Origin by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Origin (Lux #4) by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Entangled
On shelves now!
Reviewed by: AmyG (big sis)
Sister's Say: Original, Outstanding and Overwhelmingly Amazing

Daemon will do anything to get Katy back.

After the successful but disastrous raid on Mount Weather, he’s facing the impossible. Katy is gone. Taken. Everything becomes about finding her. Taking out anyone who stands in his way? Done. Burning down the whole world to save her? Gladly. Exposing his alien race to the world? With pleasure.

All Katy can do is survive.


Surrounded by enemies, the only way she can come out of this is to adapt. After all, there are sides of Daedalus that don’t seem entirely crazy, but the group’s goals are frightening and the truths they speak even more disturbing. Who are the real bad guys? Daedalus? Mankind? Or the Luxen?

Together, they can face anything. 

But the most dangerous foe has been there all along, and when the truths are exposed and the lies come crumbling down, which side will Daemon and Katy be standing on? 

And will they even be together?


I'm back!!!  I know it's been awhile since I've posted a review here, but I do have a good reason.  We have a new little one to add to our sisterhood ranks.  His name is August, and he is such a little joy.  For some crazy reason, I had absolutely no desire to read when I was pregnant.  Then the week after I had him, I was dying to have a book in my hands!  I have been putting away the books like crazy these past 3 months. Crazy how hormones are sometimes!  It's good to be back in the reading world, and what a good world that it is at the moment!  I have read SO MANY good books lately and am dying to talk about all of them.  Plus, I have 9 months worth of catching up to do!  Enough about myself, lets move on to Daemon, a much yummier topic!

I know you know what I am going to say, but I have to say it!  Origin is the best in the series yet!  Origin has freakin' everything and then more.  I'm not quite sure where I was expecting this story to go, but it definitely did not stay on the straight and narrow.  JLA does not pull her punches in this one.  She lets it all fly and didn't hold anything back.  You may think you know what is going to happen, but trust me, you don't!

Origin picks up right where Opal ripped out hearts out.  It opens in Kat's POV but switches back and forth between her and Daemon.  So all of you ladies that have been dying to catch a glimpse into Daemon's mind, you get plenty of it.  I loved every second of his POV.  He's exactly how I imagined him, but possibly a little more cocky...if that is even possible!  There's so many great and poignant moments amidst all all the incredible action and we're able to see them through Daemon's eyes.  It's what we've all been waiting for!  We also get all the gushiness!  Gone are the days of the reserved with love words Daemon.  He knows what he wants now and he's not shy about it either!  Honestly, you might all be surprised about just what all Daemon wants and how far he is willing to go to get it!  But, that's the reason why we love him.  He will move heaven and hell along with all the planets to get to what he loves!  I also think the heat in our house picked up a degree every time I read, "I love you."

The action, sweet baby origins (you'll get this joke if you've read the book), the action--it's phenomenal!  I felt like OPAL was the calm before the storm.  And, the storm in ORIGIN causes all hell to break loose, like the dark, crazy, really hot kind of hell!  I felt like I was watching some Alien action movie.  I was waiting for Will Smith to pop out and say, "Welcome to Earth!" after he punches some evil alien!  JLA has a way with description that makes the pages jump to life right in front of your eyes.  I could see it all so clearly as if the action was taking place right in front of my eyes instead of just in my imagination.

Get ready to meet some great new characters.  Some will quickly become some of your favs and others will make your blood boil.  But all in all, JLA is a master at characterization.  Even those you hate with the greatest of passions, you have to admit, they are pretty great characters!  I'm even hoping with all hope that there will be a spin-off novel or 2 for some of these characters!

There are plenty of surprises too!  Some things I saw coming, but other's I was left with my jaw on the floor!  There was one thing in particular that I did not see coming at all, but it left me in a fit of girlish giggles!  On the other hand, Jen doesn't hold anything back.  There's a war going on in Origin and the results are realistic.  This isn't one of those books where it's WWIII but somehow all the characters survive!  Don't get to close to anyone because they might not make it out.  I like that though.  I like that we see the truthful, painful side of war even though it left my heart heart hurting in the end.  All choices have consequences, and I loved seeing how far the characters are willing to go for the choices they have made.

