Book Review: Obsession by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Book: Obsession
Author: Jennifer L.Armentrout
File Type: Ebook
Release date: May 31st 2013
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
My rating: 2 stars.

synopsis: He’s arrogant, domineering, and... To. Die. For.

Hunter is a ruthless killer. And the Department of Defense has him firmly in their grasp, which usually doesn’t chafe too badly because he gets to kill bad guys. Most of the time he enjoys his job. That is, until he’s saddled with something he’s never had to do before: protect a human from his mortal enemy.

Serena Cross didn’t believe her best friend when she claimed to have seen the son of a powerful senator turn into something... unnatural. Who would? But then she witnesses her friend’s murder at the hands of what can only be an alien, thrusting her into a world that will kill to protect their secret.

Hunter stirs Serena’s temper and her lust despite their differences. Soon he’s doing the unthinkable—breaking the rules he’s lived by, going against the government to keep Serena safe. But are the aliens and the government the biggest threats to Serena’s life… or is it Hunter?

Wow. 

This was such an epic fail.

I won't lie. I was very excited about this one. The thing about JLA books are that they aren't very original. Actually. They aren't original at all. But where they lack in originality, they more than make up that gap with their entertaining nature. But clearly, Obsession lacked that too. 
I've actually grown tired now. I really do like the Lux series and I won't deny the fact that I keep up with the Covenant series. I even know in my heart that when the sequel for her NA book, Wait For You comes out, I'll be keeping my eyes out for it as well. But, like I said, I'm tired now. Entertainment goes as far as boredom catches upto you. There is so much repetition that honestly, if it's not my boredom then it's my frustration speaking right now. 

We have Serena Cross as our female protagonist who unfortunately stumbles her human ass into an alien conspiracy following the literal and untimely incineration of her bestfriend. Now there are big guns behind this particular alien conspiracy, and being a human and an unwanted witness to it, aliens are behind her to finish her off. But this game of cat and mouse shall not be simple and so enters, Serena's chosen protector, Hunter the badass Arum. 

After what I gathered from the Lux series, Arum are bad bad bad aliens and they are eviiil. I'll give it to the book that it has successfully managed to convince me that an Arum doesn't look like this, 



But actually.Is like this,



And that if you look at the world from the point of an Arum, you'd notice how similar and not similar the Luxen and the Arum actually are. Both of them are alien species that have travelled several light years after the destruction of their galaxy and have settled on Earth. Each of them are bred to kill each other. But that necessarily doesn't mean that the entire group of them are born evil and that each of them believe in the destruction of the other. This concept and idea along with the protector alien and the human who needs protection dynamic, it pretty much makes up the 'new' and slightly original element in the entire book. 

And the rest?

Let's see.

Serena is an infuriating protagonist. Hunter reminds me of an older version of Daemon and this is a book that should be kept away from kids. Does that some it up? Pretty much.
In Obsession, I was missing the funny-ness and the sarcastic banter that is usually present in a JLA book. What I did find was absolutely nonsensical. For example,

Potato: You're fat.
Tomato: So are YOU!!
Potato: I agree that I'm fat BUT you're fatter.
Tomato: NO. *With that defiant look* 
Potato ( in his mind) : Oooh, she's so feisty and yummy.
Tomato: What are you looking at?
Potato: You're so red. 
Tomato: *blushes*
Potato (in his mind.): I might just want to eat her up..

The end. 

This is the kind of conversation that usually went on between Serena and Hunter and all those times, I was thinking whether I should laugh or cry. And the characters were not normal. I have this question. Is it the lonely,closed vicinity or a person's idiocy that makes them blush all.the.time because the guy with them is SO HOT when oh my dear lord, her best friend is dead?
The pace was fast and the general idea was to get people hot and bothered which it also failed to do. In the end, I wasn't feeling this book at all.
But then there were moments. Not many. But they were there.

There was Luc, the fifteen year old badass entrepenuer who owns a club and deals in precious stones and then there was that brief scene which had Daemon in it. Something about men in pain when it concerns their beloved makes me SO WARM. It's sadistic but I clearly don't care. 
And then there was this moment where I actually liked the Serena-Hunter love. 

When I'd finally finished with the book all I could say was 'Mazza nahin aaya.' which means, that it just wasn't worth it. Obsession was a big disappointment. Can't say that it redeemed itself in the end, because it didn't.