Review: White Hot Kiss by Jennifer Armentrout

Title: White Hot Kiss

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Genre: Young Adult/ New Adult / Fantasy

Reviewed by: Cassie

Summary (from Goodreads.com)

One kiss could be the last.

Seventeen-year-old Layal 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.

I'm not sure how I felt about this book to be honest. It was like a hybrid mix of new adult and young adult, and didn't work out.

The plot: Decent? Kind of boring . . . I skimmed a crap ton of pages and that NEVER happens.

The characters: 

Because, really. All of them were boring and stale and bland.
I CAN'T EVEN SAY THE GUYS WERE HOT. Do you know how WRONG that is for a Jennifer Armentrout book???? So wrong.

My brain is in recover mode, because it couldn't handle the stupid it kept having to process.

Wish me luck my next book isn't a bust <3
hugs and kisses~~
Cassie

Review: Deity by Jennifer Armentrout

Title: Deity

Author: Jennifer Armentrout

Reviewed by: Both of us!

The Fairies Say: Intense and impressive!

Summary (from Goodreads.com)

"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.

Cassie-

So I'd like to get out there that this totally made me happy and laugh uncontrollably and also blew my mind. I must hand it to Jennifer Armentrout once again. I love reading her books, plus they keep getting better as time goes on, and I CANNOT wait for the next ones!!

[SPOILER] I'm just gonna put it out there- if an author teases me with wickedly awesome romance but only puts in a few kisses, maybe some heavy duty making out, I get angry. (Dodgeball scene, anyone? "You gotta get angry!!") Because, really, how can two teenagers keep their pants on for several months when the tension is palpable? This sounds really bad, but it's reality- if there's no sex within the first three/four books, I get really annoyed. I did not get annoyed with Deity...

Anyways, I loved Alex just as much. She made me guffaw (I know, such a sexy laugh), made me feel her pain, and made me see Aiden in a whole 'nother light. (Refer to picture above)

Aiden in this book . . . WOW. In the past two I felt as if he was an obsession of hers, and he took advantage of it when he found out how pretty she became. I WAS WRONG. Oh my gods, my heartstrings were being hammered. Not pulled. Hammered.

Seth made me sad. I found him way, WAY more interesting than Aiden in Pure, the second book. But then in Deity, he comes a total asshat. I sort of understand why, but REALLY? I liked him a lot! But now I only wish we could get the old Seth. In the end he gets way interesting though.

The plot was great- way more action and story than the previous ones, in that's possible with Pure. It totally blew my mind. On to you Rafia!

Rafia- 

I have to say, I wasn't a superfan like Cassie about the first few books in the Covenant series, but this one blew me away! The twists, the romances, the plot! Normally by the third book in the series, its hard to impress the reader, but boy was I impressed...

Ok, call me prudish (is that even a word?), but I wasn't as enthusiastic as Cassie about the whole sex thing, but maybe I was still cringing from Embrace (review will be coming soon!) but I am glad they finally did it! I guess it was time...

Ahh Alex, she is one of my favorite badass heroines of all time. She has spunk, is funny (I am more of a chuckler <--another made up word), and has a really strong personality. I like that she has a backbone and you see her emotions and how Seth really affects her, even though she obviously belongs with Aiden! And Aiden...he is possibly the sweetest male role I have seen! I love watching how much he cares for Alex and how protective he is. I am a sucker for protective guys!

Lastly...Seth. This just expresses my emotions:

 

And this:

 

Sorry guys, but I was on Team Seth and to see him go bad was devastating! Luckily Aiden helped me through it...if you know what I mean (refer to image uno). 

The plot was remarkable and I just wish I had remembered more from the other books so I could have picked up earlier but other than that, I LOVED IT! There were enough twists and emotions to keep me interested and I couldn't put it down! Possibly the reason I didn't do too well on my trig test... I am dying for Apollyon, but remember, you can read Elixir (book 3.5) on the publisher's (Spencer Hill Press) website so don't miss that! Be sure to comment and follow!

xoxo

Rafia and Cassie

Book Trailer Reveal: Opal by Jennifer Armentrout

Oh God. Oh God.
It's here.
The official book trailer of Opal!!!!!!
And we only have, oh . . . LESS THAN THREE WEEKS!
Ready for some wicked yummy, lovelies?

