Obsidian (Lux) Paperback – May 8, 2012

All I can say is Wow! I can honestly say Obsidian was one of my most anticipated reads for this year, I was so excited to receive an ARC through Netgalley that I literally devoured it from the moment I downloaded it.Katy Swartz has moved to Ketterman, West Virginia from Florida with her work-a-holic and seemingly absent mother to get away from painful memories and reminders of her father who died from cancer three years prior. Katy isn't expecting much from the move but hopes it will be a fresh start and a new beginning and things are looking up until she meets her infuriating next door neighbor, Daemon Black.Daemon {sigh} is sarcastic, arrogant, rude, mean and extremely good-looking, I am not sure why I have this sort of obsession with the naughty boys, his personality and mannerisms infuriate Katy (and at times me) to no end and his cutting remarks were cruel. He was adamant he didn't want Katy as a friend to his twin sister Dee, he ran hot and cold but was mysterious and certainly intriguing.Katy and Daemon have a love/hate relationship, I was thinking about Daemon long after I had finished the book. He was a fantastic male lead and although his behavior towards Kat at times was downright nasty the reasoning behind pushing her away made complete sense - I loved his little nick-names for her as well as his `bonus point' system and pen poking. Katy was an enjoyable heroine; I liked reading of her inner thoughts and turmoil, she was very real with her emotions and a character you can easily connect with; I also loved the references to her blog and could relate to so many things being said, I really liked this aspect. These characters had me giggling on so many occasions, a great sign to me of fantastic dialogue.What we are soon to discover - after Daemon has had to rescue Katy on a few occasions, is he and his sister Dee are what are known as Luxen or Aliens; let's just say I have a whole new appreciation for Aliens! They are certainly different to what we have come to know and think - their history and past is both fascinating yet also quite sad.I don't want to delve into too much of the plot to avoid giving away spoilers but let's just say there are the bad guys wanting what the good guys have and humans who know about them could possibly jeopardize everything they have come to protect. The world Ms Armentrout has created is detailed, exciting, creative and certainly unique. I enjoyed the drama, action and mystery, I was engrossed in the storytelling from the very first to the very last page, and it was thoroughly entertaining.The secondary characters were written perfectly and each played an important role in this book. I especially adored Dee and want a best friend just like her, it was really sweet how she stood by Katy despite her brothers demands she stay away.I can honestly tell you this book is AMAZING! Ms Armentrout has written the most wonderful, engrossing and detailed story with a superb cast of characters, the interactions between each of them was intense and enjoyable. Her writing is superb! Her skill with words immerses you in the amazing story she is telling. I loved the imagery she provided on the setting, location and characters.This book literally has everything I enjoy in a YA novel and I am so excited for the sequel. There are so many questions I still have about this world and all of the characters.Jennifer L. Armentrout has certainly made it on to my instant-buy and favorite author list, Obsidian was brilliant!

