Review: Shadows by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Shadows (Lux #0.5)
by: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publication Date: Feb. 21, 2012
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Genre: Paranormal
Age Group: Young Adult
Source: Amazon Freebie
Page Count: 179 pages
Order Links: Amazon | B&N
My Rating: 5/5 stars
The last thing Dawson
Black expected was Bethany Williams. As a Luxen, an alien life form on
Earth, human girls are…well, fun. But since the Luxen have to keep their
true identities a secret, falling for one would be insane.
Dangerous. Tempting. Undeniable.
Bethany can’t deny the immediate connection between her and Dawson. And even though boys aren’t a complication she wants, she can’t stay away from him. Still, whenever they lock eyes, she’s drawn in.
Captivated. Lured. Loved.
Dawson is keeping a secret that will change her existence...and put her life in jeopardy. But even he can’t stop risking everything for one human girl. Or from a fate that is as unavoidable as love itself.
Dangerous. Tempting. Undeniable.
Bethany can’t deny the immediate connection between her and Dawson. And even though boys aren’t a complication she wants, she can’t stay away from him. Still, whenever they lock eyes, she’s drawn in.
Captivated. Lured. Loved.
Dawson is keeping a secret that will change her existence...and put her life in jeopardy. But even he can’t stop risking everything for one human girl. Or from a fate that is as unavoidable as love itself.
I absolutely adored this Lux novella by Jennifer Armentrout! I have always wondered about Dawson and Beth so I really enjoyed getting to see how they met and how their relationship came about. For those of you who have read the Lux series, we all know how this novella would end. And it still freaking hurt.
I liked getting to see this Dawson. When Bethany first walks into his class, it's over for him. He is immediately drawn to her and he believes her to be the most beautiful girl he's ever laid eyes on. Being a Luxen (an alien!), there are certain rules he and his siblings, as well as their close friends the Thompsons must follow. Getting involved with a human is a big no-no, as they are required to report that type of thing to the DOD (Department of Defense). There are so many things that could go wrong with a human- they risk exposure to not only their kind, but to the human as well. There are more Luxen males than females, so it's natural for Luxen not living exclusively in the Luxen community to fool around with human girls. However, it's never meant to be anything serious. However, the more Dawson spends time with Beth, he really finds himself falling for her.
He won't let his siblings or friends interfere in that and we really see Dawson take a stand against the people closest to him. He knows the risks and consequences and he knows he should stay away from her, but he doesn't want to. Dawson cares about his brother and sister more than anything, but he won't let them dictate his life either. It's a gutsy move on his part, but I admired him for going after what he wanted.
I liked Beth too. She is sweet and kind and she doesn't back down even when Ash and Andrew (part of the Thompson family) threaten her. She doesn't cave to Daemon either and for those of us who have read the other books in the series know- that's a pretty big deal. Daemon can be a prickly SOB, but at least we now can understand why he acts the way he does in Obsidian. That still doesn't excuse his behavior, but I can't imagine his feelings at the end of this novella.
Beth and Dawson's chemistry is really great. I loved the build up between these two and when it comes down to it, they make a great couple. The odds are stacked against them, but they manage to make it work. Beth is an extremely loyal person and we really get to see that here- her loyalty to Dawson and by extension his family was really great to see.
I'm glad JLA decided to write this novella and I'm glad I finally decided to pick it up and read it! It's a great introduction to the Lux series, however readers may want to read this one after Obsidian or even Onyx to have a greater understanding of what happened.
12 comments
Great review! I really enjoyed this novella too... I read it right after reading Obsidian so this was what first made me question whether Dawson and Beth were really and truly gone for good. I also loved how Dawson and Beth were more typical(?) for a paranormal couple where Daemon and Katy were not the norm at all... it was a cool contrast and it helped me to understand Daemon better.... okay done rambling you know how I get with this series lol
ReplyDeleteYes! I thought this was interesting too! Dawson and Beth were much more typical than Katy and Daemon! And I do like how it gave me a better understanding of Daemon too. I can get why he acted like he did at first.
Deleteugh, I'm so behind. I'm gonna try to read Opal and Opposition next month. I miss Daemon. :)
ReplyDeleteYay! I was missing Daemon something fierce so I'm glad I did a reread of these!
DeleteOOoh nice review! You know, I haven't read this one yet! Odd since I LOVE the Lux books! I kind of didn't want to backtrack, but not you've got me wondering if I should read it anyway! I might try to squeeze it in one of these days, because again I LOOOOOVE the Lux books! Great review! :D
ReplyDeleteThanks Jessica! I really enjoyed it! It's definitely a quick read and it's pretty cute seeing Dawson and Beth together and how that all came about!
DeleteAwesome review! I definitely loved this. I actually read this first so when I got to Obsidian I was like "Who is Katie & Daemon?" Haha. I really like Beth and Dawson though and I loved how sweet he was with her.
ReplyDeleteLOL! I'm glad I waited to read it or I would have been confused too! LOL.
DeleteFabulous review!! I loved this novella, and you are so right... it hurt!! Broke my heart! It was after this short story that I really started getting into the series and learned to appreciate a certain arrogant alien. lol Loved reading your thoughts on this one!! xo
ReplyDeleteThanks Michele! Yes! If I had read this first I would have maybe not hated Daemon so much. Maybe. LOL.
DeleteWonderful Review Jess! I loved this novella, and how we got to see how everything began. Dawson and Bethan't chemistry great, and I loved how protective and loyal they were to each other! I can't believe there is only one more installment in the Lux series. I'm going to be so sad to see it come to an end.
ReplyDeleteLindy@ A Bookish Escape
Thanks Lindy! Yes! I love their loyalty to one another! And they were just so sweet together! I'm going to be sad to see it end too!
DeleteLeave me some comment love! And I will get around to commenting back!
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