Onyx: Lux, Book 2

I have this review at my blog as well, with more details, more teasers, a little more spoilers, but not major ones, but with some cool photos, and videos too. Come by and check it out.The Link is in my profile.I Love this book. I was so impressed with the whole story, and how it unfolded. I loved how Katy did not just accept Daemon's advances, as if he didn't treat her like crap through the whole Obsidian book. I respect her for that. Made him work for it, which is good. I will try not to do much spoilery for Onyx, but if you did not read Obsidian yet, then stop now. It will have spoilers for that book.Onyx starts off pretty close to where Obsidian left off. With Katy and Daemon having to deal with the aftermath of him healing her, and her doing that whammy power thing she did when she killed that Arum and saved Daemon's life. They do not know how she did that, so now in this book they are still trying to figure that out. It's pretty funny some of the whacky things that happen, little things, like her door opening toward her before she gets to it, and it hits her in the face, things like that. So she gets a little worried that she will draw the attention of the DOD or Arum, or even the other Luxen, as they kept this all secret from everyone.The fun witty banter that Katy and Daemon had in Obsidian is present in this book too, but turned up a notch. Now with Daemon wanting more with her now, he tries to convince her that he always had liked her, but had tried to push her away for her own protection, and his family and the Luxen. But she isn't buying it, she is insecure about it all, thinking this weird alien connection they have is what is making Daemon feel this way. She says she got alien cooties from him, that cracked me up.Here is a funny quote:"What's wrong with you?""I don't know. I probably got alien cooties."Daemon snorted. "Doubtful. I can't afford for you to be sick. We need to get you outside and try to work your trace off. Until then, you're a--""If you say I'm a weakness, I will hurt you."They are pretty funny, there is plenty of the sexual chemistry in Onyx and Katy spends about half the book denying she has feelings for Daemon.It's a pretty funny part in a way, when Daemon finds Katy in the middle of the night all delirious and sleepwalking, basically to the lake, and takes a icy swim, as she is running a fever from her alien cooties as she calls them. Then she is mortified that what she thought was a dream, actually happened, as she said some embarrassing things to Daemon as he carried her back home.His arms were around me before I took two steps, turning me around. "Kat, you can't get in the lake. It's too cold. You're going to get sick."He brushed back the hair plastered to my cheeks. "Hell--sicker than you already are. You're burning up."Something in what he said cleared a bit of the haze. I leaned into him, pressing my cheek into his chest. He smelled wonderful. Like spice and man. "I don't want you.""Uh, now is not the time to get into that conversation."This was just a dream. I sighed, wrapping my arms around his taut waist. "But I do want you."Daemon's arms tightened around me. "I know, Kitten. You aren't fooling anyone. Come on."I really like Daemons softer side, the trying to get her to believe he cares, doing nice things, very un-Daemon type things. But one thing that really sets Daemon on edge is when cute blonde surfer boy Blake comes to town, and shows an interest in Katy. Boy, does that get to Daemon. I won't say much about Blake, as you need to find out all about him on your own.Here is some cute banter between Daemon and Katy, as she tries to deny what she feels. Just fun cute quote, no spoilery:He looked at me straight on. "You're a terrible liar. You do want this. Just as badly as I do."My mouth opened, but no words came out."You want this as badly as you want to go to ALA this winter."Now my jaw was on the floor. "You don't even know what ALA is!""The American Library Association midwinter event," he said, grinning proudly. "Saw you obsessing over it on your blog before you got sick. I'm pretty sure you said you'd give up your firstborn child to go."Yeah, I kind of did say that.I will say, this book does go deep, there is so much more going on than the fun banter with Katy and Daemon, but do not want to say much, as to let you discover it. Lets just say, we get some questions answered, but them a slew of new ones come up. There is some great sadness we will have to deal with, and tears will be shed.Now, back to some light funny stuff, I will do some quotes, fun, non-spoilery ones. Here is one, that had me laughing out loud, and I got some funny looks from my family, lol.Startled by the deep voice, I shrieked and whipped around. My foot slipped on a section of well-cleaned wood and my butt smacked on the floor."Holy crap," I gasped, clutching my chest. "I think I'm having a heart attack.""And I think you broke your butt." Laughter filled Daemon's voice..Here is another funny one, when Katy and Carissa are passing a note back and forth in class, writing about how hot Daemon is:I laughed under my breath and wrote back,Daemon always looks hot!!!Stretching into the aisle, I went to drop the note back on Carissa's desk. Before it could leave my fingertips, it was snatched