Weekend Reads #41 – Beginnings: Obsidian & Onyx by Jennifer L Armentrout

Posted August 29, 2015 by Lillian in Reviews / 0 Comments

Weekend Reads

A couple of weeks ago I picked up the entire Lux series by Jennifer L Armentrout on BookOutlet(dot)com for super cheap. Not only was this a wise choice on my part but I disappeared into a world where aliens exist and it was AWESOME!

Weekend Reads #41 – Beginnings: Obsidian & Onyx by Jennifer L ArmentroutBeginnings: Obsidian & Onyx by Jennifer L Armentrout
Series: Lux,
Published by Entangled: Teen on 2014-06-03
Length: 800 pages
Reviewing Paperback from My Book Shelf
Rating:

Now available together for the first time, don't miss Obsidian and Onyx, the first two books in Jennifer L. Armentrout's bestselling Lux series. Also includes bonus content exclusive to the print edition! "A thrilling ride from start to finish," says RT Book Reviews.

Obsidian
There’s an alien next door. And with his looming height and eerie green eyes, he’s hot… until he opens his mouth. He’s infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, he marks me. Turns out he has a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal his abilities and the only way I’m getting out of this alive is by sticking close to him until my alien mojo fades. If I don’t kill him first, that is.

Onyx
Daemon’s determined to prove what he feels for me is more than a product of our bizarro connection. So I’ve sworn him off, even though he’s running more hot than cold these days. But we’ve got bigger problems. I’ve seen someone who shouldn’t be alive. And I have to tell Daemon, even though I know he’s never going to stop searching until he gets the truth. What happened to his brother? Who betrayed him? And what does the DOD want from them—from me?

Beginnings by Jennifer L Armentrout is a ginormous book that contains book one and book two of the Lux series, along with some bonus chapters told from Daemon’s POV. I love this edition! The cover is gorgeous and despite being a large book (just over 800 pages) it is easy to read. Below I’ve broken down my review into each book 😀 But trust me when I say if you own the two separately you want this edition JUST for the bonus content!

Weekend Reads #41 – Beginnings: Obsidian & Onyx by Jennifer L ArmentroutObsidian by Jennifer L Armentrout
Series: Lux,
Published by Entangled: Teen on 2004-06-03
Length: 335 pages
Reviewing eBook from My Book Shelf
Rating:

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.

WHY?! Why did I wait so long to read this book?! I’ve had Obsidian by Jennifer L Armentrout on my Kindle since July of 2014. I picked it up during a free promotion because honestly aliens are cool 😉 AND I’ve heard a told about the author but have never read any of her work. Well that’s been corrected and I’m happy to say the hype is well deserved.

Obsidian is an urban fantasy lover’s dream, mixing in a blend of sci-fi and romance that should not be missed. Katy moves to a small town in Virginia during her senior year of high school with her mother after the death of her father. She doesn’t want to be there any more than she wants to make new friends (at the insistence of her mother). Lucky for her, there are twins living next door her age *insert sarcasm*. Katy meets Daemon and it all goes down hill from there!

Okay so I LOVED and HATED Katy! She encompasses everything that I love and hate about YA books. I loved that she is independent, smart, a quick thinker, and doesn’t need a guy. This makes an awesome MC in my opinion. BUT she is also whiny, self-obsessed, loves/hates the boy next door, and just can’t make up her mind. It’s kinda annoying.

I thought people in small towns were supposed to be nice, not act like the son of Satan.

Daemon….Daemon….Daemon! Oh how I love to hate you! Daemon is Katy’s next door neighbor and all around jerk. He is purposely cruel to her, or at least that’s how it seems, and did I mention he’s HOT?! Oh yeah, and smart and totally devoted to his twin sister….so there are a few redeemable qualities in him. Also he knows how to push Katy’s buttons, to the point that even I want to come through the pages and slap him silly! Then he says stuff like this:

I’ve always found that the most beautiful people, truly beautiful inside and out, are the ones who are quietly unaware of their effect…The ones who throw their beauty around, waste what they have? Their beauty is only passing. It’s just a shell hiding nothing but shadows and emptiness.

