Review: Shadows

Title: Shadows (Lux Novella ~ Book 0.5)
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publication Date: February 20 2012
Publisher: Entangled
ISBN: N/A
Length: 179 Pages
Link to Synopsis: Goodreads
Source: Purchased (Kindle Edition)
Buy It: Amazon US / Amazon UK

My Rating: 4 Stars

Point of View: 3rd Person, following different characters

What is it that they say? Better late than never? That is how I feel about the Lux Series. Unfortunately I had just never got around to reading this series before but I am very excited to be starting them now.

There are currently two books and this novella. In a way it is probably a good thing that it has taken me this long to start the series simply because it appears this novella came out after book one even though it is a prequel. This way I can read them all in order.

From what I have gathered book one and two mostly follows Daemon and his sister Dee. This novella follows their brother Dawson and the new girl at school, Bethany . Make no mistake, this is a love story. There is a bit of love at first sight in that they are instantly drawn to each other. However in saying that it is also written in a way that it seems to draw out their courtship, which was lovely. Dawson's family, although they know it is a bad idea, eventually supports his decision because they know he is happy.

Dawson and his siblings are aliens, yes just like ET but much better looking. They are Luxen and can take the form of humans but in their natural state they are pure light. Although it is only frowned upon for Luxen to 'hook up' with humans, it is a very bad idea for them to become more serious. The government knows of the Luxen and most of them choose to live in a colony however some do choose to live outside of the colony and attempt to live their lives as humans. The DOD (Department of Defence) watches over those outside the colony and if they put a toe out of line they will be there to take care of the situation. Outside of the government humans do not know of the Luxen and if a human does find out they are made to 'disappear'. This kinda puts a damper on serious relationships across species...

Spoiler Alert :

For those of you who have read Obsidian, you know how this novella ends. It is not a happy ending but actually quite sad and tragic. However... (please note I have refused to read any spoilers or read ahead) I get the feeling that Dawson and Beth are not dead. The DOD refused to allow Daemon and Dee to see the bodies and simply said they had already been 'disposed' of. This is fishy and I am not buying it. Maybe there will be something in the next two books that will prove they are in fact dead but as of right now I just don't believe it.

Something happened to Beth when she fell over the side of the cliff and Dawson clearly somehow passed a bit of himself over to her. She was dead and then she wasn't. Then all of a sudden she could speak to him through her mind when before she could not and Dawson was drained of energy. I think the DOD were watching and then collected them when the time was right. Maybe they are in a testing facility somewhere, or just in some hidden prison. Now this may just be me because I am a sappy romantic that wants every story to end happy, but I do hope I am right and this is not the last we see of these two.

I did enjoy the pacing and writing style of Armentrout's and I can't wait to move on with the series. I'm happy to have two more books to read and the third, Opal, that will be published on December 11 2012. If you are a fan of romance with a paranormal twist then I would strongly suggest this Novella and series, I can tell it is going to be great.

QUOTES FROM SHADOWS