Book Review: Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Series: Covenant #1
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Release Date: September 19th 2011
My Rating: 5 cups
Blurb (from Goodreads):

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.

I've had this book on my TBR for so long, it's actually slightly embarrassing. I told myself it was time to read it when that's what Random Generator chose when I did the January Random Reads hosted by the awesome Sarah. I'm very glad I read this book.

If you know me, you know I'm pretty obsessed with Armentrout's books. Not only are the heroes incredibly hot (and let's be honest here, some of her villains too) but they are really, really good. The one reason I tried to stay away from this series is that it has ancient gods and their offspring. I love ancient mythology and there are few authors that managed to write about the amazing creatures the ancient people believed in. It's a difficult task, when you think about it, or so it seems to me, and I've had a few disappointments along the way. Granted, I've read some very good books that I'll probably reread until I'm old and wrinkly, but those are few. I'm happy to tell you that the series Covenant is now part of that "very good books" list.

I have to mention that I loved this book so much, I could not help myself from binge reading the entire series. I read it in like a week and obviously I regretted my decision when I realized there's a certain character that gets his own book, so I basically wanted to smack myself because I now have to *gasp* wait for it's release. I mention this because I'll try really hard not to give away anything from the next books, so my review might seem a little...weird. Anyway, back to the review.

I loved Alex. She's the type of character that I love reading about. She has a big mouth and that sometimes gets her into a lot more trouble than she expects, she rarely has a filter so basically she just blurts out whatever it is that she has on her mind. She's also brave and she'd do a lot of things for the people she loves. And as the story goes on I just liked her more and more and more. She has a temper and that also gets her into a lot of trouble. But she's loyal and she rarely backs down from a fight, even though it might be what she should do at times.

Aiden is interesting as well. He's easy to like, even though he plays hard to get. I understood his reasons very well though, and in the books that follow the reasons for why he's so cold at times will be explained in detail (sometimes painfully so). He's strong and daring, but he's cautious and sometimes he's the voice of reason. He is a really good character and he grows on you the more you read the book.

And then there's Seth. I'm afraid I can't give you a description of this character without sounding like a lunatic baboon trying to pass on as a human. But he was... he was amazing. He's the kind of anti-hero you just have to love. You can realize he'll have a huge role to play in this series early on. And it's obvious he's tortured and he's hiding stuff, but he just gets under your skin so fast, you just can't help but love the guy.

Before I end this review, I have to talk about something. I noticed there are a lot of  readers that talked about the similarities between Half-Blood and another book, namely Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead. Did I notice any similarities? Yes, there were a few moments. The story takes place at a school for special people and the heroine falls for the wrong guy and there are a few other details as well. However, Alexandra had her own voice and I never actually even thought about Rose while reading this book. And let me tell you, I didn't notice anything similar between Aiden and Dimitri, aside from the fact that both are trying really hard to be cautious when it comes to the heroines. And they're both men (d'oh). Other than that I did not see other similarities, or I was able to get over them, because the story developed in ways I did not expect at all. I just noticed the fact that I loved the book so much I just had to read the rest of the series and that I had to read it fast.

All in all, I adored this book and I would definitely recommend this to anyone that: 1) loves Jennifer L. Armentrout's books and 2) loves smart-mouthed heroines and silent, sexy heroes and lots of adventures and danger and lots of twists and turns of events that will leave you open-mouthed and on the edge of your seat.

Book Review: The Fiery Heart by Richelle Mead

Author: Richelle Mead
Series: Bloodlines #4
Publisher: Razorbill
Release Date: November 19th 2013
My Rating: 4 cups
Blurb (from Goodreads):

Sydney Sage is an Alchemist, one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of humans and vampires. They protect vampire secrets - and human lives.

In The Indigo Spell, Sydney was torn between the Alchemist way of life and what her heart and gut were telling her to do. And in one breathtaking moment that Richelle Mead fans will never forget, she made a decision that shocked even her. . . .

But the struggle isn't over for Sydney. As she navigates the aftermath of her life-changing decision, she still finds herself pulled in too many directions at once. Her sister Zoe has arrived, and while Sydney longs to grow closer to her, there's still so much she must keep secret. Working with Marcus has changed the way she views the Alchemists, and Sydney must tread a careful path as she harnesses her profound magical ability to undermine the way of life she was raised to defend. Consumed by passion and vengeance, Sydney struggles to keep her secret life under wraps as the threat of exposure — and re-education — looms larger than ever.

