“Pure,” the second installment of Jennifer Armentrout’s Covenant Series was as enjoyable as the first but for different reasons. While the romance portions of the first book, “Half-Blood,” were what captivated my interest “Pure” impressed me with its emotional authenticity and relatability.
In “Half-Blood” the protagonist, Alex, discovered that her mother had been turned into a daimon and so she went out to hunt and kill her mother in order to protect herself and her community from her mother’s impending attack. This was that main conflict of the book and though the situation certainly put a strain on Alex’s physical, mental, and emotional well-being she also seemed detached and didn’t react to the situation in a way that I felt was entirely realistic. In contrast, in “Pure” Alex and her best friend Caleb snuck out of the dorms one night to swipe drinks from the cafeteria and in the process they were attacked by daimons and Caleb was killed.
Armentrout’s portrayal of Alex’s response to Caleb’s death was more the type of reaction that I would have expected from Alex after she killed her mother. She became depressed, full of self-loathing, and anxious as some of her friends blamed her for Caleb’s demise. Her reaction there was very authentic and relatable, to the point where I felt as though I could experience it along with her. I think that this section of the plot was so emotional because not only was Alex experiencing trauma but it was also a kind of turning point for her as a character. She began to recognize that her recklessness didn’t just affect her but had the very real possibility of hurting the people that she loved, as she discusses with Seth shortly after the incident:
“No.” Tears rolled down my cheeks now. “I did it because I was being stupid. We just wanted to get some drinks. I didn’t think anything would happen. If I could change it, I would. I would do anything.”
“I know I acted stupid.” My voice cracked. “And if I could go back, I would. I’d switch places with him. I would –”
“Stop,” he whispered, his thumbs whipping away my tears. “Please stop crying.” (p.146).
This emotional character shift not only endeared me to Alex’s character but also showed that Armentrout could write emotionally authentic pieces when she found them necessary.
The aspect of “Pure” that I was most disappointed with was the lack of romance, especially the bar was set rather high in “Half-Blood.” In the first portion of the book, Alex goes through a time of heartbreak after being rejected by Aiden before eventually connecting with Seth. Even after Alex agreed to try a relationship with Seth, Aiden was always in the back of her mind and Armentrout make sure that her readers knew it. I personally liked Alex and Seth together, their similarities linked them together beyond their role as Apollyons. However, there was a constant awkwardness and almost forced feeling surrounding their interactions and it made the romantic scenes much less enjoyable than they had been in book one. In a way, “Pure” had the same amount of romance that “Half-Blood” did but it was portrayed by Armentrout as being less authentic and disingenuous and definitely left something to be desired.
Overall, ‘Pure” was an emotional and intriguing book, but I found that the emotions and conflicts that were introduced left my stomach in knots and made me want to skip to the next book in hopes of seeing all of the issues that had surfaced be resolved.
