Three End of Series Mini-Reviews

As I keep mentioning, I'm so far behind on reviews!  So, to speed things up, you should continue to expect mini-reviews like what I'm posting today.  I finished up three series finally over the past two months, so let's do a quick reflection on them, and then the blurb from Goodreads. 

Ashes (Seeds of America #3) by Laurie Halse Anderson:

My rating:  5 stars
Okay, this series will go down as being one of my all-time favorite YA historical fictions stories.  It's not really a romance in any way, although there is what needs to be in there in a way.  It's really all about the time and the people of the time and the history, and the side of the history that isn't talked about that much, or written about in history textbooks.  With the huge popularity of the musical Hamilton, this is a series that is perfect for young adults and teens to read that fills in even more blanks and will make them think and ask their own questions about our country's past.  You can read my reviews of the first two books here, Chains and Forge.  And below is the blurb from Goodreads for this third book:

Freedom for one, freedom for all?

That’s the question that burns in Isabel’s mind as she and Curzon forge on through chaos and fear toward the dream that’s kept them alive for so many years: freedom. But her dream of living not as a “runaway” but as a free person with land and a family of her own seems impossibly far away. That dream hinges on one thing: finding her little sister, Ruth. It’s been years since Ruth was stolen from her. Is she even alive? And if Isabel can find her, how will they make it safely through the war between the Patriots and the British that rages on as dangerously as ever, while bounty hunters try to kidnap them at every turn?

In the American Revolution, one must pick a side in order to survive. But how can you care about a nation’s freedom when the very same nation has kept you in chains? 

Sentinel (Covenant #5) by Jennifer L. Armentrout:

My rating:  4 stars
I usually give all of JLA's books 5 stars.  I mean I just love her characters. But this book, and the last one in the series, Apollyon, weren't as great for me.  I think it might be because of the absence of Seth.  While yes, I think that Alex probably belonged with Aiden, it reminds me a bit of the Twilight movies, where I was good with Edward for Bella, but I wanted Jacob.  Here, I loved Seth, and kinda wanted more of him.  He does show back up in this book, and I know that there is a spin-off series for Seth that I will be picking up soon.  Other than that, I really like the way the whole ending went down, the battle was good, the way Armentrout "saved the day" in the end was perfect.  There were definitely some sad losses again in this book of people that we'd grown to  like and care about.  But in a huge battle like this, unfortunately that is to be expected.  You can read my reviews to the other books in the series by clicking on the link earlier in this paragraph, or one of these:   Half-Blood, Pure,  or Deity.  Here is the blurb for this final book from Goodreads:

It's a beautiful day for a war.

As the mortal world slowly slips into chaos of the godly kind, Alexandria Andros must overcome a stunning defeat that has left her shaken and in doubt of their ability to end this war once and for all.

And with all the obstacles between Alex and her happily-ever-after with the swoonworthy Aiden St. Delphi, they must now trust a deadly foe as they travel deep into the Underworld to release one of the most dangerous gods of all time.

In the stunning, action-packed climax to the bestselling Covenant series, Alex must face a terrible choice: the destruction of everything and everyone she holds dear… or the end of herself.

The Countdown (The Taking #3) by Kimberly Derting:

My rating:  5 stars
While it took me a minute to pick this one back up and finally read it, when I did, I was once again blown away and hooked so that I couldn't put it down.  While I had issues with some characters that did irritate me a bit, I know that what they did is something that is always in stories, adds to the drama, even though I'm pretty sure it probably wouldn't really happen that way in real life.  I guess I forgot the fact that I'm a bit of a science nerd, because when the characters didn't know what SETI was, I was shocked that anyone didn't know.  In case you don't know, SETI stands for the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Life.  I have to say that once again, this author did a great job of ending this story in a pretty believable way.  We were able to have a pretty much HEA, but it wasn't without losses and it wasn't done in a way that was just everyone decided at the last minute to "all just get along".  There was one person's change of heart that I loved, even as it led her to do something that was definitely heartbreaking for herself.  You can read my reviews of the first two books in the series here:  The Taking, and The Replaced.  Here is the blurb from Goodreads for this final book in the series:

She may no longer be human…but she’s their only hope.

In the concluding book in the otherworldly Taking trilogy, Kyra struggles to understand who she is as she races to save the world from complete destruction.

Ever since Kyra was abducted by aliens and then returned to earth, she has known there was something different about her. Now she knows the truth: she is an alien too. Her alien captors replaced all her human DNA with their own—gifting her with supernatural powers like incredible healing, enhanced eyesight, and telekinesis. But when she’s captured by an unexpected enemy, Kyra begins to wonder if her abilities are also a curse. And is she, as her enemies believe, meant to play some key role in helping an impending alien invasion? Is it programmed into her, something inescapable? Or can she fight that destiny?

