Pure

A while ago I wrote a review on the first book in the Covenant series: Half-blood (Review) and then I waited around for some weeks before I got the second book in the series: Pure by of course, Jennifer L Armentrout. It'll be very hard for me to write a review that doesn't have little silent hints to things that happened in the book. I'll try but that's also why I'll just use the story line explained on the back of the book to picture what'll happen or can be expected in the book. Can't go wrong there!

There is need. And there is Fate. Being destined to become some kind of supernatural electrical outlet isn't exactly awesome --especially when Alexandria's other half is everywhere she goes. Seth's in her training room, outside her classes, and keeps showing up in her bedroom--so not cool. Their connection does have some benefits, like staving off her nightmares of the tragic showdown with her mother, but it has no effect on what Alex feels for the forbidden, pure-blooded Aiden. Or what he will do--and sacrifice-- for her. When daimons infiltrate the Covenants and attack students, the gods send furies--lesser gods determined to eradicate any threat to the Covenants and to the gods, and that includes the Apollyon--and Alex. And if that and hordes of aether-sucking monsters didn't blow bad enough, a mysterious threat seems willing to do anything to neutralize Alex, even if that means forcing Alex into servitude--or killing her. 

I've got one question first for the author: Why did you do this to me? You can't do this to me! Or to all the other readers! This means that I've had a very intense read and yes, that's positive! This. Book. And. Those. Feels! Argh! It was so so good, better than the first one in my opinion. I had so many hair-pulling moments but also very sad and very swoon-worthy and happy ones due to circumstances in the book. Can't spill too much...

The characters are as in the first book amazing! As the back of the book is saying there's an Apollyon and Alex, who will become some kind of supernatural electrical outlet. This book concentrates more on Seth and Alex since they're each others other half (that sounds confusing). You see their bond, connection, how ever you want to call it, grow. And I don't mean like a little, I mean huge growth. I don't know if I'm really bothered about it. I like Seth (this because I read The Return by Jennifer L Armentrout, a sequel that concentrates on Seth) but in this series he scores one moment but the other he loses again with me. He can be understanding because of the circumstances and really be there for Alex but other moments I'm ready to slap him in the face and say "this is enough, Seth!" which kind of is weird...maybe? I think all of us readers have had moments like this. He just irritated me by how he acted or what he said or by his actions but he could never really lose my support. (Sounds even weirder). In my November TBR, I said that I really wanted to know how this story would go and that I was really curious about the characters and their bonds. I really was looking forward in seeing Aiden. But as I said the book concentrated more on the bond between Alex and Seth which meant less Aiden but still, when he was there he caused many feels to hit me. Positive or negative? I don't want to tell because it might reveal too much so sorry, guys! As for Alex, you see her struggle with becoming something she is destined to be. She never knew she'd be this and after being away from the Covenant for 3 years (this is explained in Half-blood) she has a lot of training to catch on with. And more training follows because she's this special supernatural person (I'm not willing to say what she is because it could be a spoiler. That's why I use the terms used on the back of the book!) 

But there comes more pressure on her shoulders when daimons start to infiltrate in the Covenant and start asking a lot of attention and yes, they cause a lot of mayhem in all Covenants over their areas. If that isn't bad enough more bad things start happening and you can see that Alex struggles with some things and also has relapses with aspects that happened in the first book. You can feel the real and sometimes raw emotions in this character, they're not random or anything. They feel real and realistic which I appreciate in books.

Above that, as the back of the book says, there is a treat willing to do anything to get Alex out of the way. Gone. Dead if it has to. The treat comes in slowly and for me it was a real investigation. When things started to happen, I payed attention and made my own suspicions in who it could be. In some moments I even thought it was a whole secret group that was trying to eliminate her because I had so many suspects. It was really nice to after having for example, hair pulling moments with Seth, to be able to fully be in the book and try to solve this mystery which for me felt like something extra. I never thought the things that happened, would happen in this book. I thought we'd mostly concentrate on Alex in training and catching up but not on aether-sucking monsters infiltrating or this mystery the author has created. So Jennifer L Armentrout has really surprised me in this book and I can't wait to get the third book Deity! I also feel like it wasn't the end, it couldn't end like that. Those were the very first thoughts I had when I read the last sentences. I can't say it's really like an open ending but I wanted more, let's just stick to that. 

