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Opal by Jennifer L. Armentrout
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

No one is like Daemon Black.
When he set out to prove his feelings for me, he wasn’t fooling around. Doubting him isn’t something I’ll do again, and now that we’ve made it through the rough patches, well... There’s a lot of spontaneous combustion going on.
But even he can’t protect his family from the danger of trying to free those they love.
After everything, I’m no longer the same Katy. I’m different... And I’m not sure what that will mean in the end. When each step we take in discovering the truth puts us in the path of the secret organization responsible for torturing and testing hybrids, the more I realize there is no end to what I’m capable of. The death of someone close still lingers, help comes from the most unlikely source, and friends will become the deadliest of enemies, but we won’t turn back. Even if the outcome will shatter our worlds forever.
Together we’re stronger... and they know it.

All hail Jennifer L. Armentrout! I'm so glad I continued with Opal. I almost stopped after being sorely disappointed with Onyx.

Being me, getting this far in the series is a huuuuuuge achievement and that speaks volumes about how entertaining Lux series has been so far. The trying-too-hard-to-show-Katy-is-a-hardcore-book-blogger was tiring and borderline annoying though. We got it, alright. People will still buy your books even if the protag is not a book-nerd/obsessed!

Saying that, I wasn't amused with the first half of the book because pretty much nothing was going on apart from recaps and some 'old friends' making a comeback. Okay, I lied. I was actually amused seeing Katy gets all the blames and feels all guilty because ya know, I think she screwed up pretty bad in Onyx. At times, she still goes all Wonder Woman mode but Daemon is there to knock some sense back into her, so yeah, apparently the douche is the better thinker.

Speaking of the douche, DAEMON IS A NEW MAN! I bet many fangirls are totally heads-over-heels with this new version of Daemon and I approve this idea. Daemon is more matured, not overly protective, sensible, reliable and still himself in the same time! How cool is that? Yes, don't worry. His insults jokes are still funny although I can't lie, I laughed more with Obsidian than Opal.

Daemon-Katy steady relationship was very admirable. AND HOW GLAD I WAS WHEN OPAL STAYED AS A YA NOVEL! I know the *ehem* dreaded sex is coming, if not in this book, it will be in the next book. ***Spoiler alert*** It's in this book LOL! And I'm very thankful when the sex is just mentioned instead of being shown! ***Spoiler finished***[It's in this book LOL! And I'm very thankful when the sex is just mentioned instead of being shown! (hide spoiler)]

The secondary characters also sort of grew on me, particularly Dawson. Suicidal energizer bunny? Hah! How sexy is that? Ash and Dee are somehow getting more likeable and Matthew! I wish I know more about him. He seems like a very cool teacher and I bet a handsome one too!

The twists and turns. Honestly, some I would have predicted already but it hardly affects the impact they had on me! The cliffhanger ending! The warning sign was raised even before the book was released so I braced myself for it.

*Confession bear mode*

I actually liked the ending. :/ It was a very powerful one. The emotions...the helplessness...I felt them all. Like, if this scene is translated into a movie, I could totally imagine it'll be in super dramatic slow motion mode.

Jennifer L. Armentrout is really a queen of cliffhangers. :)

So yes, I totally recommend Opal while simultaneously object the idea of you reading Onyx. Hear me, it's okay to miss the second book because all the major events will be highlighted in Opal. It will be as if you never missed Onyx. Trust me, I'm saving you from the heartache.

Me gusta!

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And All the Stars by Andrea K. Höst

Come for the apocalypse.
Stay for cupcakes.
Die for love.
Madeleine Cost is working to become the youngest person ever to win the Archibald Prize for portraiture. Her elusive cousin Tyler is the perfect subject: androgynous, beautiful, and famous. All she needs to do is pin him down for the sittings.
None of her plans factored in the Spires: featureless, impossible, spearing into the hearts of cities across the world – and spraying clouds of sparkling dust into the wind.
Is it an alien invasion? Germ warfare? They are questions everyone on Earth would like answered, but Madeleine has a more immediate problem. At Ground Zero of the Sydney Spire, beneath the collapsed ruin of St James Station, she must make it to the surface before she can hope to find out if the world is ending.

This book contains;

1) Australians - sexy Australians with their fancy accent. I can live in this country forever.

2) ALIENS INVADING SYDNEY!!!

