BOOK REVIEW: Half-Blood and Pure by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Take a peek into book 1 and 2 of Armentrout's Covenant Series
I don’t have auto-buy authors; however, I do have authors that I love and am eager to check out their other works to see if they interest me. I was at a point where I didn’t have any available Audible credits and needed an audiobook to listen to. I absolutely love Armentrout’s From Blood and Ash series, so when I saw this series was included with my Audible membership, I felt it couldn’t hurt to take a peek at her backlist. I’m so glad I did!
I gobbled up book 1 and 2 back to back. The narrator, Justine Eyre, did a fantastic job of bringing Alex to life, and let’s just say that Alex is quite a complex and flawed character on a good day!
So, let’s see if I can give a brief synopsis of this series and the first 2 books. The world is made up of basic mortal humans and then there are the pure and the half-bloods. I relate to it in an almost Percy Jackson-esque way with the gods and such. Mortals have no clue what’s going on around them, the pures are the superior beings and the half-bloods are only good for being brainwashed servants or sentinels who hunt and kill demons. Alex is determined to be a sentinel, but it’s not that easy as she is one mis-step away from being kicked out of the covenant. She is battling a short temper, grief over her mother’s death by demons, and caught in a weird love/hate relationship with the sexy pure blood, Aiden. Through her connections with those higher up in the Covenant and some of the things she experiences/endures, she is both a threat and a liability. The worst is that she is destined and prophesied to do and be more than she could ever imagine. And, she’s not happy about it. Don’t forget, she does have a mild attitude problem and an issue with authority.
I don’t typically read books of a series back to back, but I did book 1 and 2 with this series, and I probably would have moved right into book 3 if I didn’t have to read an ARC that was waiting for me. Book 3 is currently sitting patiently in my Audible library. I don’t regret reading these together, one flowed immediately into the next and that is something that I really love when done well. There is not a lot of wasted time trying to get caught up on what happened in the prior book, it is naturally blended into the current progression of the story seamlessly and almost without notice.
Alex is literally a timebomb waiting to go off. I personally love imperfect, flawed and semi-unstable main characters. There is a sense of uncertainty with them; however, with her, there is the added element of grief and guilt. She has quite the baggage. I felt that this thematic element of the story was handled well and became a focal point of everything that Alex does. It impacts how she thinks, how she acts and reacts. Not always that wisest, but always with a purpose. She’s a great character and is developed in the style that I have come to expect and love from Armentrout.
There is a natural flow to the style and structure of the writing. While you read, you are so caught up in what is coming off the page, that you almost forget that you are reading a book and not actually living an experience.
“Did you think he was just some lazy pure-blood who needed protection?” His voice dripped sarcasm.
“Well he looks like one! How was I supposed to know he was secretly Rambo in Dockers?”
~ Half-Blood
In Half-Blood, Alex has to re-establish herself in the Covenant after her mother ran off with her. Now, there is doubt and suspicion surrounding what she did when she is found alone fighting off demons and taken back to the Covenant. The secondary characters are a perfect match for the different stages of Alex’s re-establishment in the hierarchy of what is basically a teenage boarding school. Caleb is an amazing character, and I’m going to have words with Armentrout about some of her decisions. But you have the mean girls, the supporters, the curious. They all serve a role in keeping the plot progression moving and the conflict developing.
Half-blood ends with a pretty intense and emotional scene, and I think that is part of what drove me to dive right into Pure. I needed to see what happened next. That, to me, is a sign of amazing writing talent. If I'm so invested that I have to pick up the next book, then kudos!!
Pure, book 2, picks right up with even more doubt and suspicion, guilt and grief and manipulations and secret agendas. It also focused on Seth, he’s like this 18 year old who holds the power of all the gods in this hand. He is the Apollyon. When he walks in, all the girls faint in admiration. Ok, not really, but that is for all intents and purposes this is how his character is developed. There have never been two people at the same time with his abilities that didn’t end poorly for them both; but it appears that it might likely to happen again. And let’s just say the Gods aren’t happy with what is happening and the powerful pures feel that Alex has become a threat that needs to be dealt with.
Pure is a typical sequel, while a lot happens and the plot advances, there wasn’t the newness and creation that you see in book 1. However, the forbidden relationship continues to be a source of irritation for Alex as things evolve and are complicated by Seth. I will say one of my favorite scenes was the trip to the zoo!
I appreciate learning more about the corruption that is part of this world and how the leaders treat the half-bloods. The demon attacks are getting more aggressive and there are prophecies in action that threaten the stability of this flawed structure.
“Aw, did you just fall?"
"No." I rolled onto my back, wincing. "I attacked the floor.”
~Pure
Overall, I loved both of these books. There are five books in this series, and I am looking forward to getting around to reading them all. There is something weird about Seth, and I really want to know what it is.
Where do these books land on my bookshelf?
It’s a pretty good fantasy series by Jennifer L. Armentrout, so naturally I’m going to put it on my top shelf. Having read From Blood and Ash, I can see how her writing has grown and evolved since this series, but that is not saying anything negative about these books. These are quick and engaging fantasy books that have a somewhat magical world planted right in the midst of the mortal world. I mean, I for one LOVE the North Carolina beaches! If you are looking for a fantasy series to read, or looking to see what is on Armentrout’s backlist, I highly recommend the Covenant Series. Besides, you gotta love an author who references Harry Potter AND Twilight.
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