from my hand. Son of a donkey butt! My mouth droppedopen and my cheeks burned. Twisting around in my seat, I glared at Daemon.He held the note close to his chest and grinned. "Passing notes is bad," he murmured.Ok, enough of the funny, lets leave the last quotes for some yummy scenes, I even include a scene from Daemons POV, its an extra in the back of the ebook version. Not sure if the physical book has it or not, but added a short piece of it.His hands...his kisses were completely undoing me. And when his hand moved down my stomach, slipping even farther down, I opened my eyes, his name barely a whisper. A faint whitish-red glow outlined his body, throwing shadows along the walls of his bedroom. There was something soul-burningly beautiful about being on the brink of losing control, tumbling over into the unknown, and I wanted to fall and never resurface.Now, here is that exact same scene, from Daemon's point of view, what a nice rare look inside his head. These are just kissing scenes, and really do not give anything away, as we know there have been similar stuff go on, then they would end up insulting each other, lol, classic Daemon and Katy style. Not saying that's what happens, but just saying, it's not always what you think.With my name on her lips and with barely anything separating us, I felt the last of my control slipping. Whitish-red light radiated off of me, bathing Kat in the warm glow. There was nowhere that my hands didn't explore, and the way her body arched into the slightest touch, I was awed and consumed. Kissing her and drawing her deep inside me, I never wanted this to end. She was perfect to me. She was mine, and I wanted her more than I wanted anything in my lifeI hope you liked the extras of this review (more extras with Photos and videos at my blog, link above). I thought it would be fun for you, without giving too much away. I didn't want to go and summarize it all, as there is too much I could spoil. So just go get the book, and get to reading it already! You will love it, but if you had not read Obsidian or Shadows the prequel, you need to read them, You do need to read Shadows, as there is lots going on in this book, that has to do with Shadows. Trust me, you need to read it. You can read it after Obsidian, or before, I think before is better, but not necessary.I highly recommend this book to any Jennifer L Armentrout fan, or anyone that is a fan of Sci fi/Paranormal romances. So if you never read any of her books, go get the first one Obsidian, and the Prequel Shadows, then read this one. Opal the 3rd Lux book should be out in Dec. I can't wait.Be sure to visit my blog, I have more extras, and good qoutes from Onyx there, in that reaview as well as videos and photos, and other post, the one for Onyx book trailer is also there, in the Onyx Book Trailer post, and some yummy photos too. Extended Laptop scene (from Obsidian) video and more.

***ARC provided by Entangled Teen for review***Last December, I kept hearing about this alien book in a lot of blogs and on Goodreads. My first thought was: "Aliens? Really?" But then I saw the cover and holy freaking wow! I immediately wanted to read Obsidian; I didn't even care WHAT it was about! I was completely blown away by the story, the writing, the characters, Daemon. After completely devouring Obsidian, I was eagerly and anxiously waiting for the release of Onyx. Luckily, I got an advance copy of Onyx (Thank you publishing gods!). I read Onyx back in May and I have been trying to write a review for it ever since then. But I could never find the words I wanted to describe how unbelievably awesome Onyx was and how much I LOVED it! No matter how hard I try, my review can never do Onyx justice but I will give it my best shot. Warning: for those of you who haven't read Obsidian, there will be some major spoilers. (Why haven't you read Obsidian?!)After Daemon saves Katy's life, they are now somehow connected. Almost losing Katy has made Daemon realize how much he likes Katy and he is done playing games with her. But now Katy is worried that Daemon is after only because of the connection they have between them. She is scared to admit how she really feels about him, plus she is still mad at him for the way he treated her so she pushing him away. But instead of backing off, Daemon brings out the big guns. For those of you who thought that Daemon was a jerk in Obsidian, you better watch out because in Onyx we get to see a whole other side of Daemon. One I was honestly not prepared for and caught me off guard. If you loved a cocky, sarcastic and kind of mean Daemon, you will be totally blown away by the new side of him. Who knew he could actually be capable of being nice? But don't worry because he is still the same Daemon he just really grew as a character. I loved the crazy, sexy chemistry they had between them in Obsidian and I don't know how it's possible but JLA managed to make the chemistry between them even HOTTER in Onyx! So many sexy swoon-worthy moments between these two!But figuring out their relationship (or lack thereof) is the least of their worries. Now, in addition to the Arum, they also have to worry about the DOD who is keeping tabs on all of them, just waiting for one of them to mess up. There is also the new kid in town, Blake, who