Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout – a Review

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Description:
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.

Review:

Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout is the first book in her Covenant series.  I have read almost everything by Armentrout, but I never read Covenant; which is now a rerelease.  Alexandra (Alex) is a half-blood, born of a pure-blood “Hematoi” mother and a human father. Half-bloods only have two options: become trained Sentinels who hunt and kill daimons or become servants in the homes of the pures. Alex was schooled at Covenant, until her mother decided to run from Covenant with her daughter, with them hiding for three years.  One day, Alex finds her mother has been killed by daimons, and she escapes; and while on the run, she is saved by the Sentinels, and returned to Covenant.

When her uncle and stepfather want to relegate her to being a servant; it is Aiden (her sentinel friend) who convinces them that Alex has a lot of potential, especially since she managed to kill a couple of daimons while on the run, which impressed him. Aiden offers to teach Alex, volunteering to train her, during the summer, giving her the chance to be allowed to stay in the Covenant; both the uncle & stepfather agree.  

Alex learns from her stepfather that her mother is still alive, but she is now a daimon, which she has a hard time believing that.  In the middle of the night, she leaves the Covenant, to find her mother. She and her friend Caleb are kidnapped by the daimons, and discovers that her mother is now one of the daimon leaders.  In order to save Caleb, Alex will end up killing her mother, who was trying to change her to a daimon.  Aiden and the sentinels manage to find Alex and Caleb, and bring them back to Covenant; as she realizes that the implications of her actions needed to change her ways.  Alex will learn some truths about why her mother left three years ago; as she has more abilities that she never knew, since Seth (Apollyon) has a bond to her.   Alex has slowly fallen for Aiden, but knows that a relationship between pure-blood and half-blood is forbidden. Alex learns more about Seth, but she only cares about Aiden.

Half-Blood is an exciting and different kind of paranormal story line revolving around Pures and Half-Blood, and the enemy, daimons.  I really liked Alex, even though early on she a bit wild; but the last half, she improved a lot.  I liked her and Aiden together, but I wondered where this will go in the next book, since Seth is now a bigger part to the story.  Once again, Jennifer L. Armentrout has me waiting for the next book. 

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher