Review: Apollyon by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Apollyon by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Steph’s Rating: 5 Stars
Dani's rating: 5 stars

Overall Rating: 5 Stars

Format: Paperback

Publication Date: April 9th, 2013

Publisher: Spencer Hill Press

Pages: 343

Goodreads Synopsis:

Fate isn’t something to mess with… and now, neither is Alex.

Alex has always feared two things: losing herself in the Awakening and being placed on the Elixir. But love has always been stronger than Fate, and Aiden St. Delphi is willing to make war on the gods—and Alex herself—to bring her back.

The gods have killed thousands and could destroy entire cities in their quest to stop Seth from taking Alex’s power and becoming the all-powerful God Killer. But breaking Alex’s connection to Seth isn’t the only problem. There are a few pesky little loopholes in the whole “an Apollyon can’t be killed” theory, and the only person who might know how to stop the destruction has been dead for centuries.

Finding their way past the barriers that guard the Underworld, searching for one soul among countless millions, and then somehow returning will be hard enough. Alex might be able to keep Seth from becoming the God Killer… or she might become the God Killer herself.

Steph’s Review: 

*DO NOT read this review if you haven’t read Deity yet. It is spoilerific for the other books prior to this one. I also strongly suggest you read Elixir (Aiden POV novella between Deity and Apollyon) before Apollyon. It’s technically isn’t a “mandatory” read, but you won’t get some of the stuff in the Apollyon. Oh and P.S., this will be a long review xD.

WOW. Jen has once again swept me off my feet and launched me into orbit of the swoon world. I don’t know how she does it, but somehow every single thing she writes comes out as a masterpiece. I would honestly read anything she writes, without even reading summaries or seeing covers. Apollyon was amazing and enrapturing from the very first paragraph, and I was so happy to be able to get my hands on this earlier than the release date (you have my forever thanks, B&N!). Trust me, I had a whole “I can’t believe this is happening *squealing like a monkey*” discussion with Dani on it. This is most definitely the craziest ride we’ve been on with Alex and Aiden so far, and I absolutely loved every word etched in the pages. I can’t get enough of this series!

This book starts a little after the end of Elixir (and if you didn’t read it, around a month after Deity) with Alex connected to Seth. This was probably the hardest part of Apollyon to read, with all those excruciatingly painful “my Seth’s” strewn in across the chapters *gags*. It was awful to read Alex’s POV while she was in this state, because she is not at all the Alex we know and love. Her worst fears are coming true, but her bond to Seth keeps her from even knowing that. Thankfully, Jen doesn’t keep Alex in this state too long. *squeals* I just loved the way Alex was able to break off from Seth! It was the sweetest thing ever, and was definitely one of my favorite scenes in the entire book. Once Alex is freed from Seth’s grasps, she and her crew of eight are desperately trying to find a way to turn the tide of the war, and to keep the world from going into complete pandemonium. Look forward to the Underworld! That place is just insane, and our characters must stretch themselves to their limits to face what is coming. 

I would most definitely say that Apollyon is the heaviest book in the series, if you can understand what I mean by that. The things Alex had to deal with in the past were terrible, but Apollyon kind of feels like a whole different level. Everything becomes more deep, and nothing is as it seems. Overall, I feel like the aura from it is just a lot darker than any of the other books in the series. With all the crap thats going on, with the war, Seth, the big bad connection, Alex and Aiden’s guilt, remorse etc, Apollyon is a lot to take in. There isn’t as much action in this as the other books in the series, like its the semi-calm before the storm (it’s definitely not calm, but I know that whatever is going to happen in Sentinel will be explosive and just on another scale). Don’t worry too much about this, if you’re afraid that Apollyon is depressing, because Jen still, amazingly (just another show of her skill), is able to put humor into all of these stark situations. I love Deacon and Marcus and Apollo so much! Apollo and his impeccable timing, oh, and the “Release the Kraken”!!!! Ahahahaha, good times :D

I’ve already given the title of “Queen of Cliffhangers” to Jen, but now its time to present her with another award: “Queen of Awkward Situations”. There are so many awkward scenes in Apollyon that are just the cutest scenes to read. It’s not just Alex this time, but everyone. She gives all of her characters their fair share of attention. I bet anyone who watched me read Apollyon thought I was on crack or something because it was really hard to not start chortling like an idiot in public. I’m sure they saw lots of strange facial contortions and weird smiles. There is a great balance of serious and light scenes.

