DEITY Tour Stop - Character Profile for Aiden St Delphi

I'm THRILLED to be participating in the DEITY blog tour!  I adore this series, the characters, and the author so much.  Let's all admit it - JLA is fabulous!  There are around 70 blogs - yes, 70! - on this tour, so be sure to check out the full schedule here.  

Today I'm hosting a character profile for the AMAZING Aiden from the series.  Aiden is my favorite character (aside from Alex), and if you aren't already Team Aiden, I promise you, you will be after reading this profile.

Note: THERE ARE SPOILERS FROM DEITY HERE.  Not HUGE, give-away-everything-ones, but some of the best Aiden moments/quotes I included are spoiler-ish.  Read with caution!

Name

Aiden St. Delphi

Height

“All six and half feet of him came to an abrupt stop the moment he saw me.”  Half-Blood

Hair Color

“Dark waves tumbled over his forehead, falling into gunmetal gray eyes.  Some would say Aiden St. Delphi needed a haircut, but I loved the wilder look he’d been favoring recently.” Pure

“He looked so young and relaxed while he slept.  Locks of dark waves tumbled against his forehead.” – Deity

Eyes

“His silvery eyes moved over my face, and he smiled at me.” – Deity

“Aiden’s eyes flashed to a dark, thunderous gray.” - Deity

Status

“Too bad he was a pure-blood.  Purse equaled hands-off to me and every half out there.”  - Half- Blood

Looks

“The lines of his face were nearly perfect, the curve of his jaw strong, and he had the most expressive lips I’d ever seen.”  - Half-Blood

“It wasn’t so much the near perfect curve of his cheekbones or the way his smile hinted at the set of dimples.  Or that impossibly ripped body of his—“  - Pure

Talents/Abilities

“…Aiden controlled fire…” - Half-Blood

"Entranced by the odd blend of grace and brutality, I watched Aiden pull Jackson off the mat by the scruff of his shirt." - Deity

“Rising up on my elbows, I peered through my dirty hair as Aiden lowered his hand.  A popping sound followed the movement, and the flames vanished as fast as they appeared.  Within seconds, only the smells of burnt wood, flesh, and smoke remained.”  - Half-Blood

“He murmured a compulsion, fast and low, too quick for me to make out the words.”  - Half-Blood

Who He Is

Protective.  Fierce. Loving.  Loyal.  Brave.  Selfless.  Intense.
Aiden is always there for Alex.  He GETS her, and he challenges and encourages her. 

“Aiden’s expression was unreadable, and I sure as hell didn’t know what provided the words coming out of his mouth next.  ‘I can work with her. It wouldn’t interfere with my duties."  Half-Blood

“Something dangerous flashed in his silvery eyes.” – Deity

“There was something primal in Aiden’s eyes, wholly possessive.” – Deity

“When the song ended, I opened my eyes.  He was staring back at me, eyes so soft, so deep, that I never wanted to look away.” – Deity

“When my eyes met his, there was a brutal level of vulnerability in his stare, a sense of helplessness that I shared.” – Deity

“A second later, Aiden hauled me to my feet and shoved me behind him.  In both of his hands were Covenant daggers.” – Deity 

Swoon-worthy lines

“You’ll have a piece of my heart – all of it, really.  Forever.  Even if your heart belongs to someone else.” –Deity

“I know what you’re thinking, agape mou, zoi mou.”

I took a shallow breath.  “What does that mean?”

“It means ‘my love, my life.’” - Deity

Why Team Aiden?

"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." - Pure

(One of my favorite quotes from any book boyfriend EVER EVER EVER!)

“I thought…I thought I’d lost you, Alex, forever.  And I would’ve lost everything.  You are my everything.”  – Deity

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Need MORE incentive/reason to read this FABULOUS book?  Check out my review here!  

USA TODAY Bestselling Author Jennifer L. Armentrout lives in West Virginia. All the rumors you've heard about her state aren't true. Well, mostly. When she's not hard at work writing, she spends her time reading, working out, watching zombie movies, and pretending to write. She shares her home with her husband, his K-9 partner named Diesel, and her hyper Jack Russell Loki. Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent her time writing short stories...therefore explaining her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes Adult and Young Adult Urban Fantasy and Romance. She is represented by Kevan Lyon of Marsal Lyon Literary Agency.  Visit her at her website. 

 

Review + Giveway: Deity by Jennifer L Armentrout

Deity by Jennifer L Armentrout
Expected publication: November 6th, 2012
Source: ARC from the publisher
Rating: Swoon-worthy
Add it/Purchase: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N 
Connect with the author: Twitter | Website

___

History is on repeat, and things didn't go so well the last time. 

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..

