Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout

“I always liked you. From the moment you first flipped me off.”

Synopsis: Starting over sucks.

When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I'd pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring...until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.

And then he opened his mouth.

Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something...unexpected happens.

The hot alien living next door marks me.

You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon's touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I'm getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades.

If I don't kill him first, that is.

There will be spoilers throughout this review. If you have not read Obsidian, please proceed with caution!

When I picked up Obsidian, I had little to no expectations. I was looking for a slight reprieve from the sheer volume of high fantasy I've been reading with the Throne of Glass series, and the ebook kept catching my eye in my Kindle library. And I'll be honest, although there were some issues, it was a fun read.

When it comes to YA paranormal fantasy novels from the early 2010s, the female protagonists tend to have exceptionally similar characteristics. Quirky, stunningly gorgeous, clumsy, quite often new to town, deemed as "not like the other girls". Which, unfortunately, leaves the majority of them feeling formulaic and not that interesting. Our protagonist Katy does check several of these boxes. However, to my own surprise, I actually found myself enjoying her point of view. She was clever, funny, and she didn't hesitate to throw Daemon's asshole remarks right back at him. That, and she had a book blog. Major bonus points for the book blog.

While Katy was a pleasant surprise, and I also enjoyed Dee's cheery personality, the remaining characters leave much to be desired. Ash is your stereotypical mean girl with a history with our male love interest, and Andrew and Adam have no purpose beyond showing additional disapproval for Katy. The worst offender, however, is none other than Daemon Black himself. This is undoubtedly a wildly unpopular opinion, but frankly, I couldn't stand him. I can appreciate snarky, even brooding, but unnecessary cruelty without any sort of apology is another thing entirely. Not to mention that every time he was nice to Katy, it was followed by an abrupt mood swing where, once again, Daemon becomes an arrogant bastard.

There have been several books before with characters with similar introductions that I ended up liking, such as Will Herondale from the Infernal Devices trilogy or Rowan Whitethorn from Throne of Glass. But while they had a shift in attitude, showed remorse for previous actions, and actually treated the female leads the way they deserved to be treated, Daemon shows no such indication unless Katy is unconscious or nearly dead in his arms. While the former both more than redeemed themselves, there are no signs indicating that Daemon will do the same. I usually love the enemies-to-lovers trope, but Katy could do so much better.

Setting my dislike for Daemon aside, the most surprising thing about Obsidian was how well it handled the paranormal elements of the plot. As someone who is unimpressed by series such as Twilight, I had initial reservations about how the Luxen would be portrayed. Evidently, I was worrying needlessly because not only did I miraculously find the Luxen not very cringy, but they had an interesting backstory, and the concept was fairly unique. I enjoyed learning about their powers, and the way they inevitably impact Katy was a great twist.

Also concerning the plot, it was far more entertaining than I expected. It was decently fast-paced, and the action scenes were well-executed. I have read several books from this particular era of the genre where the female lead was famously either the damsel in distress or unrealistically skilled, which made my appreciation for Katy skyrocket in these scenes. Despite being human, she ended up being vital in a believable manner, and I was thrilled for it. Her saving Daemon from being killed by stabbing one of the other Luxen in the back, in particular, was a favorite, especially since it knocked him down a peg or two. It hardly lasted, but the brief moment was exquisite. The writing itself was admittedly not the level of quality I prefer, but for me, the plot and Katy easily carried the story.

In conclusion, Obsidian has its faults. The writing quality, some of the more stereotypical characters, and Daemon were all features that would usually lead to my disliking a book. However, the well-formed plot, entertaining storyline, and compelling protagonist gave Obsidian the life that it needed. I read it quickly, and I enjoyed myself. And, the next time I need a fun, easy read to clear my head, I will seriously consider picking up Onyx and seeing where this story takes me.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars