This unbiased review is based on an ARC received from Netgalley.

"The Darkest Star" is a YA novel that is designed to amuse--nothing more, nothing less. And frankly, the world being what it is today, I appreciated a bit of frothiness in my Kindle.

The plot in a nutshell: Heroine lives a quiet life, goes to a ~dangerous~ club where she spots an alarmingly attractive young man (of course). Both live in an earth that is much like ours, except for the teeny fact aliens have invaded and for the most part live and breathe like human beings. Heroine doesn't have much to do with the aliens (there aren't many in her school). While at the club, she's exposed to a police raid for undercover/illicit alien activity--and that naturally sets her on a path for adventure.

You can probably guess the rest, or approximate it. Nonetheless, the book is fun, light, and reads quickly. All in all, while "Darkest Star" isn't the most groundbreaking work I've read, it's a lot more enjoyable than some others, so I give it three stars.

I was so extremely excited to jump back in to the Lux world! I have two problems with this book- 1. Holy crap Evie needs to get with Luc already why is she taking so long?!?! 2. Evie gets a bit annoying about 2/3 of the way through.Even with Evie being a tad annoying I still really enjoyed this book! I hope we get to see more of Emery and Heidi in the next book. Sincerely hoping it's this action packed in the second book of the series, I absolutely love how energetic this book was. This book was done way too quickly and I will be impatiently waiting for book 2!!!

I have to start off by saying you can read this book if you haven't read LUX yet! If you've read LUX though, you do read about some familiar characters and you will recognize some events!

The Darkest Star takes place a few years after the Luxen tried taking over Earth. Things are kind of peaceful, but it's still there's still a lot of tension between some humans and Luxen. This starts growing when a few people go missing and turn up dead. It's clear something is going on and I have a feeling we will build up to the main event of this trilogy.

Evie is our main character in this book and she's more of a laid back and relaxed character. She enjoys sitting around reading, taking pictures and hanging out with friends. Except one night she ends up at a club she wasn't supposed to be at and meets Luc. There's an instant connection that neither of them will admit.

The Darkest Star started out a bit slower for me than I expected. I can understand that though. It's the first book of a new storyline and things have to build up. Even though it was a bit slower, I did love learning more about Evie and Luc. He was the mysterious one in LUX and knowing we were getting to know him more was one of the reasons I needed this book!

That being said, this book takes off about halway through! There are so many different plot twists that you do not see coming!! I was actually pretty shocked how things turned out! I couldn't put it down after that and was really sad it's over and angry I didn't have the next book!

The Darkest Star is a lot of fun for LUX fans, because some characters we come to love make an appearance in this story! Even though it's a different story, this world definitely feels the same. I remember Jennifer saying Luke could kick Daemon off his throne, but I have to disagree. I love Luc, but Daemon is still my number one in this world!

I did love learning more about Luc though. In LUX he's rather arrogant, but this book makes you understand him so much more. He's even more than that! He's definitely sweet, sarcastic and just may come in a close second to Daemon!

If you're looking for a new paranormal/fantasy series with great worldbuilding, fun characters, humor, hot aliens and a little romance, The Darkest Star is for you!

I really enjoyed this story. I’ve heard a lot of good things about Jennifer L. Armentrout’s books, but I hadn’t read one before. Now I’m going to look for more of her books.

This world was like ours, but there was an alien invasion. The aliens can take the form of humans, so it can be difficult to tell the difference, unless the Luxen (the aliens) wear a bracelet which signals what they are. The main character, Evie, becomes immersed in the Luxen world, after going to a Luxen club called Foretold.

I guessed the twist in the story fairly early on. It was the same twist as another book I read recently, so I was able to figure it out. I won’t tell you which book it was, but if you have read both books, you will know what I’m talking about.

I’m curious to see where this series goes, but I guess I’ll have to wait a while for the next book!

