'Onyx' Lux #2 by Jennifer L. Armentrout

From the BLURB:

Being connected to Daemon Black sucks…

Thanks to his alien mojo, Daemon’s determined to prove what he feels for me is more than a product of our bizarro connection. So I’ve sworn him off, even though he’s running more hot than cold these days. But we’ve got bigger problems.

Something worse than the Arum has come to town…

The Department of Defense are here. If they ever find out what Daemon can do and that we're linked, I’m a goner. So is he. And there's this new boy in school who’s got a secret of his own. He knows what’s happened to me and he can help, but to do so, I have to lie to Daemon and stay away from him. Like that's possible. Against all common sense, I'm falling for Daemon. Hard.

But then everything changes…

I’ve seen someone who shouldn’t be alive. And I have to tell Daemon, even though I know he’s never going to stop searching until he gets the truth. What happened to his brother? Who betrayed him? And what does the DOD want from them—from me?

No one is who they seem. And not everyone will survive the lies…

*** Contains spoilers of first book 'Obsidian' ***

Katy’s universe was turned upside down the moment she met her next-door-neighbour, Daemon Black and became friends with his twin sister, Dee. Katy was already undergoing enough change in her life, what with her father dying recently and her mum moving them from Florida to West Virginia. But then Katy met the Black siblings and not only was her universe turned upside down, it also got a whole lot bigger . . . because Katy uncovered the truth about Daemon and Dee, and most of the inhumanly beautiful residents of her sleepy new town. Katy discovered that many of the people populating this quiet, Podunk town are in fact aliens. Not only that, they’re aliens in the middle of an intergalactic game of cat and mouse against a villainous race called the Arum, not to mention they’re also under close surveillance by the Department of Defense (DOD) who may or may not be so interested in them for military gains.

Katy has become doubly embroiled in this alien mess, after she and Daemon formed a special, visceral bond that lets her feel where he is at all times, and start to develop a few inhumanly interesting abilities of her own. . .

‘Onyx’ is the second book in Jennifer L. Armentrout’s young adult paranormal romance series, ‘Lux’.

I read the first book in Armentrout’s new series, ‘Obsidian’, back in May this year and loved it. It was a deliciously over-the-top YA paranormal romance with a different flavour of supernatural that really hooked me and had me excited for this new ‘Lux’ series. So I went into ‘Onyx’ with very high hopes for a similar thrill-ride read.

This second book picks up immediately where ‘Obsidian’ left off. After facing-off against an Arum attack and saving his life, Katy has formed an odd and physical connection with Daemon Black. This connection is unnerving for a few reasons – partly due to Daemon running hot and cold with Katy, who is distraught at her own influx feelings for him. Secondly, the connection seems to be having some very strange, alien side-effects on Katy. But while Katy and Daemon try to find their footing in the wake of this strange bond, a new boy called Blake arrives at school to throw yet another spanner in the works – when he shows a keen attraction to Katy, but also seems to have a few too many coincidences surrounding his arrival in town, right when the DOD also make an appearance.

I've got to admit; this second book hit a few potholes for me and didn’t live up to expectation (much as I hate to admit it!). To begin with, I didn’t really like Katy and found her to be a very different heroine than the one I met in ‘Obsidian’. In that first book I praised Katy for not turning into a puddle before Daemon Black’s God-like good looks and jerk-face behaviour. I loved that Katy was a girl not to be trampled, and she really held her own and enjoyed sparring with Daemon and not letting him get too full of himself. The Katy in ‘Onyx’ seemed to be a changed woman, not necessarily for the better. Remembering that Katy is also a book blogger and reviewer (with a particular love for all things urban fantasy/paranormal) I found a few of her missteps in ‘Onyx’ to be a little befuddling. There were a few times when she did just plain stupid things where the DOD and Blake were concerned, and I thought she was a smarter heroine than that. But it was more in her interactions with Daemon that she let me down – there were just so many times when I thought she was making more relationship drama than was necessary. A lot of this book seemed to be a back-and-forth for Katy where she was one moment thinking “I love Daemon. But I can’t tell him” to “I've ruined everything with Daemon. I don’t know what to say to him”. I thought she was quite a witty, articulate girl in ‘Obsidian’ – so there were a few instances where she let me down and I missed her smart repartee with Daemon.

