Opal (The Lux Series #3) By: Jennifer L. Armentrout Mini Review

This series just keeps getting better and better! Opal continues where Onyx left off and only gets more intense. I am so glad that in Opal we have a lot more focus on the aliens/bad guys and getting more information about all of that. There is still plenty of romance, but not overly so. Which is fine by me since there is a lot of other things going on besides Daemon and Katy's love life. Although that IS still there and it's still HOT, HOT, HOT. 

I loved everything about Opal and really there isn't much more I can say about it without giving spoilers on this one or previous books. The only other thing I can really say is...HOLY COW that ending! The ending of this book is crazy and has desperately made me want to read the next one right away. It is a bit of a cliffhanger at the end so have the next book handy! Sadly for me I have other books I really have to read before I can read the next one. :( 

Overall Opal is a fantastic addition to The Lux Series and I recommend it for fans of the first two books in the series. If you like paranormal romance novels then you really, really need to try this series!! 

Onyx (The Lux Series #2) By: Jennifer L. Armentrout Review

Holy shiitake mushrooms! I'm still fangirling over this book. I'm trying to pull myself together to write a coherent review. So here's to hoping this makes sense to anyone other than myself!

First of all, after reading Obsidian I was desperate to get back into Katy's world, but I was a little hesitant at the same time. I feel like this a lot when it comes to series because even though there are so many fantastic series, there are also a lot that only the first book is worth anything. I'm happy to say that Onyx is just as good as Obsidian!!

All of the things I loved about Obsidian are still present in Onyx. Katy is still an adorable (and easy to relate to LOL) book-obsessed blogger. Daemon is still a fiery/jerk/hot/protective alien and the romance between him and Katy is still scorching hot!!! I still say the Lux series is like Twilight with aliens, but with way better writing. I can't get enough of this series!

What I enjoyed most about Onyx is that we get way more information about the Luxen, Arum, and the DOD. Let me just say things are pretty crazy and there are some great twists in this one. I literally read this one in under 24 hours. I devoured this one just like I did Obsidian. Arementrout's writing is very addictive and even though their styles are different, it reminds me of how addicting Colleen Hoover's writing is. I know when I pick up one of their books I will be hooked from page one!

The only thing I was a little sad about was that Dee wasn't in this Onyx more. I really love her character (and I would LOVE to have a bestie like her), but she was pretty absent in this one. I'm pretty sure there was just too much else going on in the story line, but I hope she is in Opal a bit more than she was in this book. After the ending of this one I definitely think that is a possibility. Speaking of endings...

Wow. The ending to this one really left me wanting (needing) more of the Lux series. I'm going to wrap this up now so I can get to reading Opal!

Overall I loved Onyx and this series is fast becoming a new favorite. If you haven't started it yet then do yourself a favor and pick it up!! I recommend it for everyone.

 

Obsidian By: Jennifer L. Armentrout Review

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WOW. WOW. WOW.

I LOVED Obsidian way more than I had expected to. I kept hearing so much about this author, but honestly the book summaries didn't sound THAT great to me. Then I saw on someone else's blog (sorry I don't remember which one) that this e-book was free to download from Amazon. I decided that since it was free I would download it and read it on the Kindle app on my iPad. I'm so damn glad that I did. I even read a lot of the last half of the book on my tiny cell phone screen in the car on the way to and back from a wedding. I was that hooked.

To start off the first thing that struck me about Obsidian is that it reminds me of Twilight, but with aliens and better writing. There is something in Jennifer L. Aremntrout's writing that is just magical. I loved the flow of the novel and the romance was so well done and fiery. Usually with the romance parts in novels I can't wait for the main characters to kiss or realize that they are in love, but with this one I just enjoyed the whole ride. The sexy, sarcastic, witty, and HOT ride. Which brings me to...

Daemon. 

He is hot, hot, hot!! I can't resist a book with a bad boy jerk that really has a heart of gold and is the super protective type. Hello, new book boyfriend. Shhhh.... don't tell my husband. Who is probably reading this now and thinking that I am nutty. Lol!

