Half Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout

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.

Alex is a half blood, the result of a mortal father and pure blood mother. Up until three years ago, Alex was a gifted student at the covenant, a school in which pure and half bloods train to fight daimons, who are he'll bent on draining the life out of bloods.

After being in the run for three years, Alex is returning to the island after a daimon attack, Alex finds that things have changed. There is a movement who want to change the breed rule so half and pure bloods can marry, her uncle is how dean of the academy, and her estranged step father now head of the council, who will ultimately seal her fate. With the help of Aiden, the sentinel pure blood training her, she has mere months to prove she is worthy, or face a life of servitude, at the disposal of her pure step father.

Alex is angry and wants revenge. A Daemon took her life from her and she is being punished for her mothers mistakes. She needs to prove that she can destroy a daimon, but not just any daimon, the person she cares for most. Training with aiden is frustrating and exhilarating. Why would a pure blood go out of his way to help her? As Aiden and Alex grow closer, both understanding the ramifications for Alex if they ate caught in what the council and gods deem as forbidden.

When it is revealed that Alex is a very unique half blood, is it too late to change her fate?

I've been a fan of Jennifer L. Armentrout since reading Obsidian, she has a way with words, but I enjoyed the Lux Series far more. Both series' are supernatural in nature, with attractive male main characters, a dime a dozen villains willing to fight to the death, and one of the main characters with a sarcastic and cheeky attitude, but the Lux Series is far superior.

It didn't feel original and reminded me of a cross between Divergent, Hex Hall and The Vampire Academy. It was entertaining, but I'm hoping Half Blood was a basic introduction to the series and that it can only get better from here. Alex is a spunky heroine and on the bad girl side. She constantly fighting her own inner demons and already by the end of Half Blood, there is realistic character development.

And Aiden? Oh yes. Enough said.

Half Blood

(Covenant Series: Book One)

Written By Jennifer L. Armentrout

Published 19 / 09 / 2011
304 Pages