Shadows by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Release Date: Feb. 20, 2012
Publisher: Entangled Teen (UK: Entangled Select)
Age Group: Young Adult
Format: Kindle
Source: Purchased
Series: Lux #0.5
Buy: Amazon / Book Depository
Description: Goodreads
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.

Let’s get something straight, right off the bat.  I am a HUGE Jennifer Armentrout fan and have read and loved all of her YA offerings to date.  When I heard about the release of Shadows? I jumped on it and then cleared the rest of the afternoon LOL.  If you’ve read Obsidian, you will know that Daemon once had a brother called Dawson and Shadows is essentially his story.  I should stop you here and say that if you have not read Obsidian, you should probably read that first as this review may contain unavoidable spoilers.

Shadows is a novella and a prequel of sorts as it takes place before Obsidian.  What I liked about this book is that it gives us a deeper insight into Daemon’s character and the relationship between the triplets when Dawson was still around.  Dawson is of course Daemon’s identical brother (how is there so much hotness in one town?!  Can I move there please?!) and any similarity between them ends in the looks department.  Dawson is much more laid back than Daemon and more at ease with giving his heart away to the right girl, even if she IS human.  I have to say that I really enjoyed seeing such a different dynamic between Dawson and Bethany to Daemon and Katy.  It was definitely a lot sweeter although Daemon and Katy win in the hotness charts.

Shadows has a lot of foreshadowing for both Obsidian and Onyx and I think this book helps the reader to understand parts of Obsidian better.  If you’ve read Obsidian, obviously you know that it does not bode well for Dawson and reading this book was a little bit like reading about the Titanic – the ending is inevitable and tragic but you can’t look away. 

If you’re a fan of the series then Shadows is an essential read.  I can’t wait to get my hands on Onyx and the sooner the better as far as I’m concerned.  For me, Jennifer can’t churn her books out fast enough ;)

Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Release Date: May 8, 2012 (UK: May 15, 2012)
Publisher: Entangled Teen (UK: Entangled Select)
Age Group: Young Adult
Format: Kindle
Source: Purchased
Series: Lux #1
Pages: 400
Buy: Amazon / Book Depository / IndieBound
Description: Goodreads
Starting over sucks.

When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I'd pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring.... until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.

And then he opened his mouth.

Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something...unexpected happens. 

The hot alien living next door marks me. 

You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon's touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I'm getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades. 

If I don't kill him first, that is.

I’m just going to come right out and say it.  OMG I LOVED THIS BOOK.  It totally floated my boat...and then sailed off into the sunset.   This book has everything – a great premise, an exciting plot, SIZZLING chemistry between the two main characters and the promise of more to come.  And guess what?  The main character is a book blogger LOL.  It feels weird to read about a character talking about “Waiting on Wednesday” and all the other book blogger lingo that we generally use but I like it ;)   Jennifer L. Armentrout is a very clever writer indeed; she gives the reader exactly what they want and makes no apologies for it.  And I love her for that.  

I want to start by talking about Daemon.  Let’s get something straight.  We’re supposed to pronounce it like DEMON and there is no way on this earth that I can call a guy DEMON so he became DAMON to me.  And you know what?  When I first “met” him? I thought he was the biggest dick ever.  He comes across as an arrogant, egocentric idiot.   So what if he is hot and has killer abs, his personality leaves a lot to be desired, at least in the beginning.  THEN, slowly but surely, he charmed me and lo and behold, I fell for him just as Katy did.  I didn’t enjoy it but I can relate to liking someone you hate (if that makes sense).  It’s all about the chemistry baby and boy was there tons of that!  The sexual tension and lustiness between Daemon and Katy was ah-mazing and some of the best I’ve read.  It reminded me a bit of Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles but even more so as the chemistry between the two main characters was OFF THE CHARTS.

Now, it’s not a spoiler to say that we all know Daemon and his sister are aliens (hello, it’s in the synopsis?!) and I have to say that I thought the idea behind using light was ingenious (you’ll see when you read the book).  When the Luxen are in their true form, they are basically beings of light and reminded me very much of the aliens from Cocoon which if you didn’t know, is a classic eighties movie and well worth watching. 

I digress.  What I liked most about Katy was the fact that she is a strong, independent young woman.  She’s not just going to fall at the feet of her attractive neighbour just because he’s hot.  He’s annoying and rude and she doesn’t need that in her life.  The relationship between Katy and Daemon seemed to develop quite naturally and I like that she didn’t just give in, she stood her ground right to the end!  You go girl!

I couldn’t write a review and not include some words about Dee who is Daemon’s twin sister.  Not only does she look like a model, she’s the nicest girl you could hope to meet and you can’t possibly hate her if you tried.  She’s cheerful, friendly and such a contrast to her brother!

The plot is dangerously exciting and as always, there has to be a bad guy – only there’s lots of bad guys this time.  An entire race that wants to kill the last of the Luxen and steal their abilities.  NOT WHILST DAEMON IS AROUND, BIATCHES.  Or y’know, something equally as intimidating. 

I cannot even begin to express how excited I am for book two and hell yes, I’ve pre-ordered.  You may notice that the covers have changed and I have no idea why.  I thought the covers were fine just as they were but whatever, I don’t care.  I HAVE TO HAVE THIS BOOK!   I’m now at the point where I’ve read all of Jennifer’s YA offerings and have decided that I no longer care what she writes about, I just know that I need it.