Title: The Burning Shadow
Series: Origin, #2
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publisher: Tor Teen
Genre: young adult, sci-fi, romance
Pages: 432
My Rating: ★★★★☆
Goodreads page
This review is free of spoilers.
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.
[ This synopsis was taken directly from Goodreads. ]
Thoughts
I am a huge Jennifer L. Armentrout fan. If the fact that she’s the most reviewed author on my blog didn’t give that statement away, then I don’t know what does. I will honestly read anything that she writes. That being said, I loved the sequel of the Origin series, but I was slightly disappointed. Maybe it’s because I was expecting one thing but got another. Maybe it’s because I was expecting too much since I love this author a lot. Or maybe it’s because what’s happening in the world right now stresses me out and I don’t want to think about it longer than I have to.
Before I get into the cons of the story, let’s talk about the pros!
I love how intense this story is. Based on the cover, it looks pretty unassuming. There is a lot that Evie/Nadia discovers about herself in this story, and despite all that, there is still loads of mystery around her past and what happened between the time Luc gave her to the Daedalus to heal her and when she appeared to be readmitted into high school. Plus the stuff that is going on with the mysterious deaths of some of her classmates as well as around the country adds to the tension between Luxen and humans.
I also love how the story is unpredictable. I thought I knew all that could be known about the Lux world, but I was wrong. There are new discoveries, and with it, new complications that I never thought could happen. The story took an unexpected turn, but I’m here for it. I like how, despite reading about this world for years and years now, it feels fun, new, and fresh. The times are changing and so is the world. I appreciate that the world doesn’t remain stagnant.
You guys know that I am a romantic at heart, so I absolutely love the lighthearted relationship that blooms between Luc and Evie. Sure, there was some attraction between them in TDS but they take it to another level in this story. I ship them so hard, and the OTP-er in me was so happy with the author’s decision to keep them together… for now.
So we talked about all the good stuff but… what is this thing that knocked a star off my rating, you might ask? My only big complaint about this book was that I found it a little too political for my tastes. I read to escape the political climate, not to be reminded of it. Once I noticed the parallels between what’s happening between the Luxen, humans, and the government and what’s happening in the world right now, that was all I could focus on. It was sad to be constantly reminded the injustices that are happening in this world. It’s not that I don’t agree with the author’s political opinions that she posed in this story, but I don’t like to get too political when I read. Reading is a politics-free space for me, generally. Also, it’s one thing to make a political statement in a story but it’s another thing to constantly emphasize it over and over again. After a while, it was like yes, we get it. Let’s please move on.
Does that mean I’m not going to read the third book that’s coming out next year? No. I’ll still be picking up a copy of the third book once it’s released because I still genuinely love the story and am interested in what is going to happen next. I don’t blame the author for inputting some political stances in her story, because it’s hard not to with what’s been happening the past couple years. It’s a minor annoyance that I’m willing to look past because I love the Lux world and the characters that Armentrout has created.
Characters
Evie Dasher
I feel like I say this in almost all the character sections of my reviews, but I want to give Evie a hug. Her situation is, for lack of a better term, crappy. Out of all the characters, she knows the least about herself, which is pretty ironic. The more she discovers about what was done to her between the time she was given to the Daedalus and when she became Evie, the bleaker her situation becomes. She never asked for any of this, but she has to deal with it anyways.
Luc
Much like the characters in this series, I see Luc as all-knowing and almost invincible. It was surprising to be reminded that although he is powerful, he is not immortal. He’s arrogant but charming, and there are times Evie wanted to strangle him and kiss him at the same time. It’s fun to see their lighthearted banter, and I can’t wait to see more of them in the upcoming books in this series.
Sylvia Dasher
Girl… you’ve got some explaining to do.
April
April, April, April… there are so many things I have to say about this girl but I can’t because of spoilers. Basically, I get why you’re doing what you’re doing, but that doesn’t make it right. You’d think that she’s the villain in this story, but I’d think twice.
Conclusion
I give The Burning Shadow 4 out of 5 unicorn horns. I liked the story, and I’m curious as to what is going to happen next! I am eagerly waiting for October 2020 to come so I can have the next book in my hands!
Until next time….
The Awkward Book Blogger 