| MEMES | TOP TEN TUESDAY – SONGS THAT MADE ME THINK OF BOOKS

Hello lovelies ! It’s time for another Top Ten Tuesday ! TTT is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke And The Bookish.

This week’s topic is audio freebie. I decided to list my top ten songs that made me think of books.
You know when a song reminds you of a book you’re currently reading ? That’s what I’m talking about !

Just Like Fire by P!nk reminds me a lot of Clary Fray from The Mortal Instruments series. It suits her perfectly and that’s the song that inspired this post !
Part Of Me by Katy Perry makes me think of Celaena Sardothien from the Throne Of Glass series.
Eye Of The Tiger makes me think of Alex from the Covenant series. The fighting spirit she’s got matches perfectly with this song !
Unconditionally by Katy Perry reminds me of Claire and Jamie’s romance. Outlander is such an amazing series !

I knew you were trouble by Taylor Swift is perfect for After‘s Tessa and Hardin. Their back and forth relationship.
Shatter Me by Lindsey Stirling and Lzzy Hale is perfect for Fallon from November 9.
Cake by The Ocean by DNCE matches All Played Out.

That’s it ! My TTT is a top seven hahahaha !

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| BOOK REVIEW | SENTINEL BY JENNIFER L. ARMENTROUT

Sentinel
Author : Jennifer L. Armentrout
Series : Covenant
Genres : Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Young Adult
Publication : October 31st 2013 by Spencer Hill Press

This is the last book in the Covenant series. This review will spoil you if you haven’t read the previous books.

Goodreads’ synopsis : It’s a beautiful day for a war.

As the mortal world slowly slips into chaos of the godly kind, Alexandria Andros must overcome a stunning defeat that has left her shaken and in doubt of their ability to end this war once and for all.

And with all the obstacles between Alex and her happily-ever-after with the swoonworthy Aiden St. Delphi, they must now trust a deadly foe as they travel deep into the Underworld to release one of the most dangerous gods of all time.

In the stunning, action-packed climax to the bestselling Covenant series, Alex must face a terrible choice: the destruction of everything and everyone she holds dear… or the end of herself.

This will be a shorter review than usual because I forgot to write down all my thoughts… Silly me !

This is the last book in the Covenant series, and I really enjoyed it !This finale is really great ! The story is so gripping, making of this book a page turner !
I was so worried for the characters. It was really hard to put down my book because I wanted to know that they would be okay.
During the first part of the book, Alex has lost her inner light. She can’t feel anything except her love for Aiden.
The final battle is really epic and wonderfully lead. It’s a great ending to a really great series !
I’m not gonna talk more about the plot because I don’t want to spoil you.
I’m just gonna add that this book made me cry a lot, but also laugh ! Because yeah, there were so many funny moments !

What is it with gods and leather?” I muttered.
Hades slid me a long look. “We make it look good.”
They did. Couldn’t argue that.

Characters :
– Alex is so much more dark in this book. All this mess has changed her a lot. She has endured a lot and still endures so much. Much more than you can ask from a teenage girl.
– Seth is also different in this book, kind of remorseful. He couldn’t agree with what Ares and Lucian did. He lost his goofy side.
I like him more in this book. He’s trying to do what’s best.
– Aiden is doing his best to support Alex. He can’t stand to see her in so much emotional pain. He is soooo swoon worthy seriously !
– Deacon is trying his best to help. He hasn’t got the proper training but he wants to be useful. He doesn’t to stay behind.

I was moving at the speed of a three-legged turtle, so it took a while to blink my eyes open, and even then it was just a thin crack.

So much happened in this book. You barely have a moment to take a deep breath that another struggle, another plot twist happens. The ending nearly killed me.
I would highly recommend this series to any urban fantasy lover !

 

About the author

 

# 1 New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Jennifer L. Armentrout Lives in West Virginia.

All the rumors you heard about her state aren’t true.

Well, mostly. When she’s not hard at work writing, she spends her time, reading, working out, watching zombie movies, and pretending to write.

