Opal
(Lux 3)
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publisher: Entangled Teen, 2012
Genre: YA Paranormal Romance
Buy: Amazon ♥ B&N ♥ TBD
No one is like Daemon Black.
When he set out to prove his feelings for me, he wasn’t fooling around. Doubting him isn’t something I’ll do again, and now that we’ve made it through the rough patches, well... There’s a lot of spontaneous combustion going on.
But even he can’t protect his family from the danger of trying to free those they love.
After everything, I’m no longer the same Katy. I’m different... And I’m not sure what that will mean in the end. When each step we take in discovering the truth puts us in the path of the secret organization responsible for torturing and testing hybrids, the more I realize there is no end to what I’m capable of. The death of someone close still lingers, help comes from the most unlikely source, and friends will become the deadliest of enemies, but we won’t turn back. Even if the outcome will shatter our worlds forever.
Together we’re stronger... and they know it.
Katie and Damon are dealing with aftermath of the events that happened in Onyx. The biggest thing is that Dawson is back. But he’s changed, he’s not the same brother Daemon and Dee knew. He shuts everyone one, and his only focus is to go rescue Bethany. But rushing a DOD facility is not the way. Surprisingly, Katie is the one who reasons with him.
Katie is also struggling to deal with things she’s had to do and witness since she met the Luxen. Guilt is not an easy thing to bear, but she will do anything to protect those she loves. If only Daemon didn’t go all overprotective cave-man every single time she tried to help. These two clash more than a couple of times on this issue, and now that their relationship has deepened, the arguments aren’t as easy to solve. Also, jealous Daemon is way fun and dangerous, but jealous Katy was plain irrational and annoying.
To top it all off, Blake is back! I so didn’t trust that jerk for a second, but he’s the only option they have to getting Beth back. Blake basically blackmails them into helping him. I was even more suspicious when they go meet Blake’s friends at the club—though I almost flipped when the APC lyrics appeared on the page. After they form a plan of attack, the countdown and run to the facility was EPIC. The use of opal was woven in nicely into the events.
The book does have some surprises: some good, some bad, and some plain crazy. But what I didn’t feel was shock at the surprises. Other JLA books leave me reeling—in a good way—from the nuclear surprises dropped, but Opal didn’t do that since I guessed most of what would happen. However, the ending was as powerful and gut-wrenching emotional as they come. I expected it, but that didn’t detract from the impact.
Favorite Quotes:
~Feisty Kitten~
“All right, the alien testosterone right now is a little too much, and I really don’t want to have an alien brawl in my house on top of the broken window and the dead body that came through it.” I took a breath. “But if you two don’t knock it off, I’ll kick both your asses.” Now everyone was staring at me. “What?” I demanded, cheeks flushing.
A slow, wry smile teased Daemon’s lips. “Simmer down, Kitten, before I have to get you a ball of yarn to play with.”
~Leather Pants and Man-Candy~
By the time our heaping pile of breadsticks arrived, I’d almost convinced him that he’d be a perfect cover model for one of those books. “I don’t wear leather pants,” he said, biting into the garlicky and buttery goodness.
And that was a damn shame. “Still. You have the look.”
He rolled his eyes. “You just like me for my body. Admit it.”
“Well, yeah…”
His lashes lifted and his eyes glittered like jewels. “I feel like man-candy.”
