Steph Sinclair's Reviews > Obsidian

Actual rating: 3.5 (I think? Geez, I don't know! I just know I liked it a lot, okay?)

Wow. I did not expect to enjoy Obsidian as much as I did. For some reason, I've just been avoiding it, but it was always there in my Twitter and GoodReads feeds. Daemon was frickin' invading my life. Finally, after seeing everyone change their avatars to the Lux series' covers, I felt I had to check it out. Almost all of my friends have given this book anywhere from 3-5 stars, but most averaging around 4. So naturally I had to read it to see what the big fuss was about. I was initially wary because I had heard Obsidian was Twilight all over again and we all know how I feel about Twilight and its reincarnations. But surprisingly, I really liked it! Weirdly enough, I could probably go on and on why I didn't like it, but I don't have that urge. I have an urge to hug this book closely because it made me laugh on more than one occasion. Also, Armentrout. I want to hug her too. Because despite Obsidian's headdesk-worthy clichés, I cannot deny... it's an enchanting read. Either that, of I probably shouldn't be drinking while reading.... Ha! Yeah, right.

Another reviewer said, "It was as if the author felt obligated to fix Twilight catastrophe and tried make it right again" and I completely agree with her. I'll even take it a step further and say it was like Armentrout woke up one day and said, "I'm going to write a book using all the tropes and clichés people usually hate and they're still gonna love the shit out of this book." You might be wondering, "How can one possibly make Twilight better?!" Well, let's take a look at Armentrout's plan for blogosphere domination:

Step One: Create a likable and relatable main character.

How do you make a female main character instantly relatable to most of the female blogging community? The answer is so simple I'm honestly kicking myself that I've never thought of it before. You make her one of them. There are so many books I've read where the protagonist is an avid reader. And now I usually find myself going, "YAWN. She can read. Good for her." But not here in Obsidian. Because not only does Katy love to read, but she is a book blogger. Say what? This main character has a... hobby other than staring at her hot next-door neighbor? Nice. Not only that, but Katy is smart, funny, witty and gives Jerkface Daemon a run for his money.

Step Two: Add a bad boy with two scoops of asshole.

Ah, the bad boy. Almost every girl goes through the "bad boy phase." It's like a black hole, totally unavoidable, unless you happen to be smarter than the rest of us, in which case, you rock. But there's just something about the thrill of fooling around with someone you know you have no business fooling around with. It can be the best and worst days of your life. That is... until you grow up and get married! XD



Anyway, that's kinda what Daemon is for Katy in Obsidian. He is the irresistible, hot, bad boy who Katy can't deny she's attracted to. But the kicker is that even though Daemon treats her awfully (reasons are revealed in Shadows), she's not one of those heroines that sits back and accepts that. It's one of the first times I've seen a YA heroine differentiate between love and lust. Here's a girl who is saying, "Okay this guy pretty much sets my panties on fire and I would totally exercise him in my bedroom (and possibly in the kitchen by the buttered rolls), but I'm not gonna because he's a complete asshole and I'm better than that." How refreshing!

And yeah, maybe Daemon is a nice guy underneath all his Jerk-titude, but that doesn't mean Katy has to bend over backwards and ignore his past behavior. Armentrout sets up Daemon's character for redemption because finally someone is saying, "Enough with all the douchebags treating the heroine like shit and still ending up with her in the end just by apologizing." And that is why Obsidian ultimately won me over. At first I couldn't figure out how everyone could love a book when the love interest was a complete tool, but when Katy gave Daemon the one finger salute with a nice "fuck you very much," I knew I was won over.

Step Three: Choose a paranormal creature that isn't written to death.

Vampires? Ugh. Werewolves? Old news. Fairies? Boooring! How about something we don't get to see a lot of in YA? Something that will grab your attention! (And I'm not talking about Daemon's... er... friendly nature.)


Actually, now that I think of it. That image is pretty accurate. 

Maybe I'm not as well read as I thought I was with YA novels, but I don't see a lot of PNR authors tackling aliens. And what a shame! There is so much untapped potential there. In Obsidian you have hundreds of aliens living in West Virginia amongst humans. They're in the schools, holding normal jobs and interacting with humans on a regular basis. So what happens if someone finds out their secret? Awesomeness happens. That's what.

Step Four: Make overused YA cliché and tropes interesting again.

Girl moves to a new small town? Check. Heroine doesn't know she's beautiful? Check. Single parent home who has a convenient excuse to leave the heroine alone for long stretches? Check. Paranormal characters hit the genetics jackpot lottery? DOUBLE CHECK. Love interest is so hot he practically melts the heroine's panties off with a grin? Check. Boy save girl from near death experience, therefore revealing his paranormal abilities? Check. Boy tries to deny those abilities? Check. Girl is allergic to his bullshit? Check. I admit, some of these this did bother me, but in the end, it didn't matter too much, especially since there is no insta-love and Katy is frickin' awesome! Hmm... This review turned into one huge lovefest for the MC, Katy. How odd.

Step Five: Sit back and watch your magic work. Your work here is done.


 Pinky ring not required, but recommended. 

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Reaction right after finishing Obsidian:

Gah! This is unexpected. I think my rating is more of a 3.5? 3.75? Got dammit! I don't even know. All I know is my emotions are confused. THEY ARE CONFUSED! This book is like Twilight. But I hate Twilight. Wait... does that mean I like Twilight?! NO. I refuse to believe that.

Ahhhh! Katy, I love you. Daemon Edward, I want to shake you.

There are so many things in Obsidian I despise. But I still liked this book. A lot.

Review to come after I sort out these strange feelings.

And now I'm off to buy Onyx from Amazon even though it's 3am.

Armentrout, what have you done to me? Who am I becoming? Cat woman? (Between you and me, I look pretty damn hot in all leather.) (Okay, that made no sense and was really random.) Gahhhhh!!!