My Review

Like always when I finished a JLA book, I am speechless.  I finished Deity yesterday and my emotions are still all over the place, while I struggle to find a way of EVER talking about what this book did to my heart, and what it means for the Covenant series.  Deity brings us back into the world of our beloved characters Alex, Aiden, and Seth, and then turns everything you think you know on its head, ending in a breath-taking cliff-hanger that made me literally screech with frustration.  Everything here is heightened - the characters, the relationships, the emotions, and the stakes.  With Deity, Jennifer L Armentrout has set herself apart from any other YA author in the industry these days, with a book I will never forget, for what it did.  It made me fall in love with the characters all over again, and it broke my heart.

I feel like I read Deity by holding my breath, because something was always happening to put these characters that I adore in new peril.  Not only is her 18th birthday looming over Alex - she also has her connection to Seth to deal with, not to mention a few key players in her world who have it out for her.  And then there's always the mystery of her feelings for Seth, and for Aiden.  JLA's feisty heroine takes it all in classic Alex stride, but the scenes where she gave in to her emotions and admitted her fears really broke my heart.  We saw a new, vulnerable side of Alex in Deity, and I have to say: I want more.  I admire JLA SO much for showing us that Alex isn't just all spirit and fire - she's also very, very human, loving, courageous, and at her core, a girl facing so much more than she's ready for.

I connected emotionally with Deity on so many levels, because I've come to really care about Alex.  But by far the most profound bond was with Alex and Aiden.  There were times in Pure where I waivered and found myself liking Seth, but Deity changed ALL OF THAT.  Aiden finally showed that he DOES care about Alex, and just...the two of them make my heart beat faster in EVERY scene.  The wealth of affection, trust, and respect between them is so beautiful, and it doesn't even compare to the bond between Alex and Seth. And oh, Alex and Aiden had some gorgeous, steamy scenes but none of that ever felt anything other than genuine.  I found myself falling in love with Aiden all over again, even as I felt that sense of impending danger, and knew the sanctuary Alex and Aiden found wouldn't last. 

The ending of Deity shocked me into silence, then an outraged "What?!," and then just a sense of being heart-broken beyond words.  Prepare yourselves because this is a wild, no-holds-barred ride that will jolt your heart in the end.  I have a few theories on what the next book will hold, but ultimately, I'm just going to end this review by begging you to read Deity.  It's intense, it's crazy, it's perfect.  You'll laugh, cry, and swoon.  You'll shake your head in denial, all the while reading faster.  You NEED this book in your life.

Bonus:  Want one of TWO ARCs of Deity?!  Just enter the super easy giveaway below - be a follower, then go for the extra entries!

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Other books by this author:

Daimon

Half-Blood

Pure

You're sure to fall for:

Storm by Brigid Kemmemer
 

 Check back later this week for my stop on the DEITY tour sponsored by Val at Stuck in Books!

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!

HALF BLOOD ARC Winner!

{ ++ } Congratulations to Layen - she is the winner of my FIRST EVER Giveaway - my ARC of Jennifer Armentrout's Half-Blood!  YAY!  *throws confetti*  I have notified her by e-mail and will be sending out the prize shortly. 

{ ++ } I want to send out a truly heart-felt "thank you" to everyone - every single one of you - who entered my giveaway, and blogged or tweeted about it.  You guys made my first giveaway successful and I appreciate each of you.  Since my blog surpassed 200 followers this weekend, I will be putting together another one soon!  (When money allows. ;) )

{ ++ } Everyone have a good holiday tomorrow, and thank you for stopping by!

Review + ARC Giveaway: Half-Blood by Jennifer Armentrout

Half-Blood by Jennifer Armentrout

Expected publication: 10.18.2011 (Spencer Hill Press)

Pages: 281

Series: The Covenant (1)

Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Find the author online: twitter | blog

Further info: Goodreads | Amazon

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.

{ This book was sent to me by the publisher, Spencer Hill Press, in exchange for an honest review.  No money changed hands.  I review books because I adore reading. }

My Review

Alexandria Andros is my kind of heroine: shoot first, ask questions later - a no-nonsense kind of girl.  And when she is dragged, half-gratefully, half-reluctantly back to the South Carolina Covenant her mother, Rachelle, took her away from three years ago, Alex, reeling from a tragic loss, needs every bit of her spunk to re acclimate to the world she left.  I liked Alex right away, for all the qualities I mentioned, and for the fact that her quirks only made her more human, and a incredibly sympathetic character.  In creating Alex, Jennifer Armentrout reaches out and grabs the reader, pulling you headfirst into the world she has created. 

Put on a sort of probation, Alex only has a few months to prove herself worthy of staying at the Covenant as a student.  Her other choice is a life of servitude, or living with her step-father - each are equally horrible to her.  Grieving her mother, drained by daimons, Alex sets her course: she wants to become a Sentinel, a half-blood who trains to find and fight daimons.  Half-bloods like Alex can see through the elemental magic that cloaks daimons from Pures.  And right away, I fell for her trainer, Aiden St Delphi, who vouches for the fact he can have her ready by fall term.  I loved their interaction and their exchanges, and the way Jennifer Armentrout slowly developed their relationship, showing us there is more to both characters, as individuals, and as friends and possibly more, than what meets the eye.  The two of them together, as partners in training, as friends, and as two people who are drawn together, was for me, the most genuine and heart-felt theme of the novel.

