Half-Blood

Title: Half-blood

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Publisher: Spencer Hill Press

Publish Date: 18 October 2011

Pages: 281

ISBN: 978-0-983-15720-5

Source: bought

Genre: Young Adult, romance, mythology

Series: Covenant

Other books in series: Daimon, Pure, Deity (November 2012)

The Hematoi descend from the unions of gods and mortals, and the children of two Hematoi-pure-bloods-have godlike powers. Children of Hematoi and mortals-well, not so much. Half-bloods only have two options: become trained Sentinels who hunt and kill daimons or become servants in the homes of the pures. Seventeen-year-old Alexandria would rather risk her life fighting than waste it scrubbing toilets, but she may end up slumming it anyway. There are several rules that students at the Covenant must follow. Alex has problems with them all, but especially rule #1:Relationships between pures and halfs are forbidden. Unfortunately, she's crushing hard on the totally hot pure-blood Aiden. But falling for Aiden isn't her biggest problem--staying alive long enough to graduate the Covenant and become a Sentinel is. If she fails in her duty, she faces a future worse than death or slavery: being turned into a daimon, and being hunted by Aiden. And that would kind of suck.

What happens to Alex after living in the human world with her mother for three years? Will she be allowed to return to the Covenant? The story starts out where Daimon left off. That is in Atlanta, Georgia in a warehouse where Alex was running from Florida, where her mother was killed in a Daimon attack. Alex is fighting for her life against the Daimons and is tagged when suddenly Sentinals appear to help her in the fight. After the threat of Daimons are gone, Alex's fight or flight relfexes kick in and she makes a run for it. Aiden St. Delphi, one of the Sentinals and a pure Hematoi, catches her and uses compulsion to get her to calm down. What happens is that she is escorted back to the Covenant where her uncle Marcus is the dean - Dean Andros and her step-father, Lucian, is the Minister of Council.

　

She makes a deal with Dean Andros that she will be caught up enough by the end of the summer to train with her classmates. Aiden is the one who volunteered to train her. There are strict rules that she has to abide by or it will make Aiden look bad. He takes these to heart. The training begins and Alex remembers all that she has forgotten during her time away from the Covenant. While she is at the Covenant, she not only rediscovers old friends, but old enemies as well.

　

Alex doesn't know the reason that her mother took her from the safety of the Covenant and lived in the human world up until her death. Everyone asks her that. Some people on the island speculate and say that Grandma Piperi, the oracle, told her mom something and that made her want to leave. This is bothering her and she wants to find out the reason. She is busy training and getting into mischief when Seth, the Apollyon, enters the picture. Immediately, she is attracted to and repulsed by him. There is this attraction there that she doesn't understand and does not happen with anyone else at the Covenant. She can feel his presence before she can see him. She is repulsed because of how everyone else treats him like he is a God. Will Alex find out why her mom left the Covenant? What will happen between her and Aiden? Why is she attracted to Seth?

I was first hooked in this series when I read the prequel Daimon.  I loved the differences between Seth and Aiden in this book.  Aiden has been the Pure that Alex has had a crush on forever and is her trainer, while Seth is the person that annoys her, but she has an attraction to that she doesn’t understand.  After reading Half-Blood, I was anxious to read Pure to find out what happens with this trio.

The cover has a flower in it which looks like flames. While the cover is pretty, I'm not sure what it has to do with the story. I like the colors on the cover.

•Alexandria Andros. She is a fighter. Always working hard for what she gets. If there are questions, she wants the answers.

　

•Aiden St. Delphi. He is a pure. Pures and Half-bloods don't mix. It is against the law. Why is he so attractive to Alex then?

　

•Caleb Nicolo. He is Alex's best friend. He stands up for her.

 

•Lea Samos. She is Alex's enemy. They have been fighting each other since they were seven.

　

•Dean Andros, Lucian. They know more than they are letting on and are not very supportive of Alex. When she firsts returns to the Covenant, they suggest her becoming a slave in her step-father's house.

•Seth. He is the Apollyon, but he has an ego the size of Texas. While reading the book, I have to agree with Alex's reaction to him. Everyone treats him like he is a god because of who he is. Everyone except Alex.  At times, I think he acts like a spoiled brat because he is the Apollyon.

