Review: Half-Blood (Covenant #1), by JL Armentrout



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. (From GoodReads)

My Review

After I signed on to this book tour, I happened across a review of Half-Blood that said it veered a little too closely to the much beloved Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead. At first, that scared me. I mean, the Vampire Academy series is one of my favorites. But, after a little more thought, I decided that really, any new book/series can be compared with another established book/series. It just happens. Did it remind me of VA? Yes, there are some similarities. But then, I decided to just push the comparisons out of my mind and read/review Half-Blood on it's own merits. I'm really glad that I moved beyond the comparisons, because Half-Blood is a really good book. I hate that I might have missed out on that.

Author Jennifer L Armentrout has built a beautifully complicated world full of danger, excitement, love and loss. Her writing is skillfully paced, with realistic, intriguing dialogue.

Main character, Alex, is a determined, bold and captivating character. Alex is so fun to read because she always has a great comeback, which usually gets her in trouble, and a impetuous, passionate personality. Is she a little over-confident? Definitely. And it's fun to see her brought down a peg or two.

So who is capable of bringing Alex's strong personality down a notch? Aiden St. Delphi, the oh-so-hunky Sentinel who offers to train her. Aiden is handsome, intense and impervious to Alex's smart mouth. Best of all, Aiden does not subscribe to the notion that half-bloods are second-class citizens. He treats Alex with respect and genuinely seems to care about her future. And boy do the sparks fly between these two! 

As if Alex doesn't have enough to deal with, in walks Seth. While Aiden has the tall, dark and handsome covered, Seth is also tall, but has the blonde, Greek god look. He is sexy and a little scary, always an exciting combination. Seth seems to be the polar opposite to Aiden, personality-wise. Seth has the swagger, the imperious personality. Is it just a cover? I'm not sure yet. All I know is, the tension goes through the roof with Seth's arrival. Seth and Aiden are two Alphas, used to getting what they want. And what they want is, control over Alex's training, her future. And the sexual tension between Seth and Alex serves to further complicate her life. Oh, and did I mention that, as it turns out, Alex and Seth share a frighteningly powerful, but dangerous destiny?

What's a poor, half-blood girl to do? Aiden is everything Alex has ever wanted in a guy. But, being with him can get her killed or forced into a life of servitude. Seth seems like a terrific alternative, but if they choose their shared destiny, that can also get her killed.

Half-Blood really does have it all. In addition to all the romantic drama, there's also the fact that Alex could be turned into a daimon, her worst nightmare. And the fact that she is a teenage girl, just trying to make it through school. I can't wait to see how all this drama plays out in Pure, book two in the Covenant series, due out April 2012.

Favorite Quotes:

(Alex & Aiden)

"He brushed a lock of dark hair off his forehead and flashed that loop-sided smile. 'I remember you.'

I scrunched up my face. 'What?'

The grin increased to a full smile. And...oh, man. He had dimples. The air in my lungs died. 'I remember you, too.' "

(Alex & Seth)

"I really wished he would let go of my arm, because his fingers dug into my skin and something...something else was happening. I felt it move inside me, twisting and wrapping itself through my core, and with each coil I knew it was linking us together."

Here is the Half-Blood trailer

Paperback, 281 pages

Expected publication: October 18th 2011 by Spencer Hill Press

You can find Half-Blood at:

GoodReads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository

* I received this book through the Book Kitty Blog Tour of Half-Blood, in exchange for an honest review. *