Review:Onyx (A Lux nivel book 2)

THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS TO BOOK ONE, OBSIDIAN.  My review for Obsidian can be found here.

Title: Onyx (A Lux Novel: Book 2)

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Book Summary:

“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…” (this is only part of the official summary! I felt the rest gave away part of the book plot that wasn’t revealed until way later!!)

I will admit that it sounds nice to have a super-hot alien following me around and trying to convince me that he likes me.  I mean, really, who wouldn’t want to be pampered that way!?  Well, Katy doesn’t seem too thrilled to have her hot alien (Daemon) following her every move.  She’s convinced his sudden change in attitude has to do with the whole freaky alien bond they have between them.  As Daemon steps up his attempts to prove his affection, Katy meets a new boy in school… a boy who seems to know more than he should. 

When I read the premise for Onyx, I am grabbed, tugged, pulled headlong, propelled, and basically dropkicked towards it.  There is NO WAY that I am not going to pick it up after how awesome Obsidian was and the summary confirmed that the plot is interesting.  My biggest issue with the premise is the mention of this other boy.  I really like Katy and Daemon’s hate/attraction thing that’s going on, and I REALLY don’t want another guy thrown into the mix… it’s already tense enough!

 At the beginning of the book, it’s clear that Katy and Daemon still have that fiery chemistry that I loved so much from book one… but, now Katy refuses to admit it.  With her convinced that the alien mojo is effecting both of their emotions, it looks like the relationship is going to stay on the “off limits” level.  While I am definitely not a fan of Katy and Daemon apart, I really like how Katy sticks to her guns.  Most of the time, the main girl gets all gushy and becomes a ditz when the guy looks her way.  Katy isn’t like that and, though her reasoning might be irrational, she really tries to stand her ground.

I am really impressed with Daemon’s decision to go after Katy and their relationship.  It would be so much simpler for him if at the very beginning he said,

“Well, sorry you feel that way. Bye.”

But, he’s not like that.  He takes initiative and goes after what he wants.  It’s admirable and makes him that much more attractive!  I also really like how Daemon continues to be overprotective and puts everyone ahead of himself.  Yes, it puts him at risk, but that’s who he is.  It’s obvious that Dee is his world and that Katy has joined that world.  I just wish Katy would realize that his feelings for her are true and accept that resistance is futile!  Daemon also earns serious brownie points for being supportive of her blog.  As a blogger, that definitely makes him infinitely cooler and adds just the right amount of sweetness to his gruff personality!

            Going in, I knew it would be difficult for Onyx to equal the intensity and passion I found in book 1, Obsidian.  Don’t worry.  It doesn’t equal Obsidian -- it surpasses it.  The characters all have depth and, through situations and dialogue, I really get to see sides of all the secondary characters that I didn’t know existed.  After a while, I start to wonder how things could possibly still surprise me… but, they did.  Everything is kept interesting but also has an underlying note of tension that keeps me on edge and turning pages.

Overall, the story is simply phenomenal.  I really enjoy that Onyx flows smoothly from the beginning to the end; so many things happen that it’s almost impossible to believe!  From the smoking hot relationship, to the weird alien bond, to the psychopaths out to kill them all, Onyx is nonstop action.  This is definitely a story that I love and one I am sure will captivate and entice my fellow readers to enjoy again, and again.

The Cover:

I really like how the color of the background matches the cover model’s shirt.  It makes Daemon stand out all the more!  I do like the setup but, in comparison with Obsidian’s cover, I have to say that I like the first one better.  I liked having Daemon turned fully towards the camera and having a much closer shot!!  I do like this cover though…  I think it has symbolic meaning for them to be back to back.  It makes me think they’re at odds with each other… and for most of the book they are!

I igve Onyx 5 out of 5 hearts: I loved it!!