Black Friday.....Daemon Black That Is!

Hey guys!
This Black Friday I'm giving you the gift of Daemon Black. 
I know there's those of you following me who have no idea who the hell I'm talking about so, because I think I'm so funny/punny I couldn't resist not doing a post about the Lux series on Black Friday because ya know......Daemon BLACK. Yeah I know, you get it already! 

Coming out on the third, is Oblivion. The first Lux book, Obsidian, from the point of view of Daemon himself, so you know....that's exciting! The book is awesome, it's kind of perfectly done, I'm not going to lie to you! 

Seeing as that's going on, it's the perfect time to convince you all to read the other Lux books SO...

What Is Lux? 

It's a series of books, with five books in all (six when Oblivion is out) by Jennifer L Armentrout who has written two other completely awesome YA series, that you should also check out! There's also a little prequel novella that's the story of two other characters that has a big part of the main books! Oh and I nearly forgot, there's a standalone book that's a spin off that I haven't actually read or uhhh....bought yet. Shhhh! 

SO the good news is it's not too late to jump on the Lux train, and ya know...you can read them all in one go instead of the agonising wait in between books! 

What Is Lux About? 

Lux is about book addict and book blogger Katy, who moves to a new town and she moves right next door to the super hot Daemon and his sister Dee. Dee becomes her BFF. Katy is most likely a lot more luckier than any of us with her neighbours. 

Things should be a tonne of fun, but Daemon is arrogant, stab worthy and a general douche to her. Except for when he's not. *cos you're hot then you're cooooooolllldd, you're yes then you're nooooooo* 

So Daemon is doing his best to keep Katy away from his sister, but it's not really working out and he ends up doing what he was afraid Dee would do. After an incident a little secret comes to light. Nothing major. Just that Daemon and Dee are aliens, super freaking cool aliens with awesome powers who can stop time and stuff like that! 

The thing Daemon was most afraid of comes true. Thanks to his touch, Katy's lit up like a Christmas Tree and any of their enemies, who want to absorb their abilities, will spot her and she'll lead them straight to the Luxen. She has to stick close to Daemon until the alien mojo fades, which would be cool if she didn't want to strangle him half the time. Then there's the fact Katy just can't quite do as she's told...fair play really! History is repeating itself for the Luxen and that's not good news. 

But the series doesn't end there. If I tell  you about the rest of the series I don't think I'll be able to avoid spoilers, but let's just say, the alien mojo has an effect on Katy, and allies are actually enemies. There's a heap of betrayal.  There's a government branch that is shady AF, and they have to stop them to save themselves. Kinda crappy explanation from me but it's the best I can do! 

Why Should I Read Them? 

Because they're entertaining. They're funny, there's romance, there's actions, there's awesome aliens, there's originality and there's feels. As well as relatable characters, who have so much depth to them! Seriously the romance is just perfection. It brings the warm and fuzzies and you kind of can't help doing this: 

It's not straight forward, there's obstacles, but there's no silly love triangles. Seriously. I know you'll read the back of book two and be like "really?" but trust me. It's not an actual love triangle. 

There's electrifying (see, I'm punny!) fight scenes, suspense, true gasp out loud moments and downright hilarious moments. Not to mention you're never quite sure what's going to happen and the over arching plot is complex, with all these little threads leading up to the end. There's so much detail to the Luxen and their lore as it were, it's gripping and fascinating and just so damn original guys. Seriously. There's so many little bits added as the world of the Luxen is expanded upon as the books go on and more revelations come to light. 

If you get started now and you're fast reader you might even get done by the time that Oblivion comes out! 
I should also mention that Oblivion in eBook version is going to have book two and three from Daemon's POV as well.....how freaking exciting is that!? 

Reading Order: 

0.5 Shadows
1. Obsidian
1.5 Oblivion
2. Onyx
3. Opal
4. Origin
5. Opposition

So....there you have it. You know you wanna start it! Let me know if you start the books and LOVE them! Or ya know...drop me a comment if you want to know about the other books! 

Empire

Empire
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher

Syl has been made to live in the Marque with the rest of the Sisters, but nothing is as it seems, something is going on, and when a Sister disappears and a hand looking surprisingly like hers is found in a creature, she starts to investigate in earnest, but what she finds is shocking. Not to mention the fact that the Sisters are being trained to hurt rather than to help, and Ani is pulling away from her.

Paul has risen to a high position of command thanks to his exile, when he and his crew rescue an important Illyri, they are not only thrust in to danger, but they're on the path to discovering another secret about the Empire, and when it's dealt with, there's no going back. Syl and Paul are once again brought together, and they can't forget what they've learned.

Join Syl and Paul as they continue their fight against the strange creatures destroying the Illyri.