has a sudden interest in Katy which causing some major tension between Daemon and Katy (but some very hilarious moments between Daemon and Blake). Luckily, there was no love triangle here. But Blake is hiding something which could threaten more than Daemon and Katy's relationship.I have to admit that there were times when Katy frustrated the hell out of me. I completely understood why she was so wary of jumping into anything with Daemon, but at the same time, it's freaking Daemon! How can you say no to him? Katy is still such an awesome kick-butt girl though. And Daemon! I could make a whole post listing all of the reasons why I like him so much, but I don't want to spoil anything for you guys. Besides, if you have read Obsidian, I'm sure you have your own reasons. And when you read Onyx, your lists will get so much longer.I was surprised by how many issues Daemon and Katy had to go through and I didn't expect this book to be so emotionally deep. One character that I really missed was Dee. Although she is present in Onyx, she doesn't come out as much as she did in Obsidian and I missed the friendship between them. Onyx manages to recapture all of the awesomeness that was in Obsidian while adding more of everything: more romance, more action, more chemistry, and more Daemon. Out of all of the amazing books that I have read so far this year, Onyx is my favorite. Although I'm so happy that I was able to read this early, it just means that the wait for Opal will be that much longer for me. (Publishing gods, if you are listening, PLEASE send me an early copy of Opal!!!) For fans of Obsidian, this is a MUST-read! For those of you who haven't read Obsidian yet, first of all: why haven't you read it yet? And second: go read it now!5 out of 5 out of this world sparkly stars!Some of my favorite non-spoiler quotes from Onyx:-"Maybe one day I can be just as lazy as you are and turn off the lights without moving.""That's something to aspire to."-"Your mail could've waited." Daemon followed me into the kitchen. "What is it? Just books?"Grabbing the OJ from the fridge, I sighed. People who didn't heart books didn't understand. "Yeah, it was just books."-He nodded and smiled angelically for the camera, but his eyes stirred with amusement. Yep, this was a bad idea."I think reading is sexy." Daemon smiled at himself.My brows inched up my forehead. "Do you now?""Oh, yes, and do you know what else I think is sexy?" He leaned forward so his entire face filled the picture and nodded his head toward me. "Bloggers like this. Hot."-He handed me each book, unable to refrain from making a comment and taking my whole recording hostage. Like, "This guy looks stupid," or "What's the obsession with fallen angels?" And my favorite was when he held the book in front of my face and said, "This reaper dude sounds like my kind of guy. He gets to kill people for a living."-With him standing over me, his eyes such a stark contrast with the darkness, he looked like something straight out of my dreams...or the books I read.-He glared Blake into submission. "I think I can help her with this."Sitting on the arm of the couch, Blake waved his hand. "Sure. Whatever. She's all yours."Daemon grinned. "That she is."- "You want this as badly as you want to go to ALA this winter."Now my jaw was on the floor. "You don't even know what ALA is!""American Library Association midwinter event," he said, grinning proudly. "Saw you obsessing over it on your blog before you got sick. I'm pretty sure you said you'd give up your firstborn child to go."Yeah, I kind of did say that. -Whoa. It was hard to stick to my resolve of not caving to the ridiculous notion of us being together when he was actually...nice, and when he stared at me like I was the last piece of chocolate in the whole world.-"It's why you suddenly like me.""I'm pretty sure I liked you before this, Kitten.""Well you had one hell of a way of showing it.""True," he admitted. "And I've already said I'm sorry for the way I treated you." He took a fortifying breath. "I always liked you. From the moment you first flipped me off."-"Somehow, I believe you.""If you didn't, I could always give you a teaser." He paused, and I could hear the smile in his voice. "You bookish people love teasers, don't you?"I laughed, "You've been doing your research on my blog.""Maybe," he replied. "Like I said, I've got to keep an eye on you, Kitten."-Daemon leaned over the center console and kissed me. The tender touch was so at odds with what he'd just said. Deadly and sweet-that was what Daemon was; two very different kinds of souls rested in him, fused together.*** of my reviews and author interviews at:Nereyda @Mostly YA Book Obsessed Read more

Oh well. I can honestly say that this book kept me on my toes from beginning to end.Daemon and Katy start off being their usual selves until Daemon's other side surfaces. This only reinforces Katy's feelings, but a newcomer who might be friend or foe threatens the progress that they have made. Discord, jealousy and mistrust rear their ugly heads, but can harmony and trust be restored?The mystery and suspense in this book are pulse racing. The chemistry between Daemon and Katy is breathtaking. It ends on what should have been a happy note, but I guess I'll find out in the next installment.

