REVIEW: Every Last Breath (The Dark Elements #3) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Title: Every Last Breath
Series: The Dark Elements #3
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Published: July 28th 2015
Format: Paperback | Pages: 378
Genres: Young Adult, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy, Romance
Source: Amazon

Jennifer L. Armentrout | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Some loves will last ’til your dying breath

Every choice has consequences—but seventeen-year-old Layla faces tougher choices than most. Light or darkness. Wickedly sexy demon prince Roth, or Zayne, the gorgeous, protective Warden she never thought could be hers. Hardest of all, Layla has to decide which side of herself to trust.

Layla has a new problem, too. A Lilin—the deadliest of demons—has been unleashed, wreaking havoc on those around her…including her best friend. To keep Sam from a fate much, much worse than death, Layla must strike a deal with the enemy while saving her city—and her race—from destruction.

Torn between two worlds and two different boys, Layla has no certainties, least of all survival, especially when an old bargain comes back to haunt them all. But sometimes, when secrets are everywhere and the truth seems unknowable, you have to listen to your heart, pick a side—and then fight like hell…

I have to make a confession. I feel like I have committed a huge, bookish cardinal sin. Maybe I should explain the reason before I just blurt it out. See this book has been weighing on me. The whole Roth versus Zayne thing has had me more freaked out than normal to finish a series. I love a good love triangle but this one is so different because I was not putting my trust in the author to make a decision on how this would turn out, I was putting it in my peers. That's a tough pill to swallow! And if I'm being honest...had I known that before I ever read the first book...I might have never started this series in the first place which sucks to even think about. This whole thing is the reason that, even though I pre-ordered Every Last Breath and received it on release day, I waited until now to finally stop procrastinating and just finish the series.

I was only about 15-20 pages in but I just couldn't put my heart into it. It wasn't holding my attention. My brain just kept going Zayne? Roth? Zayne? Roth? Zayne? Roth? It just wouldn't stop! I needed to know so I could quiet my head and embrace this book fully. I knew deep down that either way it went, no matter what would happen with my ship I would be able to finish the book in peace if only I knew.

Sigh.

I stopped where I was...and read the last page before I went on.

I know! I feel so wrong saying it! Unclean. But you know what? It worked.

Okay. Enough of being silly. I really won't be able to say a whole lot about this book since it's the final book in a series so it's hard to come up with a lot to say that wouldn't be spoiler-ish in any way. Even though on the inside my heart is screaming all of the things that it wants me to talk about.

Once I finally got into it this book was really hard to put down. It's been a while since I finished the previous books so I was worried going in that I'd feel a bit lost without going back and rereading. But it didn't take long before I fell back into this world easily and everything came rushing back.

What I love about JLA's books is that she knows how to write a really strong and ass kicking heroine. Layla is no exception. I feel like this final book is where I loved her character the most. She had so much weighing on her throughout the entire book and I loved how even though she was scared on the inside, outwardly she rarely let that show and she had her head on straight when I feel like the average person would crack under everything that was on her shoulders and in her mind.

The other thing I love about her books is her boys. She writes the boys that you instantly fall for, the ones who even when they're being cocky as all hell make you want to smile and sigh and make you fall even harder. Roth and Zayne are both perfect examples. They both have such good qualities to them that deep down I knew that however it went I could've been happy. Though I did have my hopes set a wee bit higher on one side before going in. But that's all I'm going to say about that.

It's difficult to really try to think of anything else to say. I mean there's a million things I'd love to go on and on and on about but this review would end up way too long and...you people who haven't read this one yet would end up hating me for saying to much. So I'll just leave it at this.

This book, heck this whole series, had everything I've come to expect from Jennifer L. Armentrout. An ass kicking, badass heroine. Swoon worthy guys you'll lose your heart over. Hilarious banter and laugh out loud moments. It filled me up with so many different emotions. One minute I'd be laughing so hard and the next my heart's being ripped out of my chest. You really feel everything when you step into one of her worlds and I couldn't have asked for a better conclusion.

REVIEW: Stone Cold Touch (The Dark Elements #2) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Title/Series: Stone Cold Touch | The Dark Elements #2
Author: Jennifer L. Armentorut
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Published: October 21st 2014
Format: Paperback | Pages: 446
Genre: YA, Paranormal, Romance
Source: Amazon
★★★★★ (5/5) Stars!!!