There are three book trailers, so I thought that I would put all of them in here.

Shadows

Title: Shadows

Author: Jennifer Armentrout

Publisher: Entagled Publishing

Publish Date: 21 February 2012

Pages: 179

ISBN: 978-1-62061-115-9

Source: bought

Genre: Young Adult, romance, alien

Series: The Lux Series

Other books in series:  Obsidian, Onyx (14 August 2012)

The last thing Dawson Black expected was Bethany Williams. As a Luxen, an alien life form on Earth, human girls are…well, fun. But since the Luxen have to keep their true identities a secret, falling for one would be insane.

Dangerous. Tempting. Undeniable.

Bethany can’t deny the immediate connection between her and Dawson. And even though boys aren’t a complication she wants, she can’t stay away from him. Still, whenever they lock eyes, she’s drawn in.

Captivated. Lured. Loved.

Dawson is keeping a secret that will change her existence...and put her life in jeopardy. But even he can’t stop risking everything for one human girl. Or from a fate that is as unavoidable as love itself.

What happened to Dawson Black, Dee and Daemon’s brother in the Lux series?  All of the Luxen always comes in triplets.  In Obsidian, you learn that Dee and Daemon had a brother who fell for a human girl, but that is all the detail that you get.  Dee and Daemon miss their brother terribly so you don’t get the full story.  This novella is Dawson’s account of what happened to him.

Dawson Black never expected Bethany Williams to come into his life.  Sure he has been attracted to humans before, but never on the level that he was with Bethany.  It is forbidden for Luxen to have relationships with humans.  All of them know this.  All throughout this novella, Daemon and the other Luxen that go to the high school in West Virginia, are against the relationship budding between Dawson and Bethany.  He tries to hide it from the DOD because if they found out, there would be trouble not only for him, but for Bethany too.  What happens when Dawson decides that he doesn’t want to hide anymore and that Bethany is worth the risk of getting caught?

I am really starting to love books by Jennifer Armentrout and this novella made me love them even more.  I read her Lux series, the Covenant series and am excited about other books that she has being released in the coming year.  I LOVED Obsidian.  More than I originally thought I would.  This story about Dawson gives you the reason why Daemon acts the way that he does in Obsidian.  I cannot wait for Onyx to come out in August, to continue the series.   Armentrout’s writing is hilarious.  I laughed so many times while reading this book.  I’ll share some quotes so you can get a better understanding of what I mean.

 

The cover of this novella shows Dawson standing on a hill near a tree.  The cover is blue and you can clearly see his green eyes.  I love the Lux Series covers because I think the models give the air of mystery that you would associate with aliens.  The fact that the model for Dawson and Daemon (they are triplets after all) is VERY handsome just adds to it.  I had to keep this cover on my Kindle for a while just so I could look at it.

“I bet you’re the type of guy not afraid of anything, huh?”

“Oh, no, there are things that terrify me.”

“Like what?”

“Muppets,” came his solemn reply.

“What?” she laughed.  “Muppets?”

“Yes.  Those things are terrifying.  And you’re laughing at me.”

She smiled.  “Sorry.  You’re right.  Muppets can be scary.”

• Dawson Black.  Even though he and Daemon look alike, their personalities are very different.  Daemon being the eldest of the set of triplets, feels more responsibility for his siblings and that is apparent in his attitude.  Dawson is able to relax and be nice to humans.  Not totally though, because the threat of Arum finding them is always there and he would do anything to protect Dee and Daemon.  I love how he says things. 

This weak excuse for an enemy was decked out like one of the Village People.

He shook out his shoulders, positive he’d just been visually molested – and so not in a good way.

Holy crap on a cracker.

• Dee Black.  She is the caring one of the triplets.

• Daemon Black.  Even though he is against Dawson and Bethany, he still supports and protects him in the end.

• Bethany Williams.  She is the new student at the high school and Dawson is instantly attracted to her.  He worries because he has a carbon copy of himself in Daemon, but Bethany can tell them apart, which he finds amazing.  Bethany is a strong character who is also funny.

