Every Last Breath (The Dark Elements)

JLA is amazing! this book was everything I hoped it would be. it made me laugh, cry, smile, and get angry!! the only thing im disappointed is the fact that its over. this is a series that I will reread a few times. I hope there are spin offs to come from these characters. I would like to see one of Bambi.

Excellent book. It displayed great development for the main characters. The story was just as engaging as it always is so there was no disappointment. The ending was slightly predictable but firmly completed the series.

Excellent book. It displayed great development for the main characters. The story was just as engaging as it always is so there was no disappointment. The ending was slightly predictable but firmly completed the series.

I have really loved reading this series and anxiously awaited this final installment. I have to say, though, that as soon as realized where the storyline was headed, Layla choosing Roth, I really did not enjoy it as much. I almost stopped reading it to be honest because it just made sense and fealt right for Layla and Zane to end up together. I know readers voted for that but of course they chose the bad boy. I finished reading the book, but I couldn't really enjoy it. After waiting for this installment for so long I am kind of disappointed. I love this authors work so much and the book is well written, but this coupling ruined the book and the series ending for me.

Well, that was an intense, insane, emotional rollercoaster ride of a read. WOW! It feels like I've just been through a shredder and now I have the unenviable task of trying to piece myself back together. Seriously, I don't think I can read another book after this one. This one is going to stay with me for a long time to come.

Jennifer could not have concluded this series more perfectly. It was completely unputdownable and jam-packed full of action, adventure, swoony romance, and so many twists and turns that I didn't' see coming. This is pure GOLD. JLA at her very best. This series is one of my all time favorites and there isn't a single thing I could fault because it's totally FAULTLESS in my eyes. 5 Stars all round ( in fact, I'd give each book a gazillion stars if that was an option.)

It's hard to write this review without giving away the big spoiler - as in, which boy did Layla choose? I think it was pretty obvious from the fan polls who was going to win out, but I'm not going to say it here. Let's just stay that her choice made sense and they were so perfect together. ELB is full of romantic scenes and tender, loving moments, and I loved it. But my heart bled for the other boy, and he still wasn't over it by the end of the book (though there are hints of a future love for him). As we all know the path of true love doesn't always run smoothly, and Layla and her love face many challenges. Forced to confront some appalling discoveries, Layla has to take matters into her own hands and make choices that will devastate those who love her. But she is fearless and brave and she doesn't shirk away from any challenge. She has really matured and come into her own in this book and it was amazing to see. I've always loved her anyway, but even more so in this book.

We get some new familiars in this book and the old favorites are still there. I fricking love Bambi! Add in the witches, Originals, the Grim Reaper, Hell, The Boss, the Lilin, and some cool feathered wings, and you get a sense of just how much Jennifer packed into this book. However, it never felt rushed, it all flowed seamlessly. I'd challenge anyway to try and read this book over a few days. It's virtually impossible to put it down.

As often happens when I finish one of Jennifer's amazing series, I now feel totally bereft. Though I'm more than satisfied with the ending, I'm still so sad that it's all over. I don't think I'm ready to say goodbye to Layla, Roth, or Zayne.

Summary: Another EPIC book from an amazingly talented author, and a fantastic end to a brilliant series.

Layla, Roth, and Zayne are back in the final installment to author Jennifer L. Armenrout’s The Dark Elements series. The novel picks up immediately where the last novel ended – with the threesome and their friend Stacey facing a very huge predicament. The action was fast-paced as the teens, along with the Wardens, try to stop the Lilin that was running amok around Washington, D.C., and try to put an end to the impending apocalypse. Aside from saving the world, Layla had another big problem. Should she spend the rest of her life with handsome, sweet Zayne, or dark and dangerous Roth? Armentrout delivers! Not only is the series wrapped up nicely, but Layla’s final choice in suitor is well-earned and completely makes sense to what has happened in the previous novels.