This was my favorite novel of the series to date.  I am dying for the finale of this story, but then again I really don't want it to be over!  So, all I can say as usual with all JLA books, is read it!  You will love it and come away with more book boyfriends!

JLA Come to Austin Pleeeease! :D

This is old news for those of you who have been following the YA Sisterhood, but...

WE LOVE JENNIFER. L. ARMENTROUT!

And for the OPAL Tour, Entangled is running a contest to let the readers decide where the Release Party should be. And we think it should be in Austin, TX! There are so many reasons-- for one, Austin is a great book town and there are so many bloggers here! And there are EVEN MORE Bloggers across Texas who might be able to travel for the event since Austin is centrally located. Austin is also a great town-- good food, good music, good people. AND... JLA hasn't been to Texas yet, and we're all DYING to meet her. If that spiel wasn't enough to convince you, perhaps this video will. 

WARNING: We are technologically deficient, but we did the best we could. No Daemons were harmed in the making of this video.

Also, thanks to Ana for your assistance! :)

If you think that the OPAL Release Party should be in Austin, post on your blog too (and then let Entangled and JLA know)! Tweet about it to Entangled! Spread the word to every one you know! 

NATURALS by Tiffany Truitt Cover Reveal

Hello everyone!  Today we have the pleasure of participating in the cover reveal for Naturals by Tiffany Truitt.  Naturals is the 2nd book in The Lost Souls series, with Chosen Ones being Book 1.

You can read my review of Chosen Ones here

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Tiffany Truitt was born in Peoria, Illinois. A self-proclaimed Navy brat, Tiffany spent most of her childhood living in Virginia, but don’t call her a Southerner. She also spent a few years living in Cuba. Since her time on the island of one McDonald's and Banana Rats (don't ask) she has been obsessed with traveling. Tiffany recently added China to her list of travels (hello inspiration for a new book).

 

Besides traveling, Tiffany has always been an avid reader. The earliest books she remembers reading belong to The Little House on the Prairie Series. First book she read in one day? Little Woman(5th grade). First author she fell in love with? Jane Austen in middle school. Tiffany spent most of her high school and college career as a literary snob. She refused to read anything considered “low brow” or outside the “classics.”

 

Tiffany began teaching middle school in 2006. Her students introduced her to the wide, wonderful world of Young Adult literature. Today, Tiffany embraces popular Young Adult literature and uses it in her classroom. She currently teaches the following novels: The Outsiders, Speak, Night, Dystopian Literature Circles: The Hunger Games, The Giver, The Uglies, and Matched.

And now for the REVEAL!!!!!!

 

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Tess is finally safe from the reach of the Council, now that she is living in the Middlelands with the rebel Isolationists. With James having returned to Templeton, she easily falls back into her friendship with Henry, though her newfound knowledge of Robert’s chosen one status still stings. Even surrounded by people, Tess has never felt more alone. So she’s thrilled when James returns to the settlement, demanding to see Tess — until she finds out that it’s because her sister, Louisa, has been recruited into Tess’s old position at Templeton, and that the dangerously sadistic chosen one George has taken an interest in her.

 

NATURALS is the second book in The Lost Souls trilogy, and follows the dystopian hit CHOSEN ONES.

 

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I absolutely love this cover!  And I love the background--it looks like dead ground which just shows the death and destruction in this dystopian society.  I loved Chosen Ones, and I can't wait for this next book!!!

 

Want to pre-order Naturals?  Do it here:

 http://www.amazon.com/Naturals-Lost-Souls-Tiffany-Truitt/dp/1620611473/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1345929106&sr=8-1&keywords=naturals+tiffany+truitt

 

 

Jennifer L. ArmenTOURNEY Match #11 & #13

**click on the pic above to visit other Pure Blog Tour stops**

And the winners are...

