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%).

"Radiant Desire" by Inara Scott

From Goodreads: "The object of every man’s fantasy just lost her wings…

Kaia Verde is one of the four Faerie Handmaids of Zafira, Queen of the Fey. To redress an ancient wrong done to Zafira by a human king, the Handmaids make sport of mortal men, seducing and humiliating them. When Kaia sets out to seduce Garrett Jameson, but ends up being the one surrendering to pleasure, Zafira is furious. Kaia’s punishment is simple: make Garrett fall in love with her by the summer solstice, then break his heart, or face eternity without her wings—or her soul. To make the task harder, Zafira tells Kaia she cannot use her faerie magic or charm to lure Garrett into her bed.

…and now she’s losing her heart…

Kaia thinks her task will be relatively easy—as a faerie, she understands lust, and can love be much different? But once she is living among the humans, Kaia discovers the race she once disparaged is far more complex and beautiful than she imagined. She learns before she can break Garrett’s heart, she must find a way to heal it. And eventually, discovers that losing her wings may be a far easier price to pay than losing her heart."

While this book is geared towards adults I think that mature young adult readers will enjoy just as much, if not more than the intended audience (note that there are a few explicit sex scenes in it which may not be appropriate for younger YA readers). This book possess traits which will appeal to all readers, a unique storyline, a captivating plot and likeable characters.

And speaking of characters, not only do the main characters of this book, Kaia and Garrett shine, but the secondary characters do as well, Rachel, Ted, Portia, and Lexi (and for that I am truly grateful, not once did I find myself annoyed by the secondary characters and just want to skip over their scene as I am oft to do)- in fact, at times I actually found myself rooting more for Rachel and Ted than I did for Kaia and Garrett as their scenes together were so heart-wrenching.

I think that my biggest complaint about the book is the climax- I wouldn't say that it was rushed per se, I just wish that it had been a bit more in-depth (primarily because what is exposed during in it is so EPIC, I want to exactly how the past events transpired, leading to the major confession- can anyone say 'spin-off series'?).

All in all, this is much more than your average bodice-ripping romance- the world building in this book is impeccable, the characters are so relateable and realistic (being flawed as they are), and the romance is so sweet and cute (while being sexy at the same time, for all of your hardcores out there). I highly recommend this book and I cannot wait to see what Inara has in store for us next!

Rating: 8.5/10

I received this book to read and honestly review. I was not compensated in any way for said review.