Review: Opposition

Title:  Opposition 
Series:  Lux #5
Author:  Jennifer L. Armentrout (Website | Twitter)
Age Group:  Young Adult 
Publication Date:  August 5, 2014 by Entangled Teen
Source:  Bought

Katy knows the world changed the night the Luxen came.She can't believe Daemon welcomed his race or stood by as his kind threatened to obliterate every last human and hybrid on Earth. But the lines between good and bad have blurred, and love has become an emotion that could destroy her—could destroy them all.Daemon will do anything to save those he loves, even if it means betrayal.They must team with an unlikely enemy if there is any chance of surviving the invasion. But when it quickly becomes impossible to tell friend from foe, and the world is crumbling around them, they may lose everything— even what they cherish most—to ensure the survival of their friends…and mankind.War has come to Earth. And no matter the outcome, the future will never be the same for those left standing.

Find Opposition online

Barnes & Noble | Amazon | Goodreads

My Review:  Oh, wow, this is a painful review to write.  I honestly can't even believe that this series is over.  I remember finding Obsidian for the first time, picking it out on a whim, and falling in love with Daemon the characters.  This series has been such a huge part of my life and it's sad to see it go.  But I'm so happy that I picked it up because it introduced me to the wonderful writing of Jennifer L. Armentrout and I have many more of her books to read, thank goodness!

The character development within this book was amazing considering how much the characters have grown already.  It seems every time we see more of Katy and Daemon and Dawson and Dee, we uncover another layer to their personalities and their thought processes.  I especially liked seeing a different dynamic between Daemon and Katy.  It was reminiscent of past books and I enjoyed seeing that again, even though it was agony.  Also, seeing them work together and the teamwork they'd developed had me flailing and giggling all over the place.       

The plot was just as fast and exciting as all of JLA's previous books.  There wasn't a single moment when I wanted to put this book down.  My mom literally had to steal the book from my hands at one point so we could go school shopping (yay college).  It was bad, guys.  But really...

Also, Jennifer did not disappoint with the wit and sarcasm in this novel.  I was laughing out loud all the time while reading.  Mix in that with all the awesome pop culture references, and I was completely in love.  It added a realistic layer to the novel that I just couldn't resist, not that I wanted to.

Opposition was a beautiful end to one of my favorite series.  I will always love these characters and know I'll be picking up these books again sometime in the future.  I don't want to leave this world but I'll comfort myself with the thought that at least I have more JLA books to look forward to!  

“It’s not like I’m going to run up and hug him.” 

His expression turned bland. “I’d sure hope not. I might get jealous.” 

“You’d get jealous if she hugged a tree,” Archer tossed out. 

“Maybe.” Daemon coasted to a stop in a parking space behind the car. “I’m needy like that.”   

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Cover Reveal - Lux: Beginnings

So if you know me, then you probably know I absolutely adore basically everything Jennifer L. Armentrout writes.  From her three YA series to the NA titles she's released.  I've read them all and I absolutely adore her writing style, the worlds she imagines, and her wonderfully hilarious and relatable characters.  The Lux series was the first of her works that I had ever picked up and they are getting new covers.  While I've always really liked the covers they had, I also really like the new version.  So, without further ado, here is the beautiful new cover of Lux: Beginnings (Obsidian + Onyx)!

Title:  Lux: Beginnings

Series:  Lux #1 & #2

Author:  Jennifer L. Armentrout

Age Group:  Young Adult

Publisher:  Entangled Teen

Release Date:  June 3, 2014

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 lights me up with a big fat bulls-eye. 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 alien 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?

Find Lux: Beginnings online!

Goodreads ~ Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble 

What do you think of the new cover?

  About Jennifer L. Armentrout!

 # 1 NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY Bestselling author Jennifer 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 is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen.

She also writes adult and New Adult romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

 Find Jennifer online!

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter

Also, don't forget to enter this totally awesome giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Review: Origin

Title:  Origin
Series:  Lux #4
Author:  Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publisher:  Entangled Teen
Pages:  400
Format:  Paperback
Source:  Bought

Daemon will do anything to get Katy back.

After the successful but disastrous raid on Mount Weather, he’s facing the impossible. Katy is gone. Taken. Everything becomes about finding her. Taking out anyone who stands in his way? Done. Burning down the whole world to save her? Gladly. Exposing his alien race to the world? With pleasure.

All Katy can do is survive.

Surrounded by enemies, the only way she can come out of this is to adapt. After all, there are sides of Daedalus that don’t seem entirely crazy, but the group’s goals are frightening and the truths they speak even more disturbing. Who are the real bad guys? Daedalus? Mankind? Or the Luxen?

Together, they can face anything.

But the most dangerous foe has been there all along, and when the truths are exposed and the lies come crumbling down, which side will Daemon and Katy be standing on?

And will they even be together?

