It's Monday! What Are You Reading? - 15 March 2021

#IMWAYR is a weekly meme started on J Kaye’s blog and then was hosted by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at The Book Date.

Happy Monday Bookdragons! I hope your week is off to a good start! I started my new job last week so I don't have as much reading time now but I still managed to plow through a 600+ page book last week.

What I Read Last Week: 

The Dead and The Dark by Courtney Gould

I technically finished this book the weekend before but I had a busy weekend over the 5th, 6th, and 7th so I missed last week's post. It started slow but I really loved it by the end. There were times I wanted to strangle the people of Snakebite though. I definitely recommend checking The Dead and The Dark out when it releases in August.

From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout

I put off reading this one for a long time because I really wasn't in a fantasy mood last year. Finally I decided to read it after seeing a lot of people raving about it on bookstagram and I'm really happy I did. Despite it's size (600+ pages) I couldn't read it fast enough. 

Currently Reading:

Island of Bones by Gaby Triana

I immediately wanted to read this book after finishing Moon Child by Gaby a couple weeks ago. I debated on splurging on it and a few other books and finally went for it so I'll be starting it tonight. It seems like a fairly short read which will be a nice break after From Blood and Ash. 

Next Read

Shiver by Allie Reynolds

This was another of my book splurges last week and I'm really looking forward to starting it because I keep seeing it on bookstagram. 

*** 

 What are you reading this week?

I Can't Wait for... Storm and Fury

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released.

I loved The Dark Elements Trilogy and I'm excited for Zayne to get this own series...

Storm and Fury

The Harbinger Series, Book 1
By Jennifer L. Armentrout
YA Fantasy
eBook, Hardcover, Audiobook, 512 Pages
June 11, 2019 by Inkyard Press


Blurb

Eighteen-year-old Trinity Marrow may be going blind, but she can see and communicate with ghosts and spirits. Her unique gift is part of a secret so dangerous that she’s been in hiding for years in an isolated compound fiercely guarded by Wardens—gargoyle shape-shifters who protect humankind from demons. If the demons discover the truth about Trinity, they’ll devour her, flesh and bone, to enhance their own powers.

When Wardens from another clan arrive with disturbing reports that something out there is killing both demons and Wardens, Trinity’s safe world implodes. Not the least because one of the outsiders is the most annoying and fascinating person she’s ever met. Zayne has secrets of his own that will upend her world yet again—but working together becomes imperative once demons breach the compound and Trinity’s secret comes to light. To save her family and maybe the world, she’ll have to put her trust in Zayne. But all bets are off as a supernatural war is unleashed…

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Book Review: The Darkest Star by Jennifer L. Armentrout

The Darkest Star (Origin, #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Blurb:

When seventeen-year-old Evie Dasher is caught up in a raid at a notorious club known as one of the few places where humans and the surviving Luxen can mingle freely, she meets Luc, an unnaturally beautiful guy she initially assumes is a Luxen...but he is in fact something much more powerful. Her growing attraction for Luc will lead her deeper and deeper into a world she'd only heard about, a world where everything she thought she knew will be turned on its head...

#1 New York Times, USA Today, and internationally bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout returns to the universe of the Lux in this brand new series, featuring beloved characters both new and old.

My Review:

I've been excitedly waiting for The Darkest Star since I first heard it was going to happen. Luc having his own series??? Yes please! 

Luckily I was able to get a copy through a trade and I started it right away. The story hooked me right away, but it is solely told in Evie's perspective and I kind of wish it had been told in dual perspectives between Evie and Luc, or maybe even that the whole book might have been told in Luc's perspective, although now that I think about it the latter probably wouldn't have worked. 

You get a (small) glimpse of some of your favorite characters from the LUX series (hellllooooo Daemon!) but I could have done with a little more. Maybe we'll see them more in the next book?

Like I said, the beginning hooked me and the ending was great but there was a part in the middle that made me want to skim a few chapters and I thought the big reveal about Evie's past could have been revealed a lot sooner in the story. By the time it was revealed it was like, yeah I've been guessing this for what? 200 pages?

Overall, it was a good, solid read and I'm definitely up to continuing this spinoff series whether it's to be a duology, trilogy, or more but you know what they say about spinoffs: they're never as good as the original. 

My Rating:

🌟🌟🌟🌟

4 of 5 Stars!

Waiting On Wednesday: Moonlight Sins by Jennifer L. Armentrout

I finished all of the January-early February eARCs I received and jumped back into Bonfire by Krysten Ritter while I wait for another eARC I'm receiving from an author friend. Since I'm in the waiting mood and still 50 pages from finishing Bonfire this week's WIR-Wednesday has turned into a Waiting on Wednesday...

