Review: Daimon (Covenant #0.5) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Title: Daimon (Covenant #0.5)

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Published by: Spencer Hill Press

Released: 2011

Summary: This short prequel takes place before the events that happened in Half-Blood. Alex and her mom are in hiding from the Covenant and Alex has no idea why. She's trying to blend in with all the humans around her, but sometimes her half-blood training takes over. When daimons attack Alex and her mom, Alex has no choice but to run. A nice little backstory preceding the events of Half-Blood.

My Thoughts: I enjoyed getting a little more of Alex's backstory. It was also nice to view a little of the relationship she shared with her mom. Daimon takes place immediately before the events of Half-Blood and it just felt like a nice little edition to the series.

I'm still not sure what's wrong with me and why I'm not absolutely loving this series. I felt the same way about Daimon that I did about Half-Blood, I enjoyed it, but I didn't love it. I'm still having my problems with Alex, mainly in the fact that she doesn't use her head. Being a tough, battle-ready half-blood doesn't mean she has or uses any common sense. There was a scene in the book where she could have taken out a daimon trying to kill her, because according to science titanium anywhere will kill a daimon, and instead she hits him on the head with a lamp??? I mean, come on. I just feel like Alex is cocky with a big mouth and then she disappoints me when it actually comes to fighting. I'm still hoping that as the series goes on, I will grow to like Alex more, or that she will grow into a better character. Whichever of those two options happens first will be fine.

I would say this prequel novella is an enjoyable edition to the series. It gives a little backstory and makes for a great lead in to Half-Blood.

BOOKCITEMENT LEVEL 3.5/5

An Enjoyable Intro to the Covenant Series.

Reading Right Now! (#18)

Title: Deity (Covenant #3)

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

I'm on page 100 of 330 pages which makes me about 30% finished

So I'm still making my way through this series. I don't know if it was a good idea or not to read the first 3 1/2 (the 1/2 book is the novella, Daimon, which is 0.5 in the series) books back to back. I'm not in love with this series like the rest of the world seems to be, but I will say that I am enjoying Deity a lot more than I did the first two books. My main problem with this series so far has been with Alex, but in Diety, Alex has been surprisingly okay. She hasn't made me want to yell or chuck the book or anything like that. In this book, Alex is back at the Covenant, the love triangle between Seth and Aiden still exists, and her life might be in danger from people who don't want her to become what she is fated to be. I try real hard not to spoil anything ;)

So that is it for what I'm Reading Right Now! Tell me what you are reading. 

Top 5 Wednesday: Top 5 Series You Want to Start This Year

This weeks Top 5 Wednesday topic is a fun one to ponder. There are so many series out there that I haven't started yet and I really want to. As all book addicts say, so many books and so little time. I decided to pick 5 series that I've been really interested in starting and most of them I'm kind of late to the party to. Here are my Top 5 Series I Want to Start This Year!

The Hunger Games Series

By Suzanne Collins

I am very late to the party with this one and I'm very sorry. There might be a small, hipster part of me that likes to read books before they are super popular and then feels slightly shameful when they jump on the bandwagon later. A lame excuse, I know. But I love the movies so much that I just feel starting this series is a must.

The Mortal Instruments Series

By Cassandra Clare

Yet another one of those series that I'm super late to the party too. I've heard such good things about this book series that I'm going to try to start it this year. Also I might own all the books, so it is about time that I read them.

Splintered Series

By A.G. Howard

This series looks just really interesting to me. The covers are absolutely gorgeous and I've heard good things about it. This series will be requested from my library in the very near future.

The Partials Series

By Dan Wells

I love Dan Wells and this series sounds sooo cool. I've heard great things about it and own all the books, so it is a series that I need to start.

The Legend Series

By Marie Lu

Again, I own all the books and I really need to read them. Is it sad that the different colored font intrigues me to no end? I love when books have different colored font, it makes them feel so special. I've heard great things about this series too and can't wait to read it.

So those are my picks for the Top 5 Series I Want to Start This Year. Do you have any of the same ones on your list? Are there some different series that I should have included? Give me suggestions and recommendations people!! I highly suggest you join in the Top 5 Wednesday fun, where a new Top 5 topic is given every Wednesday. And check out all the other Top 5 Wednesday-ers.

So that's it for this post, see you next Wednesday hopefully :)

Review: Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Title: Half-Blood (Covenant #1)

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Published by: Spencer Hill Press

Released: 2011

Summary: After 3 years on the run from the Covenant, Alex is out of places to go and being chased by things that want to kill her. Alex has no idea why her mom took her away from the Covenant 3 years ago and why they've been on the run ever since, but now might be the time to go back. Daimons are chasing her and they've just killed her mom. The only safe place to go is the Covenant. Luckily, she is rescued and brought back, but now Alex must play catch up with her classmates. As a half-blood, Alex's role in life is either to be a kick-butt guard or a Sentinel or a brain-washed servant, which is a fate worse than death. Aiden, a sexy Pure who is off limits, volunteers to train her. With hidden dangers on the way, Alex must train hard and become the Half-Blood she's always been destined to be.

