Obsidian (Lux #1) By Jennifer L. Armentrout -- Welcome Aboard or Walk the Plank?

Title: Obsidian (A Lux Novel #1)
Author: Jeniffer L. Armentrout
The Judgement: LOOT!!! {This. This is what all I review strive to be. Not a part of the ship but a part of the loot, forever immortalized, forever enshrined, loved, gazed upon in awe. Truly a master piece. You have Neptune's grace.}



Synopsis:

"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."


Before I start my somewhat-rant on the synopsis

...ARE YOU READY FOR A COVER SHOWDOWN?!

Cover Showdown:

As you've noticed, if you've Googled the book or Goodread-ed (hey if "twerk" is in the Oxford dictionary, this certainly makes the cut) it, there are two marvelous covers of this book:

Subject A

Subject B

Now Subject A seems to be exuding extreme amounts of soul-burning-sexy-staredown by Mr. Daemon Black, while Katy (or any of the readers hehe) cling on to him for her (our) dear life.

Subject B on the other hand is a pleasure to both genders, with both Katy and Daemon looking at us with equal degrees of come-hither. 

Before I reveal MY winner, I have to say that I am in absolute LOVE with the cover models, Pepe Toth and Sztella Tziotziosz. I've seen them on so many book covers and that alone makes me want to read those books. I'm a sucker for covers, so these two gracing any cover makes me want to empty my treasure chests without a second thought. 

NOW, time to reveal my winner. Drum roll please!

AND THE WINNER IS...SUBJECT B!!! ('cause it fulfills all my Daemon-Katy love in one picture :)

My First Thoughts: Okay, mini-rant time =_= I don't know if I'm the only one but if it wasn't for the cover, I probably wouldn't have picked up Obsidian, which is life-altering as it was my first Jennifer Armentrout book I'd read (and down the rabbit hole I fell, falling deeper into the Wonderland that is filled with Ms. Armentrout's books). The synopsis sounds so...juvenile. And I understand that the genre is YA but still, it didn't depict the sultry/mysterious/sometimes-serious vibe I got while reading the book AT ALL. "Starting over sucks" And the heart-wrenching reason they moved away wasn't included, which would've tugged on my heart a bit more than "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" I almost didn't read this book BECAUSE of the synopsis. 

Sorry for the rant y'all but the synopsis is the first glimpse into the book, the decisive factor in whether one reads the book or not. And this one lacked too much to do justice to this great book.

Captain's Log on Obsidian: As I've stated in bold letters above, this is one for my loot for sure. A kick-ass heroine, no love triangles, and such an interesting story line and world, all in one book? Too much perfection. Katy has to be one of my favorite characters so far, because of her guts and her no-pushover personality. And the way the book was written was my favorite part of the reading experience. It's as if I become Katy herself, her emotions mine, her world surrounding me...which is why initially, I DID NOT like Daemon (but really, way to write, Ms. Armentrout)

This couple though...never have I read a book so focused on the main couple AND balancing the story line. The sexual tension between these two was amped-up ever since they'd meet. I'm glad they eased into their feelings slowly and not hey-im-your-neighbor-lets-have-sex. Just as Katy said, Instalove is the bane of my reading existence. Their banter also kept me laughing and smiling gleefully. Here's a cute snippet I loved:

"Where have you been?" I asked in a voice that sounded shrill to my own ears. 

Silence fell while two more sets of beautifully odd eyes settled on me. I felt my cheeks turn hot and I leaned back, feeling like an idiot. I folded my hands and kept my eyes pinned to them. What a way to draw attention to myself. 

"Well hello, honey, I've been out boozing and whoring. I know, my priorities are pretty off." 

My lips thinned at his sarcastic response. "Dick" I muttered.

But really, besides the comedy, this book is plenty Awww worthy. It's admirable how Katy grew as a character because of her dad's words to not be a bystander. I mean, come on, how is it that whenever she remembers those words, I can't help but cry and smile at the same time?! Witch craft writing, I telling you...

