I'm a bit behind in my reviews, but I need to get them caught up so I apologize in advance for the deluge this weekend, LOL!

I read this a couple of weeks ago. There is no mistake the Ms. Armentrout can WRITE. Man, can she write! Here's my dilemma... I didn't read the Lux series. *hides* I know, what rock have I been living under? Actually, I can explain....it wasn't a rock, it was a blankie fort, it was sparkly and pretty...and there was Godiva, that's my only excuse... anywho.... if you're like me, I'm happy to tell you, you can STILL read this book! The author, in her infinite wisdom, does a great job of explaining the fantasy/sci-fi aspects of the world described within and you don't feel as though you're coming in 3/4 way through the story. Well, you sort of do... but, not really; and furthermore, you don't care, because this book is pretty much amazing. I will further quantify though... it is YA... But the story, wow. I did really enjoy it, and I can see why I need to go dig up the older works, because it's pretty obvious it would be in my wheelhouse. Engaging characters that make you feel, dialogue that is snappy and sharp, a plot that moves and deepens... a supernova, for sure!

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"I knew someone once who said modesty was for saints and losers."

"Good people do terrible things when they believe in what they're doing."

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Yeah.... Mt. TBR just continues to grow. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in advance of release day. 4.5 sparkliest stars!

I really loved Jennifer's original Lux series, so I was super excited to find out that we get to dive back into the Luxen world with a spinoff series! I loved The Darkest Star as much as I loved the other series! Like all of Jennifer's books, this story is well-written. It's filled with lots of action, shocking plot twists, and a little romance. I love Evie and Luc! I was really glad that this book didn't end on a cliffhanger, yet there are still questions to be answered. I am anxiously awaiting the next book!

Description:
Seventeen-year-old Evie Dasher knows firsthand the devastating consequences of humanity's war with the aliens. When she's caught up in a raid at a notorious club known as one of the few places where humans and the surviving Luxen can mingle freely, she meets Luc, an unnaturally beautiful guy she initially assumes is a Luxen...but he is in fact something much more powerful. Her growing attraction for Luc will lead her deeper and deeper into a world she'd only heard about, a world where everything she thought she knew will be turned on its head...

My Thoughts:
This newest paranormal (or supernatural, or transterrestrial) YA romance reminds me of the early years of Twilight except that it is missing the "choose a team" love triangle aspect. Instead, The Darkest Star focuses on the familiar girl notices much too beautiful boy in a place she has never been to. Much too beautiful boy with laser focus sees girl and makes sure that he talks to her, almost angrily. Much too beautiful boy of course has no other girl vying for his attention. Girl is both irritated by and extremely attracted to boy who is not human (but she does not know that yet).

In short, this is not a new story, but as YA paranormal romance goes, it fulfills all the expectations of this genre and will appeal to those YA readers searching for this kind of book. The ending has the potential for more books and it will probably interest movie producers who are eager to tap into the YA book to movie market. After all, who does not love smooth faced, beautiful teens who have their own apartment, lots of freedom and juicy secrets?

A digital advanced copy provided by Net Galley and the publisher for an honest review.

Jennifer L. Armentrout is one of my favorite authors. This is common knowledge about me. The first book I picked up of hers was "Obsidian" way back when it was first published and I have been a loyal reader ever since. Since The Lux Series was my first read by JLA, it holds a special fuzzy warm place in my heart. Learning that she was going to do an entire spin-off series from that world and revolving around Luc, no less, I was ecstatic! As soon as I got my greedy hands on a copy of "The Darkest Star," I scarcely moved from my spot until I finished it. But enough about me...onto the review!

The Darkest Star starts with the adorable Evie, a high schooler and daughter of Sergent Dasher - who was killed in the Invasion. Ever since the Invasion, the Luxen that stayed on Earth were forced to register and wear a Disabler - which disabled all their super special alien powers. That's where we first find Evie. Evie tags along with a friend to a club where aliens and humans are allowed to coexist without prejudice. There, she meets Luc, the owner of the club and super mysterious hot guy. You can only imagine what happens next. Lots of WTF moments, sobbing, and fist-pumping the air.

If you've heard anything about this story, you know there's a HUGE reveal around halfway through. It's shocking. It's momentous. I've heard a pretty equal divide among people who saw the twist coming, and who didn't. I saw it coming, but only because I've had my suspicions for a while. But anyway, get ready to have your heart ripped out of your body.

In this book, we get to see a few of our favorite characters from The Lux Series, including Daemon and Archer. You don't have to read The Lux Series before you read The Darkest Star, but I would suggest it for context of the alien invasion. JLA does a great job explaining a lot of it though to new readers, so don't let this stop you from reading TDS!

