Obsidian

Obsidian (Lux #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Release Date: December 6, 2011
Entangled Publishing
ISBN13: 9781937044237

5/5 Stars!

Goodreads Synopsis:
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.

This book is sexy. And I don't mean just the cover.

I also don't just mean the romance (although it's pretty damn hot too). I mean Jennifer Armentrout's extremely talented writing, her characters, and the entire freaking book. Make sure you're well prepared before beginning this one: it's so hot the pages are just slick with sweat, and you might want to have a fan on handy. And maybe an inhaler for all the times you lose your breath because you forget to keep breathing.

Seriously, even after finishing this an hour ago I'm still like, "PHEW! *fans self* *swoons*"

Reasons to Read:

1. Aliens:
   Do I even need to explain this one? Because aliens are just cool. Especially when they aren't terrifying monsters, but instead more superhuman. And I am LOVING this new trend in YA involving superhuman characters, and how it's branching out into the idea of cool aliens too. Obsidian kind of reminded me of Daniel X, except so much better. SO MUCH BETTER.
2. Phenomenal Characters:
   Normally in YA books, it tends to be only one or two characters who are well-developed and interesting. Okay, maybe throw in a BFF sidekick once in a while too. But something I really appreciated about Obsidian was how alive every character introduced felt; especially Dee. I adore Dee. I want to be best friends with her and stalk er ogle spend time with her brother. Honestly, I would love to read stories told from the perspective of every person encountered in Obsidian; there's just so much material there, and I want to know all of it.
3. Romantic Anguish:
   I know I'm not the only person out there who thrives off of the build up and anticipation of a romantic crush. I think that's something I most appreciate about YA: you get to fall in love all over again, every time you pick up a book (hopefully). And Obsidian is just BURSTING with that anguish and sexual tension, where you're like "OMG WOULD YOU JUST PLEASE KISS OR TOUCH OR DO SOMETHING ALREADY, BECAUSE YOUR LOVELY READER IS DYING OF ANTICIPATION HERE!!!!!" and yet they don't. BUT THEN OMG THEY DO!! And you feel like you're right along with them for that long, wild ride. Plus, I'm a huge fan of witty banter. It makes me all giddy and smile to myself, and is often the cause of my guilty daydreams involving book boyfriends.
4. A Book Blogging Character:GUYS, THIS IS SO COOL. But the main character (Katy) is a book blogger! And Jennifer fits in all these little things that feel like inside jokes for book bloggers. Her allusions to memes and books are just so much fun. But I have to say that putting a book blogger in a situation with no Internet and no mail is just cruel. CRUEL. But she's such a little book nerd, and I internally squeed everytime something came up. Honestly, I think this is worth reading just for the book blogging jokes, if you're a fellow book blogger.

But I will say this- Daemon is a real piece of work at the beginning. And unless you're a bad boy fan, who can put up with that for a while, you are probably going to hate him. He's that kind of guy, and that's my fair warning. And while I personally feel that he redeems himself, I know it isn't everyone's cup of tea. What I appreciate about Daemon and Obsidian though, is that Jennifer recognizes that he's a jerk and intended him to be that way. So it isn't like she's trying to sugarcoat his jerk attitude and pass it off as "true love".

I only briefly mentioned this at the beginning, but it needs to be addressed again: Jennifer is extraordinarily talented. I would love to sing the praises of her writing and imagination from the rooftops. She is the kind of author who writes in such a way that she lures you in to her story, and essentially has you in a trance from "Once upon a time..." to "The End". And everything in the middle is just a rollercoaster of emotions- which is part of why I think Daemon as a character is so successful. He's SUPPOSED to make you furious and lustful all at the same time. He's intended that way, and boy, does she ever succeed.

e-galley received from publisher for my honest review; no other compensation was received. A BIG thank you to Entangled Publishing for this one!

You really need to go pre-order this one now: