Obsidian

Lux, Book 1

By: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Narrated by: Justine Eyre

Length: 9 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

When 17-year-old Katy Swartz moved to West Virginia right before her senior year, she'd pretty much resigned herself to thick accents, dodgy Internet access, and a whole lot of boring, but then she spotted her hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up...until he opened his mouth.

Daemon Black is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. It's hate at first sight, but when a stranger attacks her and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something...unexpected happens. The hot guy next door? Well, he's an alien.

Turns out that Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities and Katy is caught in the crosshairs. Daemon's touch has lit her up like the Vegas Strip and the only way she's getting out of this alive is by sticking close to him until her alien mojo fades. That is, if she doesn't kill him first.

©2011 Jennifer L. Armentrout (P)2013 Tantor

Critic reviews

"The beginning of Armentrout's new Lux series is a thrilling ride from start to finish. A cross between Roswell and Dawson's Creek, this series is guaranteed to hold your attention and have you begging for more." ( Romantic Times)

Intriguing

It’s quite intriguing story! I heard it’s amazing and those claims are true, to be honest. This is a YA paranormal Romance and the steamy level is 3/5 stars. I knows my doesn’t matter about the steamy moments but I get a thrill out of it when the author manage to put them in the story. Nevertheless, it’s not needed and it’s such a great plot. I want to know more with Demon and Kat! I love the dynamic of how aliens are beam of lights and how the author cooperated how they operate in true or human form. Lovely character development, adventurous, and cool journey of read!

Good story - narrator a bad fit

I almost gave up on the book because of the narrator. Katie is supposed to be strong but her voice is a cross between a whimpy whine and a 90 year old woman. It was really hard to think of her as strong. It also made her incessant comments about Daemon much more pathetic sounding.

That being said, I just finished book four so obviously I found it worth sticking it out. I read Oblivion, number 1.5 in the series, after this (the first book) which is essentially the same story from Daemon’s point of view. It probably sounds repetitive, but it was a different narrator and in addition to making me like the characters better it also filled in the story, really pulling me into the story. I mention it because I almost skipped it, thinking it was unnecessary. I am glad I didn’t.

While the synopsis of the book tells you about aliens, the story is so much more than what I initially thought - and I got hooked!

Entertaining

Any additional comments?

I thought the 1st few chapters moved along like alien version of the Twilight books and I almost quite, but so glad I kept on. The action became quite intense and I lost sleep in order to finish this book. I bought the 2nd in the series before I'd even finished this one! The ending was abrupt and I just had to go right into the next book. (I don't do that often)
I thought the narrator was OK just read a little slow. I adjusted the speed to 1.25 and it was much better.

Intro to alien scifi

Would you listen to Obsidian again? Why?

Yes, I really enjoy this reader and the action.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Obsidian?

The turning point for Daemon when I began to notice he cared. Right after the bear attack.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Made me laugh.

Loved

I loved the story... Not quite what I expected and well worth the read. Don't know what to think about the names though.... Hmmmmm

Chip-on-their-shoulder Romance

Obsidian is probably the single most derivative piece of YA literature I’ve ever read. Because of that, it’s able to stay afloat plot wise while also floundering when compared to other novels in the same vein. Armentrout does have one standout element in the pulpy alien tale— Daemon Black. JA has a way with anti-heroes, and, ironically, it’s usually the Herculean effort of her characterization that ends up bride carrying her readers to the last page.

If you’re into bad boys, will they won’t they, dysfunctional relationships or MC with savior complexes, this book is for you. You may want to consider reading it over listening, though, the narration grates at times. It would benefit from being re-recorded as a dual narrative. I hate when casting deprives an ultimate bad boy of legit testosterone. It ruins the effect.

The narrator nearly ruined it for me.

The story itself is Twilight meets aliens. Good, a bit predictable, but good. But the narrator reading through her teeth about did me in. She did a good job differentiating the voices, but her voice doesn’t match at all with the main character. I plan to listen to the next book and hope it gets better.

worth listening to in the background.

As always Justine Eyre was awesome. The story just wasn't there for me. I think it's because I just finished the Appolyon series and the main characters in the series are basically the same person.
That said, I'm still going to finish the series even if only in the background.
Like all of the Armentrout books I've read so far the story is cheesy (in the best way). the "sex" scenes are immensely hot, and the characters are great.
The main character in this book is meant to be that neutral face so you can see everything through her eyes.
Overall a 4/5, made awesome by the narrator.

hooked!

I'm hooked on this series. Love them! Paranormal romance at its best! I hear there are 5 books though which means a lot of content to get through quickly. Not a fan of these cliffhangers.

Needs a new narrator

It's too bad that the narrator ruined this book for me. It's a pretty good story but I can't get past her whiny voice. I don't think the banter between them came across as realistic, her voice just sounded forced and fake.