The Dark Elements trilogy by Jennifer L. Armentrout
5/5 stars
I would like to begin by saying that I finished this trilogy with high-pitched squeals. Happy ones, I might add. I'll always have a soft spot for JLA; she's one of my most favorite authors and I have loved every single book I've read by her so far. She hasn't disappointed me yet [let's hope she keeps it that way]. But this trilogy has probably been one of my favorites by her yet!
This trilogy really got my emotions going. That takes a lot for me nowadays in books. Aside from just everything going on in the book, I was a little hesitant to read the series just because it was gargoyles. Gargoyles! I didn't know how it would pan out; you almost never see gargoyles being the main part of what books are about. But now that I've gotten through it, I think it was an amazing choice for JLA to stray from the cliches of vampires, werewolves, faeries, and so on and write about something fairly new. Doing things like that, writing about something out of the ordinary, is basically putting your head on the chopping block for authors.
JLA always ties her stories together in a little perfect bow in the ends. Things make sense, you aren't sitting there wondering "Why" or "How". She hands you a story that is satisfying in the end, even though she has you cursing her name throughout the entire story.
Now, I won't spoil anything for you, but I am so glad how the romantic-aspect side of things ended up for Layla. I was so stressed out when I finished Stone Cold Touch and began Every Last Breath. Seriously. I really like romance [good romance, mind you] so I stress over the unknowns in relationships in my books, but JLA really got me and I felt like I aged five years just over what I wanted to happen. ///The next bit may end as a spoiler, so highlight the text if you want to see what it says.\\\ I wanted Layla to end up with Roth from the very beginning. Zayne was a great character, but I feel like Roth was better for Layla by a ton. Roth encouraged her and acknowledged her strengths, whereas Zayne didn't want her to go out and hurt herself and was overprotective. I feel as though Zayne never recognized Layla's abilities until the very end, but Roth knew she was strong and let her fight alongside him. I'm just not one for overprotective male-type. Protectiveness is fine, but definitely to a point, at least for a romantic-prospect.
I believe a lot of people who have read this trilogy forgot that it isn't strictly YA+a little romance+action, it's fiction/fantasy/romance, meaning that the romance will be focused on a lot more than a general YA. There were a few people that I noticed on Goodreads that complained about the romance getting too much focus on it, especially through the last book. News flash: there's a reason for that. Remember that JLA wrote this to be a romance along with being fantasy/action.
JLA is such a talented author and I have no idea how she hasn't surpassed authors such as Stephanie Meyer and EL James in popularity and recognition. JLA creates well-rounded, strong characters, pleasing stories, and leaves you begging for more.
Read her books now!
