Onyx (Lux #2) http://www.yabookscentral.com/media/reviews/photos/thumbnail/200x285s/b4/aa/ce/_13047090_1335716642.jpg Featured

Onyx“What was that?” he whispered, eyes narrowed. There was no mistaking the amusement in the tilt to his lips, though. “Very bad kitty…”
? Jennifer L. Armentrout, Onyx

Katy and Daemon are heating things up in the second installment of the Lux series. Katy does not trust that the feelings that Daemon has for her is real. When he healed her, something happened and now they are connected.

Daemon is stubborn and determined. He is going to do everything in his power to convince Kat that what they have is real and not some by-product of the healing. Sparks fly, tempers rise, lips meet, and danger abounds in this thrilling and fasted past novel.

Kat and Daemon not only face more Arum, but the DOD has stepped in, along with some people who were suppose to be dead…what are the chances?!

Jennifer L. Armentrout weaves a story that keeps you on the edge of your seat and very sad when you turn the last page.

Drop dead gorgeous guys, super powers, books galore, aliens and did I mention scary ‘Men in Black’….oh and blogging, lots of blogging!!!

I love it when a sequel eclipses the first book in a series--especially when that book is as great as Obsidian! Jennifer L. Armentrout, once again, catapults you into a tangled web of lies, danger, and desire. And once you manage to fight your way out of that web, you won't believe the fallout.

I loved that there was so much action in Onyx! I felt like I was surfing on the pages--getting to the height of a wave, then thrashing back down into the water. Just when I thought that things were going to calm down, I was hoisted right back to the top of the wave. There's not a dull moment!

If you thought you loved Daemon before, just wait. I really enjoyed the squabbles that he and Kate had back and forth. It was amusing and gave some comic relief to the pain and unknown that was brought back with Katy's "sighting." Plus, it was sexy as hell. They would fight and toil to a crescendo, and then BAM! Hot, raging desire that will leave you just as breathless as Katy and Daemon. Trust me, the romance is not lacking! Jennifer L. Armentrout supplies the hotness like only she can!

But don't think it is all action and romance--there are plenty of heartbreaking moments that will leave you teary-eyed and wondering, "Why?!?" But, I like this because it's real. I really dislike books where deadly fight after deadly fight only happens, but no one ever gets hurt. It's unrealistic and it takes away from the story. But, Onyx is not like that. People get hurt...bad. And you won't be the same after to experience this heartbreak.

Jennifer L. Armentrout knows exactly how to run the gamut of human emotions. She has built a secret world full of life, death, love and betrayal. But not matter the risk, I wouldn't hesitate to dive straight into her world and never look back--especially if it meant getting my own Daemon!

So....this is a MUST READ! (As all of JLA's books are!)

AHHH~~ I loved this book!! It's hotness, seriousness, awesomeness, action and emotion all in one go!!! I expected it to be better than Obsidian, and true to my expectation, it is not only better, but it drew me in right from the beginning. I couldn't put it down once I have started. I've always loved Jen's books and Onyx is not an exception.

The plot of the book was tight, unpredictable and the pace steady yet fast. Not much really happened, but there was a lot of thrilling action and also development in regards to relationships (especially between Katy and Daemon). I went in thinking I will be reading a story of perhaps a pathetic Katy and an annoying Daemon (I didn't really liked Daemon too much in Obsidian), but instead, I found a growing Katy (though still kind of annoying, especially by pushing Daemon away) with a stronger personality and a protective, kind, powerful and determined Daemon. Within the unexpected series of events, I was quickly captivated by the change in characters, powers as well as betrayals and truths. This was a one sitting read.

Jennifer L. Armentrout's writing always made me feel warm and fuzzy. It made me feel and connect with the situations. The way she writes is quite simple, but it alludes to the emotions of the characters and the imagination in the reader's mind. I could feel everything which happened in the book and it was as if I'm the character myself. I felt a whole range of emtions while reading: fear, love, happiness, annoyance, anger and disappointment etc. The steamy scenes made me go weak in the knees yet the scary scenes made my blood ran cold. To connect so powerfully with the reader's emotions is not an easy feat and I really commended Jen for accomplishing this.