Here goes.

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.

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

 USA TODAY Bestselling author, Jennifer L. Armentrout, lives in

Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s
not hard at work writing, she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie
movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell, Loki.
Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class where she spent most of her time
writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult
paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She also writes adult romance
under the name J. Lynn.

Find Jennifer on: Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Website | Blog

Review: Cursed by Jennifer Armentrout

Title: Cursed

Author: Jennifer Armentrout

Reviewed by: Cassie

The Fairies Say:

Summary (from Goodreads.com)

Dying sucks-- and high school senior Ember McWilliams knows firsthand. After a fatal car accident, her gifted little sister brought her back. Now anything Ember touches dies. And that, well, really blows.

Ember operates on a no-touch policy with all living things--including boys. When Hayden Cromwell shows up, quoting Oscar Wilde and claiming her curse as a gift, she thinks he's a crazed cutie. But when he tells her he can help control it, she's more than interested. There's just one catch: Ember has to trust Hayden's adopted father, a man she's sure has sinister reasons for collecting children whose abilities even weird her out.

However, she's willing to do anything to hold her sister's hand again. And hell, she'd also like to be able to kiss Hayden. Who wouldn't? But when Ember learns the accident that turned her into a freak may not have been an accident at all, she's not sure who to trust. Someone wanted her dead, and the closer she gets to the truth, the closer she is to losing not only her heart, but her life. For real this time.

Cursed starts out with Ember's horrible, horrible day at school. Literally, it's fantastically horrendous. It made me cringe, and I'm IN high school! She gets her five-year-old sister ready for school, while her mother vegetates in her room.

Just a forewarning: I may be a little harsh because I'm a huge Jennifer Armentrout fan and had way too high expectations for this

Ember is a relateable heroine, but I had so many issues with her. But, see, this has to do with me, so if you find you don't relate with me, ignore me.
This is me when angry: 1.) calculate best advantage 2.) stare down victim 3.) let loose fists of fury ORRRRRR 1.) stare down victim 2.) let loose angry, angry words 3.) victory dance

Ember does not do this. She is so passive I was really surprised. Alex and Katy from Jennifer's previous books have sass and fight in them both, but Ember doesn't. I got this when I read Cursed:

And maybe a little...

The characters? Well, I think they're pretty interesting. Only problem is that Ember is so angsty that she doesn't really take the time to try to understand them.
Hayden- the boy, as you know there must be. A lot of readers will find him attractive.
I found him bleh-tastic. He has no sexy moves, he's way too emotional for me (I love you so, but wait! I cannot *runs away*) and well... yeah.
But, hey... he is pretty attractive.

The plot is something I've seen before- powers that mystify - BUT I like Jennifer Armentrout's approach on it. She introduces the possibility that people with powers actually have problems. (both mental and emotionally) We don't get that much because it seems to damper the mood BUT I LIKED IT. GO JENNIFER! Woohoo!

I really, really wished it was funny, but I must congratulate her because this type of story is completely different from her other series. I realize she wrote it way before the others, but I think Jennifer Armentrout's capability to achieve many different personalities in her characters is extremely impressive.


I like to think she can do this.

Thanks for stopping by guys!

xoxo

Cassie

OPAL Cover Reveal!

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.

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Follow this link to an ~~~ EPIC CONTEST ~~~ Announcement. You will want to bookmark this page!

http://jenniferarmentrout.blogspot.com/p/october-1-2012.html

USA TODAY Bestselling author, Jennifer L. Armentrout, lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing, she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell, Loki. Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She also writes adult romance under the name J. Lynn.

