Review: White Hot Kiss by Jennifer L. Armentrout

White Hot Kiss

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Series: The Dark Elements #1
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Genre: YA Paranormal
Format: Paperback, ARC
Release Date: February 25, 2014
Source: Received from Publisher
Rating: 5 Stars
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***I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way changed my opinion of the book. The review below is my open and honest opinion.***   

Synopsis from Goodreads:

One kiss could be the last.


Seventeen-year-old Layla just wants to be normal. But with a kiss that kills anything with a soul, she's anything but normal. Half demon, half gargoyle, Layla has abilities no one else possesses.

Raised among the Wardens—a race of gargoyles tasked with hunting demons and keeping humanity safe—Layla tries to fit in, but that means hiding her own dark side from those she loves the most. Especially Zayne, the swoon-worthy, incredibly gorgeous and completely off-limits Warden she's crushed on since forever.

Then she meets Roth—a tattooed, sinfully hot demon who claims to know all her secrets. Layla knows she should stay away, but she's not sure she wants to—especially when that whole no-kissing thing isn't an issue, considering Roth has no soul.

But when Layla discovers she's the reason for the violent demon uprising, trusting Roth could not only ruin her chances with Zayne…it could brand her a traitor to her family. Worse yet, it could become a one-way ticket to the end of the world.

My Review:

You guys. Why the heck have I waited so long to read a JLA book??? What is wrong with me? Why didn’t you get more pushy? Violent? You should have threatened me. I blame my lack of JLA on all of you and I am mad at all of you.

Okay, I’ve calmed down now. I apologize for yelling at you, but seriously I want to kick myself for not reading JLA’s books earlier. Face meet desk. I was so nervous going into this book. Jennifer L. Armentrout is so well known and so well loved. What if I didn’t like her?? Needless to say, there was a lot of pressure. But I shouldn’t have been worried. There’s a reason she is so well loved after all.

This book was so original packed with intense action, intricate world-building, and insanely hot er…awesome characters. The main character, Layla is half-demon and half-gargoyle. Gargoyles. How cool is that? So original. I’ve never read a book with gargoyles in it and I loved learning more about these creatures. Layla struggles with knowing where she belongs. Her demon impulses are an ever-present source of strife and she fights them, embracing her gargoyle side because that’s how she was raised. But when she meets a hot, sexy demon, she begins to question everything.

I really liked Layla. She was strong from the beginning, desperately wanting to help the gargoyles out in any way that she could. She wasn’t afraid to get her hands dirty, but she was also your typical teenage girl. I loved that Layla kept going to school like a normal kid in this book. Just because all this crazy stuff goes on in her life doesn’t mean she gets to drop out. Layla’s journey of self-discovery was great. I think she developed nicely throughout the story, but there’s still plenty of room for her to grow in the rest of the series.

And now onto the good part. The hot guy. There is a slight love triangle in this book, but for me personally, there was always one clear winner. I am team Roth. The demon. Of course I am. Did anybody doubt that? He’s dark, mysterious, cocky, snarky. He has tattoos, a tongue piercing, and a pet snake. This guy has all the makings of the perfect bad boy wrapped up with a bow on top just for me. I fell hard for Roth and he is definitely a new book boyfriend. This guy cracked me up. I was reading this book on my lunch at work and could not stop laughing. I think my coworkers were ready to kill me. Oh and the steamy scenes!! You all were not lying when you said JLA knows how to write hot boys and steamy scenes. *fans self* I’m in love.

The world-building was amazing. I loved learning about hell and all the demons and the gargoyles and how they began fighting each other. Everything about this story grabbed my attention and didn’t let go. This was one of those books that I could not put down. I can’t wait for more and am already chomping at the bit for book 2 which *sigh* I have to wait a whole year for!!! Guess I will just have to binge read her other books in the meantime, starting with her Lux series. Happy reading all!

Have you read this book yet? Are you team Roth or Zayne? What did you think of Layla? Are you dying for the next book?