Name: Stone Cold Touch (The Dark Elements #2)
Author: Jennifer Armentrout
Number of Pages: 464 in Kindle
Published: October 21st, 2014
by Harlequin Teen
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Paranormal, Romance
“Every touch has its price
Layla Shaw is trying to pick up the pieces of her shattered life—no easy task for a seventeen-year-old who’s pretty sure things can’t get worse. Her impossibly gorgeous best friend, Zayne, is forever off-limits thanks to the mysterious powers of her soul-stealing kiss. The Warden clan that has always protected her is suddenly keeping dangerous secrets. And she can barely think about Roth, the wickedly hot demon prince who understood her in ways no one else could.
But sometimes rock bottom is only the beginning. Because suddenly Layla’s powers begin to evolve, and she’s offered a tantalizing taste of what has always been forbidden. Then, when she least expects it, Roth returns, bringing news that could change her world forever. She’s finally getting what she always wanted, but with hell literally breaking loose and the body count adding up, the price may be higher than Layla is willing to pay… .”
If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you would have known by now that I’m torn about this series from the very start. I have issues and whatnot, but still I’ve eagerly waited for Stone Cold Touch to come out. I’m excited to know if I would finally love the series (Not that I hate it in general).
Since White Hot Kiss ended on a depressing note, I started reading this in a hopeful mood. The writing is still in a semi-fast pace. There are parts that have slow down a bit, but I can’t say it’s dull. If you’ve noticed, the book is 400+ pages and I’m surprised that I was actually wanting more after staying up until one in the morning last night to finish it. Stone Cold Touch is more action-packed and oozing with sexiness compared with White Hot Kiss. More thrilling and amazing if I may say. So much FEELS.
I was feeling giddy and broken at the same time on some parts. The mysteries coiling the entire plot is engaging. I continued reading and turning pages to unravel each alongside the characters and that was fun. The readers are in for some ass kicking Layla and I-want-Roth-yet-I-want-Zayne-too moments. This is exactly what the first book is short of. I only have a couple of concerns though and I think this is something major. I’ve spent reading half of the book rolling my eyes whenever Layla go lusting with Roth and Zayne AT THE SAME FREAKING TIME. I’m being serious. It’s at the same freaking time. Have I stressed that enough? I mean, who does that? Do you? I DON’T! LOL! It’s tolerable at the beginning, but then it continued throughout.
“A thousand fantasies, and I’d had many of them when it came to Zayne, couldn’t have prepared me for this moment. Zayne… he meant the world to me and before Roth — Roth. Air hitched in my throat at the thought of the golden-eyed demon. The image of him formed easily in my mind — hair as dark as obsidian, cheekbones high and angular, lips curved in a knowing smirk that had infuriated and excited me.”
“I had never seriously considered Zayne returning any of my less normal feelings for him. It was frightening because of what I wanted to do to him — what I could do to him. There was more —there was Roth and the stupid, irrational feeling that I was doing something wrong.”
See what I’m saying? That’s so wrong in so many levels. Another thing were the expressions and some lines (or how they say it) were somehow the same with characters from Jennifer’s other series. Like I could really see Seth with Roth and (my baby) Daemon with Zayne. The similarities is uncanny. Is it just me or is it really something that Jennifer needs to check? That’s bothering me up until now.
Let’s have a little bit about the characters. Layla has grown from a very timid girl to an after-school-special-ninja. 😀 I like her in spite of her very tangled emotions. I hate how she likes Zayne and likes Roth as well (Let me have Roth. Please), but I figured she really just wants to feel that she belongs somewhere. Zayne is so devoted. Like stupid devoted. End of story. I like him though. So sweet and so amazing. Roth on the other hand is still his awesome self. Smart-ass with a purpose. Yumminess in the flesh. LOL! I’m so unfair. 😀 I would want to kill Abbot and Maddox. Sorry. 😀 Who else? Oh oh! Dez and Jasmine were back, but still they stayed like minor characters. Sigh. I feel for Danika too. I hope she gets what she wants on the third book.
But of course, I’m recommending this. Especially to those readers who want some really thrilling (hot) and action-packed series with swoon worthy guys. LOL! If you’re not a fan of love triangles, don’t even think about reading this. You’ll be pissed 😀
Other than the two issues I have, the book is totally smoking hot 😀
Here are my reviews for the first two books
Bitter Sweet Love (The Dark Elements #0.5)
White Hot Kiss (The Dark Elements #1)
EverythingNyze 
I feel the same way about Abbott and Maddox. They are just mean. And I knew you would like this book 🙂 it was way better than the first one, but the ending was just … why? Now we have to wait for “Every Last Breath” which will come out in like a millennium or at last it feels that way 😉
Yeah. The ending is such a bummer. I died. Considering how this book ended? Every Last Breath will take ages to come out. I hate it. Haha!
Definitely too much of a love triangle for my taste, but I’m glad this one was much better than book 1!
It is way way better 🙂