The Hematoi descend from the unions of gods and mortals, and the children of two Hematoi pure bloods have godlike powers. Children of Hematoi and mortals-- well, not so much. Half-bloods only have two options: become trained Sentinels who hunt and kill daimons or become servants in the homes of the pures.
Seventeen-year-old Alexandria would rather risk her life fighting than waste it scrubbing toilets, but she may end up slumming it anyway. There are several rules that students at the Covenant must follow. Alex has problems with them all, but especially rule #1:Relationships between pures and halfs are forbidden. Unfortunately, she's crushing hard on the totally hot pure-blood Aiden. But falling for Aiden isn't her biggest problem--staying alive long enough to graduate the Covenant and become a Sentinel is.
Daimon: This is the novella prequel to Half-Blood I have included it in this review because it was included in my copy of Half-Blood. Blurb: A horrifying attack forces Alex to flee Miami and try to find her way back to the very place her mother had warned her she should never return—the Covenant. Every step that brings her closer to safety is one more step toward death…
I did like the Novella as it showed how Alex survived with her mother in the world and what she gained from it. It also showed the event that led up to her return to the Covenant . It was good.
I was a bit unsure about Half-Blood at first but after the first few chapters I found myself really enjoying the book. It was quite an easy read; there was nothing severely confusing (odd bits here and there but they resolved themselves. It is a trope that has been done before - forbidden love, MC under threat of murder, etc. but I like the take on it. I do, however, have an issue with some of the ideas and sub-plot. Explained below:
If you have read Vampire Academy you will know Rose and Dimitri, their scenes in the cabin, about half-bloods, etc. Well, The 1st Covenant has many similarities that I'm not exactly sure whether it's just coincidence or (I hate saying this) plagiarism. Rose and Dimitri = Alex and Aidan, including the whole forbidden love thing. Strigoi = Daimons. Dhampirs = Half-Bloods. You get the point. It does however shift away from that in the last quarter of the book.
Alex has a fierce personality (some say weak, I say strong) and even without three years of training is highly skilled in killing Daimons. She odes have a lot of character growth to go through because she is very reckless and immature at various points - and she needs to control her anger.
Aidan is meh. He's the love interest and currently has zero personality; he's just a handsome trainer for Alex to fall in love with. I wanted to like him but there is no substance to him and I do hope that changes in book 2. The same can be said of many characters.
The plot I quite enjoyed. There were a few predictable elements but there are a variety of turns that you just don't expect at all. I loved the Greek mythology woven into the story. It's amazing to see it flow flawlessly and the world Jennifer introduces to you is perfect. There is no confusion on who anyone is or the history behind anything.
Overall, a really good read and I would recommend it for fans of Jennifer Armentrout or if you love fantasy!
Rating: 3 Stars (dropped mainly because of similarities)
Would I Recommend? Yes
Will I read the next one? Yes
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