Book Review: Half-Blood

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.

My review:

I am totally in love with JLA's books, especially the Lux series, so when I started reading Half-Blood, I was afraid it wouldn't live up to my expectations.  It turned out to be everything I wanted it to be and more!

Wow.  Okay, I love this book so, so, so much.  This isn't even really a review.  It's more like me gushing.  This book is made of pure awesomeness.  I loved every single second.  I stayed up late into the night to finish it.  I was so invested in the story and just could not put it down during the last 50 pages.  Oh yeah, and I need to get my hands on the sequel as soon as possible.

Seriously, Half-Blood is full of win!  It's about Greek mythology, for one thing.  It doesn't get any more exciting than that.  And I loved everything that JLA put into the story - the mention of the gods, the idea of pure-bloods and half-bloods.  It was incredibly creative and refreshing.

Not to mention the heroine, Alex.  She is flat-out amazing.  Okay, so Alex is really strong physically, but she hasn't had enough training to become a Sentinel yet.  She has a lot of learning to do in this novel, and considering everything she goes through, I think she handles it well.  She's snarky and hilarious, so despite the fact that she's a great fighter, it's not like she's a superhero or something.  Alex isn't perfect.  We can relate to her.  She's realistically flawed but full of spirit.  I basically loved her.  She's everything a great heroine should be.

And then there is Aiden St. Delphi.  *cue fangirling*  I can't tell you how much I love Aiden.  He is, without a doubt, the definition of swoon-worthy.  I love all the bantering back and forth between him and Alex.  So.  Cute!  It's obvious how much he cares for Alex and I love how he protects her no matter what.  It's so sweet that he respects her so much and believes that she can become a Sentinel one day.  Have I mentioned that I love Aiden?  Yeah.  Just thought I should say that one more time.

Oh, and the plot, I loved it.  Alex suffers so much (which is kind of bad for her, but great for us readers since it seriously amps up the action factor).  I mean, wow.  Near the end, the things she goes through...I just felt so bad for her.  The high stakes, action, awesome fighting scenes, etc. make for such a great story!  And, the trademark JLA humor?  Yup, it's there!  I was cracking up like crazy.  I think I alternated between a smile and a frown the whole time I was reading this, depending on whether Alex was being funny or whether she was going through something awful.

Anyway...I can't wait to read the next book, Pure.  I need it.  And I need Alex and Aiden to be together because they are undeniable adorable.  Also, just throwing it out there: while I adored Half-Blood, I do have to admit that I still like the Lux series just a teensy bit better.  But Half-Blood is a must-read for everyone, no matter if you are a JLA fan or whether or not you like Greek mythology.  Just read it.  It's awesome!

My rating:  10 out of 10.

~ The Bookworm