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Wednesday, February 6, 2013

NICOLE'S REVIEW: Opal by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Title: Opal
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Format Acquired: Paperback
Publication Date: December 11 2012
Publishing House: Entangled Teen
ISBN: 9781620210091
Source of Copy: Purchased from Fully Booked

Summary:

 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.

(Image and information courtesy of Goodreads; Summary lifted from actual book)

Review:

Opal is the third book in the Lux series, if you're reading this and you're curious about the series you can check out my take on the first two books Obsidian and Onyx.

Frankly, Opal took me by surprise. Out of the three books, I suppose I can say that I like this one the best. Opal still has its issues and is still quite predictable but it's nonetheless an easy, enjoyable read - my guilty pleasure. 

In Opal we are once again reunited with Katy and Daemon - finally together. I like the romance here better because it actually seems more real and believable. Daemon, after accepting the fact that he and Katy belong together, is totally sweet on the girl. He's still as protective and possessive but I really don't think that's bound to change. I had no problems with Daemon whatsoever - what a surprise! - he's a typical YA male love interest but it's something I can easily live with - at least he wasn't going out of his way to be a jerk, right? 

Now while I was fine with Daemon, I had a few issues with Katy. After the events of the last two books and the things the girl's been through, there's no doubt that she's going to go through some changes. She's tougher now, more willing to fight and she's realizing that she's willing to do anything for the man she loves - which scares her - but all these insights conflict with how she acts sometimes. She's constantly on the verge of tears and constantly defying Daemon like she needs to prove something - I mean who's spent more time as an alien and has control over his powers, huh? She had these little fits of jealousy too and I managed to overlook those but there was this one little scene that I could not ignore and for some odd reason managed to irritate me to no end. It's the scene where Katy has to contact Blake - she had to ask Daemon how she was supposed to do it even when she obviously still had his cellphone number. It made her seem totally dependent on Daemon and quite incapable. It's probably just me but I couldn't get over that scene and it made her seem incredibly dim-witted and slow. The development for the secondary characters was okay though. It wasn't exactly great but at least the author gave us a glimpse of how they were faring after losing one of their kin. Armentrout also introduced new players to the game but sadly she doesn't give us much information on them.

As for the plot, I can say that the events that unfolded were quite predictable and I wasn't really surprised to see Blake back in Opal - with more sinister intentions of course. It was bound to happen sometime. The book is basically about Dawson, Daemon's brother, trying to save Beth and watching as our protagonists are backed into a corner and walked into an obvious trap. A few characters were killed off but their deaths felt like nothing more but a sure way to tie up some loose ends - answering the question about what happened to the missing kids in the previous books. As for that ending - really, should I even be surprised? I was kind of betting that something along those lines was bound to happen.

Opal, truthfully, felt like a transitional book - something to set us up for the next installment in the series. Sure it's here that we see the characters cope with their grief and we watch them try to sort through their conflicted emotions, but plot-wise? Nothing really much happened aside from driving home the fact that some people just cannot be trusted. The addition of the opal to add to their arsenal of precious gems only added more drama and tension to the story aside from its cliffhanger ending. A reason though as to why I can't give Opal - or any of the other books actually - a rating higher than a 3.5 is because I'm kind of iffy of the whole Luxen vs Arum thing because background information is vague at best. Throw in the DoD and their creepy facility and some things just don't add up.

Am I looking forward to the next book in the series? You betcha, especially since I hear it's going to be told in Katy's and Damon's alternating POVs. 


Rating:


 
                          


2 comments:

  1. I love this series. It's really sad how much. :) I am a new follower of your blog. I found you on book blogs. Please follow me back at sychofaeriesbookobsession.blogspot.com Thanks

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    Replies
    1. Hahaha! I understand why people like the series though. Thanks for following! We'll be sure to check out your blog. :>

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