Review: Pure by Jennifer Armentrout

Pure by Jennifer Armentrout
Expected publication: April 3, 2012 (Spencer Hill Press)
Pages: 329
Rating: Squee-worthy 
Series or stand-alone: Covenant (2)
Source: ARC from the publisher
Further info/purchase: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

 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 Review

Just when I think that Jennifer Armentrout can't possibly get any better, can't bring to the table a more fast-paced, heart-racing, pulse-pumping story....she delivers Pure, the second book in her Covenant series, narrated by feisty, vivacious, kick-ass Alexandria Andros.   Pure picks up shortly after the events that ended Half-Blood, and we find Alex struggling to cope with the aftermath of the loss of a loved one, as well as the added burden of her new connection to Apollyon Seth, who keeps showing up...everywhere.  Alex can't shake him OR her growing feelings for Aiden, all of which continues to complicate her already complicated life.  

I connected more with Alex in Pure, and to me, the series lost any of the Vampire Academy feel it held in Half-Blood.  Jennifer has taken a world with a few basic similarities and has ramped up the mythology, the action, and the heartache, proving that this series can stand on its own in terms of heavy-weight champs in the young adult world.  While I came to really like Seth in Pure, and at times wondered if he would overtake Aiden in terms of MY affections, in the end, as sexy, appealing, and even caring as Seth proves he is, like Alex, I still found myself bound to Aiden.  Oh, Aiden.  Jennifer Armentrout doesn't depend on telling us that Alex and Aiden care for one another; she's brave enough to show her readers.  Don't believe me?  

"Ever since I've met you, I've wanted to break every rule."  Aiden turned away, the muscles in his neck tensing.  He sighed.  "You'll become the center of someone's world one day.  And he'll be the luckiest son of a bitch on this earth."  

See?!  I'm still swooning over that line, and so many others.  Aiden stole my heart in Pure as much as he broke it, because along with raising the stakes for Alex, Jennifer Armentrout also raises the odds against Alex and Aiden ever being together.  The ruling class is holding fast to their edicts that Pures and Half-Bloods can't be together, and amongst all that, Alex has to try to figure out why she's drawn to Seth, and if she can ever feel something real for him.  

Alex has a LOT on her shoulders in Pure, but she handles it with an abundance of Alex-spunk and also a bit of growth, which made me happy.  Alex faces hard times in Pure, but she doesn't let any of it break her - not the heartache, not the loss, not the danger.  I really came to admire and respect Alex in Pure, and by the end, I felt like I'd taken an incredibly emotional roller-coaster ride along with her, made heart-breaking decisions with her, seen it all through her eyes and my heart felt just as raw as hers.  To say I'm breathlessly awaiting Deity is an understatement - I need it now.  

You'll want this book as an addition to your Jennifer Armentrout collection, and take my word for it - if Pure is any indication of what's in store for our beloved characters in the coming novels, you're going to want to hold on tight.  I'm still reeling from the action, romance, and intrigue in Pure, and all I can say is, I hope you're ready!