(Totally a legit photo from Sydney Harbor)

READ THE BOOK TO FIND OUT IF THE ALIENS DO TAKE IN A FORM OF GIANT DUCKS.

Anyway, ugh~ It's my first book of 2013 and I already can't rate it. I don't know what's the problem but I haven't had much luck with Aussie reads so far. Stolen by Lucy Christopher is the best yet but still not anywhere close to be among my all-time favorites.

There is something peculiar about Aussie reads which I haven't got accustomed to yet. They are generally odd, different, new, fresh, and thought-provoking. Yet, I find them as difficult to read and I can't really point out what went wrong. It was like my mind went all foggy and I couldn't wait for the book to be over. Worse, for this particular book, my mind kept drifting off to reminisce Supermassive Black Hole music video by Muse (I love this band!) everytime the book mentions about the starry-starry blue stain. I haven't get around to read any Melina Marchetta's and the Eon series, so my it's-not-the-book-it's-me relationship with Aussie reads might change in the near future.

But you better give it a try. A book with a blurb like this;
Come for the apocalypse.
Stay for cupcakes.
Die for love.
IT'S A CRIME NOT TO TRY IT! Hope you'll enjoy it more than I did!

Not sure what to rate

**The ARC was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

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Onyx by Jennifer L. Armentrout
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Being connected to Daemon Black sucks…
Thanks to his alien mojo, Daemon’s determined to prove what he feels for me is more than a product of our bizarro connection. So I’ve sworn him off, even though he’s running more hot than cold these days. But we’ve got bigger problems.
Something worse than the Arum has come to town…
The Department of Defense are here. If they ever find out what Daemon can do and that we're linked, I’m a goner. So is he. And there's this new boy in school who’s got a secret of his own. He knows what’s happened to me and he can help, but to do so, I have to lie to Daemon and stay away from him. Like that's possible. Against all common sense, I'm falling for Daemon. Hard.
But then everything changes…
I’ve seen someone who shouldn’t be alive. And I have to tell Daemon, even though I know he’s never going to stop searching until he gets the truth. What happened to his brother? Who betrayed him? And what does the DOD want from them—from me?
No one is who they seem. And not everyone will survive the lies…

Warning: Spoilers...spoilers everywhere.

TABLE-FLIPPING TIME!



UH, GUYS??!!! WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?? I'M IN THE 1% WHO GAVE THIS BOOK A 2-STARS OR LESS?

It took me more than two weeks to finish this. It took me overnight to finish Obsidian. Granted, I was busy for the past couple of weeks but throughout that many sittings, I stopped because I was bored not because my homework got in the way. Trust me, at one point, I rather do the house chores than continue reading. And I did. Haha!

Then, it couldn't be my fault for not liking this, right? Gah, I don't know... So many of my GR friends rated this as a 4 or 5-stars read, and some of them even said that this is better than Obsidian.

*Sobs*

I don't think this is the 'haters gonna hate' case because I absolutely loved Obsidian (I even gave Katy a nickname!). Onyx is less twilight-ish and more action-packed (at least for the last 10% of it). Oh, the irony! I just remember that I hated the last 10% of Obsidian.

If you're hoping to find Daemon as less of a douche this time, I'm sorry to tell you that he is still a douche for at least the first half of the book . Worse, he had this Edward-like over-protectiveness.

"Daemon, you can't beat up guys because they talk badly about me," --said by Katy

The horror! If you think he was over-protective of Dee in the first book, you ain't seen nothing yet! And no Katy, no. One person's bad attitude shouldn't be attributed to the stress or to one's twin brother's death. Occasional display of bad attitude, yes but definitely not all the time! And that thing with keep mistaking Blake's name. It was clearly overdone.

Moving on to Katy. Dear God, what has happened to you girl? Kind of wanted to take the cookie from Daemon's mouth? Trying to disregard the girl in your that screamed, HE NOTICED ME? You could so picture Daemon getting into that sort of thing in the library?

AND THE SELF-BLAMING!!!

*Sobs harder*

Making friends with his sister, asking way too many questions, almost getting myself killed...twice. Plus discovering their big secret, and all the times I'd ended up with a trace. I frowned as I slid out of my car and slammed the door behind me. No wonder Daemon had been such a douche canoe those months. I was trouble.