Alex and Daemon!

(Should be an interesting finale, huh, guys? Bad@$$ Heroine vs. Bad Boy love interest. Whose side will you be on?)

Matches will open at 12:01AM on April 7th and close at 8PM CST on April 9th. We are not having advocates in this tournament, so all of you feel free to rally the troups and support your characters in the comments. Remember above all that this tournament is to celebrate ALL of Jennifer's characters. If there is any slandering, character bashing, cursing, or anything else we deem inappropriate, we reserve the right to delete your comment. Let's have fun, cheer on our favorite characters, and show Jennifer how much we love her!

**The winner of these matches will face the other in the Ulitmate Covenant vs Lux Showdown next week!**

Match #11:  Alex (Seed #2) vs Seth (Seed #3)

Okay, here we go!  Let's find out who is going to rule this match between the two Apollyons!  Both are worthy, both are powerful, and both are so fan-freakin'-tastic!  As you probably know, Alex and Seth are both from JLA's Covenant Series.  Alexandria, Alex for short, the protagonist of the series, was born a Half-Blood but finds out that she is actually the 2nd of 2 Apollyons.  In modern day history there has never been 2 Apollyons, so she is extremely rare.  And as legend says, 2 apollyons does not bode well for the Covenant.  Alex has bravely faced every challenge that has been tossed her way, some so harrowing that even the greatest of mythological heroes would have turned back.  She is caught in a love triangle of epic proportions between Seth and Aiden in which many of JLA's readers would gladly take her place!  

Seth is the uber-strong Apollyon who is able to control the four elements:  earth, wind, water, and fire.  But, he doesn't stop there--he is the only one who can control a fifth element--akasha, which can only be described as a lightning bolt coming from his oh-so-masculine hands.  He is arrogant to a fault, and as a result, he thinks he's, we'll say Zeus's gift, to all women.  Because Alex will end up being the 2nd Apollyon, Seth has a very strong connection to her--both physical and emotional.  He's tempermental, saucy, and has the kind of charm that radiates sexiness.  If Seth were in our world--he'd be the oh-so-sexy guy who told your parents that "My girl doesn't have a curfew," and then with a tough "vroom," you'd jump on the back of his motorcyle and take off (fearing exactly what your parents were going to say when you returned).  In the coming novels, I have a feeling everything between Alex and Seth is about to explode into all out chaos, the good or the bad kind is yet to be determined!  Good luck chosing who should win, but these girl's right here, have no idea!!!

*VOTING IS NOW CLOSED*

Match #13: Daemon (Seed #1) vs Dee (Seed #3)

Daemon and Dee, the siblings that we have all come to love so dearly!  All the girls want Dee for their best friend and Daemon for their boyfriend!  This is going to be one painful match!  If you don't know who Daemon and Dee are, here's a little info on them.  both represent JLA's Lux Series.  Both are uncommonly good looking aliens that have all kinds of awesome powers.  All of the aliens from this series are born into triplets including, Daemon, Dawson and Dee are one set of triplets.  Daemon out of all the aliens on earth is currently the most powerful.  He comes across as harsh and mean, but it's only to protect his family.  He is Katy's love interest in Obsidian even though he never wanted to be involved with a human.  It's the ultimate of all forbidden romances, that will make you fall hard for this hero!  Oh yeah, and did we mention he is super, extraordinarily, swoon-worthy!

Dee immediately befriends Katy, and soon becomes her best friend, despite Daemon's futile attempts to pull them apart.  Dee is in an on-again, off-again relationship with Adam, one of the Lux who seems to be more tolerable towards humans.  She is by far the friendliest of all the Lux, and she whole-heartedly defends Katy to all the other Lux.  She's beautiful and has a fantastic sense of fashion.  Dee's the girl that you want to be your college roomate, your maid of honor and your wedding, and the one beside you if you ever get mugged!  We love both Daemon and Dee so much and hate to see either of them go, so we wish you the best of luck in your voting decision!

