(Cover picture courtesy of Jennifer L. Armentrout’s site.)

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…

I have a confession to make.  This series is pretty much guilty pleasure for me.  It follows the pretty typical YA formula of girl meets hot jerk at school, falls in love, finds out he’s [x] supernatural being, etc.  Normally I would hate this with a passion.

And yet I don’t.

Katy may not know her mind like some of my favourite heroines, but she doesn’t take crap from anyone.  Not even Daemon Black.  When he at first tries to woo her she rejects him over and over because she remembered how he treated her like garbage for three months.  That sort of treatment just doesn’t go away overnight, no matter how many apologies are said.  Yet when Daemon actually starts to prove he’s really not a jerk you start to see Katy at war with herself as she becomes more attracted to this new Daemon while remembering how badly he treated her.

The thing that separates Onyx and the rest of the Lux series from most YA is that it’s well-written.  Dare I say that I literally laughed out loud because some parts were so funny?  (The people around me have now become inured to my book-laughter so I didn’t get the usual ‘crazy’ stares.)  At the same time, there were some very touching, serious scenes, especially toward the end of the novel.

I haven’t read a girl loves alien book yet so the premise is actually quite refreshing despite the overall formulaic approach.  Jennifer L. Armentrout’s alien race (the Lux) are truly fascinating and how the government treats them is disturbing.  And realistic.  I like how the full scope of Daemon’s power is revealed in slow increments rather than being thrown at us all at once.  The history of the Lux is also shown in greater detail in Onyx, especially concerning the Department of Defense’s relationship with them.

Is this the most unique book ever written?  Of course not.  However, Onyx is well-written, fast-paced, funny and touching at the same time.  The characters seem like your typical YA characters at first, but then Katy and Daemon acquire so much more depth.  They really grow throughout the books and I can’t wait to see what happens in Opal.

I give this book 4.5/5 stars.

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