Deity

by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Read: November 12-14, 2012
Published: November 6, 2012 by Spencer Hill Press
Source: Kindle purchase
Category: YA Paranormal
Series: Covenant series book 3

"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... (from Goodreads)

I'm just going to get right to the point.
Deity has been reviewed a lot lately, and I'm going to lend my voice to the masses. But I'm going to get right to the practical of this book. I think Alex would appreciate my efforts. 

What is this book about, anyway?
Deity is the third book in Jennifer Armentrout's Covenant series, which started with Half-Blood, and it is all about answers. More specifically truths that had previously only been hinted at are finally confirmed about the main cast of characters. We find out who they are, what are their motives, where their loyalties lie - which are villains and which are allies - and we also solidify relationships. Most of this information was hinted at in the first two books, and I wasn't surprised by much of what was revealed. But I liked finally having my suspicions confirmed.

Deity does include some pretty intense moments, and I was definitely on the edge of my seat at times. But there are also several quieter periods where things happen that made me smile - or swoon. I loved those passages. Alex remains her impulsive self throughout this book, but she also has people surrounding her that know her and anticipate that behavior from her. I really like the balance that they provide for her, and the perspective that she gains in this book. Many things that happen are eye opening for Alex, and I loved seeing her growth.

Alexandria picks a boy.
Alex finally makes her choice between Aiden and Seth. Personally, I don't think that there was all that much choosing that had to happen. It's been pretty clear to me throughout this series where her heart lies. Also I have never fully trusted one of the guys. But I loved seeing everything come together, and I was actually surprised by how romantic this story was. I probably shouldn't have been with how well Armentrout has established her ability to build the chemistry between her characters. My heart swelled three sizes for one guy while I read this book. 

However, there are two more books to come and I'm always nervous when so many good moments come this early in a series. I have a feeling that I'll be flipping back to remind myself of these passages when I'm reading Apollyon. And for those of you who stubbornly - and incomprehensibly - liked the other guy, I have a feeling that you're going to have some moments to come (unfortunately). 

The big event arrives at last.
Deity lays out everyone's cards before Alex turns 18 and the crazy begins (if you've read the first two books in this series, you know what that means). Although no one knows exactly what will happen on Alex's birthday (or if they know, they're not saying), it's pretty clear that everything is about to change for these characters. As the date approaches, Alex naturally begins to think and worry more about it. Thankfully, after three books worth of anticipation, she finally turns 18 at the end of Deity. Although we'll have to wait until Apollyon is released to find out what her birthday means for everyone. I'm already freaking out though!!

The elephant in the room (Please don't send me hate mail).
I'm going to come out and address the issue of the similarities between this series and The Vampire Academy books. I don't think that anyone who's read both series could miss how alike they are, especially the first book Half-Blood. Although the beings are different (vampires vs. descendants of greek gods), the structure of the world and many of the characters are eerily similar. If not a bit remixed. Even many of the major plot points occur at the same places. You guys know how my head connects books automatically, so this has been hard for me to get past.

However, I am happy to report that the Covenant series has been coming more and more into its own as it progresses. And I am able to separate them out in my head. Even so, it's hard not to read these books and compare the two series, or to anticipate certain types of things happening, because I read The Vampire Academy first. 

What I still don't get about this series.
This doesn't really fit specifically into my review, but one thing that has been bothering me about the world building of the Covenant series is, how on earth are there so many half-bloods running around? They are the product of Pures and humans, and there are enough of them to make up half the population of several schools around the country, plus countless servants. But the Pures appear to live pretty shut off from the human population, so I don't understand how they're making so many half-blood babies each year?? It must be a rite of passage to cheat on your spouse and have a baby with a human? Pures marriages are arranged, so I'm thinking that whoever is arranging them is doing a poor job. 

I know it's a minor detail in the grand scheme of things, but this is one example of how something small can make it very hard for me to suspend my disbelief and accept an author's world as truth. Perhaps someone can explain this to me so that it makes better sense? It's possible I've forgotten something important from the first books.

Despite all of this, Jennifer Armentrout is a great writer, and I think that's what's kept me coming back. 

If you've read Deity, make sure you check out the novella from Aiden's perspective called Elixir. It takes place after the end of the book and gives a good look at what is to come in Apollyon. 

Cliffhanger scale: Medium-High
Love Triangle Factor: Mild because Alex's heart never wavers. Medium because of some of her actions.

Rating: 4 stars. Despite it's problems, I really enjoyed this book! It's my favorite of the series so far.