The Maze Runner (The Maze Runner #1) by James Dashner

Summary:

If you ain’t scared, you ain’t human.

When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his name. He’s surrounded by strangers—boys whose memories are also gone.

Nice to meet ya, shank. Welcome to the Glade.

Outside the towering stone walls that surround the Glade is a limitless, ever-changing maze. It’s the only way out—and no one’s ever made it through alive.

Everything is going to change.

Then a girl arrives. The first girl ever. And the message she delivers is terrifying.Remember. Survive. Run. (Via Goodreads.com)

 Pages: 374

Release Date: October 6th, 2009 

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Review:

     I told myself that I would never read The Maze Runner. All my friends that had read the book and other reviews I had seen said that they hated the book. I had heard nothing positive about the book from people, so I decided that I did not want to read it. Even with the book-to-movie adaptation being released, I could have cared less about reading the book. But, my school's book club picked The Maze Runner as our book to read in October, so I read it. 

     The Maze Runner was nothing like I expected, I actually enjoyed reading the book. It has such a unique plot and I discovered some really likable characters. Even though I enjoyed The Maze Runner, I do not think I will continue on with the rest of the trilogy. I have heard that the second book is really good, but that the last one is horrible. I know from The Maze Runner to not always trust others opinions but I am not planning on reading the other books because the ending of The Maze Runner did not compel me to continue reading the other books. I was a bit interested to find out what happens next, but at our book club meeting one of the girls told me  what happened next and I am fine with what she told me. If she had not told me, I still would not have read the other books.    

     Since I just recently read The Maze Runner, I was unable to see it in theaters so I am planning to watch it once it comes out on DVD. 

     Overall, I enjoyed reading The Maze Runner but I don't know if I would recommend reading it to others. Since I have heard so much negativity about the last book, I would not want to get anyone invested in the trilogy and then have them disappointed. But, if you are interested in reading the trilogy, be my guest. The Maze Runner was full of action, mystery, suspense, and had a very unique plot. 

~Casey       

Elixir (Covenant #3.5) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Summary: 

Aiden St. Delphi will do anything to save Alex. Even if it means doing the one thing he will never forgive himself for. Even if it means making war against the gods. (Via Goodreads.com)

Pages: (E-book) 74

Release Date: November 22nd, 2012

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Review:

     As many of you might know, recently I have been marathoning the Covenant series by Jennifer L. Armentrout so I would be able to read my ARC of The Return before it is released next February. The Return is the first book in a new spin-off series of the Covenant series. Also, I will be attending the release party for The Return, ApollyCon, in Philadelphia this February so I wanted to be prepared. If you want more information and ticket prices on Apollycon: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/apollycon-the-return-by-jennifer-l-armentrout-release-party-tickets-12292738913. 

     So far I am loving the Covenant series and I am so excited to finish it! But, right now I have some other books I need to read for reviews and I have some extremely important new releases to read so I will be taking a rain check on the last two books of the Covenant series. I am hoping I will be able to resume reading the series in late November or early December at the latest.

     I would highly recommend this series to anyone. Especially if you like Greek mythology or any other books written by the lovely Jennifer L. Armentrout. This series will not disappoint! 

     Also, I forgot to mention in my other reviews, but if you have read the Covenant series, on Jennifer L. Armentrout's website she has a page dedicated to extras. The extras feature deleted scenes and chapters in Aiden's point of view. Here is the link, if any of you want to check out them out: http://www.jenniferarmentrout.com/extras/

     My other reviews on the previous books in the Covenant series:

Daimon (Covenant #0.5):

http://www.littleredsreviews.blogspot.com/2014/10/daimon-covenant-05-by-jennifer-l.html

Half-Blood (Covenant #1) and Pure (Covenant #2):

http://www.littleredsreviews.blogspot.com/2014/11/half-blood-covenant-1-pure-covenant-2.html

Deity (Covenant #3):

http://www.littleredsreviews.blogspot.com/2014/11/deity-covenant-3-by-jennifer-l.html

*Spoiler Section*

     When I started Half-Blood a couple months ago I bought all the books and novellas in the Covenant series at one time on my Kindle so I would have them all to marathon. I tried not to read any of the synopsis but when I came across Elixir I knew what the Elixir was in the series and I got so nervous. I assumed that some point in the series, someone found out about Alex and Aiden's relationship and Alex was put on the Elixir. That is all I thought about as I read the first three books in the series and thankfully I was not right. Well, I was right about Alex being put on the Elixir but I was not right about why she was put on it. It was so depressing to see Alex put on the Elixir, it stripped of all her freewill and personality. She was like a former shell of who she used to be, it was so enraging. I understand why she was put on the Elixir but they did not give her enough faith. Alex is such a strong and determined character, how could they forget that? Without a doubt, I know Alex is going to get through this by herself and then she will get Seth out of this. 

