Half-Blood by Janenifer L. Armentrout
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press (October 18th, 2011)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Paperback: 281 pages
Source: Publisher
Series: Covenant #1
Rating: 5 of 5 stars
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.
Review: Half-Blood completely blew me away! I could not put it down and stayed up till 4am just to finish it. It's one of the rare books I've added to my"must read again" list! I've even went back to certain parts already because they were just that incredible! I already know Half-Blood will be making an appearance in my top 10 of 2011 list.
Where do I even start?! First, this book involves mythology, which some people either love or hate. I usually tried to avoid books with mythology but I have been lovin' some of the new releases! The mythology aspects of this book created the perfect background and really made me interested to see what happens next.
Alex is a half-blood and her and her mother escaped the Covenant (a training type school) in order to live a semi-normal life. But they learn that they can't escape for long and soon Alex ends up back at the Covenant. As a half-blood, she could easily be made into a servant but Alex wants to be a Sentinel and hunt Daimons. In order to have a shot at that, she must catch up to her peers by allowing Aiden (a Pure) to train her. Ahh, Aiden. *mind wonders* Aiden is beyond swoon-worthy. He's a tough fighter with a sensitive side that it seems only Alex gets to see. But a relationship with him would be forbidden. Pures and halfs can not be together, period.
Even with that complication, things get even crazier when a new person comes to the Covenant and Alex learns more about her own fate. I won't spoil what happens, or who shows up, but I will say that by the middle of this book I think I could have ignored a hurricane outside. I was that into this story! This new character was so captivating and alluring… and sexy. ahhh… love it!
What Janenifer was able to create with this story is one that you won't be able to forget. Alex is an amazingly strong heroine. Those can be rare to find in YA novels. But there is no doubt Alex could kick butt. She never lets someone take control of her life and she knows exactly what she wants. Aiden is complex. He's a little older than Alex and much more mature than other Pures his age. He has been through a lot and he doesn't see Alex as less than him just because she's a half-blood. He sees her strength and determination from the start.
Not only did Janenifer deliver some fabulous main characters, but she has woven in multiple minor characters that help build this world. One of my favorites is Caleb. He's Alex's best friend and he was just adorable. As I read this story I felt like I was there with the characters. Janenifer flawlessly described the setting, emotions, and atmosphere in the story. I always say it's rare if a writer is able to describe a romantic moment in a few words and it makes me swoon, but that happened… often! Any time Aiden brushed up against Alex or.well, spoke… I was blushing!
Half-Blood exceeded my expectations on every level. I'm not sure how I will make myself wait for the next book, Pure. Janenifer L. Armentrout created a world that will easily grab readers. If you are a fan of Vampire Academy, and books that will leave you breathless, pick up Half-Blood!
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