Moonlight Sins by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Blurb:

New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout delivers the unforgettable story of a woman whose new life has just begun—but may end in murder . . . 

Julia Hughes has always played it safe until she learned a very painful lesson. Now Julia’s starting over with a job in the Louisiana bayou, working for the infamous de Vincent family, the massively wealthy brothers who are haunted by a dark reputation and whispers of misdeeds. Hired to care for their troubled sister, Julia can't afford any distractions, but the menacing presence in the mansion and the ever-present temptation of the handsome Lucian de Vincent isn't something anyone can ignore. 

Julia knows better than to get wrapped up in Lucian. He’s from a world she can’t relate to. Plus, he’s her employer. But his wicked touch and sensual promises are too much deny. What starts with a kiss ends with so much more. 

Lucian is the youngest brother—the wildest, most unpredictable one. He’s the unrepentant bachelor of the family, known for his escapades in and out of the bedroom, and he wants Julia. There’s something about her that makes Lucian want to lay himself bare, but some secrets are better left buried, right along with a past that could not only bring down a dynasty but destroy Julia in the process.

Why I'm Waiting:

Jennifer L. Armentrout is one of my favorite authors and I'm surprised that I only learned about this book last week. Once I read the blurb I preordered a copy. I love thrillers, I'm obsessed with Louisiana, and this book is giving me slight Midnight Bayou flashbacks, plus Moonlight Sins sounds like a really sexy read and I never turn those down! This should keep my happy until I get my copy of Till Death from the ApollyCon Virtual Signing. 

Book Review: Oblivion by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Oblivion (Lux Series #1.5) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Blurb:

Experience the epic love story of OBSIDIAN as told by its hero, Daemon Black…

I knew the moment Katy Swartz moved in next door, there was going to be trouble. Lots of it. 

And trouble’s the last thing I need, since I’m not exactly from around here. My people arrived on Earth from Lux, a planet thirteen billion light years away. Plus, if there’s one thing I know, it’s that humans can’t be trusted. We scare them. We can do things they only dream about, and honestly, we make them look weak as hell. ‘Cuz they are. 

But Kat is getting to me in ways no one else has, and I can't stop myself from wanting her—or wanting to use my powers to protect her. She makes me weak, and I’m the strongest of our kind, tasked with protecting us all. So this one simple girl…she can mean the end for us. Because the Luxen have an even bigger enemy—the Arum, and I need to stay on my game. 

Falling for Katy—a human—won't just place her in danger. It could get us all killed, and that’s one thing I’ll never let happen...

My Review:

I was eager to read Oblivion, Obsidian through Daemon's eyes and my favorite sexy alien did not disappoint. He was sarcastic, vain, and kind of a jerk - but that's what Katy, and the reader love about him most. 

This book is not identical to Obsidian and the reader should not be confused with that fact. There are scenes in Obsidian that Daemon was not present for which are not present in Oblivion, and scenes which Katy was not present for during the time of Obsidian that we see for the first time in Oblivion, making this book its own unique step away from the original. 

I loved Jennifer L. Armentrout's writing, as I have with the rest of the books in this series and it remains one of my favorite YA series and YA couplings. However, I think Daemon's attraction was blatantly obvious and it was annoying as a reader that he wouldn't/couldn't admit that for most of the book. We get it, after the Dawson/Beth situation he was extra cautious and didn't want anything to happen to himself or his sister, but come on! You don't know why you want to be near her all the time? Really?

The other thing I've found with books set in the male lead's perspective after a book is set in the heroine's perspective (like Wendy Higgins's Sweet Temptation and Abbi Glines's Rush Too Far) is that I get bored with these books easily. They're not identical to the original, but they're close enough that I feel like I've heard all this before. If I wanted to reread those events I'd just reread the original book. It makes me want to hop in a time machine and tell the author to just write that first book in altering perspectives. 

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book because it was like revisiting an old friend but it was close enough to Obsidian that I would have rather read that again instead.

My Rating:

4 of 5 Stars! 

"What I'm Reading" Wednesday #90

This "WIR"-Wednesday I'm reading another alien-themed sci-fi novel, except this week's book is less scary-take-over-the-world-and-enslave-humans aliens and more sexy-Daemon-Black type of aliens. Yes, this "WIR"-Wednesday I'm reading...

Oblivion (Lux Series 1.5) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Blurb:

Experience the epic love story of OBSIDIAN as told by its hero, Daemon Black…

I knew the moment Katy Swartz moved in next door, there was going to be trouble. Lots of it. 

