Apollyon

Finally it is time to start with the last but one in a series. I've been putting the remaining two books off, I really don't want this series to end but my readers heart has told me it is time. Time to move further into the series and close it. This book though, was the best one yet! Apollyon by Jennifer L. Armentrout it's my favorite in the whole series.

Note: this is not a first in a series! Apollyon is the 4th book in a series of 5. If you haven't read any of the books before or are not close enough to Apollyon, I highly recommend not reading on. Many changes and developments on both plot and characters have taken place. Reading further will cause spoilers! If you're interested in one of the book in this series, I do have reviews on all of them:

REVIEW ON HALF-BLOOD: HERE!
REVIEW ON PURE: HERE!
REVIEW ON DEITY: HERE!

Alexandria's one fear was to lose herself. Now she is awakened, she feels herself slip away. The gods are out on vengeance and they're starting with earth. The whole planet is being wiped with one catastrophe after the other to find Seth and his master, Lucien. And they are trying to reach Alex. Nobody is ready to let Alex slip away and become the source of Seth's rage onto the gods, and nobody is ready for Lucien taking the ultimate power. 9 of Deity island standing, they'll go to great lengths to save the ones they love and confront fate. Yet not all gods seem to be on the same side when it comes to power and they want Alex to stand by them...

Wawie. This book was phenomenal. It was the best in the whole series. I can't believe it. 

First of all can we just talk about Alexandria? I mean Deity left us hanging at the end we didn't know what she would turn into, how she's be and all that but wow did Apollyon surprise me! I don't want to spoil a lot but I was just awed! This character has grown so much in comparison with the books before this. And she'll continue to grow and face her fears which only makes me admire Alex even more.

In Apollyon she'll really struggle with her fears and her duty which I think was a perfect combination for this character. Her fear of losing herself in something that's bigger than her and her duty to change this thing that's bigger than her will really make her more mature. She'll be so much different from the Alex we first got to know, she'll still be fierce and strong but I feel like she'll think more before she acts. She knows what's at stake and it was really great to see her think about what she has to do and how her emotions will react on this.

Alexandria knows a great development in every point and I was really happy to see this! I'm really looking forward to what she'll bring us in Sentinel. Readers will really be surprised by the change she's gone through and it'll only continue that way if you ask me! 

As for the other characters... I am moved! The group we'll be focusing on are the 9 that have left Deity Island before one of the gods went totally crazy on it. I was actually really keen on this being such a small group, the story really focuses on these 9 and that made the bonding between them really visible. Them not letting go on Alex, them not letting go on humanity, them working together and protecting one another. Readers will really feel these emotions of them, this bond and this friendship that's really tight and beautiful to witness. 

What made this friendship even more beautiful was that people who didn't really like each other before or have been acting really distant to one another, will now find a way to make it better. This is something bigger than all of them, but it's something where they're together in it and that also means talking to the ones you don't have a close bond with. It will really clear a few thing towards characters we didn't know that well such as Alex's Uncle, who by the way became one of my favorite characters! 

Now the plot, what I noticed with all previous books is that I always had a little hard time of getting into the first few pages. With Apollyon it was different, I clung at it's word from page one. The thrill that Deity left, the what is going on with Alex, will become so clear at the beginning of the book and when you realize it... you can't do anything else but be shocked, surprised and really into it. Especially when she starts naming a certain someone with hers. Let's say I wasn't too happy about her sudden change of heart and I guess that's what made it so glorious. 

The fact that she acted so much more different than what we are used of her. That shock was also present with all other characters and really showed once again, to the reader, how important this all is. How important she is and how much it broke all of them to see her like this.

And this really brings me to one of the things I hadn't expected to happen but certain characters will return and when you know who I'm talking about, you might start crying because you're this happy. This book is so full of surprises on both plot and characters I'm just speechless! The people who will return mean so much to both characters and readers and it makes us feel like the end of the series, and the problem, is nearing. 

Now further on into the plot are of course Seth and Lucien who are trying to take power. This will actually bring a whole conspiracy into the light. Every reader that reads who has sided with these two is going to go out of its mind because this... waw it's big. It's HUGE! The author really aimed for the waw-effect and did she succeed! This brings so many questions to both characters and the readers because who is actually controlling who here? Soon it will be clear to everyone that someone else is influencing everyone in this dangerous game and it won't be Seth or Lucien... it's going to be a big and high power. Mystery arises, questions arise, thrill, suspense, action, this book has it all once again!

But Apollyon also makes time for some of our beloved OTP's and I really was keen on this part because for once a half-blood and a pure-blood, together, won't matter. People won't look twice because the earth is being wiped away by the gods to find Lucian and Seth and to destroy them. It's time for our little reader hearts to swoon and fall so much deeper in love. I bet we all know who I'm talking about and be ready because you. will. swoon. I'm really happy that the author made time between all the chaos for some of our favorite characters to be together. The thing that made this so good wasn't only because it alternated well with all that's going on outside, but also because these characters will both go to great lengths to protect one another and mistakes on both behalves will be made when it comes to that. This causes a lot of emotions and seriousness neither characters nor readers would've expected. It was an adorable seeing these two grow more mature and more fond of each other while facing danger. 

Speaking of danger, the gods are getting a bit crazy out there. The biggest asset, to me personally, were the gods. I feel like we haven't seen them a lot or haven't seen much about their personalities when they did appear before. Apollyon is going really deep into it because they're going to take sides. Pro Alex or pro Seth. It's really going to become an even more dangerous game and when it's all revealed and known who sided with who, you're going to feel betrayed! This is a fantastic element in the story because nobody had seen this coming. It's going to be such a plot twist and then everything will get into motion, it's starting... 

To tip it off, the book will really focus on the duty Alex will have to do in the next book, Sentinel and it makes her really change even more. When she finds out what she needs to do, she's going to struggle especially because loss is just around the corner and she can't deal anymore. The plot will also really focus on this and I did really enjoy that as well because it prepares us for the biggest end battle ever and I feel like it's going to be epic!

Lastly, I want to point out that there's a very nice harmony between characters and readers. Both of us won't really know what's going on and nobody will knows the answer until we go and discover it together with the characters. There is nobody who's going to walk in and say this or that, everyone is isolated just as the reader is. I really felt like this was a great asset because you go through the story with them and find out what is going on at the same moment as them. 

This story came as such a surprise because I really had never expected things to go like this. I am so happy that I finally continued with the story! 

So what can I say... this book was more than I had anticipated for! In the past I have noticed that I had a hard time getting into the first few pages of every book in this series, however Apollyon was different! I had no hard time getting the feel in the story. I was all hung up onto its words from page one. The characters will once again, astonish you with how they'll get through what's going down. Every character will also know a slight change, if not a big one. I really loved to see how the author made the characters develop in their mentality by all that's happened and is still happening! And of course, the plot is filled with all that is action, thrill, suspense and mystery. Once again, readers will be hit with the feeling of curiosity to find out more about all that is going down on earth. The thing I enjoyed most in this book was the fact that we saw more of Aiden and Alexandria as well as know more about the gods and their function in everything. A really wonderful book in this series, I'm already looking forward to reading Sentinel!

“Daggers. Never leave home without them.”