Shadows by Jennifer L. Armentrout

This novella is meant as a prequel to the series and explains how Dawson and Beth (Bethany/Liz/Elizabeth) end up together and pronounced dead (well sort of).
I really liked certain aspects of the book, like getting to know Daemon, Dee, and Adam before Dawson's "death". They really were more open and trusting. It really made me miss Adam. He was such a nice guy. And the Black siblings relationships are so amazing. They truly care about each other and really do have each others' back. Daemon really didn't let Dawson down in the end. He understood what Dawson wanted and supported him. That is what Dawson truly needed, even if he does end up being captured.
Dawson is pretty hilarious and Beth is nice and likes to paint. I really don't have anything against either of them but I just couldn't get into the love at first sight + falling head over heels for each other. It seemed a bit too cliche, especially with the slip off the rock that lead to Dawson having to heal Beth, and her being so accepting of the Luxen thing. Yes, things like that do happen, but he went full Luxen during a make out session and she doesn't so much as scream or even really need a minute to wrap her head around it??? Unrealistic and that really isn't very intriguing for me.
This book did take my dislike of Will to a whole new level. Poor Beth and her family move out from New Mexico (I think) to take care of him because he is sick and has cancer (a usually curable kind but still) and he is a complete jerk. Not only that but he can see how Beth dotes on her brother and how much she cares for Dawson. All he can think about is how he should turn her in now that he suspects she was healed. What is in it for him? Clearly it wasn't a healing nor a mutation. Maybe he hoped he would be mutated? Or did he even realize what it was at the time? Still, how could he turn in his own NIECE? Oh I dislike him so very much. I am so glad Katy killed him. He deserved it.
My favorite part of the book, and perhaps the most touching was the pure anguish that radiated off the pages when Dee and Daemon found out Dawson had died. It broke my heart for them. Even thinking about it brings tears to my eyes. It explains so much about the following books, how they change and react to everything. It makes me wonder what I would do if I was told one of my brothers had died. If I could move a house, I probably would too. That scene will be forever etched in my mind.
Stars: 3.5/5 and most of those are for the epilogue.

Opal by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Seriously, how could she end the book that way????????  And the next one won't come out until July?!?!? I have to wait until July to find out how Daemon rescues Katy from that hell hole????  Very cruel Ms. Armentrout, very cruel.
So aside from the horribly sad ending, whose only redeeming factor is that Daemon finally says he loves Katy (which was depressing and adorable all at the same time), the book was pretty good.
Good chemistry between Daemon and Katy, finally some normalcy for them (date night, couple fights, sex, make out sessions, Prom).  We get to meet the new Dawson. Dee starts to come around, and Andrew and Ash make huge strides in being less bitchy and mean. Lots of progress. We also meet Luc, another hybrid, who has somehow managed to beat the DOD/Daedalus system, though I wonder if he is somehow in on the betrayal at the end. He hints at it during the last meeting with Katy and Daemon - well he says to not trust anyone with something to gain or lose. Technically he has something to lose by them knowing where to find him...
A few hiccups that were a bit strange. First Blake says he has never been to the Mount Weather facility, then he says he has because he didn't feel the Onyx sprays (which is a horrible but very tactically sound protection for the fortress) last time he was there. So which is it? He also says that Beth and Chris are being held on the 10th floor and then Luc says they are on the 6th floor and Blake agrees. That one is probably just a typo. Also with Katy wearing the opal piece:  if it was tied around her neck, why and how was she holding onto the opal through her pocket?
Blake is creepy as usual. Creeping in her bed is taking it a bit far. She should have been more suspicious earlier because she has no citrus scent to leave on her pillow and clearly it wasn't Daemon. Also how was Blake getting around Daemon? Daemon seems a bit more observant than that plus he likes to surprise her. It just seems like he would have slipped into her room more commonly and caught Blake at least once, or prevented Blake's stupidity in the first place. This also leads to the ever present problem of Daemon's hot-headedness, despite how warranted it is. If Daemon didn't always fly off the handle, Katy could have told him about more of the random creepy things that Blake did, which might have prepared them more for his betrayal. And why would Blake betray them? I think he really is just a bad person. I believe he started off good but has let the situation warp him into something not nice where he is only looking out for himself and stomping on everyone else to try to get ahead. It is so sad because if he had been nice or helpful, they probably would have succeeded. Yes a fight probably would have occurred but Daemon, Dawson, and Katy are very strong and with Blake helping instead of trying to hinder them, they probably would have pulled out fine in the end. And why does he think they will just let him go???????? That is crazy. He is so wrapped around their finger that he can't even tell. Pathetic. More proof that he is nothing like Katy. She is a much better person than he is and would never do that to anyone.
I am really curious about this elixir they have concocted to make mutations hold better. What would happen if they injected a human who hadn't been cured by a Luxen, someone who was actually really sick? Would they start to mutate? Would they die? This has probably already been tried since it would be easier than forcing Luxen to mutate humans. That is so sad about Carissa. But who could have mutated her? I was hoping she was actually sick and they just thought she had been mutated, but the more I think about it, the less likely that seems. Also why is hybrid-Simon immune to the Onyx? Seems he must have been mutated by an Arum since they aren't affected by Onxy, only obsidian. That would make sense except Arum don't really have the powers to mutate, unless they take them from a Luxen. But can they use those powers to their full extent? What if a person was mutated by a Luxen but received an Arum concoction? Would they be more Arum then? So confusing. Beth seemed to have an idea as to what they were trying but there really wasn't time for her to explain. Hopefully next book will have more answers.
The rescue mission itself went too easily. Yes Simon showed up and so did the 7 Arum. But Beth was all prepped and prettied and ready to go. She looked horrible last time Katy saw her. Why was she all put together at this facility? It was like they were expecting it, which they probably were thanks to Blake being an idiot. Still, why would they let her go? I also worry that Chris isn't all that thrilled with his bond with Blake anymore. It is possible that he has cracked and gone off the deep end like Blake claimed. It seems more likely that Chris isn't a big Blake fan anymore, now that Blake has gone to the dark side. We shall see. Maybe. I would be fine if we never heard from Blake again. I do not understand why Daemon didn't grab Simon's opal after knocking him out. Clearly those things are helpful. Grab it to help on the way out. But alas, he did not think that through and they left it on Simon. What a waste.
I am sure the next book will shed some light on the big events being planned by Daedalus and how the Arum are benefiting from that relationship. I cannot wait to see what comes of this most recent turn of events and am still horrorstruck that an author could end a book with that kind of a cliffhanger. If I were Daemon, I would take out the entire building to free Katy. And he better. Or someone better. Maybe there will be a group of humans able to help? I don't know and I don't care, Katy had better not stay there for long.
Stars:  4/5

