Book Review and Blog Tour: Pure

I am thrilled to be a stop on the blog tour for Pure by Jennifer L. Armentrout hosted by Valerie at Stuck in Books!

Title: Pure by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Release Date: April 3, 2012
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Pages: 329 pages
Genre: Mythology, YA Urban Fantasy
Buy: Amazon, B&N, Book Depository

Goodreads Summary: 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.

Jennifer L. Armentrout has made a name for herself in the YA urban fantasy market and with good reason. Her books have this exciting, unputdownable quality to them that I love. Pure is no different. Plus, I’m a mythology junkie and with furies, oracles, Greek gods and demi-gods, I devoured this book and can’t wait for the next in the series.

Pure picks up shortly after Half-blood (read my review of Half-Blood here) with Alex attending school at the Covenant and playing catch up with her training. In addition to Alex being trained by her off-limits crush, Aiden, she now has to spar with Seth, the Apollyon and the one she is ‘fated’ to be with. The world of these demi-gods is more fully explored in Pure and we get to see the politics of their society. We also see the segregation between the Pures and the Half-bloods and it eye-opening. I really hoping that at some point in the series, there will be a slave revolt and the Half-bloods, especially the ones in servitude, will rebel and lay the smack-down on the Pures. The Pures so have it coming to them.

Ever at risk of being thrown into servitude herself, Alex continues to be hot-headed, impulsive and snarky although we do see her maturing quite a bit throughout the book, especially when she considers the consequences of some of her actions. Alex has a huge destiny to fulfill, one that she does not fully understand. She also has a lot of enemies and people working for her to fail. I’m looking forward to seeing the character grow throughout the series and really take control of her destiny especially when so many are trying to dictate it for her.

There is a love triangle in the book with Alex caught between Aiden and Seth. Seth is like the male version of Alex but he is even more hot-headed and impulsive than she is. Aiden is the opposite of Seth: he is calm, sensible, rational, even tempered and it’s obvious that he cares deeply about Alex. I know a lot of you may disagree but since I usually go for the good boy over the bad boy, I’m Team Aiden all the way!

Pure has exciting fight scenes, hot romance, a main character that you love and root for and enough Greek mythology to make me happy. I cannot wait for the third book in the series, Deity, which is scheduled for Nov. 2012.

Content: Kissing, sexual situations, profanity, underage drinking and violence.

My Rating: Really Good!

GIVEAWAY TIME!

Want to win a copy of this exciting book? To gain an entry in either/both of the tour giveaways for Pure, leave a comment here and then go to StuckInBooks and/or A Cupcake and a Latte with this link to complete your entry.

In My Mailbox #6

In My Mailbox was created by Kristi at The Story Siren. These are books I received over the last two weeks and I am really excited about them!

For review:
Pure by Jennifer Armentrout (thank you, Spencer Hill Press!)
Wide Open by Deborah Coates (thank you, Tor!)
Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen (Not pictured. Thank you, NetGalley and Walker!)
Stolen Away by Alyxandra Harvey (Not pictured. Thank you, NetGalley and Walker!)

Won:
Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare (thank you, Benji from The Non Reluctant Reader!)

From the library:
Shifting by Bethany Wiggins

What did you get in your mailbox this week?

Top 10 Books I’ve read in 2011

I’m so excited to be taking part in Top Ten Week hosted by Jessica from Confessions of a Bookaholic and Lisa from A Life Bound By Books and co-hosted by Rachel from Fiktshun and Jaime & Patricia from Two Chicks on Books. Even though Today is technically the second day of the event, I am playing a bit of catch up so you will see more ‘Top 10’ posts from me today.

I read so many great books this year that it was hard for me to pick my Top 10. I tried to narrow it down to books that were published in 2011 and these are the ones that were the most memorable for me:

10. Trial by Fire, by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
This book really surprised me, especially since it’s a sequel (which are usually not as good as the first book) AND I did not love the first in the series. Trial by Fire has tons of action and plot twists that I never saw coming. 

9. Half-Blood, by Jennifer Armentrout
I love mythology so it’s no surprise that more than one books with myth will pop up on my ‘Top 10’ list. I really enjoyed this story and I can’t wait for the sequel!

8. The Lost Saint, by Bree Despain
Technically, this was published at the very end of December 2010 but since I read it this year and loved it, I wanted to include it in my Top 10. While the relationship between the two main characters does hit a rough patch (as is typical in sequels), I still loved it. This entire series is a winner for me.

7. Waterfall, by Lisa T. Bergren
If you are looking for an adventure book with great romance, Waterfall has it all: time travel, gorgeous Italian warriors and kick-butt girls who fight with swords and bow and arrows! I really enjoyed reading this.

