Sentinel by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Title: Sentinel (Covenant #5)

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Publisher: Spencer Hill Press

Release Date: November 2, 2013

Source: Purchased

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository

It's a beautiful day for a war.

As the mortal world slowly slips into chaos of the godly kind, Alexandria Andros must overcome a stunning defeat that has left her shaken and in doubt of their ability to end this war once and for all.

And with all the obstacles between Alex and her happily-ever-after with the swoonworthy Aiden St. Delphi, they must now trust a deadly foe as they travel deep into the Underworld to release one of the most dangerous gods of all time.

In the stunning, action-packed climax to the bestselling Covenant series, Alex must face a terrible choice: the destruction of everything and everyone she holds dear…or the end of herself.

As much as I hate it when series get drawn out, I hate it when my favourite series come to an end. I'm always worried that I'm going to be disappointed by how everything turns out. So I was scared of Sentinel. But I shouldn't have worried, because Jennifer L. Armentrout couldn't have disappointed me even if she tried.

Ares is threatening everything and everyone Alex cares about and there's only one thing she can do to stop it all: kill the god of war. Piece of cake, right? But to do that, Alex needs to become the God Killer by feeding off of Seth's powers, though he might not let her do that. All Alex ever wanted was to protect Aiden and her friends, and she'll do anything to keep them safe. Even if that means having to beat the god of war at his own game.

I am always terrified of the last books in series and that terror was amplified with Sentinel because the Covenant series has become one of my favourites. And I knew what had to happen in this book and that only scared me that much more. But I really didn't have to worry because Jennifer L. Armentrout had it all under control. As I was reading, things that I had previously questioned started falling into place. And all of a sudden, I wasn't so worried anymore. Sure, I knew that there would be moments that would be painful (and there were!), but I had hope that things would work out for the best. And as a result, Sentinel took me on a bit of an emotional roller-coaster. I would go from laughing one minute to tearing up the next. I've become so attached to the people in this story, and I just didn't want anything to happen to them. But in the end, things worked out for the best. It might not have been how I would have wanted things to go, but I can say that I'm happy with how it all worked out.

Oh Alex. I'm really going to miss her. Over the course of the five Covenant novels I've come to really love and care about Alex. In Sentinel, I was so worried something bad would happen to Alex. And I had PLENTY of reasons to be worried. But in the end, Alex was Alex and did what she had to do (even if that terrified me at times). Though the person I was really terrified something would happen to was Aiden. If anything happened to him, my book would have been thrown out the window. Because Aiden is the fiercest, most caring and sweetest person ever, and I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm a little bit in love with him. The person that surprised me, though, was Seth. As much as I had once liked Seth, I had kind of lost all hope for him at this point. But he really came around in Sentinel and redeemed himself, even if he's still not perfect.

I couldn't have asked for a better conclusion to the Covenant series than the one I got in Sentinel. But even though I'm happen with the ending, I'm still going to really miss the story and the characters. Don't let the hype around everything Jennifer L. Armentrout scare you--if you haven't already given the Covenant series a try, you really should. 

Apollyon by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Title: Apollyon (Covenant #4)

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Publisher: Spencer Hill Press

Release Date: April 9, 2013

Source: ARC from Publisher

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository

Fate isn't something to mess with…an now, neither is Alex.

Alex has always feared two things: losing herself in the Awakening and being places on the Elixir. But love has always been stronger than Fate, and Aiden St. Delphi is wiling to make war on the gods--and Alex herself--to bring her back.

The gods have killed thousands and could destroy entire cities in their quest to stop Seth from taking Alex's power and becoming the all-powerful God Killer. But breaking Alex's connection to Seth isn't the only problem. There are a few pesky little loopholes in the whole "an Apollyon can't be killed" theory, and the only person who might know how to stop the destruction has been dead for centuries. 

Finding their way past the barriers that guard the Underworld, searching for one soul among countless millions, and then somehow returning will be hard enough. Alex might be able to stop Seth from becoming the God Killer…or she might become the God Killer herself. 

