{A Twist in the Tail Review} APOLLYON by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Love fairy tales and mythology?
Fans of mermaids, dragons, unicorns, and other mythical creatures?
Enjoy when a beloved classic tale is retold?
A Twist in the Tail Thursdays features all this and more!

I meant to do this before today, but this is a great book to review for Twist because there's so much mythology in this one!

SPOILER WARNING AHEAD!

(Even in the opening line!!! Make sure you have finished reading DEITY and ELIXIR!)

O P E N I N G   L I N E:

   MY BLOOD ITCHED FOR A FIGHT. Muscles screamed to engage. My thoughts were covered in a heady, amber haze of power. I was the Apollyon. I wielded control over the four elements, and the fifth and the most powerful--akasha. I fueled the God Killer. I was his power-up--the ace up his sleeve. I was the beginning and he was the end. And together, we were everything.

(pg. 1, US paperback edition)

Visit my review of HALF-BLOOD if you have yet to read this amazing series, or my review of PURE, DEITY, and ELIXIR if you're not yet ready for APOLLYON.  

I've also reviewed her stand-alone novel, CURSED, and done a guest post with both Armentrout and cover designer Kate Kaynak on the Covenant series design, as well a post with Armentrout on Halloween Memories!

If you haven't read HALF-BLOOD, PURE, DEITY, and ELIXIR, turn back and stop reading this review right now!  Check out one of the above-linked reviews instead!

There is so much action and excitement this time around in the penultimate Covenant novel. Readers who have been with the series since the beginning know how things have been going to hell in a handbasket, and Alex's destiny is getting more and more messed up. Things are even worse for her in Apollyon. She's become everything she's feared and dreaded. Alex is no longer herself, but Seth's puppet. Or is she? As always, there's so much more at play than what meets the eye. Stakes are higher than ever, and as Alex learns the truth about her role in everything, she realizes the sacrifice she'll have to make is larger than she could have ever imagined.

There is some fabulous mythology at play in APOLLYON. For one thing, Alex and Aiden get to go to the Underworld. The Underworld!!! I forget in what writing resource I read it (Possibly something Joseph Campbell-related or in THE WRITER'S JOURNEY by Christopher Vogler. Possibly not...), but somewhere, at some point, I read that no epic series is complete without a trip through some form of the underworld to mark the turning point. APOLLYON is Covenant's turning point. The series has offered many possible outcomes before APOLLYON. With this volume, Jennifer Armentrout slashes through many of these and creates a powerful novel that sets up the finale, SENTINEL, quite nicely. Plus, for a series rooted in Greek mythology, there hasn't been as much myth involved as I would like...until the final two powerhouses, that is! Not only do we get a journey to the Underworld, but we also get to meet several new gods and goddesses and see more of the struggle they're facing from the brewing war. Loved it!

A lot is resolved in APOLLYON, but new twists ensue, promising a can't-be-missed finale. Some of the character relationships are focused on in great ways, because everyone knows they might not all make it through the throw-down final battle to come. Every moment matters, and it's touching to see people come together. I loved all the attention to secondary characters in this book, who we don't always get to see much of when other characters have a Higher Calling in life. Although...if I had to listen to My Seth one more time from brainwashed Alex, I was going to lose it! Luckily, Armentrout seemed to know exactly where the threshold to my breaking point would be on that one. And speaking of Seth! The instigator for so much is widely absent through much of APOLLYON, but my feelings on him have changed a little. I still don't love the guy, but I do understand him better now than I did earlier in the series.

Earlier this year, I decided not to read APOLLYON. At first, I just didn't have time to read it. When I did, I was far enough removed from the series to no longer immediately "need" to read it. I knew I would freak out again because Armentrout always has killer endings, so I decided to wait for the release of SENTINEL and re-read the series, then read APOLLYON and SENTINEL together in one big gulp.  (For this reason, I also won't read the Luxe series until it concludes next year at this point...I could only deal with one Armentrout Cliffie Series at a time!) While the cliffhanger isn't life-or-death this time around, it still leaves you wanting more, more, more. Luckily, SENTINEL is out now and you don't have to wait to finish this great series off!

(You will, however, have to wait for my review of SENTINEL. I'm planning to Flash Review a bunch of "final books" in 2014 once they've been out a while and people have had a chance to read them!)

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C O V E R   D E S I G N:

If you missed it before, check out my cover design interview with Armentrout and designer Kate Kaynak for concept art and info on how they came to the final designs you're seeing now!

I still like the feel of these covers, the way they're so cohesive.  APOLLYON has a secret cover on the back, too. We get to see Alex peeping out with her glowing Apollyon eyes in all her glory. Creeeepy!

I love the fiery colors of this book's cover. It's striking and really stands out.

I like how the books in this series have gone from cool tones such as blue and purple, to warm reds and oranges as things heat up, and then you get a pop of somber black for the finale!

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O F F I C I A L   I N F O:

Title: APOLLYON

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Release Date: April 4, 2013

Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Received: For Review; also purchased

SUMMARY:

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.