Okay so the synopsis of this book kinda spoils the plot. The book’s main focus is Katy and her discovering that her neighbors are aliens. In fact this doesn’t occur until almost the half way point. AND because I read the synopsis and knew he was an alien I felt like it was super drawn out, BUT I loved it nonetheless. For once I didn’t mind the high school drama, the insta-love/hate relationship between Daemon and Katy, and the BFF vibe between Katy and Dee (Daemon’s sister who I adore!). I even didn’t mind the mean girl Ashley (Daemon’s ex and also alien). Seriously the author accomplished a feat making me enjoy the things I usually hate in YA literature!

Overall I REALLY loved this book! So much so that when BookOutlet(dot)com added the entire series to their site for cheaper than the ebooks I was getting ready to purchase I got the whole series. And let me tell (because I’ve already read them all!) IT WAS SO WORTH IT! Seriously I love science fiction, I love urban fantasy, and I love a little romance and this book/series has it all! GO READ IT if you haven’t all ready 😀

Final Conclusion: 

loved-it

This book fulfills #80 on the COYER Summer Scavenger Hunt.
Weekend Reads #41 – Beginnings: Obsidian & Onyx by Jennifer L ArmentroutOnyx by Jennifer L Armentrout
Series: Lux,
Published by Entangled: Teen on 2004-06-03
Length: 366 pages
Reviewing eBook from TN R.E.A.D.S.
Rating:

Being connected to Daemon Black sucks…

Thanks to his alien mojo, Daemon’s determined to prove what he feels for me is more than a product of our bizarro connection. So I’ve sworn him off, even though he’s running more hot than cold these days. But we’ve got bigger problems.

Something worse than the Arum has come to town…

The Department of Defense are here. If they ever find out what Daemon can do and that we're linked, I’m a goner. So is he. And there's this new boy in school who’s got a secret of his own. He knows what’s happened to me and he can help, but to do so, I have to lie to Daemon and stay away from him. Like that's possible. Against all common sense, I'm falling for Daemon. Hard.

But then everything changes…

I’ve seen someone who shouldn’t be alive. And I have to tell Daemon, even though I know he’s never going to stop searching until he gets the truth. What happened to his brother? Who betrayed him? And what does the DOD want from them—from me?

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

THAT WAS INTENSE!!!! Oh my word I think I’ve never read a book faster than I did this one. It was one, intense read from start to finish! Katy now knows Daemon’s secret, she’s a part of the Lux club so to speak, and now she is harboring her own secret. After the Arum attack at the end of book one and Daemon’s quick thinking healing her, Katy and Daemon are connected, their hearts beat as one. AND if the government finds out, it could mean big trouble for the both of them.

Katy’s grown on me. She isn’t as self-centered or dramatic as she was last book. She’s still independent, doesn’t need a guy, and smart which works in her favor as she begins to develop this connection with Daemon. She’s also a bit freaked. She was just starting to come to terms with what Daemon and his family are, and now she’s more like them than human. Add to that Daemon’s confession of love for her, she’s all kinds of confused.

Daemon is the same guy I love to hate, but at the same time….awe man! He’ll make your heart melt. I believe he truly does love Katy. This doesn’t excuse his behavior last book, BUT he is trying and Katy just can’t (or maybe refuses to) see it. Daemon loves Katy, but he is also devoted to his family and protecting them if he can which means hurting Katy in the process. Stupid Luxen!

And enter Blake 😀 This guy is sweet, cute, and has a thing for Katy. He’s the new kid, AND Katy takes it upon herself to welcome him. BUT he’s not all he seems to be and he adds quite a bit of drama to the book.

The plot centers around the connection between Katy and Daemon and what it could mean to the government if they found out. Honestly it’s intense! There’s a lot of lying between Katy and her friends and Katy and Daemon and Katy and Blake and Blake and Daemon (do you get the picture 😉 ). On top of this is the government’s involvement with the Luxen. They come to investigate the battle that occurred at the end of book one and their presence in the community is enough to put everyone edge.

Overall I ADORED this book. It was an edge of your seat thrill read! As I write this I’ve already read the rest of the series and can tell you it only gets better, which I didn’t think possible at the time BUT IT DOES! If you enjoy a good sci-fi/fantasy with a bit of romance thrown in, this is it.

Final Conclusion: 

loved-it

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