JLS has revealed relatively little about the next book in this series, but I cannot wait! I feel like this book was primarily a huge set-up for the rest of the series, and I know the next book will blow my socks off!

Advanced reader copy provided by Macmillan-Tor/Forge and Tor Teen in exchange for an honest review.

It did not occur to me that this book happened after the events of the Lux series so I was quite worried at the start since I felt that it was not right for me to enter this book without knowing anything about the past events. However, The Darkest Star was an easy read and reading the previous series did not have to be a prerequisite to the book (although, I believe I will be more emotionally attached if I read this book, especially with my slightly growing appreciation for Luc).

It took me a while to finish The Darkest Star. I found the writing style to be quite naive and occasionally cringe-worthy, especially considering Evie's train of thoughts and some of her banter with Luc. I feared that the vibe of the plot would be similar to those seen in cheesy alien invasion films but the story's focus on the mystery and the search for identity proved me wrong. I would have liked to see more advancement of the mystery for I felt like the budding romance overpowered it and when the final battle and resolution occurred, I thought of it to be a bit rushed and sudden. Furthermore, although Evie's emotions are clearly shown, I couldn't feel it much.

Overall, The Darkest Star is a book with a world I would like to delve into more.

It's been a while since I read a book in the LUX universe. Honestly, I was worried I wouldn't be able to follow along. I'm happy to report that my worries were unfounded. The Darkest Star can be read as a standalone, although I would recommend reading the LUX series. It was one of my favorites from JLA.

What did I like about this story? Freaking everything! LOL. The Darkest Star was a 5 Star read and just what I needed. The news has been pretty crappy, and I needed an escape. Jennifer's LUX world gave me exactly what I needed, and I loved every second of it. The characters were easy to cheer for, the settings were beautiful, and the dialogue was down-right hilarious.

I highly recommend this book to people who love great books. Specifically, YA Sci-Fi and Fantasy fans.

Oh. My. God.

I can tell you that my brain imploded during multiple chapters of this incredibly amazing story and there were things that if I wasn’t a die hard fan of the Lux series I would not have seen them coming.

I squealed more times reading this book than any other moment in my life. Legit squealing! At 2 o’clock in the morning!

The Darkest Star was way more than I could have ever expected and I’m so freaking thankful I was able to get the ARC, because the anticipation was killing me, but it was also a curse because now I have to wait god knows how long to even get a name of the sequel, so happy and sad tears at the end of reading this book just for that very reason.

I have to say guys, this book surpassed any expectation I could have had. To be completely honest with you I wasn’t all that excited, I mean I was excited because I knew Daemon Black would make an appearance, but I wasn’t sure I wanted a Luc book.

Cannot tell you what I was expecting, but I can definitely tell you I wasn’t expecting this awesomeness.

The Darkest Star not only delivers an incredibly well written story with great new characters and a fascinating, well thought out plot (and plot twists), it also delivers a story about humanity, how all humans are afraid of something they don’t know and therefore we as human beings attack the one thing we don’t understand.

This Origin story gets 5 out of 5 stars just because it’s awesome and I couldn’t put it down. That is the just of it. But obviously you don’t just want that when reading a review, because that is boring and it tells you nothing. Well I’m afraid I may not be able to tell you much either.

The Darkest Star begins four years after the events of Opposition the final book of the Lux series. If you remember in that particular book, the planet was attacked by new Luxen and there was a lot of death, destruction and the world was left afraid of the Luxen and trying to assimilate the knowledge of different beings in the planet.

Things are slowly going back to normal, and humans and Luxen are trying to coexist, but this time things are different because humans know of the existence of aliens and they have the upper hand (or so they think).

Evie is a seventeen year old girl who is in the wrong place at the wrong time when this amazing story begins. Our dear Luc is still the head of a club and he lets in all sorts of beings, Humans, Luxen, Origin and he is also running a secret operation.

I mean did you expect him to do anything else?

He is still the badass you remember, but he’s got a secret and he is also older so he is even more awesome than you might remember.

The secret holds the key to the most amazing plot twist in this book and also one of the most gut wrenching chapters I’ve read in awhile.

I’m sad that there isn’t much I can tell you without spoiling this story, but this is what I can tell you:

There is a big fight, a legit big fight that you see coming, but hope doesn’t happen
Sad to say this, but there are quite a few deaths
We see an appearance by Daemon and Archer
We hear about Dee and Katy, but we don’t see (read) them
Like I said before there is a HUGE SECRET

I know this is kind of vague, but I can’t say anything else without hinting at what the big secret is and then the entire story will be spoiled!