My Thoughts: I have mixed feelings about this one. I enjoyed it, but I didn't love it. I've been hearing about the praise for JLA books for years. Friends who I trust and share the same taste in books with love JLA and her books too. So I was very excited to pick up Half-Blood and lose myself in a story so many other people have loved. Unfortunately, I didn't find that same love for it. I enjoyed the overall story, but it isn't one that I feel I can give 5 stars to. I really wanted to love it, but for reasons beyond my control, I didn't.

I did really enjoy the setting of the story. It is always kind of cool to read books set in the same place you live. I liked the coastal feel of the Covenant located on a North Carolina Island. Hearing Bald Head Island, NC mentioned was pretty cool.

I had heard about the similarities between this and Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead. And while reading, I did spot them. It is not an exact copy of Vampire Academy, but they contain a lot of the same elements.

I won't say the relationship world made the most sense. Why Pures and Halfs couldn't get together was kind of vague. Mixing them in the same school seems to be a way to bring them together rather than keep them separated and segregated.

I think a reason I might not have loved the book is I didn't really love Alex. There were times she annoyed me and other times when she confused me. For a girl who has been praised for her fighting skills and natural abilities, she sure has to get saved by other people a lot. Maybe she'll be able to hold her own as the series goes on, but I just expected her to be better able to take care of herself. I think her killing those two Daimons at the start was just a fluke, no real skill or battle prowess involved.

Alex tends to make incredibly stupid decisions. Main one being leaving the safety of the Covenant with no real plan and then confronting the enemy and letting herself get taken so easily. I was so annoyed with that scene and her because she was so incredibly useless. I know there were special circumstances, but she put someone else in danger who didn't deserve to be. And then she forgot she had an extra hidden weapon!?! How stupid can she be?

So yeah, I didn't really love Alex throughout this book, so that might be why I didn't love this book.

As for love interests, they were decent. Aiden seems like a good guy, I like him. And I'm interested in seeing more of Seth.

In the end, Half-Blood was just an alright book for me. I enjoyed it, but wasn't blown away. I wish I had loved it as much as my friends had loved it. I plan on continuing with the series and reading more JLA books, because they sound interesting and I want to love them.

BOOKCITEMENT LEVEL 3.5/5

Enjoyed it, but wasn't blown away.

Reading Right Now! (#17)

What I'm Reading Right Now! this week is...

Title: Pure (Covenant #2)

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

I'm on page  158 of 329 which makes me about 48% done with the book.

So I finally decided to jump on the Jennifer L. Armentrout bandwagon by checking out the first three books in the Covenant series from my library.  I've heard such good things about Jennifer L. Armentrout and her books that I just had to go check some of them out. My review for Half-Blood, the first book in the series, will be going up early next week, and in my review I kinda confessed how I didn't absolutely love it like everyone else seems to. I mean, I thought it was okay, but it wasn't anything spectacular. Now reading Pure, I'm enjoying it more than the first book. Alex is still in training to catch up with her classmates. She spends her time between training with the sexy Pure Aiden and the Apollyon Seth. Everything is going fine, until a daimon attack occurs at the Covenant. With new rules and restrictions being enacted at the Covenant for the protection of the students, the Covenant has become a lot less fun. So I'm enjoying this second book in the series. I like the two love interests of Seth and Aiden and I'm kind of having a hard time choosing between the two of them. Seth has an appeal because he's fun. Aiden is sexy and intense. Hard choices.

My main problem with the series is Alex herself. I don't really like her so reading a book mainly from her perspective can get a little unenjoyable. I just think that Alex has a big mouth and is cocky, but she has no real skill to back it up. While reading, you hear how Alex has all this great fighting potential and innate skill, and then she gets in fights and loses badly and has to get someone to rescue her. Sometimes she just freezes during a life or death fight and I just wanted to yell at her so badly. What is she doing?? Get up and get the people who are trying to kill you instead of being so spectacularly useless. She just doesn't use her head and she annoys me soooo much. 

I really wish I was loving this series as much as the rest of the world does. Maybe if Alex wasn't such a cocky idiot, I would love it more.

So that's what I'm Reading Right Now! Tell me what you are reading. Also tell me if you've read the Covenant series and what you thought of it. Am I just crazy or does Alex really annoy you as well?

Top 5 Wednesday: Top 5 Anticipated 2015 Releases

Books, Books, Books!! Being on Booktube and Blogging have made me more aware of new books then ever before. So, this Top 5 Wednesday was perfect for me! So here's the list of my Top 5 Anticipated 2015 releases. I think I ended up putting an extra book in there because one of the books I picked actually released in 2014. Here be the books!

Title: A Darker Shade of Magic

Author: V.E. Schwab

Release Date: February 24, 2015 

V.E. Schwab!!! How can I not anticipate this book? I loved V.E. Schwab's Vicious so much that I will pretty much read anything by her and be excited for it. This is the first in a new series about magic, yay! But, when the sequel for Vicious comes out, I will be even more excited. Have I mentioned how much I love Vicious?

Title: Reborn (Altered #3)

Author: Jennifer Rush

Release Date: January 6, 2015

This is another series that I absolutely love. I pretty much breezed through the first two books in 2014. They are such fun, quick reads. Also they feature a main girl who can take care of herself, like really kick peoples' butts. The boys don't hurt either. Anna and the boys have formed such a family in the first 2 books that I'm excited to see how that story continues. I've also heard that Reborn will focus a lot on Nick, who I love. So this is a series everybody should be excited for. It is like an action packed, thriller sort of movie in book form.

Title: This Shattered World (These Broken Stars #2)

Authors: Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

Released: December 23, 2014

This one is kind of a cheat because it was actually released at the end of 2014. In my defense, I had no idea that it was going to be released at the end of 2014. I loved the first book These Broken Stars, I loved the space feel and watching two people come to love and care about each other. This Shattered World is going to focus on different characters coming together, but if it is anything like the first book, then I know I'm going to really like it.

Title: A Cold Legacy (The Madman's Daughter #3)

Author: Megan Shepherd

Release Date: January 27, 2015

Another series that I love soooo much. Megan Shepherd has captured my heart with her creepy, gothic series and I can't wait for the final installment. A Cold Legacy is going to have a Frankenstein-like feel to it and I can't wait to see what Megan Shepherd does with it. I love this series and can't wait to see how things end for Juliet. I'm pretty sure this is the last book in it.

Title: The Cage

Author: Megan Shepherd

Release Date: May 26, 2015

This one is purely on the list because of who wrote it. As mentioned above, I love Megan Shepherd's Madman's Daughter series, so I will pretty much pick up anything else written about her. The premise of this one sounds interesting too. Something about people being captive and kept in a zoo, why wouldn't I want to read it?

Title: Daughter of Deep Silence

Author: Carrie Ryan

Release Date: June 2, 2015

This one doesn't come out for quite awhile, but I can put it one here anyway. I've only read one of Carrie Ryan's works, but I really enjoyed it, so for that reason alone I'm excited to pick up something else by her. The synopsis for this one sounds pretty interesting too. Something about a boat crash and secrets that have to be kept. Should be a good time.

So those are my Top 5 Anticipated 2015 releases. Tell me what you are excited for book wise in 2015. The one thing about books, new ones are coming out all the time, that's probably why my TBR never seems to get any smaller. Well, it could be that reason and that I have no impulse control when it comes to buying books or adding them to my TBR. If you want to join in with the Top 5 Wednesday crowd, then you totally should! And you should check out all the other Top 5 Wednesday-ers 

Review: Her Dark Curiosity (The Madman's Daughter #2) by Megan Shepherd

Title: Her Dark Curiosity (Madman's Daughter #2)

Author: Megan Shepherd

Published by: Balzer + Bray

Released: 2014

Summary: Juliet Moreau thought she had left the horrors behind when she left her father's diabolical island. Now living in London as the ward of kindly Professor Von Stein, Juliet is trying to forget the horrors of her recent past. Then London is plagued by murders. Victims each slashed across the chest as though by a claw and blood soaked tropical flowers left at all the scenes. Juliet thought she had left that island behind, but could this be the work of one of her father's creations? Juliet must discover the criminal and protect those she loves before it is too late.

My Thoughts: I'm going to attempt to do this review without any spoilers because spoilers are just not right! I read The Madman's Daughter in 2013 and loved it. It was one of my favorite books for 2013. It was so dark, creepy, and atmospheric. I was very excited to get my hands on the sequel and see what Megan Shepherd had in store for Juliet next. I can happily say that I wasn't disappointed. I enjoyed Her Dark Curiosity just as much as the first one. Shepherd came up with a way to keep that dark, creepy feeling present in the story and was able to work in aspects of another well known classic tale, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, into the mix. It was very fun to read. Once you pick it up, there is that urge to continue reading until the very end. I enjoyed the historical setting and the dark tone of the story very much.

I even enjoyed the love triangle, because Shepherd really made it more of an adult one. Juliet is a naughty little minx. I was even a little torn on what way I wanted it to go, who I wanted her to be with. Each boy offers her something, they each have a draw to her beyond mere attraction. I am going to stick with my choice of Montgomery for her though because I like him and it seems right.

I don't know what to do with the ending though because it's not an ending. Now I'm just going to be on pins and needles for the next book which comes out early 2015. Not a super long time, but I want it now! I want to see how this all ends.

So my review in short, just as good and enjoyable as the first book. Has a great dark and creepy feel, a main character who's not sweet and innocent, and two love interests that each have their own pull. Shepherd is a great writer and has created a great series. I can't wait to see how it ends. Totally recommend this one.

BOOKCITEMENT LEVEL 4.5/5

Delightfully Dark!