Opal by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Series: Lux, Book Three

Publisher: Entangled

Format: Paperback

Published: 11^th September 2012

Number of Pages: 542

Book: Bought

Genre: Science-Fiction, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Fantasy, Romance, Thriller, Suspense, Action-Adventure, YA

Recommended Age: 14+

Contains: Violence, Swearing, Death, Alcohol and Sexual Reference

No Drug References

Author's Blog: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Warning: This review will be an excited rambling of a fangirl who is totally in love with a certain boy from this book.  You could read it and laugh, or, the recommended option, you could go and buy the book and then ramble yourself.

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 not 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 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.

                                                                   Review:

'Now it was do or die time.  All these months had led up to this…'

What do you do when someone you thought was dead suddenly reappears and comes home?  Only, they aren't the person you lost – not anymore.  Not after all they've gone through...

And they want to go back.  They were forced to leave behind the person they love more than anything, and not even family will stop them from going to rescue their love.

But Katy needs to try – for Daemon.  He's struggling to get by, and all the Luxen are waiting for the Department of Defence to strike back, to take them all down.

Meanwhile, they all just need to get by and act normal.

Which isn't easy when your boyfriend and his family are aliens and you aren't really human anymore either.  And when everyone is trying to deal with the terrible loss they've been hit by, and all the devastating outcomes.  And when people you hoped were long gone reappear and start causing complete chaos. 

Still, Katy's boyfriend is Daemon Black, the hottest person ever to walk the earth.  

Yeah.  The situation may be totally unstable and likely to blow up any minute and they are trying to pull off the biggest prison break since Mission Impossible was invented, but it has its perks... 

But seriously:  "You really shouldn't trust a soul in this game.  Not when everyone has something to gain or lose…"  Just a warning, guys…

My God, just when I was thinking the Lux series could not possibly get better: BAM!  It goes and increases the awesomeness by infinity.  And yes, just like all my reviews of this series, my review of Opal will be the pure rambling of an obsessed and infatuated fan girl.  Sorry, but what else can a girl do when she's head-over-heels in love?  Because that's what I am: totally in love with the Lux series – and, of course, the pure hotness-incarnate that is Daemon Black.  *swoon*

Alright, I'm back.  Back with my one and only criticism of Opal.  And what is that, you may ask?  Well, the fact that Jennifer is now officially THE QUEEN OF ALL EVIL, HORRIBLE, DREADFUL CLIFFHANGERS!!!  I mean, REALLY?  HOW CAN YOU LEAVE IT LIKE THAT?!?!  Do you WANT me to go COMPLETELY CRAZY?!  Cause if you do: YOU HAVE BEEN FREAKING SUCCESSFUL!!!!  Plus, YOU MADE MY HEART LITERALLY STOP!!!!  HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?!?!?!!!!

Ok.  I am so sorry about that.  I just can't get over that ending - check out my gif post and you'll understand.  I am officially in total and utter shock – think of the worst cliffhanger ever (the end of Shadow Kissed, The Golden Lily, all the Supernatural season finales, plus the Buffy Season Five finale all rolled into one) and then multiply it.  By like a squillion.  Add in a major heart attack, hyperventilating and an almost comatose state of shock.  Cause, you know, I'm pretty sure that cliffhanger is meant to give you a heart attack and then break it into a squillion pieces all at once.  Cause that's where my heart's at: seizing and broken beyond repair.  Imagine all of this and then you'll be where I am right now.  Good luck getting over it.  God knows I can't...  Like, ever.  I'm pretty sure – no, I am certain – that I have now been scarred for life.  Jeez, my heart hurts...

Onto better and brighter things though.  Namely: Daemon Black.  My newest, bested, favouritest book boyfriend.  Sure, he's prickly and obsessively protective and a bit macho-patriarchal-boy like, but man do I love him.  He's so sweet and cheeky and charming and gorgeous and loving and caring.  And all he has on his shoulders – all I wanted to do was wrap him up and take him home and never, ever let him leave.  That sounded really creepy, but that's not how I meant it.  I wanted to protect him like he protects everyone else, because everything he had to deal with... I just wanted to give him a break, y'know?  Keep him safe for a little while.  Plus, he really is perfect. And amazing.  And I love him.  Something Katy says about him amuses me:

"Who needed a flashlight when you had Daemon?"

