Okay guys I'm going to have a really unpopular opinion right now and don't burn me at the stake for it.

I love Armentrout. Which is to say--her Lux books are enjoyable, fast paced thrill rides. They are the perfect "I need something to reaffirm why I enjoy reading" books because (by in large) Armentrout makes me feel for the characters. They're not Jane Austen nor are they Anne McCaffrey, they are however books that draw readers in and (for the most part) feature characters who make mistakes and learn their consequences, but don't give up.

Armentrout as a person has--from the few times I've met/talked with her and the stories I've heard--come across as a wonderful, warm and inviting author.

What I've found, when reading any books not set in the Lux universe that she's written, is that I just can't get into the premise/characters. It doesn't matter if its one of her young adult paranormals, her adult contemporaries or her urban fantasies--they just don't grab me. WHITE HOT KISS however seemed on track to break that curse. I like Gargoyles. I really do. I loved the TV show and way back when I first read The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury I liked that character the best.

I found however that while Layla and Roth and Zayne were all rather interesting separate from each other, together I wanted to murder the lot of them. In a rare fit of "nonono" I don't want any romance. None. I found myself getting frustrated with Layla. Yes its great that Roth being demon means she can make out with him. Yes its wonderful that he is willing, very willing, to let her use him (essentially). Oh it sucks for Zayne who is so conflicted. I could give a flying monkey for it all.

When Layla was the best was when she was either telling them to behave like the respectable Warden and Demon that they were and get their heads in the game. When she was fighting her hardest to come to terms with her dual nature and finding some balance so she can feel accepted. Her vulnerable moments when its all gets so frustrating and her excited moments when she figures something out.

Layla who wanted a self that could belong was the Layla I related to.

Layla who was conflicted about her attraction to the guy she shouldn't want, but can have kissy-face with and the guy she shouldn't want and can't have kissy-face with but hits all her emotional buttons...that Layla bored me.

The ending, which I won't spoil here, interested me in that it represented a problem. Emotionally speaking if Armentrout had made this a one or two book series and did the virtually unheard of in YA fiction thing by letting lying dogs stay down, then either a) dealt with the consequences of that in book 2 or b) made it clear that Layla would dedicate herself to honoring what happened, but not ANGST over it...I would have reacted differently.

As it stands I'm sort of like 'smh no no no' I am not a fan of drawn out triangles. Especially if there are good points and bad points to being with either guy. And in YA paranormal fiction its gotten to the point where you can't have a romance without it. At least in the traditionally published books. Not so traditionally published authors are more then happy to murder their darlings in order to make it clear that romance is not the end all of life.

So as I said, unpopular opinion is mine (its worth noting there was no real "triangle" in the Lux books - Katy and Daemon were pretty much solid city even with the brief book 2 sort of wannabe suitor.) I'm sure this appeals to her fans and will bring in a whole cascade of new readers (maybe this will enable her to write more Arum books...). It just unfortunately did not work for me. ( )

Prachtig verhaal over demonen en wachters.
Layla ontdekt wie/wat ze werkelijk is en wie haar ouders zijn.
Met de nodige valkuilen en probleem leert ze haar beide kanten te aanvaarden. ( )

I flew through this book. If it wasn't dead week I would have stayed awake until I finished it, unfortunately, I had to get up to tutor early this morning. But it's okay because I have now finished it and I really need to read the next one.

The premise of this novel is really weird and because of that I almost didn't read it. Don't make the same mistake that I made for the last few years. After picking it up on a whim because I saw it on Hoopla, I immediately fell in love. Basically, this book is about a girl (Layla) who is half demon and half 'Warden'. Wardens look like normal humans with pale blue eyes until they shift. Then they look like badass gargoyles complete with horns and claws. Humans know about the Wardens but not about the demons. To keep the demons in check, the Wardens fight them and send them back to Hell when needed. Layla was adopted by a Warden clan based in D.C. and like with most YA paranormal romance novels, is completely in love with one of the Wardens, his name is Zayne. But it can't be because as a half demon, she accidentally will suck the souls out of anyone that she kisses. This leads to a lot of angst. Also, of course, there is a love triangle between Layla, Zayne, and Roth (a hot demon). It's a fun ride.

