Onyx

HOLY MOTHER OF ALL ALIEN BABIES! Onyx is everything Obsidian needed to be.

Bar none, this is now neck and neck with the Covenant series and is officially in competition for my favorite Jennifer L. Armentrout series.

I completely stand by my Obsidian review and if you've read it... I did not likes at all.

Jennifer L. Armentrout completely redeemed herself in this latest installment in the Lux series. In fact, I think, (this is SO HARD for me to admit) that this is the best book she's written thus far (I'm sorry Alex, Aiden and even Seth). UGH! This is coming from a die-hard fan of the Covenant series! I don't give five stars often but I have to say Mrs. Armentrout has kicked it up about a thousand notches and has earned every single one of those stars.

Onyx picks up right where Obsidian has left off and it didn't miss or skip a beat. This book had it all. There was action, intrigue, great character development, great world building, angst, excitement, romance, ha ha moments and so much more. I read this in one sitting and didn't catch any sleep until the end. I just had to know and know until I couldn't know anything more because the next book, Opal, is not here!

Now let's talk about Katy and Daemon because these two have been THE TALK in the YA book world and honestly, I couldn't stand either one in the last book. In Obsidian, Katy allowed to get played by Daemon and kept getting played by him. Daemon was a total douche and I couldn't understand why in the world everyone was falling for him. He was over the top mean and demeaning. If that was the kind of guy girls fell for I was seriously questioning the kind of role models we have out there for our teens. It truly bothered me to no end. After reading Shadows, the prequel to Obsidian, I understood Daemon's behavior more in Obsidian and went into Onyx not liking Daemon a little less. In Onyx, I truly fell for them and totally enjoyed them even when they were being a bit annoying and unreasonable. Both characters showed growth in this book. Katy acknowledged that she allowed him to get away with treating her like crap and that she couldn't continue to let that happen and kept rejecting Daemon for almost the entire book. Daemon on the other hand did a total 180°. 180° because he still loves to give Katy a hard time but it was more playful and not at all mean. However, put 100% effort into apologizing and trying to prove his worth to Katy. Both characters opened up to one another allowing space for understanding. In the end you had two very likable characters, that I could respect, who were trying to survive the madness and who I felt compelled to root for and even protect.

Lastly, the most impressive part of this book was its flow. I didn't find myself struggling to believe that this could or could not happen or that the timing was off or that things were pieced awkwardly together. It all made sense and became totally believable. It was smooth and everything came together seamlessly and effortlessly. Everything that happened had to happen, every action and every word was meant to be. In the end I was left in awe, feeling fulfilled having just read a very unique and complete story.

Once again I find myself giving Jennifer L. Armentrout props for being a great story teller.

Recommended for mature readers*Recommendation: Read Shadows if you haven't already and if you have read it again. It'll help. I have to re-read mine now.