Shadows (A Lux Novel)

Heee's baaack! Well, sort of... If you've read Obsidian then you know how this story will end. Even though you know the outcome of this story, Jennifer's writing will suck you in and make you forget about the tragic ending. (If you haven't read Obsidian, then make sure you add it to your TBR list!) In Shadows we get to meet Dawson, Daemon and Dee's other brother, who is also an alien. Besides looking exactly the same, Dawson and Daemon could not be any more different. While Daemon is rude and a bit of a pessimist (although I totally love him anyway!), Dawson is a total sweetheart who follows his heart and isn't afraid to show his feelings. Dawson meets Bethany, a new student, and is instantly attracted to her. But they don't fall madly in love at first sight like some other books. Instead, Dawson is very sweet and persistent and does his best to convince Bethany to give him a chance. After a while, Bethany finally agrees to go out with Dawson. Of course, she ends up finding out what Dawson really is, which does not go over well with Daemon or Dee or their other alien friends in town. But Dawson and Bethany believe they can find a way to keep each other safe and still be together. Bethany is a quiet, shy, nice girl who also is not afraid to stand up for herself. Their relationship is so innocent and sweet that you hope that somehow, against all odds Dawson and Bethany will somehow get a happy ending. In Shadows, we also get to read more about the history of the Luxen, the Arum and the DOD. We get to read Dawson's story and we also understand why Daemon is so put off against letting Katy into his or his sister's life. Since most of you already know the ending of Shadows, I don't want to give too much else away. Shadows is a great quick read that will have you devouring the pages quickly to learn more about the Black family. It's also a great fix to hold you over until the release of Onyx, which sadly has been pushed back until August 14th. It also has some trademark Daemon moments you will not want to miss! (Pure, the second novel in Jennifer L. Armentrout's Covenant series has been pushed forward to March 8, 2012!) 5 out of 5 sparkly stars! ***Some of my favorite non-spoiler quotes from Shadows!*** - Dee's hand fluttered around her as she spoke. "I was outside, and it looked as if a light show was going on in your bedroom. Daemon said you were probably mas--" And Dee also knew no boundaries. "Ah, no, please don't finish that sentence." He lowered his hands, eyes narrowing at his sister. "Don't ever finish that sentence." - Dawson's thoughts scattered. All he could do was stand there and watch her drive away. And only when he was sure she couldn't see him, he let his lips split into a smile so wide it'd put Dee's to shame. - Every so often, he caught her looking at him as if she were trying to really see him. See behind the clothes and the skin, to what really existed underneath. Part of him liked that. The other part was terrified. If she ever found out... -Then Ash twisted toward Daemon, her cheeks flushed. "I can't believe you're allowing him to do this. Next thing we know, you'll be dating a human." Daemon busted out laughing. "Yeah, not going to happen." -Bethany grinned, loving the effect she had on him. Sure, he was an alien with pretty much unlimited power, but she made him tremble. Score one for the pitiful human! -Standing, Daemon pushed back his chair and went over to the window. Several moments passed in silence, and then he laughed roughly. "God, I hope I never fall in love." A little bit surprised by that statement, Dawson watched his twin. "Do you really want that?" "Hell yeah," Daemon replied. "Look at how stupid it's made you." Dawson smiled in spite of everything. "I know that's probably an insult, but I'm going to take it as a compliment." *** Check out more of my reviews at BooksandSparkles <dot> Blogspot <dot> com

