What do you think?
Rate this book
Lux #1
Obsidian
Wanneer Katy uit het zonnige Florida naar het grauwe West Virginia moet verhuizen, is ze verre van enthousiast. In het kleine dorp heeft ze niet eens internet, wat voor deze die-hard boekenblogger dramatisch is. Ze besluit bij haar buren aan te bellen, en leert de adembenemende good looking, maar zeer onvriendelijke Daemon Black kennen. Wat Katy echter niet weet, is dat deze jongen, die ze vanaf dit moment volledig probeert te vermijden, haar lot een totaal andere wending zal geven…
434 pages, Paperback
First published November 29, 2011
About the author
Jennifer L. Armentrout
156 books145k followersHey Guys! Please note: I don't send out ARCs for review. If you're interested in reviewing a book of mine before release date, please contact the appropriate publisher. I also do NOT check my Goodreads email.
To email me, please use the below addy.
jenniferlarmentrout@live.com
# 1 New York Times and # 1 International Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Charles Town, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki. In early 2015, Jennifer was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a group of rare genetic disorders that involve a breakdown and death of cells in the retina, eventually resulting in loss of vision, among other complications. Due to this diagnosis, educating people on the varying degrees of blindness has become of passion of hers, right alongside writing, which she plans to do as long as she can.
Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Tor, HarperCollins Avon and William Morrow, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her Wicked Series has been optioned by PassionFlix. Jennifer has won numerous awards, including the 2013 Reviewers Choice Award for Wait for You, the 2015 Editor’s Pick for Fall With Me, and the 2014/2015 Moerser-Jugendbuch- Jury award for Obsidian. Her young adult romantic suspense novel DON’T LOOK BACK was a 2014 nominated Best in Young Adult Fiction by YALSA. Her adult romantic suspense novel TILL DEATH was a Amazon Editor’s Pick and iBook Book of the Month. Her young adult contemporary THE PROBLEM WITH FOREVER is a 2017 RITA Award Winner in Young Adult Fiction. She also writes Adult and New Adult contemporary and paranormal romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.
She is the owner of ApollyCon and The Origin Event, the successful annual events that features over hundred bestselling authors in Young Adult, New Adult, and Adult Fiction, panels, parties, and more.
To email me, please use the below addy.
jenniferlarmentrout@live.com
# 1 New York Times and # 1 International Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Charles Town, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki. In early 2015, Jennifer was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a group of rare genetic disorders that involve a breakdown and death of cells in the retina, eventually resulting in loss of vision, among other complications. Due to this diagnosis, educating people on the varying degrees of blindness has become of passion of hers, right alongside writing, which she plans to do as long as she can.
Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Tor, HarperCollins Avon and William Morrow, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her Wicked Series has been optioned by PassionFlix. Jennifer has won numerous awards, including the 2013 Reviewers Choice Award for Wait for You, the 2015 Editor’s Pick for Fall With Me, and the 2014/2015 Moerser-Jugendbuch- Jury award for Obsidian. Her young adult romantic suspense novel DON’T LOOK BACK was a 2014 nominated Best in Young Adult Fiction by YALSA. Her adult romantic suspense novel TILL DEATH was a Amazon Editor’s Pick and iBook Book of the Month. Her young adult contemporary THE PROBLEM WITH FOREVER is a 2017 RITA Award Winner in Young Adult Fiction. She also writes Adult and New Adult contemporary and paranormal romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.
She is the owner of ApollyCon and The Origin Event, the successful annual events that features over hundred bestselling authors in Young Adult, New Adult, and Adult Fiction, panels, parties, and more.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 21,337 reviews
August 24, 2016
Not long ago, someone I know got into a really bad relationship. It was the kind of relationship where the guy was a pretty-faced douchebag who would tell her he loved her one minute and the next he would be making snide remarks about her weight and about her career, or standing her up when they were supposed to be going somewhere. But the worst part of this relationship wasn't him, it was my friend.
Everyone she knew, including me, warned her away from him, told her he was bad and that she deserved better... you know, the usual. And she knew exactly who he was, knew that he was playing constant mind games. But she honestly believed that what she put up with was a worthy sacrifice for love. And she honestly believed she could change him. She would say "he's just an immature guy" as we sat with her while she cried because he'd made her feel like shit again. We subtly tried to remind her that there was such a thing as self respect and she was rapidly losing grip on it.
I sat there and wondered how someone so pretty, smart and full of fiery personality could truly believe this was something normal that she had to accept and get through. But it's when I read books like Obsidian that I receive a painful reminder that this kind of psychology is not only way too frequent, but also constantly reinforced by books selling such relationships as romantic and passionate. Do I need to point out the obvious example?
Some people said this book was another Twilight - complete with sappy heroine, paranormal love interest and a shit ton of angst. Honestly, they insulted Twilight with that one. Give me that creepy creeper called Edward Cullen any day over this rude, arrogant piece of work. I'm pretty sure Edward was actually kinda nice to Bella in his weird archaic "I won't shag you before marriage but I will sneak into your room and watch you sleep because that is totally acceptable and normal" way.
Daemon, on the other hand, is an arrogant and downright RUDE dickwad. I'm not even going to pretend to understand the attraction because I don't see it. 'kay, he's beautiful, whatever. He also talks to the MC like she's crap he just stepped in, whilst interspersing the abuse with heated kisses and whatnot. There is nothing, NOTHING attractive to me about making out with a guy who insults me and acts like I'm worth less than nothing. I don't get it.
The heroine - Katy - isn't terrible. She has high points where she pulls out some well-placed snark AND she's a book blogger - woohoo! But she has plenty of eye roll-worthy Mary Sue moments where she frets about her obvious beauty. In the first chapter (I think) she describes herself in a way that is supposed to imply she is somehow plain - with "curvy hips, puffy lips and huge eyes". So... she has big eyes, full lips and curves. Yeah, we really feel your pain, Katy.
I realise I just basically trashed a book that tops a lot of people's favourite lists - sorry. I am currently working my way through some popular YA that I always meant to read but never did, so that's how I crossed paths with this book after avoiding it for so long. But yeah, guess you figured out this one wasn't for me :)
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Tumblr | Youtube
Everyone she knew, including me, warned her away from him, told her he was bad and that she deserved better... you know, the usual. And she knew exactly who he was, knew that he was playing constant mind games. But she honestly believed that what she put up with was a worthy sacrifice for love. And she honestly believed she could change him. She would say "he's just an immature guy" as we sat with her while she cried because he'd made her feel like shit again. We subtly tried to remind her that there was such a thing as self respect and she was rapidly losing grip on it.
I sat there and wondered how someone so pretty, smart and full of fiery personality could truly believe this was something normal that she had to accept and get through. But it's when I read books like Obsidian that I receive a painful reminder that this kind of psychology is not only way too frequent, but also constantly reinforced by books selling such relationships as romantic and passionate. Do I need to point out the obvious example?
Some people said this book was another Twilight - complete with sappy heroine, paranormal love interest and a shit ton of angst. Honestly, they insulted Twilight with that one. Give me that creepy creeper called Edward Cullen any day over this rude, arrogant piece of work. I'm pretty sure Edward was actually kinda nice to Bella in his weird archaic "I won't shag you before marriage but I will sneak into your room and watch you sleep because that is totally acceptable and normal" way.
Daemon, on the other hand, is an arrogant and downright RUDE dickwad. I'm not even going to pretend to understand the attraction because I don't see it. 'kay, he's beautiful, whatever. He also talks to the MC like she's crap he just stepped in, whilst interspersing the abuse with heated kisses and whatnot. There is nothing, NOTHING attractive to me about making out with a guy who insults me and acts like I'm worth less than nothing. I don't get it.
The heroine - Katy - isn't terrible. She has high points where she pulls out some well-placed snark AND she's a book blogger - woohoo! But she has plenty of eye roll-worthy Mary Sue moments where she frets about her obvious beauty. In the first chapter (I think) she describes herself in a way that is supposed to imply she is somehow plain - with "curvy hips, puffy lips and huge eyes". So... she has big eyes, full lips and curves. Yeah, we really feel your pain, Katy.
I realise I just basically trashed a book that tops a lot of people's favourite lists - sorry. I am currently working my way through some popular YA that I always meant to read but never did, so that's how I crossed paths with this book after avoiding it for so long. But yeah, guess you figured out this one wasn't for me :)
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Tumblr | Youtube
September 10, 2011
Since I wrote it, I kind of think it deserves 5 stars. =)
October 30, 2015
Aliens, hot aliens? DAEMON BLACK???? YES PLEASE!
Loved this book, read it in 2012 but decided to come back and write a review for it. This is actually the book that made me start book blogging!
Loved this book, read it in 2012 but decided to come back and write a review for it. This is actually the book that made me start book blogging!
October 11, 2017
3.5/5
This book was such a quick, fun read! I haven't read an alien book before, and I found these aliens to be so interesting. Katy was a great main character and I LOVED that she had a book blog. It was a little repetitive at times and the constant bickering between Katy and Daemon, although funny and filled with sexual tension, was almost too much sometimes. However, I'm invested in this story now I will be picking up the next book sometime in the future!
This book was such a quick, fun read! I haven't read an alien book before, and I found these aliens to be so interesting. Katy was a great main character and I LOVED that she had a book blog. It was a little repetitive at times and the constant bickering between Katy and Daemon, although funny and filled with sexual tension, was almost too much sometimes. However, I'm invested in this story now I will be picking up the next book sometime in the future!
August 21, 2016
“I have a strange idea that I should test this out.”
“Test what?” My eyes dropped to his lips. I felt myself sway.
“I think you would like to know.” He moved closer, his hand sliding up my arm and resting carefully at the nape of my neck.
Well, now I know why this series is so popular :)
It took me one scene, meeting Daemon, to completely fall in love with him/the book. And it just got better and better! I literally couldn't stop reading and ended up finishing it in the same day I started.
Well that says a lot :))
-Here's something you need to know about the STORY-
Katy and her mom move to Vest Virginia after her father's death, and she meets her gorgeous, irritatingly rude neighbor Daemon.
The tension between them is incredible, but with Daemon acting like a jerk, they end up fighting most of the time, and the other times are just swoony as hell!!!!