Now, let talk about Daemon. I only liked Daemon in Obsidian, but I did not go head-over-heels over him. I didn't like him too much. I don't know, maybe it was just the arrogance and his annoying confidence (plus the way he talks to Katy). I don't like guys who treat their girl badly, no matter their good intentions. But in Onyx, Daemon changed and became someone who I admired and loved. Jennifer L. Armentrout made me, a non-Daemon fan into a Daemon fan by the ending Onyx. Again, no easy feat! I was more or less determined not to like him until he proves me wrong. Daemon treated Katy with much more respect, love and emotion in Onyx. When he sets him mind to do something, he'll try his hardest to achieve it. This was the case of his relationship with Katy. While Katy was bent on denying her love for Daemon, Daemon used everything in his power to prove to Katy his love for her and that was really sweet. He was protective over the people he loved and he treasured and cherished them. He was understanding and loving. Also, Katy and Daemon really make a formidable team! I want him to stay that way in Opal and continue to become someone who I can admire.

Katy also grew up in the course of Onyx. Even though she was naive and slightly weak, she was able to find the people who trusted her and return that trust by the end. She overcame many problems/fears in her mind during this series of events and changed to a better woman. One thing I really liked about Katy was that she will do anything and endure everything the ones she loves (same goes for Daemon) and she proves her worthiness through her actions. She admitted to her mistakes and tried to do the best she could to right them. Lastly, she realises the truth in her heart and learnt to accept it as a part of her instead of pushing it away. I want to see her continue to grow and become stronger in the next book.

There were sad stories in this book as well as incredible joy. It was captivating and thoroughly well thought out. The only little thing I would say was a little lacking was the level of literary language, I think a little more descriptions could have been added to some places. Other than that, it was perfect. I enjoyed evey moment of living the wild actions and am absolutely looking forward to Opal in December!!!

When I first started this book I was a little afraid. I liked the first installment of this series, but I wasn't RAVING about it like everyone else. I feared that I would feel the same way about this one.... And I did. Idk, I just felt like the beginning was more of Katy being naieve and stupid and Daemon was always trying to convince her otherwise and then when they weren't mad/angry at each other, they were kissing. Much like the first book, it just didn't seem like much was going on at first.
But then as I finally made it to the end, I finally remembered why I decided to keep going with the series. The end will leave you in a doozie. Not sure if you all like that kind of thing, where you have to read the entire story to finally get to "the good part," but it just makes me take longer on the book. Hence the reason it took me a week to read this. Idk the last book I read that took an entire week....
Anyways, the plot was a good one when I finally got past all the kissing and fluff. But then unfortunately I was able to pick out all the twists and turns as they came up. I kind of felt like Dameon himself because I was thinking the very things he was. Not sure if that's a good thing because I connected to the character, or not because I just knew how the story would end.
Don't get me wrong though, I did enjoy the book. In it we are introduced to death, lust, and love and through Armentrout's writing, you are able to feel all of that as Katy goes through each emotion. Armentrout is a wonderful writer, but I just feel like this series isn't the one for me. I will continue it (because lets face it, that ending had me like: *&^&%#)(*%#!!$^&((&%#) just to see how it ends.

I have this review at my blog as well, with more details, more teasers, a little more spoilers, but not major ones, but with some cool photos, and videos too. Come by and check it out. Concise Book Reviews By Michelle http://concisebookreviewsbymichelle.blogspot.com

I Love this book. I was so impressed with the whole story, and how it unfolded. I loved how Katy did not just accept Daemon’s advances, as if he didn’t treat her like crap through the whole Obsidian book. I respect her for that. Made him work for it, which is good. I will try not to do much spoilery for Onyx, but if you did not read Obsidian yet, then stop now. It will have spoilers for that book.

Onyx starts off pretty close to where Obsidian left off. With Katy and Daemon having to deal with the aftermath of him healing her, and her doing that whammy power thing she did when she killed that Arum and saved Daemon’s life. They do not know how she did that, so now in this book they are still trying to figure that out. It’s pretty funny some of the whacky things that happen, little things, like her door opening toward her before she gets to it, and it hits her in the face, things like that. So she gets a little worried that she will draw the attention of the DOD or Arum, or even the other Luxen, as they kept this all secret from everyone.

