3 out of 4 stars
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Alisa, along with many other human females, is trying to learn the rules of her new home, the moon Lux. Lux is a world in which the people look and act much like humans, the people can read minds, and there eight times as many men as there are women. The women are expected to become strong Matriarchs who will take multiple husbands. Alisa is just on the verge of coming into her Matriarch powers when a natural disaster throws her into the arms of the very attractive Jensen Tourneau. Jensen is plagued by family issues which are keeping him from living the life he has been working toward as the assistant to a senator. Alisa is not at all what he expected, and the unplanned interaction between the two forces them to recognize they may have jumped to conclusions about the other. Jensen has a large chip on his shoulder as a result of his brother inviting humans to live on his ancestral land. Alisa may just be the one to soften his heart toward those who were forced from Earth with no other option but to accept the charity of those living on Lux.
Lux University by J.Y. Olmos is a follow-up to the Matriarch trilogy which centers around Alisa’s mother, Evonne. Having not read the trilogy, I can say that I was quite confused about how Alisa came to be a resident of Lux, which I never came to fully understand. There is a lot of information about the natives of Lux, the geographic structure of the galaxy Lux is in, and the way in which Matriarch powers manifest that I am led to believe is fleshed out in the trilogy, but is not reintroduced in Lux University. The world-building was likely already done, so there wasn’t much world-building in this follow-up. I believe the author intended for the reader to pick up Lux University only after reading its predecessors.
The story itself, for those who have first familiarized themselves with Lux by reading the Matriarch trilogy and might be more comfortable reading Lux University, is not an original idea, nor is it a very fulfilling plot. The novel focuses on Alisa and Jensen’s initial dislike of one another, their sudden attraction and simultaneous irritation with each other, and their struggle to figure out whether or not they will part ways or find a way to have a relationship. This is a common thread in teen novels which is usually enhanced by a subplot. However, the subplot, which is the struggle between humans and their new home’s leaders to determine how the people from Earth will be treated and if they will continue to live on Lux, is discussed minimally and is not very central to the story. Therefore, this is really just another teen romance.
Unfortunately, there is not much more I can expound on. I think the preceding trilogy has potential from what I gathered about Lux and its inhabitants from this book. I can’t imagine this would be a satisfying follow-up for fans though, as nothing really happens beyond Alisa and Jensen’s potential relationship.
What I can say about Lux University that I have not been able to say about any other book I’ve reviewed is that the editing is flawless. The book is well written, and I did not find a single grammar error, typo, or syntax error. Despite a lack of thrills and world-building in this novel, I think female teens who enjoy romances between teenage characters in another world could enjoy this novel. I recommend it to older teens (16+) as there is some cursing. I am going to grant Lux University 3 out of 4 stars based on the assumption that it would be more thoroughly appreciated by those who are already familiar with Olmos’s world, the fact that the editing is flawless, and the assertion that teen readers would enjoy the interactions between Alisa and Jensen as they attempt to navigate their relationship. A deeper development of the issues between the leaders and the humans along with more information about the structure of the galaxy and the people of Lux would have made Lux University worthy of 4 stars and could have easily made it an enjoyable stand-alone novel.
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Lux University
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