Since Daemon behaves terribly toward Katy, and his sister Dee forces him to be nicer to her, which leads to some very very nice scenes like car-washing, swimming in the lake, the swing scene (*sigh*), the kitchen scene and well basically every scene where Daemon and Katy are together (and there are a LOT of those)
One night Daemon saves Katy from a terrible accident and she realises he's not what he seems, he is in fact - an alien!
The laptop scene... No comment to that, you just have to read it ;)
The ending was awesome, action packed, but also emotional and sweet. And funny. Well it was everything!!!
-The romance-
*sigh*
Well, first thing you need to know is that with Daemon, hearing something romantic come out of his mouth is practically impossible, even though he had his wonderful moments which I treasured because they were rare :D
But it was all still there, even though he behaves like a jerk to her, he's still protective, and man, that made some amazingly swoony scenes in here <3
And even though I've said it before, every scene with those two was amazing, it was full of tension and butterflies <3
Can't wait to see how their relationship moves forward with each book :)
-Daemon-
He's the overprotective brother, trying to prevent Dee (the sister) from forming a friendship with Katy, the new neighbor.
He's kind of hot and cold toward her, one moment flirting, the next insulting, probably because he's intrigued by her, but at the same time, he knows what humans can do to him and his family :(
As he reveals himself to Katy, he knows he has to keep her safe from his enemies, and they have to spend a lot of time together (ehehehehe).
Well, for me, Daemon was insta-love. I loved every scene with him, when he was a jerk, when he was swoony and protective, and yeah, even him being so incredibly full of himself :DDD
My favorite scene with him was when they were at the lake and she hugged him <3 I don't know why, but he just seemed so vulnerable there, maybe because he's so tough throughout the book, I don't know.
Anyway, love love love him!!!
-Katy-
She's a book review blogger, pretty much an ordinary girl, whose life changes completely once her dad dies and she moves to West Virginia with her mom.
She becomes friends with her neighbor Dee, but frenemies with Dee's brother Daemon, who tries to push her away from his family, but at the same time flirts like hell with her :D
As time goes by, it gets tough for her to fight the attraction, especially because Daemon feels it too, and on top of all that, he has too look after Katy in case his enemies target her.
For a heroine, she's pretty great :) She gives as good as she gets, and it was so fun to watch the bickering and fighting all the time :)
She is brave, and I have to say, I am very very happy with how she deals with the enemies! It surprised me, and I guess that's why I love that fact even more :)
The end fight was awesome even though I can't say I understand everything that happened, but I think I'm not supposed to (aka it will probably be explained in the next book).
-Overall feelings about the book-
The pic says it all :DD
I devoured this book! I loved every single scene between the MCs, and the good thing is, the book is full of those!!! Honestly, I just can't think of anything that bothered me here or that I didn't like. Anything!
Maybe this is just the new fangirl me talking, but I don't know, this book definitely deserves 5 stars from me, and it's going into my bestest of the best shelf :))))
PS: V... I love you woman! I would've never picked this up if it weren't for you. Yes you told me so, but I just have to say THANK YOU!!! <3
PPS: This should be made into a movie.
June 19, 2018
author: Hi this is my OC, Daemon Black <3 <3 <3
me: hi
me: what's he look like?
author: he's dark and brooding and his green eyes are brilliant and his abs are so ripped and his skin is so tan
author: but he doesn't know how gorgeous he is despite his washboard abs
me: ok...
author: and he REALLY hates his neighbor
me: who's his neighbor?
author: just your average blog-writing book-reading doormat who also doesn't know how gorgeous she is
author: Daemon is super mean to her because he hates her
me:
me: what makes Daemon so special?
author: he's an alien who looks like a person but he's actually a ball of light that also sort of looks like a person
me:
author: he can heal people and travel faster than the speed of light and shapeshift into an animal and make fire with his mind and stop time and change weather patterns AND CHANGE INTO A DIFFERENT PERSON AND MICROWAVE FOOD WITH HIS MIND
me:
me: wow, that's........ wow
author:
me: what does he use these powers for?
author: to impress his blog-writing book-reading doormat neighbor
me: but I thought you said-
author: cause he hates her so much
me: ....
author:
me:
author: did I mention his abs
me:
me: hi
me: what's he look like?
author: he's dark and brooding and his green eyes are brilliant and his abs are so ripped and his skin is so tan
author: but he doesn't know how gorgeous he is despite his washboard abs
me: ok...
author: and he REALLY hates his neighbor
me: who's his neighbor?
author: just your average blog-writing book-reading doormat who also doesn't know how gorgeous she is
author: Daemon is super mean to her because he hates her
me:
me: what makes Daemon so special?
author: he's an alien who looks like a person but he's actually a ball of light that also sort of looks like a person
me:
author: he can heal people and travel faster than the speed of light and shapeshift into an animal and make fire with his mind and stop time and change weather patterns AND CHANGE INTO A DIFFERENT PERSON AND MICROWAVE FOOD WITH HIS MIND
me:
me: wow, that's........ wow
author:
me: what does he use these powers for?
author: to impress his blog-writing book-reading doormat neighbor
me: but I thought you said-
author: cause he hates her so much
me: ....
author:
me:
author: did I mention his abs
me:
December 12, 2011
All my ratings have been pretty high lately, mostly because I choose very carefully what to read next. I value my time too much to purposely read books I know I won’t like. So what on earth possessed me to pick up this book after the Half-Blood debacle, I have no idea.
Most of my friends loved Obsidian and I respect that, I really do. I can even see why, the ingredients are all there: a gorgeous, mean guy and a plain, book-nerdish girl, a love-hate relationship between our protagonists, hero’s perky sister that becomes the heroine’s best friend, the evil ex-girlfriend that spits fire every time our heroine gets close, two clueless friends and a mostly absent single parent… need I go on? However, even when you figure all this out, Armentrout finds a way to sneak up on you. Every now and then I’d lose myself in a funny piece of dialogue or an especially steamy scene, but it wouldn’t take long for me to remember what I was really reading and why it was making me so mad. But let’s start at the beginning.
Three years after the death of her father, Katy’s mother decides that it’s time to move on and that, in order to do that, they need to sell everything they own and move from sunny Florida to a town of about 500 inhabitants in the middle of nowhere, West Virginia. On her first day in the new house, Katy meets her next door neighbors, twins Dee and Daemon. While she and Dee instantly hit it off, Daemon acts like a total jerk and makes some cryptic comments about ‘Katy’s kind’. He is, of course, absolutely gorgeous (Ohmigod, he’s so gorgeous, how could he possibly be attracted to plain ol’ me? I must be imagining things.), and very mysterious. As the time passes, Kat starts noticing that something is not quite right with the way Daemon, Dee and their friends are behaving, and then he saves her from an attacker and well… you know the rest.
Apparently, aliens are the new vampires. No, seriously. Daemon is Edward 2.0 – a moodier, meaner and prettier version of our dear Mr. Cullen. To be honest, this entire book is just another Twilight rip-off. Not flat-out stolen like Half-Blood, but not that far, either. That alone wouldn’t really upset me much since it's not the first and it certainly won't be the last, but what I found unforgivable was that Armentrout felt the need to make fun of Twilight while writing the exact same story.
And when he spoke, it wasn’t out loud. It was in my head. This is what we look like. We are beings of light. Even in human form, we can bend light to our will. There was a pause. As you can see, I don’t look like a giant insect. Or… sparkle. Even in my head I could hear the disgust on that last one.
See? So rude. It’s true that Daemon doesn’t sparkle, but he IS made of light. Pot, meet kettle. Kettle, you should kick pot’s ass.
I’m sure this book will have many fans, but I’m afraid my short and turbulent relationship with Ms. Armentrout is now over.
Most of my friends loved Obsidian and I respect that, I really do. I can even see why, the ingredients are all there: a gorgeous, mean guy and a plain, book-nerdish girl, a love-hate relationship between our protagonists, hero’s perky sister that becomes the heroine’s best friend, the evil ex-girlfriend that spits fire every time our heroine gets close, two clueless friends and a mostly absent single parent… need I go on? However, even when you figure all this out, Armentrout finds a way to sneak up on you. Every now and then I’d lose myself in a funny piece of dialogue or an especially steamy scene, but it wouldn’t take long for me to remember what I was really reading and why it was making me so mad. But let’s start at the beginning.
Three years after the death of her father, Katy’s mother decides that it’s time to move on and that, in order to do that, they need to sell everything they own and move from sunny Florida to a town of about 500 inhabitants in the middle of nowhere, West Virginia. On her first day in the new house, Katy meets her next door neighbors, twins Dee and Daemon. While she and Dee instantly hit it off, Daemon acts like a total jerk and makes some cryptic comments about ‘Katy’s kind’. He is, of course, absolutely gorgeous (Ohmigod, he’s so gorgeous, how could he possibly be attracted to plain ol’ me? I must be imagining things.), and very mysterious. As the time passes, Kat starts noticing that something is not quite right with the way Daemon, Dee and their friends are behaving, and then he saves her from an attacker and well… you know the rest.
Apparently, aliens are the new vampires. No, seriously. Daemon is Edward 2.0 – a moodier, meaner and prettier version of our dear Mr. Cullen. To be honest, this entire book is just another Twilight rip-off. Not flat-out stolen like Half-Blood, but not that far, either. That alone wouldn’t really upset me much since it's not the first and it certainly won't be the last, but what I found unforgivable was that Armentrout felt the need to make fun of Twilight while writing the exact same story.
And when he spoke, it wasn’t out loud. It was in my head. This is what we look like. We are beings of light. Even in human form, we can bend light to our will. There was a pause. As you can see, I don’t look like a giant insect. Or… sparkle. Even in my head I could hear the disgust on that last one.
See? So rude. It’s true that Daemon doesn’t sparkle, but he IS made of light. Pot, meet kettle. Kettle, you should kick pot’s ass.
I’m sure this book will have many fans, but I’m afraid my short and turbulent relationship with Ms. Armentrout is now over.
March 3, 2020
5 WHOLE INSANE STARS!
Me while reading the book :
I highly recommand you to read this book and the whole series.It's one of the greatest I have ever read.
Me after finishing the book :
I HEARD RUMORS ABOUT THE MOVIE COMING OUT SOON!!!
*Pictures from the review are not mine, I took them mostly from Google images or Tumblr*
One of the best books I have ever read and also the best series starter I know.
I have read this series and I must say it gets better and better.But believe me it starts GREAT.The story is interesting and keeps you thrilled the whole time.The characters are smoky cool.I could relate so much to this book (beside the alien thing).