My Review:  I'm really starting to believe that Jennifer Armentrout can do no wrong.  It doesn't matter which book I pick up - if she's written it, I fall instantly in love.  Origin was no different.  From the very first word I was hooked and I could not stop reading until the very end.

Perhaps my favorite part of this book was the dual point of view.  It's something we've never gotten in these books before and it shook things up very nicely.  It was a different element that did a beautiful job of keeping things exciting and interesting.  I liked seeing the events that happened from both Katy and Daemon.  It gave us a more complete idea of exactly what was happening and gave us a peek of what was going through their heads.  

As always, I absolutely adored these characters.  They are so realistic and flawed and amazing, I can't get over it.  I adored seeing Katy and Daemon's relationship grow even more.  They make a great couple but, even more awesome, they make a wonderful team and are friends.  I think that the fact that they trust each other and tell each other things is what makes them stand out from the other couples in YA.  They are working together to a goal and they want to do these things side by side, not going behind each other's backs.  It so refreshing and proves that you can have conflict in your book without having said conflict be relationship drama.  

I thought this was really, really cleverly written with all of the twists and turns and surprises that were dropped.  I was constantly on my toes while reading, just waiting for the next shoe to drop.  The tension I felt was great.  It heightened the reading experience and made everything feel more real.  

Jennifer Armentrout did a good job of balancing things in this book, too.  We got the bad (man, did we ever) but we also got the good.  I was crying one moment and laughing and squealing the next.  However, it never felt rushed or forced to bring out these emotions.  Everything flowed realistically and at the perfect pace.  

As always, JLA has crafted a spectacular story with three dimensional characters, a plot that kept my heart racing, and a romance that had my toes curling.  After that ending, I'm anxiously waiting for the next book to release.  I cannot wait to see how this masterfully told series will wrap up.  

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Waiting on Wednesday (23)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine.  It's where we share the upcoming releases we're most eagerly anticipating and can't wait to get our hands on! 
This week . . .

Title:  Origin
Series:  Lux #4
Author:  Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publisher:  Entangled Teen
Release Date:  August 27, 2013

Daemon will do anything to get Katy back.

After the successful but disastrous raid on Mount Weather, he’s facing the impossible. Katy is gone. Taken. Everything becomes about finding her. Taking out anyone who stands in his way? Done. Burning down the whole world to save her? Gladly. Exposing his alien race to the world? With pleasure.

All Katy can do is survive.

Surrounded by enemies, the only way she can come out of this is to adapt. After all, there are sides of Daedalus that don’t seem entirely crazy, but the group’s goals are frightening and the truths they speak even more disturbing. Who are the real bad guys? Daedalus? Mankind? Or the Luxen?

Together, they can face anything.

But the most dangerous foe has been there all along, and when the truths are exposed and the lies come crumbling down, which side will Daemon and Katy be standing on?

And will they even be together?

Why I'm waiting on Origin:  Um, hello?  It's a Jennifer L. Armentrout book.  It's the fourth book in one of my all time favorite series.  Daemon is on the cover and I can see some skin.  Who wouldn't be waiting on this book?

But seriously though, I adore this series to no end and the thought of having this book in my hands is nearly enough to make me faint with relief, especially after the huge cliffhanger in the last one.  

What are you waiting on this Wednesday?

Review: Opal

Title:  Opal
Series:  Lux # 3
Author:  Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publisher:  Entangled Teen
Pages:  382
Format:  eBook

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.

My Review:  Do I even need to write reviews for these books anymore?  They're always amazing and wonderful and addicting.  This book was just as heart racing and enthralling as the others!

It's the characters that really draw me into books.  These particular characters are so realistic and relatable, it amazes me.  Every single one of them have wiggled their way into my heart - even the minor ones.  Each one of these characters holds there own against each other and others in the genre.  None of them ever slip to the side lines or are overshadowed in the story.  And, of course, there's Daemon - My (and apparently everyone else's) book boyfriend!  This guy . . . I swear, I thought he couldn't get any better after the first and second books but wow, he was just a little sweet heart in this one!  And I adored the fact that he could be all romantic and loving while still retaining his sarcasm.  Katy is one of my absolute favorite female characters in all the books I've ever read.  I love her wit and strength and the fact that she's a book blogger, too!  She's very easy to relate to.

The plot was awesome!  I loved all the action and the twists we were taken through.  It was never predictable and never boring.  I can truthfully say that I enjoyed every single moment I was reading this.  But the ending . . . my goodness, that was a shock.  I really did not see that coming though I feel I should have.  It's just . . . my heart.  It's in tatters.  I need the fourth book, Origin (at least, that's what the title is listed at on Goodreads) immediately!  I don't know how I'll survive waiting for it.

As always, Jennifer Armentrout has outdone herself!  She consistently amazes me with her books.  If you have yet to pick up one of her works . . . I don't even know what you're doing.  Go buy Obsidian and get to reading!  You will not regret it!

