Shadows
By Jennifer L. Armentrout
Published by Entangled Teen
Prequel to The LUX series
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.
Genre:
Triggers
Kidnapping (not my MC)
Shadows is a novella, and the prequel to the LUX series. It primarily focuses on Dawson and Beth before they are captured by the DoD, and goes back and forth between their PoV's. We do get some of Daemon's thoughts during this time as well.
Shadows is very bittersweet for me. For several reasons. Dawson and Beth's relationship and knowing what is going to happen to them. The love between Dawson, Daemon, and Dee. Daemon before Katy. Its thrilling, and sad, because it doesn't end happily.
My first thoughts after reading Shadows, was how much Daedalus changed Dawson and Beth. In the series, Beth is still not fully healed from the trauma of her capture, and still has bad days. Dawson is quieter, and while there is still glimpses of the old Dawson, he is more pessimistic and angry then before. In Shadows, we get to know the Dawson that Daemon always told Katy about. We also get to know Beth before she was broken. Dawson was full of life. Did what he wanted. Loved freely. Laughed a lot. Strong. Kind. It's interesting to note that he shows shame in being a Luxen. Beth was smart and witty, a talented artist, sweet. Its sad that their time in Daedalus turns them into different people.
Daemon once described Dawson falling in love with Beth the moment he laid eyes on her. And it's true (although he doesn't acknowledge those feelings for months). Beth was drawn to Dawson's looks, but Dawson very quickly showed her what kind of "guy" he was and right away their relationship blossomed. Dawson is a sweetheart!
I'm starting to think that when Luxen feel, their feelings are so much more intense than a humans. When they fall in love, they are in love. Forever.
Seeing how close the Black's were with one another was sad. Dawson and Dee together was touching, and Daemon definitely had the parental role in their trio. That being said, he obviously was able to kick back and relax with Dawson, and I loved the small moments we get with them together. I hated the last chapter from Daemon's PoV. Reading the LUX series, we know he was devastated by Dawson's "death", and in consequence, was fiercely protective of Dee, especially in regards to her interactions with humans. He blamed himself for not trying to stop Dawson's relationship with a human sooner, and vows to never let it happen again. It gives just a little more depth to Daemon, and why he treats Katy the way he does in Obsidian.
Another aspect that isn't brought up too much in the series, is Beth's family. We find out that after a year, they moved back home. Her uncle beats the cancer, but we also find out he works for the DoD, and when he suspects Beth has been healed, and possibly mutated, he reports her and Dawson. He sticks around, and we know what happens with him in regards to the rest of the series. But back to her parents, and little brother ... I found those small moments of Beth doting on her baby brother truly heartbreaking. I wonder if she ever reconnects with her family after Opposition. Did something happen to them?
I mentioned above that we get small moments with Daemon, but in these small moments tell so much. While he voices his concerns with Dawson over his relationship with Beth, and openly doesn't approve of it, he backs off. When thinking of different ways he could stop Dawson and Beth from becoming closer, one of the options was threatening her, which he automatically disregards, because even though he is a jerk, he doesn't threaten girls. This isn't the Daemon we come to know in Obsidian. Dawson's "death" changes him. He see's Katy as a threat, and threatens her at the first of the book. Another thing I noted, was Daemon saying he hopes to never fall in love, because it makes you stupid. Oh irony, how I love thee!
I know. Shadows is about Dawson. I can't help it though. I kinda fell in love with Daemon.
Shadows is great! It gives us inside knowledge of what happens to Dawson and Beth, and the consequences of them fall in love. It gives us insight to these characters before Katy came around. One of the only things I disliked was Ash. Just ... ew. Get your paws off Daemon. He belongs to someone else. :p That being said ... Dawson and Dee's distaste for their relationship makes it better. Dawson telling Ash to stay away from Daemon because he deserves so much better is epic on so many levels.
Lesa: "It's just snow. It's not going to hurt you."
Kimmy: "Sugar melts."
Lesa: "Yeah, and shit floats."
Dawson: "My name is Dawson Black. I'm the -"
Beth: "You were the twin sitting behind me in English."
Dawson: "How'd you know? Most can't tell us apart."
Beth: "Your smile. I mean, the other one didn't smile at all, like, the entire class."
Dawson: "Yeah, he's worried that smiling will give him premature wrinkles."
Dee: "I was outside, and it looked as if a light show was going on in your bedroom. Daemon said you were probably mas-"
Dawson: "Ah, no, please don't finish that sentence. Don't ever finish that sentence."
Dawson: "You just don't like Ash."
Dee: "It's not that I dislike her. I just think she's a bitch."
Dee: "Good morning!"
Daemon: "That's chirpy."
Dawson: "And I sound nothing like that."
Dee: "What am I missing?"
Daemon: "Your brother is all excitable this morning. For school. There's something inherently wrong with that."
Dawson: "There's something inherently wrong with the fact that Dee and I have to stand here and talk to you while you're in your boxers."
Dee: "True that."
Daemon: "Whatever. Don't be jealous that I'm the better-looking brother."
Dee: "Did you just ... clean a dish? The world is going to end. And I'm still a vir-"
Daemon and Dawson: "No!"
Daemon: "Jesus, don't ever finish that statement. Actually, don't ever change that. Thank you."
Dee: "You expect me to never have -"
Dawson: "This isn't a conversation I want to start my morning with. I'm so leaving for school before this gets more detailed."