** spoiler alert **I hate to write a spoiler review but I simply must because I have to say straight away that I am absolutely thrilled that Katy and Daemon have got on the same page, finally! I love the romance between them, the spark, the sexual tension, the fight and the devotion. I got a bit upset when he was mean to her over the whole Adam thing, c'mon it really wasn't all her fault. She had the best of intentions, which is what really matters, and she felt bad enough as it was. But then as that seemed to be the catalyst for Kat being honest, and Daemon was quite sweet when it came to it, I'm not really complaining.I have to honest and say that I didn't enjoy this book as much as the first by any means. The pacing felt off to me. There was a climax of sorts in the plot but then more happened so I thought maybe that wasn't the climax, but then it ended in rather an unsatisfying way I thought. It's a good job I can go straight on to the next book, but I just feel sort of uneasy about it all right now. Okay, I admit it, I need a HEA and well I didn't get it and I'm frightened about what's going to happen next. Of course, to be having this reaction shows how much it has affected me. I am totally emotionally invested in the characters.On the other hand I loved the progression of the romance in this book. I totally got why Katy was reluctant despite being pursued. She'd been given no reason to believe that his was a genuine attraction on which to trust with her heart and soul. I respected her for wanting the real deal. Katy is a great character, as I think I said in my review of book 1. She doesn't always make sensible choices but she's so determined to protect those she loves and do what she thinks is right. She won't be pushed around or be a bystander in her life. I love that she's not at all self obsessed or vain. Daemon is great too. I loved his protective streak, his ego and his tenderness. But mostly the rawness in his emotions. They make such a feisty, passionate pairing but I'm back to my uneasiness. Some book couples I can't bear the idea of them being torn apart, even if I strongly suspect they'll be together in the end! I just don't know if I can handle the pain of the process when I have so much emotionally invested in them being together. It's like how despite having re-read the Twilight series more times than I can count, I can't physically bring myself to go through the scene in New Moon in the forest when Edward tells Bella he doesn't want her, I just can't cope with it. I do know how ridiculous this is! Of course, I will read the rest of this series I'll just have to read them when I know I can get to the end in one sitting so if there are any painful moments I can get past them and hopefully be happy in the end!

