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Origin by Jennifer Armentrout

5/9/2013

Daemon will do anything to get Katy back.
After the successful but disastrous raid on Mount Weather, he’s facing the impossible. Katy is gone. Taken. Everything becomes about finding her. Taking out anyone who stands in his way? Done. Burning down the whole world to save her? Gladly. Exposing his alien race to the world? With pleasure.

All Katy can do is survive.
Surrounded by enemies, the only way she can come out of this is to adapt. After all, there are sides of Daedalus that don’t seem entirely crazy, but the group’s goals are frightening and the truths they speak even more disturbing. Who are the real bad guys? Daedalus? Mankind? Or the Luxen?

Together, they can face anything.
But the most dangerous foe has been there all along, and when the truths are exposed and the lies come crumbling down, which side will Daemon and Katy be standing on?

And will they even be together?

Okay so I'm reviewing this later than I promised, but you see when I started thinking about it and let all I read sink in, I thought it would be better to hold off. You know, just to get my thoughts in order. I have now, so let's do this.

It's no secret I absolutely love Jennifer's work, most especially her Lux series. After the way the last book ended, I was feeling a lot of things and to say I really wanted the next book is a huge understatement, I, therefore, had a lot of ideas on how Origin would go. Surprisingly enough pretty much everything I predicted never happened, and I'm beyond relieved because it was all bad case scenarios.

Origin brings forward a whole other side to the story of the Luxen and humans, having only been told one side of the story it's clear where our allegiance lies. But with Origin, Jennifer gave a voice to Daedalus helping us get kind of the whole picture, and we're suddenly presented with the uncertainty of what's right and wrong. I understood where Daedalus were coming from, but I could never understand or condone their methods. Jennifer showed a side humanity we tend to ignore sometimes, our thirst for power and knowledge. While it may seem great and all, in the hands of the wrong people the repercussions could be devastating.

Throughout the Lux series I've always admired Kat for her strength, when faced with the unknown humans tend to freak out but she always took everything in stride. However it wasn't until reading Origin my admiration for Kat went above and beyond, as Jennifer takes us through the manner in which Daedalus use Luxens and Hybrids. After the way the last book ended I thought I was going to kill someone, or at least cause bodily harm because I couldn't comprehend how Jennifer could end it like that. Well played Miss Armentrout, well played. What Kat has to go thought had me in a mess of tears with each gut-wrenching scene that passed, and I really don't know how Kat did it, just when I thought she could endure no more she came out swinging. Most people would have long ago given up, but her strong will had her representing how when confronted with the wrong you should do all you can to fight for the right. I'm in awe of her. I also loved the fact that she was still herself, in the sense of the way her inner monologue ran, it made me smile and occasionally laugh.

Freaking out and getting pummeled with onyx wasn’t going to help me. Neither was breaking down in hysterics and finding a corner to rock in. It was hard— probably the hardest thing I’d ever done— but I pulled it together.

“What about school? You want an uneducated hybrid running amuck? What about my mom? My friends? What about my life? My blog?” Okay, my blog was seriously the least of my worries, but dammit, it was important to me.

The shining light at the end of the tunnel was always Daemon. Witty, charismatic, comic, sexy and simply wonderful Daemon. The alternate POVs were amazing, and it seriously felt good to finally be inside his head. His love for Kat is a lot stronger and bigger than anyone could have imagined, I loved his determination and conviction to not only save Kat but do whatever the hell he had to, to get her back. The scenes with Daedalus were easier to deal with when he was there, my heart rate would slow down and while still upset I knew, just like Kat, that with Daemon there everything would work out. While the scenes still left me upset and pissed as hell, the scenes between Kat and Daemon balanced everything and helped restore some sense of peace, no matter how brief. Despite it all Daemon is his normal cocky self, and I loved him even more if that's possible. Their scenes brought a smile to my face, and had me dreamily sighing and swooning, feeling warm fuzzies head to toe.

“You’re more important.” The moment those words came out of my mouth, I knew they were true. Family had always come first for me, and Kat was a part of my family— a bigger part. She was my future.

I caught the tear with a kiss. “And I’m not going to let you do this by yourself. You’re my— you’re my everything, Kat.” At the sound of her soft inhale, I smiled again. “Come on, Kitten, did you really expect anything less from me? I love you.”