Shadows is the novella that tells the story of Dawson, Daemon and Dee's brother, and Bethany, a human girl. It takes place before Obsidian, but was released after Obsidian (Confusing, I know, haha). This story is good, and I liked Dawson and Bethany just fine. However, I could not keep myself from comparing them to Daemon and Kat, and in my opinion, they just couldn't compete. Daemon and Kat seem like the real deal to me, and Dawson and Bethany had a bit of insta-love going on. They were all syrupy sweet while Daemon and Kat are sarcastic. Because of that, I wasn't into Shadows as much as I was into Obsidian. However, I did enjoy learning about Dawson and Bethany, and this story helped clear up why Daemon is the way he is. Dawson is a bit more laid back than Daemon, and because of that, I can see how people would like him better. He's more social, and he seems to like people more. He's also not afraid to follow his heart, consequences be damned. However, he is flawed. He's extremely selfish, and I feel that he could have been a bit less bratty when pleading his case about Bethany. I believed they should be together if they wanted to be, but I didn't think that he needed to get all pissy about it constantly. Because of his flaws, he came across as very real and easy to relate to. I felt for Dawson, but for the life of me, I couldn't understand his obsession with Bethany. I mean I get being attracted to someone and wanting to get to know them, but he was a bit obsessive about her. Not stalker-type obsessive, but internally obsessive... I hope that makes sense. Don't worry, though. Bethany, too, was obsessed with Dawson. She started painting him and daydreaming about him constantly after she spoke to him once. I expect that behavior more from a female, but I still don't understand it. Bethany is a lot weaker than Kat, and because of that, I didn't like her as much. She's more of a pushover when it comes to letting people walk all over her. She is a nice girl, though, and I did like her... just not as much as Katy (see what I mean with the comparing?). Her personality went well with Dawson's, though, and they seemed to compliment each other nicely. This story read more like a romance than Obsidian. Basically, the plot revolves around the trials and tribulations of Dawson and Bethany's relationship. How they have to overcome obstacles, such as being different species, and how they have to go against mean girls and angry aliens in order to be together. The threat of the DOD and Arum gave the story an underlying sense of danger. There was not a lot of action until the very end. The story, of course, ends abruptly since it's only leading up to Obsidian, so if you haven't read Obsidian yet, the cliffhanger may annoy you. Since I read Obsidian first, it wasn't annoying to me. Basically, you should buy Obsidian when you buy Shadows, then you won't have the cliffhanger problem! :D Overall, I recommend this novella to anyone who is a fan of the Lux series. If you haven't heard of the Lux series, I'd recommend starting with Obsidian, then buying this novella to tide you over until Onyx is released in August. Also, Shadows fills in a lot of the gaps that were present in Obsidian. I know a lot more about Dawson and Bethany's story now, and I also know a lot more about the reasons for Daemon's jerkiness. Furthermore, I feel that Dawson and Bethany paved the way for other aliens to intermingle with humans more if they so desired. In the end, I admire Dawson and Bethany for standing up for their love and what they believe in. I just wish they hadn't been so sappy about it.

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.

3.5 Stars There has been a fair bit of hype about this series so I thought I'd read them all together and start at the very beginning, with Bethany and Dawson's novella Shadows. I was expecting amazing things in this novella, but it was more of a case of a girl moving to a new town, meets a boy and love at first sight. It was cute and fun and it was an enjoyable read and a great introduction to the Lux series. I don't usually enjoy books that are predictable, but Shadows gave us a great insight to the Luxens, the Arums and how they all interact with humans. When Luxens are born, they usually come as triplets, 2 boys and a girl. From who I met in Shadows, there is a good boy and bad boy in each set of triplets and Dawson is the good boy. When Bethany stalks into his English class he is instantly attracted to her. The insta-love relationship develops and they work really hard together to get Dawson's bother Daemon and sister Dee to accept them, along with the other Luxen's they are close too. I liked Dawson, he is very sweet and protective of Bethany from the instant they meet. They are a cute couple and have a lot of things common. Bethany is very accepting of Dawson's alien side, which I thought was a bit too easily done, but it worked for them. There was one thing I didn't understand, and that was when a life changing event occurred, Dawson didn't share it with anyone in his family, even though they are supposed to be close. This could've changed how things went in the story, but even though there was an unexpected ending, it must be the reason as to why Daemon will be even more protective of his family in the future books. There were some nice swoon moments and some good action/fight scenes, but I expected a little more, but I still enjoyed it. I am really excited as to how the story will go now, as there has been so much hype over Daemon, in fact, I'm going to start right now......

