Review: Half-Blood (The Covenant #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Published: October 18, 2011 by Spencer Hill Press
Genre: YA, Paranormal Fantasy
Format: ebook
Source: purchased

Goodreads Summary

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.

The Good

I have a big attachment to the characters. I find Alex sassy and strong willed and Aiden paired with her is very fun to read. He seems all rule-following and stern on the surface, but we learn a great deal more about him. The side characters were all wonderful as well and JLA gave them very in-depth personalities. Since Alex doesn't fully trust anyone around her (except Caleb), it's entertaining to try and figure out who's on the up-and-up. I'm invested in how things turn out for everyone.

I'm a very big fan of Greek mythology, and in Half-Bood, we get a new look at an old concept. I was used to demi-gods (here they are referred to as pure-bloods or Hematoi), but the addition of half-bloods, daimons, and Apollyon is incredibly new. I also thought the pairing of half-bloods and pure-bloods being restricted was an interesting development.

There is a lot of action and the plot moves at a good pace. We get a mixture of character development with action and intensity, and it's blended very well. JLA's sense of humor is on display in this series as well. I laughed out loud quite often while reading. The romance and tension aspect was also on full display.

The Bad

OK so if you have read Vampire Academy, it's very hard not to notice similarities between the two. Once you get through a few chapters though, Half-Blood stands on it's own as a unique installment though you may draw references to characters and circumstances known and loved from VA throughout the rest.

The Romance

I LOVE the tension here. It's the forbidden love with Aiden a pure-blood and Alex a half-blood. Aiden is so protective of her though and you can feel the want in the air. Then Seth comes on the scene and you know he's going to be a contender as well. As much as I hate love triangles, I don't think you can break through that spark that Alex and Aiden have so I'm assuming it's them in the end.

Conclusion

I'm rating this one lower than I would have if I would never have read Vampire Academy. They share a lot in common. However, the characters do shine through on their own and I have a great attachment to them. I enjoy the extra elements added to the Greek mythology that I know and the action was sprinkled well throughout the story. Recommended.