But in the way, this situation was my fault, it had been my bizzaro output of energy that had drawn the DOD here.

Wow, I can't believe Katy just thought of those. She should have a lot more self-worth than that.

THE OVERCONFIDENCE!!!

And all the talks about becoming stronger so that she can protect Daemon and Dee is just too ambitious considering she just found out who (or what?) she is. This is really sad. I'm glad to see the transition from helpless YA heroines to kick-ass heroines these days, but no need to overdo it.

THE DENIAL AND THE SKEPTICISM!!!

No Katy, no! Of course Daemon had been treating you like a slice of unwanted pizza before but you can't just keep pushing him away when he did prove himself so many times already? She even refused to be healed? Well, that's just egocentric.


Was he going to kill me and stash my body? Drastic but probable after everything I'd caused

I'm sooo hoping that Katy was joking because although I think Daemon is a scumbag, I do believe he won't go as far as killing Katy, don't you think?
[Was he going to kill me and stash my body? Drastic but probable after everything I'd caused

I'm sooo hoping that Katy was joking because although I think Daemon is a scumbag, I do believe he won't go as far as killing Katy, don't you think? (hide spoiler)]

THE CONFESSION OF LOVE!!!

The part which I'm sure many of us had anticipate. But, but...


"And what does 'us' really mean?"

"You and me"

Ultra-cheesy!!! And that's just an example. Gosh, this is not a soap opera, is it?
["And what does 'us' really mean?"

"You and me"

Ultra-cheesy!!! And that's just an example. Gosh, this is not a soap opera, is it? (hide spoiler)]

Blake. Hmm...I kinda liked him at the beginning. But after the revelation that he is similar to Katy, he changed 180 degree? Then, what's the point of making him a likable character in the earlier chapters? Just to give some hints of love triangle? Well, Blake characterization is just confusing for me. And Katy did not just found out about his true identify from Google! I actually laughed at this part. I mean, with DOD status as the super-secret, super-confidential organization, that kind of information shouldn't be able to be googled like that? I mean, they were the one who 'assigned' that task to Blake.[But after the revelation that he is similar to Katy, he changed 180 degree? Then, what's the point of making him a likable character in the earlier chapters? Just to give some hints of love triangle? Well, Blake characterization is just confusing for me. And Katy did not just found out about his true identify from Google! I actually laughed at this part. I mean, with DOD status as the super-secret, super-confidential organization, that kind of information shouldn't be able to be googled like that? I mean, they were the one who 'assigned' that task to Blake. (hide spoiler)]

Dee? Sorry to say that I can't point out her contributions to the story other than making out in public with Adam. Bizarre still, Daemon had to make out with Katy at such strange times After he'd taken over Katy's date with Blake? After Adam was killed? Luckily, Daemon had self-control for not taking it further.[After he'd taken over Katy's date with Blake? After Adam was killed? Luckily, Daemon had self-control for not taking it further. (hide spoiler)]

Bonus chapter from Daemon's POV also adds almost nothing to the story. *sigh*

Well, on the bright side, I'm glad it's over so that I can now move on to other books.

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Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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.

Actual rating 3.95 stars? I don't know...it's not quite a 4-stars read but it definitely deserves more than 3.5 stars.

Okay Obsidian, lets do this!

So...my e-book copy ended up looking something like this;

Yup, I have a habit of highlighting all my favourite quotes in a book. Which in this case, says a lot about my feeling for Obsidian. I actually enjoyed it!

I'm not sure if I need to put spoiler tags anywhere since half of Goodreads population have read this.

I had been avoiding this book long enough. First because it's too mainstream. That book cover is literally everywhere...the fangirls everywhere...it was quite suffocating to be honest. Second, I'm not fond of aliens. Third, I heard that Daemon is such as an ass and I never fancy a combination of good look and rudeness in guys.

Seeing the unbelievably high average rating sparked a curiousity in me so I thought it doesn't hurt to try...

From the first page, it became clear why. Katy is so easy to relate to. Or Zazzy as I'd like to call her (Sorry, giving nicknames to fictional characters is another habit of mine). Why Zazzy? Because she's sassy and her words zing!


Okay, maybe Sheldon had something to do with it too. I mean, Daemon keeps calling her Kitten anyway.