The Darkest Star is such an epic story that will leave you wanting more, with a transcending, swoon worthy love story that has you rooting for Luc and Evie and hoping that whatever is there to come for them they can get through it together and have the happy ending they deserve.

Okay full discloser I had never heard of the LUX series when I got this book. I just had read books by Jennifer Armentrout and loved them. Fantasy is not my normal genre but I LOVED this book. I was like 30 pages in and was totally hooked. I couldn't put this book down. I loved the way the story flowed and I loved all the characters. I'm so glad I got my hands on an early copy of this book. It's wonderful. I'm so glad I stumbled upon this crazy world. I finished it and immediately went and checked the entire Lux series out from the library.

The Darkest Star by Jennifer L. Armentrout is one of those books that will suck you in from the get-go and haunt your consciousness long after finishing it. The main characters, Evie and Luc, are circling in my head, even though I finished the book hours ago. Evie is a regular teenage girl who heads to a night club with her good friend, Heidi, fake ID in-hand. While there, she notices Luc, an unfairly handsome young man who Evie is sure is a Luxen (a human-like alien). Luc seems interested in her, which immediately made me, as a reader, groan inwardly. I don't like insta-love stories. However, this is not one of those. Once you near the end, you will find out secrets that Evie herself doesn't even know as the story begins. Why does Luc act like he knows her already? Why is she so attracted to him even though she knows he's bad news? And, why does Evie's mom hide shotguns under the couch cushions? Read this very addicting dark fantasy to find out!

Jennifer L. Armentrout is one of my all time favorite authors and has become an auto buy author for me. I have missed the Lux series so much and when I found out she was writing a spin off series set in the same universe I flipped out. I saw this book on NetGalley and instantly requested it and I screamed when I got the email saying that I was approved for it. This book was amazing. It felt so good to be back in this world. I didn't realize how much I missed these aliens. The story that is told in this book is so interesting and it kept me wanting more. I couldn't put the book down and I read almost all of it in one day. It was just such an addicting story with intriguing characters and I loved how she had characters from the original series in this spin off series. If you haven't read the Lux series I highly recommend you do. They are just such a fun read and it is so easy to get lost in the romance in them and the action and adventure. I cannot wait for the next book in this new spin off series and I am so sad that I have to wait for over a year for the sequel to come out. I give this book 5 out of 5 stars.

The LUX universe sucked me right in and Jennifer Armentrout did NOT disappoint! I highly recommend this book and need someone to talk about it with ASAP!

THE FEELS! The mystery, the glory! READ NOW

Loved it! Set in a world in which Aliens and humans have come to co-exist in a tentative existence. Everything was new to me having never read any of the Lux books (totally going to now). I really enjoyed the relationship dynamic between Luc and Evie I love a little sass. This story was full of so many twists and surprises I couldn’t put it down and now must wait forever :( for the next book (luckily there are a bunch of Lux books to fill the gap)

The Darkest Star by Jennifer L Armentrout is the first book in the young adult paranormal series, Origin. Origin is a spin off from Armentrout’s Lux Series, and focuses on a fan favourite, Luc.

When seventeen-year-old Evie Dasher gets caught up in a raid at a notorious club where humans and Luxen mingle freely, she meets Luc, an unnaturally beautiful guy who she assumes is a Luxen… But it soon becomes clear he is much more powerful than a Luxen.

As Evie’s connection to Luc grows stronger, she gets pulled deeper and deeper into a world She’d only heard about. A world that holds secrets that will turn Evie’s life, and everything she thought she knew, upside down.
It’s no secret that I am a HUGE fan of Jennifer L Armentrout’s work, and I was so excited to hear she was returning to the Lux world and am so glad that The Darkest Star did not disappoint.

The Darkest Star can be read without reading the Lux Series, although I do recommend checking that out first.
I loved the banter between all the characters but especially between Evie and Luc,

“Damn straight you do. What you did tonight, by going to that party, was absolutely, fundamentally—”
“Want to use another adverb?”
“Yeah.” His jaw locked down. “How about irresponsibly, recklessly, and carelessly immature?”

The Darkest Star is an amazing and perfect addition to the world Armentrout created in the Lux Series and I cannot wait to read more about Evie and Luc.

