PURE by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Pure
Jennifer L. Armentrout

Rating: A-


Synopsis from goodreads.com:
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 on the book:
I'm going to start this review with the reason Pure, which is an awesome novel, received an A- instead of an A+. There were several typos and grammatical errors in this book which detracted from the story. If this had been an ARC, I would have overlooked them, obviously, but since I paid for this, and it was supposed to be a final copy, I expected it to be free of errors. Now, I don't blame Armentrout for this. It's incredibly hard to edit a novel, and it's incredibly hard to edit your own work. I don't blame the publisher because they have so much going on. I blame the editor and maybe Amazon. This is the second time I've received a Kindle copy of a book that had glaring errors in it. I don't know the process in which a book becomes an e-copy, but whatever is going on, someone needs better editors. That being said, the writing, plot, pacing, and characters were top notch, and I was totally in love with this story. 


Do not click "read more" if you haven't read Half-Blood (and go out and buy a copy if you haven't)! 




Pure picks up where Half-Blood left off, with Alex dealing with the aftermath of having to kill her mother, who turned into a daimon, at the end of the last book. She also has a whole new set of enemies because of the fact that she's the second Apollyon. Add that to her forbidden feelings for Aiden, and it's obvious why Alex would be an emotional wreck. However, she holds it together better than most would. She continues doing the best she can. Yes, she makes a ton of stupid decisions, and yes, she is really reckless, but somehow, I think that's part of her charm. She needs to learn to control her temper, and she knows that. However, it's impossible not to sympathize with her because she has suffered so many losses, and she can't even lean on Aiden, whom she loves. 

Armentrout shows us why Aiden and Alex can't be together in this novel, and I now have a better understanding of the situation, as well as more respect for Aiden. I love how Armentrout always shows instead of tells, so instead of saying what will happen to a Pure and a Half-Blood if they date, she shows us the brutal outcome of a situation like that. Because of how horribly it'd end for Alex and Aiden, I think I'm actually on team Seth now. We got to know Seth a lot more in this book, and I absolutely love his character. I still love Aiden, too, though. I just have no idea who I'd pick if I were Alex. Probably Seth, though, because that's safe. But what kind of book would that be? This is why I'm not a character in a novel, haha. Anyway, I can't wait to see who she ends up with. 

Aiden and Seth both really shine in this novel, and we also get to know Marcus and Lucien a bit better. I really enjoyed gaining a more in depth understanding of the characters, and I hope that we continue to learn more about them in Deity, which comes out in October of this year. We also got to see a lot of new characters and learn quite a bit about the Council itself. I kind of hated the Council a lot, but I'm pretty sure I was supposed to. They were a bunch of racist bigots. There's a certain servant who interested me, that we were introduced to in the Catskills, however, and I hope we find out who he is in the next book. I have an idea, but I have no idea if I'm right about it or not. 

The plot is suspenseful, and I could not put this book down once I started it. There is a lot of action and mystery. I have no idea what the Oracle was talking about this time, but I hope it doesn't mean what I think it means. I always interpret her readings incorrectly, so I hope I'm incorrect again. There is pain and loss in this book, and I almost cried at a few parts. However, for the majority of the novel, I was laughing my ass off because of something one of the character's said. I really love Armentrout's writing style and how sarcastic she makes all of her characters. The pacing was quick, but nothing was rushed. The ending tied up the questions raised at the beginning part of the book nicely, but raised new questions for the next novel. I like how Armentrout keeps you interested in a series without actually using cliffhangers. 

Pure is a thrill-ride that you don't want to miss. Alex, Aiden, and Seth have one of the most complicated and enjoyable love triangles ever. I really have no idea what will happen with them, and I love both guys! Alex, Aiden, and Seth also all grow as characters in this novel, so I'll be interested to see what new challenges they face in the next book. The plot is captivating, the characters are likable, and the action and romance are balanced wonderfully. If you haven't checked out this series, you must pick up Half-Blood now! If you have already read Half-Blood, then you CANNOT miss Pure! 

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