I was so happy I started Obsidian first before reading Shadows. In Obsidian you know that Daemon and Dee's twin brother Dawson and his girlfriend Bethany were killed. It was nice to see what Dawson was like and get his story leading to his death. I loved Shadows just as much as I loved Obsidian. Dawson is the sweet brother. I felt so bad for him because the girl Bethany he falls in love with is human. Since he is an alien he has to be mated with his own kind. The reason for this is because the woman of his kind are rare and they need to breed. Dawson is drawn to Bethany right from the beginning and can not stay away from her. Their lives change from a simple kiss. He lost all control over his body with that simple kiss and with out thinking shows her the real Dawson. Now his mark is on her for his kind to see her. The others in his group are not happy about this incident especially Daemon. Who I adore and he was still a smart mouth when ticked off in Shadows as he is in Obsidian. Love it when Daemon gets mad and mouthy. "What if I can't?" he asked, looking away when Daemon scowled. His brother swore. "Are you kidding me? It's not hard. You. Stay. Away. From. Her." As if it were that easy. Daemon didn't get it. "But she's glowing right now. Nothing serious, but there's an Arum around, and she's not safe." "You probably should have thought about that before you Lite-Brited her a**. Dawson does not care that his and Bethany relationship is out in the open with his family and friends. The only thing he cares about is protecting her. It does bother him that he marked her and her life is in danger because of him. Loved when he took action and warned Andrew to stay away from Bethany. Very intense moment with an alien temper hottie hero. Totally freakin loved it when he told Ash to stay away from Daemon that he can do better. It is nice to see what made Daemon the way he is in Obsidian. You understand more why he was a jerk to Katy in the beginning. Why he can not and does not want to fall in love with a human. The love and protectiveness he has for his family is sweet. In Obsidian you see his over protectiveness towards Dee. I thought it was because he lost Dawson and did not want to lose his only family he has left. But reading Shadows you still see he is over protective of Dawson and Dee. What I loved most about Shadows was seeing how Dawson, Daemon and Dee were like as a family before Dawson's death. They were a happy, loving and fun family. Great sibling moment was when Dawson was in a good mood after meeting Bethany and actually washed his dish. "What" he demanded. "Did you just... Clean a dish? Dee backed away slowly, blinking. She glanced at Daemon. "The world is going to end. And I'm still a vir-" "No!" both brothers yelled in unison. Daemon looked like he was actually going to vomit. "Jesus, don't ever finish that statement. Actually, don't ever change that. Thank you." The ending left me wondering if Bethany and Dawson are dead. Or were they taken away or even did they run away. I want more of them. Their time together was very short and deserve to be together for many years. I would love to see more fun, happy and loving family times with Dawson, Daemon and Dee. Shadows was a bonus for me after reading Obsidian. So if new to this series really start with Obsidian first. You will appreciate and enjoy Shadows so much more. Originally posted at Fallen Angels YA Book Blog

