Author Interview: Jennifer Armentrout

I'm beyond thrilled today to welcome author Jennifer Armentrout back to the blog to answer some questions about the latest novel in her Covenant series, Deity. I'm a huge fan of these books, and also more than slightly in love with Aiden, so if you haven't had a chance to pick them up yet, I hope they make their way to the top of your list soon! For me this series just keeps getting better, and Deity had me riveted from action-packed beginning to action-packed end (read my review for both Pure and Deity HERE), so be prepared to set aside a solid block of reading time if and when you pick this one up.

Let’s say Alex, Aiden and Seth are accompanying you to a book signing for Deity. What introductory question might Alex ask each boy so the audience could get to know them better?
 
I’m not sure any question Alex would pick would serve any true purpose other than to amuse her. She would probably ask Seth why he thought he was so awesome and ask Aiden why is he so fascinated with James Bond.

If you had to pick a single scene from any of the books to write from Aiden’s point of view just to get in his head, which would you choose and why?

There’s a certain scene in Deity I’d love to do in his POV. Well, two scenes. One involves Linard and, well, there is another one. 

If you were at the Covenant and had to undergo all the training that Alex and company do to learn to fight and kill Daimons, in what area do you think you’d excel (hand to hand, particular weapon specialty, strategy etc.)?

I would love to say something with knives and daggers, because that sounds super cool, but I know I would suck at that. You should see me playing darts. RUN! I think I would be good at grappling.

Neither Seth nor Alex love the bond between them that allows them to occasionally pick up on the emotional state of the other, but what might each of them say is one positive thing about their connection?

They both would agree it lets each of the know when the other is in trouble—typically. Sometimes distance lessens the bond, but it helps them know if something is going down.

You can bring in one villain from another book for Alex and Aiden to test their mettle against. Who do you think they’d enjoy facing the most, and who would best give the two of them a run for their money?

I would bring in a truck load of demons from any book that had demons running amuck in them. I think both Alex and Aiden would need a lot to test their skills. Outside the demons, I think Alex would enjoy fighting dementors from Harry Potter (did I spell that right???) and Aiden would like to square off against a dragon. He’s got a thing for fire.

What’s your single favorite element of the world you created in the Covenant series?

The society. It’s something that a lot of readers dislike, but they’re supposed to dislike the society. I based it on ancient Greek civilization during the time they worshipped gods. It was a really stratified society that wasn’t fair. It creates the perfect backdrop for the story.

Deity concludes on a rather epic cliffhanger. What book has the most intense cliffhanger you’ve ever read and how long was the wait until the next installment?

Oh gosh, I’m trying to think here. I usually hate cliffhangers… when I’m not writing them. Ha! I can’t think of one, but it always feels like a thousand years before the next one comes out.

Thanks so much for taking the time to answer my questions Jennifer! More information on Jennifer and her books can be found here:

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DEITY 

Alexandria isn't sure she's going to make it to her eighteenth birthday--to her Awakening. A long-forgotten, fanatical order is out to kill her, and if the Council ever discovers what she did in the Catskills, she's a goner... and so is Aiden.

If that's not freaky enough, whenever Alex and Seth spend time "training"--which really is just Seth's code word for some up-close and personal one-on-one time--she ends up with another mark of the Apollyon, which brings her one step closer to Awakening ahead of schedule. Awesome.

But as her birthday draws near, her entire world shatters with a startling revelation and she's caught between love and Fate. One will do anything to protect her. One has been lying to her since the beginning. Once the gods have revealed themselves, unleashing their wrath, lives will be irrevocably changed... and destroyed.

Those left standing will discover if love is truly greater than Fate...