Find Jennifer on: Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Website | Blog

Onyx by Jennifer Armentrout Book Trailer

Hey guys! Check out this newly released book trailer for Onyx, which comes out in FOUR DAYS! *squeals* I've been dying to read this for so long!
Just click this link... (trust me it's worth it)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylY0ZDIAFcA&feature=player_embedded

And then you can proceed to fangirl crazily with me!

Until next time-
Cassie :)

Interview with Jennifer L. Armentrout

From Jennifer's website:
Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you've heard about her state aren't true. When she's not hard at work writing, she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russel Loki. Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories... which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She also writes adult romance under the name J. Lynn. She is the author of the COVENANT Series (Spencer Hill Press), the LUX series (Entangled Publishing), and the upcoming YA contemporary mystery/thrillers DON'T LOOK BACK (Disney/Hyperion Fall 2013) and yet untitled book (Disney/Hyperion tentative Fall 2014).

Jennifer first rocked my world when I read a review and excerpt about Half-Blood from her COVENANT series. Lucky for me, Daimon (the prequel novella to Half-Blood) was available for free to download. And once I read the first few pages, that was it for me. Man, I was hooked! A seriously awesome heroine? Heck yes! (You will love her heroines) After that, it was only obvious that I had to read the rest of her books. In fact... if you ask my mother she will tell you how I begged for her to use her Amazon account to buy Obsidian. I legitimately couldn't wait to read it after hearing about it, it was late at night, and thus came my need for the eBook. (And I mean it when I say I couldn't wait, I was about to die from not being able to read it.) I don't have credit cards to link with an Amazon account so I had to resort to begging my mom to buy it for me. It was a sad sight but totally worth it! Jennifer is an amazing author- one who will have you laughing non-stop and rooting on the heroine. Her books are ones that you cannot put down! It's a sin... for your soul! Yep, I just went there.

I'm sure you want to get to the juicy part, so let's get on with the interview!

Fiction Fairies: What inspired you to write your Lux series? How about your Covenant series? Any particular event or special something?

Jennifer L. Armentrout: Pretty much boredom inspires most of my stories. Coming up with them is a way to ease it. Having an overactive imagination helps. =)

FF: Could you describe a typical outfit for Alex and Katy?

J: Alex would most likely be in gym clothes (work out pants and a regular shirt) and Katy's a jeans and shirt kind of girl. 

FF: If Alex or Katy (take your pick) was stranded on an island (with no electricity) with one other person, who would they pick and what 3 things would they choose to take with them?

J: Katy would bring three books and she'd probably pick Daemon, because he'd definitely keep her entertained. 

FF: Are there any scenes in your books that are based off of real-life experiences?

J: Squeaky the hamster from Cursed is based on a true story-- kind of. That's about it. And trust me, that is freaky enough for there not to be anything based on a real life event. 

FF: What book are you reading now? Any book recommendations?

J: I'm reading the Black Dagger Brotherhood again. Right now, it's been heard for me to get started on a new book. I'm kind of in a reading slump. But I'd recommend Soul Screamers by Rachel Vincent and Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins.

Thanks for the interview, Jennifer! You can check out her website here: http://jenniferarmentrout.blogspot.com/

Don't forget to vote Daemon in the YA Sisterhood Crush Tourney!

http://ya-sisterhood.blogspot.com/

Pure by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Title: Pure

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Reviewed by: Cassie

Rating: 5 glass slippers

Summary (from BN.com)

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.

Lemme just begin with, I need to go out and buy this book. NOW. Secondly, this is one of those books where you (or at least I) put it down mid-page, stare into space for like, 5 seconds (open-mouthed, at that) and go "I need to go die now." Because it is so awesome. Mmmhmm. Yeah, that's got awesomesauce smeared all over it. Lastly, all you need to know is that Alex is by far one of my favorite heroines. Ever. Let's begin.


