Review: Opal

No one is like Daemon Black.

When he set out to prove his feelings for me, he wasn’t fooling around. Doubting him isn’t something I’ll do again, and now that we’ve made it through the rough patches, well... There’s a lot of spontaneous combustion going on.

But even he can’t protect his family from the danger of trying to free those they love.

After everything, I’m no longer the same Katy. I’m different... And I’m not sure what that will mean in the end. When each step we take in discovering the truth puts us in the path of the secret organization responsible for torturing and testing hybrids, the more I realize there is no end to what I’m capable of. The death of someone close still lingers, help comes from the most unlikely source, and friends will become the deadliest of enemies, but we won’t turn back. Even if the outcome will shatter our worlds forever.

Together we’re stronger... and they know it.

Title: Opal (Lux ~ Book 3)
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publication Date: December 11 2012
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
ISBN: 1620610094
Length: 452 Pages
Add it to your TBR Pile: Goodreads
Buy It: Amazon US / Amazon UK

Source: Purchased (Kindle Edition) / This was delivered early from Amazon
Cover Love: Favorite of the series... Pepe Toth is the perfect Daemon!  Honestly love it so much.
Point of View: 1st person, following Kat

My Rating: 5 Stars

First things first.  (stands up and starts to clap... doesn't stop for a long while)  Jennifer Armentrout that is for you.  You are simply amazing.  There is no doubt that you have very quickly and very deservedly become one of my favorite authors.  I have said this before and I will say it a thousand more times to anybody who will listen.  I would happily read the phone book if you were the one writing it.  Your talent continues to amaze me with each new book... may you never retire!

Now, with my major author obsessed fangirl moment out of the way I shall continue with my review of Opal.  (reverts back into fangirl mode, man that was quick)  Holy crap this book was completely awesome.  I had originally booked December 11th off from work so that I could be at home to read it the day of release.  Imagine my surprise when on December 3rd night I get an eMail from Amazon saying it has been released early and that it would be wirelessly sent to my Kindle... like right that moment.  I went insane and my husband now knows how crazy I actually am.  Darn it.  I thought I was doing such a good job at hiding my crazy.

We shall get the series warning out of the way now.  I do my best not to post spoilers but there may and probably will be spoilers from earlier books in the series so proceed at your own risk.

Kat has grown up so much over this series and I really feel she has come into her own in this book.  Her thought process shows a lot of maturity and thinking about it now I really can't think of a moment where I didn't understand or agree with a decision she was making.  Well maybe her jealousy toward Ash was a little annoying... I mean yeah Daemon and Ash used to date but it would take a fool to think he was interested in anybody but Kat.  I love how she interacts with Dawson.  He is going through a lot (more on that later) and she is so gentle with him.  She has so much to do with him getting better and again this just shows how much she has grown up.  She is coming into all of her powers as a hybrid and really tries hard at practising everything so that she can defend herself.

Daemon... *sigh* Daemon... We have already seen so many sides of Daemon and yet again we are introduced to another.  This is romantic Daemon at his finest.  He is still protective over Katy but they actually talk through their feelings with each other and work through problems together.  They do not always see eye to eye but this is normal.  But rather than blowing up at each other non-stop they talk and decide how to proceed as a couple.  These two together really is something to behold.  They are so playful, sweet, caring and loving toward each other.  But please don't get me wrong.  If you are in love with the snarky, cocky and ego filled Daemon there is still plenty of him to be found in Opal.

“You're amazing."

"I know it didn't take you this long to realize that."

"No. I've always known it." I watched him root around for another strawberry. "Maybe not in the beginning..."

He peeked up. "My awesomeness is all about the stealth.”

Dawson is as lovely as ever.  I really did love him in Shadows and I am so excited that he is back.  Well he is back but not quite all the way back.  To say he has been through hell over the last year is an understatement.  He becomes obsessed with finding and rescuing Beth and ultimately that is what Opal is about, finding Beth.  Obviously nobody is overly excited about this, they only just got Dawson back from the DOD/Daedalus.  The last thing they want to do is have him get captured again.  However neither Daemon or Kat can deny Dawson this.  They both know that there is no way that if either of them were captured that anything would be able to stop the other from going after them.  

“Each time I felt the worst kind of fear. What if it didn't work? What if I failed Beth? I'd..." He moved his neck, as if working out a kink. He'd never be the same. Tears climbed up my throat again. I wanted to cry for him, for Beth, but most of all for all, for the people they once were but never would be again.

All of the same side characters are still here... including Blake!  Yep he is back and is as much as a douche as ever.  Blake/Biff/Bart/Barf, etc... is hated by everybody and honestly how could he not be?  I just think he is so creepy and he makes my skin crawl.

Okay back to Daemon because there can never be too much Daemon (man that really sounded like something he would say).  I can not even begin to express how much you will fall in love with him even more after reading this.  If you have read the other books we all know you will already love him but that love will turn into an all out obsession.

“A slow, wry smile teased Daemon's lips. "Simmer down, Kitten, before I have to get you a ball of yarn to play with.” 

Snarky Daemon, romantic Daemon, cocky Daemon, possessive Daemon... who cares which one it is at that very moment in time because you will love them all.  Just as I do.

Now the ending.  I am sure you already know (unless you live under a rock) that there is the mother of all cliffhangers at the end.  I am here to confirm that yes this is true.  It was 2:00am when I finished reading and I just sat there staring at my Kindle mumbling 'Oh. My. God.' over and over and over and over again.  I have no idea how I didn't wake my husband up.  Then I started texting my friends to tell them how amazing it was and that they all better hurry up and read it so that we could all gush about it.  Yes I know it was 2:00am but they are used to this level of crazy from me, it is part of my charm.

Now the dreaded wait begins... Origin is due to be published in 2013.  Armentrout actually mentioned on Twitter today that it is actually July 3013, no exact date as of yet.  So really that is not a horrible wait, it could have been much worse as it could have been the end of 2013.  For that I am very thankful.

Now off you go... if you have read the Lux series then pick up Opal today! If you haven't yet started this series then I suggest it moves to the very tip top of your to be read pile.  Then after you are done with them I strongly suggest Armentrout's Covenant series because they are also simply amazing.  She is simply amazing.

 

“His eyes searched mine. "Thank you."

"For What?" I loved the feel of his arms around me and how I fit against him, hard against soft. He trailed his fingers over my arm, and I was amazed by how he could make me shiver.

"For everything," he said.” 

MORE QUOTES FROM OPAL