Review: Obsidian

Title:  Obsidian (Lux #1)
Author:  Jennifer L. Armentrout
Pages:  335
Genre:  Young Adult Paranormal
Publisher:  Entangled Teen
Obtained:  Bought
Summary:  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.

The Dish:  Okay, I've preordered Onyx from my local bookstore, so that should hopefully give you a clue as to how I felt about Obsidian.  No?  Alright, then, here goes.  It was a hilarious, spectacular, page-turning, sleep-depriving book that I can totally say is justified in having a huge following.  It's THAT awesome.

Okay, I've gotten most of my fangirling out, but with dynamic and hilarious characters like Katy, Daemon, and Dee, it's difficult not to go into full-time gush mode.  Katy is an adorable narrator and not just because she's a book blogger (although I'm sure many readers will appreciate that trait).  When I see Katy with Daemon, it's hard to believe that there was a time when she would have just rolled over and taken someone's guff.  Her relationship with Dee also showed how loyal she was to her friends even when her own list was at stake.  She is a morally strong heroine, and I find that a highly admirable trait in a young female character.

Moving on to our leading man... oh, Daemon.  While he does run hot and cold with Katy, there is good reason behind it.  Yet at the same time, I still wondered why he continued to give her grief even after she learned his family's (and other families' in the town) secret.  Even when he was annoying to Katy, he was also kind as well, and seeing that side made me change my initial opinion of him.  Besides, seeing him as the protective older brother to Dee was very sweet and I hope most readers will see that as well.

Jennifer L. Armentrout did a phenomenal job of creating and developing the Luxen alien race from their history to backing up why such a large concentration of the Luxens would be in this small town in Virginia.  At the same time, there is an air of mystery still surrounding Daemon, Dee, and the other Luxens as well as the Arum, the polar opposites and enemies to both Luxen and human alike.  I'm sure Armentrout will deliver another stellar Lux novel with the release of Onyx in August.

Book 8 

(Technically, the first edition was released in 2011, so I think it counts!)