Jennifer always surprises us readers, throwing a curve ball when we least expect it. Just when I thought I had the plot line semi-figured out, I was knocked breathless and left on the edge of my bed tapping my Kindle like there was no tomorrow. There's more than the Luxen and Arum, and a hell of a lot more to them, Daedalus are full of secrets and I felt my mind blown right along with Kat and Daemon. But more than that, everything we know is turned on it's head, nothing is as it seems and it gets to the point where we don't know who's a friend or foe.

That's not to say there weren't some awesome parts in the book, like I said Jennifer surprises us at every turn and some of them are good. Real good. Like smiling so much your face aches good. The scenes between Kat and Daemon are where you'll feel this the most, I was jumping around, screaming, dancing and clapping like a complete loon. But seriously these good surprises overshadowed all the bad and sadness that had gone on. I loved those moments and craved more, they had me going all childish and squealing. I guess if Kat and Daemon are together, regardless of what happens I'll be happy.

“You’re mental.” My hands flattened against the small of her back, and I pulled her close.
“I have something really corny to say. Get ready for it.”
She traced the line of my jaw. “I’m ready.”
“I’m mental for you.”

The final chapters of the book left me heartbroken, I had to gorge myself on chocolate just to ease the ache. One could say Jennifer holds nothing back, her writing is detailed and graphic, so much so it's like I can see everything vividly playing in my head. There's never a pause or break, Jennifer keeps you gripping your Kindle till the very end, like most of her books you just have to finish it. Screw work and forget sleeping, it's overrated anyways.

I give this book 5 achingly well deserved stars, and recommend to all. Origin will have you on an emotional roller-coaster that will leave you with one heck of a book hangover, and questioning everything you thought you knew about the Luxen, Arum and Daedalus. Jennifer's writing flows effortlessly throughout the book, never giving you a moments break, keeping you on the edge of your seat, holding your breath with anticipation, swooning like a lovesick teen and falling hopelessly in love with the characters. Jennifer's cliffhanger ending will leave you an emotional wreck, and climbing the walls for the final book. Because nothing is for certain anymore.

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Obsession by Jennifer Armentrout

19/7/2013

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He’s arrogant, domineering, and... To. Die. For.
Hunter is a ruthless killer. And the Department of Defence has him firmly in their grasp, which usually doesn’t chafe too badly because he gets to kill bad guys. Most of the time he enjoys his job. That is, until he’s saddled with something he’s never had to do before: protect a human from his mortal enemy.
Serena Cross didn’t believe her best friend when she claimed to have seen the son of a powerful senator turn into something... unnatural. Who would? But then she witnesses her friend’s murder at the hands of what can only be an alien, thrusting her into a world that will kill to protect their secret.
Hunter stirs Serena’s temper and her lust despite their differences. Soon he’s doing the unthinkable—breaking the rules he’s lived by, going against the government to keep Serena safe. But are the aliens and the government the biggest threats to Serena’s life… or is it Hunter?

Was there ever any doubt? Yes that’s right Jennifer, leading author of the literary world, has done it again. I was both excited and nervous about this book, one hand I was like ‘God, yes!’ and the other I was more like ‘Arum...really?’ I suppose I shouldn’t be biased just because of the Lux series, but I kinda felt like I was betraying my Daemon by liking the Arum. Of course once you read this book, I’d like to see you continue hating them. The icing on the cake for me was the cameo appearance of some of our favourite Luxen, because as some of you may know Obsession is set after the events of Opal. Like I said I wasn’t too sure where this book would go, I was impatient as hell to get my hands on it so I was thinking up kinds of scenarios in my head, but as usual Jennifer does not disappoint.

I loved the banter between Daemon and Katy in Lux, but I have to admit Hunter and Serena were off the charts hot. I loved Serena’s no bullshit policy, her feistiness, loyalty, sense of humour, her bizarre inner monologue and above all her strength. For someone who has been through more than any human could handle, she faces everything head on and makes smart decisions. It was refreshing to have a heroine who doesn’t make rash decisions based on her emotions, Serena always took the time to think things through from every possible angle and as much as she hated it she knew Hunter was her only option. I loved the fact she spoke her mind and wouldn’t let someone like Hunter intimidate her, because let’s be honest minions if our lives were in danger and the existence of aliens is proven we would so totally flip. I mean loco. I didn’t like the things she learnt about the Luxens, because if you’ve read the Lux series you’ll understand, but at the same time I felt it was necessary to have the other side of the story because when is anything purely black and white, it seems we all forget about the little area in the middle called grey.

