OBSIDIAN by Jennifer L. Armentrout Book Review
Series: Lux, #1
Publication Date: May 15th 2012 by Entangled Teen
Rating: 
– Poor | 
Book 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.
Obsidian by Jennifer L Armentrout Book Review Overview:
- Mary Sue-ish characterization aimed at book bloggers
- Over-repetitive descriptions of vanity
- Lack of chemistry
There are so many things I want to say about this book that I don’t even know where to begin. Unfortunately, most of them are negative. It sucks because I loved Jennifer L. Armentrout’s Half-Blood passionately. It also sucks because my best friend, Loreal, bought me a copy of this book for my nook – and if you know me, you know that I never ever buy anything for my e-reader. (Library for the win.) I had high hopes for my second read from author Jennifer L. Armentrout, but unfortunately, OBSIDIAN did not meet my standards of a good read.
Yeah, argue with me on this one, but Katy is not just coincidentally a book blogger. Honestly, she struck me completely as a not genuine character. She reminded me of a Mary Sue – a fan fiction term that I hate using when reviewing a book, but there’s really no better way to describe Katy. Katy is a Mary Sue for the book blogging community. She’s snarky, kind of kick-ass, and stubborn with a banging body but she doesn’t know it! GASP! And the best part is… she reviews books on her book blog! I don’t know… I just felt like OBSIDIAN by Jennifer L. Armentrout was trying too hard to cater to a (very) specific target audience and it was obvious. I don’t want Katy to be the idealized version of myself. I want her to be her own unique character.
And then of course, there’s Daemon, the love interest – or as how I like to think of him: The Biggest Jerk Ever. OBSIDIAN by Jennifer L. Armentrout plays on the whole forbidden romance between human and alien. Alright. I usually eat up forbidden romances like it’s nothing. But the romance in OBSIDIAN by Jennifer L. Armentrout was just all wrong for me. It didn’t even feel like Daemon was playing hard to get for me. He was just a jerk. He would have a rare tender moment with Katy in one scene then totally acting like she’s nobody the next. Not acceptable. Not sexy and definitely not cool.
… And don’t get me started on the over-repetitive descriptions of how sexy Daemon is. Because seriously, I got it the first time. The guy is a looker. But I really do not need a reminder every time the guy pops into a scene.
I couldn’t even enjoy the excessive banter between Katy and Daemon because the chemistry itself felt a little too forced. I didn’t feel an internal struggle with Daemon. I felt like he could turn off or on his views on friendships with humans. The danger about the friendship didn’t really sink in with me, and because of that, Daemon’s excuses were pretty lame without some strong backing.
Unfortunately, nothing went right for me in OBSIDIAN by Jennifer L Armentrout, and I will probably not continue with the series.
Other Book Reviews:
Book Rants
Elegantly Bound Books
Justin’s Book Blog
About the Author
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Find the Author
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Jennifer L. Armentrout Lives in West Virginia. All the rumors you heard about her state aren’t true. Well, mostly. When she’s not hard at work writing, she spends her time, reading, working out, watching zombie movies, and pretending to write.
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Book Review, Two Stars - Author: Jennifer L Armentrout, Book: Obsidian, Borrow It, Genre: Romance, Genre: Science Fiction, Publisher: Entangled Teen, Series: Lux | 
1094 words
I’D TELL YOU I LOVE YOU BUT THEN I’LL HAVE TO KILL YOU by Ally Carter Book Review
Series: Gallagher Girls, #1
Publication Date: April 25th 2006 by Hyperion
Rating: – Acceptable | 
Book Summary: Cammie Morgan is a student at the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women, a fairly typical all-girls school-that is, if every school taught advanced martial arts in PE and the latest in chemical warfare in science, and students received extra credit for breaking CIA codes in computer class. The Gallagher Academy might claim to be a school for geniuses but it’s really a school for spies. Even though Cammie is fluent in fourteen languages and capable of killing a man in seven different ways, she has no idea what to do when she meets an ordinary boy who thinks she’s an ordinary girl. Sure, she can tap his phone, hack into his computer, or track him through town with the skill of a real “pavement artist”-but can she maneuver a relationship with someone who can never know the truth about her?
Cammie Morgan may be an elite spy-in-training, but in her sophomore year, she’s on her most dangerous mission-falling in love.
