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von_rae's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
books_are_my_friends's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
bookgirlangie's review against another edition
I typically adore JLA and some of my favorite series are by her. But this… is too YA for me. Even though the FMC is 18, it feels more like she’s 16. The other two series I’ve read by her had characters of the same age ranges yet while in their perspectives, it didn’t feel immature and childish. Everyone has moments of that but this was a constant through every page and I couldn’t keep going.
fallingwings's review against another edition
2.0
I can't. I'm dropping this book here and now (on page 117, Ch 8). I refuse to sit through 504 pages when I've literally discovered who the bad guy is by the second chapter (and yes, I skipped ahead just to make sure); it was THAT obvious. It doesn't help that things drag. I don't mind my slow stories that take a little time to kick off, but this is just...blarg. I guess it doesn't help that it reads like a detective/crime story and I've never been big on those.
Cons:
-So...gargoyles came out and humanity just...accepted them? How is that even remotely realistic? We have humans who can't accept other humans based on the color of their skin or sexual orientation and yet you're telling me besides some church fanatics, everyone just ACCEPTS a new species after a period of shock? Uh huh. Okay. No scientist or government officials wanting to capture them for research. No people lashing out in fear. Nobody batting an eyelash or wondering what the hell Gargoyles are even doing here. This is not believable by any means. I know this author knows better, she did it for Our Darkest Stars. Was it corny and eye roll worthy? Hell yeah. Was it unrealistic? Nope. Why? Because this is how humans act. There is always a divide between those who are with something and those who are against something. It's been a thing among humans since the dawn of time and ignoring it is ridiculous.
-It's horribly easy to figure out who the bad guy is, as early as the second chapter if you pick up on a certain sentence. The second I read it, I knew. Doesn't help that following chapters just keep hand feeding us information to further back it up. Come on. At least TRY to make me question if what I suspect is legit or not. Steer the attention to someone else or create some diversions or...something. Anything. It's like when I watch crime shows and they reveal the baddie within the first three minutes and it just ruins the entire episode.
-The book opens with a make out session that turns into sexual assault and the guy being a typical horny ass who just wanted to get in our MC pants because she's supposedly "the only one who doesn't want to hook up with him" or whatever. This scene was useless beyond showing the MC has some superhuman strength. So many other ways that could have been done.
-Stop teasing us with what our MC is, especially since this is strictly her POV. It's not intriguing, it's irritating. She's not fully human but she's not half warden. She has superhuman abilities (like strength and sensing demons), and can see and communicate with spirits and ghosts. She has no problem reminding us she's half human or that her sight sucks and that her father isn't human. But it's all mystery when it comes to telling us WHAT this other half of her is. There is no point for this. What is she? I don't know and I don't care. Maybe I'll look through the book later to find the answer. I had a hunch that maybe her father was the devil or some shit, but I wouldn't be surprised if she were half demon.
-Insta love based on appearances only. Look, there is nothing wrong with being physically attracted to another person. But I'm waiting for more books where a MC notices physical attraction after they start acquiring feelings and spending time with (future) love interest. I don't see it often and every time it's the first damn thing the MC notices about future love interest, I always roll my eyes and sigh in disappointment. I see some good looking people every day since I work in customer service. Doesn't mean I want to instantly drool over them or jump their bones or feel a "connection".
-I'm confused about MC's vision problem. She's losing her sight and some day she will be completely blind, so why the hell are they even bothering to train her? What's the point if they're all protecting her? So she can go out on some big bad mission appointed by her father in the near future, regardless of whether or not she's blind? Just...what, what is this logic? Also, she can fight, and surprisingly well for her failing eyesight, let her fucking fight. Why are the babying her? Because she's "special" and the "last" of her kind? Oh, hey there trope. How ya been?
-And while we're on the matter of our MC's vision problem, there is something that majorly bothers me. I knew a girl in HS who had the same problem as our heroine here (basically, she had tunnel vision and had no peripheral sight. She was also going blind and would require expensive ass surgery in order to keep from going permanently blind) and you know what she had to use despite still being able to see? A walking cane, that she would slide from side-to-side in front of her on the floor so she wouldn't run into other people or objects she couldn't see when walking. I noticed our dear MC has the same issue but she doesn't use any form of aid. She's always with another person when it happens and they, of course, grab/steer her away from said object at the last second so she doesn't run into it. This girl is eighteen years old, has had vision problems for years, will eventually go blind, and absolutely no one thought it would be a good idea to get her a walking cane??