If you've been following this blog for any period of time, you will probably know by now that I am a huge Jennifer L. Armentrout fan and that I absolutely adore the Covenant series, no matter how many times it's managed to break my heart. After everything that happened in Deity, I was quite apprehensive when I picked up Apollyon but I should have known it wouldn't disappoint me.

Now that she has Awakened, Alex Andros is connected to Seth, the Apollyon who now has the potential to become the God Killer. Alex's friends have to find a way to sever the bond between Alex and Seth, and keep her far enough way that he won't be able to drain her of all her powers. But the newly Awakened Alex isn't as cooperative as could be. And that won't stop Aiden St. Delphi. He's determined to stop Seth and get Alex back, even if that means going against the gods. But at this time, that's the least of their concerns.

After reading Deity, I was majorly terrified of reading Apollyon. I was terrified of what it would do to my poor heart. And then I started reading, and what I was reading seemed to be pointing in that direction. But I shouldn't have worried too much. While it did take me on a crazy emotional ride, it didn't rip my heart to shreds the way I thought it would. The story itself was a little crazy. As if often the case with Jennifer L. Armentrout's books, there was never a dull moment. The story picks up immediately after Deity and from there the action never stopped. And as I've come to expect with any book by Jennifer L. Armentrout, the romance was just how I liked it in Apollyon. But it wasn't just the romance this time around that got to me, it was all the other relationships between the characters. At times it was the incredible friendships, old and new, and even the different relationships between those who were family. There was never a moment when those relationships didn't feel real. And that was true all the way to the end. And the ending, though it wasn't quite as heartbreaking as the ones in the past, it still left me with a lot of questions about what's going to come next.

Oh Alex. How I have come to love you over the course of these four books. Though I have to admit I was kind of worried that Alex would be her ever wonderful Awakened self throughout the whole book. And I mean as delightful (and by delightful I mean an incredible pain) as she was now that was linked to Seth, it would have gotten old fast. But I should have known better, Alex was soon back to being the Alex I love, with her different actions pulling at my heartstrings. And Aiden was better than ever. He was absolutely determined to get Alex back, and I loved seeing that fiercely determined side of him. If I wasn't already in love with him, this would have done it. Seth on the other had, has his scary moments if only because he thought what he was doing was for the greater good. But then he had these moments where he started doubting everything, and in those moments, I saw flashes of that old Seth that I liked once upon a time. And there are some other characters that make appearances that caused me to start tearing up but I will leave it at that.

Jennifer L. Armentrout's Apollyon did not disappoint. Despite how terrified I was when I first started reading, it didn't take long for me to once again become completely hooked to this story. If you haven't already given Armentrout's Covenant series, you really should. Odds are it won't be long before you become just as hooked as I am.

Deity by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Title: Deity (Covenant #3)

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Publisher: Spencer Hill Press

Release Date: November 6, 2012

Source: Purchased

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository

"History is on repeat, and things didn't go so well the last time."

Alexandria isn't sure she's going to make it to her eighteenth birthday--to her Awakening. A long-forgotten, fanatical order is out to kill her, and if the Council ever discovers what she did in the Catskills, she's a goner…and so is Aiden.

If that's not freaky enough, whenever Alex and Seth spend time "training"--which really is just Seth's code word for some up-close and personal one-on-one time--she ends up with another mark of the Apollyon, which brings her one step closer to Awakening ahead of schedule. Awesome.

But as her birthday draws near, her entire world shatters with a startling revelation and she's caught between love and Fate. One will do anything to protect her. One has been lying to her since the beginning. Once the gods have revealed themselves, unlashing their wrath, lives will be irrevocably changed…and destroyed.

Those left standing will discover if love is truly greater than Fate...

It shouldn't come as a surprise to any of you that I am a big fan of Jennifer L. Armentrout books, both her Covenant and Lux series, so I was beyond excited at the prospect of being able to read Deity. I had to put off reading it for a little while because of school work but once I was finally able to sit down to read it, it was totally worth it.

