Book Review: Half-Blood
Media Type: Print Book
Title: Half-Blood
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Pages: Paperback; 281
Release Date: October 18, 2011
Source: Publisher
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Intended Reading Group: Young Adult
Content Screening: Teen Drinking, Sexual Undertones, Mild Violence
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HDB Rating: 5 Keys to My Heart
Recommended to: People who adore butt-kicking heroines and are tired of love triangles!
Add it on: Goodreads / Shelfari / Librarything / Amazon / B&N
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.
I finished Half-Blood about fifteen minutes ago and my heart is still beating like mad. This book, wow this book, is a roller coaster ride in it’s own right. Twists, turns, smoldering attraction, it’s all there in vivid black and white! When the very beginning of a story automatically takes my breath away, I know I’m in for a treat. Expect rambling beyond this sentence.
First off let me profess my love for Alex, the main character. She is strong, she is fiery, she knows what she wants and she’ll be damned if she’s going to let you keep her from getting it. Not afraid to break the rules, Alex is a rebel and driven by her need for revenge. Despite everything else in her life, including what she could become, she keeps fighting forward towards her ultimate goal. However she’s not all big and bad. There are parts of her that come through that are sensitive and struggling. It is this very real personality that brought her to life and made me one hundred percent behind her the entire time.
Then there’s Aiden. I’ll admit that he stole my heart. This boy is stubborn and strong, but also sensitive in the best way possible. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that he’s easy on the eyes as well. There are moments between Aiden and Alex that just ooze tension, and then others that are so sweet that they will melt your heart. Add in an expressly forbidden romance, and you have a recipe for a fantastic story. What I really really enjoyed about Half-Blood though is that the romance doesn’t steal the story line. It’s there, it’s charged, and there is even another smoldering hot boy who comes into the picture. Still, not once does a heart-wrenching love triangle fully develop. At least not yet. Perhaps it will come in the next installment, but for now I’m very happy with the fact that Alex gets to be her butt-kicking self, without falling into the love triangle trap.
As I mentioned above, the plot itself drives forward like a performance car! (Terrible similie I know.) I’m completely serious though. Interspersed between calm, loving, moments of reflection and growth are intense fight scenes and twists that will make your head spin. There was more than one time while reading that I literally yelled out “What are you DOING?” to the dismay of my napping boyfriend. Half-Blood is a book that drew me so far in, made me feel so much for the characters, that I felt I would be doing them a disservice if I didn’t read ravenously to the end.
I’ll stop rambling now. This book is fantastic. If you are in the market for a story with a butt-kicking heroine and a strong (gorgeous) male character, this is for you. Half-Blood took my breath away. I wait eagerly for more of Alex’s story!
FTC Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. I was not monetarily compensated for my opinion.
