I really enjoyed the storyline in world building in the novel. I also really liked the characters. I thought this was a solid read, and I will definitely be reading more by this author.

Thanks to Tor Teen, Netgalley, and JLA for an advance copy of The Darkest Star…4.5 years ago.

Title: The Darkest Star
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal Romance
Series or Standalone: The Darkest Star is book 1 in the Origin series, which is a part of the Lux universe however it can be read separately.

Evie’s entire world is flipped upside down when she meets Luc at a night club where both humans and Luxen can hang out. She’s undeniably attracted to him, assuming he is Luxen, and upon finding out he’s not and he’s more than she ever thought she’s in too deep to turn back now.

That’s it - that’s the synopsis. And from that it sounds like a very typical YA paranormal romance. But it’s really not. It was fun and fast-paced and cheesy in all the right ways. Even though the premise of the story is of course fantastical and unrealistic, the “normal” parts of the story (ya know, life as we know it) all felt very real and relatable.

If you thought you knew where the story was going, you probably didn’t. I think I said ‘oh shit’ three or four times as the direction changed.

Evie was fun, appropriately and equal parts rebellious and cautious while still going after what she wanted & speaking her mind. Luc was your typical mysteriously sexy not-quite-human male love interest…which is to say he was morally grey and devilishly hot.  The romance was definitely a backburner plot point, but it’s very clear that there are strong feelings and I’d expect that relationship to be explored much deeper in the following books.

As someone who did not read Lux prior to this (and has admittedly not read it since) I didn’t feel as though I missed any information, I was still fully invested in the story and learning about the Luxen, probably moreso since I didn’t know anything about them going in. But since I haven’t read Lux, I can’t say whether it would be beneficial to read this series first or if it would feel like returning home to read it after finishing Lux, but I think however you read it, whether you’ve read anything in the Lux universe, anything by JLA in the past, or not…it’s definitely something to pick up if you’ve ever been into YA paranormal fiction.

🌠🌠Phenomenal!

This book picks up right where Rage and Ruin left off. !!!!Do NOT read this book if you have not read the first two!!!!

Anyways....What a ride!!!! I can't believe this series is over. I loved every page, every word, every single second. I could NOT put this book down. I am so so happy with the conclusion of Trinity and Zayne's story.

Wardens, Demons and Angels..oh my! This book was full of action, romance and humor. Zayne, Trinity, Roth, Layla, Cayman, Dez, Danika...all these characters are fantastic. I am going to miss them all so much.

Grace and Glory was everything I wanted. The perfect conclusion.
Thrilling and action packed! My heart...my poor heart...was put through the ringer..and I LOVED every second.

I freaking adore Zayne. **Constellation Zayne**❤❤
I cried with the whole Zayne thing..ya know? (Only if you read Rage & Ruin..READ IT!) And this book..gahh....so freaking satisfying! I loved seeing Trinity and Zayne together after....that unspeakable thing that happened at the end of book 2. Soooooo much sweetness..and sexy times. Yay!

Anywhos..we see Lucifer and Grim. I love Grim! So awesome...I want more of him. and Peanut...oh my goodness! Just wait till you find out his secret.❤

I have questions...lots of questions.
What Lucifer did topside??..fun times..bow chicka bow wow.. Spinoff series???---I'm thinking heck yeah!
I can't wait to see what's next for this world!

In the meantime, check out JLA's other awesome books....you will have so many book boyfriends *Daemon, Luc, Aiden, Seth, Casteel, Caden, Cam and MORE!* JLA creates the perfect guys...*sighs*
Join us JLA fanatics on facebook #JLAnders

#CanYouStillSeeTheStarsAtNight🌠🌠

I have no idea how Armentrout writes such addicting books. I meant to start this and read a couple chapters... only to finish it in one sitting. The story just kept moving and my goodness, I was HOOKED. Evie's voice was so fun to read—I loved her narration! Her attraction to Luc was eh, but like most Armentrout books, I was sold at some point.
Another thing I loved was that while this was a spin off of another series, which I never read, being in this world was not confusing. New readers can just jump in and not feel lost. I'm sure readers of the other series would love the Easter eggs, though. Me, personally, I had a lot of fun with this book so I admire her ability to hook in new readers.

When getting The Darkest Star by Jennifer L Armentrout, I was super excited. One because Jennifer is my favourite author and two because her Lux series is what made me fall in love with her books so I was excited to go back into the world of the Luxen and I can honestly say I wasn’t disappointed.

This is Luc's book who we meet in the Lux series and it’s set four years after the end of the last book. If you haven’t read the Lux series you can read this without but it would make more sense if you read the series from the beginning – also because it’s amazing and a must read.

