Stone Cold Touch

Dark Elements, Book 2

By: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld

Length: 15 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's Summary

Layla Shaw is trying to pick up the pieces of her shattered life - no easy task for a 17-year-old who's pretty sure things can't get worse. Her impossibly gorgeous best friend, Zayne, is forever off-limits thanks to the mysterious powers of her soul-stealing kiss. The Warden clan that has always protected her is suddenly keeping dangerous secrets. And she can barely think about Roth, the wickedly hot demon prince who understood her in ways no one else could. But sometimes rock bottom is only the beginning. Because suddenly Layla's powers begin to evolve, and she's offered a tantalizing taste of what has always been forbidden. Then, when she least expects it, Roth returns, bringing news that could change her world forever. She's finally getting what she always wanted, but with hell literally breaking loose and the body count adding up, the price may be higher than Layla is willing to pay. Contains mature themes.

©2014 Jennifer L. Armentrout (P)2014 Tantor

Disappointing

First off let's put this out there, I ABSOLUTELY LOATHE love triangles and harem style books. I mean do any of the love interests in these books have any pride, chasing after someone like a desperate dog hoping that she will show you love only for her to say "Hmmmm i don't know, this other dog has spots..." I'm also not a huge fan of drama queen protagonists constantly whining that they are evil (when its completely obvious their not), or that they want to be "normal" (i.e. human) as if they would never have problems that are as bad as the main characters if they only had different genetics, because human problems are so small, simple and insignificant compared to them. I find these kinds of books anoying and intensely frustrating, (will someone just talk some sense into them already!!!!) I knew this was going to be one of those highly insulting "angsty teen books" when i first looked at it but it is one of the first books i have found about Gargoyles, sense i watched the AMAZING Disney series. so i did have a bit of idiotic hope that it might be good. it's not, it is pretty much everything i hate plus add useless protagonist who just stumbles around blindly and has or doesn't have powers based on the randomness of of the plot, and constantly emotionally and physically cheats on both her "love" interests. DISAPPOINTING

love it

Story is well written but I wish Layla would be less apologetic about things not under her control. Her adoptive father may have sheltered and provided for her but she was starved of affection, love, trust, and honesty. At no point was he ever completely forthright. She was raised to believe very little about her worth and nearly pushed into fulfilling prophecy. A fatal blow was inflicted without proof of guilt and she was blamed for all ill events despite her denial of conscious involvement. She was kept not raised.

Hate love triangles!

The only reason I read this series is because a lot of the reviews said it wasn't much of a love triangle but is this isn't much of a triangle than I would hate to read a full on love triangle. Ugh! I don't understand how people can read them. I felt so bad for Zane because I really liked him but knowing she was going to choose Roth just made it hard. The narrator did a great job but just couldn't handle her going between 2 guys.

OH MY GAWD!!!!!!

Ever since White Hot Kiss I have been #TeamRoth but there were moments in SCT that made me doubt my loyaltt, cuz Zayne in this book? Wow. Deep down i knew there was a reason why Roth said and did what he did and when he finally came clean about it my heart went boom 💘❤️💔 I cant wait for Every Last Breath!!!! 😍😍😍😍😍

ugh

Why do the female leads have to be so dense! Get control of your powers and dont be a freaking victim. Try giving souls back eh? If you can take it why cant you return it? As for Roth, you can feel feelings! Zayne! You claim to love him, you have absolutely no control over your baser instincts, then he belongs with Danika duh! Wah wah whiney whine. Two gorgeous guys to choose from, superpowers, beauty! Wah wah

Team Zayne or Team Roth? Either is hot!!!!

I fell in love with the two same guys that Layla has...hmm, must be in the water. I lean more towards one team, but I won't force you to listen to me chant his name.

Just know that both "men" represent something different to her and her life. Layla is trying to reconcile her heart and mind after a painful break.

But things are only getting worse both in life and love...or are they?

Whether you're Team Roth or Team Zayne, both break your heart at some point in the series. You just have to decide like Layla, who...


I bought the audiobooks on a whim. I recently have been devouring my faves while I do housework. it was awesome to hear it come to life.

