Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout (Review)

Genre:	Young Adult, Supernatural
Publication.Date	October 18th 2011
Pages:	281
Published By:	Spencer Hill Press
Website	Jennifer L. Armentrout |
	Half-Blood - Goodreads
My review copy:	Provided by the publisher (thank you!)
Where to get:	Barnes and Noble | Amazon      | Book Depository

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.

(goodreads.com)

“So? What are you going to do about it? Throw your mashed potatoes at me? I'm consumed by terror.”

“I was gonna be super pissed in the afterlife if I died a virgin in this crap hole.”

“You better have had a baby, killed someone, or slept with a pure. Those are your three options. Anything less is unsuitable.”

“Hey,” I reached out and tapped the hand that rested next to my left leg. “you are--”
The hand that I tapped reached up and clasped mine. I froze as he threaded his finders through mine. “I’m what?”
Beautiful. Kind. Patient. Perfect. I said none of those things. Instead, I stared at his fingers, wondering if he knew he was holding my hand. “You’re always so….”
His thumb moved over the top of my hand. The balm made his fingers cool and smooth. “What?”
I looked up, and I was immediately snared. His stare, his soft touch along my hand was doing very strange things. I felt hot and dizzy, like I’d been out in the sun all day. All I could think about was how his hand felt on mine. Then, what his hand would feel like on other parts. I shouldn’t be thinking that at all.
Aiden was a pure.”

“Okay. I’m ready to move onto something else, like practicing with knives or defense against the dark arts. Cool things.”
“Did you just quote Harry Potter?”

“Seth glanced back over his shoulder at the door. “Alex, you’re starting to worry me. Insult me… or something.”

“Are you lost, Lea? This isn't where they're handing out the free pregnancy tests.”

     

     Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout is one of those extremely hard-to-review books. No, not because it was bad or mediocre - it was all kinds of awesome! And definitely not because I have nothing to say about it - quite to the contrary - I have so much to say, I'm a bit scared that once I start my monster raving fit, I am at the risk of sounding like a total fangirl (or simply a lunatic). I realize, though, that there isn't much I can do about it. It is what it is - a gem of a book and undoubtedly one of the best YA releases of 2011.

     Alex is a half-blood - a daughter of a Hematoi and a mortal. Half-bloods don't have easy lives, there are only two possible paths they can take: they can either train and become Sentinels (daimon hunters), or - if they're disobedient or too weak to get through the training - they will end up as servants in the homes of pure-bloods. Pures are the children of two Hematoi, they're way more powerful and respected. Romantic relationships between pures and half-bloods are obviously strictly forbidden, but that doesn't stop Alex from falling for Aiden - a freakishly hot pure, who offered to train her to become a Sentinel. But don't worry, there's way more going on than just the forbidden love story! There's also a dark prophecy, an unavoidable destiny, a gorgeous Appolyon and a bunch of aether-hungry daimons to kill. The last one wouldn't be all that difficult at all if the deimon wasn't Alex's own mother! And if you think all that might prove to be a bit too much to handle for Alex, you clearly haven't met her yet!

     Half-Blood was a very pleasant surprise! This book had so much hype and so many fans constantly raving about it, that - I won't lie - I was slightly annoyed and prepared to hate it from the get-go. In fact, I wasn't at all impressed with the first half of the book. I didn't hate it and there wasn't really anything I could complain about, but for all the hype it was getting, I felt a bit disappointed and let down. When everyone you know tells you to "read it! READ IT NOW!", you see all those glowing reviews everywhere you look, you're bombarded with "oohs" and "aaahs", and you can't open the fridge without being afraid that you'll find Jennifer L. Armentrout in it (which, obviously, I wouldn't really mind, because she is like the sweetest person on earth!), well, you kind of expect the book to literally sweep you off your feet with the opening line. And when that doesn't happen - because, let's not kid ourselves, it's simply impossible - you might feel cheated or even angry. That would probably be the only downside of  a book-hype (ridiculous, I know!). So here's my advice: go into reading this book with an open mind and no expectations. Don't listen to people comparing Half-Blood to Vampire Academy (I haven't read VA and, honestly, I couldn't care less). Don't let the hype put you off, either. Just read it. I guarantee you - you will enjoy it. SO MUCH!