Katy and her mum are looking for a fresh start; they need to finally get on with their lives, three years after Katy's father suddenly died of cancer. So they've packed up and moved from sunny Florida to a small-town in West Virginia.Maybe a fresh start should also mean a feistier, more outgoing Katy too. She's a proud and geeky bibliophile, obsessed with her book review blog, and the highlight of her week is often getting a latest release in her letterbox. So when Katy's mum spies their next door neighbours, a brother and sister about her age, Katy sucks up her courage and goes to make nice . . . but what she finds is a surly, shirtless smart-arse.Daemon is God-like in his beauty; unforgettable green eyes and a body worthy of Calvin Klein underwear ads. But he's also unfathomably rude - taking an instant and cutting dislike to Katy that she cannot comprehend. Daemon's sister, Dee, is another story entirely. She's just as beautiful as her twin, with the same green eyes and willowy, model-like frame. But Dee is decidedly sweeter; she's obsessed with ice-cream and eager to make a good impression on her new next-door-neighbour, even going so far as helping Katy with her passion for gardening. Katy and Dee strike up an instant friendship, in spite of her brother's vehement objections; not to mention all of Dee and Daemon's equally gorgeous friends who seem to have a bone to pick with Katy.Then strange things start happening in this small, sleepy West Virginia town . . . Katy notices that some of the residents treat Dee and her friends with outright hostility or fear. The town has a reputation for missing girls, presumed dead. Dee and Daemon's friends speak odd, cryptic things about sun and light; particularly Daemon's on-again-off-again girlfriend, Ash, who vows vengeance on Katy after a spaghetti incident. And then there's the night that Katy is attacked by a man who is looking for "them" and will kill her to find "them" . . . luckily, Daemon is there in the nick of time to save her; but even that is an odd moment that Katy isn't quite able to remember, save for the fact that Daemon wasn't there one second but appeared the next.Then there's the inexplicable fact that while Katy loathes Daemon and his mean streak, she's also inexplicably drawn to him . . . and sometimes, when he's not being a total jerk, Katy thinks Daemon feels the same way.`Obsidian' is the first book in a new paranormal YA series called `Lux', by Jennifer L. Armentrout.I bought this book on a whim - having seen the impressive blogosphere tour campaign and being suckered in by a scruffy boy with green eyes on the cover. I thought I'd read the first couple of pages, see if it would be my cup of tea . . . Fast forward to two hours later and I'd read nearly half the book. Armentrout suckered me in from page one and I remained enthralled throughout. Though I must admit, Ms Armentrout used a particularly clever ploy to initially drag me in - and that was mentioning Katy being a book blogger on page one. Yes, I'll admit it; I got a tiny thrill at reading a female heroine who I shared a book review blogging obsession with. Well played, Armentrout, well played. I suspect Katy being a blogger was a bit of a suck-up (because she's also very cool and self-deprecating about her book obsession - as many review bloggers tend to be) but I liked how authentic Katy's blogging was - she even mentions her "Waiting on Wednesday" post!Like attracts like aside, one of the things I really appreciated about `Obsidian' was that Katy is a ballsy female protagonist. I was beyond thrilled to read that the heroine in Armentrout's series was not cut from the all-too-prevalent `Mary-Sue, damsel in distress' cloth *cough* Bella! *cough*. As a reader and feminist I am drawn to characters like Rose Hathaway and Claire Danvers - feisty females who have their flaws, insecurities and limitations, but whose inherent fight and loyalty is something young readers can aspire to. Readers are given a glimpse of Katy's ballsy attitude early on, when she's confronted by a shirtless and rude Daemon. The all-important first meeting of the series HEA couple is a doozy - with Daemon being ludicrously mean and making the worst first impression possible. But what I liked was that Katy didn't take it lying down - sure she got a tear in her eye afterwards (honestly, his out-of-the-blue rude tirade warranted a little sniffle) but she puts on armour and flings some verbal abuse his way too. And from there on in, she is wary of Daemon and constantly fluctuating between loathing and lusting after him.There were countless incidences of Katy standing up for herself - putting a brave face on and spouting out some warrior-woman diatribe. I loved it! She did it again and again, sometimes as a cover-up for hurt feelings, but most of the time because she won't take insults lying down. She called Daemon's nasty ex-girlfriend, Ash, out on her bitchiness (and made her pay for it in spaghetti. But more importantly, when Dee and Daemon's true natures are revealed and the bad guys start closing in, Katy still didn't shy away. She's not a wallflower to run and hide when people tell her to - she's more likely to come out swinging and I loved that. Girls got guts, and she's an admirable protagonist with attitude to spare!This is a paranormal YA, so Armentrout did occasionally fall into cliché when revealing the species-focus. But, because Katy is a bookish geek, it also gave Armentrout some leeway to play around with those clichés and offer some tongue-in-cheek reveals. I really appreciated this because anyone who reads as much paranormal YA as us review bloggers (and by association, Katy!) would know what questions to ask.Honestly, the few clichés that Armentrout falls into were not `deal-breakers'. Sure, there's a Twilight-esque incident involving a careening truck, and the friends who despise Katy felt very Rosalie-like in their `you are not one of us' hatred. But I was willing to forgive these few missteps when the book was so darn entertaining.As the blurb reveals, the `Lux' series is an Alien-centric one. I haven't really read much Alien-YA (I am a big fan of Gini Koch's `Kitty Katt' series though!) so I really liked the change-up . . . especially because the Lux aliens are very much Armentrout's creation. There's no X-files, ET rip-off going on here. They are an interesting, powerful alien race and I enjoyed Katy discovering more and more about them - and their genesis leaves plenty of room for further world-building.Now, to the really important part of `Obsidian' - the hero and series romance. The durability of `Lux' pretty much rests on Daemon's shoulders and his romance with Katy. A ballsy heroine is fine, but she needs an equally enchanting fella to bounce off of if this series is going to be any kind of contender in the fit-to-burst paranormal YA scene. And I've got to say . . . Daemon is a heavy-weight contender; fit to join the paranormal hunks parade.Daemon is awful. Truly, he's a total jack-ass when he first meets Katy, and then he continues to make terrible impressions by being snippy and rude, condescending, sarcastic and downright irritating. But I loved him, and you will too. It's not even that he's described as having jade-green eyes or washboard abs. It's that he plays the bad-boy role so darn well with the right amount of bravado and quip, mixed with flashes of sincerity. As the story progresses and Katy learns about the Lux race and their sad, brutal history she starts to understand why Daemon and the other aliens may be wary of her . . . but she still can't fathom why he hates her so very much. Of course in between bouts of teasing and ridicule, Daemon shows his soft underbelly - like when he comes to Katy's rescue, or is angered by a football jock's interest in her. Daemon is an enticing puzzle that readers will enjoy deciphering as much as Katy. And it also helps that Armentrout writes some lovely, steamy scenes between the duo - scenes that are just this side of PG13 - they don't read like filler, but actually help to push the story forward and reveal characterisations. Yes, Ms Armentrout gets top-marks for the devilishly delicious hero of Daemon.`Obsidian' was a fun, compelling read. Is Jennifer L. Armentrout reinventing the paranormal wheel? No. But she does know how to write a darn good yarn (and an insanely appealing bad-boy hero!). The book has a few minor (miniscule, really!) flaws that are kind of inherent in the shallow pool of paranormal YA - but I can't deny that I was glued to the page, from first line to last sentence. And I can't wait for the second book in the series!4.5/5

I can't get enough of this book. Of all the books in the series, this one is my favorite! I can read it over and over again .

I read the books in German first but the englisch Version is also very good! I love these Series!!!!!!!

Amazing book! Loved this one!Im 35 and enjoyed reading this young adult book.

Great story and great book. An intense alien and love story. Very well written, innovative and remarkable. Definitely Kay and Deamon made me dreaming- need to read the second book.

Okay.Wow! This series has definitely become my go to guilty pleasure. We are back on the lockdown arena & the experience seems to be never ending. So, when I say this book acted a perfect escape from it all, I mean it.Lux series is a great concoction of all the plots, characters we grew up watching, reading, served in a hot ceramic cup of tea.JLA is a genius. The way she writes the story arcs is addicting. Go for it. Give it a try. If you like it, well.... I’m glad :)