The Darkest Star by Jennifer L. Armentrout was an enjoyable read. Jennifer L. Armentrout is one of my favorite authors and I was immensely impressed by the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge and Tor Teen for the advance reader copy, The Darkest Star by awesome author, Jennifer L. Armentrout, in exchange for an honest review. I am so happy Jennifer Armentrout is continuing the Lux series (if you have not read, YOU MUST!!!) with a new series, Origin, and The Darkest Star does not disappoint with Luc, an Origin (produced by a Lux and human mating) from the Lux series, who is young, powerful, and scary. Like the Lux, Luc is perfectly handsome, chiseled, and arrogant. But he is cares deeply for his Lux and Origin friends and will stop at nothing to help them. This NEW YA alien series brings back some favorite characters from Lux as the world has returned to normal (if humans accepting Lux as neighbors) and features Evie as a senior going to an underage club that is known to have both Lux and humans in attendance. When Evie meets Luc, he is arrogant and wants her to leave—but when a raid unexpectantly happens, Luc helps her escape—and the rest is oh so good! I could not put this fantasy/scifi book down, Armentrout’s delicious writing is spine tingling with mysteries galore. Teens will love this new series and race to read all other Armentrout books; verdict an epic read with humor and toe-curling romance.

*SPOILER ALERT

**I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book via netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Rarely do you read a book that truly meets expectations. I started the original series when I was in high school. The main characters were also in high school. I'm now a junior in college. This might not seem like a big deal, but from reading the first book when I was thirteen to now reading this one at nineteen, I'll say I've grown as a person.

The one thing I wasn't a fan of has to be Luc's attitude. This is a trademark of YA. The hot, dreamy, and sarcastic mysterious love interest. Daemon was the same. Don't get me wrong, Daemon Black is the love of my life. But he was able to grow and change is douche-y ways...for the most part, as the series continued on. We first met Luc when he was a young boy in the original Lux series. The time between that young boy, to the adult that is featured in this book is recognizable. What is also recognizable is the same, egotistical attitude that (what a surprise) Daemon had.

I loved just about everything else. I loved the recalling of previous characters. I loved the subtle and the not so subtle nods to the characters from the original series. The new characters in this book were refreshing and reading this book felt like catching up with old friends. I loved the main character, Evie, and how she reacted to things in a way a normal person would react. In one of the first chapters there is a quote; "That was what I wanted at some point in my life, for someone to look at me like I looked at tacos." If that doesn't sum up my life, I don't know what does.

I really liked the transition from the previous series to this new one. The gaps in-between were filled in nicely.

I do wish the twists were more difficult to figure out, however. As soon as Luc reacted in the way he did to seeing Evie, I knew she was the ill girl from the original series. (Context clues, fam) I obviously didn't know how it was her, but she had an Amy Pond season 5 vibe about her. It was also fairly easy to figure out who Micah was when he was name dropped rather early on. Earlier when I mentioned the nods to the original series? Him asking Luc to play with him genuinely gave me goosebumps, for I remember him asking Katy the same thing when she was held in the facility.

9/10 Recommend

I love Jennifer L. Armentrout’s work and I loved the Lux series. So this book was a must read for me. I was super excited excited to dive back into the lux world.
You don’t have to have read the Lux books in order to read this one but I would recommend it, not only are they great but it will help you with past events and or people. But again, it is not necessary in order to read this book.

That being said, sadly I didn’t love as much as I thought I would, it was not horrible by any means, but it also was not the best she has written.

The good, it had plenty of action and humor, we get from her books. Loved the banter we got between Luc and Evie, most of the time, there were a few times it just seemed forced or over the top. It also had its suspense and defiantly kept you asking for more and wanting to find out, who ,what and why….And of course there is the romance, which also had its up and downs.
We see some lovely and familiar faces again and it was great. But also meet some pretty great new people.


Luc, it has been a few years since we saw him last but he is still the funny dude we met way back when. Just all grown up. Or well almost …….
And for the most part I liked him, funny, cocky and willing protect those around him. Now that includes Evie. Sometime now with Evie he had his moments, that more than anything made me roll my eye, not so much him as them together.
Evie, it is clear from the beginning that there is more to her and it takes a bit before we get there but I must say I was just like “ oh okay…..” not shocked or anything it was just hmm okay. Maybe that was because, I was not her biggest fan and she annoyed me a lot of times. She often just came over as whiny more than anything.
The romance sometimes seemed to be taking over the story but it all came back around.

For me, the whole narrative came over as very young or naiveish ?! IF that is a word lol. I know it is YA, but so was the Lux series but that by any means did not seem that young/ and or teen angst written as this book.