Originally Reviewed on Better Read Than Dead. I absolutely could not get my hands on this book soon enough. Like many people, I had already read Obsidian and loved it. I did have some idea as to what was coming in Shadows but I was still enthralled. I was jonesing for more Daemon and even though Shadows is Dawson's and Bethany's story, Daemon still got plenty of screen time - so to speak. Maybe enough to hold me over until Onyx...but I just don't know. Actually, I lie...I reread Obsidian, again. LOL. Dawson thought the world stopped spinning when he first saw Bethany walk through the door of his English class. She was new and beautiful...but human. Off limits. Dangerous. Intriguing. Worth the risk? Totally. She won his heart within minutes. Truly love at first sight and, in Shadows, it completely works. Unfortunately for Dawson, he is a triplet. His slightly older brother, Daemon, is sort of a pain in the....well you know. And if you've read Obsidian...you really know. Daemon is against his brother's infatuation with Bethany...he doesn't see any way for their relationship to end well. Also, relationships with humans just don't make sense...but Dawson doesn't care about that. He just knows Bethany is the girl for him and he's not going to play by the stupid Luxen rules. Dawson and Daemon may share looks but their personalities couldn't be different. Daemon feels protective over his brother and sister. He knows the Arum lurk in the shadows and want his powers. Bringing humans into the mix adds to the danger as Dawson will soon find out, proving Daemon right. And their sister...Dee, well she has some of the funniest lines in the entire book. I really do feel sorry for her if she ever falls for a human. Daemon is feisty crazy now, just try to imagine if 'lil sis' falls for a human. OMG...the thought scares the bejesus out of me. All of Petersburg, WV will be glowing. Like everyone else, I want to speculate on what is actually going on with Dawson and Bethany but will refrain so not to spoil anything for anyone that hasn't read Shadow or Obsidian...but I definitely have a theory. I'll just have to wait and see what happens. Okay...I've seen both praises and "just didn't likes" about the writing style of Shadows. Personally, I loved Jennifer's third-person writing style that lets you see into Daemon, Dawson, and Bethany. Obsidian is written in first person from Katy's POV and as funny and interesting that is, I love reading some of the scenes from Daemon's POV. I think seeing multiple POV's is so much fun and gives you a broader understanding of the events that shape and mold the book. So now, I'll have to wait until August for Onyx...I just can't wait. If you haven't read Shadows or Obsidian...READ THEM NOW. My Other Lux Series Reviews: ~Obsidian ~Shadows Other Jennifer L. Armentrout Reviews: ~Half-Blood ~Pure - Coming March 23, 2012 (Pure Blog Tour)

After reading this book, your understanding of Luxen life is just that much greater. And it's dreadful!! Their lives - if you can call it a life - it's just all so unfair! Your heart literally bleeds for them. All they want is to be normal, happy, and together. But to obtain that, they have to fight for it? Now, I am still 100% Team Daemon - the books purpose was never meant to change that, it was just meant to give us a greater understanding of their characters and just what the hell happened pre-Kat - but, as I'm sure we all suspected, Dawson is just such a sweet honey, and Bethany is just as sweet. And even though we all knew how it would end, you still rooted for them. And while we smiled and giggled over their cute budding romance, it was awful the trials and tribulations they had to overcome JUST TO BE TOGETHER. Like I said, it was just all so unfair. After everything Dawson and the others have been through, they all deserve to find some happiness. Some peace. And while you just wanted to go and smash all those prejudiced bastards who stood in their way, well... it just burns me that in the end, they were right about how it would end. Or were they? I mean, come on. They're still alive. They have to be! This is a part romance. Jennifer wouldn't let such a deserving and innocent romance end the way we are led to believe. Would she? I also thought it was awesome how Jennifer spun some interesting little details that would be later be brought up in Obsidian, and some other things that I reckon will come back in Onyx. The depth and detail of the story just keeps getting better and better. I can't wait to see if I'm right about a couple of theories I have! I thought it was funny how throughout Shadows, little things were mentioned that would later happen in Obsidian, like how they joked that the next thing they would know, Daemon will be dating a human, to which he fully lol'd and scoffed at. The sheer absurdity of the very thought! If only he knew! Baha! Like I said, the way Jennifer has spun and weaved together certain little details was very cool. I even think there's a little clue in there as to what one of the extra Daemon POV's coming out in the revised version of Obsidian might be. I guess we'll just have to wait and see... I really missed the hilarity of Daemon's and Kat's relationship, though. It was almost heartbreaking to see Daemon so constantly serious and stoic all the time, how he worried for his family. I loved the threes' relationship. Though the responsibility for having to protect the lives of his friends and family must get so wearisome at times. Especially when an Arum shows up and he just so happens to be in the middle of a sandwich. And yet he never complains. As Dee said in Obsidian, "He's always the thankless hero." He prefers it, if only to have some semblance of control where he has absolutely none elsewhere. I bawled my eyes out when he and Dee were delivered the horrible news at the end. I have 3 siblings; I can't imagine the pain of losing one of them. You can totally understand his aversion to the human race after having to go through something like that.

