Half-Blood

Half-Blood (Covenant #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Release Date: October 18, 2011
Spencer Hill Press
ISBN13:  9780983157205


5/5 Stars!

Goodreads Synopsis:
The Hematoi descend from the unions of gods and mortals, and the children of two Hematoi-pure-bloods-have godlike powers. Children of Hematoi and mortals-well, not so much. Half-bloods only have two options: become trained Sentinels who hunt and kill daimons or become servants in the homes of the pures.Seventeen-year-old Alexandria would rather risk her life fighting than waste it scrubbing toilets, but she may end up slumming it anyway. There are several rules that students at the Covenant must follow. Alex has problems with them all, but especially rule #1:Relationships between pures and halfs are forbidden.Unfortunately, she's crushing hard on the totally hot pure-blood Aiden. But falling for Aiden isn't her biggest problem--staying alive long enough to graduate the Covenant and become a Sentinel is. If she fails in her duty, she faces a future worse than death or slavery: being turned into a daimon, and being hunted by Aiden. And that would kind of suck.

After reading Obsidian (TBR December 6, 2011) I picked up my copy of Half-Blood which had just arrived. Because if I couldn't read the next Obsidian book, then another book from Jennifer would just have to do. I will add that I was in no way disappointed with this one!

But since this is a book I've read a fair number of reviews on, I want to add that I have yet to read Vampire Academy (yes, I plan to read it soon, but I haven't yet). So I have no comment whatsoever to make on its possible similarities to VA - but I will say that those similarities sound like a dozen other books I've read, and like ones that are bound to happen.

1. A fiesty, spunky heroine:
   
   I know I'm not the only one out there who loves a heroine with attitude. The one with the comebacks I wish I could think up. The one who is not only emotionally tough, but physically as well and can give any guy a run for their money in a fight. Alex is the perfect heroine in this capacity, but there's something so very real and flawed about her character. She isn't perfect. Her tough exterior it so hide some secrets and pain; and I LOVE that about her!
2. Swoon-worthy romance:
   
   One thing I adore about Jennifer's stories is how deliciously laced they are with romance. With just the right intensity to pull you into the story and give you a few Armentrout-book inspired daydreams. She spends time building the anticipation to really invest you in the story, and then leaves you with a scene or two that will leave you BEGGING (oh, I mean literal begging) for more!
3. Action, action and MORE action:
   
   I love books with action that's appropriately placed and timed. And with a plot like this one, action is a MUST to really make the words jump off the pages and leave your heart racing as you frantically flip the pages to find out what happens! Just don't get forget to breathe while Alex and Aiden and friends are getting into trouble and fighting daemons.

To be honest, I tend to have a difficult time reviewing books that I thoroughly enjoyed and loved. Half-Blood is a non-stop ride, and incorporates everything there is to love about YA. I honestly cannot wait to see where this series goes, and this book has cemented the fact that anything Jennifer writes is now a must-read for me.

Kindred Reads {5}

Kindred Reads is my weekly feature where I recommend similar books. There's a mix of popular books, and fairly unknown authors and indie books as well. This is something that I personally wish I saw more of; after reading a book I enjoy, I often want to read similar books but they can be hard to discover!
 

These books contain similar elements, whether it's content, writing style, or other themes found in the stories. They are always books which I have read, and clicking on the title of the book will take you to my review of that book (if I have reviewed it) or to Goodreads (if I have not reviewed the book).

If you liked...
The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare

You might want to read...

Exiled (Volume 1) by M.R. Merrick

Okay, so there aren't any Shadowhunters... but there is a totally hot main character GUY who's supposed to hunt demons and meets a badass female witch. And together, they're a part of an adventure to stop a really evil guy. Sounds familiar, right? Exiled is self-published but it is awesome, and you can just look it up to see all the rave reviews it's getting. Extremely well done, and Merrick writes some incredible and exciting action scenes. He's wonderfully talented, and has written something to help tide us over while we wait for Clockwork Prince and City of Lost Souls to be released.








Daimon/Half-Blood (Covenant series) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

I confess that I've only read Daimon (so far!) since Half-Blood isn't released until mid-October, but I'm confident from reading the prequel to the first book in the new Covenant series that it's going to be good (plus, I've been heard good things from people who've read ARCs of it). Similar idea to Exiled and MI that there's a demon hunter (girl, this time) who's fallen on some hard times and is just starting to unravel all the mysteries that have been hidden from her for years. More hot guys, more action, and more scary bad guys... what more are we looking for?

Waiting on Wednesday! 7/13

(see this lovely picture? It was made by Lindsay at The Violet Hour. So thanks to her for sharing it!)

 Breaking the Spine hosts weekly "Waiting on Wednesday" for books that haven't been released yet but we are anxious for!

The Unofficial Hunger Games Cookbook

Okay, so I'm a bit obsessed... but really, how can you resist a recipe for groosling?

Besides, there are no more books and the movie isn't released until 2012 so I need my fix!

Release Date: December 1, 2011

Half-Blood (Covenant #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

I'm probably most excited for this one right now. I have my signed copy pre-ordered and I can't wait! The prequel is on my Kindle too.

Release Date: October 18, 2011

Goodreads Synopsis:

The Hematoi descend from the unions of gods and mortals, and the children of two Hematoi pure-bloods have godlike powers. Children of Hematoi and mortals well, not so much. Half-bloods only have two options: become trained Sentinels who hunt and kill daimons or become servants in the homes of the pures.

Seventeen-year-old Alexandria would rather risk her life fighting than waste it scrubbing toilets, but she may end up slumming it anyway. There are several rules that students at the Covenant must follow. Alex has problems with them all, but especially rule #1:

Relationships between pures and halfs are forbidden.

Unfortunately, she's crushing hard on the totally hot pure-blood Aiden. But falling for Aiden isn't her biggest problem--staying alive long enough to graduate the Covenant and become a Sentinel is. If she fails in her duty, she faces a future worse than death or slavery: being turned into a daimon, and being hunted by Aiden. And that would kind of suck.

Besides these two, I have some of sequels I'm excited for:

Fever (Chemical Gardens #2) by Lauren DeStefano

Pandemonium (Delirium #2) by Lauren Oliver

Crossed (Matched #2) by Ally Condie