Sooooo, I loved this book, and it surpassed the first book in my opinion, as you can see from my rating! I was drawn in from the beginning, I loved the pages at the beginning that where taken from the Chronicles, and detailed what had happened before, sort of like a "previously on..." thing, but then there's one line at the end that makes you so excited to read on, and you know somethings going to happen! I also loved the "property of the Marque library" stamp, and the other touches that made it look like it was from this ancient, separate book! There was always something going on, if it wasn't action, it was something that was adding intrigue, as I tried to work out what was going on, what Syl was going to discover and so on. I couldn't put this installment down, and I never found my attention wandering or being bored.

I loved all the unique things in this book, the aliens, the history and so on, so I was excited to learn more about it in this installment, we got more history about the Sisterhood, we learned more about the world, and the other planets, and the Civil War and everything. I loved seeing more of the unique creatures, even as terrifying as they where, I loved trying to picture them, and with the authors words, it wasn't that hard!

I continue to love the setting, while we didn't see Edinburgh this time, we got to see space. And it was awesome, and so well described, you could picture everything clearly, you felt like you where just hanging out with the characters, wherever they where. The atmosphere was very well done as well, the Marque had a different atmosphere to wherever Paul was, but both could be felt, and both surrounded you, the mystery, the danger, the tension, and so on. I loved seeing more locations in the world the author has created, Marque, other planets and so on, each was well described without so much detail that the pace and flow where disrupted.

I was sad to leave the Resistance behind a bit, there was an entire part that was all about Meia, and she was meeting with the Resistance, because a power change was happening which is going to be interesting to see seeing as Ani has now changed, and her Dad knows the truth you know? But anyway, you saw a little bit of it for that part, and the Green Man again, but I'm sad we didn't see as much of it before, because I thought it was so awesome and WW2 like, and I'm hoping to see more of it in the third book. I think, while I was sad there wasn't much of it, it still fit in it's part, and the absence wasn't at all odd, because this was more about the aliens than the first book was, and the aliens upcoming war.

I'm still loving the characters, particularly Meia, I'd missed her and when it got to her part I was so excited, and there was a nice twist that I didn't see coming and I was like "AAAAAHH" and yeah. The characters are all well written with depth, and in this book you see them develop more, particularly Paul and his brother, considering their training and the situations they know find themselves in. I felt like Paul's brother came in to his own more, he was the pilot, he was more sure of himself and everything. Paul was less "eeeh" for me this time. He was less bland, he was more interesting, there was more to him, he developed for the best I think.

Syl I wasn't too sure of in the first book, but ultimately I'd enjoyed her development over the book and I was excited to see what would happen next for her. She continued to be underestimated by everyone, and I loved Syl even more in this book, I connected to her better in this one, and I loved how badass she was. Her powers have developed a lot more, and she's a force to be reckoned with, along with Paul and the others, the third book is going to be interesting.

I actually really liked Ani in the first book, but in this one I was disappointed with how easily she allowed herself to be manipulated and how immature she was, I mean she had no loyalty to her supposed best friend, she dumped Syl every single time and went off with the others, didn't believe a word she said, and when she saw with her own eyes, what the others had been up to, she went off on Syl for killing them, even though they'd just murdered loads of people. Ani's gone off not wanting to see her again and blah blah, and I think she went from a potential interesting character, that paired with Syl, could have been an incredible duo in the upcoming fight, to a kind of incredibly pathetic and petty character. Do not like at all. Hopefully in the third book she'll get her act together because I was getting so annoyed on Syl's behalf.

So, I think this installment was better because there was stuff going on from the go, stuff to be worked out, action and so on, and there was none of this misleading information, and the romance wasn't in your face with all it's oddness and just not really working. Paul was back to being true to himself and his character, as was Syl, and the romance was still there a little bit, they're thinking about each other, but I think after the odd romance blooming from nowhere, them being apart with the little mentions of it, worked to re-establish the characters on their own, and helped you get to know them both separately and come to love them, so when the romance kicks back up in the third book, I think it's going to work better than in the first book!

The narrative was engaging, I loved the ominous comments, and the fact it wasn't from any of the characters perspectives. I liked how it gave you little tidbits, and how more information about the history wasn't just stated, it was give to you by conversations, or characters researching and so on. I liked seeing more of the political struggle going on with the weird alien things that where attached to the Illyri. The third book was set up subtly, and it's set to be an explosive installment, I'm really excited for it because there's going to be so much going on it, and so much coming together and kicking off and eee!

The plot is complex, there's two plot lines going on, three actually, Paul, Syl and Meia, and all three are woven together perfectly. You're kept guessing, you don't know what's going to happen next, there's plenty of plot twists that you don't see coming, and it's always nice to be surprised when reading, and I couldn't put the book down at all, I was totally engrossed and sucked in to the world by the plot and the characters and everything. There where so many threads going on with the Marque and the thing going on with Paul and the stuff happening with Syl's dad and back home, there was mystery and intrigue and action everywhere.