I’d Tell You I Love You But Then I’d Have to Kill You Book Review Overview:
- Love the concept but the plot was a little lacking; the book is definitely a lot more development than anything else
- I love the family dynamics and I can’t wait to read more between Cammie and her mom
- Will definitely check out the rest of the series because there’s nothing better than teenage spies!
So, I’D TELL YOU I LOVE YOU, BUT THEN I’D HAVE TO KILL YOU by Ally Carter is basically the contemporary version of my much-loved Agency series by Y.S. Lee (in case you don’t know about the books: Victorian girl spies… yep!). It is also one of those books that I’ve known about for years but never picked up. Cammie Morgan is a student at the Gallagher Academy. Despite the deceiving facade, the Gallagher Academy is not your ordinary boarding school; it is an academy where the brightest girls are training to be spies. They are experts in just about everything: foreign languages, hand-to-hand combat, weapons… but when it comes to boys, these girls are absolutely clueless.
I’D TELL YOU I LOVE YOU by Ally Carter is such a quick and easy read and I enjoyed every moment of it. I really loved the set up of the characters so I didn’t mind much that the plot was a bit lacking. Nothing really happened. The tension in the novel came more from Cammie sneaking around trying to see Josh, rather than the romance itself. Because no one knows what the Gallagher Academy really is, the school has a reputation of being a school for rich, snobby girls. So on top of the fact that Cammie cannot tell Josh that she is a spy-in-training, she also cannot tell him that she goes to the Gallagher Academy because she doesn’t want him to think she is stuck up. It was fun to read about Cammie’s dual lives – especially because I knew the duplicity couldn’t last for long.
Cammie was such an easy character to relate to that I had no problems getting into the story. I easily related to her boy woes and her constant overanalyzing of anything that had to do with Josh. I was able to put myself into Cammie’s shoes which made I’D TELL YOU I LOVE YOU by Ally Carter a lot more enjoyable to read.
One of the highlights of I’D TELL YOU I LOVE YOU, BUT THEN I’D HAVE TO KILL YOU by Ally Carter is the interpersonal relationships between the girls. I loved how close she was to her best friends, Bex and Liz – especially because she doesn’t have any siblings. Furthermore, I love the development of the friendship between Macey and the other girls. Despite their differences, they were able to forge a friendship. I also loved reading about Cammie and her mother. They have a strange relationship due to the fact that her mother is the headmistress of the school, but I think it’s quite obvious that they both want to be closer to one another. I can’t wait to see how this mother/daughter relationship develops in the future books. All in all, Carter has written a fantastic book with strong, female bonds in I’D TELL YOU I LOVE YOU, BUT THEN I’D HAVE TO KILL YOU.
Overall, I enjoyed Ally Carter’s I’D TELL YOU I LOVE YOU, BUT THEN I’D HAVE TO KILL YOU. I wish the plot had a bit more substance, but hopefully the next few books in the series will make up for that. I enjoyed getting to know Cammie, Bex, Macey, Liz, and Josh and I can’t wait to read more about them in the rest of the Gallagher Girls series.
Other Book Reviews:
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About the Author
Her life is either very ordinary or the best deep-cover legend ever. She’d tell you more, but…well…you know… |
Find the Author
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Ally Carter is a writer living and working in the Midwest. She loved school so much she kept going…and going…and going…until finally she had to graduate. Now she has degrees from Oklahoma State University and Cornell University and a house and a job and other very grown-up things.
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Book Review, Three Stars - Author: Ally Carter, Book: I'd Tell You I Love You But Then I'd Have to Kill You, Borrow It, Genre: Contemporary, Genre: Romance, Hahaha Funny, Series: Gallagher Girls | 1323 words
CATCHING JORDAN by Miranda Kenneally Book Review
Publication Date: December 1st 2011 by Sourcebooks Fire
Rating:
Summary: What girl doesn’t want to be surrounded by gorgeous jocks day in and day out? Jordan Woods isn’t just surrounded by hot guys, though-she leads them as the captain and quarterback of her high school football team. They all see her as one of the guys, and that’s just fine. As long as she gets her athletic scholarship to a powerhouse university. But now there’s a new guy in town who threatens her starting position… suddenly she’s hoping he’ll see her as more than just a teammate.
Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally Book Review Overview:
- A cute, funny, and thoughtful read
- Perfectly flawed characters
- I’m ready to play some football, now
Ah, there’s so much to mention but I’ll just stick to my favorite parts of CATCHING JORDAN by Miranda Kenneally. Miranda Kenneally does an excellent job of describing Tennessee, where CATCHING JORDAN takes place. Her narrator – Jordan Woods – does not go on long-winded tangents about the South. Rather, she gives snippets here and there to describe the roads, Lake Jordan, and gaps between the rich and the poor.
