Thursday, September 22, 2011

Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Release date:  October 18, 2011
Published by:  Spencer Hill Press
Reviewed by:  AmyG (big sis)
Sisters Say:  Hot, Heady, and Harrowing

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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.  -Goodreads  

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I'm going to start off by saying that Spencer Hill Press is an indie publishing house, but it has put out an amazing book that can rival anything from the big mainstream publishers.  I wasn't sure what to expect when I picked up this book, but lo' and behold I was completely blown away and left utterly speechless.
  
Half-Blood combines two of my favorite things, Greek mythology and YA literature.  We get to see a modernized Greek world in which the people believe that the gods are still alive and well.  It has it all, pure-bloods, half-bloods, oracles, chosen ones, and everything in between.  The world is complete in and of itself, with its own government and laws.  Everyone is raised up to take a role in the community.  Sometimes the roles are great, sometimes not.  

Half-Blood's characters are genuine and distinct.  I found them multi-dimentional and felt a connection to all of them, even the ones that are clearly not very likable.  Alex is a worthy heroine that is brave beyond belief.  She's likable and relatable.  I wanted her to succeed and cheered her on with all my heart even as it broke as she had to face the tasks required of her.  Aiden, oh Aiden, Mr. Sizzling!  He will make your blood boil!  He's a rule follower except when it comes to love!  Isn't that what every girl wants?!?  Lastly, I have to mention Seth.  What can I say about Seth?  He has the makings of legitimate angle in a love triangle.  I'm anxious to see where the story goes concerning him. 

At the heart of the story is a relationship of forbidden love though.  Love, not only forbidden by the laws but quite possibly forbidden by the fates.  I don't want to say too much for fear of giving too much away, but its the perfect blend of love, wanting, and tension.  I found myself yelling at the book, just kiss her!!!  I will tell you that Jennifer does not disappoint when it comes to the love story!  I was not left wanting!  Woo, where's my fan?

This book is the type you buy for yourself and for other people. Then, beg them to read it also just so you can talk about it!  There's so much more to it that I couldn't even mention.  Horrible, impossible decisions characters are forced to make, or hardships that they have already faced.   Plus, the whole idea of what exactly makes someone of "pure" blood?  Is it something that one is physically born with or is it the soul and character of that person?  Half-Blood is a timeless story, and  I encourage everyone to read!