Waiting on Wednesday | The Problem with Forever by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly feature created by Jill at Breaking The Spine.

The Problem with Forever by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Expected Publication Date: May 17, 2016
Pages: 480
Find on Goodreads

Goodreads Description

For some people, silence is a weapon. For Mallory “Mouse” Dodge, it’s a shield. Growing up, she learned that the best way to survive was to say nothing. And even though it’s been four years since her nightmare ended, she’s beginning to worry that the fear that holds her back will last a lifetime.

Now, after years of homeschooling with loving adoptive parents, Mallory must face a new milestone—spending her senior year at public high school. But of all the terrifying and exhilarating scenarios she’s imagined, there’s one she never dreamed of—that she’d run into Rider Stark, the friend and protector she hasn’t seen since childhood, on her very first day.

It doesn’t take long for Mallory to realize that the connection she shared with Rider never really faded. Yet the deeper their bond grows, the more it becomes apparent that she’s not the only one grappling with the lingering scars from the past. And as she watches Rider’s life spiral out of control, Mallory faces a choice between staying silent and speaking out—for the people she loves, the life she wants, and the truths that need to be heard.

Why I'm Waiting

I've only ever read the Lux series by Jennifer L. Armentrout and honestly that is reason enough for me to check out any of her other work. The Lux series offered endless amounts of entertainment while still touching on some serious topics. For that series alone I going to try to read Jennifer L. Armentrout/J. Lynn book that has been published at least.

With all that being said, the summary sounds really interesting. From the description there seems like the main character might have some type of lingering trauma from some type of abuse. I feel like this is going to be one of those contemporaries that's going to give me all types of feels because of the problems the two main characters need to work through and because of the romance I'm sure will be included in this. I'm really excited for this release!

Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite New to Me Authors

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted at Broke and Bookish.

This week theme is:

Top Ten New-To-Me Favorite Authors I Read For The First Time In 2015

I was starting this week's Top Ten Tuesday when I realized that although most of the books I've read so far this year have been by new to me authors, I can't consider all of them my favorites. This may be because I've only read one book by that author, or it could be because what I was just wasn't my favorite. So instead of my top ten, I'm going to be doing my top 5 favorite new to me authors of 2015.

1. Jennifer L. Armentrout - During a time when I wasn't reading at all because school had was just too busy, I spent a lot of time watching booktube (to supplement my reading in a way). A lot of different people were talking about Jennifer L. Armentrout, especially her Lux series so one day I decided to get the ebook of Obsidian to see if it was as good as everyone was talking about. I was immediately sucked in and ended up reading the entire series over the next few weeks.

2. Julie Kagawa - She was one of the authors I kind of stumbled upon on Goodreads. I kept seeing the first cover of Immortal Rules but kept passing over it because the cover looked cheesy. One day I finally decided to read the summary and since it was on sale on Amazon I got the ebook. Like with the Lux series I was hooked. I also went right into the second book. I have also heard some really good things about her other series, so I would like to get to them at some point.

3. Bella Forrest - I think when it came to her series I read, it was what I needed to read at that time. This was the first thing I had read after going back to college after winter break. The series was fast paced and since they were so cheap I just kept reading until I finally wanted to read something a little different. 

4. Lindy Zart - It is hard for me to say that she is one of my favorite authors because I've only read 2 of her books. If we are only looking at new to me authors in 2015, she is definitely one of them. While they weren't the absolute best books I've ever read they were still enjoyable. I will consider reading more of her novels in the future.

5. Neal Shusterman - Although I only read one book by him so far this year, I can definitely say this is one of my favorite new to me authors of 2015. I read Unwind and it was such an interesting novel, I was intrigued to read the rest of the series and check out some of his other books. I'm not sure if I will get to that by the end of this year but I will make sure to do that.

Opal (Lux #3) by Jennifer L. Armentrout | Review

Opal (Lux #3) by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Publication Date: December 11, 2012
Genre: YA, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Sci-Fi
Pages: 382
Source: Purchased for Kindle
First Line: "I wasn't sure what woke me."
Find on Goodreads

Goodreads Description
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.

My Thoughts

The third book in the Lux series picks up right after the end of the last one, so if you haven't read the first two books I would strongly suggest you not to read this review until you catch up. I will be spoiling a lot since I wanted to talk about this the first time I read this and I didn't have anyone to talk about it with. So much happened in this book so I will try to only talk about a few things.

At the end of Onyx Dawson comes home but as can be expected he isn't the same as he used to be. His family and friends are having a hard time accepting that. Katy is the only one who follows the moment whenever she encounters him and tries to get everyone else, especially Daemon to see things from his point of view. Although a lot didn't seem to happen, I really enjoyed the relationship between Dawson and Katy. They were very supportive of each other when it was needed and Katy help Dawson open up so he could reconnect with his family.

I didn't like how Dee didn't want to be friends with Katy. Katy did make some bad choices but everything that happened wasn't completely her fault. Even though Katy wasn't the one that decided not to tell Dee about her new powers in Onyx and Katy didn't kill Adam Dee still blamed her for everything. Dee used to be one of my favorite characters but after this I was really irritated with her.

