by Jennifer L. Armentrout
My rating: 5 hearts
Publisher: Thor Teen
Publication date: October 8, 2019
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Synopsis:
When Evelyn Dasher crossed paths with Luc, she was thrown headfirst into the world of the Lux—only to discover that she was already far more involved in their world than she ever suspected.
Because the Luxen aren’t the only ones with a hidden past. There’s a gap in Evie’s memory, lost months of her life and a lingering sense that something happened, something she can’t remember and nobody is willing to tell her. She needs to find out the truth about who she is—and who she was. But every answer she finds only brings up more questions.
Her search for the truth brings her ever closer to Luc, the Origin at the center of it all. He’s powerful, arrogant, inhumanly beautiful, extremely dangerous…and possibly in love with her. But even as Evie falls for him, she can’t help but wonder if his attraction is to her, or to the memory of a girl who no longer exists.
And all the while, a new threat looms: reports of a flu-like, fatal virus that the government insists is being spread by Luxen. A horrifying illness that changes whoever it touches, spreading panic across a country already at its breaking point.
#1 New York Times, USA Today, and internationally bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout returns to the world of the Lux with this steamy, shocking second installment of the Origin series that will leave readers reeling.
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I finished this yesterday, and I’m still not sure what to think, other than that was intense. And I have to say I’m impressed by how much Armentrout managed to fit into a single book, because so much happened that my head is still spinning.
I loved the characters. All of them. Except maybe Grayson. One of my favourite things about Armentrout’s books is that she always writes relatable characters, with real voices. And it’s also clear that all characters are important to the story – all characters have their own stories and all of them are interesting and dynamic. Although, of course, I love Evie just a little bit more than the other characters. I liked seeing how she grew up in this book, became more independent, if possible even more stubborn and a bit of a badass, to be fair.
The romance was intense. There’s so much tension between Evie and Luc that it’s actually palpable, and it’s impossible to not be affected by it as a reader. I have to admit the romance is a little more mature than it usually is in YA, but I do think it was important to the story, so I can forgive that. I’m just putting the warning out there for any younger audiences.
The Burning Shadow is the definition of fast-paced. Seriously, Armentrout should get some kind of award for managing to fit that much into a single book, because there isn’t so much as a second of breathing space for the reader. Just when you think you’ll get a break from the intensity of everything, she throws in a plot twist you never saw coming.
Speaking of which, the plot twists deserve a paragraph all of their own. Actually, they deserve an essay of their own, but I’ll just stick to this one paragraph. I’ll admit, Armentrout rarely truly surprises me anymore. I’ve read more than fifty books by her, and I thought she couldn’t surprise me anymore, but guess what? She can. The plot twists in The Burning Shadow surprised me like I haven’t been surprised in a long time, so if you do decide to pick this one up (which you really, really need to do), be prepared for a roller-coaster like you’ve never seen before.
I could go on and on about everything that Armentrout does beautifully with this book, but I’m going to leave it at that, with one final word: Read this book.
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