*Just a thought*, but if you follow Ms. Armentrout's blog, as I do, maybe you picked up a few of Ms. Armentrout's character in Katy. Just an observation. Not judging or anything^^

I and Katy might've dislike Daemon at the beginning but we both saw the vulnerable, sweet man underneath the mask of dickdom later on. Or Saw The Light :D My favorite thing about Daemon, besides his sexiness, would have to be how even after he shows his sweet side, his arrogance or pride or even his dick-headedness didn't just poof into thin air and leave him a mush of a man. I know, you know, we all know at least one book boy who was "wearing a mask to push everyone away but really is a sweet boy inside and once he burst out, there was no stopping him from jumping on the peace-and-love-is-great train"......Did someone order a huge dose of unrealism? Daemon's imperfections made him so realistic, so lovable as a character to me, so...human (haha the irony). 

But I thank Neptune for how Daemon turned out. I thank Neptune and the Seven Seas for how this whole book turned out. It was just too perfect. This review is hard because i'm too speechless and don't know where to start on talking about this perfection. I guess the best way to express my feelings would be to buy every person on Earth a copy of the book and make them read it. It's just that good of a book. 

*Side note* I'll be talking more about Daemon Black on my True Love Thursday this, you guessed it, Thursday. Be excited!

I really do hope you read this book though, mateys. If you've read the book or are planning to do so, don't hesitate to leave your fangirling thoughts and questions in the comments section below!

Now, finally...WELCOME ABOARD THE JOLLY ANNE, OBSIDIAN!!! More than that, WELCOME TO THE LOOT!!!

-Captain Kaelyn

Bitter Sweet Love By Jennifer L. Armentrout -- Welcome Aboard or Walk the Plank?

Title: Bitter Sweet Love (The Dark Elements #0.5)

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

The Judgement: FIRST MATE {You, fine piece, are my right hand. I cannot live without you, and neither can this ship. Thank you so much for your beautiful existence. You cannot leave this ship, no can do. }
             


Synopsis:

"In a sizzling prequel novella to her new series THE DARK ELEMENTS, #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout draws readers into the extraordinary, irresistible world of Wardens and demons.

Dez wasn't just Jasmine's crush. A gargoyle Warden like Jas, he helped her come to terms with her destiny—fending off demons and maintaining balance between good and evil. He was her everything...right until the moment he disappeared without a trace. It didn't help that Jas's father had just announced that she and Dez would one day be mated. Hard not to take that personally.

And now he's back, three years older, ten times hotter, ready to pick up exactly where they left off. But Jas isn't taking that risk again. Dez has seven days to meet all her conditions and earn back her trust. Seven days filled with terrifying danger and sweet temptation. Seven days to win her heart—or shatter it all over again..."

My First Thoughts: 

At first...

But then after I read it...

Now, let me explain with words what I mean. I LOVE Jennifer Armentrout. Like, I have read every book of hers and loved them and want them all for my loot. BUT! Yes, you guessed it, there is a big "but" here. It's the new adult genre. I, too, fall into the age group of new adult and at the start, I gobbled up any and all book in the genre. And then I got a bit sad, because almost every book ended up having a very similar story line. And then I was even more sad because I realized this genre is kind of limited in its creativity and it'll die out. BUT! Yes, you didn't guess this "but". But, Jennifer Armentrout has now expanded and revived the category by introducing this series. I'm so very happy with this book. It went beyond the sexual tension and abusive themes that were too common place in new adult fiction and balance the new adult aspect with a paranormal aspect. I was wary at the the beginning (you could tell) because I was a bit apprehensive of how this mix would come about. But (another one!) Ms. Jennifer has truly outdone herself with this series. What an absolute awesome possum start!