*VOTING IS NOW CLOSED*

Cover Reveal & Excerpt of INBETWEEN by Tara Fuller

We're excited to reveal to you the cover for an upcoming release by Entangled Publishing! Entangled is sort of a new kid on the block, but they are already making a HUGE splash. Remember OBSIDIAN by Jennifer L. Armentrout? Remember how I gushed uncontrollably? Same Publisher. We sisters have also had a chance to read two more Entangled books (reviews to come soon), and adored them both. Not to mention, they've got numerous books scheduled to release that sound absolutely amazing! We're so excited to be able to help spread the word about one of those new releases! So, here it is, ladies and gentlemen! The cover for INBETWEEN (Kissed by Death, #1) by Tara Fuller, scheduled for release on August 7, 2012! 

Since the car crash that took her father’s life three years ago, Emma’s

life has been a freaky—and unending—lesson in caution. Surviving

“accidents” has taken priority over being a normal seventeen-year-old, so

Emma spends her days taking pictures of life instead of living it. Falling

in love with a boy was never part of the plan. Falling for a reaper who

makes her chest ache and her head spin? Not an option.

It’s not easy being dead, especially for a reaper in love with a girl fate

has put on his list not once, but twice. Finn’s fellow reapers give him

hell about spending time with Emma, but Finn couldn't let her die before,

and he’s not about to let her die now. He will protect the girl he loves

from the evil he accidentally unleashed, even if it means sacrificing the

only thing he has left…his soul.

Here is a special exerpt from Inbetween:

Chapter 1

Finn

Sometimes Emma made me feel so alive, I almost forgot I was dead. 

Almost. 

I sank down onto the side of her bed, amazed by the blazing wildfire that swept through me whenever Emma was near enough to touch. I took a deep, unneeded breath, and settled down on my side next to her. The mattress didn’t sink. The springs didn’t groan with the weight of an extra body. The distance between us was an impossible void. Inches that might as well have been miles. Miles that left me wanting in so many ways that I ached.

Even the sun couldn’t resist her. Its glowing rays caressed her skin, and stained her hair the satiny color of summer wheat. Before I knew what was happening, my hand followed their lead. Cells ignited. My skin burned, screaming with the agonizing need to touch— 

“What do you think you’re doing?” 

I jerked my hand away just as Easton melted up from the polished hardwood floor beneath the window. Like an oil slick coming to life, he unfolded his long, shadowy legs until he was just an ink blot against the square of tangerine sunrise behind him. His violet eyes pinned me like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar. 

Which, I kind of was.

“Nothing,” I lied.

“Yeah, looked like nothing.” He strolled across the room accompanied by a wave of sulfur and smoke, the black serpent tattoo on his neck glinting. “What were you planning to do, recite her poem? I swear to God, if you were still alive I’d confiscate your man card.” 

I ignored the barb and scrunched up my nose. “Jesus, Easton. Don’t they have a shower somewhere between here and the afterlife?” 

“Screw you. You didn’t just have to tow somebody’s grandpa to Hell.” He brushed something chalky and grey off of his cloak and a shudder worked its way down my spine. God only knows who or what it belonged to. “Besides I wasn’t the one about to feel up a sleeping human.” 

“I wasn’t—”

“Save it.” He waved his hand. “We have work to do. I don’t have time for your useless obsession with the human today.”

 “Will you please stop calling her that?”

“What?” Easton glanced up from Emma’s vanity, where he’d been inspecting the various lotions and bottles like he was on some alien planet. Then again, Easton had been dead for something like four hundred years, so all of her stuff probably was sort of alien to him.

“The human. You make me sound like a freak. It’s not like we’re a different species for God’s sake. We were humans, too, or don’t you remember that far back?”

“Were. Past tense.” 

We could have gone back and forth like that for hours, but the call came. It always did. It started in my bones—a cold so cutting that it sliced through me like a machete. When I looked up, Easton’s jaw was clenched, his muscles taut and ready. He slowly closed his hand around the handle of his scythe that burned black and softly smoked at his side. I flexed my fingers as the icy ribbons of death worked their way through each one of my limbs.