6. Delirium, by Lauren Oliver
Another genre that I love is dystopia and while I read and enjoyed many dystopian books this year, Delirium stood out to me mostly because of how beautifully Lauren Oliver writes. Of course, beautiful writing is nothing without an exciting plot and wonderful characters and Delirium has that too.

5. The Iron Queen, by Julie Kagawa
The Iron Fey series is one of my all time favorites and while I love all the books, The Iron Queen was my favorite.

4. Starcrossed, by Josephine Angelini
I can’t get enough Greek mythology and Starcrossed has a lot of what I love: sweeping romance, big feuding families, lots of fighting and great characters. I’m really looking forward to the sequel.

3. There You’ll Find Me, by Jenny B. Jones
There You’ll Find Me made me laugh and cry. It is an awesome feel good book that you don’t know you need until after you finish it. I adored this and can’t wait for the next book from this author.

2. Divergent, by Veronica Roth
There was so much hype about this book and it is very well deserved. It’s exciting and romantic with a crazy good ending that I did not see coming. It’s everything I want in my dystopia. 

1. Daughter of Smoke and Bone, by Laini Taylor
Hands down my favorite of 2011. I had no idea what to really expect with Daughter of Smoke and Bone but I did not expect the awesomeness that I got. This is an intricately woven fantasy that I absolutely loved. The world building is excellent and the plot is fantastic. I cannot wait to read what Laini Taylor has in store for us in the sequel.

 Which books are in your ‘Top 10’ for 2011?

Waiting on Wednesday: Pure & Deity

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming novels we can't wait to read. This week’s choices are:

Titles: Pure & Deity by Jennifer Armentrout

Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Publish Date (Pure): April 3, 2012
Publish Date (Deity): Nov. 6, 2012
Genre: Mythology

Pure Summary: 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.

Pure is the second book in the Covenant series and Deity is the third. Why am I waiting on these books? Because Half-Blood, the first book in the series, was made of awesome! I loved Half-Blood so much! You can read my review here. What books are you waiting on?

Book Review: Half-Blood

Title: Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Release Date: Oct. 18, 2011
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Pages: 281 pages
Genre: Mythology
Source: Publisher

Goodreads Summary: 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.

I’m a huge fan of mythology and after reading Daimon and Obsidian, I am huge fan of Jennifer Armentrout as well. Half-Blood was even better than I expected. This book is awesome, fast paced, action packed and highly entertaining!

Half-Blood gives us a new spin of Greek mythology where demigods or Hematoi (and their children with each other) are considered pure but their children with mortals are considered half-bloods. The Hemotoi live by a brutal caste system where half-bloods are either forced into drug induced servitude or trained to protect the pures.

Our main character, Alex, is snarky, has an attitude problem and has a huge issue with authority. I can’t say that I blame her, being subject to the complete control that the pures have over the half-bloods would give anyone a bad attitude. Even with all her issues, I really like Alex. She’s had to deal with some horrific situations and is just trying to find some purpose in it. She is also flawed and makes some less than ideal decisions. I admire the way she takes responsibilities for her actions and faces the consequences head on. The secondary characters are well written and I especially like Aiden (of course) and Seth. While there is no love triangle in Half-Blood, I’m very curious to know what will happen with these three in the sequel.

One of the many things I love about Armentrout’s writing is how she creates relationships. Alex’s relationship with her mom is so precious and heartbreaking. Her relationship with Aiden is all slow burn and so well developed. I’ve mentioned my dislike of insta-relationships in books before so the romance in Half-Blood was a huge relief for me. Theirs is also the forbidden romance which just ratchets up the tension in an awesome way.

While I would have liked to know more about the gods, I have a feeling Armentrout will go more in depth with the mythological aspects in upcoming books. With lots of action and romantic tension, Half-Blood keeps you turning the pages. The sequel, Pure, is now one of my most anticipated sequels of 2012. I cannot wait to find out how this story continues!

While Half-Blood can be read on its own, I suggest you read the prequel novella, Daimon, first as it will gives more insight to Alex’s state of mind when she arrives at the Covenant. You can read my mini-review of Daimon here and download it from Spencer Hill Press for free.

Content: Sexual situations, kissing, mild profanity, violence and underage drinking. More appropriate for older/more mature teens.

My Rating: The Best!

Onyx Cover Reveal!

I was fortunate enough to read an advanced copy of Obsidian by Jennifer Armentrout and loved it! You can read my review here. Obsidian will be released tomorrow (Dec. 6) so make sure you get it. I so happy to reveal the cover of the next book in the Lux series: Onyx!

Buy Obsidian: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository

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

While I know this summary does not give away much, I am so intrigued and looking forward to May when Onyx will be released!