She is the author of the Covenant Series (Spencer Hill Press), the Lux Series (Entangled Teen), Don’t Look Back (Disney/Hyperion) and a yet untitled novel (Disney/Hyperion), and new YA paranormal series with Harlequin Teen.

Jennifer also writes New Adult and Adult romance under the pen name J. Lynn. The Gamble Brothers Series (Tempting the Best Man/Tempting the Player) and Wait for You. Under her pen name, she is published with Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

| BOOK REVIEW | APOLLYON BY JENNIFER L. ARMENTROUT

Apollyon
Author : Jennifer L. Armentrout
Series : Covenant
Genres : Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Young Adult, Paranormal Romance
Publication : April 4th 2013 by Spencer Hill Press

This is the fourth book in the Covenant series. This review will spoil you if you haven’t read the previous books.

Goodreads’ synopsis : Fate isn’t something to mess with… and now, neither is Alex.

Alex has always feared two things: losing herself in the Awakening and being placed on the Elixir. But love has always been stronger than Fate, and Aiden St. Delphi is willing to make war on the gods—and Alex herself—to bring her back.

The gods have killed thousands and could destroy entire cities in their quest to stop Seth from taking Alex’s power and becoming the all-powerful God Killer. But breaking Alex’s connection to Seth isn’t the only problem. There are a few pesky little loopholes in the whole “an Apollyon can’t be killed” theory, and the only person who might know how to stop the destruction has been dead for centuries.

Finding their way past the barriers that guard the Underworld, searching for one soul among countless millions, and then somehow returning will be hard enough. Alex might be able to keep Seth from becoming the God Killer… or she might become the God Killer herself.

It starts where the novella Elixir ended.
Evil Alex manages to escape. Somehow she manages to break the bond. She then realizes how much has changed : cities are destroyed, mundanes killed… they’re at war. A war against Seth, Lucian and an unknown god.

And that was the thing about truths and secrets. Sometimes the truth didn’t need to be known. The lie was healthier than the truth and, while some secrets could set people free, other secrets could destroy them.

The first part of the book is less action packed, in my opinion. It doesn’t mean I found it less interesting, not at all. There’s a lot of explanations that helps us to understand the plot a little more. It’s more intricate than I thought to be honest !
We get to learn more about Alex’s father, about what her destiny, and about why all of this is happening. Everything becomes clearer.
There are epic journeys, too. One to the underworld and one to another location. Journeys that will change them forever. In this installment, they truly become a posse. And a badass one !
I still got some Percy Jackson’s vibes in this one, that was funny. Seeing the gods mingling with the Pures and Half-bloods was something I liked to read about.

The second part of the book was action packed. A lot happened and it was hard to put it down. And what plot twist ! I wasn’t expecting this at all. The ending is full of promises for the next and final book, which is Sentinel.

Even though the atmosphere is darker than in the previous books, the funny comments, witty chats and banters are still here !

Everybody, no matter what is happening around them, deserves the kind of love that man feels for you.

Characters :
– Alex went through a lot, in this book. She learns what her destiny will be and has to face a lot, both physically and emotionally. She is becoming way more mature. There’s a lot of character’s development here and that was really nice to read about. Obviously she is still this kick ass, smartass and badass young woman (even more than in the previous books hahaha). Moreover, Apollo is taking care of her whenever he can.
– Aiden is changed by what he had to do : put her on the elixir. He is consumed by guilt. He has a hard time forgiving himself.
– Lea’s changing too. Her relationship with Alex is getting better and better.
– Deacon doesn’t want to be left behind. He wants to help, to learn how to fight.
– Seth isn’t really present in this book. He seems to change.
– Apollo is also an interesting character. He brings the comic relief while popping out of nowhere and scaring the hell out of the characters !

Pigs had just officially sprouted wings and were flying alongside airplanes.

Overall I really enjoyed this book ! I really like this series so far ! I’ve already started Sentinel and I can say that it is as good as the previous books !

About the author

# 1 New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Jennifer L. Armentrout Lives in West Virginia.

All the rumors you heard about her state aren’t true.

