Review: Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Title: Half-Blood (Covenant, #1)
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Pages: 281 (ARC copy)
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Release Date: October 18, 2011

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.

My Thoughts: Once I was done reading Daimon, I was so glad I had an ARC of Half-Blood in hand and hoped it was as good as the prequel. I can safely say that Half-Blood exceeded any expectations I had! I completely loved it! It was so awesome that it's now one of my favorite YA paranormals, and if this keeps up, I know Covenant could end up being a definite favorite series of mine!

After three years in hiding with her pure-blood mother, 17-year-old Alexandria Andros is finally back with the Covenant, a place where pure-bloods, the children of Hematoi (who are descendants of demigods), and half-bloods, the offspring of mortals and Hematoi, live away from the mortal world. It's also where some are trained as Sentinels and Guards whose purpose is to kill daimons and protect pures. Halfs also have a chance of becoming docile servants to pures if they aren't cut out for Sentinel duty or if they break the rules. As a half-blood who broke the rules by running away with her mother and living in the mortal world, Alex chances of becoming a servant are high. To gain back the trust of the leaders she has to prove her loyalty and that she has what it takes to become a Sentinel by catching up with the three years of training she missed before the end of the summer. But following the rules is easier said than done, especially when Alex starts to fall for a pure and finds out the real reason her mother took her away from the Covenant.

Daimon, prequel
to Half-Blood.

First, I have to quickly mention the setting. There are Covenants located around the country like Tennessee and New York, but this particular Covenant is located on an island off the coast of North Carolina. Being on an island sounds awesome, and I like that the author chose a fitting name for it: Deity Island. And I have to admit that I'm pretty bias to anything North Carolina, so of course I'm happy that it's located there!

Now on to the characters. Alex was just awesome! She's funny and kickass. Strong, yet vulnerable. Her interactions with the rest of the characters, like her best friend Caleb and another fellow half-blood Seth, were great. Those characters were very likable as well, and I loved that they were all important to the story. Another character I really liked was Aiden St. Delphi. He's the pure-blood who volunteered to train Alex, and if you've read Daimon, he's actually the 'older guy' Alex use to have a crush on. I knew there was a chance I would swoon over him, but I didn't realize just how much! Aiden's such a sweet and protective and patient and nice (and I could go on!) guy, and I completely understand why Alex would fall for him, even while knowing a relationship between a pure-blood and half-blood is forbidden. I absolutely loved their moments together, and it makes me so happy when I really like the main character and the lead male character. I cannot wait to read more of their interactions!

I think this is my first experience reading a YA paranormal book where the characters are descendants of gods. I'm impressed with how the author incorporated Greek Mythology into the story, and I have a feeling Half-Blood will stand out among the other YA books with Greek Mythology released recently. I've already mentioned how much I love the characters, the relationships and the romance, and I think another aspect readers will enjoy is the action. Half-Blood is filled with it! It was never boring. There are plenty of scenes where Aiden is training Alex, and I loved that Aiden did not go easy on her. There are also parts with the daimons, which were pure-bloods who changed into dangerous creatures after drinking the aether, a pure's esscene, from another pure. They're powerful and ruthless, and I never knew what to expect from them. Another was finding out the reason Alex's mother took her away from the Covenant; it was a bit surprising, and I really want to know how Alex will continue to deal with this sudden revelation and what the outcome will be.

When I finished Half-Blood, all I wanted was more! I was satisfied with everything. The author is a great storyteller, and I'm extremely excited for the second book Pure! It's being released in less than a year, but I wish it was out already. I look forward to finding out what happens next with Alex and the rest of the characters and to learn more about their world. If you're a YA paranormal fan, you don't want to miss out! Definitely check out this series!

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Daimon is available for free download here.
Thanks to the author, Jennifer L. Armentrout, for the ARC tour!