Thursday, May 31, 2012

Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Hi Everyone! I hope everyone is having a great week!


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.
(Synopsis and Cover Photo provided by Goodreads)
4/5 STARS
What causes Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout to glow bright is the writing and characters that comprise it.



When I read this book I became empowered by the addicting and cohesive writing. I definitely want to read Onyx, Obsidian’s sequel, to see more of Armentrout’s amazing writing!



The main characters Katy, Daemon and Dee were very easy to connect to and care about.

I really liked Katy’s bravery, remarks on her book blogging life and her stubbornness. I also found it cool to learn that she also has light brown hair.

I really enjoyed how Katy stood up for herself. After months of disqust and coldness, sprinked with rare moments of lust, from Daemon, Daemon expects Katy to listen to his demand to not go to a dance with a boy he dislikes. I laughed as Katy replied, “Oh yeah, because Simon’s going to leave a trace on me that attracts killer cows instead of killer aliens.” (Artmentrout 288)

I liked how Daemon steadily grew in to a likable character as the story when along. In the beginning of Obsidian, Daemon acted mean and arrogant. Then, as the story went along, he revealed his good characteristics. I like how he is a flawed character who's attitude developed  throughout the story. While, I may not be think he is the most amazing character ever, I grew to care for him and enjoy his wit. I loved it when he told Katy a wise truth about beauty, "I always found that the most beautiful people, truely beautiful, inside and out, are the ones who are quietly unaware of their effect.” (Armentrout 66)

Dee was so bubbly and sweet in Obsidian. She is the perfect friend and I enjoyed how she, unlike the rest of her alien family, was brave enough to be friends with humans and did not feel humans were inferior. I admire her way to brighten up everyone’s mood.

I feel that the minor characters, such as Adam, Ash and Lesa, were intriguing but not amazing. I saw sparks of moments where I started to feel connection to one of them- Adam! My favorite line of the whole book was  “It’s courageous,” Adam said quietly, staring at the throw rug. “It is what any of us would’ve done.” (Armentrout 276)

The above quote lights up fireworks in my mind.

The strong connotation of “courageous”, the break for humility and how it reveals Adam respects bravery are all reasons I love this quote. It caused me to look forward to future books in the series to see Adam cause more amazing moments in my reading of this story.

The plot may take a while for the action edge of the story to happen, but I found the mundane moments enjoyable to read. Katy’s summer vacation to be exciting as she became friends with Dee and has casual conversations with Daemon. I liked how the story was introduced first, instead of rushing to the action and to Katy finding out the truth. Katy was wonderful at figuring out that Dee and Daemon were not as normal. I found Katy’s daily life at school exciting as she adjusted to a new school. 

My favorite event of the story was an incredible night that I feel everyone should read. This section of the novel is addicting, enjoyable, has many incredible lines and brave actions. Its a dance that coincides with a brilliant bonfire scene that leads to an awesome fight turned incredible night. 

What makes this book not amazing to me though, is that it seemed too redundant sometimes and I felt the action were a bit rushed. I found myself uninterested in the action scenes and after awhile Katy’s and Daemon’s bantering was sadly a bit tiresome. I enjoyed their relationship more when Katy and Daemon starting having normal conversations without constant defensive remarks. I wish the attitudes Katy and Daemon had during the night after the dance ended could have remained the whole story.

Overall, I believe that you should read Obsidian if you enjoy fantastic character development and exquisite writing!

I am excited to read Onyx this summer to read a hopefully even better story!


Thanks for reading!

14 comments:

  1. Great review Rachel! I really liked this one too and I found Katy really great. I even liked Daemon bc he made me laugh with his arrogance lol. I agree some things may have been rushed but I was really caught up in it regardless. Glad you enjoyed it, chicky!

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  2. Fabulous review Rachel, I really enjoyed this one as well! I love Jennifer Armentrout's writing and while I had similar issues with some of Katy and Daemon's banter, overall it was a fun read. I'm hoping we'll get more of the less-arrogant Daemon in Onyx. Can't wait!

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  3. I hear so much about this book that I finally caved in and just bought the ebook!

    While I haven't read it yet, you certainly got my attention with this review!! Great job!!

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  4. I'm so glad you had fun with this one Rachel, I had some issues with it too, but I certainly will be picking up the next book in the series! Fab review! :)

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  5. Fun review, Rachel! I LOVED Obsidian for the exact same reasons. The characters were so much fun and so many lines made me laugh! I loved the Katy-Daemon batter and cannot wait for Onyx xD

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  6. I'm seeing Adam in a completely new light after your review. I wish I could pay attention to detail like that. I think I was too easily distracted by Daemon ;) I'm glad you enjoyed this and I hope you enjoy Onyx too! :) Brilliant review.

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  7. Hi Rachel, I was suprised at how much I ended up liking this. I enjoyed all the bloggy references. I was a bit let down that the big reveal came kind of early on I was enjoying all the supense and buildup. Definitely a different and fun series!

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  8. I'm still waiting for this book to come in so I can use it and take pictures like crazy with everybody! :) I can't believe Katy's a book blogger! That's so awesome and it muse make her so easy to relate to in that way! :) Great review! I'm so much more pumped now!

    Thanks for leaving a comment on my song review! I loved reading your comment! :)

    Eileen @ ***Singing and Reading in the Rain***

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  9. I keep seeing this book everywhere online and at first I didn't really want to bother reading it but I like that Katy is a cool girl and that she's a blogger, it'll be fun getting to know her! Great review!

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  10. I really liked this one Rachel. Glad you did too. I loved the snarky banter between Katy and Daemon, although like you I was hoping they'd get along a little more. I can't wait for Onyx. Great review. :)

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  11. If you're looking for a book that includes hot, alien boys, plenty of sarcasm, sizzling chemistry (which leads to one hot little scene), the right amount of laugh out loud moments and is over all is one of those books you can't get enough of, then I'd recommend picking up Obsidian! I think YA fans are going to fall in love with Daemon & Kat. There is some mild language found through out the book and one well written sensual scene.

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