“Can you take this one for me?” I asked. “You’re already going to be there, and I just got back—”

“No,” Easton said. “Hell no. I have my own job to do. I can’t keep covering for your sorry ass. Besides, you’re already on thin ice with Balthazar. Don’t push your luck, Finn. Just keep your nose down, collect your souls, and thank the Almighty that you don’t have my job. Now let’s go.”

“Yeah, but…” My eyes returned to Emma. Sleeping. Perfect. Safe.

“For the love of God. She’ll be fine, you pansy.” Easton clamped a hand over my shoulder and dragged me from the bed.

“How do you know?”

He shrugged. “I don’t.”

 With that he vanished, consumed in a flash by the keening wails of the damned. The screams beckoned. Clawed at me from the inside out. 

Rule one as a seeker: Death doesn’t wait for anyone. 

And it sure as hell wasn’t waiting for me now.

Paperback Available for Pre-Order from Amazon.

Add to your Goodreads.

Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Obsidian
by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Reviewed by: Baby Sister Brittany
Release date: 12/6/2011
The Sisters say: Sexy, Sarcastic, and So SO good!

Before I start this review, I just have to take a moment to say how much I love Jennifer Armentrout! She burst onto the scene this year with Half-Blood. In all, I've read three of her books so far, and I am blown away! Seriously, she's earned herself a fan for life, and she's definitely one to watch! Also, this book comes from a new press-- Entangled Publishing. I've read two of their books so far, and I must say that I am impressed. I will definitely be reading more books from them in the future.

Alright... now let's get down (and erm... dirty?) with Obsidian.




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.

At first, I was a little questionable about this book. I mean... it's about Aliens. Not that Aliens are necessarily bad, but I've just never read an Alien story that truly grabbed me. I had high hopes for I AM NUMBER FOUR, but honestly, found it to be lacking.

This book was everything I had hoped Number Four would be, but wasn't! The Alien backstory wasn't cheesy or distracting in the least. And unlike Number Four, Obsidian had the characters, relationships, voice, and pacing to make it a successful, exciting read. It didn't just rely on action scenes (though there was plenty of action). *Imagines Daemon saying, "That's what she said."*

Katy, the main character, is a book blogger. Perhaps, I'm biased, but I thought that brought a really unique aspect to her character that we don't see very often! She's strong-willed and sassy, but with an underlying vulnerability that lends her a real sense of believability as a character. I think Katy makes a fantastic heroine, too. When she discovers the truth about Daemon and his sister, she takes it all in stride. In most books like this, I feel like the female MC discovers the paranormal secret and the danger that is inevitably attached, and then allows themselves to become the damsel-in-distress. Sure it usually requires a bit of bravery to stick around that danger, but that's it. This was not the case with Katy at all. I don't want to give any spoilers away, but she's no damsel-in-distress, I'll say that.

I don't mean to gush, but Daemon is pretty amazing, too. I know that a cute boy doesn't make a book successful, but it certainly doesn't hurt, am I right? Daemon is full of contradictions-- which is what makes him so interesting! He's egotistical, but often plays the silent hero, helping without seeking attention. On the outside, he has the emotional equivalent of brick wall, but you definitely get a sense of the sorrow, loss, and anger that has driven him to that point. He's tough, angry, and at times, downright scary. And yet, he has the most tender, innocent, and dare I say it, CUTE relationship with his sister. It makes him seem both older and younger than he actually is, at the same time.

And lastly, the plot and pacing of this book was exciting and unique, and will make you continue to turn the pages long after you promised yourself you were going to go to bed! The humor that I think characterizes Jennifer's writing, along with the action, keeps the book moving at a steady pace. Even on a second read, I never felt like there was a lull in the story. (Yes, I said second read. Once just wasn't enough).

So in conclusion, I need you to do three things.

1. Go Buy Obsidian.

2. Love it.

3. Love Jennifer L. Armentrout and buy everything she writes forever and ever, amen.

That's all. Pretty simple, huh? :)