Five Cards

 

Cover Reveal: Opal

Title:  Opal

Series:  Lux #3

Author:  Jennifer L. Armentrout

Publisher:  Entangled Teen

Release Date:  December 11, 2012

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

My Thoughts:  You guys!  Finally, we see the cover!  And it's awesome!  I love the darker colors and the spooky forest background.  And, of course, Katy and Daemon are on the cover!  I really love the way they are standing and expressions on their faces.  While Katy looks content and peaceful, Daemon looks really intense.  Either way, this cover is lovely and I feel honored to be able to share it with all of you!  

About the Author:  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

What do you think of the cover for Opal?

Review: Onyx

Title:  Onyx
Series:  Lux #2
Author:  Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publisher:  Entangled Teen
Pages:  366
Format:  Paperback

Summary: 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…

My Review:  I feel like all my reviews of JLA's books are so repetitive; just a bunch of paragraphs gushing about how absolutely amazing everything is.  Really, I love all of the books of hers I've read and Onyx was no exception.  In fact, I liked it more than a couple others.

It was so nice getting back into this story.  I settled right back in with Katy and Daemon.  I felt like no time had past since the first book ended and it was awesome not having to rack my brain to remember little details from Obsidian (even though I remember everything about that book.  I've only read it like, six times).  It was nice how Jennifer slipped little reminders about Obsidian in the beginning of book two without full out summarizing the entire first book.

The characters were so alive in this book, as they are in all of Jennifer's books.  I feel like I am right there with them and that only makes the reading experience with these stories all the more enjoyable.  My heart was racing and my toes were curling right with Katy and I loved that!  Of course, Katy definitely earns some bonus points with me for being a book lover and blogger!  It's so cool how easy it is to relate with her from both a blogger's and reader's POV.

And then there's Daemon.  Daemon Daemon Daemon Daemon Daemon.  I love this guy.  Really, I love him.  I mean, I loved him before but after seeing this new, soft side of him, my insides are just all gooey and I want to tackle-hug him.  Major props to Jennifer for pulling off such a drastic character turn around so perfectly and seamlessly.  Daemon's transformation from hot jerk to hot sweet, sometimes jerk-ish was awesome!  And man, did I love seeing him jealous (as bad as that sounds).  He's just too adorable for his own good.

The overall plot was spectacular.  It moved at the perfect pace and kept me wanting more.  I was unable to put it down from the second I picked it up!  And trust me, I tried not to pick it up and start reading because I knew I wouldn't get any work done if I did.  It was seriously painful knowing the book was just a couple feet away and I wasn't reading it.  So I caved.  Obviously.

I'm already counting down the days until Opal, the third installment in the Lux series, is released.  The ending of Onyx left me at the edge of my seat.  With a wonderful writing style, beautiful characters, and a magnificent plot, Onyx is officially in my top ten favorite books.

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Onyx Book Trailer Released!

YAY!!!  You guys, the official trailer for Onyx released today!  *happy dances* *throws confetti* 

Seriously, I've been waiting for this for forever.  Words cannot describe how much I absolutely love this series and any little detail or teaser I can get of these books pretty much just makes my week.  And - guess what - Onyx is going to be released on TUESDAY!  That's *counts on fingers* FOUR DAYS AWAY!  

You can preorder a copy here.  I've already ordered it on my nook and on Amazon.  I need this book like a fish needs water.  

Since it is Friday right now and not Tuesday, I will settle to watching the trailer over and over again.  

Here it is: 

O.O *watches again* O.O 

I don't think it's normal how excited I am for this.  

But I don't care!  

Enjoy the awesomeness!  

YA Crush Tourney: Match 28

*Obsidian Spoilers Below*

So . . . you see that banner above this?

And, see that guy on the veeeeerrrrry right hand side?  The one that's looking over his shoulder?

Yeah, that my friends, is Daemon Black.

Who's Daemon Black?

Well, he's only the hottest dang alien on Earth!  And he needs your help!

See, he's going up against Dimitri from the Vampire Academy books today in the YA Crush Tourney.  He's been doing so well so far but this is a big match and things are beginning to wind down in the tournament!  That is why we need you to vote for him!

Daemon is more than worthy of the win.  He's fiercely loyal, very protective, and beyond sexy.  Don't believe me?  Well have you seen him?

Really, how can you resist that?  Look at the face!  

Still not convinced?  

How about now?  

Or now?

NOW?!?

Le sigh.  Really, sometimes all I can think is 

But sharing is caring, right?

So please vote!  Valerie (Daemon's advocate) from Stuck In Books and Jennifer L. Armentrout, author of the Lux series and creator of Daemon, have worked really hard for this!  So let's all help that out and go vote here!   

OH!  And how can I forget this?

                                     

Go vote!  Daemon will give you a cookie if you do!