Empire has surpassed the first book, it's everything I hoped it would be and more, and the lack of romance barely had time to be noticed as there was so much going on, and so much for you to try to piece together and work out, but you end up being surprised anyway! I'm so excited for the third installment!

Lagoon

Lagoon
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of Bookbridgr and the publisher!

Three people where wandering the beach when something crashes in to the ocean off the coast of Lagos, Nigeria. Adaora, a marine biologist, Anthony, a rapper, and Agu, a soldier. All are different, all have a unique gift, and all have been chosen. They have to save their country and the world itself from...itself, when an alien race makes itself known, and all the creatures in the sea start to...change, and decide they've had enough with humans destroying their habitat. When the aliens arrive on shore, Lagos starts to tear itself apart, everyone suspects everyone else of being one of....them. Will humanity be able to accept them? Will Lagos survive?

Holy wooooww! I wasn't too sure what to expect from Lagoon, I was intrigued by the synopsis, but I really didn't know what to expect and as soon as I started reading I was fully sucked in to the story and engrossed the entire way through. Lagoon is fast paced, engaging, and really makes you think, what would you do or feel in the same situation? Lagoon expertly switches from different points of view, our three main special characters, other characters a couple of times, a creature here and there, which was brilliant as you then saw how we, humanity, just casually swats them like flies with our technology and inventions, not even on purpose but without realizing. Aaaannd a couple of points of view from people saying their experience of what happened when the aliens came. Which was fantastically done and showed how it affected so many different people and just gave the story some added intrigue and an interesting break from the narrative.

The prose was truly beautiful, and poetic and propelled the story forward with the appropriate amount of action, intrigue and a fantastically smooth flow! There where so many elements combined, I got a strong sense of Nigerian mythology, which I'd really like to know more about now! Agu's powers reminiscent of a superhero, the aliens where an obvious element! But they where really cool aliens! Lagoon was so unique, combining the mythology with superhero powers and aliens and human nature and behaviour. The aliens where very unique, with how they can change, and the sea creatures and everything.

Lagoon is a true science-fiction novel, it's political and philosophical with plenty of action and I want to say there was a tiny smidge of a quest with getting to the President! The characters where all colourful and full of life! I enjoyed all of them, they where such a diverse group, each with different personalities and walks of life, and I really enjoyed reading about them, each made you feel a range of emotions, particularly a certain Oke who I really, REALLY wanted to smack in the face! They where all so engaging and just eeeeee well written characters!

I thought the plot was unique, well written and well thought out, it was intricate, with lots of different elements as mentioned, and I enjoyed trying to work out what was going to happen next, I mean I could never tell where the story was going or what was going to happen, when everyone else had doubts about what the aliens wanted, and if they actually did come in peace, I had doubts too and started to think "oh crap....they're evil!" but then they weren't and it was a real rollercoaster ride. To me, the story seemed to just flow naturally, and it seemed quite organic!

The setting should also be mentioned because it was so vividly written that I actually felt like I was there with the characters, I feel like I've been to Lagos now and it was such an atmospheric setting!

Lagoon is a truly fantastic read, for me it was thought provoking and a rollercoaster, it was so unique and a real look at humanity, I mean the reaction to the alien invasion? I'd love to see people wouldn't totally destroy themselves and get all paranoid, but let's be honest, that's exactly how we'd react! I'm going to be keeping an eye on Okorafor's future books  because I really loved this and I can't wait to see what she does next!

COVER REVEAL: Empire!

Heellooo guys, how are you all this fine Friday?
Excited for the weekend? Looking for some excitement perhaps?
Like....saaaaayyy.....a cover reveal?
Yes? Fantastic!
I have an awesome cover reveal today, remember that really cool series, the one with the aliens that are living in Edinburgh Castle? And it was all awesome and unique and full of so much yaaaaaass?
 Weeeeelll it has a sequel out January 1st from Headline, it goes by the name....Empire. 

This truly is an exclusive, the cover isn't even up on Amazon yet, so feast your eyes guys, cos it's one hell of a beauty!

Look at the pretty. So pretty. All galaxy-ish and colourful *sigh* I love pretty books!
Here's the link to the GoodReads page, add it to your TBR's and such!
Aaanddd here, have a synopsis!

"Syl Hellias: an Illyri, the first of her kind to be born on Earth. Paul Kerr: a human, dedicated to his people's resistance of the alien invasion. Brought together by chance they formed the strongest of bonds. Now they are to be punished for that love.

Exiled to the outermost reaches of the universe, Syl and Paul must each make journeys that will lead them to the horrifying truths harbored at the heart of the Illyri Empire. And to a force with the power shake the the universe to its very core.