I adored everything about this book. Right from the beginning, I love the relationship between Luc and Evie, you can tell he cares alot for her. It was nice to be able to find out more about Luc and what has happened since the invasion. I also loved the little snippets of Daemon and Archer that we got to see.

This book has great character development as well as suspense moments that keep you guessing the whole way through. There is also a major plot twist that you don’t see coming. I really don’t want to give anything away so the only thing I can say is go and read it, you will not regret it at all.

4.5 stars. This was a wonderful start for the spinoff of the Lux series. I loved the Lux books and was super worried about this whole spinoff trend but. Luckily I enjoyed going back into the world. I missed Katy and Daemon but it was nice to be back.

First things first: the Darkest Star is the first installment of the Lux spin-off series, Origin. While Jen does a fantastic job getting everyone up to speed, I would highly recommend reading the Lux series before diving into this one. Firstly, you would seriously miss out and will eventually come to regret it. Secondly, running into familiar characters throughout the book is half the fun.

I’ve been reading Jen’s books for years and was over the moon when word got out that one of my favorite secondary characters was going to get his own series. I knew I was going to love this book before I ever held it in my hands. The one thing I have always been able to count on is Jen’s ability to blow me away with her writing, and holy alien babies everywhere did she ever.

“Why are you being so difficult? Just give me my phone and you’ll never have to see me again.”
… “But what if I want to see you again?”
I swallowed as my eyes narrowed. “But I don’t want to see your face ever again.”
The almost teasing smile began to fade. “Well, that’s rude.”

The Darkest Star is a breathtaking story filled with action, friendship, deceit, betrayal, romance, and a couple of different alien races that have genetics each of us would kill for. The story follows seventeen-year-old Evie Dasher who has been told to keep a respectful distance to the aliens now populating the earth all her life. During a night club visit with her best friend Heidi, she meets Luc. Mysterious, handsome, cocky as hell Luc. Despite knowing she should steer clear she’s intrigued. Her growing attraction to Luc feeds her inability to stay away, and as it turns out, things are not always what they seem.

“There’s nothing we can do other than live with the promise of tomorrow while knowing it may not come.”

I love the characters – new and old – and adore the hell out of Evie and Luc’s relationship. In the beginning, they actually reminded me a lot of Kat and Daemon, with their bantering and teasing. I love how their relationship develops slowly and at the same time with an intensity that tells you – this is it. For both of them.

There are no but’s and what if’s with this one – it’s a must-read for everyone.

I had actually put off reading this one because I thought I had to catch up on the Lux series first. Turns out that isn't the case. I will go back and read the original series, but I didn't have any trouble keeping up without having read it.

I wanted this book because I know that Jennifer is a remarkable writer - even though this genre isn't my favorite. Her talent did not disappoint! The characters are amazing and the story kept me totally engaged. I'm going to have to carve out some time to devour all of her books very soon.

I loved this book and I could literally talk for hours to customers about just how fantastic this series is. It picks up perfectly where the Lux series left off with one of my favourite ever characters Luc taking centre stage. It feels fresh and new yet you already know the world so well if you have read the Lux series (which I would recommend you do first) abd I cannot wait to see how it all ends! And I would give it more than 5 stars if I could!

There's just something about Jennifer L Armentrout's books that are so damn addictive. I don't know how she does it.

To be honest it's not like her plots are very original but she writes in a way that's just SO EFFORTLESS. She is the queen of banter and charming male MC's.

There were moments I found Evie a tad bit annoying but I tried really hard to understand her situation. Luc was witty and charming as was expected. The only thing that bothered me was that his personality was too similar to Daemon's in the Lux books.

I'm curious as to where this series is going to go. I am Armentrout trash so of course I am excited for the sequel.

I received an e-arc of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5/5 stars

Yes I know I'm awful for having let this book sit in my unread pile for so long after getting an early copy and I seriously apologize. I did attempt to read this book before it came out but when I did I started thinking that I needed to read a different series before this one for it to make sense. So I put it down with the intention to pick it up after reading those but I never got around to it. After reading this book I don't think it's needed to read the other series as I was able to follow along just fine but there is potential that reading the other series might make it an easier reading experience as I imagine the world is set up in that series.

I thought this book was really good and if I had read it when it originally came out and I was picking up similar books I probably would have rated this 4 or even 5 stars. Part of this is due to me reading more since then and becoming a more critical reviewer. Enjoyment wise I found this book to be very intriguing and had a bit of a mystery element threaded throughout the story which kept me reading. I liked the overall plot of the story and the writing was really good as well. I will definitely be picking up more books by this author and highly anticipate that their books geared towards an older audience will be more suited to me now.

If you are looking for a supernatural book with elements of romance and a little mystery this might be the book for you.

Purchased this YA/middle grade novel for my middle school library. Superb character development, elegant world building, and compelling plotting. I am a fan of JLA.