Double Review: Pure + Deity

PURE/DEITY

Covenant Novels #2 and #3

Jennifer L. Armentrout

Paranormal Young Adult

Spencer Hill Press

Pure: Available Now

Deity: Available November 6th

Received from publisher for review

PURE (from Goodreads)
There is need. And then there is Fate
 
Being destined to become some kind of supernatural electrical outlet isn't exactly awesome--especially when Alexandria's "other half" is everywhere she goes. Seth's in her training room, outside her classes, and keeps showing up in her bedroom--so not cool. Their connection does have some benefits, like staving off her nightmares of the tragic showdown with her mother, but it has no effect on what Alex feels for the forbidden, pure-blooded Aiden. Or what he will do--and sacrifice--for her.
 
When daimons infiltrate the Covenants and attack students, the gods send furies--lesser gods determined to eradicate any threat to the Covenants and to the gods, and that includes the Apollyon and Alex. And if that and hordes of aether-sucking monsters didn't blow bad enough, a mysterious threat seems willing to do anything to neutralize Seth, even if that means forcing Alex into servitude or killing her.
 
When the gods are involved, some decisions can never, ever be undone.

MY THOUGHTS
Books two and three in the Covenant series build beautifully on the events of Half-Blood, drastically increasing not only the emotional intensity between Alex, Aiden, and Seth, but also the physical intensity between our heroine and the innumerable dangers facing her as a half-blood and an apollyon. Ms. Armentrout’s world is one that continuously ignites our anger and frustration, the treatment of the half-bloods something that sets our teeth to grinding and our fists to clenching as we are constantly reminded that they are perfect to sleep with, abuse, and defend the Pures with their lives, but it remains unacceptable for those who consider themselves an exalted race to love, respect, or die for them in turn. With Pure and continuing into Deity, Ms. Armentrout introduces a new villain, a man who strictly adheres to the most revolting of Pure tenets and causes our lips to curl into an involuntary smile as we root for Alex to show him what she’s made of.

Alex is as entertaining as ever, her smart mouth continuing to get her into trouble with classmates and authority figures alike, and while we sometimes share in the viewpoint of those around her who wish she were a little less outspoken when in the presence of those who have the power to make her life miserable, we can’t help but appreciate her determination to stand her ground, however misguided at times. As she did in Half-Blood, she often makes snap decisions that have monstrous consequences, but she’s always quick to recognize and admit her mistakes instead of clinging to the pretense that she’s always right. She shows a distinct vulnerability in both Pure and Deity – her love for Aiden like an open wound that’s poked and prodded with rough fingers and her fear that her Awakening will fundamentally alter who she is a piece of sandpaper that rubs and abrades sensitive skin again, and again, and again.

The romantic element is present on a grand scale in both books, the seemingly impossible relationship with Aiden creating a raw ache in our chests as he pushes her away from him and toward Seth, and though we might roll our eyes at the familiar plot device, Ms. Armentrout executes it in spectacular fashion, leaving us with heavy hearts and hollow souls as Alex struggles. What works so well in Alex’s case is that the love triangle is one of circumstance as opposed to conflicted feelings, her heart belonging solely and indisputably to Aiden while her connection to Seth becomes something manufactured as a result of their bond as Apollyons. Seth does play his role as potential suitor stunningly well though, every now and then the cocky arrogance set aside in favor of what appears to be sincerity, but the most intense of their interludes are always precipitated by a change in – or strengthening of – the spiritual cord running between them, reminding us of the difference between what Alex shares with him and what she shares with Aiden.

Readers should prepare themselves for a massive cliffhanger with Deity, the last page leaving us with the desperate desire to write Ms. Armentrout and see what we can do or say to help move the release date for Apollyon up several months. Things in the next book will no doubt be even darker and more intense than what we’ve experienced thus far, and time is sure to pass excruciatingly slowly as we wait to see what’s to become of Alex, Aiden, and Seth.