Well, mostly. When she’s not hard at work writing, she spends her time, reading, working out, watching zombie movies, and pretending to write.

She is the author of the Covenant Series (Spencer Hill Press), the Lux Series (Entangled Teen), Don’t Look Back (Disney/Hyperion) and a yet untitled novel (Disney/Hyperion), and new YA paranormal series with Harlequin Teen.

Jennifer also writes New Adult and Adult romance under the pen name J. Lynn. The Gamble Brothers Series (Tempting the Best Man/Tempting the Player) and Wait for You. Under her pen name, she is published with Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

| BOOK REVIEW | ELIXIR BY JENNIFER L. ARMENTROUT

Elixir
Author : Jennifer L. Armentrout
Series : Covenant
Genres : fantasy, urban fantasy, young adultPublication : November 22th 2012 by Spencer Hill Press

It’s a novella that happens after Deity. It’s better to read it in order to understand everything in Apollyon which is the 4th book in the Covenant series.
This review may contain spoilers if you haven’t read the previous books.

 

Goodreads’ synopsis : Aiden St. Delphi will do anything to save Alex.
Even if it means doing the one thing he will never forgive himself for.
Even if it means making war against the gods.

 

 

This will be a quick review !

I really enjoyed this novella. It’s important to read it to understand everything in Apollyon. It’s one of the few novellas that are really useful to the story. Not a retelling from another POV, or a fan service novella. It serves the plot.

It helps to understand some of Aiden’s and Olivia’s reactions in Apollyon. Plus, it was nice to read from Aiden’s POV, for once. He is my fav character (no, it’s not Seth, sorry haha) and I totally ship him with Alex so yeah it was nice.

I found this novella necessary to the plot, so you probably should read this before Apollyon !

About the author

 

# 1 New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Jennifer L. Armentrout Lives in West Virginia.

All the rumors you heard about her state aren’t true.

Well, mostly. When she’s not hard at work writing, she spends her time, reading, working out, watching zombie movies, and pretending to write.

She is the author of the Covenant Series (Spencer Hill Press), the Lux Series (Entangled Teen), Don’t Look Back (Disney/Hyperion) and a yet untitled novel (Disney/Hyperion), and new YA paranormal series with Harlequin Teen.

Jennifer also writes New Adult and Adult romance under the pen name J. Lynn. The Gamble Brothers Series (Tempting the Best Man/Tempting the Player) and Wait for You. Under her pen name, she is published with Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

 

| BOOK REVIEW | DEITY BY JENNIFER L. ARMENTROUT

Deity
Author : Jennifer L. Armentrout
Series : Covenant
Genres : Fantasy, Young Adult, Paranormal Romance
Publication : October 31st by Spencer Hill Press

 

Deity is the third book in the Covenant series. If you haven’t read the previous books, this review will spoil you !

Goodread’s synopsis : History is on repeat, and things didn’t go so well the last time.

Alexandria isn’t sure she’s going to make it to her eighteenth birthday–to her Awakening. A long-forgotten, fanatical order is out to kill her, and if the Council ever discovers what she did in the Catskills, she’s a goner… and so is Aiden.

If that’s not freaky enough, whenever Alex and Seth spend time “training”–which really is just Seth’s code word for some up-close and personal one-on-one time–she ends up with another mark of the Apollyon, which brings her one step closer to Awakening ahead of schedule. Awesome.

But as her birthday draws near, her entire world shatters with a startling revelation and she’s caught between love and Fate. One will do anything to protect her. One has been lying to her since the beginning. Once the gods have revealed themselves, unleashing their wrath, lives will be irrevocably changed… and destroyed.

Those left standing will discover if love is truly greater than Fate…

The end of Pure, the previous book, was something of a cliffhanger.In this book, they’re all back to their Covenant.
Alex gets closer to Seth, their bond is becoming stronger.
In this book, Alex is targeted by an Ancient order; they want to kill her before she awakens.

I’m afraid of never being allowed to feel what I do.