I feel like this book and I could have gotten along better, had I known more about its background and context. Or maybe not, because in essence, this kind of paranormal YA romance is generally not my bag at all. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize what kind of book this was until after I started; nevertheless, I still gave it my best shot, but in the end, I simply couldn’t connect to either the characters or story.

The Darkest Star, while being the first book of a new series, is a spin-off marking Jennifer L. Armentrout’s return to her Lux universe, and one of her side characters from it, called Luc, gets the spotlight in this one. Co-starring with him is our narrator, seventeen-year-old Evie Dasher. The story begins as Evie and her friend sneak into a club that’s known to be friendly to both humans and the alien Luxen. Although it has been several years since the end of the war between the two species, some of the tension and hostilities are still there.

At the club, Evie meets Luc, whom she is sure is a Luxen, since he is by far the most beautiful boy she has ever seen. But as it turns out, he is much more—and to Evie’s confusion, he appears to know a lot about her and her family. No matter what she does, everything seems to lead back to him. And now there is a murderer on the loose, and among the victims is one of Evie’s classmates. The manner of death suggests that the perpetrator may be a Luxen, which is causing no small amount of fear and anti-alien sentiment at Evie’s school.

To the author’s credit, she has written a spin-off that can be enjoyed on its own without having read the main series. I knew nothing about the Lux universe before I started, but at no point did I feel lost or out of my depth, despite the frequent references to characters from the previous books or events in the past. That said, I got the impression that world-building wasn’t too deep to begin with, which was why learning the ropes was so easy. Character development also felt perfunctory, as nothing really sets Evie apart from your generic female teen protagonist from any number of YA paranormal romance novels. Luc fared even worse. I didn’t have the advantage of knowing him from the original series, but something tells me that if I had, I probably wouldn’t have even picked up this book. Luc was a grade-A asshole from the moment he meets Evie, but apparently, she’s okay with forgoing all her self-respect and dignity as long as the dude is hot as sin.

Books like this and Twilight are reasons why I tend to stay away from this genre, it’s just not my cup of tea. Everywhere I turned, I seemed to encounter another pet peeve, including the dreaded annoying pet nickname that the guy gives the girl, despite her repeated protestations to not call her that. I mean, how hard is this to understand? It’s not cute. It’s harassment. But again, now we’re back talking about Evie, whose policy when it comes to guys seems to be “you can get away with being a cad as long as you look great without your shirt.”

The plot was also ludicrously contrived. It’s got one of those third-act twists that’s not actually a twist because anyone even mildly paying attention could have predicted it coming a mile away. The murder arc with the mysterious killer also felt tacked on, because it was clear that Evie and Luc’s burgeoning romance was the only story this book wanted to tell.

So if you enjoy YA paranormal fiction where the romance is the focus, then The Darkest Star is a book you might want to take a look at. Unfortunately, it was just not to my personal tastes. Even if I were to find myself in the mood for this kind of novel, I would have preferred a bit more originality and better characters beyond the usual cookie-cutter variety. This was good for a light read, but nothing about it really stood out or helped it be memorable. I’m disappointed, because Armentrout is an author I’ve wanted to try for a while, but now that I know more about her writing style, I probably won’t seek out any more of her work.

This is such a beautiful story. When Evie and her best friend Heidi go to the night club foretoken her life and all she knows will change when she meets Luc. At first Evie thinks he's One of the luxen who are aliens who once tried to take over the world,but their's something more different about Luc then just his purple eyes, there is a feeling of a connection when their eyes meet and though Evie is drawn to Luc, something inside her is warning her to leave and forget about this strange and beautiful boy.

While you don't have to read The Lux Series first, because Jennifer does an amazing job of catching you up, I highly recommend you do. This book took place a few years after The Lux Series ended and I have to confess that I literally screamed out loud every single time we saw or heard about a character from the past. I loved the familiarity of it all, but at the same time, so many things were different. It was now known that aliens lived among humans, a percentage of the population was lost in the war and there were new laws and regulations put in place for the aliens that lived among us. I was fascinated seeing what the world now looked like.