Onyx by Jennifer L. Armentrout

The second book in a series is the hardest one to read.  I always feel a bit let down, which is how I felt about this book. We do learn a lot about the Luxen and the hybrids and the DOD. All that information does make the story drag and the need for strange circumstances in which all of it can be explained.
Hence Blake.  I hate him. Katy's attitude towards him throughout the entire book is so weird. Why does she cling to him even when she knows he is a psycho? He threw a knife at her HEAD. But sure lets go ahead and continue training... so he can abandon her with an Arum. Yeah, what a stellar guy. Clearly he has his own agenda. He was always a bit too perfect from the beginning but no, he seems so "normal". Please. She had Daemon. Why would you want normal? And speaking of Daemon, why wouldn't he offer to train her? Makes sense as her lack of control could seriously expose him, Dee, any of the other Luxen. Why doesn't that ever cross his mind? And trying to use the excuse that he doesn't want her to get hurt just isn't good enough. The risk of exposure is too great. She would obviously need training to control her outbursts of power. None of these choices make sense for either Katy or Daemon (especially not Daemon).
And poor Dee, Lesa, and Carissa have to suffer! And Daemon and Katy as well since they spend a lot of the book angry with each other over Blake. Such a simple solution, get rid of Blake.
Whatever. We do learn a lot and Katy is pretty awesome with her skills. Plus Dawson is alive, Bethany is slightly broken but still with it enough to warn about a bigger problem than the DOD or even Deadalus (or at least that was the impression I got). What are they planning?? Interesting to find out. The worst thing about this book is that Adam dies. So unnecessary. And how was Blake that strong?? Aren't powers tied to how strong the Luxen was that mutated you? Wasn't the Luxen that mutated Blake pretty young at the time he mutated Blake? So do a hybrid's powers grow as the Luxen grows? I am sure we will find out more eventually.
I can't even talk about Will. Arrogant, rude, jerk. Using her mom just to watch Katy is lower than low. Ugghh he is so creepy. How does her mom not notice this?? Yucky, yucky person. I understand why he would want to be mutated but why does he want the bond with Daemon? Does he really not understand how this works? Probably not, half-assing things like usual. And HOW COULD HE TURN IN DAWSON AND BETHANY?????? SHE WAS HIS NIECE!!!!!! Horrible person. Then again, he was able to listen to Katy scream for hours while being held in that cage and waiting for Daemon. So clearly he is awful.
Their whole misconception about the DOD is so strange too. How is it possible that the DOD wouldn't know about the Luxen's powers? If they were killing off Luxen that were asking too many questions or not assimilating well, why wouldn't those Luxen have defended themselves? And exposed all the Luxen powers? No one thought of this before?
One little hiccup I noticed. Daemon tests out the bond between him and Katy by changing into his Light form and communicating with her by thought. Apparently he should not have been able to do that. However doesn't he do it right after he tells her about the Luxen in Obsidian and acts like it is normal? So which is it? I am guessing he either shouldn't have been able to in the first book OR they were already starting to bond because he had healed her (a little when that first Arum attacked her). Though why that would allow them to share thoughts but not do anything else, I have no idea.
Also Daemon mentions that they moved around a lot and included New York in that. So there must be some beta quartz in New York or something else to throw off the Arum. Seems like this beta quartz is somewhat common.
Don't get me wrong, I did like the book overall. I just wish the characters didn't seem to deviate so much from how it seems they should have reacted, based on the first book. I get that she was probably trying to show how people can change depending on the circumstances, and I do agree. I don't see why Daemon would change in this way as it goes against his protective nature so much. What is the bigger threat? Exposure. So teach Katy how to control herself or she will find someone who will. And why couldn't they tell Dee? I get that the knowledge would be dangerous but still, it's Dee. She should know. She could have helped, much more so than Blake but also more than Daemon. AND Daemon was a better teacher than Blake! Katy always understood and had better control when Daemon explained so why would Daemon not demand to train her? Or practice with her when Blake wasn't around? That would have made Blake go away faster. That whole sequence just makes no sense. If Daemon had been more open to training Katy, they probably would have found out about Blake being related to Agent Vaughn sooner. And if Daemon wasn't such a hot head over the whole Blake issue, Katy would have told him of her suspicions as soon as she found out and possibly prevented Adam's death. I agree with Katy for not telling Daemon but I do think he needed to know... just his personality makes it difficult to tell him things like that... which is frustrating. And not a trust issue as he seems to think. Okay enough ranting.
Likes:  Katy's powers, Dawson is alive, Dee and Adam are finally happy together, Katy and Daemon are finally happy together, Daemon putting up the Christmas tree with Katy and Thanksgiving dinner, Daemon never remembering Blake's name, Bethany, killing Officer Vaughn, the combined thing Katy and Daemon do at the end, covert missions
Dislikes:  Adam's death, Will, Blake, onyx mixed with gemstones, torture, DOD, Nancy Husher, Daemon being dumb and a hot head, Katy being dumber.
Stars: 3.5/5

Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Book 1 of the Lux series.
Overview:  Katy, a high schooler with an obsession for books and blogging, moves to a small "town" in West Viriginia for her senior year.  Her Mom has decided they need a fresh start 3 years after Katy's dad died of cancer in Florida, hence the move.  She moves into a house next to twins Daemon and Dee.  Daemon is an ass from the get-go.  Dee is super fun and in desperate need of a friend.  She and Katy hit it off but Daemon's jerk side makes things difficult. 
Turns out, Dee and Daemon, and several of their friends are aliens from another planet.  Daemon is super protective because he and Dee were actually triplets with Dawson, who died the year before.  Daemon can't afford to lose Dee or he will likely lose himself.  Dawson was killed after falling for a human.  Complicated?  Yes.  Dee and Daemon  are a species of aliens called Luxen that come from a now destroyed planet called Lux that is essentially on the other side of the universe.  Many Luxen came to Earth after Lux was destroyed.  Luxen are creatures of light (lux=light) and are able to bend time and space (among other talents) and so can cross huge distances without taking millions of years.  This being Earth, their species is hidden from the humans for fear of fallout amongst the general public.  Oh and there is another alien species, the Arum (arum = dark), on planet Earth and they are the ones who initially destroyed Lux.  They also hunt Luxen and try to steal their powers and kill them.
All of this is why Daemon is such a jerk.  He doesn't want Katy to be friends with Dee because he doesn't want her to find out what Dee is and put everyone in danger.  Except, Daemon is majorly in love with Katy despite his best attempts to alienate her.  Of course, Daemon pisses Katy off (he can't stay away from her) and Katy walks in front of a truck, forcing Daemon to use his powers to save her, and expose the truth of what he and Dee are.  Unfortunately this creates a huge problem because using their powers around humans leaves a trace on them - an excess of energy that other Luxen and Arum can visualize - so Katy is now lit up like a Christmas tree.  A lot of the book is the two of them bantering back and fourth, trying to find a way to remove the trace, repress their desires for one another, prevent the other Luxen from turning Katy in to the government for knowing about them, and avoid or kill the Arum. Several Arum are killed, but eventually one gets the better of the Luxen and Katy.  Daemon tries to heal Katy because, you know, he can't live without her, and Katy becomes a major badass and kills the attacking Arum.  Daemon has to majorly heal Katy after the battle - which is forbidden even by the Luxen rules. And something changes. Katy and Daemon now are bonded, though they aren't sure how. They know when the other is near by, their heart rates match, and they can sort of hear each others thoughts.  This new trick isn't fully investigated in book 1. However the bonding has seemingly removed Daemon's qualms about admitting he likes Katy.  Now she just has to come to terms with her own feelings and maybe they will end happily ever after.

