. I just can't wait for it!) Half-Blood is definitely recommended to older teens, because there are a few curses among other things. Nevertheless, Half-Blood remains fun. It stays Greek, but it goes off in its own path.
Ahh! I love politics in books (never in the real world; they are just way too much for my brain). Every time they argue, I always love to laugh. Their problems make everything seems so silly, yet so true. (In some ways, of course).
Okay, Alexandria is a Half-Blood. Her rank is of lower caste than Pure-Blood. (Oh, doesn't this sound like Harry Potter? First, Percy Jackson. Now Harry Potter). But it gets even weirder. Daimons remind us all of one creature and one creature only. Vampires. And it gets even crazier. Aiden, her love interest, is her instructor. Now, doesn't that sound suspiciously similar to another book we know? And what book is that? The Vampire Academy with Rose Hathway and Dimitri something. It appears as if the author pulled bits of stuff from book here and there. It may be a coincidence. It may be not. But someone might be shouting plagiarism here. I'm not. I would say it is an interesting combination of Percy Jackson, Harry Potter, and the Vampire Academy. Isn't that a nicer way of saying copying?
But I haven't explained Alex's character yet. She is a bit wild. And yes, she is just like Rose Hathway from The Vampire Academy. A bit wild. A bit saucy, and everything in a wonderful package. Oh, and I suspect she has severe PMS. Her mood swings are wilder than any girl I know. She loves getting into fights. She is so violent and is certainly disrespectful towards rules (ex: Aiden's a Pure-Blood and can't date a Half-Blood yet Alex does so anyway, because she really likes him and possibly more).
Aiden reminds me of Aiden from Revenge. I was always thinking that he might die by the end of book, but it is a good thing he didn't!
Half-Blood is an amazing rollercoaster with a bunch of oracles and new discoveries. It gets crazy, yes. But I have only a small feeling that it is about to explode into craziness. Everything will be going...crazy. The result will probably be...biblical. Actually, 'biblical' doesn't work here. Half-Blood is Greek. Mythical? Does that work?
Anyway, I think the best part of Half-Blood is the calling/relationship between Aidan and Alex. Their resistance against their chemistry is amazing. I have to rolling my eyes by now. I'm pretty sure Armentrout is only drawing out the romance for a later plot twist.
Rating: Four out of Five
"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."
This is not I am Number Four. Yes, there's aliens, but it's not strange little green men. Nope, it's strange human-sized bright men and women. No, it's not supposed to make sense. It's a bit complicated, but I'll take down challenge.
Challenge Accepted. I had to do that. Anyway, Daemon is the local alien. He is made out of light. Literally, made out of light. Isn't that impressive? Sounds like a sparkly vampire we all know. Just kidding. Still, they both give off light. There are more people like Daemon, but there are darker aliens (of course). They are people/aliens which are made of darkness. So Daemon is of light (despite his name) and the other aliens are of darkness. I mean, actually force of light. Daemon is actual force of light.
Points are given to the author for the appearance of Men In Black. Cheers for getting the government involved! It's always fun when those Men In Black people appear. There isn't much information about them other than the fact that they are government people. They don't know about the aliens' real powers. I guess, we'll have to see if anything interesting goes on. MIB is always fun to read.
Okay, let's get this straight. Daemon is a jerk. He's a jerk, I repeat. He's a jerk. I have no idea why he's so mean other than the fact that MIB hunts any human that looks to have a relationship with an alien. That's the only notable reason I see. Other that fact, I don't see any reason why for Daemon to be a jerk. I don't know why the main character likes him so much. I was sort of hoping he was actually his twin brother (yeah, he had a twin), because he has bipolar disorder. Or at least, that's what I believe.
Katy, on the other hand, is a bloggist. Specifically, she's a book reviewer. She's kinder (unlike the jerk). She managed to worm her way into the hearts of the aliens. Then she somehow became more awesome. No questions answered by the author. I'm telling the truth. No questions are answered. I have no idea how she suddenly became more awesome.
Throughout the entire book, I was hoping Katy to be a bad guy. Sort of like an enemy alien. Is that weird or something? Perhaps, I'm weird. Still, I was hoping Katy to be more awesome. Because she was (before the ending) that boring.
Overall, I think Obsidian was great. The biggest problem was the dullness of the main character. As for the Twilightness, the author has to work on that. Let's face it. No book should look or sound like Twilight. Ever again.
Rating: Three out of Five
