Friday, August 15, 2014

Review: Opposition by Jennifer L. Armentrout


Opposition by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Book Five of the Lux series
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Publication Date: August 5, 2014
Rating: 4 stars
Source: Paperback copy bought

Summary (from Goodreads):

Katy knows the world changed the night the Luxen came.

She can't believe Daemon welcomed his race or stood by as his kind threatened to obliterate every last human and hybrid on Earth. But the lines between good and bad have blurred, and love has become an emotion that could destroy her—could destroy them all.

Daemon will do anything to save those he loves, even if it means betrayal.

They must team with an unlikely enemy if there is any chance of surviving the invasion. But when it quickly becomes impossible to tell friend from foe, and the world is crumbling around them, they may lose everything— even what they cherish most—to ensure the survival of their friends…and mankind.

War has come to Earth. And no matter the outcome, the future will never be the same for those left standing.

What I Liked:

Spoiler-free review! In terms of Opposition. There may be spoilers for books one through four.

Ooo, what a great conclusion novel! I have to admit, I wasn't a fan of having to wait for two more books, when Jen announced that there would be two more books after Opal. However, I can't imagine this series ending with Opal. Everything comes full circle in this book. There would be no mention of the Origins, no explanation of what Luc is, no inclusion of Hunter and Serena from Obsession, if two more books hadn't been added to this series. For once, I'm immensely grateful for the addition of more books to a series.

This book does not start at all how I expected it to start. At the end of Origin, hundreds of Luxen were landing on Earth, coming to investigate the state of affairs. Daemon, Dawson, and Dee leave Archer, Luc, Beth, and Katy at the cabin. When Archer and Katy leave the cabin to run an errand, they are ambushed by Luxen. Archer gets away... but Katy doesn't. Dawson hits her with a blast of Source. Dawson. When Katy comes to, she finds that Dee hates her, and Daemon acts like he doesn't love her, just wants her physically. It's a sham, but Katy doesn't know that.

So this book starts really weirdly. I couldn't get into things... not until Daemon cracks the facade, when someone touches Katy. Katy, Daemon, and Dawson escape, but Dee is still under the Luxen thrall, and will not leave. Katy and the gang must find a way to stop the non-peaceful Luxen from killing everyone, and to stop the humans (like Husher) from destroying everything.

Like I said before, I really liked how everything came full circle in this book. Even the ending is connected to the beginning of this series - you'll know exactly what I mean, when you read this book. But everything, everything is so perfectly done. Like, in the first three books, you wonder what Luc is. In books four and five, you get to know exactly what he is. JLA connects Obsession, her adult book in the Lux world, to this series. Daemon has a cameo in Obsession, but we see some familiar Arum in this final book (as one would expected, after Obsession, Origin, etc., in which Luc told Daemon not to make enemies with Hunter, and Luc extracted a promise of a favor from Hunter. Like duhhh, I expected some reappearances.

Katy and Daemon are so solid, in terms of their characters/personalities, and in their relationship. Even after the beginning of this book, in which Daemon had to deceive Katy in order to keep the nature of their relationship (and her) safe, Katy knew in the back of her head that it couldn't be true. I love the depth of their relationship, their trust, their interdependence. Five books is a long time to solidify and cement a relationship. JLA is a master at crafting relationships as strong and as deep as Katy and Daemon's.

I REFUSE TO BE SPECIFIC. In terms of anything (unless I've already said it). But the plot is great, in this book! You look at the page count and see 500 pages, you get scared, eh? Thinking that it's another one of those epic conclusion novels that are killer, in terms of length. Authors like to fit two books into one conclusion novel, which is actually really annoying. WELL. JLA is awesome, because the ACTUAL Opposition book is like, 350 pages (a little less, I believe). Shadows is in the back of this book. So don't worry too much! The actual fifth book is a "regular" length novel.

Basically... this book ends really well. This series ends really well. Definitely a favorite series of mine. And I'll have all five books signed and personalized, which is really great! I see JLA at the Baltimore Book Festival in September, and this festival is every year, so that's kind of nice. ANYWAY. I'm being vague about this book on purpose. No spoilers!

What I Did Not Like:

I can't think of anything too specific to mention here... it's a really great ending to an awesome series!

Would I Recommend It:

If you've read any number of books in this series, definitely keep going. Obsidian was my favorite, but each of the successive books were excellent. 4 stars was the lowest rating I gave any book in this series - and that's rare, especially for a five-book series! Also, this is a great series to binge-read!

Rating:

4 stars. This series ending wasn't too bittersweet! The ending isn't wrapped up with a pretty bow, but it ends very well. Death and life are welcome in this conclusion novel, and I love how JLA weaves the two into the story. An excellent series, JLA!


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6 comments:

  1. Yay! I loved Opposition. :) I'm so sad to leave Daemon and Katy though. Haha, I was actually disappointed the book wasn't longer. I didn't realize Shadows was such a big chunk in it until I was close to being done. I'll miss this series!!

    Wendy @ Book Scents

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    1. I am a little sad too - but I love the epilogue that Jen posted :D I flipped through the book before reading it (didn't peek at the end though!), and saw Shadows. It was an excellent series, Wendy! ^_^

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  2. I still haven't read Opposition, so I skimmed-read your review, I know it'll be completely spoiler free but I want to go into the book knowing nothing at all! Just knowing you really liked it and there was nothing you disliked is enough for me!

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    1. Totally know what you mean! I hope you enjoy the book, Pili =)

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  3. Great review, Alyssa! I have so much love for this series, mainly because Daemon and Katy are one of those epic couples who I will never forget. I am a huge fan of how strong they are as a couple, especially starting in book 3 - no wavering, no drama, no break ups. It's really the best! I am very happy with how everything wrapped up, and it was great getting Serena and Hunter again. :) Have you read the short scene JLA posted on her blog recently? It's set in the future. ;)

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    1. YES! Epic couples indeed! It doesn't hurt that they were featured in FIVE books - rather than three. Definitely at the end of book two/book three and on, I was really, really happy with there relationships. And I loveee Hunter... Serena... Obsesssion...

      YES! I loved the epilogue! So much adorable-ness! Heh ^_^

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