Captain's Log on Bitter Sweet Love: Wow, so my first book review...kinda nervous now *heh heh* I will try my best lads and lassies! Anywhooo, when I'd met Dez, he 

     "stood before me, taller and broader than I remembered. He was the same in so many ways, but so much had changed. His hair was a deep auburn and when he’d been younger, it had been cropped short on the sides, the middle a spiky Mohawk. Not anymore. Now his hair fell in soft waves, barely brushing his shoulders. His eyes were the same—pale blue framed by heavy, thick lashes. The lack of the Mohawk wasn’t the only change. The rest of him? Nothing of the young man who’d left three years ago remained in the face that was both a stranger’s and familiar.  

     The round boyishness of his face had been smoothed away in the last three years and replaced with hard lines. His jaw was cut, cheekbones broad and high. There was a slight hook in his nose, as if it had been broken and not set correctly. His brows formed graceful arches over his eyes and his lips appeared fuller than before. A traitorous thought seeped in: Were his lips as firm as they looked?"

I likey. A LOT. Which made me sad that this is only a novella and not the main story but then again, I thought over it: they both are important enough to deserve a novella of their own. And strategically, this was a well planned series. Unconventionally, the novella, 0.5, was released before the first book and served as a tour guide into the world of wardens and demons. It, so to speak, set the stage so the first book doesn't need to go into toooo much detail. That said, I am looking forward to the next book very much as I fell in love with Layla and Zayne (yes, I'm going to have my heart broken, I can tell) through the little glimpse I got of them.

Now, on to actually talking about Bitter Sweet Love. Sorry mates, I'm too excited about this series and can't concentrate my thoughts at all. *clears throat* Okay, serious-ish time. Hmm, what lured me in was the original idea of wardens. I've read about, let's see, ZERO books on gargoyles and this certainly provided a beautiful and artistic spin on those horrific yet protective statues. I'll admit I had a bit difficulty imagining the gargoyle form of the characters in the book, but iz all cool. 

I've spoken about Dez but Jasmine...she's interesting. At the start, I understood her and her reasons for staying away from Dez but also internally screamed at her over and over again when her thoughts were traitorous a wee bit too soon. I understand she needs to fall in love with him and etc but her "oh hey sexy" thoughts came on a bit too soon. But then again, this is a novella, so things were a bit fast paced. I think that was my only problem with the book, thus only 4 doubloons, not 5. It's a pet peeve of my generally, when a girl falls too hard too quickly for a guy. Not love-at-first-sight fast but faster-than-the-speed-of-light-I-want-your-clothes-off-NOW fast. It ruins the love aspect and turns it into a lust story. Wanted to fist-bump the girl for using Dez to achieve her freedom and then dump him though. Smart move. Gotta respect the girl for trying to defy the norm and live her life to the fullest.

All in all, this was a really sweet story. There was enough smexy to do justice to the sex god that is Dez but enough sweet to make me go "aww" every five seconds. I started to read this book as soon as I got it and didn't stop till I finished it. That's how engrossed I was in Dez and Jasmine's romance. Just beautiful. I was so happy the innocence of their childhood romance transitioned nicely to their new, romantic relationship. Dez (yes, I can't stop gushing about him) was such a sweet guy throughout the book. Jasmine, guuuurl, how the heck did you resist that man-candy for as long as you did?! Give her a medal or something!

*A side note* Um, so I'm suffering from something called second-male-lead-team syndrome. It's where I KNOW that the guy will be rejected/friendzoned but still can't stop my heart from loving him so. And the case applies to Zayne. I KNOW, you KNOW, we all KNOW that Zayne will be rejected for Roth and it's killing me 

I WILL FIGHT ON!!!

Maybe *GASP* I'm done with the bad boy trend. Oh well, I'm looking forward to formally meeting Roth. Maybe he'll grow on me (not as much as Zayne though, broken heart be damned, I WILL support him, like I supported Adrian and then maaaaybe he'll get his own spin-off series *hint hint Jennifer ;) *

But before I forget...WELCOME ABOARD the Jolly Anne, Bitter Sweet Love!

-Captain Kaelyn