He could be a llama in disguise and she’d still be…fascinated by him.

Great.  West Virginia was where printers went to die.

• Some of the other Luxen in this book.   I realize that they are just concerned about Dawson and the Luxen as a whole, but still.

The Goddess Hunt

Title: The Goddess Hunt

Author: Aimée Carter

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Publish Date:  01 March 2012

Pages: 71

ISBN: 978-1-42683-415-8

Source: Bought

Genre: Young Adult, romance, mythology

Series: The Goddess Test

Other books in series: The Goddess Test, Goddess Interrupted, The Goddess Legacy (July 2012)

A vacation in Greece sounds like the perfect way for Kate Winters to spend her first sabbatical away from the Underworld...until she gets caught up in an immortal feud going back millennia. Castor and Pollux have been on the run from Zeus and Hades' wrath for centuries, hiding from the gods who hunt them. The last person they trust is Kate, the new Queen of the Underworld. Nevertheless, she is determined to help their cause. But when it comes to dealing with immortals, Kate still has a lot to learn....

What did Kate Winters do during her first six months away from Henry?  This story starts out telling us some history of Castor and Pollux who are on the run from Zeus.  Castor and Pollux are twin sons of Zeus who were tricked by him.  One is mortal, the other is immortal.  The twins couldn’t picture spending eternity without each other and when Castor dies and goes to The Underworld, Pollux rescues him, which angered not only Zeus, but Hades, the God of the Underworld. 

                                                       

Fast forward to today.  Kate Winters has won immortality in The Goddess Test.   According to her agreement with Henry, she spends six months in The Underworld with him and gets to spend the other six months away from doing whatever she pleases.  During her first six months away, she spends the summer with James in Greece.  Things happen there that she doesn’t expect.  First off, James getting “lost” and finding Castor and Pollux, who have been on the run for centuries.  The last person that they want to trust is Kate, the Queen of the Underworld.  What happens when Henry (Hades) finds out that James and Kate has found Castor and Pollux?

I really like The Goddess Test series , but I wasn’t as excited about reading this novella and I’m not sure why.  Maybe because I had Goddess Interrupted to keep me busy at the same time.  Like Henry, I think that I really didn’t care what Kate did on her six months off and found it hard to believe that this would be an interesting story.  I was wrong.  This story drew me in like the other books in the series.  Carter never ceases to amaze me with her writing.  Not only is it grammatically correct, but the way she creates these characters that are ancient is astounding and I wasn't disappointed in this novella.  You would expect them not to use the same vernacular and grammar as those characters of today and she writes this flawlessly.

The cover shows a female, who is the same one on the other covers in the series, Kate Winters.  She is looking through a forest of some sort.  The font of the title is the same that is used for the other books in the series as well.  The consistency throughout the books is good to see.  I think that having her in the forest is appropriate for this novella because a lot of the story happens there.

 

• Kate Winters.  She is the main character.  Even though this is her time away from Henry and he has told her that she can do whatever she pleases and he cannot stop her, she is faithful to the vows that she made as Henry’s wife.  She shows some of her true character when dealing with Castor and Pollux.

• Henry.  Ah, Henry.  Every story that I read about him, I like him more and more.  Yes, he is angry and Castor and Pollux.  Nobody has ever escaped The Underworld before and this has upset him because that is his realm and he doesn’t want others to follow.  Having chased them for centuries, his patience is wearing thin.

• Castor and Pollux.  The twins of Zeus.  Zeus, being the master tricker that he is, made one of his sons mortal and the other immortal.  When Castor dies, Zeus makes a deal with Pollux where one day Castor can be immortal and the next he will spend in The Underworld and Pollux would get the same deal.  Pollux takes the deal because he thinks that means that he would get to spend eternity with his brother.  What he didn’t know was that he would never see him because their days would alternate.  Pollux really cares for Castor. He couldn’t see living without him and rescues him from The Underworld.  They are running and in hiding so Zeus and Hades do not find them and punish them for what they have done, which is outsmart Zeus.  At first, Pollux seems very abrasive.  I wouldn’t expect any less from someone who was betrayed by his father.  Castor is very polite and charming.