Jen makes the big reveal in this book as to which god is behind the creation of Seth and Solaris and basically the whole mess of the two Apollyon’s. I had my suspicions on who it would be, but I totally didn’t see the character they were played by coming. Just like Leon is Apollo, one of the character’s is also this certain god. Did not expect that! I was so happy that Jen at least put in that twist in there, since it would’ve been a little unsurprising with just putting the god out there. If you look back into the series, you will pick up some clues. Oh, and I hate this god’s a**. I detest him/her with every cell in my heart and soul.

All of our characters are changing in Apollyon. I know, I said that in my Deity review, but Jen’s characters develop even more. The stress of impending doom that looms over everyone’s heads will take their toll, and everyone has to adapt. Alex is really starting to grow up in this book, and she is no longer her selfish and more childish self that she was in Half-Blood. She is maturing, but we still see her lovable snarky side. I loved that Jen was making Alex and crew become a tight knit family, and even people who were once enemies have become closer (ie Lea and Alex, and Marcus and Alex). Have I mentioned I just love Marcus now? Gahahaha. His awkward scenes just cracked me up so bad. We even get a glimpse of past characters now deceased in Apollyon, and I was very thankful for that because I feel like it gave some closure. 

Aiden. *swooooons*. Just hearing his name now makes me dizzy, I love him so, so much. Seriously, if I ever have a baby boy or something, Aiden is going to be his name. He is dealing with the guilt of having forcefully put Alex under the Elixir, and I love to see his dynamic with Alex as they both come out of traumatic situations. No doubt they’ve got some PTSD working, but from Apollyon you can truly see that they are each other’s reason for living. There are tons of *ahem* sex scenes in Apollyon, and I even have favorites. I don’t believe you can count them on one hand XD. He is just so perfect, and I am head over heels in love with him. Alex is so lucky to have him. Definitely the swooniest guy of 2013! I can’t imagine any book boyfriend who could beat him now.

Agh there is just so much that happens in Apollyon, in preparation for the final book *sobs*. It’s impossible to get to everything in a review. I’m actually considering writing a book on the Covenant books so I can talk about everything. I am anxious to know how Jennifer is going to wrap up this series *breaks down again*, and I know that Sentinel is going to be absolutely amazing. December can’t come soon enough, but thankfully I’ve got her other books to keep me company while I wallow in self-pity. Apollyon is a must read in general, and definitely any JLA fan should read it. I can’t believe this series is ending this very year, and while I am desperate for Sentinel, I also don’t want this to end. I suppose all good things must come to close though, and I’m just really happy I found this series at all. Definitely one of my all time favorites!

Dani's commentary:
I agree with everything Steph said, but I have a few things to add. So while Steph was flipping out about Alex and Aiden while reading Apollyon, I was extremely worried about SETH. After reading Deity, I decided that I will had hope for Seth. And after reading Apollyon? Yes. I still have hope for Seth. SEMI-SPOILER: All Seth has wanted is to be loved and accepted. He had a horrible childhood because his pure-blood mother didn't like him. No wonder he loves Lucian's fake sucking up to him. He just wants to be LOVED because his mother hated him. So now that you know this, please cut Seth some slack!

I predict that in Sentinel Alex will defeat Seth WITHOUT killing him and Seth will atone for the terrible things he did. Call me crazy, but I believe in Happily Ever Afters. And I won't say "I told you so." when my prediction comes true. Or maybe I will....

<3 Steph & Dani