The fun witty banter that Katy and Daemon had in Obsidian is present in this book too, but turned up a notch. Now with Daemon wanting more with her now, he tries to convince her that he always had liked her, but had tried to push her away for her own protection, and his family and the Luxen. But she isn’t buying it, she is insecure about it all, thinking this weird alien connection they have is what is making Daemon feel this way. She says she got alien cooties from him, that cracked me up.
Here is a funny quote:

“What’s wrong with you?”
“I don’t know. I probably got alien cooties.”
Daemon snorted. “Doubtful. I can’t afford for you to be sick. We need to get you outside and try to work your trace off. Until then, you’re a—”
“If you say I’m a weakness, I will hurt you.”

They are pretty funny, there is plenty of the sexual chemistry in Onyx and Katy spends about half the book denying she has feelings for Daemon.

It’s a pretty funny part in a way, when Daemon finds Katy in the middle of the night all delirious and sleepwalking, basically to the lake, and takes a icy swim, as she is running a fever from her alien cooties as she calls them. Then she is mortified that what she thought was a dream, actually happened, as she said some embarrassing things to Daemon as he carried her back home.

His arms were around me before I took two steps, turning me around. “Kat, you can’t get in the lake. It’s too cold. You’re going to get sick.”
He brushed back the hair plastered to my cheeks. “Hell—sicker than you already are. You’re burning up.”
Something in what he said cleared a bit of the haze. I leaned into him, pressing my cheek into his chest. He smelled wonderful. Like spice and man. “I don’t want you.”
“Uh, now is not the time to get into that conversation.”
This was just a dream. I sighed, wrapping my arms around his taut waist. “But I do want you.”
Daemon’s arms tightened around me. “I know, Kitten. You aren’t fooling anyone. Come on.”

I really like Daemons softer side, the trying to get her to believe he cares, doing nice things, very un-Daemon type things. But one thing that really sets Daemon on edge is when cute blonde surfer boy Blake comes to town, and shows an interest in Katy. Boy, does that get to Daemon. I won’t say much about Blake, as you need to find out all about him on your own.
Here is some cute banter between Daemon and Katy, as she tries to deny what she feels. Just fun cute quote, no spoilery:

He looked at me straight on. “You’re a terrible liar. You do want this. Just as badly as I do.”
My mouth opened, but no words came out.
“You want this as badly as you want to go to ALA this winter.”
Now my jaw was on the floor. “You don’t even know what ALA is!”
“The American Library Association midwinter event,” he said, grinning proudly. “Saw you obsessing over it on your blog before you got sick. I’m pretty sure you said you’d give up your firstborn child to go.”
Yeah, I kind of did say that.

I will say, this book does go deep, there is so much more going on than the fun banter with Katy and Daemon, but do not want to say much, as to let you discover it. Lets just say, we get some questions answered, but them a slew of new ones come up. There is some great sadness we will have to deal with, and tears will be shed.
Now, back to some light funny stuff, I will do some quotes, fun, non-spoilery ones. Here is one, that had me laughing out loud, and I got some funny looks from my family, lol.

Startled by the deep voice, I shrieked and whipped around. My foot slipped on a section of well-cleaned wood and my butt smacked on the floor.
“Holy crap,” I gasped, clutching my chest. “I think I’m having a heart attack.”
“And I think you broke your butt.” Laughter filled Daemon’s voice..


Here is another funny one, when Katy and Carissa are passing a note back and forth in class, writing about how hot Daemon is:

I laughed under my breath and wrote back,
Daemon always looks hot!!!
Stretching into the aisle, I went to drop the note back on Carissa’s desk. Before it could leave my fingertips, it was snatched from my hand. Son of a donkey butt! My mouth dropped
open and my cheeks burned. Twisting around in my seat, I glared at Daemon.
He held the note close to his chest and grinned. “Passing notes is bad,” he murmured.