• Cerebus.  He is guardian and a dog of The Underworld.  Pollux punches him in the nose when he rescues Castor.  He comes again to the forest and encounters Pollux and Castor again.  You just have to  love dogs.  

 

• James.  James has been slowing going from the “like” to “did not like” side.  At first, he seems to really care about Kate and what happens to her.  After reading his history and the things that he has done, I’m beginning to like him less and less.  He was always there to fight with his brothers against the threats in Goddess Interrupted without question, but his heart wasn’t in it.  He tries to get Kate to go against her vows to Henry.  He finds Castor and Pollux when he knows that this will cause problems for them.

• The other Gods and Goddesses in this novella. Yeah, they have rules that they have to uphold, but they seem heartless when they do it.  Some of them surprise me, but for the most part they are prideful and cold. 

Blog Tour: Until Next Time

Title: Until Next Time

Author: Amy Lignor

Publisher: Tribute Books

Publish Date:  01 February 2012

Pages: 295

ISBN: 978-0-9837418-5-5

Source: Book for review from author

Genre: Young Adult, angels, paranormal, romance

Series: Angel Chronicles

Other books in series: unknown

How does a girl choose between the one who steals her heart and the one who owns her soul?

Matt and Emily were created for a specific job. Raised and trained as the ultimate angel/warrior team, they are sent down to save, defend, judge and forgive, depending on the 'life' they've been assigned. What they don't realize is that the power of human emotions, such as love, anger, passion and fear can take over even the best of souls, causing them to make mistakes and follow paths that lead to confusion and heartache.

When the reason for their training is finally revealed, the angel/warrior team find themselves thrust into a world they know nothing about. Matt takes over the life of Daniel, a young man with a great deal of baggage. Emily becomes Liz, a girl living in a remote village who relies on nothing more than her own strength to survive. A violent storm erupts one night, and framed in the window of Liz's establishment is a frightening face. Let in by the soul of a Good Samaritan, the two visitors bring with them a past full of secrets that could literally change an angel's path and a warrior's plans.

From murder to redemption, this angel/warrior team must find a way to keep the faith they have in each other in a world that's ripping them apart.

This series starts out with Emily and Matt getting ready to go down to Earth another time.  Emily is an angel and Matt is a warrior.  They are being sent to Earth in order to gain knowledge for their side of the war.  They have been training for this for a long time.  In order to do that, they need to review the previous times that they have been down in order to rid themselves of anger.   Emily doesn’t want to go because of her previous experiences.  Matt and Emily sit down in the library and review the first time they were sent. 

In 1810, they were sent to inhabit “shells” or bodies without souls, in Ireland.  Emily was Elizabeth and Matt was Daniel.  It tells of the back story there.  During this story, you figure out that Elizabeth aka Liz is the sole survivor in her family.  Her mother died during childbirth of a younger sibling, and her father, overcome with grief, committed suicide shortly thereafter.  This left Liz the owner of a pub.  The townsfolk helped Liz until she was old enough to run it herself.  Faith, a woman who came into her life after running away from home, helps her with the pub.  Daniel would come around and help them when he could.  His home life wasn’t that great and he was looking for an escape and found that when he would be around Liz.  He felt safe there. 

One rainy evening, two men come to the pub after it was closed and asked to gain entrance due to the storm.  They are Charles and Jason.  Liz and Faith are concerned at first letting these two men into their homes, but soon find out that they are not the vagabonds that they first thought they were.   The story continues with their travels with Charles and Jason.  How does Daniel feel when he is left behind and the woman he loves goes away with another man?

I liked the plot in this story.  It was refreshing to read something with a twist that I haven’t read before.  I thought that the characters were well developed.  It was difficult for me, at times, to keep what was happening straight.  It wasn't because there were holes in the plot or anything.  I guess I'm just not used to being forced to think for myself when it comes to books.  This book did just that.    Some of the ideas in this book, I'm still not sure about.  