     I fell in love with this book while reading chapter 16th. It's unbelievably hot. Sexy. Butterflies-in-the-stomach electrifying. Wet-dreams inducing. I've read this chapter twice. And no, I can't tell you why, you have to read it yourself and find out. Up until chapter 16th Half-Blood was a great, pleasant, entertaining read. Starting chapter 16th it turned pure fantabulous and kept on getting more and more emotional. In a way Half-Blood reminded me of Mortal Instruments. It's not that the story or the characters seemed similar, no, it's more like the world-building is equally magnificent and unique, and the overall atmosphere of the book was similarly fascinating and compelling. I had so much fun, I couldn't believe it was Jennifer's first book! Scratch that. Actually, I think Half-Blood is much better than Mortal Instruments~! For one thing, the writing is definitely more superb, the plot is pure genius (no loose ends, everything clicks together and there wasn't a single WTF moment), the characters more real and flavorful. And, most of all, Jennifer L. Armentrout tells the story in a way that gets you so emotionally involved, to the point it kind of makes you go nuts. I'm not kidding. She's THAT good.

      Aiden was out-of-this-world fabulous. Sweet, caring, protective, understanding, patient, wise, HOT... The chemistry between Aiden and Alex was really great - like I said -> chapter 16th *wink*. Then there's also Seth, the drop-dead gorgeous Appolyon and he, too, is a delicious treat :) I love Seth,he's just the ideal badass, overly confident, slightly arrogant, Chuck-Bass-like creature :) Mmmm... yummy~! More Seth, please!

     Alex was a fantastic lead heroine, too. She's kick-ass, brave, sassy, not afraid to stand up for herself - even if it means breaking the rules and getting herself into some serious trouble. She really made this story! She was like Calla from Nightshade minus the out-of-control horniness for whoever is around at the moment. I really liked Alex - I laughed at her witty and snarky remarks, and I sympathized with her when she was going through some seriously heavy crap. By the time I finished Half-Blood she felt more like a friend than a character, and that's extremely rare.

      I'm mad that I can't immediately read book number two (Pure) in the Covenant series. Jennifer L. Armentrout crafted a creative and tense story. She created a phenomenal world, filled it with vibrant characters and breathed life into it with her explicit talent for storytelling. Half-Blood rocked my socks off, so here's an advice for you, my dear readers: wear an old pair of socks before you pick up this book, because that's the last time you will see them.

Daimon (A FREE prequel to Half-Blood) Available HERE

Daimon by Jennifer L. Armentrout (Covenant series #0.5)

ebook, 62 pages
Published May 10th 2011 by Spencer Hill Press

For three years, Alexandria has lived among mortals—pretending to be like them and trying to forget the duty she'd been trained to fulfill as a child of a mortal and a demigod. At seventeen, she's pretty much accepted that she's a freak by mortal standards... and that she'll never be prepared for that duty.

According to her mother, that’s a good thing.

But as every descendant of the gods knows, Fate has a way of rearing her ugly head. A horrifying attack forces Alex to flee Miami and try to find her way back to the very place her mother had warned her she should never return—the Covenant. Every step that brings her closer to safety is one more step toward death… because she's being hunted by the very creatures she'd once trained to kill. 

Pure by Jennifer L. Armentrout (Covenant series # 2)

Paperback, 330 pages

Expected publication: April 3rd 2012 

by Spencer Hill Press 

Some rules are made to be broken. but breaking the ultimate rule can change everything. Alex lives--and loves--recklessly, until a single decision leads to a heartbreaking revelation. As a mysterious threat closes in and she confronts a Council that wants to see her in servitude, Alex face a choice between love that is fated... and love that is forbidden