E-ARC Review: "Obsidian" by Jennifer L. Armentrout

From Goodreads: "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."

When I first read this book synopsis way back when, while I found the premise to be intriguing, I can't lie, I scoffed at the idea of the paranormal beings of this book being aliens (I totally pictured little green aliens with tiny bodies and gigantic heads running around with lasers and other technologies that my mere human mind would be unable to wrap my head around). Therefore you can imagine my surprise when I read this book and learn that the aliens are in fact SUPER gorgeous looking humans (and even when they are in their 'natural' forms they are still pretty gorgeous sounding- think Lend from Kiersten White's "Paranormalcy" series) and when the book didn't follow the stereotypical alien plotline (ie. "We have come to take over your planet", "Take us to your leader", and whatnot).

I don't know if I have ever seen so much sexual tension in a YA book before than I did in this book, sexual tension that was extremely reminiscent of an adult UF/ PNR (don't get me wrong, I am by no means complaining, sexual tension= fun times)- what does this mean? That this book successfully bridges the gap between YA and adult- a thirty year old will be as satisfied with this book as a 16 year old.

Both Daemon and Katy are such well-developed characters and probably the snarkiest pairing I have ever read in a YA book before. Seriously, neither one could not out-do the other (nor could they allow the other to have the last word). I am convinced that if they were to become a legitimate couple they could rule the world (with him being totally swoon-worthy,  possessive- in a not-creepy-but-cute-possessive way, and a genuinely nice guy despite his tough exterior and her being a strong female not afraid to stand up for what she believes in and who never backs down).

All in all, once you start this book you won't be able to set it down, not only because of the sexytimes, but also the fast-paced and unique plotline and dynamic characters. I am totally kicking myself for this being the first book by Jennifer that I have read before (guess who is adding her other series to the top of their TBR pile?)! I need a sequel ASAP!

Rating: 5/5

I received this book from the Publisher/ NetGalley to read and honestly review. I was not compensated in any way for said review.

Memorable lines from the book: 

"Yeah, it's kind of a hobby. What's yours? Kicking puppies?" (7%)

"Yeah, people call me Kitten all the time. But you make it sound so... I don't know, like it's an insult... Or something sexually deviant" (19%). 

"They were googly-eyed in class on Friday. It was pretty steamy, the while 'I'm screwing you with my eyes' thing they had going on" (64%). 

"We could take her out to a field and chase her around in our cars" (82%).