-So only a few within the wardens know what our MC is, yet they all...protect her, without knowing why? No one ever got curious and asked some questions? Like "why are we protecting this supposedly human girl? Why are we giving our lives for her? Why is she training with our kind?" More logic thrown to the wind.
-Wardens are supposedly super duper strong...and are being killed left and right along with demons. I mean, is this supposed to lay into the "big" mystery that they're being killed (caught off guard) by? Meh. Also, wardens are super duper strong but somehow our half human main character is "stronger" than most since the start of the book. Well, what the hell, why are they protecting her? Shouldn't she be protecting them?
-MC who's all "I shouldn't blab about these things to these strangers aka my love interest" then proceeds to blab about these things to these strangers aka love interest. Numerous times. She literally does this numerous times. But again, this is something she only does with her future love interest. Somehow, she's managed not to blab anything to the wardens she's grown up around. But enter a new hot guy and she gets stupid.
-Logic is thrown to the wind or considered as "weird". For example:
"We were also taught that there's always an Upper Level demon pulling the strings of a lower level one," I reminded her.
She eyed me as she pushed open the kitchen door. I knew what I was saying was weird, but I had weird thoughts when I was confined to the house.
How is that weird? This is legit logic by this world's standards and both of them think it's weird. I don't understand. You know what's weird? The other wardens never asking questions about the MC and the fact humanity just "accepted" the existence of gargoyles. That's weird. Not this. This is logical, this actually makes you THINK, and opens a possible theory to a growing problem. But sure. Whatever. Logic is "weird" and let's not think about it. Return to sticking your pretty heads in the sand.
Pros:
-MC with a disability who can kick some ass and fight despite it.
-The whole idea of gargoyles is interesting and a creature I haven't seen or heard many use for books. It's a breath of fresh air.
-Peanut, the loveable ghost who will never fail to give us the 411.
-And....
-............wait.....
-...just, gimme a minute.....
-.....I'm sure I can find something else....
-........you see this? This was me struggling to read the first eight chapters of this book. And this is why I stopped.
Cons:
-So...gargoyles came out and humanity just...accepted them? How is that even remotely realistic? We have humans who can't accept other humans based on the color of their skin or sexual orientation and yet you're telling me besides some church fanatics, everyone just ACCEPTS a new species after a period of shock? Uh huh. Okay. No scientist or government officials wanting to capture them for research. No people lashing out in fear. Nobody batting an eyelash or wondering what the hell Gargoyles are even doing here. This is not believable by any means. I know this author knows better, she did it for Our Darkest Stars. Was it corny and eye roll worthy? Hell yeah. Was it unrealistic? Nope. Why? Because this is how humans act. There is always a divide between those who are with something and those who are against something. It's been a thing among humans since the dawn of time and ignoring it is ridiculous.
-It's horribly easy to figure out who the bad guy is, as early as the second chapter if you pick up on a certain sentence. The second I read it, I knew. Doesn't help that following chapters just keep hand feeding us information to further back it up. Come on. At least TRY to make me question if what I suspect is legit or not. Steer the attention to someone else or create some diversions or...something. Anything. It's like when I watch crime shows and they reveal the baddie within the first three minutes and it just ruins the entire episode.
-The book opens with a make out session that turns into sexual assault and the guy being a typical horny ass who just wanted to get in our MC pants because she's supposedly "the only one who doesn't want to hook up with him" or whatever. This scene was useless beyond showing the MC has some superhuman strength. So many other ways that could have been done.
-Stop teasing us with what our MC is, especially since this is strictly her POV. It's not intriguing, it's irritating. She's not fully human but she's not half warden. She has superhuman abilities (like strength and sensing demons), and can see and communicate with spirits and ghosts. She has no problem reminding us she's half human or that her sight sucks and that her father isn't human. But it's all mystery when it comes to telling us WHAT this other half of her is. There is no point for this. What is she? I don't know and I don't care. Maybe I'll look through the book later to find the answer. I had a hunch that maybe her father was the devil or some shit, but I wouldn't be surprised if she were half demon.