Have a great weekend guys!

Oceanborn

Oceanborn
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: ARC Courtesy of NetGalley

Check out my review of Waterfell, the first book in the series!

EEEEEEEEEE It's finally here! I was majorly excited to get to review Oceanborn, and the excitement is still lingering long after I've finished reading, I've got to say! I LOVED Waterfell, it pleasantly surprised me and I couldn't get enough, I've been waiting for Oceanborn for what seems like years! I believe I coined the term "mermaliens" when reviewing Waterfell, and as I said, Waterfell was incredibly unique, and Oceanborn has continued this on. In fact Oceanborn has topped Waterfell I think!

As we enter in to Oceanborn, picking up where Waterfell left off, the stakes are way higher, the romance is continuing and getting more serious and the characters have not only developed more, but they've kinda made you love them more too!

Nerissa was a bit of a toss up fro me in Waterfell. At times I thought she was selfish and I kinda didn't like her all too much BUT she redeemed herself and I felt became a better person, and as I said in my review of Waterfell, while I did dislike her slightly, having a flawed protagonist made her more realistic and it was a nice change from all the perfect people. In Oceanborn, I finally managed to fully love her instead of the whole "I like you.....no I don't..." thing. I 100% loved her this time round.

In Oceanborn we see Nerissa being a fantastic Queen, a Queen that is truly worthy of the word. You can really look up to her and admire her and how she's acting and what she's doing. She does what is best for her people, no matter what they are, who they are or what it costs her. She's more selfless than selfish this time round, and I love it!

Lo. Lo and his memory loss. DAMMIT AMALIE HOW COULD YOU?! Nerissa sends Lo off to keep him safe and look what the hell happens! Lo was still a sweetheart though, and he is fast approaching joining my list of fictional characters I'm a little bit in love with. Oh dear. He's a tad different, but as I said, still sweet. The whole memory loss and people moving in on him was a great cause of outrage when reading though!

"BUT THE ROMANCE" I hear you shriek in agony. Never fear. While Lo has no memory, he and Nerissa have a bond that pretty much doesn't give a crap about any memory loss and is determined to keep things going. It continued to be as sweet, cute and balanced as it was in Waterfell, and I love the fact they're loyal to each other and have each other's backs, it's the kind of romance that feels believable and is really great to read.

I didn't say much about Speio in my review for Waterfell, mostly cause he really needed to be punched in the face and I kinda hated him. HOWEVER, in this book he's back to being friend of the year or whatever. He cares about Nerissa's safety and wants to be loyal buuuuuttt his character flaw, aka his naivety, well, let's just say things don't always go how we want shall we?

I continue to love Jenna and her relationship with Nerissa. I seriously love this friendship, it's one of my favourites! She continues to make me laugh to the ugly snort laughing stage of laughter! I also love how the frienship between the two continues to be important, in Waterfell the frienship was just as important as the romance and I enjoyed seeing it continue, and Jenna taking her BFF duties seriously. Cara.  Well. Her character development was intriguing. That is all.

In short, all the characters, including secondary characters, continue to be written with depth and multiple dimensions, and they continue to develop in to even more awesome and loveable characters!

The narrative was just as engaging as it was in Waterfell. The writing continued to be absolutely beautiful, and continued to weave a fantastically unique story and astounding world.  The descriptions and world building continues to be as vivid as it is in Waterfell, everything can so easily be pictured, and has been effortlessly created with lots of detail, without clogging up the narrative with pages of description. You really do feel like you're there sometimes!
Much like with Waterfell, I was hooked from the first page and I couldn't book the book down until I was done. Like, I was walking around the house and going up and downstairs with my eyes glued to the Kindle, and I had a near miss with a door! It's so fast paced with a fantastic flow, you pretty much zip through it unless, unlike me, you can exercise some self control and force yourself to read slower!

Waterfell for me had plenty of twists and turns but I guessed the huge reveal, this time..not so much. There's so many twists and turns and I never saw any of them coming, I never guessed where the book was going nor was I expecting it and I really enjoyed how Amalie kept you guessing and kept the mystery this time round!

Aaannndd Amalie...that cliffhanger....WHY DO YOU HAVE TO DO THIS TO ME?!  I can't even. You're gonna be left wanting more and with an agonized wait for the next book!

Oceanborn is the sequel fans where all hoping for, it surpasses Waterfell fantastically.
Oceanborn continues a fantastic series that really stands out from the crowd, that continues to be unique, continues to make you laugh and continues to give you one of the best written romances I've come across lately! Not to mention the totally unique premise and mythology that I loved so much about Waterfell! Fast paced and full of plot twists and with a nice little cliffhanger to make you scream, Oceanborn is going to leave you with the mother of all book hangovers! You have been warned!