“Never in my life had I been more frustrated. Go figure it wouldn't be with a human but a freaking alien. At least I now knew that the male species were asses no matter what planet they hailed from.”

Hunter’s grin tipped higher. “You have a feisty little attitude, don’t you?” “You’re about to get a feisty little foot up your ass,” I spat back.

Hunter was definitely Jennifer’s most badass drop dead gorgeous hero. For starters he is not your typical hero, if anything he’s more like the anti-hero. He’s bad, he knows it and he so totally owns it. Readers of the Lux series would seriously not like him, I mean the dude’s an Arum! Evil bad guys who try to kill Daemon and his family! But Jennifer portrays a whole other side of the Arum-Luxen war, and it really does make you question who IS right? More than anything it reinforces not everything is black and white, appearances can be deceptive and there’s more to a person/alien than you might first think. Hunter is cold, arrogant, alpha male to the extreme and have I mentioned badass? It bears repeating. He look out for number one, enjoys his life and that’s the way he likes it. Enter Serena. Both their worlds are turned upside down, Hunters just as confused as Serena over what is the right thing to do and who really are the bad guys. Pile on the feelings Hunter develops and you’ve got yourself one hell of a love story, it’s a clash of two polar opposites that captivates you from the get go. As the story progressed I realised fighting the attraction was pointless so I happily surrendered to the sexiness that is Hunter.

“Are you donne acting like a psychotic, cracked-out Muppet baby?" he asked, and I could tell by the way his fingers spasmed around my wrists, he really wanted to shake me.
"Or do you need a couple more moments to return to sanity? I have all day. And you actually feel kind of good under me, so take your time.”

I was hungry for her, starving in a way a man needed a woman. A man— not an Arum. Fucking blew my mind, but it had been the truth. That time, the stirrings of a darker need never outweighed the want to be inside her, near her.

Whereas the Lux series is Young Adult, Obsession is New Adult making it absolutely scorching hot. I'm really starting to love this new genre, just when you think books can’t get any better *sighs in contentment*. I thought the steamy scenes between Hunter and Serena were done rather tastefully, it wasn’t forced or over the top if anything it felt natural and right. It is definitely not for younger readers. I absolutely adored the detail within which Jennifer goes into in relation to the Arum-Luxen war, the bigger picture that not only neither sides see but us as readers as well. I felt the background information helped me to become more invested in the characters, there is no clear good guy and bad guy, we’ve had the Luxens POV and now we finally get the Arum’s and I thought it was well deserved. It really makes you think and question what exactly are the government trying to achieve, I mean can anybody really be trusted?

Jennifer is one of those authors who writes books that make you want to lose sleep, to stop everything, who get you all in a tizzy for the next book and constantly have you coming back for more like an addict. An author will have at least one book that won’t be as successful but I swear it’s like everything she writes is pure gold. I give this book 5 outstanding stars and strongly recommend, especially you JLA fans. I really hope there's a sequel! Come get lost in a world of aliens, explosions, deception, redemption, war, government politics and a love story completely out of this world.

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Wallbanger by Alice Clayton

19/7/2013

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Caroline Reynolds has a fantastic new apartment in San Francisco, a KitchenAid mixer, and no O (and we’re not talking Oprah here, folks). She has a flourishing design career, an office overlooking the bay, a killer zucchini bread recipe, and no O. She has Clive (the best cat ever), great friends, a great rack, and no O.
Adding insult to O-less, since her move, she has an oversexed neighbour with the loudest late-night wallbanging she’s ever heard. Each moan, spank, and--was that a meow?--punctuates the fact that not only is she losing sleep, she still has, yep, you guessed it, no O.
Enter Simon Parker. (No, really, Simon, please enter.) When the wallbanging threatens to literally bounce her out of bed, Caroline, clad in sexual frustration and a pink baby-doll nightie, confronts her heard-but-never-seen neighbour. Their late-night hallway encounter has, well, mixed results. Ahem. With walls this thin, the tension’s gonna be thick...

Okay so far my reviews have been books I've read at the start of 2012, so to mix it up I thought I'd start 2013 with a review of a book I've read at the end of 2012. The lucky winner is Wallbanger by Alice Clayton.