Have you read Obsidian? If the answer is NO, then you might not want to continue. You have been thusly warned. *** If you've already read Obsidian, this is one of those books you go into knowing the ill-fated outcome; knowing that when all is said and done that you're going to be a little heartbroken. And yet, Armentrout weaves Dawson & Bethany's story in a way that almost makes you forget you know the ending, that made me fall in love with both of them, and that made me hope beyond hope that, somehow, they'll get their happily ever after. Dawson & Bethany are as different from Daemon & Katy as you could possibly get. Dawson, while he shares his brother's looks, confidence, and stubbornness, is at heart an optimist. Daemon is pessimistic, suspicious, abrasive and paranoid. He is this way because Daemon has taken on the burden of protector for both his family and his fellow Luxens. While Dawson clearly recognizes the dangers and risks of being what they are, he does not feel the weight of this responsibility as keenly as Daemon does. Dawson instead is friendly, compassionate, and wears his heart on his sleeve. He knows the risk a potential relationship with Bethany poses, and the rules it breaks. But he also "doesn't think that love recognizes differences" and that love, true love, is worth pursuing. Bethany, on the other hand, is quiet, a little shy and an introvert. She's not one for confrontation (Good luck with the Black family, Bethany dear), yet if push comes to shove she can stand up for herself. She's open-minded, loving, and possesses a calm and an insight beyond her sixteen years. In short, she's a total sweetheart. Together, Dawson & Bethany are just so sweet. Their relationship isn't built on snark, gaining the upper hand, or crackling sexual tension, but rather it's something entirely different. It's more honest, more innocent, perhaps a bit more healthy , but also perhaps a bit naïve. Not just a love story, Shadows also provides some very interesting clues into the Luxens history on Earth, the Colony, and U.S. government-Luxen relations. It helps form a larger picture of what the Luxens face and gives the reader a sense of how decisions and events could potentially have consequences that are more far-reaching, more than is apparent in Obsidian. Since Obsidian is written from Katy's perspective, I enjoyed the third person point of view of Shadows which gives more detailed insight into the Black and Thompson families, helping to create a more well-rounded view of those particular characters. Overall, Shadows is a fantastic and long-awaited return to Petersburg, WV where Armentrout has created a monopoly on amazingly hot aliens and epic romance. Seriously, August 14th cannot come soon enough.

really glad i read this first so i had more context of the lead up to the loss and hatred

Bel libro

Now I've only just started this series and read this book first (figured I would follow the order) and on later reading reviews everyone has said to read book 1 first (Obsidian)....my bad. However I absolutely LOVED LOVED LOVED this book and cannot wait to carry on the series!! I loved all of the characters and the whole alien plot line. The book had me hooked from the first few pages, brilliant writing!

O livro veio em ótimo estado, a entrega feita pela amazon foi incrivel. Mas a edição em sí é bem simples, não tem orelha, as folhas parecem um jornalzao e o marca texto passa pro outro lado de tão fininha que ela é. No entanto a capa é bem bonita e tem uma textura bem diferente. Se você quer ter todos os livros da série ( assim como eu) eu recomendo, mas não vale a pena pagar caro não

Ich liebe die Lux-Reihe und habe also auch Shadows gekauft..Ich wurde nicht enttäuscht!! Die gesamte Familie Black zu sehen war einach genial und obwohl Daemon <3, Dee und Dawson Meinungsverschiedenheiten haben, merkt man während man die Novella liest, wie sehr sie sich lieben und dass sie alles füreinander machen würden. Ich musste so oft laut lachen und durch die alternierende Erzählperspektiven erfährt man, was die einzelnen Charaktere so denken, und was sie durchgemacht haben. Die Geschichte geht schnell voran, was mich eigentlich nicht gestört hat, da es eine Novella ist und sie einfach nur eine Addition zu den eigentlichen Büchern ist. Deshalb muss man dieses Buch nicht gelesen haben, damit man die Lux Reihe versteht, aber man hat nun mal einen Einblick in Dawsons und Beths Geschichte und kann auch Reaktionen von manchen (Daemon,Ash etc.) Charakteren in den anderen Büchern nachvollziehen, nachdem man Shadows liest. Also an alle Lux-Fans: Kauft euch das Buch!! Jetzt sofort!!