If you ask me if it's worth the read, I'd say a ten thousand times yes. I'd probably even bring you to a local bookstore so you could get it and then jump in enthusiasm. Yes, it really came that far after reading this book. I enjoyed it so much! And it's only the second book in the series. If it wasn't really clear yet because you got totally lost in my weirdness, I recommend the book! I totally do!

"When the gods are involved, some decisions can never, ever be undone."

Half-blood

Fans of Jennifer L Armentrout, brace yourselves for another good book. What am I saying? Excellent beginning to a series, those are the words I need to use to introduce you to Half-blood by, as I already said: Jennifer L Armentrout. A friend of mine and also a bibliophile, Fien recommended this book to me. Thanks for that, Fien! She also has a bookblog which you can find here:My bookish rambles

The Hematoi descend from the unions of gods and mortals, and the children of two Hematoi pure bloods have godlike powers. Children of Hematoi and mortals--well, not so much. Half-bloods only have two options: become trained Sentinels who hunt and kill daimons or become servants in the homes of the pures. Seventeen-year-old Alexandria would rather risk her life fighting than waste it scrubbing toilets, but she may end up slumming it anyway. There are several rules that students at the Covenant must follow. Alex has problems with them all, but especially rule #1:Relationships between pures and halfs are forbidden. Unfortunately, she's crushing hard on the totally hot pure-blood Aiden. But falling for Aiden isn't her biggest problem--staying alive long enough to graduate the Covenant and become a Sentinel is. If she fails in her duty, she faces a future worse than death or slavery: being turned into a daimon, and being hunted by Aiden. And that would kind of suck.

That’s just what the back of the book says and I’m already “This is so Jennifer!” and all hyped about the story. I like Jennifer’s books, it’s not to hard to read. She writes ‘simple’, in other words my brain doesn’t need to function. I’m from Belgium so English is not my mother tongue so some books just ask my brains to work and translate, with Jennifer L Armentrout’s books it’s not like that. I can enjoy it and I do. 

Back to the book! As explained Alex is a half-blood and the one she’s crushing on Aiden, is a pure. She’s been crushing on him for a long time while living under the protection of the Covenant. Though 3 years ago, Alex’s mother has taken her away from that protection for unknown reasons. And when certain things happen, Alexandra wonders why she ever decided to take her away from that safe place she ones called home, where she ones had dreams.  

3 Years later, Alex is back on the Covenant. Training, starting from the total begin to make sure she can start the academic year with her peers. But guess who her trainer is? Yes! Yes! Yes! The guy she has a crush on, the one she should never fall in love with, a pure. Aiden St. Delphi! Make sure you’re prepared to fall in love all over again with a reincarnation of Daimon Black. But more events start to reveal themselves: problems, forbidden love, people who are supposed to be death and even more! I recommend this book to everyone who loved other books from Jennifer L Armentrout but also to the ones who have never heard of her before. It’s time for all of you to get to know her! 

As always the characters all have their own personalities, nobody is the same even though some might be the same species. With that I mean that it's not because there are two half-bloods that that means they're the same. They all have their own strengths and weaknesses, so do the pures. You fall in love with how they act and how they are. It’s not only a ‘simple’ read, it has everything. Funny moments, romantic ones, frustrating ones, thrilling parts and if the end is near you only hope that the second book is already on your bookshelves. And I really don’t want to spoil anything which is why I’m not really going deeper into certain aspects, I want you to reveal the things. Discover everything there is about Jennifer L Armentrout’s books and most importantly: to fall in love with this series. My friend is two books ahead of me and she’s so thrilled about it, I can only imagine how good the rest will be and I know it’ll be better than I expected. 

If you read the Lux-series, then you sure know what I’m talking about if I say the ending of the series destroyed me. Like I literally felt lost, it was done. Over. Finished and I know this series won’t be any different feeling. But more updates about the following books will come! 

A fact about this book is that it’s apparently really similar to the vampire academy. So if you enjoyed those books, you might want to check it out! 

“People do the damnedest things when they’re in love.”