Tags
aliens, Book, Book Review, Fiction, Jennifer L. Armentrout, Lux, novel, Obsidian, paranormal, review, Romance, Young adult, Young adult fiction
You don’t look like an alien!’ It seemed important to point that out.
He arched a brow. ‘And what do aliens look like?’
‘Not…not like you,’ I sputtered. ‘They aren’t gorgeous–‘
‘You think I’m gorgeous?’ He smiled” – Obsidian, Jennifer L. Armentrout
Initial Thoughts: I have seen this book in so many different lists on Goodreads. What is obsidian? Is it a person? An object? A place? I had no clue. Of course, if I would have been smart enough to Google “obsidian” I would have figured out that it is “volcanic glass.” Anyway, after seeing Obsidian in the #1 spot on the Goodreads list “Best Supernatural Series,” it was my duty as a bookius wormius glassius (a bookworm who wears glasses) to check it out.
Summary
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.” – Goodreads
The Review
Sometimes, I wonder if I see things in the same way as other people… Obsidian has received so much praise and hype from reviewers. Readers are fawning over the love interest Daemon Black. They love the passion and chemistry between Daemon and Katy. For some reason, maybe I didn’t get the memo that Daemon was more than just a jerk who likes to toy with the protagonist’s emotions.
The book starts off with seventeen-year-old Katy and her mother moving from Florida to a small town in West Virginia. Why West Virginia, who knows! At this point, I had Twilight flashbacks. Luckily, Katy is a little livelier than Bella Swan. She has her own blog, and a book blog at that! She also enjoys gardening. I appreciate when a heroine has legitimate hobbies rather than “waiting for my crush to turn my way so I can stare into his eyes forever” type of hobby.
While trying to turn over a new leaf, Katy decides to greet her next-door neighbours and inquire about a place where she can get gardening supplies. Of course, a tall dark and handsome guy opens the door. Instead of turning into an instant prince charming, he becomes the ultimate jerk. This ultimate jerk is none other than Katy’s future love interest, Daemon Black. He is so overwrought with secrets that he must be cruel to everyone. Daemon’s taunts throughout the book are far worst than just pulling on her ponytail in class because he likes her. No, Daemon is not above insulting Katy at every turn. It really bugged me that this guy never really developed as a character. From the beginning to the end, he continues to play with Katy as if she were just a shiny new toy. The only difference in their relationship is that Katy becomes more tolerant, and falls in love with Daemon in spite of the obvious signs that her relationship with Daemon is really unhealthy. Yes, Daemon isn’t quite human, but that doesn’t excuse his strange and overly possessive behaviour.
I did like Katy as a character. She wasn’t afraid of holding her own when it came to Daemon’s taunts. At the end of the book, she made a few strange decisions which made absolutely no sense. It was as if the author had struggled to bring this book to a close. With a furrowed brow, the author essentially decided to make the protagonist turn herself into a victim disguised as heroism. I’m not buying it. This part really reminded me of Twilight during the ballet studio scene, with less action.
Overall, this book wasn’t a complete disaster, but it wasn’t very good either. The writing style was decent, but lackluster. The dialogue wasn’t contrived, but unoriginal. The storyline was too predictable. All you would have to do is read Twilight, and you will be able to match the characters and scenarios with their Twilight counterparts.
I would recommend this book to those who are looking for something quick to read without really paying attention to the fact that it is 90% just like Twilight without the vampires.
Final Rating:
About the Book
Title: Obsidian Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout Series: Lux (Book #1: Obsidian, Book #2:Onyx, Book #3: Opal, Book #4: Origin, Book #5: Opposition) Pages: 299 Year Published: 2011 Genres & Subjects: Fiction, young adult fiction, romance, paranormal, science fiction, aliens
Until Next Time,
-Alice
The Alley-Cat7 