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.

 

After two books of Daemon and Katy fighting their relationship, they are finally together. But with Dawson back, fighting tooth and nail to bring back Beth, their relationship is feeling all sorts of twists and turns, as it is essential that they do everything in their power to help Dawson save her…as well as stay alive. Now they must unwillingly work with the person they trust the least to prepare them to break into the place that Beth is being stored.

The Lux series has been such a fascinating treat for me. I fell in love with Obsidian, became a fan girl with Onyx, and melted a tiny bit more in Opal. When I first learned that the books were about aliens, I’ll admit that I was skeptical. But the books are so much more than that. They are about love, betrayal, romance, and twist and turns that I never saw coming. The Lux series is definitely one of my new addictions.

While I loved the first two books more than I can say, I was a little let down with Opal. It was still a good book, but the romance was wayyyy over the top. I had gotten used to Daemon’s snarky personality, and that was gone in Opal. Now he is completely smitten with Katy, and he watches every word and move that he does so as to not upset her. I love Daemon and Katy as a couple, but I started to get a little tired of them. I love romance as much as the next person, but I just wanted a little more action.

Katy’s character got on my nerves a little bit more than usual in this third book. While I’ve never been overly fond of her before, she never actually bugged me. In Opal, Katy seemed whiney and determined to put herself in danger at every available opportunity. I got that she was trying to prove something to the rest of the aliens, but there comes a point in time where enough is enough. I just wanted her to stop acting like a little girl and grow up.

As I said with the rest of the books, The Lux series is a lot like Twilight. The writing style and storyline are very identical. That’s a compliment, but it also lays kind of flat for me. I want something that I can call original. While I love that I can compare the two stories, I also dislike the fact that I could place pretty much any character from The Lux series with a character from the Twilight series. Love the books. Love the characters. Want to see more originality.

There’s not much action in Opal, but the ending was really good and REALLY shocking! I wasn’t blindsided by what happened, because I knew that something major happened and I peeked, but woahhh! I don’t know where Armentrout is going to take it next, and I can’t wait to find out! Super cool and intense ending to an amazing series!

I am really excited for the next book because it will feature both Katy and Daemon’s POV’s. Since Daemon is my favorite character, I’m really excited to hear more from his side. But it does make me a little nervous that it’s a dual POV, because I tend not to like those very much.

Overall, Opal was an ok third installment to an amazing series. But what I recommend people to read the series anyways? Heck yes! The series is awesome! But be prepared to be a little let down with this book, as it is not nearly as good as the first two.

 

Pages: 382

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Publication Date: December 11th, 2012

Rating: :

 

Teaser Quote: “Daemon snatched the yellow packages from my hands. “Oh! Books! You have books!”
I laughed as several people waiting in line looked over their shoulders. “Hand them over.”
He clutched them to his chest, making moony eyes. “My life is now complete.”
“My life would be complete if I could actually post a review on something other than the school library computers.”
I did that about twice a week since my latest laptop went to the big computer heaven in the sky.”

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…

 

I’m writing this review a couple weeks after I actually finished the book, because I was on vacation in Florida right after I finished it. So this is going to be a bit shorter of a review because my head is lumping all three books together. What I can tell you all, though, is that Onyx was my very favorite book in the series and I gave it a whole 5 stars.

I really enjoyed watching Katy and Daemon’s relationship progress in Onyx. Book 1 was about them meeting and hating eachother, and finally growing to acknowledge a chemistry between them. Book 2 brings in another love interest, confusion between the two, and some definite jealousy. I wish that I would have seen Kate and Daemon get a little closer sooner than they actually did, but there was nothing better than watching Daemon always mess up Blake’s name. It was fun to witness him become jealous and basically throw tantrums because he didn’t know how to speak up about his emotions and feelings. Katy did bug my a little bit, though. It was obvious that Daemon was trying really hard to gain her affections, and she was set on blowing him off and making him feel miserable. Didn’t like that very much.

Blake’s (God, I hope I’m not turning into Daemon and am actually getting his name right) character got on my nerves so much. I couldn’t stand him! It wasn’t just because he was trying to get in the middle of Katy and Daemon, but I found him creepy. I found him to be a rude, inconsiderate jerk in Onyx, and I found him to be even worse in Opal. Daemon should have kicked his ass long before he did. That’s my opinion on Blake [=

There is a lot of cool action and suspense in Onyx. It was a little predictable, but there were some things thrown at me that I didn't see coming. I can't stress enough how much I loved this book. I think I spent a good two days on my couch, mouth hanging open, eyes wide as saucers, with the book shoved in my face. I had a massive fan girl moment with this book, and I am now forever a fan of Jennifer L. Armentrout. Everyone needs to read this book!

Pages: 366

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Publication Date: August 14th, 2012

Rating: :

 

Teaser Quote: “Kitten,” he growled roughly.
I kissed him softly, sliding my hands into his silky locks, letting the pieces slide through my fingers. I tasted in him my own rising desire, my own need and heartache. Thrilling. Frightening. I pulled back.
“Kitten,” he said again, voice strained. “You don’t get to do that and then stop. That’s not how it works.”
I stared at him, my breath stalling in my lungs.
“Not when you’re mine.” Daemon backed us up and slid down the wall, pulling me on his lap so I was straddling him. “And you’re mine.”