     The only part of Elixir that was not really depressing to me was when Aiden told Alex about the first time he ever saw her. It was interesting to see what he originally thought of her and to see how much they have both changed since then. 

     I am so excited to continue reading this series in a few weeks. I have no idea what is in store for all of these characters, but a war is coming. I hope there will not be too many casualties. The only prediction I have is, I believe Aiden is going to die. But, we will somehow figure out how to bring him back to life. 

     Overall, Elixir was heartbreaking and in the need of some happiness. 

~Casey  

Deity (Covenant #3) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Summary: 

"History is on repeat, and things didn't go so well the last time. "

Alexandria isn't sure she's going to make it to her eighteenth birthday--to her Awakening. A long-forgotten, fanatical order is out to kill her, and if the Council ever discovers what she did in the Catskills, she's a goner... and so is Aiden. 

If that's not freaky enough, whenever Alex and Seth spend time "training"--which really is just Seth's code word for some up-close and personal one-on-one time--she ends up with another mark of the Apollyon, which brings her one step closer to Awakening ahead of schedule. Awesome. 

But as her birthday draws near, her entire world shatters with a startling revelation and she's caught between love and Fate. One will do anything to protect her. One has been lying to her since the beginning. Once the gods have revealed themselves, unleashing their wrath, lives will be irrevocably changed... and destroyed. 

Those left standing will discover if love is truly greater than Fate... (Via Goodreads.com)

Pages: 330

Release Date: October 31st, 2012

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Review:

     Recently, I have been marathoning the Covenant series. I have always wanted to read the series because it is by my favorite author, Jennifer L. Armentrout. The Covenant series is the only series I have yet to read by Jennifer. I would have eventually read the series, but I was motivated to read it sooner because I got an ARC of The Return, the first book in the spin-off series of the Covenant series. The Return is expected to be released in February of next year and I will be attending the release party, ApollyCon, next February in Philadelphia (for more information on ApollyCon: http://www.tdevents.net/p/apollycon.html). I wanted to read The Return before both the release day and the release party. I am hoping to read The Return by the end of this year but first I need to finish the Covenant series first.

     Deity is the third book in the Covenant series and it full of shocking revelations, action, romance and a cliff hanging ending. I am excited to continue and finish the series. Like all of Jennifer L. Armentrout's other books, I love the Covenant series and I would highly recommend them. The series is a cool twist on Greek mythology. Also, who would not buy these books for the simple fact that the covers are stunning?
     Currently, I have the following reviews for the Covenant series: 
Daimon (Covenant #0.5): 

http://www.littleredsreviews.blogspot.com/2014/10/daimon-covenant-05-by-jennifer-l.html 
Half-Blood (Covenant #1) and Pure (Covenant #2):

http://www.littleredsreviews.blogspot.com/2014/11/half-blood-covenant-1-pure-covenant-2.html. 

*Spoiler Section*

     I knew Lucian could not be trusted. Since he was introduced in Half-Blood, I knew there was something up with him. Once Alex described him prior to her and her mom fleeing, I knew he would not suddenly change for the better. But, I never thought Seth would be on Lucian's side. Seth is Lucian's Guard but I never thought he could be brainwashed like that.  Lucian was like a father and I sort of understand why Seth let Lucian brainwash him because Lucian was the only person to ever 'love' him. I do sympathize for Seth because he is so lonely and he needs someone that truly loves him. Not someone who 'loves' him for his powers and abilities. 

     Until reading Deity I was almost positive that Minister Telly was Seth's father. Seth had never mentioned much about his father and how he regarded Telly made me think that Telly was actually Seth's dad. But, I was proven wrong when we discovered that an Apollyon is born from a pure mom and a half dad. I hope we get to learn more about Seth's past and who his parents are. He is a main character but he is still rather mysterious. I just hope by the end of the series Seth will be back to normal and will eventually find someone. It seems like he does have a big heart, he just needs someone to share it with. 

     I was not expecting Apollo to be one of Alex's ancestors. But, after I finished Deity I started my review for Daimon and I noticed that in one of the notes I took it had mentioned that Alex's mom was fascinated with Apollo, so that fact was always there, I just never connected the dots. But, the most shocking thing of all was to discover that Leon was actually Apollo. I knew there was something different about Leon but I never expected this. Since Leon is a god, I wonder if anyone else could be hiding a secret identity...