The Darkest Star is hands down one of the best YA books I’ve read this year. It’s reignited my love for this genre and the Lux Series. I still have some burning questions and am super excited to see where this story is going to go next!

Jennifer L Armentrout is one of my favorites and I will read everything she writes. This was just a delight to read and if you love her books, you will read this (or already have!) Great characters, descriptions and devoured it quickly! Thank you netgalley for an arc!

Oh my god I’m in love!!! I had to go back and read the whole lux series and I so fell in love with this book and all the characters! This whole series

The Darkest Star by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Good golly miss molly I'm in love!!! I can't even fathom waiting until the next book is out, it's gonna kill me!! You for sure thought I was team Daemon but now I'm totally for Lux!!! Wow I can't wait to read more I need more!!!
5 Stars

I really wanted to like this book, I just couldn't. Luc was a mildly likeable character in the Lux series, and I adored that series to pieces and jumped at the opportunity to read more from that world. But this fell flat for me. Luc comes off as creepy and possessive (which was a major thing in the Lux series with Daemon), more insta-love as well. The entire relationship was just poorly done IMO. This book felt like a cheap copy, and had a few parallels between the two stories and felt utterly predictable. It featured a lot of the teenage cringe that you might have had a love/hate relationship with in the Lux series. xD

But, yeah, this book wasn't for me.

As a massive Jennifer Armentrout fan i was stunned that i had yet to read any of her YA sci-fi fiction books. I had always loved her YA/NA romance books and couldnt wait to get into The Darkest Star.
Wow....just wow ! I loved every moment of this book and finished it within two days. I never thought i would find myself rooting for an alien/human love affair but i did. I can not wait to read the next book in the series and this has become one of my top reads for 2018.
Thank you for the ARC :D

The Darkest Star, the first book in the romantic sci-fi Origin series, introduces 17-year-old Evie, whose father died in the Earth's successful war against the invading space aliens called Luxen. (detailed in the Lux series) When Evie joins her friend at a nightclub patronized by Luxen, who now wear armbands that neutralize their powers, she meets Luc, who is an Origin, a Luxen with heightened abilities. In the days that follow, girls begin disappearing from her school and Luc keeps turning up, whenever Evie is in danger. As the reader ultimately discovers, Evie and Luc's lives are inextricably linked and the suspense as to how and why makes this a real page-tuner.

The Darkest Star is Jennifer L. Armentrout’s YA return to the world of Luxen, taking place just a few years after the end of the original Lux series. It follows a new character, Evie, whose family is tied closely with the government and its secrets, but doesn’t know what political leaders have decided to hide behind closed doors about Luxen and the invasion. It’s a book with aliens, mystery, and romance, and follows the same addictive style of the original Lux series.

When I saw that more books were going to be released in the world of the Lux, I was overjoyed. Then I saw I had been sent an advanced copy of that same book, and that joy turned to pure excitement. It’s been a year or two since I last read Armentrout’s Lux series, but this book brought me right back into the world of awesome aliens and passionate romances, even if I didn’t remember everything that happened in the original series. I’m really intrigued by where this world and series seems to be going, and already cannot wait for the sequel to The Darkest Star!

The main thing I remembered from the Lux series was how addicting the romance was, and The Darkest Star is no exception there. The love interest, and thus romance, is introduced almost right away, in the very first chapters of the book no less, but it didn’t put me off of it at all. While it originally seemed to move quickly and irrationally, it slows down quickly while also later explaining why things transpired like they did at first. Additionally, the early introduction allows for the romance to become intertwined with the plot itself, and the two seem to be equally important and intriguing in this book!