Dawson: "Is this an intervention? I can't wait to hear your letters."
Daemon: "Tell me it's not true."
Dawson: "Not sure what 'it' is."
Andrew: "You wanted to go all glow bright on me and beat me down in gym class over a girl. A. Human. Girl."
Dawson: "I want to beat you down every day, Andrew. Today was no exception."
Daemon: "Add that to the way you've been staring at her , and we've got a problem."
Dee: "how has he been staring at her? *all the guys grown* What?"
Daemon: "He stares at her like she's ... like she's the finest cut of steak and he's starving."
Ash: "You never look at me like that."
Dawson: "Do you have boys in your bedroom a lot?"
Beth: "Oh, yeah, all the time. It's like a train station in here."
The Arum switched into his human form at the last moment, losing his vulnerability. All decked out in leather pants ... and nothing else. Nice. Just what Daemon wanted to do - wrestle with a half-naked dude. - Daemon
Daemon: "Batter up, mofo."
Beth: "Whoa. Wait. Dawson, why would I be disgusted or hate you?"
He gave her a bland look.
Beth: "What?"
Dawson: "I'm an alien."
Beth: "But you're still Dawson, right? I mean, I get you're what you are, but you're still Dawson. You're still the guy I like. And if - if you still like me, then I don't see what the big deal is."
Dee: "Did you guys have sex? Because that's pretty much the only thing you won't tell me, which I do appreciate, and on second thought, don't answer that question. It was gross."
Dawson: "No. We didn't have ex. Geez, Dee ..."
Dee: "Then what happened?"
Dawson: "Bethany and I were making out and something happened that's never happened before."
Dee: "Uh, yuck if this is about any kind of premat-"
Dawson: "Oh my God, shut up and listen, okay?"
Dee: "I've never been kissed like that."
Dawson: "You better not be kissed like that. And I don't want to hear about it if you do."
Dee: "Hey, it's caring and sharing time, right?"
Dawson: "No."
Daemon: "Are you kidding me? It's not hard. You. Stay. Away. From. Her."
Dawson: "I can control myself."
Daemon: "Oh, what the fuc-"
Dawson: "Don't ask me to give her up before I even really get to know her. Because you're not going to like my response."
Daemon: "You can't mean that."
Dawson: "I do."
Daemon: "Oh, for the love of baby humans everywhere, you're an idiot. So you 'get to know her' and you fall in love. Then what? You're going to try to stay with her? Get married? Have the little house with a white picket fence plus the two-point-five kids?"
Dawson: "Maybe. Maybe not."
Daemon: "Yeah, let me know how that works out with the DOD."
Dawson: "It's not impossible. Nothing is."
Daemon: "You risk being an outcast! Worse yet, you risk your sister if this happens again."
Dee: "Daemon. Don't put that on him."
Daemon: "No. He needs to understand what he's done. Bethany could lead an Arum right here. And God knows what the DOD will do if they find out she knows. So tell me, is Bethany worth that?"
Dawson: "Yes, she's worth it."
Beth: "Okay. He's scaring me."
Dawson: "All bark, no bite."
Daemon: "That's your opinion."
Mr. Patterson: "Do you think Austen was being a realist or cynical in nature when it came to the theme of love?
Daemon: "I think she was pointing out that sometimes making decisions based on the heart is stupid."
Dawson: "Or she is showing that making decisions based on anything else ends badly. That true love can conquer anything."
Daemon: "True love? The entire concept of true love is stupid."
Daemon: "You make my head hurt."
Dawson: "You make me all warm and fuzzy inside."
Ash: "I can't believe you are allowing him to do this. Next thing we know, you'll be dating a human."
Daemon: "Yeah, not going to happen."
Dawson: "Finish that sentence and I will stab you in the eye with the spork Bethany's about to pull out of her bag for her apple sauce. And she'd be very upset if I got her spork all messed up. She's rather fond of the thing."
Vaughn: "You have a smart mouth, Daemon."
Dawson: "Better than a dumb one."
Adam: "Uh, this isn't going to be a happy visit, is it?"
Dawson: "Are your nosy, pain-in-the-ass siblings still home?"
Dawson: You threaten Bethany again, in any way, and I'll make sure you can't talk again. To anyone. Ever. Do you understand me? Do you understand me?
Andrew nods
Dawson: Good, because this isn't happening again.
Dawson looks at Ash
Dawson: And that includes you. Stay away from her. Better yet, I'd love it if you stayed away from my brother.
Ash: "Why?"
Dawson: You wanna know why? He can do so much better than you.
Dawson: Bethany, I love you. I'm sorry I never told you. I love you. I wish I had told you. I love you. And I can't -
Beth: I love you, too
Dawson: "You don't get it. You know what - it doesn't matter. I love her, and that's not changing. Either you can support me like a brother should or you can stay the hell out of my face."
Daemon: "So, it's going to be like that?"
Dawson: "Yeah, it's going to be like that."
Daemon: "God, I hope I never fall in love."
Dawson: "Do you really want that?"
Daemon: "Hell yeah. Look at how stupid it's made you."
Dawson: "Thank you, Daemon. I mean it, thank you."
Daemon: "You're my brother. The only one I have, so I am stuck with you. I do want you happy. And if Bethany makes you happy, then so be it. I'm not going to lose you over some girl."
Check out the rest of the LUX series below! (Oblivion is split into three parts)