Me while reading the book :
“You look like you got more of a bath than the car. I never
thought washing a car would be so hard, but after watching you for the last fifteen minutes, I’m convinced it should be an Olympic sport.”
“If she was mine, I'd cherish every inch of her. And I wanted to. Now”
“I was always able to lose myself in reading. Books were a necessary escape I always gladly jumped into headfirst.”
“Kat, say something insulting. Come on.”
I highly recommand you to read this book and the whole series.It's one of the greatest I have ever read.
Me after finishing the book :
I HEARD RUMORS ABOUT THE MOVIE COMING OUT SOON!!!
*Pictures from the review are not mine, I took them mostly from Google images or Tumblr*
September 21, 2018
Alien. I fell in love with a freaking alien. Not one of those greeny three-eyed creatures but still he is extraterrestrial life. As if book boyfriends from this galaxy weren't enough.
There was something off with this little Virginia town Katy was forced to move in. Strange things happened, people were supposed to light up like Christmas trees and there was gossip about Men in Black lurking in the streets. And things got even weirder when Katy spent time with her extremely beautiful neighbors, Dee and Daemon. Dee wanted desperately to become friends with Katy, while her brother seemed to consider Katy a stone in his shoe, something unpleasant and annoying. The truth behind this hatred? The Black twins were aliens, hiding from some not so friendly aliens, and Katy found herself involved in a world of secrets, super powers, obsidian knifes and a battle between light and darkness. And a seriously bipolar Daemon.
I LOVE Obsidian so, so much.
Mystery and paranormal romance combined with sassy characters and humorous dialogues, a healthy dose of tension and agony and sexual frustration and fast paced writing made this book such an enjoyable read! It's my first Jennifer L. Armentrout book and I am pleasantly surprised, I can say for sure she gained a new fan! She managed to make aliens fascinating without following the cliches, and her heroes are easily relatable! Kat was an amazing heroine, stubborn and feisty and sarcastic and caring and funny, it's impossible not to love her!
And Daemon?
Totally swoonworthy. An arrogant, hot, overconfident, sex-on-a-stick asshole who gave you heart attacks and took your breath away at once.
There were times I wanted to bang his pretty head in a wall and times I wanted him tobang kiss me hard against a wall. He was mostly a rude jerk, but his love towards his sister was touching and the moments he was vulnerable were enough to balance his assholiness.
And the scenes between Daemon and Kat?
Holy Hawt Chemisty, Batman!
If you're looking for a good Young Adult novel from a very talented author, then Obsidian is the book for you. After you finish it, you will wish you were kidnapped by aliens (the hot ones who don't look like Chewbacca anyway).
“Welcome to West Virginia, the land of lost models.”
There was something off with this little Virginia town Katy was forced to move in. Strange things happened, people were supposed to light up like Christmas trees and there was gossip about Men in Black lurking in the streets. And things got even weirder when Katy spent time with her extremely beautiful neighbors, Dee and Daemon. Dee wanted desperately to become friends with Katy, while her brother seemed to consider Katy a stone in his shoe, something unpleasant and annoying. The truth behind this hatred? The Black twins were aliens, hiding from some not so friendly aliens, and Katy found herself involved in a world of secrets, super powers, obsidian knifes and a battle between light and darkness. And a seriously bipolar Daemon.
“I was always able to lose myself in reading. Books were a necessary escape I always gladly jumped into headfirst.”
I LOVE Obsidian so, so much.
Mystery and paranormal romance combined with sassy characters and humorous dialogues, a healthy dose of tension and agony and sexual frustration and fast paced writing made this book such an enjoyable read! It's my first Jennifer L. Armentrout book and I am pleasantly surprised, I can say for sure she gained a new fan! She managed to make aliens fascinating without following the cliches, and her heroes are easily relatable! Kat was an amazing heroine, stubborn and feisty and sarcastic and caring and funny, it's impossible not to love her!
And Daemon?
“Beautiful face. Beautiful body. Horrible attitude. It was the holy trinity of hot boys.”
Totally swoonworthy. An arrogant, hot, overconfident, sex-on-a-stick asshole who gave you heart attacks and took your breath away at once.
There were times I wanted to bang his pretty head in a wall and times I wanted him to
And the scenes between Daemon and Kat?
Holy Hawt Chemisty, Batman!
If you're looking for a good Young Adult novel from a very talented author, then Obsidian is the book for you. After you finish it, you will wish you were kidnapped by aliens (the hot ones who don't look like Chewbacca anyway).
May 2, 2013
I want to believe.
I really do. Just following the news these days is enough to make one lose faith in humanity. I really want to believe that there is something out there, god, gods, whatever. Aliens. ANYTHING. I want to feel like there are other creatures out there in this vast universe of ours, with greater knowledge, greater intelligence, and maybe one day they'll grace us with their presence and bestow on us their superior intellect.
I certainly hope those future aliens are more intelligent than the dumb-as-dirt creatures in Obsidian.
Seriously, how stupid can you get? I've never been on the run, I've never had to hide, but if there's some things I've gleaned, it's how NOT to stick out like a sore freaking thumb.
First, you find a HUGE goddamn city, like San Francisco, where nobody will even blink if you step out into the street in rainbow-colored pantyhose and an accompanying beard. You do not find a backwoods town where it's likely you're considered outsiders if your grandparents were born the next town over.
Secondly, you BLEND IN. 2 pairs of triplets move into town within days of each other? That is not blending in. Supernatural beauty? Not blending in. Names like Daemon? NO. NOT BLENDING IN.
Thirdly, you FIT IN. You make friends, you're friendly to people. You do not act like everyone is your enemy and warn off the friendly girl next door just because she wants to know where the closest store is.
I just don't understand how this book got so many positive reviews. I get that this is fantasy/sci-fi YA fiction, but there's gotta be a limit to willing suspension of disbelief. For me, there's very little to like about this book. The heroine is all right, but I kind of rolled my eyes at the "I'm a BOOK BLOGGER. I'M SO HIPSTER. I'M A ZOOEY DESCHANEL GEEK GIRL" bit. That's how she seemed to me. She's a fair bit more intelligent than some of the YA fiction heroines I've read, but considering there exists Luce/Bella/etc...that's not saying much. The spaghetti scene was kick-ass, though.
I found Daemon to be an enormous asshat for most of the novel. He's hot, sure, but that's it. He's such an unbelievable jerk, and I found Dee to be like the patient wife of an abusive husband, sniveling and simpering and constantly making excuses for her brother's rude, boorish, borderline abusive behavior.
And Ms. Armentrout, enough with the 100000x random alien references/foreshadowing in the book already. It's called subtlety.
I really do. Just following the news these days is enough to make one lose faith in humanity. I really want to believe that there is something out there, god, gods, whatever. Aliens. ANYTHING. I want to feel like there are other creatures out there in this vast universe of ours, with greater knowledge, greater intelligence, and maybe one day they'll grace us with their presence and bestow on us their superior intellect.
I certainly hope those future aliens are more intelligent than the dumb-as-dirt creatures in Obsidian.
Seriously, how stupid can you get? I've never been on the run, I've never had to hide, but if there's some things I've gleaned, it's how NOT to stick out like a sore freaking thumb.
First, you find a HUGE goddamn city, like San Francisco, where nobody will even blink if you step out into the street in rainbow-colored pantyhose and an accompanying beard. You do not find a backwoods town where it's likely you're considered outsiders if your grandparents were born the next town over.
Secondly, you BLEND IN. 2 pairs of triplets move into town within days of each other? That is not blending in. Supernatural beauty? Not blending in. Names like Daemon? NO. NOT BLENDING IN.
Thirdly, you FIT IN. You make friends, you're friendly to people. You do not act like everyone is your enemy and warn off the friendly girl next door just because she wants to know where the closest store is.
I just don't understand how this book got so many positive reviews. I get that this is fantasy/sci-fi YA fiction, but there's gotta be a limit to willing suspension of disbelief. For me, there's very little to like about this book. The heroine is all right, but I kind of rolled my eyes at the "I'm a BOOK BLOGGER. I'M SO HIPSTER. I'M A ZOOEY DESCHANEL GEEK GIRL" bit. That's how she seemed to me. She's a fair bit more intelligent than some of the YA fiction heroines I've read, but considering there exists Luce/Bella/etc...that's not saying much. The spaghetti scene was kick-ass, though.
I found Daemon to be an enormous asshat for most of the novel. He's hot, sure, but that's it. He's such an unbelievable jerk, and I found Dee to be like the patient wife of an abusive husband, sniveling and simpering and constantly making excuses for her brother's rude, boorish, borderline abusive behavior.
And Ms. Armentrout, enough with the 100000x random alien references/foreshadowing in the book already. It's called subtlety.
August 31, 2012
Actual rating: 3.5 (I think? Geez, I don't know! I just know I liked it a lot, okay?)
Wow. I did not expect to enjoy Obsidian as much as I did. For some reason, I've just been avoiding it, but it was always there in my Twitter and GoodReads feeds. Daemon was frickin' invading my life. Finally, after seeing everyone change their avatars to the Lux series' covers, I felt I had to check it out. Almost all of my friends have given this book anywhere from 3-5 stars, but most averaging around 4. So naturally I had to read it to see what the big fuss was about. I was initially wary because I had heard Obsidian was Twilight all over again and we all know how I feel about Twilight and its reincarnations. But surprisingly, I really liked it! Weirdly enough, I could probably go on and on why I didn't like it, but I don't have that urge. I have an urge to hug this book closely because it made me laugh on more than one occasion. Also, Armentrout. I want to hug her too. Because despite Obsidian's headdesk-worthy clichés, I cannot deny... it's an enchanting read. Either that, of I probably shouldn't be drinking while reading.... Ha! Yeah, right.
Another reviewer said, "It was as if the author felt obligated to fix Twilight catastrophe and tried make it right again" and I completely agree with her. I'll even take it a step further and say it was like Armentrout woke up one day and said, "I'm going to write a book using all the tropes and clichés people usually hate and they're still gonna love the shit out of this book." You might be wondering, "How can one possibly make Twilight better?!" Well, let's take a look at Armentrout's plan for blogosphere domination:
Step One: Create a likable and relatable main character.
