Title: Obsidian 
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Contemporary, Sci-Fi 
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Publication Date: November 2011
Pages: 299
Rating: 3.5 stars

Synopsis (from goodreads):
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 Review:

I love when I come across a novel that features a supernatural being that I haven’t read much of. I don’t think I’ve read a YA alien story since I read the Roswell High series many years ago. It was on of my favourite series and I think that this series has the potential to become a favourite of mine too.

Katy’s mother moves the two of them out into the middle of nowhere for a new start. Both of them are living in the shadow of their former life since Katy’s father died of a brain tumour three years ago. Now, Katy has the entire summer with no friends in a small town (they don’t even have their own grocery store) with no one but her blog followers for company. Or at least she would have them except that the internet hasn’t been hooked up yet.

After promising her mother that she’d make and effort to try to enjoy life in West Virginia, Katy goes next door to introduce herself to the teenagers who live there. What she’s confronted with is a shirtless Daemon – the most irritating, rude and arrogant person she’s ever met. Despite the constant tension between the two, there are sparks of chemistry from the start.

Katy is furious with Daemon but manages to strike up a close friendship with Daemon’s sister, Dee, much to his disapproval. He wants nothing more than to ignore the girl next door but he can’t – his sister’s safety depends on him to make sure Katy isn’t a threat but also as much as Daemon would like to fight it, he can’t help his feelings towards the new girl.

I loved the relationship between Katy and Daemon. This is not a story where the main couple are insanely in love at first sight for no apparent reason. Instead, this is a novel where both the heroine and the hero seem to hate each other for many reasons. Katy can’t start Daemon’s attitude and hates herself for being attracted to him. Daemon thinks that Katy is a risk to his family and wants nothing more than for her to go back to where she came from. I loved their interactions. The novel takes place over several months and during this time you can see their relationship develop and grow.

As an avid reader myself, I could relate in many ways to Katy. I’m still unsure why her blog was featured so prominently in the story – as far as I could tell it didn’t really add anything – but I enjoyed how many of the memes and sites she talked about where ones that I’d come across myself and that helped make Katy the perfect girl-next-door. She amazed me with how calm she was with the revelations revealed in the book. I think I will put that down to how many paranormal novels she reads.

This was a perfect introduction to the Lux series. I loved the pacing and the interactions of the character. I can’t wait to read the second book. If you enjoy teen paranormal romances where the hero is not quite what you’ve read before, I strongly suggest you read this book.

Purchase the novel from:

Amazon / Book Depository