ARC Review: Obsession by Jennifer L. Armentrout

 OBSESSION is a book packed with action and emotion. Armentrout blurs the line between good and bad and sometimes, not knowing is part of the thrill.  ~ Under the Covers

Jennifer L. Armentrout takes us to the other side of her masterful creations. OBSESSION is the first adult book that focuses on the Arum. If you’ve read the Lux series by Armentrout, then you’re already familiar with the alien dynamics. This time though, we see the “bad guys” point of view and it’s just a bit more mature. There is sex and swearing – all the good things that we love in an adult novel.

Now if you haven’t read the Lux series yet (which is a YA series), I still think this book can be read without it. However, having read the others books, I do feel that you get a richer picture of the world and the characters that way. If you’re an adult looking to try it, then I say go for it. The Lux series is quite sexy compared to other YA books I’ve read. And if you’re a teen looking to try OBSESSION, just be warned that there is explicit sex and bad words that you probably already know anyways.

Onto the story now! Serena Cross’s friend has seen the unbelievable so she crosses it from her mind until she witnesses the death of her friend just minutes after. It’s all a shock to her, but her grief is consumed by the knowledge that something else is out there that isn’t quite human.

Hunter is a ruthless killer and unfortunately for him, the Department of Defense wants him to take care of Serena until they can figure out this whole mess. Hunter is baffled by these instructions because he doesn’t know how to care for anything other than himself. He takes lives, not protects them. However, on their first meeting, there is a certain kind of chemistry between them that surprises him. Hunter reacts the only way he knows how – by being a jerk to her.

This here reminds me a lot of Daemon and Katy’s initial dynamics so if you enjoyed that, then you will love this. Hunter is a man’s man. Not the cuddly kind, but in the presence of Serena you begin to see how his protective instincts soon reveal a gooey core.

There is great action in this book! Armentrout has a very vivid imagination and the action scenes fit her writing very well. With perfect pacing and an incredible amount of unique abilities, her characters are X-men on crack.

There was one thing that bothered me though about this book. I was expecting the writing to be different purely because of the adult nature of the book. It’s far more sexier and uses curse words. I get that and I don’t mind it at all, but I was hoping that the inner dialogue, especially from Serena’s POV, would feel more mature. She is in her early twenties and sometimes, I thought her mind was that of a younger teen. It works fabulously with her YA and NA novels, however, I wanted a little more maturity in terms of thought process from this heroine. An Adult book isn’t simply an adult book because of the presence of explicit sex and curse words. The workings of the mind are different and their values are different. I wanted more exploration of that in this book.

All in all, OBSESSION is a book packed with action and emotion. Armentrout blurs the line between good and bad and sometimes, not knowing is part of the thrill.

*ARC provided by publisher

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[about-author author=”Jennifer L. Armentrout”]