Pulses will race throughout this smoldering fourth installment in the New York Times bestselling Bloodlines series, where no secret is safe.

You know, I was waiting for this book with my heart in my throat. I was almost scared to pick it up. I was sure at least one of the main characters will have a hard time during this book (because let's face it here, we are talking about a Richelle Mead book here). The ending wasn't surprising, what was a major surprise though was the person who caused the ending to be the way it was. I'm getting ahead of myself though.

I loved being in Adrian's head and seeing things from his POV. It was a fantastic change and I thought he sounded just the way I imagined he would. He saw the world the exact same way I believed he did. If possible, this book made me love him more. I also have to say I was very proud of him. I've seen a lot of readers angry at Rose when she broke his heart and I do understand their opinion, I really do. While I wasn't happy with the way things ended between them, because of Rose's actions, I think in the end, it helped him get to the point he is in this book. There's a scene that is stuck in my head, when he shocks everyone, including Lissa, his cousin, and Sydney that made me feel so damn proud of him. And it shows how much he's grown and it shows that not only did he want to change for Sydney, the woman he loves, but also for himself. 

Sydney also gave me a very good impression. There's such a huge change from when she was at the beginning of this series. She's more mature, she manages to think beyond what the Alchemists told her all her life. And I thought that was a great thing. Her only flaw? Her sister. I cannot stand Zoe. I would've been able to forgive her annoying attitude and just her entire presence in the story, but the ending and the role she played in it killed me. Now I'm 100% against her and I'd like to step inside the book and slap her into the next century if I could. Alas, I cannot do that *unhappy sigh*

It's weird, because after The Indigo Spell, I thought this book would be worth more than just 5 stars. I was sure it was going to require an entire galaxy for it's rating. Instead it left me a little... how do I put this? I feel like disappointed is too harsh. Maybe waiting for more? I was in shock by the ending, yes, but also, when I got to the ending  and to the very last page, it didn't exactly feel like the book gave me everything I wanted it to give me. Maybe I just got used to each book having more big moments. There were a few, but not enough for me to give it 5 stars. 

I'm also a little worried. I'm keeping my fingers crossed the gang will be able to rescue Sydney before any real damage is done to her mind and spirit, but I also have to wonder what will happen if they don't and if she'll have enough time to recover from this. I am excited for new adventures and for being able to see things from Adrian's POV again. Also, I'm already stocking up on Kleenex, because I'm sure I'll start bawling like a baby once I read those chapters and seeing him hurting and struggling to find the love of his life.

Sunday Book Soundtrack #15: Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Sunday Book Soundtrack is a weekly feature at Ruby's Books, where I share some of my bookish soundtracks. Since I discovered my passion for reading years ago, I've discovered that more and more of the songs I loved remind me of certain books. So I thought I'd share my playlists with you. If you want to listen to the songs, I'll post a link to a Youtube videos for each and every title. No copyright infringement intended! I'll try to find the official videos for each song. There's no set number for each playlist, sometimes I might have 10, sometimes 5, sometimes if I'm one of my moods I'll have 15. If you want to read more about this feature, click the "show more" button below. 

I read with music. If there's no music, I can't read. And not just read, but almost anything, like studying of cooking or doing chores around the house. The only time I don't have music is when I sleep. And during exams, but that's a different story.

Sometimes it happens that a certain song and a book or a scene from the book I'm reading sort of... click. It's like they were made for each other. At least for me. And so I will almost always think of that particular book when hearing that song. I thought I'd share my book soundtracks with you.

Keep in mind that I have a very... weird taste in music. You'll find mostly rock music, country or the 80s-early 90s music in these lists. I might use some "contemporary" songs from now and then, but don't bet on it being something other than those particular genres. Also, not always the songs will be in English. If I have a link to a translation for the lyrics, I'll post it. If you like a song I'm using, that's fine. If not, that's fine too, just don't say I didn't warn you.

The songs aren't always on a book's playlist for their lyrics. Sometimes they're there for an instrument or for a feeling I get when hearing them. Also, I won't always mention what scene I used them for. If it's not a spoiler, I'll share the scene, if it is a spoiler, I'll let you guess.