Obsidian - book one - already provided adequate proof that author's writing as addictive. There are certain niggles I simply can't be bothered to harp on about, because these books have become my guilty pleasure!The romance is sizzling, and while I'm usually not one for overblown romance, this one steals my attention because it's wonderfully balanced with a ton of action. Admittedly, there are elements of the plot that made me think 'surely 'x' character could so easily have done 'y' in order to prevent 'z'... but then of course there would be no story, so I put my critique hat away, settled myself back in my chair and simply enjoyed the ride.In this book, the main character, Katy, is finally together with Daemon...well not really, but sort of, because he's no longer pushing her away, but are his feelings real or did they develop overnight due to the strange bond they now share? Katy doesn't want to be wanted accidentally, cue her pushing him away and an extra bit of tension when Blake, a new and mysterious boy, enters the scene.Love triangle aside, Katy sees someone who ought to be dead...sparking hope and also bringing about the realization that the DOD has been lying to the Luxen community.In book one, we discovered Obsidian can help the Luxen fight the Arum, and in this book we discover how the properties of Onyx affect Luxen's...as someone who likes onyx I was most annoyed by the actions of one of my favourite semi-precious gems! ;-)Overall: A mix of sci-fi, rom-com and action-adventure, mean that Onyx is - like the first book - a page-turner.Favourite quote: "It had insta-love, the bane of my existence. Girl sees boy and falls in love. Immediately. Soul mate, breath stealing, toes curling, love after one conversation. Boy pushes girl away for some paranormal reason or another. Girl still loves boy. Boy finally admits love."― Jennifer L. Armentrout, OnyxI think the author has a wonderful tongue in cheek style...let's see girl falls for great looks of guy instantly, but put off by his bad behaviour which is due to paranormal reason... :)

Warning: This review will be an excited rambling of a fangirl who is totally in love with a certain boy from this book. You could read it and laugh, or, the recommended option, you could go and buy the book and then ramble yourself."I'd made enough of a fool of myself tonight. Kicked a hissy fit over Ash and Daemon, stormed out of the party, and nearly decapitated Simon. All of this before midnight.Awesome."I don't want to give this plot away. Cause if you haven't read Obsidian, I don't want to give anything away. Though, both blurbs pretty much give everything away anyway...Ok, let's just say this: Katy now knows what her neighbours are. She fought with them. She almost died for them.And now? Well, she's... uh... different. And also sorta connected to Daemon freaking Black. The hot jerk who broke all the rules to save her and suddenly seems determined to prove how much he likes her... and how much she likes him back.So not gonna happen anything soon - Kat's way too strong for that.Right?But then... well, let's just say things happen and Katy gets super close to exposing everything. Especially since the MIB have shown up and are starting to dig around.So now Katy has to trust this new newbie to help her get herself under control. Daemon isn't pleased - and not just cause he's jealous.It obviously doesn't help that Katy's seeing ghosts of people who should be long, long, long dead. People who could lead Daemon to the one person he has truly loved and lost - and we're not talking about some girl here. This is deeper. Much, much deeper.And it could kill them all...I finished Obsidian in one sitting and immediately ordered Onyx and Opal from Amazon. It told me they'd arrive the next day.It was just too freaking long.So I went on my iPad and I bought the eBook version of Onyx. And in one sitting that went from the evening to two in the morning, I gobbled it all up. I don't know what it is about Jennifer Armentrout that makes me do that - makes me almost feverish to read every single word and savour them, enjoy them, while making me rush to find out what happens...So often you read a first book and love it so much it hurts. And then you rush to get the next and it's like - 'Meh'. Because it's a huge let-down.Onyx?My God, it SO wasn't one of those! It was just as amazing - maybe even more so! It had all the action, all the romance, all the toe-curling "Holy Hawt Chemistry Batman!", all the humour. And it had all the Daemon. Literally nothing to complain about. And so, SO freaking much to gush about.Guys, I'm so sorry for this rambly review. I love it so blinking much that I can't help it. I simply HAVE to gush. And gush and gush and then gush a little bit more.Sigh. I am SO in love.I rambled a lot about Daemon last time. I'm going to ramble even more now. Because, oh my God, I love Daemon! He is the hottest thing ever. And also the sweetest - we got to see this totally lovely, sweet side of him and the totally hot protective side. If I'm honest, I'm shocked Kat held out on him like she did - I would've been all over him! He really is the most amazing guy and may just have become my newest fave book boyfriend. Taking over the likes of Jace and Dimtiri and Adrian. Sigh. I love him so much! I don't know how I'm meant to wait until the next book comes for more of him! I have now joined The Daemon Invasion and believe in the cause with every single part of my being. Team Daemon Forever, people. For-ev-ah.I