So overall, we get a teen angst insta love/lust teen drama but that is also wonderfully connected to the world we read and loved.
In a weird way I couldn’t quit. I was often annoyed with it but also couldn’t put it down.

So the verdict. I give it 3★, I didn’t love it and I didn’t hate, it was just in the middle somewhere. That being said though I most likely will get book two to see how it continues.

This book was everything I've come to expect from a Jennifer L. Armentrout book: steamy, hilarious, and packed full of action.

As soon as I saw that Armentrout was expanding the Lux world I knew I had to have this read, hoping it would have all the elements of romance, humor, friendship, and action that I had come to expect from Daemon and Kat's story. I wasn't disappointed one bit.

I will admit I have not yet finished the Lux series and was worried that this would affect my ability to read The Darkest Star without feeling confused. This ended up not being an issue at all. Armentrout catches the reader up on details without it feeling tedious and I never felt out of place.

I sped through the first 75% of this one, completely unable to put it down. The last 25% was a bit slower but I still was really satisfied with the overall pacing and outcome of this book. Enough elements of suspicion and unlikable characters were sprinkled throughout that I have no doubt I will need to keep reading the rest of this series as it is released.

The major "twist" was far from shocking and I saw it coming a mile off, but that did not bother me as much as I expected. Evie was just a really likable character that it was difficult to feel annoyed with. I enjoyed the way her actions and the conflict between Luxen and humans in this world could be used to compare to current political implications or simply as a teaching moment of what actions are right.

And Luc is easily a new favorite book boyfriend.

I will be posting this review to the blog listed once we are closer to the publication day.

The Darkest Star was a book that I received from NetGalley as an ARC. Jennifer L. Armentrout’s first book in the Lux series, Obsidian, is actually the book that inspired myself and Antonia to create this book review blog in the first place. So when I saw that Armentrout was coming out with another installment in the same world featuring some of the characters we’ve grown to love very much I knew that I had to have it. When NetGalley approved me for this I think I actually shrieked out loud.
I tore through this story like no body’s business. I totally loved Evie. She’s a nice girl that gets her entire world shaken to its core. She was a realistic reaction to everything she goes through. Having a minor meltdown but still trying to keep it together. Talking about her problems with her friends. Even the ending was great. Nothing completely resolved, she acknowledges that she needs to take time to figure out who she really is, but is willing to do that surrounded by those that care about her. I liked Evie. She was a realistic and likable character.
Luc is a total book boyfriend babe. He’s our typical mysterious, protective, I-know-everything macho male main character. But I loved every second of it. He was just trying to look out for Evie because she didn’t really even know the whole story. Luc is a guy with a dark past. He is our ‘darkest star’ as the title tells us. I liked that with the mysterious vibe he gives there was actual darkness within him instead of just being mysterious because we didn’t know his history. He has a dark history and has dealt with hardships, done things he’d rather forget. I really loved Luc.

“We were all stars, but Luc … he was the darkest.”

This book was super quotable. I’m a bookworm that loves books that have memorable quotes. This one has a couple that I really love. It’s a wonderfully written story with characters that I love and can’t wait to read more about. The book was fast paced and exciting, giving us a little bit of information at a time, just enough to keep the reader interested and needing to know more.
I would recommend this to all the lovers of the Lux series for sure. And to those who don’t know about the Lux series, go look them up now and read them and love them.

Keep on reading lovelies, Amanda.

*4.75 Stars*

JLA never cease to amaze me.
I've read all her books and they always do it for me.
This was no exception.

The Darkest Star tells the story of Evie, 17, a regular, quiet girl living with her mom after her dad was killed in the alien invasion.
When she goes with her friend to a club, she meets strange and very hot Luc. The club gets raided and Evie's life gets tangled in things she couldn't even have imagined.

This story starts about 3 or 4 years after we left Lux's world at the end of Opposition.
I haven't reread the Lux series before reading The Darkest Star but I actually remembered it pretty well. Getting back into the Lux world was amazing. I simply loved seeing Luc, Daemon and Archer again.
The characters were great. The plot was captivating and even though I guessed the main twist pretty early on, I just loved being right.
I was just so excited reading the whole thing, I always wanted to know what was coming next, I read this fairly quickly.
Evie was amazing, I loved her. Luc was as amazing as ever. So were all of Evie and Luc's friends. They were all so layered.
The romance was on point. I rooted for them pretty early in the book.
The school storyline was just as engrossing as all the other stuff. I also really enjoyed all the friendship and family dynamics.
This story honestly made me want to read Lux all over again and then, reread this as well.

I seriously cannot wait for the next book in this series/world.