Unchained (Nephilim Rising, #1) by J. Lynn, Jennifer L. Armentrout

Synopsis (via Goodreads): Between the pissed off creatures that want demon-hunter Lily Marks dead and the fallen angel who just...wants her, Lily is about ready to trade in forever for a comfy job in a cubicle farm.

The fact that she and Julian are civil to one another is enough to have her thrown out of the Sanctuary, but she can't shake her not-so-angelic stalker or how he brings her dangerously close to ecstasy.

Her forbidden relationship with Julian provides the perfect fuel for suspicion when a traitor is discovered to be working within the Sanctuary. Lily quickly finds herself hunted by well, everyone.

Her only hope is to discover the real traitor before she loses everything--and she'll need Julian's help. That is, if Julian is really there to help her...and not destroy her.

Yeah, being a Nephilim isn't everything it's cracked up to be.

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I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.

I read Unchained knowing it was written in 2013, and that it's the first book in an unfinished series, but I was willing to look past that for JLA. Unfortunately, this book didn't work for me. I might have enjoyed it more before reading Storm and Fury, but Unchained and Storm and Fury had very similar stories. Storm and Fury was just a shiny new version of Unchained, and that left a sour taste in my mouth. 

Both books are about Nephilim and demons, and they include the same archangel's offspring. Clearly, this one angel cannot keep it in his pants, and keeps fathering children that will change the fate of the world. Other similarities were the celestial shields, the main characters, and the plot. Trinity (Storm and Fury) and Lily (Unchained) were both raised and trained to be badass fighters of evil. Their circumstances varied slightly, but they had very similar personalities. Also, they're both betrayed in exactly the same way. It was disappointing how obvious everything was, especially the traitor. 

The sexual content was one of the few differences. Storm and Fury had dry-humping, and Unchained had kinky, rough sex. I don't mind sex in books, but Lily's relationship with Julian made me uncomfortable. He freely admits to stalking her for eight years, and she's mostly okay with that. Yes, he's saved her life a few times, but he also doesn't listen when she tells him to stop following her. At the start of this book, Julian is trying to put his hands up her skirt, and continues even when she very clearly says no. Twice. He just keeps chugging along because he thinks her body is saying something different. It was gross. 

Speaking of Julian, I feel like he was only there to save and screw. If Lily was in over her head, Julian was there to keep her safe. If Lily was alone, he was there to boink. They grind like two sticks trying to start a fire, but it quickly escalated into more. I wish we had seen more character development with Julian, and been told more about his past. Instead, he's evasive and secretive, until the last few chapters. We still don't know everything, only what caused him to fall from Heaven. 

Honestly, aside from Lily, there was very little secondary character development. Some of the book was told from Michael's perspective, but he doesn't really add a lot to the story. He's was crucial component, but I feel like I know nothing about him. Lily drops some big news about his mom, but that's not really addressed again.

There were a lot of inconsistencies in this book as well. I stopped writing them down after awhile. A few examples... 1) Lily, Luke and Remy knew one of the characters was a Nephilim because he shocked them whenever they touched him. "Luke shot back as if jolted—a fine zap of electricity that fired when coming into contact with another Nephilim." However, Luke pats Lily on the head and nothing happens. Lily holds Luke's hand and nothing happens. The Nephilim train together all the time and nothing happens. Lily rubs one out with another Nephilim and nothing happens. "Wincing at the thought of the beautiful Nephilim Luke had most definitely loved, she patted his heavily muscled arm." If they always shocked each other, they shouldn't have been able to touch, like, ever. 2) Lily knew what Michael's name was, and then she didn't. 

Random question: Does anyone know what it means to on "on a nut-jump killing spree"?

Lily's in her mid-twenties, but doesn't act her age. Her personality leaves a lot to be desired, and most of what happened throughout the book was just too unbelievable for me. After a funeral, Lily walks away and immediately gropes someone else, and I feel like she should have mourned her loss a little before trying to get her rocks off. 

I hate to say it, but I think I'm starting to outgrow Jennifer L. Armentrout. I really loved the Lux series, and some of her contemporaries, but lately her books have felt off. They're just not clicking for me liked they have in the past, and it's a bummer. I really didn't like how much this one resembled Storm and Fury, even though I know it's probably just a coincidence.