Jennifer Armentrout never dissappoints! I enjoyed reading the Lux Series and am very excited to dive back into the Lux Universe. Luc and Evie have great chemistry:)

Somehow, before I started reading this I completely missed that this novel takes place in the Lux universe, which I have not read yet. But despite this, I really loved the book and only felt lost a few times,. If I had the chance to go back and read the novels in order I absolutely would, but it stands well on its own.

The Darkest Star is the first book in the young adult Origin series by Jennifer L. Armentrout. The Origin series is a young adult paranormal/sci fi romance featuring aliens. It is a spin off of her Lux series, which I have been meaning to read but I have still not read. But I decided that since they are just set in the same world but don't necessarily have to be read in order, I decided there was no time like the present to binge read the Origin series because book three released this month. And I am so so glad that I decided to pick these books up now. I am loving them! The Darkest Star is hands down my favorite alien book I have ever read. If you have followed my reviews for a while now, you may have noticed that I don't typically read many sci fi books and I read even fewer books featuring aliens, but after reading The Darkest Star, I might have to rethink my position on aliens. I loved this book and all of the characters in it!

In The Darkest Star we meet our main characters Evie and Luc. Evie lives in a world that has already been invaded by aliens called Luxen. The invasion war is now over, and Luxen now live among humans. They wear disablers to disable their powers. Our book starts out with Evie and her friend going to a nightclub that is known to be a Luxen club. There Evie sees Luc for the first time, and her whole world changes. Not right away, because he is a total jerk, but it puts events in motion that Thrust Evie further into the world of the Luxen than she ever imagined. It called all kinds of her beliefs into question, and without giving too much away, there are plenty of secrets in this book (and the next one!)

Evie and Luc crackle off the page! I just love the two of them. They are great characters on their own but they are magic together, and they are not even together in a relationship for much of the book, but still I love them. Evie is so inquisitive and kind, and Luc is so protective and fierce, but with Evie he just a big ole marshmallow teddy bear. It's beyond adorable. This book was the perfect foundation for the series. It sets up the worlds, lets us really get to know the characters and the motivations of everyone and it also has plenty of plot twists and turns to keep the readers guessing. Even though some of the twists were pretty easy to see coming, there were many that truly surprised me. This is a fantastic first installment that has left me super ready and excited to dive into the second book! The origin series is perfect for fans of paranormal romance and science fiction alike.

I recently bought a new kindle after my old one broke. For some reason I was unable to download this title from the cloud onto my kindle, therefore I will be unable to review this title. I am sorry for any inconvenience caused

Here is my opinion on The Darkest Star: I read it in one day and cried, screamed, became angry, was hurting, and it was all thanks to our lovely Jennifer L Armentrout.

So here is a quick little synopsis of what you’re diving into: we see the world after the Lux War and meet Evie—the daughter of Sgt Dasher. If you’re like me, you had to go back and re read the books BEFORE reading TDS in order to get your characters straight. Heidi, her friend, and Evie are at a club, Foretoken, so that Heidi can try “accidentally” run into a girl she has feels for. Fast forward a bit and Evie gets called over to take to this mysterious lovely man, named Luc. Hot. Sexy. Sarcastic. Straight forward. Has an obsession with peaches.

Evie’s initial conversation with Luc is...hostile, mostly because she loses patience with Luc’s evasiveness and telling her how she feels. He tells her she can’t be there and is super vague as to why she can’t. But then the JLA action kicks in. The club gets raided and Luc takes her back to a giddy hole, where you are on top of each other, in hopes to wait out the raid. When she escapes, she accidentally leaves her phone in that tiny space without grabbing it before she farts under Luc’s command.

A few more interesting scenes throw us quickly into the world in which the Luxen hide, unless they want their powers to be controlled at all times by a bracelet so to say.

But it gets super interesting when Luc decides to show up at Evie’s house and after giving her mom, Sylvia, the run down of where Evie was spending her time.

But these words haunted me the entire book: all bets are off. You feel me?

I was sucked so far into the land of Lux and Origin that I was craving an answer. I needed to know why Luc was so fascinated with her. I won’t spoil it but I want to reiterate something:

RE-READ THE LUX SERIES. YOU WILL THANK ME.

What I continue to love about JLA is that her characters are all awesome and so unique in their own way. One would think that after writing for so long that her characters would start to sound the same, have the same traits, or look alike. But it’s so wrong it’s not even funny.

Her characters have depth. You feel what they feel. You’re in their world and experience what they experience. It’s exhilarating and adrenaline pumping.

I’m not going to spoil the ending for you because that is terrible but let me say: YOU WILL NOT SEE IT COMING. HOLY ALIEN BABIES, JLA!!!!

