Onyx: Author Interview and Book Review

Posted by Paula@Reading Lark August 11, 2012

Onyx: Author Interview and Book Review

Onyx

By: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Published by Entangled Teen

Release Date: August 14, 2012

Genre: YA paranormal

366 pages

Buy it on Amazon, IndieBound

or Barnes and Noble
Source: kindly provided by publisher

Visit our other posts about this series:
Review of book 1, Obsidian
My Book Boyfriend, Daemon Black

My thoughts:

Guess which blogger loves Onyx even more than she loved Obsidian? This girl.

Here in book 2, we see Katy struggling with her feelings for, and connection to, Daemon. She tries to convince both Daemon and herself that what they think they are feeling isn't real- that it's just an after-effect of what went down in book 1.

As she works to remain indifferent towards Daemon, another boy starts giving her some attention: a nice, normal boy, with whom Katy can do nice, normal teenage stuff. Of course, this new development does not sit well with Daemon, and he's not shy about making his opinion known.

And that's just where the action starts to pick up. This book is chock full of action; the pace is gloriously break-neck, leaving the reader turning pages as fast as possible.

What keeps me coming back to read more Armentrout is her characters. They leap off the page, speaking and behaving in ways that are absolutely realistic. They are flawed: Daemon pushes people's buttons, Katy is a book nerd, Dee goes overboard with her interest in boys, and Katy's mom can't see the forest for the trees. They mess up in very realistic, very human ways. Each gets an opportunity, however, to present their good intentions.

The primary character draw for this series is the hottie leading love interest. Daemon Black is some sexy bad boy, deep-fried on a stick with caramel sauce on the side for dipping. So, so bad for you- yet, so tempting to indulge. His Hotness may have an ego the size of North America, but his courage, loyalty and love for Katy are just as intense.

For those of you who are already firmly Team Daemon: I will of course refrain from giving a spoiler, but I will say that you will not be disappointed. There is a scene here that is going to knock your socks off. When you can tell that you're getting to a good part, you might want to find a quiet space with a locking door, so you can read without interruptions or distractions. You won't want to miss a thing.

Summary from GoodReads:

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…

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And now, I am proud to present an interview with Jennifer L. Armentrout. :)

I always wonder what authors were like when they were children. Were you a storyteller as a child, or did that come to you later in life?

I think I've always been a storyteller. When I was younger, I would have these make believe worlds I would play in for hours. I had a really overactive imagination.

You are able to produce an impressive amount of work in a short amount of time. How do you manage to be so productive?

What a lot of people don't know is that I've been writing for a while now. A lot of those books have been written in a 3 year time span before publication. For example: Half-Blood, Pure, Cursed and Unchained were all written before 2011. I do tend to write fast though and it helps to keep a daily goal and stick to it.

One of my favorite things about your female characters is that they are not helpless little girls, in need of a savior; they are strong, independent young women. Is that a conscious choice on your part, or just a reflection of the kind of character you like to write?

I think it's a conscious choice. Don't get me wrong. Vulnerability is needed, but I like female characters who can hold their own. Doesn't mean they have to be a kick ass ninja. There's different kinds of strengths. And even though my books are heavy on the romance, I don't want my female characters symbolized by their love interests, as if that is the most important thing in their lives.

I'm hoping to help readers get a "taste" of the Lux series with this question: If Daemon was a dessert, what would he be?

Anything rich and decadent.

I like to think that book characters read, and I know Katy does, since she is a book blogger. *high five for that* Are there any books that you would say Katy has read more than once?

She's probably read the Soul Screamers series a few time, Sweet Evil several times, and she has a thing for old school classics like Ritchie Cusick novels.

Is there a song that you feel would be a good theme for the Lux series, or maybe one of the characters?

Shinedown Sound of Madness, but I won't say what character. =)

If you had an opportunity to work with any one widely-known talent, who would you want it to be, and for what project?

Ah, I couldn't just pick one. There are so many great talents out there, widely known and not-so known.

Any advice for aspiring writers out there?

This sounds cliche, but the best advice is not to give up. Honestly. You have to keep plugging away.

Thank you so much, Jennifer, for taking time to chat with us!

About the Author:

Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you've heard about her state aren't true. When she's not hard at work writing, she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell, Loki.

Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories....which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She also writes adult romance under the name J. Lynn.

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Make sure to check out these blogs on these dates for exclusive Contests, Giveaways, Guest Posts and Interviews with Jennifer L. Armentrout and her Lux series characters!!!

Reading Angel 8/08/12

The Bookish Babes 8/09/12

Fiktshun 8/10/12

Reading Lark 8/11/12

Stuck in Books 8/12/12

Confessions of a Vi3tBabe 8/13/12

Mundie Moms 8/14/12

Romancing the Book 8/14/12

Good Choice Reading 8/15/12

Fantasy Book Addict 8/16/12

Xpresso Reads 8/17/12

YA Sisterhood 8/18/12