Pure Blog Tour Stop with Jaime's Review of Pure

We are today’s Pure Blog Tour Stop. We have both read Pure and totally loved it. Check out our reviews below and then enter to win:  

  

Pure

Jennifer L. Armentrout

Paperback:  320 pages

Publisher: Spencer Hill Press

Release Date: April 2, 2012

ISBN: 0983157227

Source: ARC from the publisher

Rating: LOVED

There is need. And then there is Fate...

Being destined to become some kind of supernatural electrical outlet isn't exactly awesome--especially when Alexandria's "other half" is everywhere she goes. Seth's in her training room, outside her classes, and keeps showing up in her bedroom--so not cool. Their connection does have some benefits, like staving off her nightmares of the tragic showdown with her mother, but it has no effect on what Alex feels for the forbidden, pure-blooded Aiden. Or what he will do--and sacrifice--for her.

When daimons infiltrate the Covenants and attack students, the gods send furies--lesser gods determined to eradicate any threat to the Covenants and to the gods, and that includes the Apollyon... and Alex. And if that and hordes of aether-sucking monsters didn't blow bad enough, a mysterious threat seems willing to do anything to neutralize Seth, even if that means forcing Alex into servitude... or killing her.

When the gods are involved, some decisions can never, ever be undone.

Jaime’s review….

After reading Half Blood I didn’t think there was any way that Jennifer could top it but, then I picked up Pure and holy crap this book is sooo much better than the first! I have no idea how to review this without spoiling anything but I’m going to try my hardest.

Pure picks up pretty close to the ending of Half Blood Alex is back in school and everything seems to be going as good as it can for her. She’s got her friends and two incredibly hot boys Aiden and Seth both training her. While Aiden pushes her away Seth reels her in and I really liked Seth in book 1 but his gentleness and protectiveness not to mention his sarcastic humor made me like him even more. Notice I didn’t say love I usually love a bad boy like Seth but for once I am still completely in love with the distant brooding Aiden St. Delphi. You can feel the passion and need radiating off of him from just a look and even though he and Alex fight their feelings you can tell he truly loves her. He practically tells her that if she just understood Greek lol.

I can’t get into the plot much but let me tell you this was one hell of an emotional rollercoaster! One minute I’d be bawling my eyes out, the next laughing my butt off, and the next biting the inside of my cheek with anticipation! I couldn’t tell who the bad guys were in this one besides the daimon’s; everyone seemed suspicious and some pretty horrible things happen. No I will not tell you what or whom because I’m still not sure of some of it myself. Just read the book when it comes out.

And closing here’s a small scene to entice you more.

“I know how brave you are, Alex. But you don’t always have to be. It’s okay every once in a while to let someone else be brave for you. There’s no loss in dignity in that. Not for you. You’ve already proven that you have more dignity than even a pure-blood can muster.”
I kind of wondered where that had come from. “You must be high off sugar or something.”
Aiden laughed. “You don’t see what we see, Alex. Even the times you’re being utterly ridiculous about something or when you’re just standing around, doing nothing, it’s hard not to notice. As a pure-blood it’s the last thing I should notice.” His eyes flickered shut, long lashes fanned his cheeks before his eyes reopened to reveal intense sliver. “I don’t think you have a clue.”
The world outside the car ceased to exist. “What don’t I have a clue about?”

Ok so I know that got you pumped up to read more! Pure comes out April 2nd so go pre-order it now. Follow Jennifer on twitter and check out her blog she runs some pretty sweet contests!

GIVEAWAY:  To gain an entry in either/both of the tour giveaways for Pure, leave a comment here letting us know whether you are Team Aiden or Team Seth and why. Then go to StuckInBooks and/or A Cupcake and a Latte with this link to complete your entry.

You can check out the rest of the tour stops here and use the hashtag #PureTourJLA on Twitter.

Jaime's Review of Half Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout

From Goodreads.
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 hot 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. If she fails in her duty, she faces a future worse than death or slavery: being turned into a daimon, and being hunted by Aiden. And that would kind of suck.

Jaime’s review….

Well one thing I can for sure say about Half Blood is why the hell did it take me so long to read it???? I don’t know why but I’m hitting myself for not reading it sooner.

This book was AWESOME (I said that in a sing-song voice btw) I swear if I didn’t have obligations like sleeping, eating, and work I would have inhaled this book in one sitting! I loved Alex from the very beginning of the first page of Daimon (the prequel) which was amazeballs as well. Her strength and selflessness remind me of what a true heroine is. Don’t get me wrong she’s stubborn, impulsive, and self depreciating too but that makes her more real. Aiden St. Delphi stole my heart even though I didn’t want him to. I normally don’t fall for the strong, silent, noble, stoic type but the passion in him; those few times we actually get to see it made me forget that about him. I normally fall for the guy like Seth who has a hint of danger behind him and is funny and sarcastic and I did love him too just not as much as Aiden. Jennifer has also written a great cast of secondary characters that I either adored or hated the instant I met them.

The story itself was brilliant! I loved her take on the mythology behind the Hematoi and I didn’t find myself searching for my Greek Mythology book once. Yes I’m a dork who has that kind of book. I actually didn’t care about looking up if anything was right or wrong I just enjoyed the story immensely. The idea of the Daimons was a great take on a bad guy and the caste system in which the Pures and Halfs live in IMO is another bad guy it essentially takes away people’s choices. 

There were some things that happened that had me hanging on the edge of my seat especially the steamy moments between Aiden and Alex, and others that had me cringing like I could actually feel the pain Alex was going through.

So here’s the scene I chose to share it’s a little bit of steam from Alex and Aiden ;0

His gaze and fingers followed some unseen path as he rolled me on top. “You’re so beautiful. So Brave, so full of life.” He guided my head down and dropped a sweet kiss against the scar on my neck. “You have no idea, do you? You have so much life in you, so much.”

I tipped my head back and he kissed the tip of my nose.”Really?”

“Yes” He brushed my hair back from my face. “Since the night I saw you in Georgia, you’ve been under my skin. You got inside me, became part of me. I can’t shake it. It’s wrong.” He shifted us, rolling me across the bed until he leaned above me “Agapi mou, I can’t…” He brought his lips down to mine once more.

Want more of that steam? Buy the book! I absolutely loved it and I can’t wait to read the next one Pure!

Go get your copies of Daimon (The prequel) at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and The Book Depository.

Buy Half Blood at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and the Book Depisitory.

Make sure to check out Jennifer’s website and follow her on twitter she always has cool contests going J