Oh yeah, and Blake is back.



Not only does he come back after everything that happened in Onyx. He blackmails Daemon and Katy into helping him get his Luxen. Then he tells Dawson so they really have no choice if they don't want Dawson to go running off and get captured again. I never did like Blake and how he acted during this book didn't help his case at all, especially when he was sneaking into her room and sleeping with her at night. I didn't even feel sorry for him when she did. I never believed Blake was on their side and I was right.

I think Luc is one of my new favorite characters. When he was introduced I thought he was creepy and there was more to his story than he was telling. Since I'm rereading the series I already know what it is and I'm not talking about it until it comes up. If you haven't read this series you should be giving him this look.



The last thing I want to talk about is Daemon. So much has changed in Daemon and Katy's relationship by this book. Daemon becomes that almost perfect boyfriend that every girl wishes for. He isn't perfect because to be honest that would be boring. Daemon makes it very clear that Katy is the only one he wants. There arguments over little stuff was frustrating but that was because I felt like I was the one arguing with Daemon over those things. Everything that happened between them made the relationship seem real. My heart broke for Daemon at the end Opal!

I'm always looking for people to discuss with, so if you have already read this book/series or you are currently reading it feel free to leave me a comment and we can talk! I'm also thinking about starting one of Jennifer's other series so if anyone has any recommendations for me, leave those in the comments as well!

I was trying something new with the gifs, trying to break up the paragraphs. Do you like it it or is it too much?

Onyx (Lux #2) by Jennifer L. Armentrout | Review

Onyx (Lux #2) by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Publication Date: August 14, 2012
Genre: YA, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Sci-Fi
Pages: 366
Source: Purchased for Kindle
First Line: "Ten seconds passed between when Daemon Black took his seat and when he poked me under my shoulder blade with his trust pen."
Find on Goodreads

Goodreads Description

Being connected to Daemon Black sucks…

Thanks to his alien mojo, Daemon’s determined to prove what he feels for me is more than a product of our bizarro connection. So I’ve sworn him off, even though he’s running more hot than cold these days. But we’ve got bigger problems.

Something worse than the Arum has come to town…

The Department of Defense are here. If they ever find out what Daemon can do and that we're linked, I’m a goner. So is he. And there's this new boy in school who’s got a secret of his own. He knows what’s happened to me and he can help, but to do so, I have to lie to Daemon and stay away from him. Like that's possible. Against all common sense, I'm falling for Daemon. Hard.

But then everything changes…

I’ve seen someone who shouldn’t be alive. And I have to tell Daemon, even though I know he’s never going to stop searching until he gets the truth. What happened to his brother? Who betrayed him? And what does the DOD want from them—from me?

No one is who they seem. And not everyone will survive the lies...

My Thoughts

* contains spoilers

There is so much that happened in this book that I want to talk about! I'm only going to talk about a few though because I don't want to give away the whole story, unless someone wants to discuss!

At the end of Obsidian, I had a feeling I was going to have some problems with Katy and Daemon's relationship. And I was right! For the first half of the book Katy is trying to deny their feelings for each other. Every time something intimate happened between them she was always quick to say Daemon didn't like her or the attraction was only because of the alien bond they had. It took two different people telling her that the bond didn't force romantic feelings for Katy to finally start considering that Daemon might actually like her.

One of the more exciting things that happened in this book is learning about Katy's new powers. There was a hint of this at the end of Obsidian but it's not the same. Experiencing these moments with Katy is like watching a kid try to ride a bike without training wheels for the first time. It's funny at times but it's really risky especially since the DoD is in town trying to figure out how their satellite had been blown up.

Along with the DoD came Blake. I didn't like Blake from the moment he was introduced. That was partly because I felt like he was being added to create a love triangle but at the same time something just didn't seem right about him to me. Even after I found out his secret, that he was like Katy, I felt like he knew way too much for someone who had to learn everything (about what he was, how it happened, about the other types of aliens, how the government was involved, and how to control his powers) by himself. Blake's need to see some tremendous progress of Katy's skill and the constant escalation of their training session (throwing a knife at her and taking her out the protective perimeter of the quartz to fight an Arum) and his mood swings didn't help either.

The last big point I want to talk about is Matthew. I don't trust him! He seems to get better in the fact that he isn't always staring Katy down, or questioning Daemon's action but I still get a bad vibe from him. When Daemon goes to talk to him says he didn't know there was a possibility of Dawson being alive but I didn't believe him. I'm not sure what it is but I don't trust him. 

Have you read this book? What did you think about it? Anything that I didn't mention that you want to talk about? Comment below!

Obsidian (Lux #1) by Jennifer L Armentrout | Review

Obsidian (Lux #1) by Jennifer L Armentrout
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Publication Date: May 8th 2012
Genre: YA, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Sci-Fi
Pages: 335
Source: Purchased for Kindle
Find on Goodreads

Goodreads Description

Starting over sucks.