love Katy too. I mean, she's a book girl! Who doesn't love people just like themselves in books? Though, she does have more control than me. As mentioned before, I'd be all over Daemon the second he walked into a room. But back to Katy. I loved watching her grow and become so strong and kickbutt. I love her wit and strength and snark. And, of course, the whole book thing! As she said, "People who didn't heart books didn't understand." That made me laugh 'cause it's just so, so true!And Dee - oh, how I love Dee! Sweet, hyper, friendly Dee. I felt so sorry for her - she really deserves none of the bad things that happened to her. She's just the kindest, sweetest thing ever and a really great best friend. She's not really in this one much, and most of the time I wanted to slap Kat for pushing poor Dee away, but Dee was still so sweet. And that ending...As for the new guy. Well. I don't want to give anything away. But all I can say is how could a girl even consider picking anyone over the gorgeous Daemon Black? Since he is, as I'm sure you know now, the hottest thing since the sun was created.I love the chemistry between Daemon and Katy. As previously mentioned, and as one of Katy's friends said, "Holy Hawt Chemistry Batman!" Sure, they argue much of the time. But even that is bleeping hot - like stand-back-or-be-burned kinda hot. And the kisses: talk about knee melting! I swear, by the time I finished the book, half of me was lying melted on the floor, and the other half was screaming: I NEED MORE RIGHT RIGHT NOW NOW NOW!!! They are now my favourite book couple in the history of ever.Obviously, I adore the characters. By Armentrout's writing? Equally amazing. Like seriously freaking amazing. It's almost dangerously and freakishly addictive and so full of amazingness. I just love the humour, the suspense, the romance, the action. And, my God, was the plot amazing. It was honest-to-God made of awesome. I loved every single second and couldn't read fast enough. It blew me away - completely. But that ending... OMG, Jennifer!! Talk about evil! And I had to wait ages for the next to arrive, 'cause it wasn't on iBooks and it seemed stupid to buy another book twice on my Kindle and there was snow which meant the post was slow.Have I proved the addictiveness of this series? I swear that they're almost druglike in their total and complete overpowering way of getting into my head and my heart and making me fall in love every single page - with everything: the writing, the plot, the characters, the world, Daemon. I adore this series. If that isn't clear, which after my rambling it hopefully will be.I could literally just go on and on and on about Onyx forever. I loved it so freaking much it's like it hurts. I can barely put into words how freaking much I love it. It's almost crazy how much I love it. If you haven't read it, I don't think you'll get all my psycho babbling. But think of your favourite book ever and then multiple it by a squillion to get my crazy intense adoration of this book...And I'm really sorry for the rambling. I can't seem to help it when it come to this series...

This book series is like crack to me. For reals. If you haven't read Obsidian yet then get thee to an online book store immediately! It goes without saying that you need to read that first and also Shadows before reading this review as you will encounter spoilers and you have been warned.If you thought the stakes were high in Obsidian, just wait until you read Onyx. I'll admit that I had my own theories on where I thought the story might go but Jennifer always keeps us on our toes and it was nice to encounter things that I didn't see coming. I swear to God, if she wrote about postage stamps, I'd still read it and anything else she writes in the history of the world, to infinity and beyond.Daemon and Katy are the hottest couple-who-haven't-yet-defined-their-relationship-properly EVER. In Obsidian, we saw a VERY hot love/hate thing between them and in Onyx, it's interesting to see that their relationship only really blossoms when Blake (AKA the new guy) saunters onto the scene and threatens it. Cue some very swoonworthy scenes. Sparks are DEFINITELY still flying and we learn more about the "bizarro" connection between Daemon and Katy that came into being in Obsidian and what that means for them both. Is it just the connection that has forced them to have feelings for each other? You'll certainly enjoy finding out.I have to say that one of the things I really enjoyed about the book was seeing Daemon show Katy what "normal" looks like and having meaningful conversations together instead of just flirting or sparring with each other. Don't get me wrong, the two have some serious chemistry but it was nice to see a contrast.The tension is so thick in this book, you could cut it with a knife because not only are Daemon and Katy trying to figure out their relationship, they're also trying to avoid the Department of Defense who are sniffing around more than ever. Obviously, I can't say a lot about the plot but there are some VERY big surprises in there and some fantastic scenes. It's very difficult to keep my mouth shut at this point but I will tell you that Onyx is just as enjoyable as Obsidian and as always, I cannot wait for the next book in the series, entitled Opal. You learn the significance of the title in Onyx as well as a little hint into what book three has in store for us. I never thought I would say this about 2012 but December can't come soon enough.