     I was shocked to discover that Deacon was gay because he was the player of the series. But, he and Luke are really cute together. Just like Alex and Aiden, one of them is pure and the other is a half. I hope by the end of the series they will destroy the rule about halfs and pures not being allowed to be romantically involved. Am the only one who thinks Deacon reminds me of Magnus Bane from The Mortal Instruments series? 

     This is going to sound uncivilized, but I was glad that Alex died. Now let me finish. I love Alex, she is one of my favorite female characters but she needed to visit the Underworld. She needed closure and to hear that Caleb did not blame her for his death. I am glad Alex got to say goodbye to Caleb and to know he is happy. 

     I was right when it came to Aiden's mysterious necklace. When is was first mentioned, I automatically knew it was the black guitar pick Alex got him for his 21st birthday. For once, I was happy that I was right, it was a really sweet touch Jennifer added to the story. Speaking of jewelery, I loved that Aiden made Alex a necklace for her 18th birthday, it sounds beautiful and it came from his heart. 

     I was so mad when it was revealed that the gods never intended for the halfs to be enslaved. All they wanted was for the races to be separated to limit the number of Apollyons created. It was the pures who enslaved the halfs for their own selfish purposes. One thing I do not understand, is why the halfs have never fought back? The halfs have both the numbers and skills to beat the pures. The only thing against them is the elixir, but I am betting they could eventually find a way around it, since they have both the numbers and skills. 

     It was really depressing to hear Aiden talk about his parents murders. Yet, I was relieved that he finally confided in Alex with it because he never told anyone else the story and he needed to let it out. It was interesting to learn that the real reason he became a Sentinel was to honor the half-blood who saved his and Deacon's life. It was a sweet yet depressing end to his story. 

     I don't really know what to expect from the remaining books in the series. All I know is that there is an impending war with the gods on the horizon. I just hope we don't have to say goodbye to many more characters. 

     Overall, Deity was shocking, full of action, comedy, romance, and ended on a cliff hanger. I am very excited to finish the series. I only have to read one novella and two more books until the series is over.

~Casey 

Half-Blood (Covenant #1) & Pure (Covenant #2) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Summary:

The Hematoi descend from the unions of gods and mortals, and the children of two Hematoi pure bloods have godlike powers. Children of Hematoi and mortals--well, not so much. Half-bloods only have two options: become trained Sentinels who hunt and kill daimons or become servants in the homes of the pures. Seventeen-year-old Alexandria would rather risk her life fighting than waste it scrubbing toilets, but she may end up slumming it anyway. There are several rules that students at the Covenant must follow. Alex has problems with them all, but especially rule #1:Relationships between pures and halfs are forbidden. Unfortunately, she's crushing hard on the totally hot pure-blood Aiden. But falling for Aiden isn't her biggest problem--staying alive long enough to graduate the Covenant and become a Sentinel is. If she fails in her duty, she faces a future worse than death or slavery: being turned into a daimon, and being hunted by Aiden. And that would kind of suck.
(Via Goodreads.com)

Pages: 281

Release Date: September 18th, 2011

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Summary: 

There is need. And then there is Fate. Being destined to become some kind of supernatural electrical outlet isn't exactly awesome--especially when Alexandria's other half is everywhere she goes. Seth's in her training room, outside her classes, and keeps showing up in her bedroom--so not cool. Their connection does have some benefits, like staving off her nightmares of the tragic showdown with her mother, but it has no effect on what Alex feels for the forbidden, pure-blooded Aiden. Or what he will do--and sacrifice--for her. When daimons infiltrate the Covenants and attack students, the gods send furies--lesser gods determined to eradicate any threat to the Covenants and to the gods, and that includes the Apollyon--and Alex. And if that and hordes of aether-sucking monsters didn't blow bad enough, a mysterious threat seems willing to do anything to neutralize Seth, even if that means forcing Alex into servitude--or killing her. When the gods are involved, some decisions can never, ever be undone. (Via Goodreads.com)

Pages: 329

Release Date: January 1st, 2012

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Reviews:

     There is no surprise that like all of Jennifer L. Armentrout's other books, I am in love with the Covenant series. It features all of Jennifer's specialties such as hot guys, action, romance, and strong female leads. She also crafted an amazing world that I would love to live in, well kind of. 