Jennifer L. Armentrout’s writing style is really impressive. She alternates romantic/hot/angsty moments with action packed scenes. She completes it with awesome plot twists ! It was such a page turner for me !
In one of my previous reviews I said that it reminded me of Vampire Academy. In this book, I also got some Percy Jackson’s vibes ! As said before, it doesn’t bother me at all. In fact it’s something I really enjoyed : the gods starting to interfere with Pures business. It’s getting more and more interesting !

I also really enjoyed learning a little more about Alex’s father. I hope we’ll get to know more about it in the next book.
Another thing I liked is the Alex/aiden relationship. I’m not gonna say more because spoilers, but I love the direction their relationship took !
Alex and his uncle’s relationship is also evolving and that’s great !

Characters :
– Alex is feeling that Seth isn’t totally what he seems to be. She has doubts; she is frightened by her future.
– Aiden is the oh-so-perfect, swoon-worthy male character. He is ready to sacrifice so much for Alex’s safety.
– Seth gets darker and more frightening. I had a feeling about him, and I was right. I can’t help but don’t really like him, even though I know Lucian is manipulating him. Although, I really enjoyed learning more about him.
– Leon. Ah, Leon !

Some characters are getting more important, such as Deacon, Luke and Lea.

Don’t look at me like I’ve kicked a baby pegasus into the street.

I said earlier that the ending of the previous was something of a cliffhanger. But Deity’s ending is really REALLY worse. That last sentence !

I can’t wait to read the novella Elixir and then dive in Apollyon !

About the author

# 1 New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Jennifer L. Armentrout Lives in West Virginia.

All the rumors you heard about her state aren’t true.

Well, mostly. When she’s not hard at work writing, she spends her time, reading, working out, watching zombie movies, and pretending to write.

She is the author of the Covenant Series (Spencer Hill Press), the Lux Series (Entangled Teen), Don’t Look Back (Disney/Hyperion) and a yet untitled novel (Disney/Hyperion), and new YA paranormal series with Harlequin Teen.

Jennifer also writes New Adult and Adult romance under the pen name J. Lynn. The Gamble Brothers Series (Tempting the Best Man/Tempting the Player) and Wait for You. Under her pen name, she is published with Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

| BOOK REVIEW | PURE BY JENNIFER L. ARMENTROUT

Pure
Author : Jennifer L. Armentrout
Series: Covenant
Genres : Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Young Adult
Publication : April 3rd 2012 by Spencer Hill Press

Pure is the second book in the covenant series. This review will spoil you if you haven’t read Half-blood.

 

Goodread’s synopsis : There is need. And then 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 Seth, even if that means forcing Alex into servitude–or killing her. When the gods are involved, some decisions can never, ever be undone.

Oh man did I love this book ! This review will be shorter than usual, I forgot to write down my thoughts before reading its sequel…

 You’ll become the center of someone’s world one day. And he’ll be the luckiest son of a bitch on this earth.

Plot :

We’re back with Alex at the Covenant. In this sequel, the pace is still fast. We find again a witty Alex and her banters with Seth are really fun !
A part of the story is happening in the New York Covenant, Alex has to be present to the council, because of what happened with her mother.

The plot gets thicker, darker and more twisted.
The end of the book is pretty surprising ! The gods are starting to interfere with the Pures and Half-Bloods matters.
Moreover, the mystery around the torch tattoo is really interesting ! It sounds like something that will be more important in the sequel !

Characters :

I love how the characters are evolving.
– Alex is so feisty, funny and a hell of a kick ass character ! She is so strong, and endures a lot. She is a little more whiny in this book, but it’s easily understandable. She is trying her best to do what’s right. She doesn’t trust her bond with Seth. She is so afraid to lose herself in the process.
– Aiden is a true gentleman. He does whatever it takes to protect Alex. Even risking his own life.
– Seth is a really interesting character. I don’t know what to think of him. He seems to care a lot for Alex and yet he seems to hide so many things to her.
– Marcus is getting more important in this book. He also cares for Alex, even though he doesn’t show it a lot.

I really enjoyed watching the relationship being built between Alex and Seth. And the “sort of” love triangle isn’t bothering me at all.