My reaction amuses me more: Who needed freaking anything if they have Daemon?! 

As for Kat, may I say I love the new her.  She's strong and kickass and brave.  She had these moments where she was the strongest ever and willing to do absolutely anything to keep the people she cared about safe – these scared her, but I thought it just proved how much she loved Daemon.  Plus, again gotta mention her love of books: I love it when she goes squee-ey over books! 

Dee – god, poor Dee!  She wasn't in it much, which I don't blame her for, and we saw this whole new, kinda scary side of her.  But in the end, she's Dee and I'll always love her, strange, hyper alien she is.

And, 'cause I don't wanna give anything away, we'll just say that someone we thought was dead is really alive – and back.  We will call said someone X, for no real reason other than to be all mysterious.  And X was so, so damaged – I wanted to protect them too, bless X.  Sure, X was kinda weird and damaged and a little scary at times, but I loved X none the less.  Plus the conversation X had with Kat about zombies and surviving the zombie apocalypse was freaking hilarious!

As for Blake... I just can't make up my mind about that guy.  One minute, I'm feeling sorry for him.  The next minute?  Well, he's creepin' the heck outta me.  I seriously don't know what to do with the guy...

Have I mentioned yet that I adore all of these characters?  Like, seriously and totally love them all to pieces?  I have?  Oops.  Well, I'll tell y'all again.  I love them THIS MUCH!!!  By the way, I just held my arms out as wide as I can.  It's not enough.  I think I need to multiply it by a zillion to show how much I love Daemon – I mean, them: all of them...  Maybe a million zillion squillion...  

But most of all, I love the relationship between Katy and Daemon.  FINALLY they are together – which leads to many yummy kissing sessions.  HOT yummy kissing sessions.   And their love is so sweet and real and emotional and hot.  They are my new favourite book couple in the history of ever.

Opal was shaping out to be my fave yet.  I mean, we – I mean, Katy – was kissing Daemon more, there was more of everything I love about this series.  And then... well, it ended. Horribly.  As my afore-mentioned yelling revealed.  I had this feeling like halfway through that it wasn't going to end well.  That coupled with the fact that the next in the series doesn't come out til way too long meant I slowed right down in my reading, savouring every word and rereading my favourite passages over and over.  But this going slow did not work for long.  Oh no, Jennifer's writing is far too magic and funny and her plotlines are way too exciting and addictive and freaking awesome for that.  So I raced for the end... And, well, you know how that went down...

Still, this is my favourite in the series which is now, I think, my favourite series ever.  It has more action, more romance, more suspense, more humour and more Daemon than ever before and it has left me absolutely, deliriously, desperately desperate for more.  Like, right now.  I am going to literally go crazy waiting for the fourth – Origin.  *sniffles and goes to have a mental breakdown*

But seriously guys: if you haven't read the Lux series, you just have to.  Right now.  It is the most amazing series you'll ever read – there is literally nothing I can complain about, cliffhanger aside.  It's just so much fun, but is also more than just fun at the same time.  It's just more than I ever thought it would be when I bought Obsidian and more than I ever could have hoped for.  And I am now so in love I don't think I'll ever get over it, not that I want to.

So yes.  Please.  Read it.  Love it.  Ramble about it.  Scream at Opal's cliffhanger.  Just enjoy the ride – love every moment.  Series like this don't come along often and you should all be a part of this one. And even with all this rambling, I still haven't done it justice. 

P.S. Oh, and Obsidian, the first in this series, has been optioned for a film!!  A freaking FILM, people!!  FINALLY!!!  I am sooooo excited!!  

Hey, maybe I should do a new gif post about it...  Ok, I'm off to look for excited Supernatural gifs now... ;)

Star Rating:
5 Out of 5

It loses a star for the cliffhanger, and yet it's still on five whole stars - well, really it's about 5 billion.  That shows the amazingness, people.

Read this book if you liked:

Covenant by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Vampire Academy and Bloodlines by Richelle Mead

The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare

Grisha by Leigh Bardugo

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Challenges It's Taking Part In:

100 Books in a Year Reading Challenge 2013 (Hosted by Book ChickCity)

Happy Reading

Megan