When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I’d pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring… until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.

And then he opened his mouth.

Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something… unexpected happens. 

The hot alien living next door marks me.

You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon’s touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I’m getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades. 

If I don’t kill him first, that is.

My Thoughts

I already read this entire serious and I enjoyed it so much I was a bit on the fence about rereading and actually reviewing it. I figured it would be better to reread this then not have content up because I'm taking forever to read a new book. 

Going back into the beginning of the series, I forgot about how much I didn't like Daemon at first. He was extremely rude. Even when you could tell he was attracted to Katy, he acted like she had personally done something wrong to him and his family by moving in next door. There were moments when Daemon acted normally, which I was really grateful for. If those moments weren't there I might have had to stop reading the books. Once there was more backstory given on Daemon and Dee I understood why Daemon acted the way he did towards Katy but it was still excessive.

Daemon and Katy bantering were my favorite scenes. No matter what Daemon said Katy was right there with him. She wasn't some defenseless girl, hopelessly in love with this new guy who was nothing but rude to her. Although she was attracted to him, she didn't let that take over her she responded to him. Watching them go back and forth was often light, funny, and even steamy at times.

The actions scenes were another favorite. They were fast paced and exciting! As much as Daemon did to try to push Katy away from his family, he was always there to protect when needed. And as many times as he tried to give an excuse for the reason he saved her, it was obvious that it was because he didn't want anything to happen to her even if it wasn't his fault. The action scenes, as well as some of the scenes when Daemon opened up, helped to make the book more than Daemon being extremely moody and rude and Katy questioning what she ever did to him.

Overall I really liked the this book! Daemon's mood swings took away some of the enjoyment but I think this was still worth the read. This series gets so much better and I'm pretty sure we don't have to deal with too much more of the Daemon we were shown in this first book.

Top Ten Tuesday #3

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted at Broke and Bookish. Each week there is a topic and we list off our top ten items based on that topic.

Books/Series to Read If You Liked the Twilight Series (And If You Didn't!)

I'm pretty sure by now everyone has heard of the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer either by reading the books or watching the movies or both. A lot of people were on one extreme or the other when it came to this series but I was in the middle. It wasn't my favorite series but for the most part I still enjoyed it. As I check out more blogs, I realize that I haven't read that many books compared to some others, at least that I can remember, so I wanted to pick something that I remembered and that I was sure a lot of people were familiar with. If you liked the Twilight Series, and even if you didn't, here are some recommendations to other books or series you may enjoy. Just a precaution, I'm really bad at explaining what a book is about but I will try my best.

*Pictures link to book page on Goodreads

The Host by Stephenie Meyer - I hear a lot of people talking about the Twilight series but I don't hear too much about this one. I read this right after I finished the Twilight series and I loved it. This is basically about aliens who come to take over the earth by inserting themselves inside human bodies. For those who did not like the Twilight series I would still recommend you check this out.

Lux Series by Jennifer L. Armentrout - I have been hearing about this series a lot more lately but I only discovered it within the last year. This series was so fun and action packed I got through each book in about 2 to 3 days. I loved this series so much that I would like to reread it, even though it hasn't been that long since I finished it! 

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead - This is another popular vampire series and was one of my favorite series. I started this series when the first 2 or 3 books were out and the rest as they came out. This series took a different approach than the Twilight series. One group of vampires in this series is similar to Twilight series vampires while still having a more traditional form in the other group of vampires. The Moroi are the vampires that are alive and use dhampirs, like the narrator and our main heroine, for protection from the Strigoi, the undead vampires. This series kept me interested from the beginning to the end, and even when it ended I wanted more.

Blood of Eden by Julie Kagawa - This is a vampire series that I don't hear too many people talk about. Like the Vampire Academy series, there is a strong heroine. She claims to only be looking out for herself but she is always willing to help out others even if puts herself in danger. Her morals are even carried over when she becomes a vampire and has to fight her instincts. I haven't finished this series yet but I definitely recommend this, especially since I flew through the first two.

Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz - This was another series I grew up with but never actually finished. I think I actually have all the books now so I plan to reread and finish this series. This is another series about vampires but this one was different from all the others. One of the most interesting things is that the vampires were not made but came from the recycled bloodlines of fallen angles, the Blue Bloods. This series was full of certain family expectations and forbidden relationships. Honestly, I think I mostly stuck around for one of the main relationships. Although one of my favorite parts was the romance between certain characters the overall story that I read was entertaining.

A Shade of Vampire by Bella Forrest - I wondered if I should even include this series in this list. I wouldn't say this is my favorite series, not even my favorite about vampires. However, this series was fast, entertaining, and kinda addictive. I would finish one and since they were so cheap for the kindle I would just go get the next one and immediately start reading it. For the price I think it would be worth it to at least check at the first book in the series and make your own opinions from there.

These are the books/series that stick in my mind that readers that enjoyed the Twilight series might enjoy. Let me know if you have any recommendations of your own!