How do you make a female main character instantly relatable to most of the female blogging community? The answer is so simple I'm honestly kicking myself that I've never thought of it before. You make her one of them. There are so many books I've read where the protagonist is an avid reader. And now I usually find myself going, "YAWN. She can read. Good for her." But not here in Obsidian. Because not only does Katy love to read, but she is a book blogger. Say what? This main character has a... hobby other than staring at her hot next-door neighbor? Nice. Not only that, but Katy is smart, funny, witty and gives Jerkface Daemon a run for his money.
Step Two: Add a bad boy with two scoops of asshole.
Ah, the bad boy. Almost every girl goes through the "bad boy phase." It's like a black hole, totally unavoidable, unless you happen to be smarter than the rest of us, in which case, you rock. But there's just something about the thrill of fooling around with someone you know you have no business fooling around with. It can be the best and worst days of your life. That is... until you grow up and get married! XD
Anyway, that's kinda what Daemon is for Katy in Obsidian. He is the irresistible, hot, bad boy who Katy can't deny she's attracted to. But the kicker is that even though Daemon treats her awfully (reasons are revealed in Shadows), she's not one of those heroines that sits back and accepts that. It's one of the first times I've seen a YA heroine differentiate between love and lust. Here's a girl who is saying, "Okay this guy pretty much sets my panties on fire and I would totally exercise him in my bedroom (and possibly in the kitchen by the buttered rolls), but I'm not gonna because he's a complete asshole and I'm better than that." How refreshing!
And yeah, maybe Daemon is a nice guy underneath all his Jerk-titude, but that doesn't mean Katy has to bend over backwards and ignore his past behavior. Armentrout sets up Daemon's character for redemption because finally someone is saying, "Enough with all the douchebags treating the heroine like shit and still ending up with her in the end just by apologizing." And that is why Obsidian ultimately won me over. At first I couldn't figure out how everyone could love a book when the love interest was a complete tool, but when Katy gave Daemon the one finger salute with a nice "fuck you very much," I knew I was won over.
Step Three: Choose a paranormal creature that isn't written to death.
Vampires? Ugh. Werewolves? Old news. Fairies? Boooring! How about something we don't get to see a lot of in YA? Something that will grab your attention! (And I'm not talking about Daemon's... er... friendly nature.)
Actually, now that I think of it. That image is pretty accurate.
Maybe I'm not as well read as I thought I was with YA novels, but I don't see a lot of PNR authors tackling aliens. And what a shame! There is so much untapped potential there. In Obsidian you have hundreds of aliens living in West Virginia amongst humans. They're in the schools, holding normal jobs and interacting with humans on a regular basis. So what happens if someone finds out their secret? Awesomeness happens. That's what.
Step Four: Make overused YA cliché and tropes interesting again.
Girl moves to a new small town? Check. Heroine doesn't know she's beautiful? Check. Single parent home who has a convenient excuse to leave the heroine alone for long stretches? Check. Paranormal characters hit the genetics jackpot lottery? DOUBLE CHECK. Love interest is so hot he practically melts the heroine's panties off with a grin? Check. Boy save girl from near death experience, therefore revealing his paranormal abilities? Check. Boy tries to deny those abilities? Check. Girl is allergic to his bullshit? Check. I admit, some of these this did bother me, but in the end, it didn't matter too much, especially since there is no insta-love and Katy is frickin' awesome! Hmm... This review turned into one huge lovefest for the MC, Katy. How odd.
Step Five: Sit back and watch your magic work. Your work here is done.
Pinky ring not required, but recommended.
--------------------
Reaction right after finishing Obsidian:
Gah! This is unexpected. I think my rating is more of a 3.5? 3.75? Got dammit! I don't even know. All I know is my emotions are confused. THEY ARE CONFUSED! This book is like Twilight. But I hate Twilight. Wait... does that mean I like Twilight?! NO. I refuse to believe that.
Ahhhh! Katy, I love you. Daemon Edward, I want to shake you.
There are so many things in Obsidian I despise. But I still liked this book. A lot.
Review to come after I sort out these strange feelings. And now I'm off to buy Onyx from Amazon even though it's 3am.
Armentrout, what have you done to me? Who am I becoming? Cat woman? (Between you and me, I look pretty damn hot in all leather.) (Okay, that made no sense and was really random.) Gahhhhh!!!
March 18, 2019
N E V E R, in my 27 years on this planet, have i experienced so much secondhand angst. holy crap. the amount of pent-up energy between katy and daemon could fuel a rocketship to pluto. the tension is so intense in some parts, i was literally sweating. SWEATING! goodness me, i need a cold shower after reading this.
↠ 4 stars
↠ 4 stars
August 28, 2017
I can't believe that I haven't reviewed this, because I remember really liking this book.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Obsidian, and I didn't think I was going to because when I read books about Aliens, I always picture the alien from the film Alien...and that's not a sexy image.
Obsidian starts with our heroine, Katy Swartz moving to West Virginia to start over.
As it turns out, the new house she moves into has a really hot neighbor.
His name his Daemon Black. He's tall and has green eyes. Sounds perfect right? That is until he opened his mouth.
Oh and not to forget that he's also an Alien.
When I first read this book, I was a little freaked out with myself because I was falling for an Alien...
Falling for someone like Christian Grey or Keiran Masters is considered fine, but when you read a book and fall for an Alien, you're kind of like 'wtf is wrong with me?'
Now I really liked this book, and I don't read a lot of Science Fiction books.
This book is a Paranormal Romance and Mystery.
Obsidian has bad-ass characters, tension, it's pretty funny and has also a bit of sexual frustration between our main characters.
The Characters
Katy was a very likable character.
She's stubborn, strong, feisty and hilarious.
And Daemon?
I want a Daemon for myself
I love reading books with guys like Daemon.
I don't know what it is with men who are arrogant, infuriating and mean.
For me it makes the book more exciting.
Jennifer Armentrout...you are a genius!
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Obsidian, and I didn't think I was going to because when I read books about Aliens, I always picture the alien from the film Alien...and that's not a sexy image.
Obsidian starts with our heroine, Katy Swartz moving to West Virginia to start over.
As it turns out, the new house she moves into has a really hot neighbor.
His name his Daemon Black. He's tall and has green eyes. Sounds perfect right? That is until he opened his mouth.
Oh and not to forget that he's also an Alien.
When I first read this book, I was a little freaked out with myself because I was falling for an Alien...
Falling for someone like Christian Grey or Keiran Masters is considered fine, but when you read a book and fall for an Alien, you're kind of like 'wtf is wrong with me?'
Now I really liked this book, and I don't read a lot of Science Fiction books.
This book is a Paranormal Romance and Mystery.
Obsidian has bad-ass characters, tension, it's pretty funny and has also a bit of sexual frustration between our main characters.
The Characters
Katy was a very likable character.
She's stubborn, strong, feisty and hilarious.
And Daemon?
I want a Daemon for myself
I love reading books with guys like Daemon.
I don't know what it is with men who are arrogant, infuriating and mean.
For me it makes the book more exciting.
Jennifer Armentrout...you are a genius!
December 4, 2013
Don't mind me doing my happy dance...
******
This Valentines Day I fell in Love with Jennifer L. Armentrout. I had been hearing through the grapevine about JLA an one particular grape has been rather loud about her work. So with all the faith that Kay @ K-books knows what she is talking about I picked up Obsidian first chance I had to read one of "my choice" reads. And now I can officially jump on Ms. Armentrout's space ship and enthusiastically follow her anywhere...
I am not usually a big sci-fi reader but there are a few I can like, well I guess now there is one I LOVE and that is the Lux series. Which is actually quite refreshing! Some Authors try to capture true sarcastic personalities and wittiness in their characters but JLA masters it. There is a delicate line that must not crossed for you to truly appreciate the humor in it without turning you off to the character. You just fall for this highly passionate and combustable relationship between Kat and Daemon in Obsidian. You never know if the are going to kiss or kill each other and you can get lost into the journey with them.
If you have not read this series yet you are seriously missing out! It's extraordinary!
I also love the quirky personality in Kat and the way she stands up to the enigma that is our sexy arrogant devastatingly handsome Daemon. One of my favorite Kat quotes...
“Beautiful face. Beautiful body. Horrible attitude. It was the holy trinity of hot boys.”
And doesn't that just say it all!
So yes I will be eagerly awaiting the Prequel due out February 21st & the second book Onyx May 15th 2012. As well as purchasing everything that this budding new author has out.
And the other good news is that I have already stalked her website and google and gotten you all the links you will need to properly follow her along, in what I am sure with be a very long and extremely successful writing career.
Offical Website of Jennifer L. Armentrout , blog, twitter, facebook, and goodreads.
You didn't doubt my stalking skills didja?
Recommended for teens & Adult YA lovers.
This one gets my top rating above the five stars it was - BEAST!
Book covers
And of coarse as always I will leave you with what I dug up and the characters. This one is easy becuase the cover is fabulous and matches the characters perfectly. Although there was not nearly enough pictures of the the models for my liking but here is what I was able to find...
To see this review in all it's glory got to my blog
shareAread.com
Updated July 2012
Too see my Pepe Pics, read about my Armentrout fan girl antics, and meeting her go to passionatebookdivas.com
******
This Valentines Day I fell in Love with Jennifer L. Armentrout. I had been hearing through the grapevine about JLA an one particular grape has been rather loud about her work. So with all the faith that Kay @ K-books knows what she is talking about I picked up Obsidian first chance I had to read one of "my choice" reads. And now I can officially jump on Ms. Armentrout's space ship and enthusiastically follow her anywhere...
I am not usually a big sci-fi reader but there are a few I can like, well I guess now there is one I LOVE and that is the Lux series. Which is actually quite refreshing! Some Authors try to capture true sarcastic personalities and wittiness in their characters but JLA masters it. There is a delicate line that must not crossed for you to truly appreciate the humor in it without turning you off to the character. You just fall for this highly passionate and combustable relationship between Kat and Daemon in Obsidian. You never know if the are going to kiss or kill each other and you can get lost into the journey with them.
If you have not read this series yet you are seriously missing out! It's extraordinary!
I also love the quirky personality in Kat and the way she stands up to the enigma that is our sexy arrogant devastatingly handsome Daemon. One of my favorite Kat quotes...
“Beautiful face. Beautiful body. Horrible attitude. It was the holy trinity of hot boys.”
And doesn't that just say it all!
So yes I will be eagerly awaiting the Prequel due out February 21st & the second book Onyx May 15th 2012. As well as purchasing everything that this budding new author has out.