And trouble’s the last thing I need, since I’m not exactly from around here. My people arrived on Earth from Lux, a planet thirteen billion light years away. Plus, if there’s one thing I know, it’s that humans can’t be trusted. We scare them. We can do things they only dream about, and honestly, we make them look weak as hell. ‘Cuz they are. 

But Kat is getting to me in ways no one else has, and I can't stop myself from wanting her—or wanting to use my powers to protect her. She makes me weak, and I’m the strongest of our kind, tasked with protecting us all. So this one simple girl…she can mean the end for us. Because the Luxen have an even bigger enemy—the Arum, and I need to stay on my game. 

Falling for Katy—a human—won't just place her in danger. It could get us all killed, and that’s one thing I’ll never let happen...

Why I Chose This Book | What I Think So Far:

I love the Lux Series, so picking up this companion novel to Obsidian, told in Daemon's point of view was a no-brainer. Since finishing the Lux series I've missed Daemon's sarcastic wit and reading Oblivion solely in his perspective is even better than just seeing him in Obsidian. Daemon is protective of his loved ones, hilariously sarcastic, and naughty in the best possible way. At just a third of the way in I can already tell you that this is a must read for fans of the series! 

New Release Tuesday: The Dead List by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Who is ready for a pulse-pounding scare? I know I'm in the mood for a great thriller; which is great because today's New Release Tuesday Feature is...

The Dead List by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Blurb:

When Ella is mysteriously attacked on her way home from a party, her entire life changes as she finds herself at the center of an attempted murder investigation.

Ella tries to move on, but her attacker isn't done yet. He shows himself in the form of horrifying signs and symbols: a clown mask strewn on her bed, a dead bird in her backpack, a shadow moving past her window in the night. And as the weeks pass, it turns out that Ella isn't the only one being tormented.

With the help of an old flame, Jensen Carver, and her friends and family, Ella tries to attain some sense of normalcy, but she can't seem to shake the feeling that there's a dark pattern hidden in the killer's every move. Suddenly, even those in her innermost circle seem suspicious. In her seemingly safe West Virginia town, Ella starts to wonder who she can trust.

Are you excited yet? I've been dying to read this book since I first saw the cover. Oops. Dying. Probably not a good word choice, right? 

The Dead List

Jennifer L. Armentrout

YA Horror

April 25, 2017

Grab Your Copy Today:

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iBooks | Add to Goodreads

Book Trailer Reveal: Till Death by Jennifer L. Armentrout

This week I'm excited to share with you a different kind of reveal - a Book Trailer Reveal for New York Times Bestselling Author, Jennifer L. Armentrout's upcoming novel, Till Death! I'm really looking forward to reading this one! 

TILL DEATH

by JENNIFER L. ARMENTROUT

Paperback, eBook, and Audiobook

Expected Publication: February 28, 2017

from William Morrow

In New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout’s gripping new novel, a young woman comes home to reclaim her life—even as a murderer plots to end it. . .

It’s been ten years since Sasha Keaton left her West Virginia hometown . . . since she escaped the twisted serial killer known as the Groom. Returning to help run her family inn means being whole again, except for one missing piece. The piece that falls into place when Sasha’s threatened—and FBI agent Cole Landis vows to protect her the way he couldn’t a decade ago.

First one woman disappears; then another, and all the while, disturbing calling cards are left for the sole survivor of the Groom’s reign of terror. Cole’s never forgiven himself for not being there when Sasha was taken, but he intends to make up for it now . . . because under the quirky sexiness Cole first fell for is a steely strength that only makes him love Sasha more.

But someone is watching. Waiting. And Sasha’s first mistake could be her last.

Pre-Order Till Death Today: 

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iBooks | IndieBound 

now on to the reveal... check out the book trailer!

# 1 New York Times and # 1 International Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki.

Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her book Obsidian has been optioned for a major motion picture and her Covenant Series has been optioned for TV. Jennifer has won numerous awards, including the 2013 Reviewers Choice Award for Wait for You, the 2015 Editor’s Pick for Fall With Me, and the 2014/2015 Moerser-Jugendbuch- Jury award for Obsidian. Her young adult romantic suspense novel DON’T LOOK BACK was a 2014 nominated Best in Young Adult Fiction by YALSA.

She also writes Adult and New Adult contemporary and paranormal romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

Connect with Jennifer L. Armentrout online:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JenniferLArmentrout/

Twitter: @JLArmentrout

Instagram: authorjlarmentrout

Website: jenniferlarmentrout.com