Wow what a book, I can honestly say out of all the books I read last year this one was the most unexpected. Allow me to explain, first of all it didn't fit the bill for one of my typical reads and I already learnt early on this year to not judge a book by its cover, secondly its reviews were amazing within just the first few weeks of having been released and lastly a few of my favourite authors marked it as to read or were reading it. So I thought hey I have to read this, it sounds good and lord knows I could use a good laugh. Wallbanger is one of the best reads ever and it’s earned a place on my favourite’s shelf. It was such a laugh-out-loud kinda book that I just couldn't put it down, it has a group of great friends, awesome bosses, annoying but gorgeous neighbours, a stubborn yet distraught heroine and a cat that puts all others to shame!

We follow Caroline on her bumpy journey to find her missing 'O', with the help of very thin walls and a devastatingly handsome neighbour she sets out to reclaim her 'O' which was stolen from her by...

‘Cory Weinstein. The machine-gun fucker who’d hijacked the O.’

*LOL*

This book is so witty and hilarious I swear you will not be disappointed, it’s a light read that makes you all warm inside. The chemistry between Caroline and Simon is explosive, and the sexual tension is palpable throughout the entire book all you can do is hold your breath in anticipation for when the big and very welcomed ‘BOOM’ will come. Alice builds up the story nicely, there’s no rush of emotions or declarations of love in fact in all honesty the foreplay is the best thing about the entire book.

‘“Fucking Wallbanger,” I hissed, frozen on the spot. His grin slid off as well as he played place-the-face for a moment. “Fucking Pink Nightie Girl,” he finally concluded. He grimaced. We stared, seething as the air literally turned electric between us, snapping and crackling.’

Oh my Simon *sigh*. He is just fantastic, I absolutely loved him!

‘He had jet black hair that stood straight up, likely from the Giggler’s hands buried in it as he plowed into her. His eyes were piercing blue, and cheekbones just as strong as the jaw. Completing the package? Kiss-swollen lips, and what looked like about three days of scruff….premeditated tan—outdoorsy tan, weathered tan, manly tan. His chest rose and fell as he panted, his skin coated in a thin sheen of sex sweat. As my eyes travelled down further I saw a smattering of dark hair low on his torso, which led below the sheet. Below the six pack. Below that V that some men have, and which on him didn’t look weird or BowFlexed.’

*fans self*

Simon was incredibly sweet and funny as hell, he gave as good as he got. Which really worked for me because I can’t stand romances with a guy who’s a kinda ‘goody-too-shoes’, I liked that he defended himself and knew the effect he had on dear old Caroline. I loved the way he opened himself up to Caroline as well and I did feel for the dude I mean he’s been through a lot, so his lifestyle is understandable. One reason I am now a new fan of Alice Clayton is the obvious way in which she portrayed the attraction between the two, but never allowed anything to really happen so quickly; she built it up perfectly just enough to leave you panting for more, she allowed them to really get to know each other as friends which is why for me the love between them was believable and oh so very realistic. He was my hero just as much as Caroline’s as he helped her find the ever much loved ‘O’, one thing to know about this Wallbanger is he loves a challenge.

I adored Clive, as someone who’d like to own a cat in the future, I fell in love with little Clive as there is no cat like him. He has to be by far the coolest cat ever, Alice portrays him in such a way you that at times you find yourself thinking ‘Dude is he a cat or a human?’ You couldn’t ask for a better cat, he’s loyal and just as amusing as the main characters.

‘And Clive? Clive was strutting. Strutting back and forth in front of her, giving it his all. He turned like he was on a runway, pacing along a line on the floor and glancing at her nonchalantly. If Clive could wear a blazer, he would have taken it off, draped it casually over his kitty shoulder, and pointed at her. It was all I could do not to fall down laughing.’

I give this wonderful book 5 stars. This book is without a doubt a must read, but warning you may be in stitches for half of the book and all hot and bothered for the other half. You do not want to miss out so hellooo? Go buy NOW! It’s totally worth it and you will find yourself craving more from Alice I know I am.

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Onyx (Lux #2) by Jennifer Armentrout

19/7/2013

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"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…"

Wow okay it’s clear I have an obsession with the Lux series, as you should all know by now, so this review could take a while. So bear with me. Onyx is funny, action packed and heart wrenching. Jennifer does not disappoint, I could not put it down. First thing I did when getting back from holiday this summer was purchase Onyx. Finished it in one sitting that alone should speak volumes and, erm hello more freaking Daemon Black being sexy people!