Or did you wake up on the wrong side of stupid this morning?

The next book promises to be really interesting ! This one managed to make me laugh, snort and cry ! It’s an emotional roller-coaster !

About the author

# 1 New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Jennifer L. Armentrout Lives in West Virginia.

All the rumors you heard about her state aren’t true.

Well, mostly. When she’s not hard at work writing, she spends her time, reading, working out, watching zombie movies, and pretending to write.

She is the author of the Covenant Series (Spencer Hill Press), the Lux Series (Entangled Teen), Don’t Look Back (Disney/Hyperion) and a yet untitled novel (Disney/Hyperion), and new YA paranormal series with Harlequin Teen.

Jennifer also writes New Adult and Adult romance under the pen name J. Lynn. The Gamble Brothers Series (Tempting the Best Man/Tempting the Player) and Wait for You. Under her pen name, she is published with Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

| BOOK REVIEW | HALF-BLOOD BY JENNIFER L. ARMENTROUT

Half-Blood
Author : Jennifer L. ArmentroutSeries : Covenant
Genres : Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy
Publication :October 18th 2011 by Spencer Hill Press

 

Goodreads’ synopsis : 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.

Half-Blood is the first book in the Covenant series.

It starts with Alex, a half-blood trying to survive on her own. Daimons are a real threat ; they want to drain her from her blood, more accurately the aether in her blood.
While facing an attack, she is saved by Sentinels. They get her back to the Covenant, where she belongs.
She has fled with her mother and now she’ll have to face the consequences.
A sentinel (and a Pure) called Aiden decides to train her so she can catch up with her fellows students.

I really enjoyed this book ! It was a really quick read !
We’ve got a really interesting universe in this book. It follows gods’ descendants : the Hematoi (called Pures) and the half-bloods, less considered than the pures. Half-bloods can either become slaves (their free will is suppressed) or warriors, guards or sentinels for the luckiest.

The whole story reminded me a lot of Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead :
– Half-blood = dhampir
– Hematoi = moroï
– Daimon = strigoï
– Alex ran away from the Covenant, just like Rose
– let’s not forget a forbidden love story

These similarities didn’t bother me at all, though !

Okay. I’m ready to move onto something else, like practicing with knives or defense against the dark arts. Cool things.”
“Did you just quote Harry Potter?

The plot :
It’s not the most original plot, nor the most complicated or surprising. But it does its job. It’s entertaining, funny and I had a hard time putting it down.
Moreover, even though one of the two major plot twists was pretty predictable, the other one was unexpected !

Characters :
– Alex : I really liked her character ! She is talented, smart and witty ! And so strong-minded. A great female lead character.
– Aiden is the perfect Sentinel, dedicated to his duty. They have things in common with Alex ! I really like him.
– Caleb is a nice sidekick. Alex’s best friend, I hope he’ll have a more important role in the sequel.
– Seth is the Apollyon. I found him insufferable. He is so used to everyone being afraid of him ! He is also used to always get what he wants. He is too self confident ! I found it difficult to truly appreciate him, but the ending started to change my mind.

Need covers itself with love, but need… need is never love. Always beware of the one who needs you. There is always a want behind a need, you see.

The special bond Alex and Seth share is something I’m really eager to read about !

That’s all ! I hope to be able to pick Pure in a really near future !!

About the author

# 1 New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Jennifer L. Armentrout Lives in West Virginia.

All the rumors you heard about her state aren’t true.

Well, mostly. When she’s not hard at work writing, she spends her time, reading, working out, watching zombie movies, and pretending to write.

She is the author of the Covenant Series (Spencer Hill Press), the Lux Series (Entangled Teen), Don’t Look Back (Disney/Hyperion) and a yet untitled novel (Disney/Hyperion), and new YA paranormal series with Harlequin Teen.

Jennifer also writes New Adult and Adult romance under the pen name J. Lynn. The Gamble Brothers Series (Tempting the Best Man/Tempting the Player) and Wait for You. Under her pen name, she is published with Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.