Another thing that I really enjoyed about Obsidian was all of Katy's book blogger and general book nerdiness parts. I think my reasons for liking that are pretty obvious. ;) Also, I can't forget about Dee (Daemon's sister and Katy's friend), I loved her as well. I want a super sweet bestie like that. 

Overall I think that I have found a new favorite book. I literally don't have anything bad to say about it. I can't wait to read the rest of the series and try some more of Jennifer L. Armentrout's books.

I would recommend this to fans of Twilight, anyone who likes paranormal romance, and for anyone looking for a new ship to root for. Katy + Daemon = <3 

If You Like...Then You May Like.. Part 2

If you like: 

Then you may like:

Why: I always put these together because they are VERY similar. Only Battle Royale is an adult novel instead of YA and it has way more violence. Battle Royale was written before The Hunger Games and I always feel like it gets overlooked. I like to tell everyone Battle Royale is The Hunger Games on steroids. So if you would like a bloodier and more intense Hunger Games than this is definitely the book for you. 

If you like:

Then you may like: 

Why: Both of these novels are a little bit post apocalyptic and they both do something different with vampires. Scary vampires, no emo vampires here. I recommend this for anyone looking for a fresh take on horror vampires. 

If you like: 

Then you may like:

Why: Both of these are sci-fi, dystopian, space, and YA novels. So of course there are going to be some pretty basic similarities. While both are enjoyable reads I think Glow has the better story, but Illuminae is a more flavorful read. It's pretty cool with the way it's set up. Illuminae is written in the form of documents such as : emails, IMs, interviews, medical reports, military files, and etc. I recommend both!


That's it for this month's If You Like...Then You May Like...Part 2! I did decide to do this feature once a month so I will be doing another one in November. Woo hoo!!! I hope everyone is having a good Friday and I hope you all have a great weekend!! :D


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Icons By: Margaret Stohl Review

Maybe more like 2.5 Stars

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Icons is yet another post apocalyptic/dystopia/alien novel that unfortunately doesn't really have anything new to deliver.

Years ago everything changed on the day the Icons dropped from the sky and a lot of people died. Now Dol and her friend Ro are captured by the Embassy and they meet two other teens with similar "dots" on their wrists. Together all four have to unravel a conspiracy and use their uncontrollable emotions to save their future.

So pretty much this book follows a basic formula that may sound familiar. Aliens come to earth, a lot of people die, there are people with abilities that can stop it, wait there is a conspiracy too, and oh of course a love triangle. I could pretty much guess where everything was going and so about midway I had a hard time trying to focus on it. 

Also, there was a lot of confusing stuff that I still don't understand. Like the whole thing with the dots on their wrists was different, but I feel like I still don't get it exactly. I feel like I'm missing a lot of specific information there. The whole dot thing weirded me out to. I don't get why it was almost sexual-like?? 

Another thing I feel like I'm still confused about is the aliens. I was extremely bummed to not find out what the aliens actually are, what they look like, or anything. I guess your supposed to read the next books in the series to find out, but I don't think I'll be making that commitment. 

One big thing I did like about Icons was Ro. I LOVED his character. He was so good to Dol too. Very early on in the opening part (with his birthday present to her) I could already tell I was going to like him for her. Sadly, there is a love triangle though. Dol's character really irritated me because of her with Ro/Lucas. She was so wrong to Ro and he was her ride or die dude for real! Well Dol's character irritated me anyway because she was a bit dull. Although, I can't say I liked any character in this book other than Ro. 

I do have to say that there were a few other interesting things happening in the book. For example there was a twist about all of the four teens that I didn't see coming. I really do enjoy a good twist! Also, I found all of the emotions and dot stuff fascinating and unique, even if it was a bit odd. I think this would have been better for me if it didn't feel like something I've already read multiple times before.

Overall Icons is an average book. I think I am just really done with "alien" novels that do not have any good alien action or information about the aliens. I can say I like this better than The Fifth Wave, which I couldn't even finish. 

I recommend Icons for fans of Alien novels without any alien information or action, YA Dystopia novel super fans, and anyone who wants to see for themselves what the heck the dot/sexual thing is all about. 

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