And the other good news is that I have already stalked her website and google and gotten you all the links you will need to properly follow her along, in what I am sure with be a very long and extremely successful writing career.
Offical Website of Jennifer L. Armentrout , blog, twitter, facebook, and goodreads.
You didn't doubt my stalking skills didja?
Recommended for teens & Adult YA lovers.
This one gets my top rating above the five stars it was - BEAST!
Book covers
And of coarse as always I will leave you with what I dug up and the characters. This one is easy becuase the cover is fabulous and matches the characters perfectly. Although there was not nearly enough pictures of the the models for my liking but here is what I was able to find...
To see this review in all it's glory got to my blog
shareAread.com
Updated July 2012
Too see my Pepe Pics, read about my Armentrout fan girl antics, and meeting her go to passionatebookdivas.com
October 8, 2012
Whilst I was aware of this novel before Stephanie read and reviewed it, it didn’t strike me as something that I needed to read until that point. There are many unfavourable comparisons to Twilight floating around. This is not an invalid point.
-6 inhuman teenagers who pretend to be siblings – 1) the love interest (Edward/Daemon) 2) the delicate best friend of the protagonist (Alice/Dee) 3) The bitch sister who doesn’t approve (Rosalie/Ash) 4+5) Background dudes who we don’t see a lot of – one of which is partnered with Alice/Dee.
-New girl MC goes to school and meets asshole who is only behaving that way to protect his family.
-New girl is with sole parent who provides highly dubious supervision and new girl acts like the parent – cooking, cleaning, shopping etc.
-Love interest is devastatingly, unbelievably, inhumanly hot.
Blah, blah, blah – we all know the deal. And I knew this going in – but was willing to go with it anyway because, as Steph repeatedly told me, “It’s like she wrote what Twilight SHOULD have been.”
To that I say: maybe, yes, kind of, no, a little – but mostly… I guess?
So let’s get this out of the way quickly:
If you enjoyed Twilight but found the relationship dynamics, i.e. Bella Swan’s permissiveness and stalkish tendencies to be aggravating, then this is your perfect novel. Go forth and multiply, my friend. You will be in heaven.
And I can certainly see how this novel could be as addictive as many of my friends say it is. Katy and Daemon scenes, when he’s not being a complete and utter dick, were exceptionally hot. But, to be clear, by scenes I mean “scene” (because there was only one of them – and he went right back to being a dick afterwards) and that wasn’t enough for me.
But I could have put that aside, technically, and given this book a higher rating if I hadn’t found myself, for a not insignificant amount of time, bored with the story. Don’t be fooled by the fact that I breezed through it in a few hours. I was trapped in bed all day with sickness. There were a couple of times where the slightest distraction, had one existed, would have fairly swept me off my feet and away from the narrative.
Then I started imagining a drinking game for every time I could have come up with a better comeback than Katy. Not an alcoholic one, because I’m sick, but with actual water in the hopes that I wouldn’t dehydrate – which I didn’t. Some of my favourites included: “Glow-stick-for-a-dick”, “Over-grown Fairylight”, “Skinny, limp Twat-bedazzler” and “You have all the charm of a facehugger and only the half the technique, you extraterritorial welfare-mooch!” (this one, clearly, happened after a certain scene that readers will all know and understand my reaction to.)
But, and it must be said, having such a strong reaction to the love lives of the characters was a huge indication that I was at least invested, and after reading hundreds and hundreds of books, the ability to still get invested can sometimes be something of a gift. Ultimately I did like Katy even if, as far as I was concerned, she was far too permissive of Daemon’s behaviour. Sticking around and giving him a break when my personal sense of vengeance would have seen a different, more violent and less polite response. And I did, in true guilty-pleasure style, enjoy enough of the book to at least read the free chapters of its sequel, posted at the back.
I decided that I will very likely read the next book, because it seemed much more my thing – and I think that interest in reading the subsequent novel is the highest praise I can give.
Extra points* to whoever comes up with the best curses to throw at Daemon in the comments!
*Points are completely meaningless, have no value, and result in nothing other than my esteem.
This review can be found on my blog, Cuddlebuggery Book Blog.
-6 inhuman teenagers who pretend to be siblings – 1) the love interest (Edward/Daemon) 2) the delicate best friend of the protagonist (Alice/Dee) 3) The bitch sister who doesn’t approve (Rosalie/Ash) 4+5) Background dudes who we don’t see a lot of – one of which is partnered with Alice/Dee.
-New girl MC goes to school and meets asshole who is only behaving that way to protect his family.
-New girl is with sole parent who provides highly dubious supervision and new girl acts like the parent – cooking, cleaning, shopping etc.
-Love interest is devastatingly, unbelievably, inhumanly hot.
Blah, blah, blah – we all know the deal. And I knew this going in – but was willing to go with it anyway because, as Steph repeatedly told me, “It’s like she wrote what Twilight SHOULD have been.”
To that I say: maybe, yes, kind of, no, a little – but mostly… I guess?
So let’s get this out of the way quickly:
If you enjoyed Twilight but found the relationship dynamics, i.e. Bella Swan’s permissiveness and stalkish tendencies to be aggravating, then this is your perfect novel. Go forth and multiply, my friend. You will be in heaven.
And I can certainly see how this novel could be as addictive as many of my friends say it is. Katy and Daemon scenes, when he’s not being a complete and utter dick, were exceptionally hot. But, to be clear, by scenes I mean “scene” (because there was only one of them – and he went right back to being a dick afterwards) and that wasn’t enough for me.
But I could have put that aside, technically, and given this book a higher rating if I hadn’t found myself, for a not insignificant amount of time, bored with the story. Don’t be fooled by the fact that I breezed through it in a few hours. I was trapped in bed all day with sickness. There were a couple of times where the slightest distraction, had one existed, would have fairly swept me off my feet and away from the narrative.
Then I started imagining a drinking game for every time I could have come up with a better comeback than Katy. Not an alcoholic one, because I’m sick, but with actual water in the hopes that I wouldn’t dehydrate – which I didn’t. Some of my favourites included: “Glow-stick-for-a-dick”, “Over-grown Fairylight”, “Skinny, limp Twat-bedazzler” and “You have all the charm of a facehugger and only the half the technique, you extraterritorial welfare-mooch!” (this one, clearly, happened after a certain scene that readers will all know and understand my reaction to.)
But, and it must be said, having such a strong reaction to the love lives of the characters was a huge indication that I was at least invested, and after reading hundreds and hundreds of books, the ability to still get invested can sometimes be something of a gift. Ultimately I did like Katy even if, as far as I was concerned, she was far too permissive of Daemon’s behaviour. Sticking around and giving him a break when my personal sense of vengeance would have seen a different, more violent and less polite response. And I did, in true guilty-pleasure style, enjoy enough of the book to at least read the free chapters of its sequel, posted at the back.
I decided that I will very likely read the next book, because it seemed much more my thing – and I think that interest in reading the subsequent novel is the highest praise I can give.
Extra points* to whoever comes up with the best curses to throw at Daemon in the comments!
*Points are completely meaningless, have no value, and result in nothing other than my esteem.
This review can be found on my blog, Cuddlebuggery Book Blog.
May 7, 2013
"If she was mine, I'd cherish every inch of her. And I wanted to. Now."
HOLY ALIEN HOTNESS.
After hearing nothing but positive things about this series, I thought it was about time I'd give it a try myself to find out what all the hype was about and WOW... I'm SO GLAD I finally started it!!! There was never a dull moment in this first part of the series and once I got into the story, I ended up devouring it! I'm pretty sure this will quickly become my new favorite YA series once I continue with the rest of it!!! Although it's considered to be YA, I felt it had a much more mature feeling to it. I loved the characters, the original storyline and the engaging writing style and well, Daemon Black is one hot alien you just HAVE to meet...
THE STORY
Starting over is never easy...
After Katy's father passed away, her mother decides it's best for them to leave the house they used to live in and move some place new. They leave Florida and decide to start over in a small town in West Virginia. Moving into a new town and enrolling in a new school for her senior year, isn't easy... But what's worse is having a new neighbor who isn't very welcoming to her at all.
"I thought people in small towns were supposed to be nice, not act like the son of Satan."
While struggling to find her place in this strangely populated town, Katy also has to find a way to cope her handsome but extremely arrogant neighbor Daemon Black. Although Katy quickly becomes friends with Daemon's sister Dee, Daemon keeps treating her like she doesn't belong is this town, which makes her feel like something is off about him... And then she discovers the neighbors next door are nothing she could have ever expected; they're aliens.
KATY SWARTZ
"The day my internet was hooked up was better than having a hot guy check our my butt and ask for my phone number."
I really loved Katy's personality. She's down to earth, funny, sarcastic and full of witty remarks. Plus, she's also a book nerd which made her all the more easy to relate with. I loved that the story was written in her point of view, because being inside her head was never boring. She's a strong character and I admired that she stood up for herself so well. Especially against someone like Daemon...
DAEMON BLACK
"Beautiful face. Beautiful body. Horrible attitude. It was the holy trinity of hot boys."
Yes, Daemon is HOT as hell BUT at the same time he's also infuriatingly annoying. At first I didn't know whether to love him or hate him...
And neither did Katy! Daemon constantly switches his attitude from hot to cold and back again. Most of the time, he treats her like his number one enemy and he even tries to keep her away from his sister, in fear of them becoming to close.
"To Daemon, my arrival was the beginning of the end. The apocalypse. Kat-mageddon."
Most of the time Katy and Daemon don't get along AT ALL. But since, Katy has become best friends with Daemon's twin sister Dee (who's character I absolutely loved btw!), they are forced to spent some time together. Whenever they do meet though, Daemon manages to infuriate the hell out of Katy.
"I'd always avoided confrontation in the past, but this guy was flipping my bitch switch like nothing else."
I loved the playful banter between the two of them. It kept the story interesting and refreshing and it provided some hilarious and highly entertaining moments...
"You're such an ass. Has anyone ever told you that?"
He flashed a genuinly amused smile. "Oh, Kitten, every single day of my blessed life."
And even though they're constantly arguing, they also share a few intimate moments where Daemon shows the "real" him and he becomes a much nicer version of himself.