The novel continues where the first ended, with Daemon getting Kat to admit her feelings for him have nothing to do with their new connection. Daemon and Kat are so much closer in this book, which I loved because they are just too cute together and funny as hell. In this book we follow Kat on her journey in discovering the consequences of Daemons actions when he healed her in the first book. Kat is a hybrid. How freaking awesome! Of course this does come with its problems, she now has all these freaky new powers she has no control over and she’s worried about telling Daemon. Enter Blake. I will get to this douchebag in a bit, sufficed to say I hate him! So like any typical series, at some point you enter the ‘third person’ creating the much loved ‘love triangle’. Bringing fourth those emotions we love that make any good novel explosive: possessiveness, jealousy, insecurity, anger and protectiveness. Mix these with Daemon Black and BOOM! Shit just hit the fan people. So Blake…well obviously he’s the ‘new kid’ who takes an interest in Kat, and Kat being the typical dumb heroine goes for him. To piss Daemon off? To make a point? Or to fool herself? The possibilities are endless. I feel I need to emphasize this particular point in order for you to understand where I'm going with this. Basically unlike the first book where the focus between Kat and Daemon was on their attraction, with this book the focus is between Daemon getting Kat to admit her feelings and Kat getting Daemon to realize it’s all in his head. So with that mind you can see WHY she goes for Blake, despite the many, many, MANY, warnings of Daemon. On one hand you could argue she really does feel a connection with Blake, because not only is he just like her but he knows how to control his powers which is Kats’ biggest fear, losing control. On the other hand you could argue despite the manner in which she can relate to him, she goes for him because she is in fact afraid of her feelings for Daemon and on some unconscious or conscious level she wants to wind Daemon up. Bad Kitten.

Kats’ journey in controlling her abilities, and finding out more about hybrids means she alienates herself from the much adored Dee. In the first novel I loved their relationship and I really felt for Dee, I understood why she craved that normalcy of friendship with Kat, to not feel so alien and just be like any other girl. Bless her. However Kats’ fear of losing control and hurting Dee means she begins to keep her distance and keep secrets from Dee, and we slowly begin to watch their lovely relationship deteriorate. This of course has dire consequences within the story. Which brings me back to Blake *shivers*. Blake is not who he says he is, when the cats out of the bag he admits to being like Kat and claims he can ‘train her’ *pfft*. Blake gets real close to Kat, much to the annoyance of Daemon, who obviously does not trust the little weasel at all, he teaches her how to control her abilities, what hybrids are and err where he’s from. Now I do not want to put in any major spoilers, but sufficed to say the little shit is a pathological liar who stabs them in the back AND front!

Daemon Black *sigh*. Poor baby really does go all out proving he likes Kat for Kat and not because of some freaky alien mojo. We see the sweeter side of Daemon in this novel which is what makes it that much more awesome, I mean if you think his attitude was hot in the first book, then my friends you are in for a major surprise with his sweet and caring side. He tries to help Kat with her abilities, helping her overcome her fear of being some freak and well he’s just there for her in general. I mean she never has to go through anything alone, he is always right there offering his support…and body…*swoon*. Despite the crap with Blake he doesn’t abandon her, you totally get why the guy wants to shake some sense into her, gawd knows I bloody did, and Blake really is asking for a good ass kicking. I really felt bad for Daemon in this book, funny how the roles have been reversed, he’s working hard to prove his feelings for Kat, on top of helping her, finding out what the DOD are really about and the revelation to end all revelations, there's more to Dawsons' disappearance than we were lead to believe.

Kat pays the price for her major lack in judgment with Blake, in a completely life altering way which shatters those relationships she holds dear. By the end of the book I was ready to scream bloody murder. With this book I laughed, got angry, was shocked and cried (gawd did I cry). Jennifer literally keeps you on your toes, she throws curveball after curveball. You never see half of the stuff coming at you, and when it does…boy are you in for the ride of your life. It’s debatable how much of a happy ending there is, but the cliff hanger lets you know this is far from over and the HEA is not even remotely close. But it's getting there...