Back in June, I picked up a copy of Debut Author Jennifer Rush’s novel, ALTERED, while I was at Book Expo America. Without knowing anything about the book or Jennifer herself, I began reading. I wasn’t too far into the story when I realized with absolutely excitement that I’d discovered the next big thing. Our five star review of ALTERED appeared on the blog in July, and Jennifer’s giveaway of an Advanced Reading Copy of the book which appeared in the same month absolutely exploded.

Jennifer is our featured Author for our Book of the Month for January, and we’re stoked to have her here.

 

Altered is your debut novel. Before you were officially a writer, what was your day job?

This answer is going to be dreadfully boring. I was a bank teller for a little over four years at a local community bank. It was a good job to have for the area I live in and my co-workers were AWESOME. But counting other people’s money? No thanks!

Altered is a very well thought out and detailed plot. What were you doing when you thought it up?

I get this question a lot and I wish I had a good answer for it. I honestly don’t remember writing much of the first half of Altered. It came out of nowhere, and consumed me for several weeks. I think it perhaps came from an old idea I’d had, where a girl found a vampire locked in a high-tech cell in her basement, and later found out he was part of a government experiment. We all know how flooded the vampire market is, so I have to wonder if I filed that idea in the back of my mind and it some how morphed into Altered later on.

What I do know is that, in its earliest draft, Altered was a story about a boy and a girl who loved each other so much, they’d do anything for each other. A lot of the twisted plot elements came in later drafts!

How long did it take you to write Altered?

Six or seven weeks.

Do you have any quirks or habits to help you through the writing process?

I need a clean space to write. I like my desk to be free of clutter, though anyone who’s seen my office walls would beg to differ. I like lots of pictures and things and inspirational quotes on the walls that surround me, but my desk must be clean. I generally like something yummy to drink while working too!

Sam is Anna’s love interest and he also takes on the role of the group’s leader. Does this mean he’s your favorite of the boys? (If not, who is)

This is a hard question! I love all the boys, but I DO have a favorite. I love Sam. I ADORE SAM. But he’s not my top pick. Nick is. I generally go for the bad boys in YA fiction, and Nick fits that description well. But he has such a complicated, messy past, and I loved exploring how that made him today. Even with his memories wiped, he’s still messed up. It’s interesting to me how much of who we are, will always be a part of us, no matter what happens.

Sometimes, writers say their characters just write themselves. If you could change one thing that Sam did in Altered, what would it be and why?

Ummm…take his shirt off more? Kidding! Kidding! Sort of.

I don’t want to spoil too much for those who haven’t read, but there is a pivotal scene between Sam and Anna where her heart breaks at something he says to her. So I wish he would have asked for her help. For those who have read, I think you’ll know what I mean by that. Then again, if he HAD asked for her help, Altered would be a much different story.

If you could date any of the four boys, which would it be, and why?

Oh Lord, another hard one! Let’s see…I think Nick would be fun, and intense. But it would also be messy. And there would probably be a lot of crying involved. Now, if we’re talking true, forever love, someone I’d want to marry, it’d be Trev. He’s loyal, he’s thoughtful, and caring, and he reads people really well. That’s the kind of husband I’d want (actually, it’s the kind of husband I DO have, though he’s not always thoughtful when it comes to sharing the TV remote, or giving me the last fudgecicle).

I noticed on your blog you seem to be ‘casting’ your characters. It looks like you chose Henry Cavill as Sam (and I concur!). Who could you see playing Anna?

I’ve had a terrible time finding someone who represents Anna well. I think Brittany Robertson looks like Anna sometimes, depending on how her hair and make-up is done. But even then, she’s not a perfect match. I picture Anna a bit softer in the face, and a tiny bit taller. Also Brittany is maybe a tad bit skinnier than Anna.

How did you choose your character’s names?

Baby name websites! There wasn’t much rhyme or reason to what I picked, though once I found the names, I knew they fit.

Your blog professes your love of pens. What other quirky obsessions do you have?

I love houseplants. I have such good luck with leafy, regular houseplants, but succulents, which are supposed to be the easiest to care for? I kill them. EVERY SINGLE TIME.

I’m also a sucker for any other kind of office supply. Sticky notes. Folders. Paperclips.

What’s your fave book? (If you have one …)

Oh yes, I have many. I’ll name my top three. I fell in love with Vivian Vande Velde’s Companions of the Night as a teenager, and though I rarely re-read books, I try to re-read that one every couple of years. I also love, love, love Sarah Dessen’s The Truth About Forever. Talk about an amazingly genuine, super hot love interest. If you haven’t read it, you should! And lastly, Leigh Bardugo’s Shadow and Bone. Amazing detail and world building. A fantastic cast of characters. And one dark, sexy love interest (or maybe villain? you have to read to find out!).

As a new writer, what advice would you give to people out there that are trying to catch a break?

It will feel like you’ll never break into the market. Like you’ll never sign with an agent. Or you’ll never get a book deal. I was in that same position in 2009, early 2010. I have been there, and let me tell you that it WILL happen if you keep trying. Don’t give up. Don’t write something just because you think it will sell. Write what keeps you up at night. Write what makes you daydream at your desk, when you should be doing day job things like answering phones and filing papers. Write what feels like your own private love affair. That’s the book that will get you an agent, or a book deal. Just like in real life, if you find yourself wondering if you’ve found your soul mate, you probably haven’t. You won’t need to wonder once you’ve found him or her, you’ll know it when you feel it.