Jennifer L. Armentrout | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Every touch has its price

Layla Shaw is trying to pick up the pieces of her shattered life—no easy task for a seventeen-year-old who’s pretty sure things can’t get worse. Her impossibly gorgeous best friend, Zayne, is forever off-limits thanks to the mysterious powers of her soul-stealing kiss. The Warden clan that has always protected her is suddenly keeping dangerous secrets. And she can barely think about Roth, the wickedly hot demon prince who understood her in ways no one else could.

But sometimes rock bottom is only the beginning. Because suddenly Layla’s powers begin to evolve, and she’s offered a tantalizing taste of what has always been forbidden. Then, when she least expects it, Roth returns, bringing news that could change her world forever. She’s finally getting what she always wanted, but with hell literally breaking loose and the body count adding up, the price may be higher than Layla is willing to pay…

Malice and righteous anger rolled off him in waves.

I swear I say this every single time I finish one of her books, but, seriously...how in the heck does she do it? Every. Single. Freaking. Time! It's like she has enchanted fingers and everything she writes just wraps itself around your heart and I never even have a chance. I pick up her books knowing I'm going to love them the only question I'll have is who...or what in some cases, she's going to have me swooning over next. Yet the deeper I get into this series the more I realize how much it just plain sucks that my version of happily ever after for Layla is depending on all of you out there. The more I think about it the unhappier it makes me. I don't think that I've ever quite had my feelings this invested into a love triangle situation as I have now. I just have to take a deep breath and hope for the best.

An odd smile marked his eerily beautiful face, a contrast to the sullen expression he was wearing before.

I'm not even sure where to begin or go with this review next, to have to try to express my feelings on it without going into the spoiler zone. Stone Cold Touch was so hard to read, obviously not because I thought it was a terrible book I freaking loved it! But because of the events that take place within the pages, and I don't just mean the whole Zayne vs Roth dilemma. There were twists and turns that I wasn't expecting. This book was good with keeping me guessing at each turn of the page. There were betrayals that, if I'm being honest here, I saw coming, but they still hurt and made me extremely angry with the individuals involved. So much has happened and the series isn't even over yet.

"You know what I am. I told you. I covet pretty things. I like to take things that aren't mine to have."

I had my choice made before I even finished reading White Hot Kiss and so I was extremely nervous about starting this book because I was afraid it could possibly end up swaying or at the very least blurring my decision. This wasn't something I wanted to happen. Thankfully all it did was end up solidifying the choice I had already made. So who am I #TeamZayne or #TeamRoth? Well a few you know for sure. Though if you've read the books and can recognize who the quotes I've placed within this review are referring to then you'll have your answer right there. I like to make things difficult! ;)

"I just want to hold you right now." His voice was gruff. "That's all I want."

I think the ending of the book just about did me in. I was crushed. I thought I had it all figured out and boy did I have it figured out wrong. I was so far off it wasn't even funny and it was worse than I could have imagined and breaks my heart. It's made me scared for the final book in the series for more than just the choice of men, now it's also the aftermath. Stone Cold Touch is yet another example of why Jennifer L. Armentrout is my absolute favorite author. Whenever she puts out a new series each book that follows it just gets better and better and it blows me away how much deeper I tumble into the worlds she creates each and every time.

REVIEW: White Hot Kiss (The Dark Elements #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Title/Series: White Hot Kiss | The Dark Elements #1
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Published: February 25th 2014
Format: Paperback | Pages: 392
Genre: YA, Paranormal, Romance
Source: Amazon
★★★★★ (5/5) Stars!!!

Jennifer L. Armentrout | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

One kiss could be the last

Seventeen-year-old Layla just wants to be normal. But with a kiss that kills anything with a soul, she's anything but normal. Half demon, half gargoyle, Layla has abilities no one else possesses. 

Raised among the Wardens—a race of gargoyles tasked with hunting demons and keeping humanity safe—Layla tries to fit in, but that means hiding her own dark side from those she loves the most. Especially Zayne, the swoon-worthy, incredibly gorgeous and completely off-limits Warden she's crushed on since forever. 