Daemon tries to keep his distance from Katy, but because he's had to save her life a few times, she carries a glow of energy around her that the Arum, the Luxen's greatest enemy, can detect. Therefore, Daemon is "forced" to spend time with Katy and protect her from potential attacks until the effect from his alien mojo has faded away. Whenever they're around each other, there's a tension in the air and it's obvious they're attracted to each other...
"Holy Hawt Chemistry, Batman!"
And when they *finally* kiss, the chemistry is off the charts!!!
The entire story is written in Katy's POV but at the end of the book we also get a few chapters from Daemon's POV and for that I am VERY grateful. They really show that despite his cockiness, he actually had a good reason for acting the way he did.
So, Daemon, despite some of your more "jerkish" moves...
Luckily, this first part of the series does not end with a cliffhanger, but the ending still makes me want to read the next part of the series very soon!!!
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED to anyone who enjoys YA paranormal stories!!!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"I won't hurt you, Kat." His tone was softer, but still laced with fury as he tried to control me without doing any real damage. "I could never hurt you."
4.5 STARS.
December 4, 2014
“So the dickhead had a name. Daemon—seemed fitting.”
What do you get when you combine a shy girl from Florida and a sexy, arrogant next door neighbor?
You get OBSIDIAN!
What do I think about this book?
[image error]
Okay! I think that shows just about how much I love this book! And how absolutely crazy I am of it but at first I didn’t really feel that way towards it.
INITIAL THOUGHTS
A lot of my goodreads friends recommended this book to me but I was like “Oh no! Aliens?”. Then I saw a lot of good reviews about it so I decided to grab a copy but still haven’t read it I wasn’t interested. But then this June I just had the urge to open it up and read it.
After just reading a few pages I was in love!
It was like love at first sight!
THE GIRL
Katy!
I love you girl! Well of course not as much as I love beeeepp
Why?
First, she loves books and she blogs. You don’t often get kickass characters who read and blog right?
Also she was not like most of the other female lead characters in YA books nowadays who are so dependent on their guys that it almost makes me gag just by reading about it.
I hate needy, reliant female characters and Katy was NOT one of them.
And I seriously enjoyed reading about her because she doesn’t take crap from ahhheeem
Plus this girl was not stupid.
Yeah well she doesn’t have super powers (and most of the time I think she honestly forget this. Hahaha ) but she thinks before she acts and she thinks about the welfare of other too like.
She doesn’t ogle. Even though Daemon was hot as hell she didn’t. She had thoughts yes but she doesn’t show it to Daemon well expect for the… Hahaha. I wouldn’t want to say when because that would obviously ruin the surprise!
THE GUY
OHHH I could feel myself fangirling again!!!!
Oh Daemon! Where were you when I fell in love with Ash!
You bad boy! You’re making me so unfaithful!
Seriously, once you get a piece of Daemon you’ll definitely ask for more.
Daemon’s character for me was so out of this world. Well technically he is really from out of this world.
He was obnoxious, rude, arrogant and mean. But one thing is for sure though, DAEMON BLACK IS THE HOTTEST GUY I’VE EVER READ!
It infuriate me sometimes that he could be such an asshole when he’s around Katy but when you read his short POV’s at the end of the book you’ll find out why he has to be that way.
All I could really say is he’s more than that.
He is more than the arrogant jerk that he puts off in front of everybody.
DAEMON + KATY = UNDENIABLE CHEMISTRY
They are mean to each other most of the time and I find it really enjoyable to read.
I like how Katy stands up for herself even when Daemon embarrass her she still stick to her guns and stand up tall.
There was really something there whether they deny it or not.
Whether Daemon tries to fight it off by being a douche, he won’t be able to keep that for long.
They’re just so cute.
MORE THOUGHTS
The plot for me was well executed.
I mean it wasn’t fast paced as I would have wanted it to but everything seem to fall into place.
There were no dull moments nor where there moments that you wouldn’t understand what was going on.
Ms. Armentrout made sure that the readers would devour every scene and every word and every action of the characters.
And she was successful in doing that.
I read her other book but I wasn’t as into it as much as this book.
This book was awesome! I couldn’t even find the right words.
[image error]
This book gives new light to Aliens.
Well I did like I am Number Four but I don’t think it was as enjoyable to read as this one.
And the writing was just so fluid for me.
It was as if a teenage girl was really telling the story. It was just so authentic.
TO RECOMMEND OR NOT TO RECOMMEND
TO RECOMMEND DEFINITELY!
I would have to say I enjoyed everything about this book start from the characters, the setting, the pace, the plot, the writing, the humor, everything.
I couldn’t find a miss from my part.
It was all too perfect for me.
I mean you all might not agree with me but yeah I think this book was just perfect.
And also did I mention that I love Daemon?! :D
A PERFECT 5! Or 10! Or 100! :D
July 6, 2017
“Beautiful face. Beautiful body. Horrible attitude. It was the holy trinity of hot boys.”
Jennifer L. Armentrout writes the best make-out scenes ever. No shit.
Nevertheless the rest of the book was enjoyable, too. Most of the time I spent reading Obsidian, was with a big fat grin plastered on my face.
What bothered me was how obvious and predictable the situation was: Katy being the new girl in town, Daemon Black being at least as obviously dark and sexy and mysterious as his name, the two of them "hating" and falling for each other, and the big secret that Daemon and his family tried to hide from Katy.
There were so many Twilight similarities, but that didn't stop me from reading, since it was light and funny and really entertaining.
I admit, I also kinda fell for Daemon, despite his stupid name and attitude.
And now I can't wait to get my fingers on the sequels.
Find more of my books on Instagram
Jennifer L. Armentrout writes the best make-out scenes ever. No shit.
Nevertheless the rest of the book was enjoyable, too. Most of the time I spent reading Obsidian, was with a big fat grin plastered on my face.
What bothered me was how obvious and predictable the situation was: Katy being the new girl in town, Daemon Black being at least as obviously dark and sexy and mysterious as his name, the two of them "hating" and falling for each other, and the big secret that Daemon and his family tried to hide from Katy.
There were so many Twilight similarities, but that didn't stop me from reading, since it was light and funny and really entertaining.
I admit, I also kinda fell for Daemon, despite his stupid name and attitude.
And now I can't wait to get my fingers on the sequels.
Find more of my books on Instagram
June 11, 2019
⭐4,5⭐
Κουίζ:
Τι κάνει κάποιος -στην προκειμένη περίπτωση ο Ντειμον- όταν θέλει να αποφύγει -και το τονίζω να αποφύγει, να αποφύγει, δεν θυμάμαι το είπα;- μία κοπέλα και συγκεκριμένα την Κατ;
......................
.............................
................................
Περνάει όλη τη μέρα μαζί της φυσικά!
Χμμμ, μήπως δεν διάβασα καλά; Μα όχι, καλά διάβασα! Αυτό ακριβώς κάνει. Την πηγαίνει για μπάνιο –ναι, ξέρω, εκεί τον πίεσαν, δεν ήθελε. Μετά όμως; Την πηγαίνει βόλτες, τη σκουντάει με τον στυλό, την πειράζει, τη σώζει... Α! Τη φιλάει! Γενικότερα, πέρα από τις στιγμές που "αναγκαζόταν" να είναι μαζί της, έβλεπα ότι το επιδίωκε και ο ίδιος.
Και αυτό σημαίνει αποφεύγω κάποιον.
Μάλλον θα χαρίσω το βιβλίο στον δικό μου καυτό γείτονα, αλλάζοντας τον τίτλο σε: 10+1 βήματα για να αποφύγετε τη γειτόνισσά σας.
Αν το διαβάσει, θα πρέπει να αρχίσω να ετοιμάζομαι σιγά σιγά. Όπου να’ ναι θα μου χτυπήσει το κουδούνι...
Κουίζ:
Τι κάνει κάποιος -στην προκειμένη περίπτωση ο Ντειμον- όταν θέλει να αποφύγει -και το τονίζω να αποφύγει, να αποφύγει, δεν θυμάμαι το είπα;- μία κοπέλα και συγκεκριμένα την Κατ;
......................
.............................
................................
Περνάει όλη τη μέρα μαζί της φυσικά!
Χμμμ, μήπως δεν διάβασα καλά; Μα όχι, καλά διάβασα! Αυτό ακριβώς κάνει. Την πηγαίνει για μπάνιο –ναι, ξέρω, εκεί τον πίεσαν, δεν ήθελε. Μετά όμως; Την πηγαίνει βόλτες, τη σκουντάει με τον στυλό, την πειράζει, τη σώζει... Α! Τη φιλάει! Γενικότερα, πέρα από τις στιγμές που "αναγκαζόταν" να είναι μαζί της, έβλεπα ότι το επιδίωκε και ο ίδιος.
Και αυτό σημαίνει αποφεύγω κάποιον.
Μάλλον θα χαρίσω το βιβλίο στον δικό μου καυτό γείτονα, αλλάζοντας τον τίτλο σε: 10+1 βήματα για να αποφύγετε τη γειτόνισσά σας.
Αν το διαβάσει, θα πρέπει να αρχίσω να ετοιμάζομαι σιγά σιγά. Όπου να’ ναι θα μου χτυπήσει το κουδούνι...
December 6, 2011
Oh WOW! That's all I've got. Well that and you MUST read this.
April 6, 2017
I really enjoyed this book! It took me a while to read.. but that is because I am in a EPIC book slump. But i am obsessed with Katy. She is literally me..!
Jumping into book two now!
Jumping into book two now!
June 9, 2023
Crack Cocaine.
January 8, 2020
'OBSIDIAN' is the first full length PRN | FANTASY book in new to me author Jennifer L. Armentrout's 'LUX' series.
Hello January
Twice a month I'm going to fulfill my own reading challenge and that is to read something new/something old/something out of my comfort zone/a new genre/something I wouldn't usually even give a second glance too. A non ARC!!
So this book is January's challenge!! It's a newish genre to me, it's an oldie/a new author to me/and has been recommended to me numerous times!!
HOLY CRAP There has to be something in the water 💦
because I SHIT YOU NOT I loved this! Who would’ve thought! It’s not a genre I’d gravitate to (like ever), it’s one I’d not even glance at, I'm not gonna lie when peeps were all like "OMG you are going to LOVE this one." I seriously kind of snorted like a pig!! And thought 'whatever' I’m a romance kind of gal! But this surprised me, I can’t even explain why I loved it so much! It’s beyond unique, and utterly unputdownable, I devoured this!