I thought CATCHING JORDAN by Miranda Kenneally was an engaging story about a teenage girl chasing after her dreams. I found myself empathizing a lot with the main character, Jordan. I couldn’t help but feel sympathetic towards her strained relationship with her father, the famous Donovan Woods. I laughed at her awkward behavior as she tried to figure out how to be a girl and a football player. But most of all, I felt as torn as her about her crazy love life as she tried to figure out her feelings about her dream boyfriend, Ty Green, and her best friend, Sam Henry. My favorite poem in CATCHING JORDAN by Miranda Kenneally (yes, Jordan enjoys writing poems!) that best describes her chaotic life is:
“All those nights of sharing a bed
All those times he put an arm around me
All the things he’s done to make my happy
…encouraging me to give Ty a chance
He must really love me if he’ll watch me date another guy just to ensure I’m happy
But he’s like my brother
And Ty is my boyfriend now
My dream boyfriend
The guy I lost my virginity to
What’s scary?
I’m so hot for Ty
but Henry makes me feel whole
in a totally different sort of way
even if I’ve never considered jumping him
F***ety, F***, F***”
Moreover, I loved all of the other characters in CATCHING JORDAN by Miranda Kenneally. Jordan’s got a great support team in her older brother, Mike, and her teammates and best friends, JJ, Carter, and Henry. At first, I assumed that there would be a plot line about Jordan living in Mike’s shadow (he also plays football), but I was wrong. Kenneally has created such charming, witty, and realistic characters that their dynamics shine through the pages. Here’s another wonderful quote to show what I mean:
“Shut up!” Henry says, “You’re going to wake up Jerry Rice.”
“Jerry Rice?” Carter says, covering his mouth with a hand. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Carter laugh so hard.
“Carter, would you like to be the godfather?” Henry asks. “You know, in case anything happens to me and Woods this week?”
“Charming,” Carter says. “I”d be honored. Does JJ get to be godmother?”
“Obviously,” I say.
“Can I hold Jerry Rice?” JJ asks. “He”s so cute.”
“No way, man,” I reply. “I don’t want to wake that thing up before practice. We’ll be late if we have to feed it.”
“What does it eat?” Carter asks.
“I have to breast-feed, cause I’m the mom,” Henry says, continuing to push the stroller toward the locker room.
“Actually,” I say, “It eats a metal rod, made out of, like, lead. So basically, we’re learning how to poison babies.”
“Radical,” JJ says as we approach the gym,”
I don’t think I have ever enjoyed reading about football so much. Jordan’s thoughts, calculations, and instincts are so well-described in CATCHING JORDAN by Miranda Kenneally, I was convinced I was truly watching her football practices and games. Jordan lives and breathes football – she’s dead-set on scoring a full-ride to the #1 football college, Alabama. Unfortunately, there are many obstacles that stand in Jordan’s way of playing college ball. Kenneally does well to reconcile Jordan’s hurdles and inspires her readers to root for Jordan.
I recommend CATCHING JORDAN to readers who love football, readers who think they don’t love football, and readers who want to find out if they’ll love football. Because after reading this book, I have come to the following conclusions:
- I love football.
- In the wise words of Jordan Woods: “That if you spend too much time dreaming, you’ll stop actually doing. And when you actually do stuff, there’s a good chance things will work out. We make things happen by attacking, not by sitting around dreaming.”
Other Book Reviews:
mermaid visions
YA Love
About the Author
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Find the Author
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Growing up in Tennessee, Miranda Kenneally dreamed of becoming an Atlanta Brave, a country singer (cliché!), or a UN interpreter. Instead she writes, and works for the State Department in Washington, D.C., where George W. Bush once used her shoulder as an armrest. Miranda loves Twitter, Star Trek and her husband.
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Book Review, Four Stars - Audience: Young Adult, Author: Miranda Kenneally, Book: Catching Jordan, Genre: Contemporary, Genre: Romance, Loreal, Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire | 1221 words
- Action Packed
- Keeps You Guessing
- Heartwarmer
- Makes You Think
- Masterful World-Building
- Must Buy
- Page-Turner
- Poetic Prose
- Romantic Read
- Tear-Jerker