The plot itself isn’t too complex, but I found that didn’t really negatively impact the book or my enjoyment of it. The book mainly revolves around things that happened before this book takes place. I guess you could call it a background book. Most conversations and actions are based around giving information to Evie and the reader, specifically about her own individual past as well as the truth behind Luxen and the invasion. The main issue here was that a lot of the secrets about the world and Luxen were things readers of the original Lux series will know already, making some big reveals pretty disappointing. The present plot itself mainly follows a murder mystery, though this almost seems to act as a background plot of sorts, mainly used as a way to push information to the main character, and thus to the reader. Even though I normally wouldn’t enjoy a book like this, as it would feel too repetitive or slow, Armentrout managed to make it extremely entertaining regardless, due to both the romance and the characters themselves. However, my last main “issue” with the plot, if you can call it that, would have to be how obvious the main twist is. From about 20%-30% in, I realized what was going on and the main secret of the book and characters, and was stuck waiting until 70%-80% for that twist to come to light to everyone else. In the end, that coupled with the regurgitation of old secrets from the Lux series made nothing in the book really shocking, though I did still enjoy it in its entirety.

Overall, The Darkest Star felt like a solid beginning to a new addition to the world of Luxen, though I do feel it relies heavily on its romance and past success to fully carry the simple plot of this particular book. However, I don’t think this will last, as now that both the reader and main character are caught up to speed the rest of the series should be packed full of twists and turns, as well as tons of action. I’m excited to see where this world continues to go, and cannot wait for the sequel!

I absolutely loved this book! I purchased a couple of copies for my classroom and I know my girls will definitely enjoy reading about this incredible world! I loved all the characters and the storyline. Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity to read this amazing book!

I am not gonna lie, when I was approved for this through Netgalley I yelped a little in a happy surprise. I have been dying to get my hands on it and I devoured it in one go.
It is sooo good. It is so worth picking up. I honestly don't know where to start with how much I loved this book. I don't think there is one thing I would change or do differently. It is that good of a book.

Disclaimer: I received a free digital Advance Reader Copy (ARC) of The Darkest Star from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I finished The Darkest Star, by Jennifer L. Armentrout a while back, and am just now coming up for air and posting my review. This book’s release date was October 30 so if it sounds good to you, it’s available! As usual, this review is spoiler-free!

Unlike most people who will probably read this book, I have not actually read much by Jennifer L. Armentrout before this. In fact, this book is actually set in the Luxen world, in which a previous series of books by Armentrout was set, but which I had not read. So for those of you wondering if you can read this book without having read those, the answer is: YOU ABSOLUTELY CAN! However, I will warn you that you will probably be totally sucked into the world like I was, and well, then you’ll want to go back and read the previous series, starting with Obsidian, and I can’t be held responsible for what that does to your TBR.

So without further ado, here are my thoughts on The Darkest Star.

The Good: I loved the pacing of the story. It never dragged along or got too slow, but there was enough backstory and explanation for those of us new to this world. It was just a great combo of detail and description, so I could totally picture characters and places, but then lots of action and surprising moments to keep me intrigued. Evie (the main character) has powerful emotions and big reactions, as well she should (a lot of crazy sh*$ is coming to light), and these are all handled quite well–I felt like I really got into her brain, and I liked the complexity of her feelings. She changes her mind a lot, and can’t quite decide who to trust or what to think, and that made her easy to relate to. There’s a fairly good wrap-up in the ending (no spoilers though) but with enough stuff left open that I’ll be waiting eagerly for the next installment!

The Less Good: Honestly, this is one of those books where I pretty much liked everything. I did feel that sometimes the writing was a bit choppy, as in one sentence didn’t always flow into the next. but that might be more about personal taste than any kind of flaw in the style. I will also say that, as much as I really liked Luc and was totally intrigued by him, he was a teeny bit too *perfect* for me at times. Like, he always had the perfect witty comment and he always seemed to be one step ahead of Evie, and that got a little frustrating. Couldn’t he be just a little less on top of things and falter sometimes? However, I love his broody, dangerous persona, and I can’t wait to get to know him better in the next book.

Wrap Up: If you like YA paranormal romance, then you really should read this book. It is kind of like candy. You have just a little, and then you just want more, more, more.