Thoughts:  My summary might seem a bit lack luster but I truly did enjoy the book. I was getting a bit tired of vampires and werewolves. The alien option has never really been my thing but I also have an aversion to strange little green men. Being made of light that can morph into very attractive guys with physiques similar to the Olympic swimming athletes are much more interesting.  :)  I know what I described sounds a lot like your classic RomCom and there is an overture of Twilight (Jennifer Armentrout I am sorry for the comparison) but Obsidian is much better for several reasons:
1) The heroine is a BAMF and doesn't take any shit from anyone, not even the all powerful alien living next door
2) They react realistically to their feelings for one another. While I don't really have a problem with love at first sight, I think more people have an attraction at first that can possibly develop into love if the right things are said and done - Daemon failed at this. And Katy reacted the right way by flipping him off.
3) Good, fairly witty banter.  I actually wish I was able to come back with retorts as quickly as Katy or Dee or Daemon.  Their "fights" were hilarious. Occasionally it seemed Katy might have taken things a bit too personally and it was often hard to read Daemon but they got over it quickly enough that it wasn't a problem.
4) Excellent kissing (almost kissing) scenes. Taking one of the good pages out of the romance novel genre and using it very well made me wish I was Katy for most of the book. Also shows you don't have to be risque to get the right feelings across.
5) I like that some scientific research was down before describing the Luxen/Arum and their abilities. Yes I realize this is Science Fiction but I like to be able to relate a little to what I am reading.

There are several other things I enjoyed about this book, which is why I read it a second time. Especially the chapters told in Daemon's view at the end. 
Some of the things that confused me were how the Luxen were suddenly experts on ways to remove traces besides time.  Adam literally just came up with that idea so why does Dee act like she knows exactly how much exercise/exertion is needed to burn off a light bulb glow versus a Christmas tree glow? Daemon's attitude is also a bit frustrating, because he continues the jerk/douchebag act even beyond healing Katy. I understand why but it was still annoying. I also don't like that Daemon is supposed to be so powerful but had to be saved not once, but twice in this book.  Again I can come up with legitimate reasons why but it seems like more of them should be dead if he isn't all he thinks he is.  I also really want to know how Katy was able to combine Dee's and Daemon's powers.  My theory is Luxen are able to do that but they have to be in groups of three, most likely groups of 3 that are related and which is the reason why they are always born as triplets. Daemon healing Katy changed her so that she is now "one of them" because she is part Daemon and thus able to link up with them to use their energy together against that Arum. The other option is humans are able to bridge the gap between individual Luxen and either potentiate or multiply their powers.  How amusing it would be if it were the second option.  A good reason to come to Earth, but you would think that would already be known... so why is Daemon so surprised?
I am cheating a bit since I have read the other two books and novella.  Too bad.  Eventually I will post one immediately after finishing a book for the first time and really be able to give my first impressions.
RATING:  4.5 stars out of 5

Getting back into writing... or rather posting...

So I may have been a bit lax in my reviews this past year or two.  To be fair, I had to deal with spring quarter of third year, the nerves of going into fourth year, and then fourth year itself.  12 months of 24/7 learning and feeling like a complete idiot most of the time.  I did still manage to find time to read but as writing about the readings is not really all that appealing to me, I could not find time to keep up with this.  Now that I am out of school, moved to the other side of the country, have a job, and am starting to actually live a life, I thought I might give this a try again.  Possibly because I just read some books that would love to be written up and one of the characters from a trilogy I just finished is a book blogger.  Reading about her love and passion for books sparked mine.  I am the first to admit she is much more dedicated than I am and much less picky.  Still it will be interesting to see how long this lasts this time. 
I am going to try to be much more succinct and general when discussing a book.  My previous posts were way too long and was part of the reason I stopped posting.... I dreaded spending all that time regurgitating what I had just read.  I will try to bring up points I thought were important, particularly enjoyed, or downright disagreed with.  Other than that, I will try to avoid going into too much depth.  I will assume anyone who wanders accidentally onto this page and reads a post will have actually read the book before and so will not need the play-by-play I tried to provide earlier.  And if I can't remember enough about the book based on the blurb I write about it, well then I guess I will just have to read the book again.  Such a tough life.  ;)