Back at the Covenant after what happened while in upstate New York, Alex is constantly worried that everyone will find out about what she did during the daimon attacks. If anyone were to ever find out what she did and what Aiden had to do as a result it would be the end for both of them. But that's not all. With her birthday quickly approaching, Alex can't help but worry about her Awakening as the second coming of the Apollyon and everything that entails. And as much as she likes Seth she can't help but worry about what's going to happen once she becomes his own personal source of power. 

As Alex would say, holy daimon babies this book. There was just some much going on and I just couldn't bear to put the book down for even one moment. The story picks up shortly after the events at the end of Pure and I no one was really sure what was going to happen to any of them. But this book was definitely a book about revelations because there were a great many of them. And let me just say that you shouldn't really trust anything you know about anyone at this point because they will surprise you in more ways than one. The romance in Deity was also kicked up a notch. After reading so many of her books, I knew that Jennifer L. Armentrout could do hot and steamy romance but here there was something beyond that and it was almost more delicate. But the ending is what killed me and it left me more or less broken. After everything that had happened over the course of the book, my heart just broke while I was reading the last few pages. 

Ever since I read the first book, I have been more or less in love with many of the characters in this book. Alex is the kind of girl I like to read about in books. She's had to go through so much, but she somehow manages to come out stronger because of it. But in Deity things change for her and I'll be interested to see how everything pans out in future books. While reading Pure, I had found myself liking Seth more and more but I may have changed my mind after having read Deity. I don't really want to say anything about it to prevent spoilers, but things definitely change. Aiden on the other hand, stole my heart. As much as I had my doubts about him in Pure, he came back with a vengeance in Deity. I am not completely beyond stealing him from Alex and keeping him for myself. One character I've never really talked about before is Leon. He was always just sort of around and never really did anything much that made it so I should mention him. But definitely keep an eye one him while reading Deity because he will probably take you completely by surprise. I can say I really didn't see it coming.

Deity took my on a crazy adventure and by the end of the book my heart was completely broken. That ending is just a complete killer. But that's what made the book so fantastic in my eyes. And I know for sure that I can't wait for Apollyon.

Deity Trailer & Apollyon Cover Reveal

Today I am incredibly lucky to be taking part in a double reveal for Jennifer L. Armentrout's Covenant series. Before I going on, let me just say that I absolutely adore this series and I couldn't be more excited to be part of this today. So keep reading to get a look at the trailer for Deity, the third book in the series coming out next month, as well as your first look at the gorgeous cover for Apollyon, the fourth book in the series coming out April 2013.

Deity (The third book in the Covenant Series)
Available in both print and digital version on Nov. 6, 2012
Amazon
Barnes and Noble

Official Deity Book Trailer 

Did you read an ARC of Deity and been dying to get your hands on Elixir, the novella told in Aiden’s POV and picks up right after the end of Deity? Well, you don’t have to wait any longer. The free novella is available now. DO NOT read Elixir if you have not read Deity. It will spoil Deity for you and not to mention, you will have no idea what is going on.

Elixir will be available in print. Kindle, and Nook formats on November 27, 2012.

Click HERE to read Elixir.

And we’re super excited to share the cover for the 4^th book in the Covenant Series, Apollyon, which is due out April 2013.

The Author:

Check out Jennifer L. Armentrout on the following sites:

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Waiting on Wednesday (50)

For those of you who don't know, Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine where book bloggers devote a post to an upcoming book release they are particularly looking forward to.

THIS WEEK'S PICK:

DEITY BY JENNIFER L. ARMENTROUT

History is on repeat, and things didn't go so well the last time.

Alexandria isn't sure she's going to make it to her eighteenth birthday--to her Awakening. A long-forgotten, fanatical order is out to kill her, and if the Council ever discovers what she did in the Catskills, she's a goner…and so is Aiden.

