Review: ‘Every Last Breath’ by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Every Last Breath
by Jennifer L. ArmentroutSeries: The Dark Elements #3
Published by Harlequin Teen on March 26, 2019
SubGenres: Young Adult Paranormal
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
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An alternate cover edition for this ASIN can be found here.
Some loves will last ’til your dying breath
Every choice has consequences—but seventeen-year-old Layla faces tougher choices than most. Light or darkness. Wickedly sexy demon prince Roth, or Zayne, the gorgeous, protective Warden she never thought could be hers. Hardest of all, Layla has to decide which side of herself to trust.
Layla has a new problem, too. A Lilin—the deadliest of demons—has been unleashed, wreaking havoc on those around her…including her best friend. To keep Sam from a fate much, much worse than death, Layla must strike a deal with the enemy while saving her city—and her race—from destruction.
Torn between two worlds and two different boys, Layla has no certainties, least of all survival, especially when an old bargain comes back to haunt them all. But sometimes, when secrets are everywhere and the truth seems unknowable, you have to listen to your heart, pick a side—and then fight like hell…
Every Last Breath is the final book to the Dark Elements series by Jennifer L. Armentrout. This book left me wanting more of this world that Jennifer created with the gargoyle shifters, and demons, especially since a specific character deserves a happily ever after, too. Everyone deserves a HEA!
Storyline/My Thoughts: If you didn’t read the previous books, then I would recommend not reading this review. I’m going to try not to spoil anything, but unfortunately, something could slip that would give away the storyline to readers. Every Last Breath picks up where Stone Cold Touch ended. This is where Layla, Roth, Stacey, and Zayne find out who is the Lilin. It’s was heartbreaking. The Lilin is on a mission to wreak havoc topside and try to free his mother, Lilith, from below. Layla and her group of friends need to prevent that from happening, but they are unsure how to find out. Layla is on another mission to find out how to free her friend’s soul that the Lilin consumed. She’ll do anything.
If you read the first books, you would realize there was a love triangle between the main characters. In this book, Layla chooses. It felt kind of rushed when I was reading it, and I felt sorry for the person she didn’t choose. (As I stated above, everyone deserves a HEA.) It’s bad enough that a person ends up having something else happen towards the end of the book. Seriously, Jennifer L. Armentrout, this character already had his heartbroken. ?
The storyline in this book was okay. It wasn’t like the first two books. The drama and trying to stop the Lilin felt rushed. There was no build-up and not enough wreaking havoc from the Lilin. There was too much lovey-dovey in this book. (if that makes sense) I also felt that Roth had changed in this book. He wasn’t the same as the first books. Don’t get me wrong, I really liked Roth, but he read differently.
The ending was predictable, too, in this book. I already knew who Layla picked and had a feeling that there was not going to be a dramatic ending that would be permanent. (I don’t want to spoil it.)
Overall, this book receives four stars from me and not five stars. Will, I re-read this trilogy? Yes, especially since I fell hard for both Zayne and Roth. I also loved other characters in this book that grew on me.
I look forward to reading the spin-off of this series, The Harbinger.
Standalone or Part of Series: It’s part of the Dark Elements series.
Cliffhanger: No.
HEA: Yes.
Would I recommend this book? Yes. If you are a fan of Young Adult Paranormal/Fantasy, then I recommend this book. If you are a fan of JLA’s other books, then I would recommend this series, too. Be prepared for the series to put you through the wringer with your emotions. I know it put me through a lot.
About Jennifer L. Armentrout
# 1 New York Times and # 1 International Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Charles Town, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki. In early 2015, Jennifer was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a group of rare genetic disorders that involve a breakdown and death of cells in the retina, eventually resulting in loss of vision, among other complications. Due to this diagnosis, educating people on the varying degrees of blindness has become of passion of hers, right alongside writing, which she plans to do as long as she can.
Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Tor, HarperCollins Avon and William Morrow, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her Wicked Series has been optioned by PassionFlix. Jennifer has won numerous awards, including the 2013 Reviewers Choice Award for Wait for You, the 2015 Editor’s Pick for Fall With Me, and the 2014/2015 Moerser-Jugendbuch- Jury award for Obsidian. Her young adult romantic suspense novel DON’T LOOK BACK was a 2014 nominated Best in Young Adult Fiction by YALSA. Her adult romantic suspense novel TILL DEATH was a Amazon Editor’s Pick and iBook Book of the Month. Her young adult contemporary THE PROBLEM WITH FOREVER is a 2017 RITA Award Winner in Young Adult Fiction. She also writes Adult and New Adult contemporary and paranormal romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.
She is the owner of ApollyCon and The Origin Event, the successful annual events that features over hundred bestselling authors in Young Adult, New Adult, and Adult Fiction, panels, parties, and more.
My obsession with reading started over 30+ years ago when I went to my first Scholastic Book Fair and found R.L. Stine's Fear Street series. Later, I came across Anne Rice's novels at my public library when I was fourteen when my obsession with vampires started. I was the girl who preferred to be a vampire over a princess any day. My husband says I would leave him a heartbeat for a vampire that looked like Spike or Angel (from Buffy the Vampire Slayer) or Damon Salvatore from The Vampire Diaries. (It's true, though, and he's accepted it.)
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