     The only reason I rated Half-Blood a four out of five stars was that it was too much like the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead. It was way too predictable and I felt like I was re-reading the Vampire Academy series. Don't get me wrong, I love the Vampire Academy series, but the line between the two series was very blurry. But, Jennifer got back on track in Pure and the similarities between the two series stopped, the Covenant series was no longer as predictable. My friend that also loves Jennifer L. Armentrout's books has read and loved the Covenant series but she hated Vampire Academy. It had never occurred to me until now that she probably did not like Vampire Academy because of how similar it was to Half-Blood.
     Overall, I loved Half-Blood and Pure. Both novels were full of action, romance, whit, mystery, some drama and beautiful covers. I would highly recommend reading this series to anyone who likes Greek Mythology or any of Jennifer L. Armentrout's other books. I also have a review the prequel novella, Daimon: http://littleredsreviews.blogspot.com/2014/10/daimon-covenant-05-by-jennifer-l.html. 
     The following review will feature spoilers from, Daimon, Half-Blood, Pure and the first two books in the Vampire Academy series.

*Spoiler Section*

     

     If I had to live in the Vampire Academy or Covenant world I would most definitely pick the Vampire Academy world. I love both series but the Vampire Academy world is the better of two negatives. I am going to assume that I would be a Dhampire in Vampire Academy and a half in the Covenant series. I would rather be a Dhampire for the simple reason that I would be more respected than halfs and I would not have the possibility of being enslaved. I would be terrified living as a half in the Covenant series because the pures can take away your life in a matter of seconds. I hate that the halfs have no representation on Council and I hope that by the end of the series the halfs will have a higher stance in their society. 
     Even though the society is set up like Vampire Academy it makes the series unique. When I hear of books based off of Greek Mythology, I think of the retelling of Persephone. The Covenant series widens the variety and I am interested to see what other unique Greek Mythology stories are out there.  
     In Half-Blood, Grandma Piperi, the oracle, shows Alex a purple flower called nightshade. Which is the flower featured on the cover of Half-Blood. Grandma Piperi mentions that nightshades are dangerous and continues to ramble on in riddles. I figured that each book cover would feature a different flower that was symbolic to the story. I was disappointed to discover that the flower on the cover of Pure was not mentioned in the book. The flower on the cover of Pure does not look like a nightshade from the color and angle it is shown, but maybe it is. I wonder if all the flowers are nightshades but are in different colors and angels to show Alex's progression in the story. Please comment below and share your theories on the mysterious flowers. I must say though, even if the flowers do not have a symbolic reasoning, the covers are still gorgeous.    
     I knew Caleb's death was coming because the oracle had predicted it in Half-Blood and I knew it would happen because he reminded me so much of Rose's best friend, Mason, in the Vampire Academy series. Mason was killed protecting Rose in the second Vampire Academy novel, Frostbite. I figured Caleb would die at the end of Pure, but when Alex's mom and other daimon kidnapped Alex and Caleb near the end of Half-Blood, I was curious if he would die at the end of Half-Blood instead. I was relieved when Caleb escaped death in Half-Blood but I knew that happiness would not last long. I loved Caleb so much, he was such a sweet and thoughtful character. I loved at the end of Half-Blood when he held a little memorial service to help Alex cope with her mom's death as well as to remember the other people killed during the book. Even though I predicted it, it was sad to see Caleb die. It was also depressing to see how much his death affected Alex and I felt horrible when Caleb's girlfriend, Olivia, blamed his death on Alex.
      Speaking of sweet character, I love Aiden. Without a doubt, Alex and he will end up together. Technically, there is a 'love triangle' in the series, but Seth has no chance against Aiden. My favorite scene in Pure was when Aiden took Alex to the Zoo. I vaguely remembered the fact that Alex loves Zoos and it was amazing that he remembered such a small detail. By taking her to the Zoo, he helped her forget all the bad things that were currently going on in the Covenant.  
     My friend that has also read the Covenant series is in love with Seth. So, I assumed that I would love him as well because we have the same taste when it comes to anything book related. But, I am not a huge fan of Seth. I don't hate him, but I don't love him either. I am hoping that as the story progresses, I will have a more defined feeling toward him.   
     I am excited to continue reading and to finish the Covenant series. I have an ARC of The Return which is the first novel in a spin-off series of the Covenant series so I want to get that read as soon as possible. Overall, Half-Blood and Pure were two quick reads that were extremely funny,and filled with action, romance, and amazing writing. I would highly recommend this series to anyone, especially those that love Greek Mythology. I also highly recommend picking up any of Jennifer L. Armentrout's other books. 
~Casey