I also felt like ‘Onyx’ was a lot lighter on plot than ‘Obsidian’ was. Admittedly, the first book of any paranormal/urban fantasy series is usually the one with the most going on – because all the supernatural aspects have mystery surrounding them, followed by clues and then a big reveal. ‘Onyx’ was very much focused on the Katy/Daemon merry-go-round, and a rock-solid plot with the DOD didn’t really become apparent until late in the second-half. Admittedly, there’s a great set-up for the third book established by ‘Onyx’s’ end, but for me there was a lot of this book that just felt like high-school relationship drama and didn’t live up to my supernatural expectations. And because this was so much the ‘Katy & Daemon Show’, other characters who I'd come to really like in ‘Obsidian’ were given little page-time and no further development – like Dee and mean-girl (and Daemon’s ex) Ash. I wish Armentrout had included more of the alien characters in this book, to get an idea of their community and for Katy to interact with them more.

Armentrout obviously knew she was on to a winner with the Katy/Daemon relationship, so ‘Onyx’ is really only about them, them, them. I suppose a lot of readers will be thrilled with this, but for me I thought Armentrout’s alien race (a great change of pace from the usual werewolves/vampires/angels in the supernatural genre at the moment) was one of the reasons that ‘Lux’ piqued my interest in the first place, so I was disappointed not to have more of a focus on the world-building in ‘Onyx’. But, again, towards the end of the novel I felt like Katy and Daemon’s relationship woes converged with the wider DOD/alien arc, and became far more interesting for it;

“No.” He reached out, catching my chin in a gentle grasp, forcing me to look at him. And when I did, I couldn’t breathe. His eyes churned. “I’m worried. I’m worried for a thousand different reasons and I hate this – I hate feeling like I can’t do anything about it. That history is on repeat and even though I can see it as clear as day, I can’t stop it.”

Look, I still enjoyed ‘Onyx’ and was eager to get to the end of the book to know what happens. And, credit where credit’s due, Armentrout gets bonus points for a great Buffy reference (bonus, because it was the original 1992 movie with Donald Sutherland she made a point of referencing. Nice.) But for me, this book had too much romance and not enough paranormal – some people will love that fact, but I felt like it meant plot fell by the wayside and Armentrout’s wonderful world-building and supernatural build-up in ‘Obsidian’ deflated a bit in ‘Onyx’. There is a great set-up for the third book that ensures I’ll be returning to the series in December, but ‘Onyx’ was a small disappointment for me.

2.5/5

'Obsidian' Lux #1 by Jennifer L. Armentrout

  

From the BLURB:


Starting over sucks.

When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I'd pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring.... until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.
And then he opened his mouth.

Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something...unexpected happens.

The hot alien living next door marks me.

You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon's touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I'm getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades.
If I don't kill him first, that is.


Katy and her mum are looking for a fresh start; they need to finally get on with their lives, three years after Katy’s father suddenly died of cancer.  So they’ve packed up and moved from sunny Florida to a small-town in West Virginia.


Maybe a fresh start should also mean a feistier, more outgoing Katy too. She’s a proud and geeky bibliophile, obsessed with her book review blog, and the highlight of her week is often getting a latest release in her letterbox. So when Katy’s mum spies their next door neighbours, a brother and sister about her age, Katy sucks up her courage and goes to make nice . . .  but what she finds is a surly, shirtless smart-arse.


