Wednesday 6 January 2016

Review: Oblivion (Lux companion) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Oblivion (Lux, #1.5)Oblivion

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Series: Lux
Pages: 350
Publisher/Source: Entangled Teen
Release date: 1st December 2015

Synopsis: (Goodreads) Experience the epic love story of OBSIDIAN as told by its hero, Daemon Black…

I knew the moment Katy Swartz moved in next door, there was going to be trouble. Lots of it. 

And trouble’s the last thing I need, since I’m not exactly from around here. My people arrived on Earth from Lux, a planet thirteen billion light years away. Plus, if there’s one thing I know, it’s that humans can’t be trusted. We scare them. We can do things they only dream about, and honestly, we make them look weak as hell. ‘Cuz they are. 

But Kat is getting to me in ways no one else has, and I can't stop myself from wanting her—or wanting to use my powers to protect her. She makes me weak, and I’m the strongest of our kind, tasked with protecting us all. So this one simple girl…she can mean the end for us. Because the Luxen have an even bigger enemy—the Arum, and I need to stay on my game. 

Falling for Katy—a human—won't just place her in danger. It could get us all killed, and that’s one thing I’ll never let happen...

Review: 3 ½ out of 5 stars

Oblivion is Obsidian, Onyx & Opal combined from Daemon's point of view.

Anyone who knows me knows how much I absolutely adore JLA! I fell completely in love with the characters in the Lux series but I felt that their story had already been told so I wasn’t overly keen to read Oblivion which is from Daemon’s POV and although I enjoyed it, I didn’t completely love it.

I enjoyed the snark and the wit when I first read the series, Katy Swartz is a book loving human who had lost her father and lived in a remote area with her mother; Daemon Black is a Luxen and her swoon-worthy next-door neighbour. They were an unlikely pair but I liked how they eventually came together but in Oblivion it seemed like it was all about the romance which I’m all for but I felt the importance of what was going on with the DOD, Arum, Luxen and humans wasn’t the emphasis, it was more of Daemon pursuing or being an ass to Katy.

There were scenes in Oblivion that we don’t see in the first books which I appreciated but there are also some that I am glad we do get to read about again. I am a big sucker for the smexy scenes. I also loved reading about how much Daemon cared for his family but also how he came to take a chance on Katy despite what had previously happened between his brother and Bethany. He had a lot of responsibility and protected those fiercely that were close to him; I felt for him at times; he was torn between his heart and his duty.

As much as I do love most of the characters in this series, my biggest gripe was actually with Daemon and Katy and their behaviour at times which was a bit of a shock, he didn’t come across as ‘needy’ previously but in this he came across as an annoying stalker at times, I never thought I’d ever think this but some parts had me cringing; especially when he was jealous of the time Katy would spend with other guys; it felt repetitive and wasn’t the Daemon I had grown to previously love. Katy and her reluctance to give in to her feelings could also be annoying; there was certainly a big case of cat and mouse going on.

Despite the above I did enjoy this book; it was written well but I think I got more out of reading it the first time around because the element of surprise and excitement of what was going to happen in this was missing. This is the main reason why I tend to avoid books that are re-written from another characters POV; it just doesn’t work out for me.

Obsidian – I liked reading the reasoning behind why Daemon was being such an ass constantly to Katy, I also liked the background rehash on the Luxen/Arum and DOD. I really despised Andrew and Ash in this book.

Onyx – Miscommunication, secrets, drama and a very annoying Katy. She grated on my nerves at times especially during the scenes with Blake; my heart broke for Daemon in regards to finding out about Bethany and his brother.

Opal – My fave book, I love the story and romance progression in this book. Katy is more kick ass and less reliant on others.

Overall, I think if you are a fan of the series then it is worthwhile grabbing a copy of this book; its perfect if you were thinking of a re-read of the whole series.



Jennifer L. ArmentroutAbout the author: # 1 New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Jennifer L. Armentrout Lives in West Virginia. 

All the rumors you heard about her state aren’t true. 

Well, mostly. When she's not hard at work writing, she spends her time, reading, working out, watching zombie movies, and pretending to write.

She is the author of the Covenant Series (Spencer Hill Press), the Lux Series (Entangled Teen), Don't Look Back (Disney/Hyperion) and a yet untitled novel (Disney/Hyperion), and new YA paranormal series with Harlequin Teen. 

Jennifer also writes New Adult and Adult romance under the pen name J. Lynn. The Gamble Brothers Series (Tempting the Best Man/Tempting the Player) and Wait for You. Under her pen name, she is published with Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

5 comments:

  1. I'm not a fan of stories like told in the POV of the love interest in general. It's definitely a book for fans though and I can appreciate an author for that.
    The only book I ever read like this was Unbreakable by Tamara Webber and like the issues you had with Daemon being needy and creepy stalkery, I too had those issues there! It changed the way I saw Lucas and I HATED that. :(
    Anyways, I'm glad you were still able to enjoy this overall, Sharon!

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    1. Thx Nick! this is the reason why I don't read books when they are written from a different POV, it just doesn't work for me. I felt the same way about Unbreakable.

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  2. I'm yet to read any Jennifer L. Armentrout (I own books, how I've not managed it yet is beyond me!) but I need to check out this series. I do not understand the re-writing of previous stories from a different POV though, things like that have always baffled me :/

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    1. Me too! especially when there are other series that I wish she'd finish sooner.
      I am a huge JLA fan so I hope you get a chance to read them and enjoy them as much as I have :-)

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  3. I quite liked this retelling. I have read books from a different POV before that have been too similar but this was a little different.

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