Book Review: Obsidian

Title: Obsidian by Jennifer Armentrout

Release Date: Dec. 6, 2011
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Pages: 226 pages
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Science Fiction
Source: Publisher
Buy: Amazon, Barnes & Noble

Goodreads Summary: 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.

Jennifer Armentrout is quickly becoming known as a hot writer in the YA/paranormal/urban fantasy market and with good reason. Her novels are very exciting and highly entertaining. Obsidian is no different.

I am a character driven reader so I will talk about the story a little and the characters a lot. While Obsidian is science fiction, it is light on the sci-fi and heavy on the romance and action. I have not read a lot of YA paranormal romance that involves aliens so Obsidian provided a nice change for me. Armentrout gives you just enough back story on Dee and Daemon to answer basic questions but I am hoping the next book will give us more history on them.

The story is told from Katy’s perspective and she is a very likable character. Katy is a quiet girl who likes to read, blog (yes guys, she has a book review blog!) and garden. She is also, loyal, brave, spunky and fights back when someone tries to put her down (love that). Her father’s death from cancer three years before left her sad and lonely and created distance between her and her mom. The family dynamics in this book are interesting. While the main characters are all teenagers, parents or guardians of any sort are rarely around. Katy spends a lot of time by herself so when she meets Dee, Daemon’s twin sister who seems just as lonely as she is, the two form an instant bond, much to Daemon’s chagrin.

Katy and Daemon have an immediate physical attraction to each other, but thankfully, no insta-love. As a matter of fact, these two are at each other throats (and not in a good way) throughout most of the book. Daemon is very attractive but such a jerk! Normally, I not a huge fan of this type of male lead but Daemon is, well, complicated. While he never mistreats Katy, he is very rude and mean to her verbally. Hot or not, no girl should put up with a guy like Daemon but to Katy’s credit, she does not stick around because of him but because she values her friendship with Dee. 

Daemon attempts to push Katy away from him and his family are understandable under the circumstances but I will admit that I did not fall for him right away. Katy is no pushover and matches his insults with her own. The snarky verbal tennis match between these two is one of my favorite aspects of the novel. In the hands of another writer, I would have hated Daemon but somehow, Ms. Amentrout worked him under my skin and I’m happy to say that he has grown on me.

While Katy, Daemon and Dee and well rounded characters, there are secondary characters that I would love know more about in upcoming novels. Obsidian is a fast paced, exciting, sexy and fun read and I am really looking forward to the other books in the Lux series.

Content: Sexual situations, heavy profanity, violence and underage drinking. Obsidian is one of those books that walks the fine line between YA and adult urban fantasy. There is a ton of sexual tension between Katy and Daemon and their steamy scenes are definitely more appropriate for older teens and adults.

My Rating: Really Good!

In My Mailbox #4

In My Mailbox was created by Kristi at The Story Siren. I got some really great eARCs (thank you NetGalley!) this week for review and I am very, very excited about all of them:

For Review:
Obsidian by Jennifer Armentrout (thank you, Entangled Publishing!)
Everneath by Brodi Ashton (thank you, HarperTeen!)
Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi (thank you, HarperTeen!)
Hallowed by Cynthia Hand (thank you, HarperTeen!)

What did you get this week?

Mini Review: Daimon

Title: Daimon by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Release Date: May 10, 2011
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Pages: 62 pages
Genre: Mythology
Rating: 4.5 stars
Source: Free Download

Goodreads Summary: For three years, Alexandria has lived among mortals—pretending to be like them and trying to forget the duty she'd been trained to fulfill as a child of a mortal and a demigod. At seventeen, she's pretty much accepted that she's a freak by mortal standards... and that she'll never be prepared for that duty.

According to her mother, that’s a good thing.

But as every descendant of the gods knows, Fate has a way of rearing her ugly head. A horrifying attack forces Alex to flee Miami and try to find her way back to the very place her mother had warned her she should never return—the Covenant. Every step that brings her closer to safety is one more step toward death… because she's being hunted by the very creatures she'd once trained to kill. The daimons have found her.

Daimon is an awesome prequel to Half-Blood. We are quickly introduced to Alex, our main character and she is a snarky, spunky, kick-butt type of girl. I love her already. In such a short story, Armentrout does a great job of introducing us to her mythological world of demigods. She has also packed so much action into these 62 pages, I can only imagine how exciting Half-Blood will be. The mythology is cool, Alex’s crush is swoon-worthy and the ending leaves you dying for the next book. Make sure you download this for free from Spencer Hill Press and enjoy before Half-Blood comes out on Oct. 18.

Content: Kissing, references to sex, some swearing and violence