Daemon is God-like in his beauty; unforgettable green eyes and a body worthy of Calvin Klein underwear ads. But he’s also unfathomably rude – taking an instant and cutting dislike to Katy that she cannot comprehend. Daemon’s sister, Dee, is another story entirely. She’s just as beautiful as her twin, with the same green eyes and willowy, model-like frame. But Dee is decidedly sweeter; she’s obsessed with ice-cream and eager to make a good impression on her new next-door-neighbour, even going so far as helping Katy with her passion for gardening. Katy and Dee strike up an instant friendship, in spite of her brother’s vehement objections; not to mention all of Dee and Daemon’s equally gorgeous friends who seem to have a bone to pick with Katy.


Then strange things start happening in this small, sleepy West Virginia town . . .  Katy notices that some of the residents treat Dee and her friends with outright hostility or fear. The town has a reputation for missing girls, presumed dead. Dee and Daemon’s friends speak odd, cryptic things about sun and light; particularly Daemon’s on-again-off-again girlfriend, Ash, who vows vengeance on Katy after a spaghetti incident. And then there’s the night that Katy is attacked by a man who is looking for “them”. . .  luckily, Daemon is there in the nick of time to save her; but even that is an odd moment that Katy isn’t quite able to remember, save for the fact that Daemon wasn’t there one second but appeared the next.


Then there’s the inexplicable fact that while Katy loathes Daemon and his mean streak, she’s also inexplicably drawn to him . . . and sometimes, when he’s not being a total jerk, Katy thinks Daemon feels the same way.


‘Obsidian’ is the first book in a new paranormal YA series called ‘Lux’, by Jennifer L. Armentrout.


I bought this book on a whim – having seen the impressive blogosphere tour campaign and being suckered in by a scruffy boy with green eyes on the cover. I thought I'd read the first couple of pages, see if it would be my cup of tea . . . Fast forward to two hours later and I'd read nearly half the book. Armentrout suckered me in from page one and I remained enthralled throughout. Though I must admit, Ms Armentrout used a particularly clever ploy to initially drag me in – and that was mentioning Katy being a book blogger on page one. Yes, I’ll admit it; I got a tiny thrill at reading a female heroine who I shared a book review blogging obsession with. Well played, Armentrout, well played. I suspect Katy being a blogger was a bit of a suck-up (because she’s also very cool and self-deprecating about her book obsession – as many review bloggers tend to be) but I liked how authentic Katy’s blogging was – she even mentions her “Waiting on Wednesday” post!


Like attracts like aside, one of the things I really appreciated about ‘Obsidian’ was that Katy is a ballsy female protagonist. I was beyond thrilled to read that the heroine in Armentrout’s series was not cut from the all-too-prevalent ‘Mary-Sue, damsel in distress’ cloth *cough* Bella! *cough*. As a reader and feminist I am drawn to characters like Rose Hathaway and Claire Danvers – feisty females who have their flaws, insecurities and limitations, but whose inherent fight and loyalty is something young readers can aspire to. Readers are given a glimpse of Katy’s ballsy attitude early on, when she’s confronted by a shirtless and rude Daemon. The all-important first meeting of the series HEA couple is a doozy – with Daemon being ludicrously mean and making the worst first impression possible. But what I liked was that Katy didn’t take it lying down – sure she got a tear in her eye afterwards (honestly, his out-of-the-blue rude tirade warranted a little sniffle) but she puts on armour and flings some verbal abuse his way too. And from there on in, she is wary of Daemon and constantly fluctuating between loathing and lusting after him.


There were countless incidences of Katy standing up for herself – putting a brave face on and spouting out some warrior-woman diatribe. I loved it! She did it again and again, sometimes as a cover-up for hurt feelings, but most of the time because she won’t take insults lying down. She called Daemon’s nasty ex-girlfriend, Ash, out on her bitchiness (and made her pay for it in spaghetti). But more importantly, when Dee and Daemon’s true natures are revealed and the bad guys start closing in, Katy still didn’t shy away. She’s not a wallflower to run and hide when people tell her to – she’s more likely to come out swinging and I loved that. Girls got guts, and she’s an admirable protagonist with attitude to spare!