Things I loved: the characters, the love triangle, the angst, the fantastical elements, urban style fantasy, the gargoyle element was very unique, Layla's progression as a character, and the humor in general

Things I didn't love: it made no sense to me why humans could know about Wardens but not demons

I will definitely be picking up the second one as soon as finals are over. ( )

I flew through this book. If it wasn't dead week I would have stayed awake until I finished it, unfortunately, I had to get up to tutor early this morning. But it's okay because I have now finished it and I really need to read the next one.

The premise of this novel is really weird and because of that I almost didn't read it. Don't make the same mistake that I made for the last few years. After picking it up on a whim because I saw it on Hoopla, I immediately fell in love. Basically, this book is about a girl (Layla) who is half demon and half 'Warden'. Wardens look like normal humans with pale blue eyes until they shift. Then they look like badass gargoyles complete with horns and claws. Humans know about the Wardens but not about the demons. To keep the demons in check, the Wardens fight them and send them back to Hell when needed. Layla was adopted by a Warden clan based in D.C. and like with most YA paranormal romance novels, is completely in love with one of the Wardens, his name is Zayne. But it can't be because as a half demon, she accidentally will suck the souls out of anyone that she kisses. This leads to a lot of angst. Also, of course, there is a love triangle between Layla, Zayne, and Roth (a hot demon). It's a fun ride.

Things I loved: the characters, the love triangle, the angst, the fantastical elements, urban style fantasy, the gargoyle element was very unique, Layla's progression as a character, and the humor in general

Things I didn't love: it made no sense to me why humans could know about Wardens but not demons

I will definitely be picking up the second one as soon as finals are over. ( )

Many, many years ago I saw this book at a local Wal-Mart and had one of those "OMG I NEED IT" moments. I bought this book, put it on a bookshelf, buried it in said bookshelf, and then lost it until I reorganized my entire house. When I reorganized all of my books I decided to put this book on the "Read Next" physical shelf. WHY DIDN'T I DO THIS SOONER?!

Seriously, this book is an absolute GEM and I'm hitting myself (figuratively speaking) for not reading it sooner. It's everything I love in a YA - potential love triangle, crazy fantasy, typical friend and families woes - and it has an epic cover! It was a home run! It hit it out of the park! It was the best YA book I've read in a good while! I loved every second of it! And gosh darnit I need the next book and I don't have it!

On top of all of that, my friends have been telling me for years to read books by Jennifer L. Armentrout and THEY WERE RIGHT!

So, let's get down to business....

The positives:
Gargoyles. Yes, you heard me right. FREAKING GARGOYLES. If there's one set of monsters I haven't read about in my reading life, it's them! We have people who turn into gargoyles - so right off the bat I'm impressed because it's something different. Then you have to throw in the demons who are the greatest foes of said gargoyle people. Now, before you get all excited over this, the gargoyles change forms like a shapeshifter so they do survive out in public. But, the public also know about gargoyles? It's kind of confusing for me, but she makes it work.

I liked that this book had lots of romance and flirting it in. I love a good romance story! There's just enough action and adventure to keep the plot going - so it felt like a good mix.

On an even brighter note, Jennifer has an amazing writing style and tone. I got addicted to this book SO FAST that it was unbelievable. I couldn't put it down and it was almost making me mad! It's a great story to binge! I absolutely want to read the rest of this series and whatever else Jennifer spits out of that brilliant mind of hers.

And then there's Roth. He's super hot, he's funny, he's slightly inappropriately and I love him. Zayne kinda bores me but whatever. We've got two hot guys and I have already picked my side! Also... Bambi. A giant snake tattoo demon creature. Yup, this book is that cool.

The negatives:
In typical YA fashion, the heroine is the master of the universe. She's the special one everyone's been waiting for. Am I tired of this trope? Yup. Did the story suffer because of it? Nope! So, essentially, it doesn't really affect the story at all but I did get a little judgey because OF COURSE she's the answer to everyone's problem.

The virgin side of the story had me feeling cringy and icky. When your adoption/step father like figure starts talking about your sex life and not in a "Birds and the Bees" or "Stay Safe" kind of way, I always get creeped out. I get that's apart of the prophecy in this story but... EW!

Additionally... there is a fair bit of slut shaming and women against women vibes. I hope that disappears in the next book but... ya never know.

Overall, I think this was a fun YA ride. I don't take it to be some seriously, Oscar-winning drama book but I don't think we're meant to. It's a lot of fun and whisked me away from my real world for a few hours.

Five out of five stars! ( )