Rating: 4.5/5

Review: Half-Blood

HALF-BLOOD
(Covenant Novel #1)
Jennifer Armentrout
Paranormal Young Adult
281 pages
Spencer Hill Press
Available October 18th
Received from publisher for review

THE STORY
Alex has just seen her mother killed by daimons–pure-bloods (powerful descendants of demigods who can control the four elements) who have been seduced by the aether in the blood of their race and turned into murdering monsters–and now she's on the run from them all by herself. Luckily for her, pure-blood Aiden St. Delphi finds her in an abandoned warehouse, saves her from two daimons, and drags her back to the Covenant where she lived her whole life until her mother took her and ran away three years ago.

Given that she's a half-blood, Alex only has two choices for her future: become a Sentinel and fight daimons to protect the pures, or become a slave to those same people and work in their homes. Alex is certain of the choice she wants to make, however, her absence has put her behind her classmates and she must prove she's ready to rejoin them in the fall if she hopes to continue her training. Volunteering to help her get caught up, Aiden makes Alex's life both easier and infinitely harder.

Half-bloods and pure-bloods are absolutely forbidden from entering into relationships with each other, and Alex has been nursing a crush on Aiden since she was fourteen, making her training sessions a type of beautiful torture. Aiden doesn't treat her like most pures do halfs, showing her respect and kindness, but when the reason for Alex's mother's behavior those three years ago comes to light and new discoveries are made about the daimons, Alex realizes the rule keeping her from Aiden is the smallest of her problems.

MY THOUGHTS
Half-Blood picks us up and deftly tosses us straight into the middle of danger and death with our heroine, giving us little time to get our bearings before we're holding our breath and tensing and releasing our muscles as Alex fights for her life in the opening pages. The action-packed beginning guarantees our immediate involvement in Alex's story, and our connection to her only grows stronger as we begin to see the young woman behind the fighter as well as the mourning daughter behind the smart mouth and bravado. Ms. Armentrout does a positively brilliant job of revealing her world a piece at a time, ensuring we are never left wandering haplessly in the unknown but also making sure we are never so fully informed that we become complacent and lose the addicting tension created when our curiosity is continually piqued.

Alex is a girl whom it's easy to admire, surviving numerous tragedies and horrific encounters in the first few pages to show us just how strong she is physically and mentally, but she also allows us a peek behind that strength by giving us access to the emotions and vulnerabilities that take our bond to her from a pretty solid one to an unbreakable one. Though she often acts out and makes decisions that complicate the lives of those attempting to help her, she harbors no delusions about her recklessness, instead fully embracing it with the knowledge that any inaction on her part would cut just as deeply–if not deeper–than any wound inflicted in battle. She has a quick wit and sass in spades, and we can't help but appreciate that she's never hindered by blinders with regard to her behavior, and even though we know as well as she does that certain choices will lead her in a disastrous direction, we find ourselves urging her forward anyway, ready to stand beside her and face whatever comes our way.

Her relationship with Aiden is one of delightful apprehension, the forbidden nature of it making every look and every minuscule gesture more intense as we analyze their every interaction for a sign of mutual interest. The impossibility of their romance also allows the build up of their feelings to be beautifully but agonizingly slow, our entire bodies attuned to their every movement–wishing, hoping, and wondering how things will play out between the two of them. Though Seth is introduced to the mix a bit later in the book, in this first installment he is not a true threat to Alex's feelings for Aiden (though it certainly seems as though this will not always be the case), allowing the totality of our fixation to remain on Aiden alone to our utter delight. Seth is a young man we undoubtedly want to know more about, but for the moment we are content for him to not yet be the third point of a love triangle.

One small issue that keeps this story from being paranormal young adult perfection is a somewhat inescapable similarity to Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy with regard to a few core elements. There's the half-blood/pure-blood/daimon dynamic in Half-Blood which mimic's Vampire Academy's dhampir/moroi/strigoi relationship quite closely. Then both feature mouthy, headstrong heroines returning to school after an extended absence only to be forced into extra training sessions with an attractive but off-limits young man. Even with the readily apparent comparisons however, it becomes clear as we read further that we are dealing with two very different architects, writers who layer their brick and stone in unique patterns and create intricacies that result in vastly different finished pieces despite the nearly identical foundations.

