Review: White Hot Kiss by Jennifer L. Armentrout

From Goodreads: 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 Rating: 3 hearts 

Thoughts on the Novel: Although the Covenant series ended on a disappointing note and I stopped the Lux series after the second book, I still wanted to give Jennifer L. Armentrout’s latest series a try. The first book in The Dark Elements series, White Hot Kiss, is much like Armentrout’s other novels: full of tropes but an entertaining read nevertheless if you don’t think about the book too hard. Once you get past the surface of White Hot Kiss though, it’s hard not to see its flaws.

First, I didn’t like that White Hot Kiss romanticizes stalking. I’m not sure why authors think stalking is okay if it’s done by a hot paranormal creature, but it’s something I absolutely hate. In White Hot Kiss, Roth clearly tells Layla that he has been following her for months, yet Layla overlooks that fact pretty fast.

Therein lies my problem with Layla: she attempts to stand up for herself but eventually gives in. Her decisions also made little sense to me, and seemed to revolve only around anger at Zayne for paying attention to another girl - who actually seemed to be quite nice - and discovering that she could finally kiss somebody. Who decides to trust a demon with unknown motives over the family that has raised them?! It didn’t help that Layla’s best friend’s sole purpose appeared to be to urge Layla to get laid, which I found super annoying.

Thankfully, there’s no love triangle in White Hot Kiss because Roth really is the only option for Layla. Not only does he have no soul and therefore can get physically close to her, but he also accepts her for who she is, unlike Zayne.  

A quick read that’s heavy on romance and not much else, White Hot Kiss was released by Harlequin Teen in February 2014. 

Comments About the Cover: It’s hot, but that’s not a book I’d want to be seen reading in public ;) 

In exchange for an honest review, this book was received from the publisher (Harlequin Teen) for free via NetGalley.