No matter what the truth is, Kyra is sure of one thing: She just rescued the love of her life, Tyler, and she is not going to stand by and let anyone hurt him or her friends. Whatever it takes, Kyra will do everything in her power to save the world…even if it means making the ultimate sacrifice. 

So those are the first three series-enders that I've read this year.  All three were well done and great ways to end a series.  If you haven't started them yet, I highly recommend them all!

Two Reviews: Elixir and Apollyon (Covenant #3.5 and #4) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

So I read both of these books really close together, which makes sense because Elixir is a short novella that goes with Apollyon.  So I'll do some basic reviews.  I don't want to give away too much either since this is so far along in the series.  So I'll probably just share the blurbs from Goodreads and then give my thoughts instead of my usual personal summary.

Title:  Elixir
Author:  Jennifer L. Armentrout
Series:  Covenant #3.5
Genre:  Paranormal Romance
Published:  November 22nd, 2012
Source:  Purchased copy
My rating:  4 stars

Aiden St. Delphi will do anything to save Alex. Even if it means doing the one thing he will never forgive himself for. Even if it means making war against the gods.

As you can see, the blurb doesn't tell you much, so I'll explain a little more.  This is a very short story about right after book 3 when Alex has connected completely with Seth, the other Apollyon, and she now wants to do whatever he wants, and it seems they've found out he isn't really up to good, and there is someone behind him, leading him along the wrong path.  Aiden grabs Alex and puts her in a cage, trying to figure out a way to sever the connection, and get his Alex, who he had just recently given in to the feelings he had for her, even as much as it against all of their rules. 

Title:  Apollyon
Series:  Covenant #4
Published:  April 4th, 2013
Source:  Purchased copy
My rating:  4 stars

Fate isn’t something to mess with… and now, neither is Alex.

Alex has always feared two things: losing herself in the Awakening and being placed on the Elixir. But love has always been stronger than Fate, and Aiden St. Delphi is willing to make war on the gods—and Alex herself—to bring her back.

The gods have killed thousands and could destroy entire cities in their quest to stop Seth from taking Alex’s power and becoming the all-powerful God Killer. But breaking Alex’s connection to Seth isn’t the only problem. There are a few pesky little loopholes in the whole “an Apollyon can’t be killed” theory, and the only person who might know how to stop the destruction has been dead for centuries.

Finding their way past the barriers that guard the Underworld, searching for one soul among countless millions, and then somehow returning will be hard enough. Alex might be able to keep Seth from becoming the God Killer… or she might become the God Killer herself.

So, I honestly didn't enjoy this one as much as I had the rest of the series, while I gave it four stars, I almost dropped it to 3.5.  Maybe because there wasn't enough of Seth in it?  I don't know.  Some things I did really enjoy about this one were all the Supernatural tv series references, and now I really want to go to Stull Cemetery in Kansas, since it's only about an hour from where I live in Missouri, on the border of Kansas.



I am definitely looking forward to reading book 5, it should be on my list soon!  If you'd like to catch up on my reviews of the first three books, here are the links to each of them:  Half-Blood, Pure,  and Deity.  

You can find these books or others like it to purchase at Audiobooks.com.  

Review: Deity (Covenant #3) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Book info:
Title:  Deity  
Author:  Jennifer L. Armentrout
Series:  Covenant #3  
Genre:  YA/NA Paranormal
Published:  October 31st, 2012
Source:  Purchased book myself

I am again so in love with JLA's books.  And this series is really getting me as well.  I am totally Team Seth, although I am sure that Alex will end up with Aiden, no matter how wrong it is for them right now.  If you haven't read the first books in the series, then you should probably stop here, and go back and read my reviews of book 1 - Covenant or book 2 -  Pure. There will be spoilers for those two books below.  But if you're up to date, go ahead and read on!

At the end of the last book, Alexandria had found out that she was in trouble, that she was also an Apollyon like Seth, and that someone was out to kill her, probably because of what having two Apollyons meant for the Pure-bloods.  Seth seems to be trying to speed up her Awakening, even though it isn't that far off with her birthday coming up.  The more times she spends with Seth though, the closer they seem to get.  And every time she gets another mark from Seth.  But it turns out that Seth has been keeping things from her, and in the end, Aiden will still be there for her.  Although Pures and Halfs are not supposed to be together, there are those out there who think that is wrong, and are looking past any hints of something going on between Aiden and Alex.  Someone will betray Alex and those who are protecting her, and again she will be put in danger.  The god Apollo will show that he wants to help with the whole situation.  Connecting with the First, Seth, would cause things to happen that Alex does not want to be a part of, and so she must try to figure out a way to stay away from him.  Of course Seth has other plans, and does his best to plan for every possible thing that could go wrong.  