It has those 'Twilight' feels to it, though this hotty on the cover is an alien, yep an alien!! 👽He's not the ET phone home type of Alien either. Thank god for small mercies because just no that would've been too creepy!!
Now onto our heroine, oh my god did I love her, she had me giggling non stop!! She's who we all could relate to, a book blogger, a book nerd, a tough sassy mouthed kind of girl who stood her ground in every situation she found herself in!! She even gave Daemon a run for his money!
I can honestly say that I’m not in love with Daemon’s character, because I guess Aliens are more like humans than I thought! He was hot and cold, went backwards and forwards more times than I can count, he was a bit of an alpha A-Hole really, but he does have me coming back for more! If I have no arc commitments I’m jumping on the next book!
February 19, 2022
Is there an option where I can give this book 100 stars? This book was amazing! It swept me off my feet and I laughed so darn much.
I'm sorry but I'm just way too stunned to make a good and coherent review about this book. Let's get one thing clear though, THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE BOOKS. FEATURING ONE OF MY TOP OTPS.
I'm sorry but I'm just way too stunned to make a good and coherent review about this book. Let's get one thing clear though, THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE BOOKS. FEATURING ONE OF MY TOP OTPS.
December 18, 2011
First, a caveat: I did not enjoy this book. The following is my honest opinion, however I mean no disrespect to those of my friends who liked it.
Just to be clear, I approached Obsidian optimistically, looking for something fun and entertaining to read. Because hot alien spells fun, am I right? Particularly on the heels of a couple of quite emotionally taxing books.
Well, apparently I should have checked myself before I wrecked myself, and paid heed to those little warning bells in the synopsis: “Arrogant.” “Stab-worthy.” Attaching these descriptors to the love interest should have tipped me off that at least part of this story really wasn’t going to gel with me.
Overall though, I am more disappointed than anything, because I feel that there was a lot going for this premise. It makes me sad to see such potential and a fun idea be eclipsed by a banal romance that draws so heavily on YA paranormal tropes and clichés.
There was promise in Katy. Despite her familiar casting as the new girl in town who has no idea that she’s pretty – Katy has personality, interests, a good relationship with her mother and is generally down to earth. She wasn’t a vapid, self-insert type of character, which was a positive sign. Sure, the “bookish” type heroine feels a little tired these days, but Katy seemed like a strong enough character to carry this story.
Enter thehot alien mysterious boy next door.
From this point on, while there were flashes of the book I thought this would be, it started to take a disappointingly familiar path. I felt my enjoyment steadily decline, to the point where I was frankly just angry and frustrated.
Having the protagonist state upfront that the love interest is a “douche” does not give said love interest carte blanche to go around committing Random Acts of Assholery in the name of Broody Hotness. The fact that the protagonist acknowledges the bad behaviour does not suddenly make it acceptable. Beating readers to the punch of calling out the love interest as a jerk does not award him a “Be A Jerk For Free” card.
Honestly, it makes me just plain cranky even after Katy recognises that Daemon is a douche, we are supposed to simply swallow this and understand her poor choices because he’s so allegedly “intriguing” and has a smokin’ bod. Demeaning, obnoxious behaviour is still demeaning and obnoxious any way you slice it. No matter how rock hard his abs, how finely chiselled his jaw, how piercing his eyes, I don’t find it hot. Acknowledgment and justification are not the same thing.
In short, and to channel Cher Horowitz of Clueless: “So okay, I don't want to be a traitor to my generation and all but I don't get YA love interests today. I mean, come on, they just turn up to the door shirtless and throw around some insults and make suggestive comments - ew - and then ignore you completely and like, we're expected to swoon? I don't think so.”
Unfortunately, I suspect that there is an Edward Cullen style “I’m horrible to you because I secretly love you and I can’t admit it” dynamic at play here. I can’t help but speculate that beneath Daemon’s outward displays of arrogance and kick-to-the-crotch-worthy insults, Armentrout is going to slowly reveal a tender heart that beats with genuine love for Katy.
Please.
While there are some scenes that are quite funny and/or tense, and the make-out moments are well-written, I have to say that I feel the whole thing is let down by a rather formulaic plot. A few sharply rendered, interesting characters are counter balanced with some that feel like caricatures. The pacing, particularly of the climax, is gripping and fast – yet the events themselves feel all too familiar.
Given the fact that a book I wanted to find entertaining yet left me feeling wound up and annoyed, I think it’s safe to say that it wasn’t for me.
So if anyone can rec me a good alien book, please do. I’m all ears
Just to be clear, I approached Obsidian optimistically, looking for something fun and entertaining to read. Because hot alien spells fun, am I right? Particularly on the heels of a couple of quite emotionally taxing books.
Well, apparently I should have checked myself before I wrecked myself, and paid heed to those little warning bells in the synopsis: “Arrogant.” “Stab-worthy.” Attaching these descriptors to the love interest should have tipped me off that at least part of this story really wasn’t going to gel with me.
Overall though, I am more disappointed than anything, because I feel that there was a lot going for this premise. It makes me sad to see such potential and a fun idea be eclipsed by a banal romance that draws so heavily on YA paranormal tropes and clichés.
There was promise in Katy. Despite her familiar casting as the new girl in town who has no idea that she’s pretty – Katy has personality, interests, a good relationship with her mother and is generally down to earth. She wasn’t a vapid, self-insert type of character, which was a positive sign. Sure, the “bookish” type heroine feels a little tired these days, but Katy seemed like a strong enough character to carry this story.
Enter the
From this point on, while there were flashes of the book I thought this would be, it started to take a disappointingly familiar path. I felt my enjoyment steadily decline, to the point where I was frankly just angry and frustrated.
Having the protagonist state upfront that the love interest is a “douche” does not give said love interest carte blanche to go around committing Random Acts of Assholery in the name of Broody Hotness. The fact that the protagonist acknowledges the bad behaviour does not suddenly make it acceptable. Beating readers to the punch of calling out the love interest as a jerk does not award him a “Be A Jerk For Free” card.
Honestly, it makes me just plain cranky even after Katy recognises that Daemon is a douche, we are supposed to simply swallow this and understand her poor choices because he’s so allegedly “intriguing” and has a smokin’ bod. Demeaning, obnoxious behaviour is still demeaning and obnoxious any way you slice it. No matter how rock hard his abs, how finely chiselled his jaw, how piercing his eyes, I don’t find it hot. Acknowledgment and justification are not the same thing.
In short, and to channel Cher Horowitz of Clueless: “So okay, I don't want to be a traitor to my generation and all but I don't get YA love interests today. I mean, come on, they just turn up to the door shirtless and throw around some insults and make suggestive comments - ew - and then ignore you completely and like, we're expected to swoon? I don't think so.”
Unfortunately, I suspect that there is an Edward Cullen style “I’m horrible to you because I secretly love you and I can’t admit it” dynamic at play here. I can’t help but speculate that beneath Daemon’s outward displays of arrogance and kick-to-the-crotch-worthy insults, Armentrout is going to slowly reveal a tender heart that beats with genuine love for Katy.
Please.
While there are some scenes that are quite funny and/or tense, and the make-out moments are well-written, I have to say that I feel the whole thing is let down by a rather formulaic plot. A few sharply rendered, interesting characters are counter balanced with some that feel like caricatures. The pacing, particularly of the climax, is gripping and fast – yet the events themselves feel all too familiar.
Given the fact that a book I wanted to find entertaining yet left me feeling wound up and annoyed, I think it’s safe to say that it wasn’t for me.
So if anyone can rec me a good alien book, please do. I’m all ears
July 31, 2023
Instagram || Threads || Facebook || Amazon || TikTok
Okay, so the last book I read by this author, I did not like at all. But in my defense, I bought the omnibus edition of this series before I picked up FROM BLOOD AND ASH, and after that book ended up being a huge no for me, I kind of tabled this book and forgot about it... until I was going through my book stash, saw the shimmery cover mocking me from the pile, and thought, Hmm, I should probably give this a go before I sell it back to the store.
First, let's get one thing out of the way. OBSIDIAN is a TWILIGHT knockoff in a long line of TWILIGHT knockoffs. To its credit, I think it's one of the better ones. What can I say? I'm a sucker for a good alien romance, and I loved Katy, the book blogger heroine. Katy brings to the table what Bella did not, and in a lot of ways, she is the saving grace of this book. But there are many TWILIGHT similarities: Katy moves to somewhere rainy (West Virginia) from somewhere sunny and hot (Florida); the not-human guy basically lives in a commune with a bunch of not-human people who everyone is super suspicious about, one of whom is a manic pixie dream girl "sister" and the other, a beautiful ex-rival; he saves her from being run over by a truck and reveals his powers; there are "bad" versions of the not-human guy and one of them lengthily tries to kill her; the not-human guy is referred to as an angel in her half-dead euphoria; Katy and her human friends go shopping for a dance and something creepy happens, etc. etc.
The similarities may be numerous, but Armentrout always puts her own spin on the situation, so it never feels like one of the more blatant copies (not naming names, but I once read a Twiclone that was basically a beat for beat remix of TWILIGHT-- this was definitely not that). Instead, it kind of feels more like an homage: I mean, there's literally a line in here making fun of the "Do I dazzle you?" line. So I feel like Armentrout, to some extent, knew what she was doing. Katy has more of a relationship with her mom in this book than Bella did with either of her parents and I liked the portrayal of what it's like living with a single parent who works all day. Katy stands up for herself and doesn't let Daemon push her around, which is just SO refreshing compared to some of the other heroines in this genre of books who just go total doormat because abs. There's also more of a PG-13 edge to this book, including a shirtless makeout scene, and a rather UST-ridden scene involving a swimming hole.
I do think the lore revolving around the Arum and the Luxen is a little weak, and the "don't say anything or the government will get you" was sooo early aughts Matrix-era paranoia. But when the moment in the story came when I realized why this book was called OBSIDIAN, I was like O.M.G. Honestly, if Daemon wasn't SUCH an immature little shit for 50% of this book, I probably would have given this four or five stars for how compulsively readable it was. But Daemon was such a shit. I don't mind villainous heroes or antiheroes, but I don't like heroes who are just straight up mean to the heroine. He became tolerable after he and the heroine actually had some real conversations, but he was still saying mean shit right up to the end. I know to some extent this is a me thing (I don't really like arrogant heroes and it's rather clear this author does), but man. There's just no escaping it.