Ok, enough of the funny, lets leave the last quotes for some yummy scenes, I even include a scene from Daemons POV, its an extra in the back of the ebook version. Not sure if the physical book has it or not, but added a short piece of it. (This below could be slight spoiler, not bad, but put under spoiler just in case, its just a steamy scene between Daemon and Katy, just FYI and one is from Daemon's point of view)
(view spoiler)

I hope you liked the extras of this review (more extras with Photos and videos at my blog, link above). I thought it would be fun for you, without giving too much away. I didn’t want to go and summarize it all, as there is too much I could spoil. So just go get the book, and get to reading it already! You will love it, but if you had not read Obsidian or Shadows the prequel, you need to read them, You do need to read Shadows, as there is lots going on in this book, that has to do with Shadows. Trust me, you need to read it. You can read it after Obsidian, or before, I think before is better, but not necessary.

I highly recommend this book to any Jennifer L Armentrout fan, or anyone that is a fan of Sci fi/Paranormal romances. So if you never read any of her books, go get the first one Obsidian, and the Prequel Shadows, then read this one. Opal the 3rd Lux book should be out in Dec. I can’t wait.

Here is my Obsidian Review At Blog, with some cool quotes and pics too

And if you need more Onyx and don't mind more quotes, go here to my post for the Onyx trailer and extras, i do a fun post with more quotes and stuff. See at bottom of post at my blog for the first 3 chapters of Onyx!

Bottom line, if you loved OBSIDIAN, you will devour ONYX. I would recommend the LUX series to anyone who loves YA fantasy or sci-fi.

-

It’s not often that a sequel turns out to be better than its predecessor, but as usual, Jennifer simply astounded me with Onyx. I actually think that with each book in a series that I read from her gets better and better! It was hilarious, romantic, mysterious, dangerous, touching, and a million other adjectives I can go on and on with.

From the very beginning, Jennifer draws you in with her quick wit and steady flow of sarcastic humor that makes me love her writing and her characters so much. I honestly fell in “girl love” with Katy after reading Onyx because she is such a fierce character, especially considering she’s “only human” in such a “non-human” situation. But you do get to see her do some pretty kickass things, particularly involving a knife, that’ll make you go “F-yeah, Katy!”.

The best part of Onyx, for me?! The fact that it changed my perspective of Daemon as a character and his relationship with Katy.

Although I really did like Obsidian, one of the things that turned me off was how quickly and unquestioningly Katy and Daemon fell for each other. Daemon didn’t really strike me as a guy I could easily fall for and I couldn’t get on board with other fans and how they fell for him instantly. But after reading Onyx, that changed COMPLETELY! You really get to know Daemon a lot more and his relationship with Katy develops on so many levels that they have easily become one of my favorite bookish couples. Here, Katy questions Daemon’s true intentions and Daemon does wonders at showing her if what they feel for each other is because of their “connection” or if it’s something deeper and more meaningful. There is one particular scene, after a very climactic slew of events, where Daemon and Katy have a truly touching moment that goes beyond physical attraction and showed me just how real their relationship is. Daemon is truly a force to be reckoned with. Not only is this guy wicked hot, super powerful, and crazy slick, but he’s also surprisingly sweet, passionate, and dedicated to protecting whatever he cherishes most in life. Not to mention he knows how to make you laugh and push your buttons in all the right ways *wink wink*. How can you not fall for a guy like that?!

Now love and romance are all well and dandy, but there’s got to be more to a good book, right?! Right!

Jennifer dives deeper into the mysterious motives of the DOD. Why do they allow the Luxen to coexist with humans as they do? What exactly do they know about them and the Arum? This is some serious “conspiracy theory” stuff here, people! And I loved every minute of it. With Obsidian, there were some crazy moments here and there, but with Onyx, it was straight up action-packed! The “big players” of the DOD surface in this story and you meet some new, and some old, acquaintances along the way. The whole mystery of what happened to Daemon’s brother Dawson in Shadows comes into play here, in a major way, and Katy’s new friend Blake changes all of their lives in ways I couldn’t even believe. Some surprising enemies come into light and things are a lot more complex that anyone could’ve imagined, it’s brillant. I’m so fascinated by this world that Jennifer has created, I just can’t get enough.

Speaking of Blake, let me just say that his interactions with Daemon were by far the most hilarious moments in the book, and also some of my favorite moments. I swear, I’m laughing right now just thinking about them!

