Review: Apollyon by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Apollyon
(Covenant #4)
Jennifer L. Armentrout
Release: April 4, 2013
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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.

Review:

I highly recommend reading the novella, Elixir, prior to starting Apollyon. The novella is from Aiden's POV instead of Alex's, but it is really vital reading in my opinion since it literally bridges the end of Deity and the beginning of Apollyon. 

Jennifer L. Armentrout knocks another one out of the park with the fast-paced Apollyon, the fourth book in her Covenant series. Readers who have loved the brisk pacing, exciting plot twists, and wealth of great characters in the series so far will be pleased with Apollyon, especially fans of the previous installment, Deity.

Armentrout doesn't skimp on the good stuff. The ending of Deity promised us an Alex soaked in Apollyon brainwashing, and Apollyon delivers. When the book starts, Alex is completely lost to the Apollyon connection to Seth, aka "The First". Aiden, Marcus, and the others have locked her inside a ward-reinforced cell of sorts while she spouts all sorts of nasty things and constantly tries to escape. I loved that Armentrout didn't skip this amount of time because I found it really interesting to see the 'changed' Alex and read her thoughts, as well as her mental conversations with Seth through their connection. Seth fans (that would include me) might be slightly disappointed that he isn't around as much as other books, but Armentrout squeezes in some Seth time in creative ways that satiated me for now.

As the story continues and Alex becomes more herself, a lot of really interesting things happen to move the plot along. In typical Convenant series fashion there are bombshells dropped, characters offed, and secrets revealed. There are several emotional conversations between Alex and Aiden and some really awesome fight scenes that show off Alex's new Apollyon powers. And the plot just plows right along at a wonderful pace that never left me bored.

In this book, we see a more mature Alex. I already noticed Alex's growth in Deity, but in this one she comes much further than ever before. The days of "Impulsive Alex" are close to being over. Armentrout doesn't change her in ways that feel disjointed, instead she is growing and changing in a believable way that I really love. Alex's maturation makes her relationship with Aiden seem deeper and so much more real. And speaking of Aiden, Armentrout doesn't skimp on the good stuff there either. Go ahead, take a moment.

Apollyon is yet another fantastic book in the Covenant series. With all the secrets spilled and plot twists unveiled, by the end of this one I was once again exhausted. I cannot wait for the final book in the series, Sentinel!

Recommended for fans of: other Armentrout series, Vampire Academy, mythology and the gods, Mythos Academy, character growth, strong character relationships, and revelations that make your brain explode.

This review is based on an advance copy of the book provided by the publisher.

    

  5 / 5 stars

My reviews of other books in this series:
Half - Blood (Covenant #1)
Pure (Covenant #2)
Deity (Covenant #3)