The ending is definitely one that leaves you needing to go on.  Not that I've had a chance, but I do have a copy of the book on my TBR shelf.  And I am ready to move on!  Once again I highly recommend this book by JLA.  Also, I have to share my picture from meeting her last weekend at NOLA StoryCon.

 

Review: Pure (Covenant #2) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Book info:
Title:  Pure  
Author:  Jennifer L. Armentrout
Series:  Covenant #2
Genre:  YA Paranormal Romance
Published:  April 3rd, 2012
Source:  purchased myself

Once again, Armentrout has blown me away.  And I'm beginning to fall in love with Seth, and fall out of love with Aiden for sure.  Yes, I know that Aiden is a pure-blood, and so a romance between him and Alexandria is not allowed. But, the way Aiden goes about pushing her away, even if it is for his own good, well, it's worse than what Edward did to Bella in Twilight, at least to me it was.  It was bad enough that it is definitely pushing me to Seth.  If you haven't read the first book, Half-Blood, yet, then you should go read that review HERE, and not read on if you don't want any spoilers for the first book.   

At the end of the last book we are left with Alexandria trying to come back from the daimon attacks.  Her training is doubled with both Seth and Aiden training her.  Things get worse with more attacks, leaving the half-bloods as suspects, so much that the Pures begin demanding they get mandatory physicals and are basically on house arrest.  One night when Alex and her friends try to just hang out and watch movies in one of their dorms, when two of them decide to sneak to the cafeteria for snacks to eat during the movie, they are attacked.  And only Alex makes it out alive.  Now people are blaming her even more.  And not only that, because it was her mother that attacked before, she is now being forced to go in front of the Council to prove that she is not to blame, and should be allowed to continue in her path, especially now that they know she is an Apollyon as well.  But the council, or specific members that is, don't seem to want to give her a chance.  While at the council meetings, Alex gets to see what happens to a pure and a half-blood who have been together.  And there are other dangerous things going on, even where you would think it would be the most safe.  Someone has compelled other pures, something that is illegal.  And this is something that puts Alex in danger.  

Seth, he just really grows on you.  When we learn that the connection between him and Alex is what causes Alex to have the hot flashes she is having, and oh is that a funny and awkward thing, it is even more interesting to see their connection.  Alex will have to choose, and with Aiden being the way he is, even knowing it is what is best, she must decide if she should give Seth a chance.  A chance for the two of them not only to work together as Apollyons, but to also maybe be more than that.

Now, unfortunately, this time I don't have the next book yet to jump into.  I have the 5th book, and then I have the Titans series two books that I just won from the author.  But books three and four I had to order.  And so, I ordered the white covers!  I don't care if they all match perfectly, I like the white covers also, so I'm glad to get those from the Book Depository, hopefully sooner rather than later!

Only about two months now till NOLA Story Con when I will get to meet Jennifer L. Armentrout and try not to embarrass myself being a totally nerdy, geeky fangirl!

Review: Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Book info:

Title:  Half-Blood
Author:  Jennifer L. Armentrout
Series:  Covenant #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.

Review - Daimon: The Prequel to Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout

After quickly getting through the first two books in the The Dark Elements series by Jennifer L. Armentrout, I got onto the database search at the bookstore where I work, and started looking at which of her titles we had in stock.  I was disappointed to not find any others than the ones I already had.  I saw this one was only $3.99, so I ordered it right away on my currently limited budget.  I finished the book I was reading Sunday morning before work, and then after work that day I wanted to eat lunch before I headed home to stay in for the night before the snow hit.  I had just picked it up at the bookstore, and so started reading it.  And of course as it is a novella basically, I finished it in two sittings, would have been one, except I didn't want to stay in the restaurant for a long time after I was done. 

Now, I haven't started this series other than this, and maybe if I had read the others I would have enjoyed this a lot more.  As it was I did learn a bit about what will be happening in this series, and I am eager to read on.  The main character in this prequel is Alexandria.  She is a descendant of a god and a mortal, a half-blood, as the title of the first book would tell you.  In this story we get to meet her when she first goes before the council to determine her future.  But the main part of the story is her living with her mother in the mortal world. They've been here for 3 years, since her mom pulled her out of the Covenant, hiding from someone or something.  They've had to move from time to time when Alexandria has done something that could give them away, such as showing her unusual strength.  In this most recent place, once again she messes up, but when she arrives  home it seems she is too late, her mother has been found by the daimons, and killed.  And now she is on the run, and must figure out if she can go back to the Covenant or how she will save herself.

A good quick read.  And now to wait until I have the money to purchase and the time to read this series!  :-)