-Insta love based on appearances only. Look, there is nothing wrong with being physically attracted to another person. But I'm waiting for more books where a MC notices physical attraction after they start acquiring feelings and spending time with (future) love interest. I don't see it often and every time it's the first damn thing the MC notices about future love interest, I always roll my eyes and sigh in disappointment. I see some good looking people every day since I work in customer service. Doesn't mean I want to instantly drool over them or jump their bones or feel a "connection".
-I'm confused about MC's vision problem. She's losing her sight and some day she will be completely blind, so why the hell are they even bothering to train her? What's the point if they're all protecting her? So she can go out on some big bad mission appointed by her father in the near future, regardless of whether or not she's blind? Just...what, what is this logic? Also, she can fight, and surprisingly well for her failing eyesight, let her fucking fight. Why are the babying her? Because she's "special" and the "last" of her kind? Oh, hey there trope. How ya been?
-And while we're on the matter of our MC's vision problem, there is something that majorly bothers me. I knew a girl in HS who had the same problem as our heroine here (basically, she had tunnel vision and had no peripheral sight. She was also going blind and would require expensive ass surgery in order to keep from going permanently blind) and you know what she had to use despite still being able to see? A walking cane, that she would slide from side-to-side in front of her on the floor so she wouldn't run into other people or objects she couldn't see when walking. I noticed our dear MC has the same issue but she doesn't use any form of aid. She's always with another person when it happens and they, of course, grab/steer her away from said object at the last second so she doesn't run into it. This girl is eighteen years old, has had vision problems for years, will eventually go blind, and absolutely no one thought it would be a good idea to get her a walking cane??
-So only a few within the wardens know what our MC is, yet they all...protect her, without knowing why? No one ever got curious and asked some questions? Like "why are we protecting this supposedly human girl? Why are we giving our lives for her? Why is she training with our kind?" More logic thrown to the wind.
-Wardens are supposedly super duper strong...and are being killed left and right along with demons. I mean, is this supposed to lay into the "big" mystery that they're being killed (caught off guard) by
Spoiler
one of their own-MC who's all "I shouldn't blab about these things to these strangers aka my love interest" then proceeds to blab about these things to these strangers aka love interest. Numerous times. She literally does this numerous times. But again, this is something she only does with her future love interest. Somehow, she's managed not to blab anything to the wardens she's grown up around. But enter a new hot guy and she gets stupid.
-Logic is thrown to the wind or considered as "weird". For example:
She eyed me as she pushed open the kitchen door. I knew what I was saying was weird, but I had weird thoughts when I was confined to the house.
How is that weird? This is legit logic by this world's standards and both of them think it's weird. I don't understand. You know what's weird? The other wardens never asking questions about the MC and the fact humanity just "accepted" the existence of gargoyles. That's weird. Not this. This is logical, this actually makes you THINK, and opens a possible theory to a growing problem. But sure. Whatever. Logic is "weird" and let's not think about it. Return to sticking your pretty heads in the sand.
Pros:
-MC with a disability who can kick some ass and fight despite it.
-The whole idea of gargoyles is interesting and a creature I haven't seen or heard many use for books. It's a breath of fresh air.
-Peanut, the loveable ghost who will never fail to give us the 411.
-And....
-............wait.....
-...just, gimme a minute.....
-.....I'm sure I can find something else....
