A few months ago, I had the opportunity to receive an ARC of Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout. I was asked to write a review; a snippet of it is going to be on the praise page of the first edition. Whoa, that's cool! I get to post my review, now. Yippee! I rather enjoyed the book. I hope you do, too.
Goodreads: 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.
Half-Blood will be released on October 18, 2011.
Julia's Review: Half-Blood is a grip-you-by-the-wrists rollercoaster ride. From the first word to the last, it’s not only cleverly entertaining, but deathly dark. Paced with precision, the story unfolds gradually to the perfect end, filled with unanswered questions and a desperate longing for the following books.
The highlight of this book is the main character, Alexandria: she is a multi-layered delight. She’s part spit-fire, filled with a little bit of sensitivity, and is a punch-you-in-the-face, attitude driven fighter. Alex will do what she wants, and then suffer the consequences later. Thanks to Jennifer L. Armentrout giving Alex such a kickin voice, it’s a rockin trip to be lost in her head. Overcoming some serious and tough situations, she pushes through conflict with a strength I haven’t seen in a female character for a while. It’s liberating, enjoyable.
Any good book, in my opinion, has to have the hot, swoon-worthy hunk. With reserved patience, Aiden rises to the occasion to fulfill every girl’s deep desire for companionship. He shines throughout the story, not only because of his rippling muscles, but his devotion to being a Daimon slayer. You’ll have to read the book to find out what a Daimon is—I assure you, they’re not pretty.
If you want some playful flirtation and spicy kissing scenes, then this book is for you! I assure you, it will drive you crazy. And. It’ll rip you to shreds.
Through a crescendo of conflict, Half-Blood places itself in the records of the Grecian gods as a paramount book—a must read. It cracks open a new realm of the paranormal—and a fun one at that. Take a front seat ride on this rollercoaster of extreme fighting, creepy creatures, and delicious men. Half-bloods, Pures, and Daimons: they will shake your world. Forever.
Some things to consider: The book swears a bit. This is my own personal opinion, though, it may not be yours. Also, there's one intense make-out scene. If that bothers you, consider yourself warned. I'd still recommend the book, however.