Layla has got to be the worst heroine in all of Armentrout’s books. I spent the majority of the book wondering if she’s just horribly naive, or just plain stupid. So many of her reactions to how others perceived her actions reminded me of Bella from Twilight. No, dear, the sun doesn’t shine right out of your bum. Ugh! The only thing that made her bearable in the second half of the book was the fact that many characters called her out on her stupidity. This made me feel better as I realized that Armentrout purposely wrote her as being dense. I guess to make her different from the other strong women in her other novels. This complaint shouldn’t be anything new if you’ve read my reviews for the first two novels. In my White Hot Kiss review I stated:

“Layla. I like her. I kind of dislike her. Layla is in a bad situation. She’s a half-breed that’s not accepted by either the Wardens or the demons. Raised by the Wardens, she’s been made to hate her demon half, and it’s destroyed her self-esteem. She also can’t kiss anyone without sucking out their soul, so that makes dating a no-go. I understand all of this, however her whining throughout the book wore on my last nerve. JLA usually writes strong female characters, so maybe reading about a weak one threw me for a loop. I don’t know, but I hope Layla shows more backbone in later books.”

I wish I can say that Layla isn’t whiny and childish in this novel, but sadly…

Even though Layla wears on my last nerve, I like the other characters and the plot enough no recommend reading Every Last Breath. The loose ends from the first two novels are nicely tied up, and I’m happy with how the series ended. I am also satisfied with which guy Layla winds up with, and how the one she didn’t reacted to the rejection. Another aspect of the book I enjoyed was how some mysteries were not tied up, but left to the reader’s imagination. Overall, this was the perfect ending to an incredibly entertaining series.

The much-awaited final book in the The Dark Elements series is here and it delivers everything I'd hoped for in spades. It has humor and emotion, suspense and swoon factor. And as always, Armentrout's style makes the novel utterly enjoyable to read. One of the things I loved best is that there are lots of surprises I didn't expect... final plot twists which make the book easier and faster to devour. Of course, Layla finally makes a choice between Roth and Zayne... between the rough-around-the-edges Prince of Hell and her ever-loyal forever crush. It's a toss-up between the person she never expected to find and the man she'd loved for so many years. But as we've seen, so much has changed in the course of the last two books and Layla was betrayed by those that sheltered her, hunted and held captive by those she considered family. On top of that, the stakes have never been higher with the Lilin running rampant, set on freeing Lilith to wreak havoc on the world. Meanwhile, friends are dying, wraiths are being formed and everyone is in danger.

Layla carries so much on her shoulders, but before she can save the world, she must follow what she knows in her heart to be true. She must seize every moment with the man she truly loves, and irrevocably break the other's heart. Talk about feels!

As the story unravels, the suspense and action escalate when truths are revealed, promises are fulfilled, and choices made in a split second change everything. My heart was pounding as I furiously flipped the pages, anxious to see what would happen next. We meet new characters who are awesome, and frightful characters that errrr... run the show in the pits of hell.

As a fan of the series, I thought Armentrout saved the best for last, with the perfect mix of romance and suspense, emotion and wit. It's supremely enjoyable from the very beginning to the very last page.

I won't mention any more about the choice Layla makes, other than to say that I thought it was well done and hopefully both "teams" will be happy and hopeful in the end. Awesome conclusion to a fabulous series.

Seventeen year old Layla has a tough choice to make between the Warden she has been crushing on her whole life and the sexy Demon who recently swept into her life. Then there is also the matter of the Lilan, the evil step-brother intent on bringing about Armageddon. And Layla is the only one who can stop him.

Action-packed and steaming, the third installment of The Dark Elements series lives up to the high expectations set by the first two books. The story resolves the relationship issues and turns to more internal struggles as Layla faces her fears and discovers her inner strengths. Further questions are raised surrounding the true nature of ‘evil’, and Layla’s moral mettle is tested to the fullest extent, bringing her character development to a mature and sweeping end.

I do feel that the novel would have been a 5 star and not a 4 star if it had ended slightly earlier than it did. I’m a reader who likes to know that the conflict has been resolved, but still wants a little room for dreaming up my own ending. Armentrout really tied double knots on this ending though, and it ventured a little too far into the soppy soap for my tastes.

But, I still loved this book and adored the series!

Every Last Breath is the third installment in Jennifer L. Armentrout's young adult, paranormal series titled The Dark Elements. Up to this point, this series has been very enjoyable. I haven't been blown away, but as an adult who reads less and less young adult titles, I have thoroughly enjoyed these books. However, while I still liked this third book, and am glad to have some of my questions answered (as well as have the love triangle put to rest), I personally found this book to be never-ending. It just felt soooo long in my opinion. Again, I liked it and would recommend it to readers who are following this series - there are crucial events that take place in this one! But I obviously didn't feel consistently engaged as I wanted it to end far sooner than it did.