Then she meets Roth—a tattooed, sinfully hot demon who claims to know all her secrets. Layla knows she should stay away, but she's not sure she wants to—especially when that whole no-kissing thing isn't an issue, considering Roth has no soul. 

But when Layla discovers she's the reason for the violent demon uprising, trusting Roth could not only ruin her chances with Zayne…it could brand her a traitor to her family. Worse yet, it could become a one-way ticket to the end of the world.

I have so many feelings right now it's incredible. How does Jennifer L. Armentrout do this to me every single time? Gargoyles, demons, aliens, humans it doesn't matter what she writes about. She has this knack for making me fall in love with her stories and her characters. Completely. I was hooked from the novella, Bitter Sweet Love, but coming into this one I fell so much deeper for this world she's created and I didn't even think it was possible at the time. But I did. Her humor, her character creation, her creativity are on a level that no one else can quite come close to for me. She's on a tier all of her own. She has a gift for creating these paranormal worlds that feel so very real and it's incredible. I felt it with the Lux series and with Covenant and now in The Dark Elements. 

"Hey, look. Bambi likes you."

When I mention her character creation, the brilliant thing about JLA is that it isn't just restricted to the main characters. Everyone she puts in her books is so well thought out and developed. I end up craving to know more about each one of them. Even if they happen to be a snake named Bambi. You heard me right. I either love them or hate them with a fiery passion. There's no in between because she's just as brilliant with the lovable ones as she is the evil, slimy ones.

People with the purest souls are capable of the greatest evils. No one is perfect, no matter what they are or what side they fight for.

One of the many things I loved about this book is you go in with the idea that there are two very distinct types of creatures. There are the Wardens, gargoyles, they're warriors, they hunt demons and sort of police the earth for heaven and are pure souls. Then there are the demons and, well, you know what they're all about. Corruption, mayhem, the usual M.O. and there are all different types and levels with no souls. So you figure it should be pretty cut and dry. Something with a pure soul, like the Wardens = good and demon with no soul = bad.  I soon realized right along with Layla that just because something is supposed to be pure didn't mean it couldn't be one of the worst kinds of creatures beneath it's surface. And just because something is born from evil doesn't mean it should be automatically judged and condemned as evil that needed to be eradicated.

"I think I'm going to break into her house later and cut her hair off. Then maybe glue it to her face."

Layla was my one constant in this book. Watching her navigate something as simple as her own existence was a whole odd mix of feelings. It was empowering, sad, frustrating and at times funny. She's essentially caught between three worlds, human, Warden and demon and doesn't exactly fit into any of them. My heart really went out to her and I felt everything she went through. While she was my one constant the other characters really did some flips and switches and took some surprising turns. All of them. Though when it comes to the whole Zayne or Roth debate, I went in with what I thought was a solid feeling in my gut about where I'd be by the end of this book. Surprisingly I was thrown for a few loops and I started to waver quite a bit as it stretched to the middle of the book. Though by the end I'm back on solid ground again. Does that mean I stuck with my original guy? Or have I switched sides completely? Hmm...I don't think I'm going to tell. *Evil grin* Maybe I'll be Team Stacey! Or even Team Bambi! That's all you'll get out of me.

Stacey grinned evilly. "I'd go gay for you."

I loved being able to see Jasmine again here and there briefly though I missed the hell out of Dex. But it was nice to see at least one familiar face from Bitter Sweet Love. And to get to know so many other new ones. Like Layla's human best friends from school Stacey and Sam. I could read a whole book about those two, Sam with his completely random facts and Stacey with her big, bold and unafraid personality. Quite the mix of comic relief from them.

"Your life is so much more than what you can't do. What about all that you can do?"

Like I said I was pulled through so many emotions in this book. I laughed out loud on more than one occasion. I swooned and lost my heart happily. There was so much anger and frustration for Layla on a few occasions, I'm talking full blown anger. I wanted to crawl into the book and crack some skulls. I was even taken completely by surprise and total shock. More often than not I can see things coming but with this book things came out of no where and had my jaw on the ground! Plus I can't forget the horrible case of the ugly cries. Oh yeah, my heart was put through the wringer! I love it when books can pull me through all those types of feelings like that. Brilliant start for an amazing new series. But with JLA what else can you expect?