[Review] Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Title: Obsidian
Series: Lux (Book 1)
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Genre: YA, sci-fi, aliens
Format: audiobook from library
Publication Date: July 17, 2015
Published By: Tantor Media, Inc.
Source: Borrowed From Library

Synopsis from Publisher

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.

About Jennifer L. Armentrout

# 1 New York Times and # 1 International Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Charles Town, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki. In early 2015, Jennifer was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a group of rare genetic disorders that involve a breakdown and death of cells in the retina, eventually resulting in loss of vision, among other complications. Due to this diagnosis, educating people on the varying degrees of blindness has become of passion of hers, right alongside writing, which she plans to do as long as she can.

Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Tor, HarperCollins Avon and William Morrow, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her Wicked Series has been optioned by PassionFlix. Jennifer has won numerous awards, including the 2013 Reviewers Choice Award for Wait for You, the 2015 Editor’s Pick for Fall With Me, and the 2014/2015 Moerser-Jugendbuch- Jury award for Obsidian. Her young adult romantic suspense novel DON’T LOOK BACK was a 2014 nominated Best in Young Adult Fiction by YALSA. Her adult romantic suspense novel TILL DEATH was a Amazon Editor’s Pick and iBook Book of the Month. Her young adult contemporary THE PROBLEM WITH FOREVER is a 2017 RITA Award Winner in Young Adult Fiction. She also writes Adult and New Adult contemporary and paranormal romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

She is the owner of ApollyCon and The Origin Event, the successful annual events that features over hundred bestselling authors in Young Adult, New Adult, and Adult Fiction, panels, parties, and more.

My Thoughts:
Jennifer L. Armentrout is a very talented writer. I love the way she uses humor in her writing. 

My palms itched to have a close encounter of the bitch-slap kind with his face.

Her characters are very realistic (even the alien ones) and the story is believable (even with aliens). The way the differences between the two alien races are described is very interesting, with the light and dark. I don't completely understand the hatred of the Arum for the Luxans, but maybe more will come out later in the series.

I loved that Katy was a book review blogger. It wasn't just mentioned once and then brushed off, it was mentioned many times and it was part of who she was. She loved books and loved talking about them. I felt like we were kindred spirits. I also loved that she is a take no shit kind of girl. I kind of want to be more like her that way. Daemon is an ass to her, but she gives back and doesn't just run away and cry in a corner.

“Thanks,” I muttered and added under my breath, “Douchebag.”

He laughed, deep and throaty. “Now that’s not very ladylike, Kittycat.”

I whipped around. “Don’t ever call me that,” I snapped.

“It’s better than calling someone a douchebag, isn’t it?” He pushed out the door. “This has been a stimulating visit. I’ll cherish it for a long time to come.”

Okay. That was it. “You know, you’re right. How wrong of me to call you a douchebag. Because a douchebag is too nice of a word for you,” I said, smiling sweetly. “You’re a dickhead.”

“A dickhead?” he repeated. “How charming.”

I flipped him off.”

I know a lot of readers had an issue with Daemon's attitude and the way he often talked to Katy, and I understand that. But, I read/listened to the prequel first so I understand the underlying reasons for his behavior. Does it make it right? Of course not, but again, I understand the reasoning. He wanted to chase her off. He didn't want what happened to his brother to happen to anyone else in his community, especially his sister.

I loved Daemon. He had the outside asshole thing going on, but you could tell he had a solid heart. He cared deeply for his sister and wanted to protect her as much as he can. Later, he forms an unwanted bond with Katy and tried to protect her as much as he can, without really realizing that is what he is doing. The whole storyline with the other young man who takes her to prom (I can't remember his name) was proof enough of that. I look forward to reading Oblivian, which is Obsidian told through Daemon's eyes.

The love/hate relationship between Katy and Daemon drives me nuts. It was cute at first, but went on way too long. I don't understand how two people can be so blind. I don't understand how Katy can't see past Daemon's sharp words to the actions which clearly show he cares for her. She lets his words hurt her (which of course they would hurt) but she doesn't even try to look beyond the words to see what he is actually showing her. 

With regards to the audiobook edition, I really enjoyed the narrator, Justine Eyre. I have listened to several books she has narrated, including the prequel to this series, Shadows. Her voice kind of reminds me of Katie Holmes as Joey Potter in Dawson's Creek.

Overall I am a big fan of this book and I look forward to continuing on with the series.

The Pros:

• Jennifer's writing style is entertaining and full of humor.
• The audiobook narrator was very talented. I enjoyed listening to her voice.
• I was very much interested in the two alien races and hope to learn more about each one.

The Cons:

• The love hate relationship gets very tiring.
  
• I found it hard to believe that Katy was so blind that she couldn't distinguish the difference between Daemon's words and his actions. His actions clearly show he cares.