Full review including graphics on my blog at:
http://ohanacascadia.com/2018/11/28/book-review-the-darkest-star/

The Darkest Star was glorious. Going back to the Lux universe was like waking up to the smell of a pancake and waffle feast. With all the syrup, cinnamon, chocolate and fresh strawberries. And coffee. Don’t forget the coffee. It was glorious.

I had literally no idea what to expect from this Origin series, except for the fact that Luc was going to be there. In all his gloriousness, I must add (I will apologise right now for excessively using the term “glorious”, but there is really no other word more accurate to express my fangirlish feelings). Anyway, despite my uncertainty, there is one thing I never doubted – and I will never dare – and that is, the fact that JLA was going to deliver. A swoon worthy hero. An action packed plot. An addictive writing. The best banter. A tale about our favourite aliens.

To say The Darkest Star was my most anticipated release this year, would be putting it lightly. My expectations were high as the sky, and yet, I shed no fear. This book was everything I expected. If I had to complain about something, I’d say it felt way too short. It left me wanting much, much more. But well, what’s new there, really? It’s JLA I am talking about after all.

I adored Luc and Evie’s dynamic and how their relationship and connection was full of secrets ready to be unravelled. The plot moves forward filled with action and depending heavily on Evie’s character. Her life starts changing slowly after visiting Luc’s club for then, finally imploding into a million of pieces and one huge revelation. GUYS. That plot twist had me reeling and I cannot wait to discover what JLA has in store for us now. As for the rest, I loved the implications and parallelisms this fictional world had with ours, and I was very happy to find diverse characters and relationships.

But all in all, I was just happy to escape for a few hours to one of my all time favourite fictional worlds one more time. Back in the day, I devoured the Lux series and it quickly became a YA series I’ll always keep close to my heart. So it nothing else, this spin-off series brings me the best kind of nostalgia. It brings back all the warmth and familiarity of a world I know well, and more. So much more. I can’t recommend this book enough to all the Lux fandom out there. I swear, it is worth every second and cent and chunk of your heart.

*I received an eARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Three and a half stars: A fun book, but nothing mind blowing.

Evie Dasher knows she shouldn’t be sneaking out with her best friend to go to the local club where Luxen hang out. Evie knows this is a bad idea because her mother is a high ranking military official, and she could get in some serious trouble if caught. Yet, she does not want to disappoint her best friend, so she decides to go anyway. Once at the club, Evie quickly feels out of place. Her attempts at blending in go horribly wrong, then things get worse when she is seemingly recognized by a handsome guy, who doesn’t appear to be human. Disaster strikes when the club is raided. Luc helps Evie escape, and she thinks all is well. Unfortunately, she has to return the next day to retrieve her phone, and then Luc shows up at her house. Soon, her whole world comes crashing down as Evie learns the truth. Will Evie survive this strange new existence?
What I Liked:
*Confession, I never finished the original Luxen Series, but I had no problems diving into this book. Sure it would have helped to have the other series under my belt, but thankfully, this was written in a way that I had no problems and I never felt lost. This proved to be a fun and entertaining read that captured my attention.
*I liked the whole idea of the Luxen, an alien race, living amongst the humans. Of course, there are problems, such as the Luxen trying to kill off the human race, but that is behind them all now, or is it? It was interesting to uncover the secrets of the Luxen and learn more about their capabilities and history, especially when it comes to the Origin.
*I liked the mystery and the suspense. There are layers upon layers of secrets waiting to be uncovered. A few were easy to guess, while others caught me off guard. There was hardly a dull moment in this one.
*For all you romantics, this one has a touch of romance. I liked that the romance was unique. It is built upon a history, but the problem is that one of the parties doesn’t completely recall all that history. I appreciated that this was one started out antagonistic with hints of attraction, and it takes its time to build into friendship and trust before finally blossoming into something more. I loved the banter and the heat. Lots of fun.
*One aspect that I liked was the tension that built up between some of the humans and the Luxen. It felt very similar to what goes on in our world today.
*The climax builds and builds with some startling revelations leading into a satisfying conclusion. The majority of the questions are answered and there isn’t a major cliffhanger. However there are still some unanswered questions to follow up on.
And The Not So Much:
*For me, the main characters: Luc and Evie didn’t feel overly original. Sure, Luc has some big secrets and some mysterious powers, but otherwise he is the typical, cocky love interest that you encounter in the YA genre. Evie felt so vanilla to me. There is nothing that stands about her. I guess I just felt like these characters weren’t anything special.
*There is this mystery surrounding Luc and Evie that goes on and on. It was very apparent early on to me what had happened even without knowing the specifics. Then when the big reveal came, it fell flat.
* I was disappointed that the situation with the humans who were against the Luxen didn’t come to a head or reach a resolution.
*I wish that there had been more with James, Evie’s next door neighbor and the young Luxen that Evie and James befriended.
*Early on the book had a lot of high school melodrama that I thought was boring.

