Thursday, March 6, 2014

"I lost myself the moment I found you."

White Hot Kiss (The Dark Elements, #1)White Hot Kiss by Jennifer L. Armentrout
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sort-of Mini-Review & thoughts on what I have seen: 4 stars

Synopsis:
One kiss could be the last.

Seventeen-year-old Layla just wants to be normal. But with a kiss that kills anything with a soul, she's anything but normal. Half demon, half gargoyle, Layla has abilities no one else possesses.

Raised among the Wardens—a race of gargoyles tasked with hunting demons and keeping humanity safe—Layla tries to fit in, but that means hiding her own dark side from those she loves the most. Especially Zayne, the swoon-worthy, incredibly gorgeous and completely off-limits Warden she's crushed on since forever.

Then she meets Roth—a tattooed, sinfully hot demon who claims to know all her secrets. Layla knows she should stay away, but she's not sure she wants to—especially when that whole no-kissing thing isn't an issue, considering Roth has no soul.

But when Layla discovers she's the reason for the violent demon uprising, trusting Roth could not only ruin her chances with Zayne…it could brand her a traitor to her family. Worse yet, it could become a one-way ticket to the end of the world.


My thoughts:
Yeah, so it is no secret that I am a Jennifer Armentrout fan. I absolutely love this woman's work. I am fully aware that I do not *actually* know her, but as I follow her on just about every possible social media site, have read all her books under both pen names and LOVE THEM ALL...and because I 'get' her humor and snark...I FEEL like we could totally be BFFs. Totally.

So, I read the book in two sittings and now I may have just a little crush on Roth. Where little = massive. JLA knows how to write hot guys...no freaking doubt. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the premise...who else could make gargoyles sexy??! And though I kind of hate snakes in general, I have a soft spot for Bambi...and was totally looking forward to seeing what Thumper could do. Which, I know totally brings me back to Roth.  Did I mention that I am obsessed like him?  No, I am not going to go into more details, you will just need to read the book.  I know I will be completing the series (and any other book this woman publishes!).


I have seen gushing reviews and not-so gushing reviews of this book, but I knew there was no way I wasn't going to like this new series.  I mean, c'mon...show me YA or NA books written completely without tropes or formulas of any kind(the main complaints I saw on the not-gushing reviews by others).  Honestly, I didn't have any problem with the way the book was written, the plot or characters.  Most books, like movies are meant to be read/viewed with a suspension of disbelief (there are freaking gargoyles in this book...that are alive, so yeah - suspension of disbelief is required).  Most YA/NA or Adult fiction have elements of fantasy - whether it be characters, location or plot...but regardless, a LOT of books have 'the special girl who doesn't know her own beauty' or 'rich, hot guy who wants to take care of the girl' or 'a school full of insanely handsome/beautiful people' and endless other scenarios that in no way fit the "normal world" we all regularly live in.  But, isn't that the point?? I don't want to escape to another world where everybody lives, looks and has experiences just like in my life. No! I want to escape into something different.  I think most of us want to experience the 'love triangle' where multiple HOT guys want the girl, or that they want to be the one to love & take care of her - even to put ourselves in her place and feel that for just a little while before we come back to reality.  Or, maybe that's just me (though I cannot fathom why there are countless books out there with that follow these kind of general guidelines if that is true).  I may not like Layla *as much* as I like Alex (from the Covenant series)for example, but I don't dislike her either.  There is tension, drama, yes - a love triangle (again, when isn't there one in most NA/YA books...), an evil plot to destroy the earth, demons, wardens...and the ending made me tear up a little. I was heart broken.  BUT, the second book STONE COLD TOUCH comes out in October 2014. (This woman is a writing machine, I swear).

I personally think that we all have 'favorite authors' whose styles of writing speak to us, whose humor and characters make us happy. Not everyone is going to have the same level of appreciation of their work.  So, if you have liked JLA's other books/series, you will more than likely enjoy this one too...as it is written with her same usual style and humor.  Have faith in JLA. The woman is a USA Today & NY Times Bestselling author for pete's sake...I'm pretty sure she knows what she is doing. ;)


View all my reviews

1 comment:

  1. Hi. I'm from Italy and I love - like you - JLA's books. I think her books are fantastic. The way she writes and creates stories and characters is awesome. I'm agree with everything you write and advise everyone to read her novels :D
    Thanks for your review :)

    ReplyDelete