Anyway, I hope you like my playlists :)

This week's book soundtrack is Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout.

I read this book back in January and I absolutely adored it. I have to write my review for it, but before I do, I'll share my playlist for the book.

1. Nine Inch Nails - The Hand That Feeds
2. The Pretty Reckless - Heaven Knows
3. The Fratellis - She's Not Gone Yet But She's Leaving
4. Imagine Dragons - Demons
5. George Thorogood - Bad To The Bone - this one is for the prequel of this book, titled Daimon

Wednesday Chatter #7: Why you shouldn't be ashamed by what you read

Wednesday Chatter is a weekly feature at Ruby's Books where we'll be talking about anything and everything related to books and reading. Click here if you want to see what we talked about in the previous weeks


WARNING: Some bad words might be used in the following post. Don't say I didn't warn you!

 

The idea for this post came to me while I was filling in the Fairytale Survey that Mel did on her blog. There was this question on if you've ever lied about what you were reading or if you've ever felt ashamed by the books you were reading.

I know there are a lot of people who might feel ashamed by what they read and I know there are many, many people that are acting like assholes and make you want to fell ashamed of what you read. My answer to those snobs is a big "Fuck you!" And I have a few explanations on why that answer is valid.

First of all, literature is a form of art. Now, I know you probably already know that (DUH!). But what you might have forgotten is that art is subjective. What I like and love isn't necessarily liked or loved by someone else and vice versa. So I'm pretty sure I can give the title "art" to anything I want to give it to. And that's true for music, it's true for sculpture, painting, cinema, theater and so on. I don't remember it being illegal to like something someone else doesn't.

Second of all, I'd like to invite those who try to tell me I'm reading crappy books to put it all on the table. You want to analyse what I enjoy? Fine, let's do that, I won't mind it. But let's do the same with your tastes in literature. I'll bet you most of those people will tell you that Lolita is a wonderful piece of literature and that it's 100% better than the erotic romance I'm reading. So basically a book about an older man and an underage girl is better than two consenting adults. That has me confuddled.

Now, you might argue that I just simplified the meaning of Nabokov's book and I did. I know that. But don't you do the same with me when you say I should be ashamed of the books I enjoy reading? Don't you simplify and belittle something that you haven't even read (just like I haven't read Lolita) just because you think "modern" literature is crap? Isn't that the same thing? 

Another thing that you should think about while some people try to make you feel bad for what you read. Over the last few years there have been a lot of studies that prove the benefits of reading. I won't get into them, because then this post would never end, but basically reading is good for you. I've read some of those studies (not all, just a few) and I have yet to encounter one that says the positive long-term effects apply to certain genres or authors. Reading in general is good for you, no matter what it is that you read. So there's another reason why books and shame don't really belong together in the same sentence.

I could probably spend hours talking about this subject, but the point is this: if it makes you happy, read WHAT YOU WANT and tell everyone that judges you to fuck off. Yes, people might give you strange looks if the book you're holding has a bare-chested hunky guy on the cover, but so what? You're doing something fun that is harmful to no one. Wait, I take that back, it might be harmful to yourself, in case the book is too sexy and you start getting all tingly inside.

How is reading something you enjoy any different than listening to your favorite band in your car and singing along at the top of your lungs? It's not. My BFF, whom I've known since we were kids, doesn't always like the same bands or songs or books or even movies that I do. Doesn't mean I think she's a bad human. I accept and completely understand that she has her own tastes, just like I have mine. Hell, I'd be freaked out if everyone liked the same things I did. Just remember, don't judge them for not having the same tastes as you do. And when they judge you, just form a fist and extend the middle finger and shove it in their faces. It only matters what you feel and as long as you're happy, that should be enough.

Early Book Review: My Life From Hell by Tellulah Darling

Author: Tellulah Darling
Series: The Blooming Goddess Trilogy #3
Publisher: Te Da Media
Release Date: March 20th 2014
My Rating: 5 cups
Source: Netgalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):

To say that Sophie Bloom is at the top of her game with one only week until spring equinox and the final showdown with Zeus and Hades would be, well, lying. The Goddess of Spring feels more like the Goddess of Bzz Thanks For Playing than the savior of humanity. And could her relationships be any more messed up?

