Half-Blood

Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout is the first full length novel of her Covenant series.

The Hematoi descend from the unions of gods and mortals, and the children of two Hematoi pure bloods have godlike powers.  Children of Hematoi and mortals-- well, not so much.  Half-bloods only have two options: become trained Sentinels who hunt and kill daimons, or become servants in the homes of the Pures.  

Seventeen-year-old Alexandria would rather risk her life fighting than waste it scrubbing toilets, but she may end up slumming it anyway.  There are several rules that students at the Covenant must follow.  Alex has problems with them all, but especially rule #1: Relationships between Pures and Halfs are forbidden.  Unfortunately, she's crushing hard on the totally pure-blood Aiden.  But falling for Aiden isn't her biggest problem-- staying alive long enough to graduate the Covenant and become a Sentinel is.  It she fails in her duty, she faces a future worse than death or slavery: being turning into a daimon, and being hunted by Aiden.  And that would kind of suck.

The Breakdown:
1. Half-Blood picks up exactly where JLA left off in the novella Daimon.  It answers a lot of questions that I had finishing the novella. Including why Alex's mother left the safety of the Covenant, and why Alex is so interesting to the daimons.

2.  Anyone who reads my post on a regular bases knows I am huge fan of JLA, but in this book the society reminded me a lot of the society Richelle Mead created in Vampire Academy, with the pures ruling the halfs being security.  Even the relationship between Aiden and Alex, trainer and student who attracted to each other, feels like the relationship between Rose and Dmitri.  With that said, I still very much enjoyed the story as a whole.

3.  I did really like Alex.  I love her determination, and her wit.  The things she has to deal with and she still comes out so strong make her amazing. I cannot wait to see where her story goes, especially now knowing what makes her extra special.

4. Aiden is my newest fictional crush.  While he could have easily let the halfs do all the protecting, he chose to become a Sentinel and become one of the best at it.  The things he does to keep Alex safe both melt and break my heart at the same time.

5.  I cannot wait to see where this series goes and what happens with the characters and their development.  JLA has a very interesting mix of supporting characters who add a lot to the story.  There is Caleb, the best friend, that possibly has an ominous prophecy hanging over him. Seth who will definitely be playing a big role in Alex's life.  Lucian, Alex's stepfather, that seems like the definition of a slimy politician, and I just don't trust what he wants out of Alex.

To Read or Not to Read:
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