Rating: 4.5/5

Interview: Jennifer Armentrout

I'm thrilled today to have author Jennifer Armentrout joining me on the blog to talk a little bit about her upcoming paranormal young adult release Half-Blood. I had the privilege of reading this one already and I cannot recommend it highly enough, it's a fantastic blend of mythology, mystery, and romance and is sure to appeal a wide variety of readers. Be sure and check back on Thursday for my full review!

What was the most fun part of creating the mythology for Half-Blood? The most difficult part?

The funniest part was the cast of characters and the world. I liked taking something that most people are familiar with (the demigod) and twisting it into hopefully something that is new. The hardest part was creating a scary enough bad guy/villain, which… isn’t who you or what you think by the time you finish reading Half-Blood. I like the ‘big bad’ to have clear motives, to have a reason to do bad things… and for the bad guys not to always be so clear cut. Yeah, I’m a tease.

If Alex had to tell us the one thing she misses most about living in the human world, what would it be?

T.V. and movies. They are hard to come by on Deity Island. Movie night at Zarak’s!

You’re face to face with a daimon and the only thing you have on you is your purse. What’s in it and how would you wield those items to defeat the daimon?

Um, if the only thing I had was a purse, I’m pretty much screwed. Mortals can’t even see through the glamour that daimons’ use to hide their true (and horrific) appearances. But if I realized that the otherworldly beautiful dude in front of me was about to rip me from limb to limb, I’d throw my purse at him and run as fast as humanly possible… even as pointless as that would be.

How much of a character’s backstory do you have planned out before writing? More specifically, we get little snippets of Aiden’s life in Half-Blood, is his history already figured out in its entirety or do you change certain things as you write?

His history came to me while writing Half-Blood, and it’s not exactly pretty. I do change certain things as I write because I’m a fly by the seat of my pants type of girl, but the main theme always remain. You will get to learn more about Aiden’s parents and why he chose to become a Sentinel when most pure-bloods look down on that.

What’s the last book you devoured in one sitting?

It’s hard for me to read any book nowadays in one sitting, but I can give you a couple that came pretty darn close to that: Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, Carrier of the Mark, all of Rachel Vincent’s Soul Screamer series, and on the adult side, Larissa Ione’s novels.

Stories that deal with the idea of forbidden love are always favorites of mine. Which literary or mythological star-crossed couple would you say most appeals to you?

I’ve always been a fan of forbidden love myself or the kind of love where all the odds are stacked against them. I’m so not a fan of Romeo and Juliet or Heathcliff and Catherine. Probably some of my favorites are Lancelot and Guinevere, Tristan and Isolde, and Hero and Leander, which is a Greek Myth. I also have a soft spot for Bonnie and Clyde—not sure what that says about me. I know that’s more of a ‘doomed love’.

Aiden tells Alex at one point that he remembers her from when she was in school prior to her mom taking her away, is there anything you can tell us about the moment/scene that might have flashed in his mind when said those words to her?

Everyone will learn exactly what that scene is by the end of book four, so I don’t want to give anything away. But I’m sure it involved Alex laying the smackdown on someone in training and/or getting herself in trouble in the process.

You know what’s going to happen with Alex in the next several books. If you could tell the Alex at the end of Half-Blood anything to prepare her for what’s to come, what would you say?

I’d tell her to cherish those moments when things seem beyond perfect, because although it seems like one can never truly outsmart or outrun the Fates or what is fated to happen, there is always hope. Like Aiden would say, only she has control over her destiny.

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions Jennifer! For those of you who haven't marked your calendars, Half-Blood releases on October 18th. Be sure an make a note because you don't want to miss this one! For more information on Jennifer and her books, you can find her here:

Blog
Twitter
Goodreads
Covenant novels official website

HALF-BLOOD (from Goodreads):

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.