When I first read about them reviewing the previous excursions to Earth, it took me awhile before I realized that they were reviewing the first time they were sent.  I don’t know if I just didn’t get it or that there wasn’t enough there to give it away.  There are times when Emily and Matt return “home” and talk with their instructors.  This was a little confusing at first because it just happened out of the blue.  Once I figured out that was what was happening, it was nice to see the trips.  Overall, I really liked the book.

The question remains: Am I team Matt or team Jason?  I don't know.  They both have their redeeming qualities.  I will have to make that decision in later books.

The cover shows an angel with red hair and you see her heart.  It looks as though the angel is made of stone and is cracking.  I thought this cover was appropriate for the storyline.  I won’t say much more because I don’t want to give anything away.  I like the font of the title on the cover.

• Emily/Liz: She is one of the main characters.  She learns that being on Earth isn’t as easy as she thought.  She has these feelings that she doesn’t know what to do with.  She doesn’t know who Matt is when she goes down.  She doesn’t remember who/what she is.  She is protective of the people that she cares about.

• Matt/Daniel:  He is the other main character.  Most of the story is told from Liz’s point of view, but you still get a little of Daniel.  He is in love with Liz and has been for a while.  It hurts him when she leaves but he doesn’t give up on her.  He senses that he and Liz are connected, although he doesn’t understand it.

•Faith:  She is the girl who helps Liz at the pub.  She is also protective of those whom she loves.  She keeps Liz’s secrets.

• Charles and Jason:  They happen upon Liz and Faith during a storm and are changed forever.  They were wandering about the countryside after leaving home due to the circumstances that were happening.  Liz and Faith leave with them.  Charles and Jason are good to the girls and protect them. 

• The Instructors: Gabriel, Michael, Francis.  They are funny to read about.  The card games...

• Martha and Anthony:  They are the only ones who seemed relieved to see Jason and Charles when they return home.

• The storyline or plot.

 

•Mr. and Mrs. Faire:  Charles’ parents.  They are the type of people who try to appear as though they are nice when they really are not.

• How confused at times I got from going in between “home” and Ireland.

Author Interview: Aimée Carter

Aimée Carter was born and raised in Michigan, where she currently resides. She started writing fan fiction at eleven, began her first original story four years later, and hasn’t stopped writing since.

I'm really not very interesting at all. I attended the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and received a degree in Screen Arts and Cultures (a fancy way of saying I was forced to watch a lot of old movies) with a subconcentration in Screenwriting. I write. I watch a lot of new movies. Read a lot of books. Tweet too much. Love dogs and have two spoiled Papillons.

Aimée Carter, the author of The Goddess Test, The Goddess Hunt, Goddess Interrupted and The Goddess Legacies (released August 2012) answered a few questions that I had for her.

The Hunger Games Contest part 2

Now that the movie is out, I want to hear your opinions of it.  When the movie first started, I wasn't too impressed with the cinematography and thought that the camera was all over the place.  After that first scene, it got MUCH better.  I won't spoil the movie for anyone, but there were a couple of instances where I wasn't sure if that was in the book or not.  This is always a fear when they adapt a film from a book, but I thought the additions were wonderful in the movie.  These being the point of views from characters other than Katniss.  I have only seen this movie once and must see it again.  I have had to re-read the books as a result of watching the movie.

To celebrate the movie, I am having another contest.  In this one, I want to hear what your thoughts on the movie were and how they compared to the books.  I didn't make that a requirement of this contest because I know some people don't like to comment on blogs.

I am giving away: 1 collector's edition of The Hunger Games, 2 paperback copies of The Hunger Games with bookmarks, mockinjay tattoos and mockingjay pins and 1 paperback copy of The Hunger Games.  The collector's edition, bookmarks, tattoos and pins were all donated by Scholastic Books.

Rules

• You will have 48 hours to respond or you will forfeit your prize.
•  I reserve the right to cancel the contest at any time without reason.  
•  I am not responsible for parcels lost or damaged in the postal system.  I will make every attempt to avoid this.
• You must be 13 years or older to participate.
• Contest is international.
• Names will be drawn by Random.org that is within rafflecopter.  
• Winner will be announced in this blog post at the conclusion of the contest and notified by the e-mail provided to enter the contest.  Make sure this is the e-mail that you want me to contact you!