Review: Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout

OBSIDIAN
By: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Published By: Entangled Publishing
Release Date: Dec. 6, 2011
Series: Lux (#1)
Pages: 266
Genre: Science Fiction
Reading Level: Young Adult
Source: Netgalley
Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads Summary: 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.



I think I am slowly learning my lesson about not procrastinating on sci-fi books. Obsidian may have aliens, but let me assure you, these aliens are nothing like the stereotypical little green men or ET. These aliens are...well...I think you should read and find out for yourself...but never has an alien been so attractive.

When Katy and her mother move from Florida to West Virginia, Katy is not expecting much more than a humdrum year until she can leave for college. Still mourning the loss of her father and living with her mostly-absent mother, Katy throws herself into her book blog and the fantasy world that books offer. And then she meets Daemon, her hot next-door neighbor. As it turns out, Daemon also has a sister (who is much friendlier), and Katy and Dee begin spending time together, which in turn brings Katy around Daemon. Katy has resigned herself to hating and being hated by Daemon until strange things start happening. It soon becomes clear that Daemon has powers...otherwordly powers. But after learning his secret, Katy is in more danger than ever. Katy is forced to rely on Daemon for protection, which might be every other girl in town's dream, but Daemon hates her...doesn't he?

Where to begin? Even though I had put off reading this book, I was completely sold by the time I'd finished the first chapter. Katy may be one of my favorite heroines that I've read in a while. First of all, I love that she's a book blogger. But beyond that, I loved her voice and her snark. Katy is not afraid to speak her mind and she's often highly entertaining while doing it. She is both brave and tough, whether she's standing up for herself or fighting for those she loves. Enter Daemon, the irresistibly hot but oh-so-infuriating alien neighbor. There were times when I loved the dialogue between these two, a few scenes that made me smile...and then there were the moments where their chemistry sizzles right off the page. Two other things I especially liked about this book: There was no insta-love, thank goodness, and Katy had other friends than just Daemon's sister. Even though I liked the alien lore and the excitement in the story, the characters really made the book.

I really did enjoy this book, but I know that I am one of the few people not giving it five stars. Although there were many things I loved - especially the beginning and the end - somewhere in the middle I became very frustrated with Daemon's constant hot and cold game with Katy as well as Ash's posturing. I feel like the book lost a bit of its momentum and that impacted my overall impression. However, that certainly won't stop me from reading more of Arementrout's books.

Inventive and fresh, Obsidian is a great book for fans of sci-fi or the paranormal. I will be looking forward to reading more from Jennifer L. Armentrout in the future, both Half Blood and future books in the Lux series!