Note: I was initially under the impression that this story was a trilogy, but when I just looked, it's labeled as a series. Unfortunately, I'm not sure if I will be continuing this series if more books are added. Too bad :(

My favorite quote:
"...seize life. Seize everything it had to offer, including the tears, the anger and loss. But most of all the laughter and the love. To just seize life because it was fleeting and it was fickle, and no one, not me or anyone I knew, had another day let alone another second promised to them."

I have a so much love for Jennifer Armentrout’s books. If only for the fact that they make me laugh so much. Her books have every ingredient to make for a fantastic binge read. I pondered on the rating for a bit, but in the end, there is just no flaw in this book (or the entire series for that matter), so 5 wholly deserved stars it is.

Every Last Breath made me laugh. The dialogue, as in the previous two books, is absolutely great. Layla has a great personality and it shines through in everything she does and says. The dialogue is absolutely top-notch. There’s stories that are character-driven, but Jennifer Armentrout writes books that are dialogue-driven, and she does it flawlessly!

The characters are still awesome. I haven’t made it a secret that I have a big BIG thing for Roth. I think he challenges and pushes Layla to be the best person she can be, and his personality continues to shine in this final instalment. Layla was badass, we saw her grow throughout the first two books and we got to see her at her best in Every Last Breath. Strong, witty, and relatable characters, what’s not to love?

Action all around. The plot was filled with lots of action that made for one fast-paced read. I read it in ONE sitting. There were some moments where we could take a breath, when the characters were resolving an issue, or talking things through, but for the most part the plot was everything and more I wanted from this book.

I’ve been looking forward to Every Last Breath for a long time. I couldn’t wait to see how the story unfolded (and who Layla ended up with!). The anticipation was enormous, and it lived up to every expectation I had. It had all the feels that come with reading a Jennifer Armentrout book, and all the feels and more after having read the final instalment of a series you love! Explosion of feels!

This review is spoiler free.

It was a satisfying conclusion to the series, though I will miss the characters and the incredible world that Ms Armentrout has created.

What I liked:
The series involves a love triangle. I don’t mind them as long as they are done well and Ms Armentrout certainly did. Layla decided which guy she wanted early on after she realised that it was selfish to drag things out.

There was more of a focus on the romance than in the previous books, with plenty of sweet, tender moments, which I did not mind.

What I didn’t like:
I thought that the plot was somewhat predictable, though there were a few surprising twists.

In summary, I loved this book but not as much as the first two. I loved the characters and familiars, as well as Ms Armentrout’s vivid imagery of hell.

I was very happy with how this series wrapped up, in fact it might be my favorite last book of a series that I read in 2015.

I was excited when the author announced that fans were going to get to decide who Layla ended up with. But also very worried. Was it going to be one of those we learn at the last page sort of things? But no, we got that part out of the way fairly early on which allowed for even more swoonworthy moments. And I was so please with this ship, I may have squealed out loud when I cheated and read the last page first.

I really like Layla, she was kick ass in this book. Layla learned a lot in the last two books and she didn't hesitate to do what needed to be done in this one.

This was an amazing ending to an amazing series. I loved how everything played out. I laughed, I cried, I swooned; it was just that good. Layla was so amazing in this book. It was great to see her really come into herself. She knew what she wanted and she made the hard choices. I loved how she never regretted them either. Roth was amazing as always and so was Zayne. I hated seeing them hurt and suffer. I loved getting to know Bambie and cried when things didn't go as planned for her. Abbot finally did something to make up for his idiocy and then made me cry about it. I loved seeing that some changes would be made in the future concerning the wardens. Its about time I say. Over all I loved the whole series and am thinking that I may just have to read it again.