This is a paranormal YA, so Armentrout did occasionally fall into cliché when revealing the species-focus. But, because Katy is a bookish geek, it also gave Armentrout some leeway to play around with those clichés and offer some tongue-in-cheek reveals. I really appreciated this because anyone who reads as much paranormal YA as us review bloggers (and by association, Katy!) would know what questions to ask;

Frustration whipped through me. “You say you’re not human, and that limits the pool of what you can be! You stopped a truck without touching it.”
“You read too much.” Daemon exhaled slowly. “We’re not werewolves or witches. Zombies or whatever.”
“Well, I’m glad about the zombie thing. I like to think what’s left of my brains are safe,” I muttered. “And I don’t read too much. There’s no such thing as that. But there’s no such thing as aliens either.”
Daemon leaned forward quickly, placing his hands on my bent knee. I froze at his touch, my senses ran hot and cold at once. His stare penetrated me, locked me onto him. “In this vast, never-ending universe, do you think Earth – this place – is the only planet with life?”

Honestly, the few clichés that Armentrout falls into were not ‘deal-breakers’. Sure, there’s a Twilight-esque incident involving a careening truck, and the friends who despise Katy felt very Rosalie-like in their ‘you are not one of us’ hatred. But I was willing to forgive these few missteps when the book was so darn entertaining.


As the blurb reveals, the ‘Lux’ series is an Alien-centric one. I haven’t really read much Alien-YA (I am a big fan of Gini Koch’s ‘Kitty Katt’ series though!) so I really liked the change-up . . .  especially because the Lux aliens are very much Armentrout’s creation. There’s no X-files, ET rip-off going on here. They are an interesting, powerful alien race and I enjoyed Katy discovering more and more about them – and their genesis leaves plenty of room for further world-building.


Now, to the really important part of ‘Obsidian’ – the hero and series romance. The durability of ‘Lux’ pretty much rests on Daemon’s shoulders and his romance with Katy. A ballsy heroine is fine, but she needs an equally enchanting fella to bounce off of if this series is going to be any kind of contender in the fit-to-burst paranormal YA scene. And I've got to say . . .  Daemon is a heavy-weight contender; fit to join the paranormal hunks parade.


Daemon is awful. Truly, he’s a total jack-ass when he first meets Katy, and then he continues to make terrible impressions by being snippy and rude, condescending, sarcastic and downright irritating. But I loved him, and you will too. It’s not even that he’s described as having jade-green eyes or washboard abs. It’s that he plays the bad-boy role so darn well with the right amount of bravado and quip, mixed with flashes of sincerity. As the story progresses and Katy learns about the Lux race and their sad, brutal history she starts to understand why Daemon and the other aliens may be wary of her . . .  but she still can’t fathom why he hates her so very much. Of course in between bouts of teasing and ridicule, Daemon shows his soft underbelly – like when he comes to Katy’s rescue, or is angered by a football jock’s interest in her. Daemon is an enticing puzzle that readers will enjoy deciphering as much as Katy. And it also helps that Armentrout writes some lovely, steamy scenes between the duo – scenes that are just this side of PG13 – they don’t read like filler, but actually help to push the story forward and reveal characterisations. Yes, Ms Armentrout gets top-marks for the devilishly delicious hero of Daemon.


‘Obsidian’ was a fun, compelling read. Is Jennifer L. Armentrout reinventing the paranormal wheel? No. But she does know how to write a darn good yarn (and an insanely appealing bad-boy hero!). The book has a few minor (miniscule, really!) flaws that are kind of inherent in the shallow pool of paranormal YA – but I can’t deny that I was glued to the page, from first line to last sentence. And I can’t wait for the second book in the series!


4.5/5