If that's not freaky enough, whenever Alex and Seth spend time "training"--which really is just Seth's code word for some up-close and personal one-on-one time--she ends up with another mark of the Apollyon, which brings her one step closer to Awakening ahead of schedule. Awesome.

But as there birthday draws near, her entire world shatters with a startling relegation and she's caught between love and Fate. One will do anything to protect her. One has been lying to her since the beginning. Once the gods have revealed themselves, unleashing their wrath, lives will be irrevocably changed…and destroyed. 

Those left standing will discover if love is truly greater than Fate.

So far I have love everything I have read by Jennifer L. Armentrout, whether it be her Covenant series or her Lux series. Deity will be the third book published in her Covenant series and I can't wait to read it. I am (im)patiently waiting for more Alex, Aiden and Seth to see what will happen to all of them. November can't come soon enough!

Deity by Jennifer L. Armentrout will be published November 6, 2012 by Spencer Hill Press. 

Pure by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Title: Pure (Covenant #2)

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Publisher: Spencer Hill Press

Release Date: April 3, 2012

Source: Purchased

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository

There is need…and then there is fate.

Being destined to become some kind of supernatural electrical outlet isn't exactly awesome--especially when Alexandria's "other half" is everywhere she goes. Seth's in her training room, outside her classes, and keeps showing up in her bedroom--so not cool. Their connection does have some benefits, like staving off her nightmares of the tragic showdown with her mother, but it has no effect on what Alex feels for the forbidden, pure-blooded Aiden. Or what he will do--and sacrifice--for her.

When daimons infiltrate the Covenants and attack students, the gods send furies--lesser gods determined to eradicate any threat to the Covenants and to the gods, and that includes the Apollyon…and Alex. And if that and hordes of aether-sucking monsters didn't blow bad enough, a mysterious threat seems willing to do anything to neutralize Seth, even if that means forcing Alex into servitude…or killing her.

When the gods are involved, some decisions can never, ever be undone.

How much do I love Jennifer L. Armentrout and her Covenant series? Basically, A LOT. I loved Half-Blood when I read it late last year and Pure was even better if that is at all possible. Unlike a lot of sequels, Pure definitely di not fall flat. It was just seriously fantastic.

Being back at the Covenant isn't as easy as Alex thought it was going to be, especially when dealing with the aftermath of the showdown with her daimon mother. And considering she's the second Apollyon, Alex has a lot on her plate. And that's not even counting her boy troubles. Because Alex wants to be with Aiden, but that can never happen because relationships between pures and halfs are strictly forbidden. And then there's Seth, her "other half" who always seems to be around when Alex doesn't want him to be, especially at night, in her bedroom. But at least he keeps her nightmares away. And because that isn't enough, daimons attack the Covenant, sending everyone into a panic. Except that Alex isn't afraid of the daimons, she's more afraid of being sent into servitude.

I absolutely love Jennifer L. Armentrout and the Covenant series. If I thought Half-Blood was awesome, it was nothing compared to Pure. Pure was incredible and I loved every page of it. There was just so much going on in this book and that's definitely something I loved about it. Every page there was something new happening and it made it so I was unable to put down the book until I had read the whole thing. I just have so much love for this book and everything that happened in it. It was simply awesome, I don't really have any other word for it.

Much like I love the story in this book, I absolutely love the characters. Alex is fantastic. She's so strong and despite everything that happens to her, she always comes out the other side. And that more than anything is what makes me love her as much as I do. And Aiden, as much as I love him, frustrated me to no end. I mean, I understood why he said and did the things he did, but I was still majorly annoyed with him. Especially when he kept going back and forth. And because I was so annoyed with Aiden I started liking Seth a lot more. He was really there for Alex and that definitely won him points with me. That and some of his other behavior I can't really talk about without spoiling some of the story.

Pure was simply amazing and there is nothing that isn't to love about this book. Jennifer L. Armentrout is a fantastic writer and I will pretty much read anything she write in the future.