Lux Beginnings - Jennifer L. Armentrout

Lux Beginnings (Obsidian and Onyx) – Jennifer L. Armentrout

I have to say I am a bit slow to reading this book series; however despite that I have been very aware of the series, and completely eager to get my hands on it to read. Safe to say I struggled finding this in any bookshop, and ended up finding it on Book Outlet via Amazon. To say I was excited to get stuck in is an understatement, and the fact I managed to devour this book (well two books if you think about it) within 2-3 days just shows the enjoyment I got from reading it.

Obsidian
There’s an alien next door. And with his looming height and eerie green eyes, he’s hot… until he opens his mouth. He’s infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, he marks me. Turns out he has a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal his abilities and the only way I’m getting out of this alive is by sticking close to him until my alien mojo fades. If I don’t kill him first, that is.

Onyx
Daemon’s determined to prove what he feels for me is more than a product of our bizarro connection. So I’ve sworn him off, even though he’s running more hot than cold these days. But we’ve got bigger problems. I’ve seen someone who shouldn’t be alive. And I have to tell Daemon, even though I know he’s never going to stop searching until he gets the truth. What happened to his brother? Who betrayed him? And what does the DOD want from them—from me?

What drew me to this series was the concept of the ‘Alien next door’ I have done the vampire/werewolf thing numerous times, the Nephilim and Fairie topics as well as the witch/wizard world. So at last I was going to read a novel of the alien variety, which was not solely focused on an alien invasion taking over the world. I have always been dubious about books containing aliens, images such as ET and little green men come to mind. However this novel is a brilliant take on the topic, and the fact the main protagonist had the exact same thoughts as I did, made me instantly love this story, and even more so, the author and her humour.

Our main protagonist is Katy, she has recently moved to town with her mum and is trying to adjust and settle in, and rather begrudgingly may I add. I absolutely loved Katy’s character. She was funny, witty and what’s more, she had a book blog. I just loved how Jennifer was able to keep Katy’s sarcasm constant throughout this book, allowing her to have such chemistry with the other characters that it really was a joy to read. I found her character completely relatable and easy to like, granted she was incredibly stubborn at times, especially when it came to Daemon *swoon worthy* Black.

I absolutely loved Daemon’s character. He was an absolutely ass at times, but you just couldn’t help but fall for his charm when he was nice. He was the rugged, handsome, bad boy neighbour who is incredibly protective of his sister Dee. The chemistry between Daemon and Katy was brilliant, the banter they had between each other, and the constant sparring that took place was incredibly enjoyable to follow. As more time went on you could tell he did like Katy, and it was completely exciting and endearing, however both remaining in denial for so long, or falling out, or completely misunderstanding each other was infuriating! I mean just get together already! Blake can do one; I’m team Daemon all the way.

Dee was a breath of fresh air, she was happy and bubbly, despite what was going on and she seemed like a great friend for Katy, they both supported each other through so much. At first I didn’t trust her, as she seemed too in your face, and too eager to be around Katy. But when learning that she simply wanted to be her friend, and how much she cared about Katy, it was a really pleasant friendship, almost quite envious how close they were and they got to be next door neighbours, who wouldn’t love that.

The plot line was great, there were no slow moments that I was aware of, it was all constant, there was always something happening or going on, which made the book a quick read for me, as I really could not put it down. There was so much action and suspense, I didn’t know what twist or turn would occur next, but I thoroughly loved every single moment of it and I simply could not get enough of it. I honestly would recommend it to any YA fantasy lovers out there, especially if you love the odd bit of romance too.

Jennifer’s writing is amazing throughout this book, the humour and wit she brings, as well as the pain and suspense that break that all up. It was certainly a keep you on your toes and make you laugh sort of novel. Which has now pushed this up the ranks to be one of my favourite books of all time, and I cannot wait to read the next in the series. Jennifer has completely changed my opinion and expectations of a series involving Aliens, and I would be more than welcoming of someone like Daemon moving in next door to me!

I have given this 4.5 out of 5 stars