“Yes, you mean something to me. What you did for me on Thanksgiving— that made me…” My voice cracked. “
That made me happy. You made me happy. And I still care about you. Okay? You mean something to me— something I can’t really even put into words because everything seems too lame in comparison. I’ve always wanted you, even when I hated you. I want you even though you drive me freaking insane. And I know I screwed everything up. Not just for you and me, but for Dee.”
My breath caught on a sob. The words rushed from me, one after another. “And I never felt this way with anyone else. Like I’m falling every time I’m around you, like I can’t catch my breath, and I feel alive— not just standing around and letting my life walk past me. There’s been nothing like that with anyone else.”
Tears pricked my eyes as I stepped back. My chest was swelling so fast it hurt. “But none of this matters, because I know you really hate me now. I understand that. I just wish I could go back and change everything! I—”
Daemon was suddenly in front of me, clasping my cheeks in his warm hands. “I never hated you.”

*Awe*

This book explores finding yourself, your inner strength, the consequences of bad decisions, the courage to go on, admitting you were wrong, the meaning of friendship, kicking some Arum and DOD butt, forgiveness and a love that is out of this world (literally).

I give this book 5 stars, and I 100% recommend this to everyone. It’s not even about whether you’re into this kind of thing; it will literally knock your socks off and leave you screaming for more. So go get your copy today, and if you haven’t already read the first book in the series then you really, really need to read Obsidian!

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Obsidian (Lux #) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

19/7/2013

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‘When seventeen-year-old Katy Swartz moved to West Virginia right before her senior year, she’d pretty much resigned herself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring, but then she spotted her hot neighbour, with his looming height and eerie green eyes.
Things were looking up…until he opened his mouth. Daemon Black is infuriating, arrogant, and stab-worthy. It’s hate at first sight, but when a stranger attacks her and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something…unexpected happens. The hot guy next door? Well, he’s an alien. Turns out that Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities and Katy is caught in the crosshairs.
Daemon’s touch has lit her up like the Vegas Strip and the only way she’s getting out of this alive is by sticking close to him until her alien mojo fades. That is if she doesn’t kill him first.’

Let me start by saying I am a complete idiot. Obsidian kept popping up on amazon as a recommendation, and what did I do? Ignore it of course, because I'm just that stupid. (The more blogs I post, the more you'll see my judgment was temporarily impaired this year) I mean 'aliens', seriously? Soo not my cup of tea, or so I thought. I mean where do I even begin? Obsidian is...is...just pure freaking kick ass awesomeness! No word of a lie people, this novel is that great. There's a conceited hero, a rambunctious heroine, bitchy aliens, a weird town, strange bursts of light, freaky looking bad guys and a sizzling love story in the making!

We meet Kat and she is funny, witty and a complete book freak (like me). After her father passes away from cancer, Kat’s mum moves them to West Virginia for a fresh start. Kat is a protagonist you can’t help but admire; she doesn’t take crap from no one including hot alien bad boys. She gives back just as good as she gets, this ‘Kitten’ has claws and is not afraid to use them. Jennifer gives us a heroine who is strong-willed, intelligent and when faced with adversity faces everything head on. I cannot emphasise enough how refreshing it is to come across a heroine who speaks her mind, and knows what she wants, unlike the typical heroine who doubts herself and questions everything. The chemistry between Kat and Daemon is explosive, which is why it’s so bloody fantastic. There is no ‘boy meets girl and then snap love at first sight’, from the very beginning Daemon makes it perfectly clear he not only can’t stand her, but wants her to stay away from his sister Dee. It draws you in straight away, I mean he literally just met her and he hates her? You just have to read on and see where this goes. You can’t help but sympathise with Kat, she’s dealing with the loss of her dad, moving away from all her friends, getting used to a new place, starting a new school at the most inopportune time and to top it all off she has to put up with her hot strange neighbour who hates her. That is a lot for someone to take on, and you cannot help but be drawn in by her, and in some cases relate to her emotions. This also makes you want to bash Daemon’s head in a little, especially when he’s so hot one minute and then cold the next, it’s therefore understandable why Kat’s confused. I absolutely loved the banter between Kat and Daemon; I was practically in stitches half the time:

One side of his lips curled up. “Anytime is a bad time for you to come knocking on my door, kid.” “Kid?” I repeated, eyes widening. A dark, mocking eyebrow arched again. I was starting to hate that brow. “I’m not a kid. I’m seventeen.” “Is that so?” He blinked. “You look like you’re twelve. No. Maybe thirteen, but my sister has this doll that kinda reminds me of you. All big-eyed and vacant.”