I thought the plot was solid, and I am definitely, definitely interested in the idea of absentee gods.  While some characters, like Alex, scorn the idea of being guided by them, others are still quite devout, and I admit, I am very curious as to see what, if any kind of role the gods will play in the second book. 

Things I was not a fan of: several of the characters seemed a little flat, like Lea, and Zarek, and the ones who I really craved seeing more of, like Deacon, and Caleb, weren't given near enough time or attention.  I especially found Deacon appealing, and feel like Jennifer only scratched at his surface.  

I also thought the book was too short.  The pacing was spotty in places, building a little slowly in the first half of the book, and then rushing toward the climax.  However I think this book has a lot of potential that I truly think Jennifer Armentrout will fully explore in the sequel, Pure.  And again, let me say, I adored Aiden, and Alex, and thought they were just truly amazing together.  I think Jennifer has created a (possible) couple who compliment one another very well.  And I am excited for the sequel, to see where she takes these characters! 

Memorable Quote

I shook my head, doubtful that I could believe in anything at this point, and started to slip away, but Aiden's hand tightened around my shoulders.  And instant later, he gathered me close to him.  I hesitated, because being this close to him was possibly the sweetest kind of torture.  

I needed to break away...move as far away as possible, but his arms circled my shoulders.  Slowly, carefully, I rested my head against his chest.  My hands fell to the curve of his back, and I inhaled deeply.  His scent, a mixture of the sea, and soap, filled me.  The steady beat of his heart under my cheek warmed and comforted me.  It was just a hug, but gods it meant so much.  It meant everything.  - Alex

 

Review: Daimon by Jennifer L Armentrout

Daimon by Jennifer L Armentrout

Published: 05.10.2011 (Spencer Hill Press)

Pages: 62

Series: The Covenant (.5)

Rating: 3 1/2 of 5 stars

Further info: Goodreads / Amazon

Find the author online

Love in my world usually ended up with someone hearing “I smite thee!” as she was cursed to be some lame flower for the rest of her life.

For three years, Alexandria has lived among mortals—pretending to be like them and trying to forget the duty she'd been trained to fulfill as a child of a mortal and a demigod. At seventeen, she's pretty much accepted that she's a freak by mortal standards... and that she'll never be prepared for that duty.

According to her mother, that’s a good thing.

But as every descendant of the gods knows, Fate has a way of rearing her ugly head. A horrifying attack forces Alex to flee Miami and try to find her way back to the very place her mother had warned her she should never return—the Covenant. Every step that brings her closer to safety is one more step toward death… because she's being hunted by the very creatures she'd once trained to kill.  

The daimons have found her.

My Review

Alexandria has been trying to acclimate into normal, everyday human life, but she has a secret she can't tell anyone: she is not normal, and she does not truly belong in everyday, human life.  Alex is the offspring of a mortal and a demigod, which means she has ties to a part of the world that most people never know about.  Alex and her mother formerly called the Covenant home, where if they had stayed, Alex might have trained as a guard or another role in that life.  Instead, she and her mother are on the run, and laying low to not draw attention to themselves, either from the Covenant, or from daimons, who crave the aether half-bloods and pure-bloods have running in their veins.

Right away I developed a huge soft spot for Alex.  She's tough, and she's strong, and she can fight.  But she also, on some level, wants to belong, and since she is so different, it just isn't happening for her.  She has a smart mouth at times, but she has a big, huge heart, and it's easy to see in her interaction with her mother just how much she cares about the people that she loves.  She's pretty fierce.  I've seen a lot of people comparing her to Rose from Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy series, and I can see the similarities, but Alex is a unique character all her own, too.

When a daimon tracks down Alex and her mother, Alex takes flight, desperately hoping to make it back to the nearest Covenant, and some sort of safety.  Reeling from the shock of the daimon's attack, and the losses she suffered, Alexandria nevertheless perseveres, making difficult choices to leave behind the life she'd been trying to build, and go back to the first home she ever knew.  She doesn't know if they will accept her.  She doesn't know if her mother's fears about the Covenant were right.  All she knows is that they may be her only chance at survival.

Leaving off on a breathless cliffhanger, Daimon leaves you anxious for more, as Jennifer Armentrout sets up this wonderful teaser to her novel, Half-Blood, due out in September.  The perfect mix of the paranormal, some mythology, and a hint of romance, Daimon is a fantastic prologue to Half-Blood.  

(Note: If you'd like to read Daimon, it is available for free at Spencer Hill Press's site, here.)

Memorable Quote

"Okay. He had a point but it wasn’t like I could tell him anything. I could see me now: Guess what? You ever watch Clash of the Titans or read any Greek fables? Well those gods are real and yeah, I’m sort of a descendant of them. Kind of like the stepchild no one wants to claim. Oh, and I hadn’t even been around mortals until three years ago. Can we still be friends?"- Alex