Jennifer is truly a master at world-building, her writing is impeccable, and her characters?! Wow! Just, wow! You seriously fall for each of them, boy or girl, lead or supporting. Not only do her main characters make you swoon and cheer for them, she works wonders on her supporting cast and when she wants you to feel something for one of them, she does it! Oh, that ending! My heart!

If you thought Obsidian was awesome, just wait until you get your hands on Onyx. A true knock-your-fuzzy-socks-off book that will have you begging for more. Always remember the mantra when you read ANY of Jennifer’s books: You won’t be able to put this down!

Holy chocolate chip cookies. This book was hot and I could not put it down. Jennifer did not disappoint in this sequel to Obsidian. It is just as action packed loaded with humor, sarcasm, plot twists and our favorite book blogging heroine Katy.
It is pretty much leave me alone, I'm reading, or Oh is it seriously 3am? kinda book where the world seems to fall away and I get to experience what Katy is feeling and almost feel like I am a part of this world of smoking hot aliens, dept of defense peeps around every corner, and trying to figure out certain boys who shall not be named.
It is so hard to review this without talking about what happened, but let me try. There are so many conflicts going on, I just want for the characters I love to be happy, but I guess what kind of series would it be then? There is conflict with Dee, not only with Adam and what their relationship should be, but also between Dee and Katy. Katy makes some bad decisions, and I just want to smack some sense into her (and so does Daemon for that matter), but I totally understand her motivations behind each of those decisions. And that makes her still a strong and determined main character that I admire. But anyways, one of her bad decisions eats up pretty much all of her time, and leaves some feelings between her and Dee.
There is also the DOD peeps, and several other new characters that I had absolutely no idea what to think of. They can seem so harmless and good intentions one second, and then the next I am questioning them and wondering if I am paranoid.
The drama between Katy and Daemon is so thick you can cut it with a knife. And I love every second of it. Their bickering, his pen pokes, the sexy moments and the whispered endearments and declarations. I ate it up. It kept me turning the pages just looking for another scene between them, and then left at the very end yearning, wishing the next book was in my hands.
And mother of all cliffhangers, really? December can't come fast enough so I know what happens, if revenge is sought, and what exactly they meant about everything changing with mystery character rescued that shall not be named.
Jennifer is an amazing author, and I love this series, as well as the Covenant series, and just like I know I will probably love everything she writes.

~Kat, Dee, and Daemon are back!~

By the end of Obsidian, things are far from resolved and yet Armentrout gives it a clean break that doesn’t make the book feel half-baked or unfinished. Set after the events of the first book, though not directly after, feelings of satisfaction and excitement surge with the awesome characters’ reappearances, which blend in so well with what we’ve learned of them in Obsidian. Daemon is all flirty and attentive, Kat is doubly resistant of the cockiness, and Dee is squashing the urge to barf between the two of them. All the sexual tension is MAKING HER SICK, ya’ll.

The opening is instantly true to the characters, and it honestly feels like no time has passed since the first book began. WHICH IS CRAZY. Because it’s been MONTHS. And maybe that was part of the problem for me. Getting my hands on this book became my TOP priority, and so maybe Onyx by Jennifer L. Armentrout was bound to fall a tad short in certain areas. But in regards to the Black twins? I doubt disappointment could ever come from them.

Especially with SEVERAL flaming reminders of Daemon’s sexy charm and Dee’s internal struggles with fellow alien boys – we all know this series is about aliens, yes? – and external cheer. Kat, however, kept bothering me for most of the book. Maybe it’s her harsh snubs against Daemon and his valiant attempts to win her, that telltale “paranormal book” heroine indecisiveness, or the fact that JUST BECAUSE she’s in with the “in” crowd now she thinks she knows best and how to handle herself. I didn’t like her Miss Know-It-All personality switch.

~Freaky alien mojo, Kat’s EVIL RESISTANCE, and the DOD did what now?~

One would think when one’s life becomes crowded with aliens, one would take a step back and say to oneself, “Hey, listen, Self, maybe we’re in over our head. I mean, the guy next door is hot, totally, but is INDISPUTABLY AN ALIEN. And he has superpowers NOT OF THIS EARTH. And they might’ve rubbed off on me. I don’t think we can handle this. We are talking to ourselves, after all.” But, noooo, Kat tries to become all confident, independent, and self-assured and that just FAILS. The smart and sassy heroine I began to love in Obsidian suddenly vanishes and I’m left with a hat for butts. Her character gives way to petulance, temper tantrums, and frustrating confusion WHICH MAKES NO SENSE since she’s suddenly a know-it-all-do-all girl. I tried to sympathize with her, because, you know, Daemon was a shizzface jerk, though an extremely good-looking one, in Obsidian, always running hot and cold and EFFING WITH HER MIND, and I guess she’s entitled to make an ass of herself once she finds herself in love with said jerk. That didn’t mean, however, that I was accepting of it, that I had to like it. Because I didn’t.

Meanwhile the dreaded DOD, which stands for government alien patrol, have decided to make a very suspicious appearance in Onyx by Jennifer L. Armentrout. After the awesome climactic turn of events toward the end of Obsidian, something, something BIG, has caught their attention and they want answers. The stakes have certainly hit a boost with the DOD’s hunger for power and interest in Kat and Daemon’s intriguing closeness and, of course, CHEMISTRY. Just what the heck are they looking for? What kind of decimation of Daemon and Dee’s race are they actually responsible for? And what do they truly know about Daemon’s brother, Dawson, his disappearance, and the disappearance of the girl he loved?

~An un-love triangle, Dee’s sex dilemmas, and HOT alien boys~

Blake Saunders from good ol’ blistering California makes an abrupt appearance in Onyx by Jennifer L. Armentrout to rock the very fragile boat, falling in line with the overly done Second Book Love Triangle plot thread. He’s a surfer, he’s cute, he’s *cough* normal, yeah, yeah, yeah. WE ALL KNOW he ain’t got NOTHING on Daemon Black. But, Kat and her irritating determination to prove to herself that her feelings for Daemon are fabricated rather than fully formed on their own pursues this enigmatic guy, and only succeeds in verifying that no one gets his romantic sparks on like Daemon. She doesn't even get a tingle, not a flutter. How very expected disappointing, I'm heartbroken.

And Kat, surprisingly, is not the only one with some entertaining DRAMA on her hands. Nope, Daemon’s cute, sweet, and exuberant twin sister has her own love dilemmas all revolving around a certain adamant alien boy REALLY stuck on her. Is there romance a product of expectations or ACTUAL DESIRE? Well, Dee gets her Sexy Times on just fine in order to be sure. Daemon and Kat aren’t the only ones who know how to do the Amazing Chemistry Thing.

~Daemon Black screws up the stoic jerk act—finally~

Yes, Daemon Black needs his own especially specific mention. I don’t even understand my fascination with this douchey bad boy. What is with some of us girls and our love of total buttholes? Because that is what Daemon is, initially in Obsidian. But THEN.

Then.

Even though Daemon acts like a jerkface for most of Obsidian, what sets him apart from the REALLY BAD bad boys of no return and the authors who get it wrong is his innate and underlying compassion and kindness. OF COURSE he hides it with loaded sentences, cockiness, and snark but the flashes are there, enough to see the real guy underneath. So, in Onyx by Jennifer L. Armentrout the arrogance is still there, but now Daemon’s making an effort. He’s not mean or terrible to Kat; in fact, more than not he shows off his sweet side, strutting his stuff, tempting her with half-bitten cookies—I’ll leave that to your imagination—and crowding her at the kitchen sink. In being her willing body pillow. In reading her book blog. Oh, man, does Daemon do quite the 360 and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t finish this book with utter elation over his persistence.

~A bumpy road goes steady~

Although Onyx by Jennifer L. Armentrout’s middle got uncomfortable with all that unlovable paunchiness and all those hard bumps, the beginning is grand and the final hundred pages really make the difference. Things kick up for our romance even as the same happens with the plot! The mysteries tangle up so that they’re all of a piece and in need of solving. Suspicions are confirmed. Baddies surface and shake up trouble so that everybody’s sunk in it. And a surprise appearance sets the characters world quaking with disbelief and fear.

Armentrout has made it so that the anticipation for the next book KILLS. And now that the Sophmore Book Curse has run its course, the excitement for the third book is downright unstoppable.

Want something similar to read? Check out Touch by Jus Accardo and Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry.

Originally posted at Paranormal Indulgence, 6/4/12