-........you see this? This was me struggling to read the first eight chapters of this book. And this is why I stopped.
jesschevarie's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
madimun's review against another edition
5.0
oookay... so, I was not sure if I was going to like this book. I am a HUGE fan of Armentrout's adult fantasy and YA isn't always my speed, however, this book. THIS BOOK. listen, I've said it before and I'll say it one million times more: EXPECT YA FROM YA. given the genre and age group this book was created for, it was pretty stellar. urban fantasy can kind of be hit or miss for me. there has to be characters that I love, enough action to keep me entertained, and if you throw in a cute love story, I definitely won't complain. Jennifer DID that. all of that.
the characters were adorable. like, peanut? how much cuter can he get? and he also did a amazing job at breaking up the super tense parts with his sarcastic humor. I always looked forward to scenes with peanut! trinity was interesting - vivacious, independent, funny, and also, incredibly powerful. Jennifer adding her own eye disease in the storyline was also incredibly well-done. I can't imagine suffering with that disease but trinity really made me FEEL it. it tied into the story seamlessly and was an awesome way to open up conversation surrounding this disease and how it affects those that have it. we can't forget about zayne... only Armentrout can write brooding, dark male characters with mysterious backgrounds that are like sour patch candy all wrapped into one delicious wrapper. he pushes trinity when she needs to be pushed and pulls back when he knows that it isn't the time. he's also powerful, but not as powerful as her. she could still kick his ass in any arena. we love to see it. (the banter though!!!)
some parts of the book were like ~teenage cringe~ reading as an adult but weren't we all a little cringey at that age? the writing style stayed true to the intended audience. it was funny and flavorful and sad and (mildly) hot, which are key staples for peak YA
the characters were adorable. like, peanut? how much cuter can he get? and he also did a amazing job at breaking up the super tense parts with his sarcastic humor. I always looked forward to scenes with peanut! trinity was interesting - vivacious, independent, funny, and also, incredibly powerful. Jennifer adding her own eye disease in the storyline was also incredibly well-done. I can't imagine suffering with that disease but trinity really made me FEEL it. it tied into the story seamlessly and was an awesome way to open up conversation surrounding this disease and how it affects those that have it. we can't forget about zayne... only Armentrout can write brooding, dark male characters with mysterious backgrounds that are like sour patch candy all wrapped into one delicious wrapper. he pushes trinity when she needs to be pushed and pulls back when he knows that it isn't the time. he's also powerful, but not as powerful as her. she could still kick his ass in any arena. we love to see it. (the banter though!!!)
some parts of the book were like ~teenage cringe~ reading as an adult but weren't we all a little cringey at that age? the writing style stayed true to the intended audience. it was funny and flavorful and sad and (mildly) hot, which are key staples for peak YA
brittymack's review against another edition
4.0
Liked it more than I expected to. The supernatural/urban fantasy vibe was pretty cool and while not unique definitely was interesting. The relationship between Zane and Trinity is sweet. Ends on a cliffhanger of sorts — minor villain vanquished and major villain introduced — unclear if I’ll continue the series though!
eesh25's review against another edition
4.0
3.75 Stars
It's strange that I decided to read the spin-off of a series that I never cared for. But when it comes to The Dark Elements, other than a few facts, I've all but forgotten it. I remember that I fucking loathed the love-triangle, that the series had gargoyles and demons (the two good things about the whole thing), and that's about it. Oh and, that the demons could be really fucking sappy, and kinda pathetic.
I didn't have high hopes (I feel like that's a Panic! reference) for this book. But it was actually decent. Better than decent even, at times. For one, Trinity is actually a likable protagonist (unlike Layla who, according to my reviews, I hated). Trinity lives in an isolated gargoyle compound and has for years. The place is supposed to keep her safe and protect her secret. She even has a gargoyle protector of her own. And she's been training her entire life to fight as well as she can. So she kicks ass, even with a degenerative eye disease that could slowly cause blindness.
Life at the compound is semi-peaceful. Then some visitors bring news of trouble brewing. And then other shit happens, which I feel like I shouldn't tell you about because it doesn't happen till like 200 pages in. And I don't wanna give away half the book. So let's talk about the good and the bad.
The book didn't impress me in the beginning. In fact, the author started it with an unnecessary display of how badass Trinity is, in a scene that was so obviously a plot device; made worse by the fact that she couldn't make it serious enough to be scarring for Trinity since that wasn't part of the plot. It wasn't a good start. Things stabilized soon after though, but the pace remained slow. Thankfully, JLA's writing is so easy to read that the pace didn't bother me much. Also, there was fun banter, a ghost named Peanut, and a few Supernatural references to keep me happy.
