WHITE HOT KISS - JENNIFER L. ARMENTROUT

(First book in The Dark Elements series. You can see the cover reveal for the second book in the series, Stone Cold Touch here!)

Rating: 5/5 STARS!!!!!

Genre: Young Adult

Synopsis:
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.

Review:
This book completely took me by surprise. I'm a huge fan of Jennifer L. Armentrout (JLA/J. Lynn), and after reading The Lux Series (review here), and her absolutely swoon worthy Daemon, I just couldn't resist reading this first book in the Dark Elements series. I wasn't sure what to think about the whole gargoyles thing because even though I watched the show on TV growing up, they kind of scared me (lol) - but leave it to JLA did it once again!

I absolutely loved the fresh new story! So many surprising twist, angst, and moments you just want to jump into the book and help them figure everything out.
Since Layla is both Warden/Demon, she has a bit of a crisis on her hands since Wardens are supposed to get rid of the Demons on the topside. She lives with the Wardens (and this super hot warden named Zayne - who she has a crush on but she thinks he see's her as a "little sister") and eventually she starts wondering if it's really where she belongs because of her soul sucking abilities. Layla has no idea about her past, but as she starts figuring things out and putting two and two together, she starts to come to terms with who she is and what she's able to do. It was great being able to watch her character grow.

A few things did catch my eye though. Layla, being the main heroine, did get her ass saved over and over again. She did feel a bit sorry for herself, and at times I wanted to grab her and shake some sense into her. There is also a bit of 'slut-shaming' since Layla's closet friend likes to venture out and sow her wild oats, so to speak. Layla is a very innocent soul and her imagination seems to run wild too, but who could blame her! Being 17 and not having your first kiss would definitely do that to you.... especially if you have young men around you named ROTH and Zayne!

JLA created amazing characters in this new series! However, there is one that I favored over the others. And that my friends, is ROTH!!!! Gah! HOLY SWOON!!! (Ah, and Bambi too - which by the way, is his snake tattoo that can come off his skin and fit with him in battles!) He was the one I looked forward to while reading this book. At first, I was wondering what his stalkerish self was doing following Layla around place to place... but since I have a soft spot for tall, dark, and handsome with tattoos and a bad ass / sarcastic attitude, I fell in love. I also enjoyed seeing his character grow as well.

If you purchase a hard copy of the book, there's a small chapter at the end of the book where it's Roth's point of view. I HIGHLY suggest doing so! It'll only make you fall even more in love with him!

How are we supposed to wait until OCTOBER??? 
I don't like waiting. I have no patience.