Pure by Jennifer L. Armentroutpublisher: Spencer Hill Press
release date: April 3rd, 2012
paperback, 329 pages
intended audience: Young adult
series: Covenant, book 2
(review of book 1)
rating:
source: ARC from publisher for honest review
Spoiler alert: description and review may contain slight spoilers for book 1, Half-Blood. If you haven't read it yet, stop reading here! :D
description: 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.
Review: Fair warning: I love this series, and sometimes it's hard to put that love into coherent thoughts and words, so we'll see how this review turns out. :) For those YA readers out there who pass up books from smaller presses, they are really missing out amazing series such as this one. It is one of those truly incredible pieces of storytelling. Book one, Half-Blood, blew me away with it's intensity, danger, humor, and emotional pull---in Pure, we get more of all of that, magnified ten times over.
The romance is edgier and more complicated as her feelings for both Aiden and Seth start to change and become a little less cut-and-dry. Seth's character really progresses in this book. I think the only feelings I had toward him in the first book were,"Ack, what is his problem?" This time around, sure you get to see more Seth naughtiness, but we also have the pleasure of getting to know a bit more about him outside of his all-powerful Apollyon title. And Aiden, well...Aiden is just as swoon-worthy as ever---the hard training, the caring moments, the slip-ups in his resistance. But the danger of their feeling for each other is laid bare when they get to see first hand what happens when the laws that keep Pures and Half-Bloods apart are disobeyed.
The action sequences were, once again, amazingly visual and heart-pounding. New threats to Alex's life come from surprising sources. Her visit to another covenant brings out some new great characters and dangers and temptations and we even get to see a bit of a girly side to Alex's normally snarky, badass character.
Once again, this series brings on the action, the romance, the emotional surprises, the endlessly gripping story---and like most who have fallen in love with the Covenant series, I can't wait for more. Book three, Diety, absolutely cannot get here soon enough.
Visit Jennifer L. Armentrout at www.jenniferarmentrout.blogspot.com
Purchase Pure at: Amazon • BN.com • BookDepository • Indiebound
Exactly, this series brings it all!!!!! I think I loved Pure even more and.. I love Seth so much! you are totally right, the romance is so much edgier :)))
ReplyDeleteI've read Half Blood last week and really liked it ! Elodie from OnceUponAquote blog told me that Pure is even better. I'm glad you loved it too I can't wait to read it now :D !
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to hear that this book is even better than Half Blood (which I enjoyed). It wasn't until the end that I started getting really interested in Seth. I'm looking forward to reading Pure.
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