For those of you that are like eh I don’t know if I want to read it because it’s not the original Lux series (if there are any of you out there) don’t hesitate. One click that on Amazon. You won’t regret it!!

There are no words to explain just how excited I was to finally have this book in my hands. I am such an enormous fan of Jennifer L Armentrout. I have read and adored every single book she has wrote but my anticipation for The Darkest Star was very different than for her other upcoming books. Back in 2011 when I had just started this blog I was offered the chance to review a book by an author I'd never heard of. That book was Obsidian by Jennifer L Armentrout. I accepted but wasn't sure what my thoughts would be as I didn't like 'alien' books. 4 hours later I had read the entire book and was dying for more. I was lucky enough to recieve ARCs of the entire Lux series and it still to this day remains one of my favourite series of all time. So when I heard that there was a spin-off, I could not cope with my excitement. I couldn't wait to get my hands on it but I was also a little nervous... I had such high expectations for this book and was worried it wouldn't live up to them. It did! It surpassed each and every expectation I had and just completely blew me away.

The Darkest Star follows the story of Evie, a human living in a world where the Luxen are out and living among them. When Evie meets Luc she has a strange sence of deja vu. She feels like she knows him but she has never seen him before. As Evie spends more and more time with Luc, her world starts unravelling. She learns of the secrets and lies and has to discover just who she really is.

The Darkest Star is without a doubt the best book I have read so far this year. It was absolutely perfect! I had missed being in the world of the Luxen. I have read the Lux series about 10+ times, and although I will always love re-reading it there is nothing like the feeling of having a new book set in that world and experiencing it all for the first time. I could not read The Darkest Star fast enough. I originally sat down to read a chapter or two and the next thing I knew 4 hours had past and I was 70% of the way through. It was gripping and unputdownable.

Evie is such a fantastic character. I immediately loved her and loved experiencing everything through her eyes. She goes through such an important journey of self-discovery throughout this book and that journey was something she didn't even know that she needed to go through. The more I read, the more I loved her. One thing I always love about JLA's characters is that when something impossible happens to them they don't just immediately accept it... they actually have a reaction that any sane, normal person would have if this had happened to them. That reaction doesn't happen enough in the majority of YA books. Although I adored Evie, I would have loved to see events from Luc's point of view as well as he is just fantastic.

I wasn't sure how I was going to take to Luc being the main character in this book. In the Lux series, he was just this insanely creepy little boy but I absolutely loved him in The Darkest Star. Luc is most definitely the comic relief in this book. He is snarky and sarcastic and I loved that. He was the perfect mix of the sarcastic bad-boy and the super sweet, loving guy. I loved that there were two sides to his personality.

The Darkest Star was everything I could have wished for and more. It was utter perfection and my favourite read of the year. I am a little sad that I finished it so damn quickly because the wait for book 2 of this series is going to kill me. I loved everything about this book. It filled my heart to the brim and I just couldn't read it fast enough. Jennifer has done it again. Every time I think she can't write something better than what I've already read from her she proves me wrong with her next release. The Darkest Star will stay with me for a long time and I can't wait to read more of Luc and Evie. I couldn't recommend it more.

This was my favorite JLA book that I’ve read in a while. I really love JLA, but I was starting to worry that I might have been getting the teensiest bit bored with her formula—a girl starts to fall for a somewhat gruff, pompous alien (or Origin, or demon, or gargoyle or… ) and chaos ensues. The latest books have the added benefit of a secret that the girl doesn’t know about herself but the guy does.

Well, I don’t know if something (besides the formula) was different in this book or if this was just the exact sort of distraction I needed right now, but this book definitely worked for me. I started listening on an extra-long trip to the grocery store (due to the lines out the door from COVID) and didn’t want to stop listening when I got home. So I didn’t!

I did guess the mystery surrounding Evie pretty early on, but I still found the process of her discovering the truth interesting. And her reaction when she found out brought up a lot of questions about what makes us who we are. I also appreciated the parallels JLA drew between today’s circumstances with immigrants (and certain minority groups) and the plight of the Luxen. Those parallels were especially notable when Evie’s friend starts protesting the Luxen’s right to attend her school based on the acts of one deranged individual. I also found that Luc walked the fine line of being aloof and mysterious (and a teensy bit unlikable, at least as far as Evie is concerned) without jumping into jerk territory. To me, this is the only kind of hate to love relationship that works well.

So I really enjoyed this one, and I’ll definitely be picking up the next book soon!

***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley for review purposes (but ended up listening to the audiobook from my library). No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***

This narrator is a little too bratty Valley Girl for my liking. This novel starts with the protagonist applying lipstick, which is like, totally what I've seen in several other novels written this year already, which tells me it doesn't have much new to tell me...