Every Last Breath contained everything I love about YA/paranormal romance. Layla is the girl you wanna root for and hate seeing her get kicked down. The world has conspired against Layla her entire life. The unwanted child of a Warden and The Lilith she was constantly judged and assumed to be evil. Layla proves them all wrong time and time again, ultimately leading to her saving the entire world. Her love triangle with Roth and Zayne comes to a conclusion and it's wonderful. I absolutely loved this book and love Armentrout, she is a one-click buy for me. Now I wanna go get my own Bambi tattoo...or maybe Thumper...

Every Last Breath by Jennifer L. Armentrout: 7.5/10

Did I Like It: Awwwww I've been waiting for this book ever since Stone Cold Touch came out in October. And this one...it was everything that I was expecting. And I do mean, uh, everything. *wink wink*. It was signature Armentrout: Smexy boys, witty heroines, lots of *insert emoji of fire here*.  It wasn't exactly the next Great American novel, and I'm sure it had a plot, but really, who cares? Team Roth 4evs. ;) Shout out to my Team Roth partner in crime, my sister, Amanda, for getting me to read this one in a timely manner.

For Fans Of: Paranormal romance, with emphasis on the romance.

Age Level: Upper Young Adult

Pages: 400

Every Last Breath by Jennifer L. Armentrout is the third and final book in the series The Dark Elements. Holy Canola Oil and Wow, just Wow! This book was amazing! There were no down times, no slow spots, just amazing from page one until the end. And what a fantastic ending it was.

This is going to be one of those reviews where I am so limited as to what I can say without spoiling anything. Things start right where the previous book left off. The Lilin has taken over Layla’s friend Sam’s body. But not just taken over, he has taken his soul. Layla, of course, feels like this is all somehow her fault, and that she alone is responsible for rescuing Sam’s soul from Hell.

Layla is also still filled with guilt over what happened between she and Zayne. She knows that she can’t continue on this way, that she must decide between these two men who are so important to her. Who really does hold her heart? Who is she truly in love with? The beautiful gargoyle shifter that she has loved since she was seven years old or the dark and brooding Crown Prince who looks at her with a longing she might never really understand.

Layla starts to notice subtle changes in herself. She isn’t craving souls the way she used to. She’s not cold the way she was. She’s a little faster, and a little stronger. And when she shifts, well, wow! What is happening and what does it all mean? There are many questions as to who and what Layla really is and all questions are answered.

“As I parted ways with Stacey, I knew that my promise had done very little to reassure her. Truth was, the promise was one I never should’ve made. Because I had a lot of stupid left in me, and I knew what I had to do.”

The Lilin wants Lilith set free and if she is, she will bring on devastation to the world. If she isn’t set free, the Originals will come and do the same. And of course, all the responsibility of figuring all of this out rests on Layla’s shoulders.

“What was happening was so much bigger than us, so much more important than what we wanted or desired.”

There is so much Layla want to do. She wants to finish high school, go to college. She wants to travel. She’s never been anywhere. She has never been accepted by the clan who raised her, been rejected by those that created her. So why does she feel responsible to fix everything? She could run, go somewhere and hide. But the Layla we have all fallen in love with won’t do that. She’ll fight for what she feels is right, no matter what the sacrifice.

This whole series was amazing and the ending was epic. I expected no less. This is Jennifer Armentrout and everything I have read of hers has been equally wonderful and unique. This book will keep you on the edge of your seat from the beginning to the end. But as much as there is ugliness in Layla’s world, there is beauty. She is in love. I sighed so much during this book that I might have hyperventilated. I have to say thank you again to JLA for a wonderfully entertaining series. I don’t know where all your creativity comes from, but I thank you for it.

** spoiler alert ** I am still in the middle of this book but I have to rant about this love decision. How do you tell me that “It had always been Roth; from the moment he swaggered into that damn alley where I’d been unsuccessfully fighting off a demon, it had been him for me.” as opposed to the boy you have been in love with for YEARS!!

No it had not. You were scared of him. Also, so what Abbot warned him off by threatening her, he should have talked to her BEFORE that! Sure Roth is fun and playful and lustful but he is not "the forever" kind of love. He took her to hells den and left her alone but Zayne is wrong for leaving her in a Cafe? Because there is a Lilin out? That doesn't want to kill her?

Zayne forgave her EVERY mistake and never held her to it. He was never once disrespectful to her.

this is just BS and I can't read it anymore right now.I'm leaving her in that cafe too. (less)