The heroine-
Alex is pure awesome. She is hilarious, with her fits of "irrationality" or "ridiculousness", and insanely cool. When I say cool, I mean she can kick your booty (and leave a bruise) and simultaneously eat a hamburger. (She likes her hamburgers) Now, if that hasn't convinced you yet as to her awesomeness, then you must trust me when I say she is relate-able. She has the average (ish) girl's fears and issues and she is someone you would love to be BFFs with. Well, the times she wouldn't get you in trouble. She is a great read and so, so fun. The best parts about her?
1. she can break a bitch's nose with an apple 2. she's real fun when she's high on the equivalent of Olympian roofies 3. she has an obsession with stabbing and knives 4. her thoughts are INSANE! In her words, her attention span is close to an ant on Redbull. 5. she likes tater tots 6. LOTS of other things.


I found her hilarious here:


"We talked about how I'd almost beaten him in practice yesterday, and how he was considering buying a motorcycle. Which I was strongly behind, because really, what could make Aiden hotter than he already was?
A motorcycle.
"What kind of bike are you looking at?"
He got this dreamy, far-off look on his face - almost like the kind of look I got when I saw chocolate... or him." pg 84


The guys-
*dreamy sigh* Okay, let's start out with this: shout-out to all of Jennifer L. Armentrout's boys:

Yes. I just went there.
You wanna know why?


Seth-
Golden boy Seth, you are soooooo yummay! So, you've got these golden eyes... golden skin... LUSCIOUS (gasp!) golden locks... Yep I'm down with that. Real down with that.
Plus... Plus you have this amazing sense of humor.


"My shoulders slumped. "I have to practice with you all day?"
Seth spun around in front of me, the perpetual, cocksure grin on his face. "You have to spend all day with me. Every day. For as long as we are here."
I stared at him.
He clapped his hands, letting out a rather high-pitched squeal before grabbing my hand. "Oh, we are going to have so much fun! Aren't we? Fun, Alex - we will have fun." pg 182


Okay, so that's not the best example of his humor, but that had me busting out laughing. The squeal part, mostly. Ahh joy. He and Alex are great in their banter, especially their cuddle-oriented banter! Also- not only is Seth hilarious, but he's also super duper protective. In his own little way.


Aiden- 
Let's just say if Seth is yummay, Aiden is mouth-wateringly, out-of-this-world, scrump-dilly-illy-umptious. Black (LUSCIOUS) waves cascading down into his eyes, gray-I-can-tell-what-you're-thinking eyes, and this smile with DIMPLES that you get only when you make him super duper happy. If you think that is nice, get this- he's amazingly caring and sweet. And although you may think he's.... er, questionable... for doing what he does, just get your hands on the Aiden POV Mrs. Armentrout released for this year's YA Crush Tourney. He will blow your freaking mind.


The BFF-
Caleb in Pure is his usual self- loyal, fun, and great. He's a cool best friend and insanely heroic. Gah, I wish I could say more but it'd be spoilericious.


The adventure/world-
Okay, so I usually have a problem with these kinds of books. The kind of book where you read, and you read, and you wonder, "Why do I care about this drama? I thought I was getting action-packed fantasy!" This is where I would usually fantasize about throwing the book in the fire, BUT, no fears, Pure is a book where I had fun reading about the drama. So much fun so that I want to run out and buy this book. 
But really.... the huge action at the end of Half-Blood and Pure covers up the mediocre/good/entertaining action in the middle of the book. I don't know how to describe this, but it's good. If you want a book where the heroine does this and then five pages later jumps off a building and blahblahblah, this is not for you. But if you want a hilarious, great, you-must-buy-this-now book, I highly recommend you try this out :)
Also, the world is kind of down-to-earth (in a good way) and kind of out-of-this-world. It has the right balance so that you can immediately catch on yet also maintain a surreal feeling to it.


Overall? I really need this book. And I also really need Deity (which is coming out in freaking October!!) Oh, the torture.


Soon coming is an interview with the one and only Jennifer L. Armentrout, so check back in soon! Also, comment and subscribe!


Cassie