Love these books.

great story line. easy to get into the book. love the characters and the heart stopping moments. it brings out all the great and sad emotions.

Like the book, not so much the narration

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I would recommend this series to friends who enjoy this genre. Because I really like the book, I would also recommend this audiobook to those who would love to read it, but have little time to do so.

What other book might you compare Stone Cold Touch to and why?

A comparable book to this book/series would be Heroes, (Book #2 of the Eirik Companion Trilogy of the Runes Series), by Ednah Walters. Besides the basic age range of the characters involved, there is a parallel to accidental physical damage, rescue, strengthening female characters, female characters who face mortal injury at the hands of "family," and several more similarities.

Did Saskia Maarleveld do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

Narrator Saskia Maarleveld trouble keeping the character voices defined.For example, with Roth, the essence of the voice changes unexpectedly. Whether growling, or whispering, the voice should be recognizable as his. The same problem exists with the voice of Zane. While I realize that an individual's voice sometimes changes in modulation, the tone of the voice used should still sound like the same character.There are several instances where one character's voice bleeds into another. A couple of times, a male voice bleeds into a female character, and vice versa.To her credit, Maarleveld does a good job with the female voices most of the time, and I have to say that all of the male voices do sound decidedly male. If she works a bit more, focusing on consistency for each characters voice, she has the potential to become very good.

Could you see Stone Cold Touch being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

I could see the Dark Elements series as a movie trilogy. I could see Dove Cameron in the role of Layla, Tye Sheridan as Roth, Zendaya as Stacie, Liam Hemsworth as Zane, and Jacob Lofland as Sam.

Any additional comments?

I have been captured by the world of audiobooks, because I am sometimes unable to sit down and read.

Feeling flustered

Roth is gone, relegated to the deepest recesses of hell, but no matter how Layla tries to, she cannot forget about the demon who sacrificed himself for her. Each day is a struggle to come to terms with her loss. Then, out of the blue, Roth returns. But he’s not the demon she remembers. The new Roth is cold and cruel, and brings with him bad news straight from hell. Now, Wardens and Demons must work together to protect humanity against one of the biggest threats they have ever faced. But things are more complicated than ever for Layla. On the one hand is the Demon Prince’s who confuses, rejects and yet thrills her. Then there is Zayne, the Warden she has always wanted but thought she could never have…

This series is fast becoming one of my favorites. It’s one of those that have you itching to shirk your duties just to find out what happens next. The action is fast-paced and will keep you at the edge of your seat. But it is the dynamic within the love triangle that really makes this series stand out. Armentrout has mastered the art of anticipation when it comes to the physical aspects of Layla’s interactions with both Roth and Zayne. There is only one word to describe this installment, and that is HOT! Thumbs up to this author who can make any reader flustered without resorting to an 18 + PG rating. I’m officially in love with a demon (and a Warden)! If Layla can find place in her heart for both of them, I certainly can!

Wow.

This was amazing. I would have marathoned the book straight if I could. Dare I say that this was better then the first book? This book completely conflicted me with who I want to end up with Layla and I was ALL for Roth before this book. Now I'm not even sure anymore. Some lines were ridiculously cheesy, but it was great love triangle writing. Best love triangle I've read, considering I normally stongly lean toward one character.

The narrator was a pro. I feel like the emotions and vocal portrayals were pretty good. It bumped up the emotions of the characters well.

Dragging a bit

I was looking forward to the next chapter in Layla's story and even though I cannot fault the storyline, I felt that this second book was dragged out too much. There was long chapters that didn't add much to the story, nor were they particularly interesting or exciting, almost like JLA was trying hard to make up the page count. It's a pretty long book, and I would have preferred 4 hours less listening at a faster, more captivating pace. I've also noticed mistakes: wrong names used, inconsistencies in the story, which proves rushed writing and poor editing. Probably my least favourite JLA novel even though the story itself is good and obviously I'm still going to listen to the last book. On the plus side, the emotional evolution of the characters is well done. Bonus chapter at the end was also a nice touch.