Will I be reading the sequel anyway? Oh yeah. Bring on the beta quartz and the creepy shadow men.
3 stars
July 14, 2014
I was honestly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. I tend to stay away from paranormal romance, because I don't think the genre is for me, but this one was actually decent. I really liked the main character and I thought it was cool that she was a book blogger. She was also sassy and a bit unpredictable at times, which I liked. I also loved the side character Dee, she was a fantastic supporting character. As for the male lead, Daemon, I'm still not sure how I feel about him. He's such a frustrating character, he was super moody and temperamental throughout this book.
For the most part I found this book entertaining! The dialogue between the characters was often hilarious and I was surprised by some of the action packed scenes. THEY WERE AWESOME. Something that did make me uncomfortable was the steamy lovey dovey scenes, but that's mostly because I just don't like that kind of stuff. In fact at times I found myself skimming over those scenes. :P Overall this was a fun read!
For the most part I found this book entertaining! The dialogue between the characters was often hilarious and I was surprised by some of the action packed scenes. THEY WERE AWESOME. Something that did make me uncomfortable was the steamy lovey dovey scenes, but that's mostly because I just don't like that kind of stuff. In fact at times I found myself skimming over those scenes. :P Overall this was a fun read!
December 6, 2020
2020
Alright. 2nd time around with this one! And mostly because the audiobook was available at my library and I needed something kinda fluffy.
So.
What's better than a teenage romance between a human girl and the alien boy next door?
Nothing. That's what.
I'm kidding.
Kind of.
Yes, this was super cheesy and sounded a bit dated. The narrator sounded far too breathy and sexy for a teenage girl who was supposedly a book nerd with a review vlog.
And then the cover for the audio was just terrible. Or terribly funny, depending on how you choose to see things. I personally cringe-laughed every time I saw it.
There are just so many things wrong with that picture. The wife-beater he's wearing as though he were a middle-aged man who has given up on life, the fact that he's supposedly unnaturally ripped in the book and that kid on the cover looks like he has the potential to be slightly flabby, and whatever the fuck she's doing with her face just made me kinda giggle.
I think she's saying, I just ate a bag of Funyuns...
Anyway. I still liked it. And by that, I mean that I realize it's not actually anything but a bunch of cliches wrapped in far too much angst. I know this book is laughable. And I'm not recommending it! But I enjoyed it in that way that I sometimes dig those stupid Hallmark romances or a corny tv show. I don't wanna like them. But I do.
2013
3.5 stars
You wouldn't believe what I went through to get this book!
I had to go to a separate section of my library and request an interlibrary loan.
It's a big deal, people!
I had to wait and wait and wait like a month for them to call me (that's right, folks...no email notification available for this kind of thing), and then pick it up at a 'special' desk.
And I can't return it in the book drop...it must go back to the 'special' desk. Once I've returned the book safely, I can have the blood and urine sample I gave them back.
Shhhh....
The joke's on them, 'cause I had my kid pee in the cup!
And the blood?
"..."
Look, I told that guy to stop letting his dog piss on my tires.
Anyway.
So was it worth it?
Why, yes. Yes, it was.
I'm not going to lie to you and say I didn't roll my eyes at some of the teen stuff, but it's a YA alien romance.
I knew that going into it, so there's no real room for me to complain.
But it was cute, and even though I thought the poor girl was totally clueless about the rudeness of her hot alien neighbor, it didn't affect my enjoyment much.
In fact, I liked it enough to take more of my (so they think) DNA samples back to the library and request the next two books in the series.
Alright. 2nd time around with this one! And mostly because the audiobook was available at my library and I needed something kinda fluffy.
So.
What's better than a teenage romance between a human girl and the alien boy next door?
Nothing. That's what.
I'm kidding.
Kind of.
Yes, this was super cheesy and sounded a bit dated. The narrator sounded far too breathy and sexy for a teenage girl who was supposedly a book nerd with a review vlog.
And then the cover for the audio was just terrible. Or terribly funny, depending on how you choose to see things. I personally cringe-laughed every time I saw it.
There are just so many things wrong with that picture. The wife-beater he's wearing as though he were a middle-aged man who has given up on life, the fact that he's supposedly unnaturally ripped in the book and that kid on the cover looks like he has the potential to be slightly flabby, and whatever the fuck she's doing with her face just made me kinda giggle.
I think she's saying, I just ate a bag of Funyuns...
Anyway. I still liked it. And by that, I mean that I realize it's not actually anything but a bunch of cliches wrapped in far too much angst. I know this book is laughable. And I'm not recommending it! But I enjoyed it in that way that I sometimes dig those stupid Hallmark romances or a corny tv show. I don't wanna like them. But I do.
2013
3.5 stars
You wouldn't believe what I went through to get this book!
I had to go to a separate section of my library and request an interlibrary loan.
It's a big deal, people!
I had to wait and wait and wait like a month for them to call me (that's right, folks...no email notification available for this kind of thing), and then pick it up at a 'special' desk.
And I can't return it in the book drop...it must go back to the 'special' desk. Once I've returned the book safely, I can have the blood and urine sample I gave them back.
Shhhh....
The joke's on them, 'cause I had my kid pee in the cup!
And the blood?
"..."
Look, I told that guy to stop letting his dog piss on my tires.
Anyway.
So was it worth it?
Why, yes. Yes, it was.
I'm not going to lie to you and say I didn't roll my eyes at some of the teen stuff, but it's a YA alien romance.
I knew that going into it, so there's no real room for me to complain.
But it was cute, and even though I thought the poor girl was totally clueless about the rudeness of her hot alien neighbor, it didn't affect my enjoyment much.
In fact, I liked it enough to take more of my (so they think) DNA samples back to the library and request the next two books in the series.
October 25, 2011
Ok, I have to gather my thoughts now, because this book has blown my mind! I absolutely loved it! This is my first book by Jennifer, but it definitely won't be my last. I will now stalk all of her work - beware! There is no wonder she has been getting rave reviews so far.
Obsidian gets us acquainted with Katy, who has just moved to a boring small town in West Virginia, and with not-so-boring Daemon who is the most arroganthuman being she has ever met. And, lucky her (seriously! lucky her!), he lives right next door. But at least his sister is great. When Katy finds out they're all aliens, though, her life kind of gets weird... a little.
I instantly clicked with Katy- and not just because she is a book blogger even though that was awesome -, I found her to be a lot like me. Her reactions, her emotions, her attitude were all very realistic and I could completely relate to her. I particularly appreciated her reaction to finding out Daemon was an alien. First of all she actually HAD a reaction! Secondly, she questioned it. Much better than the "Oh so you're a (insert paranormal being here)? That's neat! So…*awkward silence* wanna make out?" reactions I've too often encountered. I loved her friendship with Dee. I think Dee is a great person and she's absolutely a lot of fun. I was also very happy with Katy's mom. She was down to earth, funny and caring.
Daemon, yes, you need your own paragraph. Daemon is very likely going to end up on the top of everyone's "most sexiest male character" list. He is definitely on mine! He is irritating, infuriating and downright bullheaded, but holy damn is he ever hot! Daemon is incredibly protective of his sister and others of his race, but even when he was being… difficult, it wasn't without reason. He did love to push Katy's buttons and I mostly found it hilarious (though if I was her I would have punched him in the face). What came out of his mouth actually made me gape with disbelief a few times. Despite his loveable personality, he is an incredible character who fit extremely well with the story, even more-so with Katy, and gave it a very attractive vibe.
Together, Daemon and Katy were fantastic. There was enough chemistry between them to give Marie Curie a run for her money! Their relationship was very love/hate. You never knew what Daemon's intentions were from one page to the next and it drove me crazy as much as it did Katy. However, you still couldn't help but adore him to pieces.
Now for the plot, I found it was very exciting and well thought out. I really enjoyed Jennifer's take on the aliens in Obsidian: how they got there, their powers, the villains. It reminded me a bit of Smallville but it was still original and incredibly exciting. The book definitely does not lack in action and the climactic ending was completely fulfilling.
I really have no negative aspect to mention in regards to this book. It was everything I was hoping for and more than I was expecting. No doubt that Jennifer is the up and coming author to watch out for!
Obsidian gets us acquainted with Katy, who has just moved to a boring small town in West Virginia, and with not-so-boring Daemon who is the most arrogant
I instantly clicked with Katy- and not just because she is a book blogger even though that was awesome -, I found her to be a lot like me. Her reactions, her emotions, her attitude were all very realistic and I could completely relate to her. I particularly appreciated her reaction to finding out Daemon was an alien. First of all she actually HAD a reaction! Secondly, she questioned it. Much better than the "Oh so you're a (insert paranormal being here)? That's neat! So…*awkward silence* wanna make out?" reactions I've too often encountered. I loved her friendship with Dee. I think Dee is a great person and she's absolutely a lot of fun. I was also very happy with Katy's mom. She was down to earth, funny and caring.
Daemon, yes, you need your own paragraph. Daemon is very likely going to end up on the top of everyone's "most sexiest male character" list. He is definitely on mine! He is irritating, infuriating and downright bullheaded, but holy damn is he ever hot! Daemon is incredibly protective of his sister and others of his race, but even when he was being… difficult, it wasn't without reason. He did love to push Katy's buttons and I mostly found it hilarious (though if I was her I would have punched him in the face). What came out of his mouth actually made me gape with disbelief a few times. Despite his loveable personality, he is an incredible character who fit extremely well with the story, even more-so with Katy, and gave it a very attractive vibe.
Together, Daemon and Katy were fantastic. There was enough chemistry between them to give Marie Curie a run for her money! Their relationship was very love/hate. You never knew what Daemon's intentions were from one page to the next and it drove me crazy as much as it did Katy. However, you still couldn't help but adore him to pieces.
Now for the plot, I found it was very exciting and well thought out. I really enjoyed Jennifer's take on the aliens in Obsidian: how they got there, their powers, the villains. It reminded me a bit of Smallville but it was still original and incredibly exciting. The book definitely does not lack in action and the climactic ending was completely fulfilling.
I really have no negative aspect to mention in regards to this book. It was everything I was hoping for and more than I was expecting. No doubt that Jennifer is the up and coming author to watch out for!
April 27, 2012
WOW just WOW~! O_O bye! i need to go read it again!
Full review at chocolatecoatedreviews.blogspot.com
Full review at chocolatecoatedreviews.blogspot.com
Displaying 1 - 30 of 21,337 reviews