Alright, Zazzy is so relatable because is an avid reader, obssesses about her bookblog and a bit OCD-ish. Doesn't that sort of represents majority of female YA readers? Jennifer Armentrout definitely knows how to make her books marketable.

Now, the one who doesn't need an introduction; Daemon. Contrary to many other YA books, when Zazzy and Daemon first met, whoaaa!!! Sparks didn't fly, profanities did. Not that I'm a fan of profanities but Daemon definitely deserved those.

I actually find it hard not to like Daemon because he is like a doctorate in art of sarcasm. Nevertheless, his mood swings more frequently than a girl on her period. I think the inclusion of the extra scene at the end is very wise considering I changed my view of Daemon quite drastically after I read it.

But the best part is, Daemon found his equal in Zazzy. Oh Zazzy, may I have your DNA profile so that I can breed you to replace our current female population on Earth that consists mainly of bitches and sluts? And Mary Sues. Don't forget Mary Sues. They do exist outside of books. Scary.

So, I heard that Half-Blood, also written by Jennifer Armentrout had many similarities with Vampire Academy, which I haven't read yet. But I have read Twilight, and plotwise, Obsidian sounded similar? Minus the love triangle of course. I mean, Zazzy moved to a small town with her single mom, just like Bella and Charlie. Daemon becomes attracted to her and Dee wants to be friends with her, just like Edward and Alice. Dee is in relationship with the quiet one, Adam, Daemon had a history with Ash and Ash hates Zazzy because she feels protective of her family, just like Jasper and Rosalie. Daemon saved Zazzy from being hit from a truck, Edward saved Bella from a moving van. Daemon possesses super-speed and inhuman-strength, just like Edward. And these aliens are like perfect specimens, just like Stephanie Meyer's vampires.

Honestly, I have no problems with the similarities, whether they are accidental or not because Jennifer Armentrout definitely can write. And she is crazy good at it. Trust me, there was never a dull moment for the first 90% of the book. It was as if the author felt obligated to fix Twilight catastrophe and tried make it right again.

Some things that bothered me; why Zazzy appears to have no friends from Florida? With personalities like that, I don't think she was a social outcast back when she was in Florida. I also didn't get why Zazzy's mom is too trusting of Daemon. I thought he has all those bad boys persona and Zazzy's mom never even met Daemon's parents to make an appropriate judgement (despite she will never have a chance to do so).

Okay, lets move on to the last 10%. I honestly thought Daemon is like Mr Darcy. All arrogant and prideful until he found the love of his life. Can someone please make me understand, why did Daemon thinks it's okay to leave Zazzy topless on the couch? Alien or not, I felt like morphing into Sailormoon and punish him in the name of the Moon. And that make out scene! It was very visual. It's...it's...kind of too Fifty Shades of Grey-ish for a YA book? Okay, maybe it's kind of too Fifty Shades of Grey-ish for me because I don't think I've read enough of YA books yet.

And Daemon blew up Zazzy's laptop.

How could someone blew up something so sacred?

And manners. Didn't they teach those on Lux? Granted, Ash was rude because she was overly protective. But what's up with Andrew? (Andrew, please don't reproduce. Just...don't.) And Daemon at the beginning. With all those 'humans are weak, humans cannot be trusted'. I'm human and I find this offensive.

The climax. I remembered trying to pull out my hairs when Bella decided to bled herself to distract Victoria's attention from Edward in Eclipse. Why Zazzy had to do the same thing by making herself a target for Baruck just to prove she's not a liability? I think it was a rash decision even though the encounter turned out good. Zazzy's loyalty was admirable but if the author could write the climax differently without involving Zazzy doing that reckless act than I would've like this book more.

Overall, aliens premise isn't a bad idea at all. I'm actually satisfied with the explanations (the Luxen can bend time and space, they can hitch a ride by traveling with light etc). I don't know, the last time I learned about Physics is when I was in high school, so I'm not sure how much of those made up facts do make sense, but I find them believable, if nothing else.

And oh, the fanservice was done right most of time. Except this part;

"I could feel every breath he took, and when he shifted his hips, my eyes went wide and I gasped."

Ermm...gross? I agree Zazzy...Daemon could've just told you, instead of shown you.

The inevitable pen poke, the food ninja, the aliens with big appetite...all these small, small things made this such a fun read for me!

*Runs back into Naji's arms* So girls, I'm done with your Daemon, feel free to have him back.

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