Also, even though I'm pretty sure I didn't like Zayne in the last series, I was fine with him in this one. He's a good guy who has just screwed-up in the past. The relationship between him and Trinity is great. There's a friendship there, beyond the romantic feelings. And even though there were some predictable revelations, I enjoyed the book overall.
One last thing I wanna mention. It's about the writing. I really think the book could have used a final read-through. I noticed at least four typos, for one. Also, this line got approved somehow:
Finally... yes, there were ups and downs. But I'm ultimately left with a positive feeling toward the book as a whole, it's characters, and the future of the series. And that's what really matters, right?
It's strange that I decided to read the spin-off of a series that I never cared for. But when it comes to The Dark Elements, other than a few facts, I've all but forgotten it. I remember that I fucking loathed the love-triangle, that the series had gargoyles and demons (the two good things about the whole thing), and that's about it. Oh and, that the demons could be really fucking sappy, and kinda pathetic.
I didn't have high hopes (I feel like that's a Panic! reference) for this book. But it was actually decent. Better than decent even, at times. For one, Trinity is actually a likable protagonist (unlike Layla who, according to my reviews, I hated). Trinity lives in an isolated gargoyle compound and has for years. The place is supposed to keep her safe and protect her secret. She even has a gargoyle protector of her own. And she's been training her entire life to fight as well as she can. So she kicks ass, even with a degenerative eye disease that could slowly cause blindness.
Life at the compound is semi-peaceful. Then some visitors bring news of trouble brewing. And then other shit happens, which I feel like I shouldn't tell you about because it doesn't happen till like 200 pages in. And I don't wanna give away half the book. So let's talk about the good and the bad.
The book didn't impress me in the beginning. In fact, the author started it with an unnecessary display of how badass Trinity is, in a scene that was so obviously a plot device; made worse by the fact that she couldn't make it serious enough to be scarring for Trinity since that wasn't part of the plot. It wasn't a good start. Things stabilized soon after though, but the pace remained slow. Thankfully, JLA's writing is so easy to read that the pace didn't bother me much. Also, there was fun banter, a ghost named Peanut, and a few Supernatural references to keep me happy.
Also, even though I'm pretty sure I didn't like Zayne in the last series, I was fine with him in this one. He's a good guy who has just screwed-up in the past. The relationship between him and Trinity is great. There's a friendship there, beyond the romantic feelings. And even though there were some predictable revelations, I enjoyed the book overall.
One last thing I wanna mention. It's about the writing. I really think the book could have used a final read-through. I noticed at least four typos, for one. Also, this line got approved somehow:
When he left, he'd be gone, and he's been leaving soon.Even if one were to ignore the grammar issue, it's still such a dumb sentence. Redundancy at it's finest. There were also words like "supergross" or "superweird" or "superfreaky". None of those are real words! And the word "super" is not a fucking prefix! Some readers might be able to overlook that. But I cringed every single time. And it was dozens of times!
Finally... yes, there were ups and downs. But I'm ultimately left with a positive feeling toward the book as a whole, it's characters, and the future of the series. And that's what really matters, right?
sweetteaandbooks's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Her crafting of these stories are impressive. Makes me want to research the inspiration a little more. I’m interested to see how Zane and Layla end up overall and then of course how Zane and trinity deal with their bond plus their relationship. Audiobooks for this series is a 10/10 and I’m hoping to try to the full cast production audiobooks next for the series
mxlilly's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
I enjoyed this book. You get an FMC hiding her true identity, steamy attraction between her and our MMC, demons and a fun race that's like biblical fantasy come to life.
It's a solid read. The whole attracted to eachother and then can't be together right for one reason or another trope kinda bugs me, so that detracted from the book for me. And while it was a good story, I just felt like it could have been meatier if that makes sense. It's the whole I love you but I'm not in love with you feeling, but for a book not a person.
Having said that I enjoyed it, I like the characters, and I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next.
It's a solid read. The whole attracted to eachother and then can't be together right for one reason or another trope kinda bugs me, so that detracted from the book for me. And while it was a good story, I just felt like it could have been meatier if that makes sense. It's the whole I love you but I'm not in love with you feeling, but for a book not a person.
Having said that I enjoyed it, I like the characters, and I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next.