‘“You’re kind of dirty, Kitten.” I blinked. Deny. Deny. Deny. “What did you say?” “Dirty,” he repeated, voice so low I knew Dee couldn’t hear him. “You’re covered in dirt. What did you think I meant?” “Nothing,” I said, wishing he’d back the hell up. Daemon being this close wasn’t exactly comforting. “I’m gardening. You get dirty when you do that.” His lips twitched. “There are a lot more fun ways to get…dirty. Not that I’d ever show you.” I had a feeling he knew each way intimately. A flush spread over my cheeks, down my throat. “I’d rather roll around in manure than anything you might sleep in.”’

‘Hands clenching the edges of the plastic tray, I leaned over the table and turned my plate upside down over Daemon’s and Ash’s heads. Chunks of noodles and spaghetti sauce fell. Most of the red gunk hit Ash and the noodles covered Daemon’s broad shoulder. One long, stringy noodle slid over Daemon’s ear and hung there, flopping around.’

But gawd some of the things he says to Kat are just so mean you literally want to punch him:

‘“She’s not welcome in our house,” Daemon snapped, turning to his sister. “Seriously.” Surprised by the venom in his words, I took a step back.’

You get an idea of why he was a douchebag, and why it was Team Kat all the way. This wasn’t your typical boy giving the cold shoulder and girl chasing after him. Daemon made it clear how he felt and Kat got on with it, even after discovering his secret. They didn’t suddenly admit their undying love for one another just because the ‘cats out of the bag’ (Like Twilight), their feelings remained the same which is not just refreshing because it’s different, but also a little frustrating because you totally want them together.

*Sigh* Daemon, Daemon, Daemon. Where do I even begin? I LOVE HIM! He is hot, arrogant, funny, annoying, bad ass and oh yeah a freaking ALIEN! He has the complete package, hell he IS the complete package:

‘His stomach was ripped. Perfect. Totally touchable. Not the kind of stomach I expected on a seventeen-year-old boy, which is how old I suspected he was, but yeah, I wasn’t complaining. I also wasn’t talking. And I was staring. My gaze finally traveling north again, I noted thick, sooty lashes fanning the tips of his high cheeks and hiding the color of his eyes as he looked down at me…His voice was deep and firm. The kind of voice accustomed to people listening and obeying without question. His lashes lifted, revealing eyes so green and brilliant they couldn’t be real. They were an intense emerald colour that stood out in vibrant contrast against his tan skin.’

*Drools*

At first even though you like Daemon, cause he is literally hotness personified, you end up wanting to punch him a lot of the time as I’ve already said. What’s refreshing with Daemon is that he is not your typical hero; yeah he saves Kat when she’s attacked by his enemies, and when a guy from school cannot take no for an answer, and pretty much stays close to her at all times, but he’s also loyal, brave and speaks his mind at all times. In addition to not chasing the heroine around or trying to get her attention, when he sets his mind to something he sticks with it including staying away from Kat whenever possible. Although he acts like a douche at times, it’s understandable why he not only wants to keep his distance but warns her away is because he’s actually afraid for his family and clearly Kat. When we’re confronted with his fears, which are legitimate reasons to be afraid after what happened with his brother, everything kinda falls into place and you can’t help but love him completely. So despite his attraction to Kat and the obvious chemistry between them, he has to stay away because he won’t allow anything to endanger his family. While it could be argued his actions are understandable, you could also argue was it really necessary to be as harsh or cold as he was, even after his secrets out. I could go on forever with that debate, so I’ll just leave at as something for you to think about. I love Jennifer for giving us his POV at the end; it’s nice to know what he was thinking while everything was going down, and how he really felt about Kat because his act of indifference was Oscar worthy.

The ending almost killed me, seriously awesome cliff hanger peeps. Not only does it guarantee MORE Kat and Daemon, but it gives you hope of them getting their HEA. The ending is another reason this book kicks ass, Jennifer truly is a genius. Instead of the typical they ‘killed the bad guys and admit their undying love’, it ends with a challenge. Allowing your imagination to run away with all kinds of naughty thoughts on how, what, why and when they’ll get together and admit their feelings. Because at the end of this book you will be rooting for Daemon all the way, who knew aliens could be so hot?

This book explores the unknown, the meaning of friendship, the thory of opposites attract, teen life in its most simplest and comical form, embracing the unbelievable and an attraction like no other. So to conclude, I give this book 5 stars because it totally deserves them. I recommend this to everyone, you will not be disappointed but it will leave you breathless for more. If you don't buy this book then you sire are no friend of mine, it's a deal breaker for m. You would seriously have to be an idiot to not go and but it right now, gawd knows I was.

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