"Half-Blood" by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Here's a book I'd wanted to read for a while, but never got the chance to get to. Now that my friend Kay gave me a copy for my birthday, I'd made sure to go ahead and plunge in the Covenant Series adventure.

And boy, I don't regret it at all!

I loved the story, the narrative, the romance, and the characters. I can say that there wasn't even one thing lacking.

The concept of the Greek gods and their plethora of offspring was interesting. The forbidden connection/relationship between pure bloods and half bloods was something that made me read on, just so I could see if the characters would find a way to overcome it. Naturally, it wasn't done in this installment, so I'll be definitely going on to the next one!

The story telling was nice and flowing. There weren't any irritating repetitions or comments that didn't make sense. Except for the words of the Oracle, but I believe no one could figure those out the first time around. At least Kay has led me to believe so.

And the characters were all pretty realistic.
*Alexandria(Alex) started out as someone who sounded like she had a huge attitudinal problem. But as the story developed, all her snarky comments and her behavior in general started to make sense. After all, she had been pulled out of the world where she belonged, was given no reason for it, and was expected to behave like a mortal when she was nothing like one. The confidence she had in herself was admirable, though in some moments it bordered on stupidity. But hey, who am I to blame her! In her circumstances, she did what she could to cope with the reality. I can only give her a high five for it!

*Aiden, a pure blood who'd decided to become a Sentinel (almost entirely a half-blood position) was the sweet good guy, who got all the ovations. I did like him, though hit was a bit unclear to me when or how his feelings for Alex developed. At any rate, he was protective and caring, and very brave. He defended and protected Alex in those moments when she needed him the most. I just wish he wasn't a pure blood, so they could be together.

*Seth was someone I'd love to read more about. And I totally mean that! I can't say he's better or cooler than Aiden, but I can say that I liked his character. He was honest and good-natured and I really really liked how he developed. Perhaps there will be a love triangle in the following installment? Dunno, but I'd love to see some more of his pretty blond hair, and that unnaturally good-looking face :)

*Caleb was the friend every girl would kill to have. He was always there for Alex, sharing her anger and sorrow; her pain and happiness. I know he'd give his life for her if necessary. I hope it never is necessary though.

*Marcus, Alex's uncle, tried to appear pretty hard core. But I know that inside that heart of his, he's not so bad. I believe Alex could make that coldness disappear, should she wish to do so.

*Lucian, Alex's step father was pretty irritating. He's got to be hiding something important, like his grand scheme to overthrow the gods or something.

Umm, I think I should shut up now. I can only say that I loved the book, and would recommend it to anyone who loves paranormal YA stories. It's totally worth the time!