Monday, August 13, 2012

Review of Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout








             Obsidian

    Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
  Publisher: Entangled Teen
  Length: 335 Pages
  Paperback, via Amazon.com
  Rating: 4.25 Brownies




 

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GoodReads 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.


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My Review:


          Jumping into Obsidian, I had already finished both Half-Blood and Pure, and thus thought I had an idea of what to expect of JLA's writing. Turns out I was right, and in the very best ways possible.

           I knew going in that the ratings for Obsidian were much higher than those of The Covenant series novels, so I had very high hopes. Upon reading, "Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy," however, I immediately started to picture a million ways this novel could go wrong. If the love interest is to be arrogant or cocky, then the dialogue has to be done right. If it isn't, your stuck hating a character you're meant to fall in love with.

Boy did I fall in love with this Alien. Holy moly, rigatoli. I'm fanning myself as I write this.

           Daemon Black. How he does what he does and gets away with it smiling, I will never know. What I do know, though, is that this little ball of light is one of the best things about Obsidian. Never in my life did I think I would make a statement like that about a cocky character, but it's the truth. There's something very smooth about everything he says and does, something that makes you physically shiver. I give props to the main character, Katy, for resisting him so adamantly. I'm not entirely sure I would've been able to do so myself. 

          This brings me to a point I have yet to make in a JLA novel review, but it seems most fitting to bring it up here. Sexual tension. Armentrout manages to keep everything at the perfect level of intensity without forcing the main characters to make out every two seconds. If you've done any research on Obsidian, then you've most likely heard of the "Laptop Scene." If I was fanning myself before, I'm going to need a wind turbine to cool me off now, because the Laptop Scene was out-of-this-world (shameless Alien reference). That's all I'll say about that, you really just have to read it to understand what I'm saying. 

           I'll stop ranting about Daemon and the feelings he induces now and focus on some of the other characters. For one, I thought Katy was a solid female lead. She's a total book nerd without being an actual nerd and knows how to stand up for herself when necessary. I found it really easy to read in her voice because her thoughts were so similar to my own. Some of her reactions were priceless, and I often found myself laughing out loud at the both of us. I also really liked Dee, Daemon's sister. She's friendly and innocent, but at the same time you know that she harbors a great amount of power. The girls that Katy befriends at school, Lesa and Carissa, also proved to be nice additions to the story. They didn't have any real importance, but their believable personalities made the novel that much more real.

          I'll also say that there was never a moment throughout Obsidian that I found myself bored. Even if nothing major is going on, you're still hooked onto whatever is happening. Ms. Armentrout does a fantastic job with pace and transitions, going from one plot element to another with ease. Your family may notice you haven't left your room all day and question if you've died. They needn't worry; its just that you can't put Obsidian down. 

           I'll end this review by saying this: if you have the opportunity to read Obsidian, do so. Seriously. The chances of you experiencing any form of disappointment are slim, and more than likely you'll close the book with a contented sigh. 

Onyx will arrive at my doorstep sometime tomorrow. Is counting the minutes a bit obsessive?

2 comments:

  1. Your review cracks me up "I'm going to need a wind turbine to cool me off now." lol but you do have me really curious about this laptop scene. I think I'm going to start this book tonight! I've heard so many great things about it but your review makes me want to read it like now lol! Thanks for the awesome review!

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    1. I highly encourage you to do so, if not only for the laptop scene ;) It won't disappoint.

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