Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Review: Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Book info:
TitleHalf-Blood
Author:  Jennifer L. Armentrout
SeriesCovenant #1
Genre:  YA Paranormal Romance
Published:  October 18th, 2011
Source:  Purchased myself

I've pretty much already devoured the Lux series by Armentrout, as well as The Dark Elements series.  But until recently, I hadn't started this series.  I love Roth from The Dark Elements, but Daemon from the Lux series is probably always going to be my number 1 boyfriend, well for an alien that is.  I've seen all the other JLA fans go on and on about Seth from this Covenant series, and so I knew that I needed to read and find out more about him. Especially since I hear "he" will be appearing at the NOLA Story Con in September when I get to meet JLA!!  I had actually read the little prequel book to this series, Daimon, and while it was good, it didn't grab me so much I had to immediately read on.   It was a quick read though, and so I have the background that goes with this first book.  I have to say that this first official book in the series was definitely good though!  Not that I had any doubt it would be with JLA as the author.

The main character is Alexandria.  She is a half-blood, the child of a mortal and a Hematoi - a pure blood.  So she is not as special as those who were born to two pure bloods.  Her mother had recently taken her and snuck away from the Covenant where students are trained to fight daimons, or if that doesn't work out for them, they become slaves/servants to the Hematoi.  But Alexandria's mother was just killed by daimons, and Alexandria barely escaped after killing one of the daimons herself.  When they catch up to her again, she is saved this time by the Sentinel Aiden.  Aiden is a Hematoi that also lost his parents to daimons.  And a boy she's always had a little crush on, even if that kind of relationship between pure-bloods and half-bloods is not allowed.  But when he brings her back to the Covenant, she begs for a chance to go back to become a Sentinel herself, instead of having to go live with her stepfather and be his slave.  

She is given the chance to try to prove that over the summer she can catch up with the students she would join in with the following school  year, and Aiden volunteers to personally help her train and get ready.  So now she is around him every day, having to put aside her feelings for him. But it's not just a teen emotion drama issue.  The daimons are coming closer to the Covenant, and there are more killings.  And then, the Apollyon, a very special Sentinel in that they had special powers and were born in order to keep the Hematoi from trying to fight the gods, shows up at the Covenant.  And that is when we meet Seth.  Alex feels a weird connection to him right away, and sees tattoos or words on his skin that no one else seems to see.  And suddenly there is more to what is going on in her life.  More to why her mother took her and ran from the rest of their world.  More to why her stepfather is now coming back into her life, and suddenly cares about her.  

I am glad I have already purchased the next book in the series as I am ready to go on as soon as I can fit it in.  I don't know that I'm in love with Seth yet, but I can see it coming soon probably.  And I guess I need to go find the book trailers that the actors who play these characters are in?  Is that thing?  I keep seeing pictures of the characters, but they are not on the covers of these books.  Anyway, another great book from JLA, sucking me into another one of her imaginative worlds that I can't keep myself from wanting to be a part of.