Good times.

Sophie is convinced that things can’t get any worse than crawling back to her mother Demeter and begging for help. But she’s about to find out how very wrong she is.

It’s a race against time for Sophie to implement the big battle strategy in the YA romantic comedy/Greek mythology finale My Life From Hell. Love meets comedy with a whole lot of sass in book three of this teen fantasy romance series. Save herself; save the world. Humanity may be screwed.

It's always bittersweet to read the last installment of a series, especially when it's of a series that I loved as much as I loved The Blooming Goddess trilogy. I remember the first thing that struck me and that made me want to keep reading this series was the fact that it used mythology as a starting point, but it made it in such a great way that it didn't feel like a caricature, like something I couldn't believe in. Reading about Kai and Festos and all others, I really believed they were gods and that's something that to me seems a bit difficult.

Sophie grows a lot in this book. I think by the end of it we see her being a mature young woman, one that has accepted her past and her role and her obligations, as well as her needs. She's come to terms with what it means to be a goddess, but also with herself as a person. There was such a great scene towards the end where she accepts certain things about herself and it's like she becomes a better version of herself in an instant. It's one of my favorite scenes, even though it was a little bit sad.

I liked that there were a lot of questions from the previous books that got their answers. It was a great thing, seeing all the things I've wondered about get answers. There were also some aspects of the story I never even thought of, some interesting facts I never expected to get.

There were a lot of emotional scenes in this book, some of them downright painful and most of them were completely unexpected. I loved the ending and I thought it was the perfect way to end Sophie's story. I can't imagine a better way to say goodbye to her and to her friends *sniff*sniff*

Book Review: Reaver by Larissa Ione

Author: Larissa Ione
Series: Lords of Deliverance #5
Publisher: Forever
Release Date: December 17th 2013
My Rating: 5 cups
Source: Netgalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):

WARRIOR OF HEAVEN

Reaver is an angel with a past, a record, and a less-than-heavenly attitude. Powerful enough to fight alongside the fiercest battle angels-and crazy enough to risk his wings on a one-way mission to hell-he's agreed to go where no angel has ever gone before...to steal the most seductive and dangerous prize of Satan himself.

ANGEL OF HELL

Harvester is one of the Fallen, a once-heroic angel who sacrificed her wings to work as an undercover agent in hell. But now her cover has been blown, and she's been doomed to an eternity of agonizing torture. Even if Reaver can snatch her away from Satan's lair, even if they can fight their way out of the underworld's darkest depths, there is one thing Harvester can never escape-her newfound thirst for an angel's blood...

I've been waiting for this book for what seems like forever. I was a very happy nerd when I heard Reaver was getting his own story and that Harvester was going to be his lady. I had my fingers crossed for this pairing for a long, long time. I might've happy danced when I heard the news. And maybe I squealed a little bit.

I think it's safe to say that Reaver is my favorite angel, fallen or otherwise. He's such a fantastic character. I love his sarcasm, his wits, his "don't fuck with me" aura. I also like that he's always following his instincts. But more than that (and his hotness) I love that there's always something more about him, there's always another layer to his personality and to who he really is. There were some mind-blowing things that he uncovers about himself and his past. Did I mention he's really, really hot?

Harvester... What can I say about her? I really liked her, even in the beginning, when she was on the bad side of things and she was acting like a bitch. There was just something about her. Her story was heartbreaking to me. It was surprising to see how much good there was in her, even though she's spent so much time in Hell. I think I loved her more with each new detail and with each new story of her past.

The biggest surprise of this book was Revenant. I did a double take when I realized there were not one, but two awesome angels. Talk about fantasies right there! But this is one of the reasons I love this series and Ione's work. Just when you think you know what's happening, you get a huge surprise like this one. I actually did not expect Revenant to be who he turned out to be. And no, the name didn't clue me in. I was completely shocked. But also very happy, because it means there's more stories to come. *rubs hands*

There were a lot of twists and turns, a lot of sad moments, a lot of happy moments and some very sexy scenes. I loved uncovering the truth about Harvester and Reaver and I loved the fact that just because a creature is an angel, doesn't mean he/she is on the side of Good and the same you can say about demons/fallen angels. I'm curious what will happen in the world in the future and I can't wait to find out more about Revenant.