Monday, February 27, 2012

Review and Giveaway: Shadows by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Shadows by Jennifer L. Armentrout
A Lux Novella from Entangled Teen
Release Date: 2/21/12
The Sisters Say: Exciting, Endearing, Extraterrestrial

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.


I imagine some of you might be a bit tired of all our fan-girling over Jennifer Armentrout. There's only so many ways we can order/entice/bribe/beg you to read her work (all of it, seriously, every single bit) before we start to repeat ourselves. So, from now on, for everyone's sake, you should just all assume that every mention of Jennifer on our blog comes in that shrieky-higher-pitched-than-a-dolphin-fan-girl-squee.

Now that that's all taken care of... let's talk Shadows.

Shadows is a novella, technically a prequel to Obsidian (see our former squee-filled review here). It has the same great world building featuring the Luxen-- not the little green aliens, but aliens whose true forms manifest in beautiful, awe-inspiring forms of light. Of course, like all alien stories, it is imperative that humans know nothing about their existence.

This has never been much of a problem for Dawson. Like his brother Daemon, he interacts with humans, but has never gotten too close to any of them. Unlike his brother and some other Luxen, he doesn't have any disdain for humans, just not a great deal of interest. That all changes when he meets Bethany.

The new girl catches his eye in a way no other girl has. The closer he gets to her, the more that fascination grows. And in one of my favorite scenes of the entire book, he accidentally lets the cat out of the bag about his alien status. I leave the way that happens a surprise. Trust me, you'll enjoy it.

Dawson is quite different than his brother Daemon. He's a bit more thoughtful, quiet, and caring. You'll fall in love with him, and be grateful for the insight his character provides with regards to his brother. That has to be one of my favorite things about this book--getting more background info about other characters, and knowing what will happen to them in the future. This novella is ripe with foreshadowing for Obsidian.

Like all of Jennifer's work-- Shadows has a heart-thumping, mind-numbing, skin-shivering romance. But more than that... it will also pull on your heartstrings. And if you're like me.... it will leave you formulating theories for the continuation of this series!

This novella is not without it's issues-- it bothered me a little that we never got to see Bethany make any friendships besides with Dawson. I think the alternating POV's between Bethany, Dawson, and Daemon kept us from connecting with each individual characters as well as we would have if it had been a bit more focused.

That being said-- this is a novella-- meant to whet our appetites (though at a whopping 170-something pages, it's definitely the most deliciously long novella I've ever read). And it certainly does that! Fans of Jennifer Armentrout will cheer for this intriguing addition to the series!

Now that I've gushed for a little while, as part of our week long BLOGOVERSARY celebration, we're offering an eBook copy of  SHADOWS (Nook or Kindle)! Just fill out the rafflecopter form below!

Also, leave us a comment an let us know-- which is your favorite kind of book boyfriend: Sweet, thoughtful, and charming like Dawson? Or Sarcastic, Dangerous, and Sinfully Sexy like Daemon?



a Rafflecopter giveaway