The Darkest Star was an entertaining and interesting read. I enjoyed the story and the mystery, but I found the characters to be lacking, they felt like been there done that characters to me. Still, the overall story arc was compelling and the suspense was solid. I am strongly considering continuing this series. I especially liked that I was able to jump in without having completed the first series, I never felt lost.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own, and I was not compensated for this review.
Posted@Rainy Day Ramblings.

Evie meets Luc one night in a nightclub that is a notorious hangout for the Luxs, aliens who are incredibly beautiful. He is young, gorgeous, and arrogant, and Evie wants nothing to do with him. But when he shows up at her house and her mother pulls a gun in him, Evie starts to uncover the truth about who her parents are, who Luc is, and ultimately who she is. Luc is very protective and very much in love, and Evie wants nothing to do with him.

3.5⭐️
When I heard the Lux series was getting a spin-off...I. Was. Pumped. I loved the original series and often think about re-reading it, so I was more than excited to follow Luc and Evie’s story. The Darkest Star takes place years after the original series ends and kicks off when Evie runs into Luc at a nightclub that is known for being a place where both humans and Luxen can coexist in peace. I’m keeping the synopsis short because if you haven’t read the original series, this book will definitely spoil plot points from the Lux series. If you are interested in this, go read the full Lux series first.
✨✨✨✨
I really enjoyed this and was extremely invested in the storyline throughout the entirety of the book, although I wasn’t as invested in the characters as I was hoping. I think that’s just my problem since I loved Katy and Daemon so much, it was hard for any other characters to compete. There were two major plot points that completely surprised me and had me hanging on to every word I was reading, to the point that I found myself rushing ahead to find out what would happen. My only complaints are that I felt the climax where the “villain” is overcome just seemed rushed and the overuse of the nickname Luc gave Evie got to the point that it was grating on my last nerve. Overall, this was a lot of fun and I will continue in the series.

I really like the concept of this book. In this world, aliens live amongst us. They have super human powers but are forced to wear a band that ensures they cannot use it. We are following a girl who meets one of these aliens by accident and gets entangled in this world, uncovering secrets and consipracies. Sadly most of the plot twists were very expected and the build up never led me down the wrong path. Quite early on I would expect most readers to expect whats coming.

Whilst I enjoyed the overall plotline, I did not fully like the way it was written. This book relys heavily on info-dumpy parts like the mother explaining to the daughter over one or two sites what happened in the past.
Also the written language sounded a lot like how a teenager might speak. It was incredibly annoying at times. I understand that this book is written in the first person from the mind of a teenager and I am very much fine with this type of narration being used in direct speech. But having to follow it over extensive periods as ever step is written like it is quite annyoing. With this writing style I am fully aware of reading a book the whole time, whic drastically reduces my enjoyment.

Lastly, this is a romance book. And even though I am not the biggest romance fan, I understand the appeal and every now and then (if there is a nice plot around it), they are fun. This romance was forced and I struggled to understand the motivtion behind several of the decisions the male character made. The decisions made no sense and frankly sounded a little like a fantasy story a teenage girl would dream up, with cruel/cold/sexy character turning sofrt/nicer etc.

I received this book as a free eBook ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.