A definite 5 star!!

If you liked the Lux series, then you MUST get this book. Luc is the best! He's snarky and sweet and gave Daemon a run for his money as my favorite JLA dude. I loved every moment of this book and I can NOT wait to read book two!!

Jennifer L Armentrout is by far my favorite author. You’d say I’m biased but I’m totally not. She has once again hit it out of the park for me and it was so good to see a character from one of my FAVORITE book series, the Lux series!!!! The book involves Evie who was in the wrong place at the wrong time but being there she meets Luc. Someone she thought Was simple was so much more. The new characters in the book are so refreshing and my lux world just keeps getting bigger and bigger <3

OMG! OMG! OMG!
I feel like a cartoon character right now. I'm squealing, jumping, and giddy beyond belief. If you liked the Lux Series, you will absolutely enjoy this romp in a world we haven't been to since Oblivion. If you loved the Lux Series, you are going to freak the f@ck out over the new revelations. If you are obsessed with the Lux Series, you are going to need a leg bag (potty breaks), snacks, and your books near by because I guarantee you will want to do a re-read of the entire series after this taste.

It's Luc's story. Luc. (Read that as underlined, in bold, and size 34 font) LUC!!!!!
I know you were curious. I know you've wondered. Now you will learn some of the nitty gritty. Life without Luc was empty and now....now I feel refreshed. I can't stop the dumb grin and cloudy, happy eyes. I can't stop jumping for unadulterated joy at the mention of a certain someone.

Get ready for the bottom to fall out! Your world is about to get rocked.

Violet eyes and smirks a plenty. Luc is at his best in The Darkest Star.

***Note: If you haven’t read the Lux series, I’d recommend starting there first!***

“The dangers we all faced after the invasion hadn’t really gone away. They’d just changed.”

As a fan of the Lux series I was eager to dive into The Darkest Star , which gives readers a glimpse at the world after the invasion and stars one of our favorite Origin: Luc, and Evie—who should be familiar to fans of the Lux series—as well as some cameos from other reader favorites.

Fun characters, witty banter, strong bonds, great chemistry, humor, and world building make JLA’s series some of my favorites. Sure there’s some over the top cheesy moments or lines, but it’s all in good fun, and something I’d expected peppered in YA/NA reads along with all the swoony-sweet moments.

“You were all my good memories.”

The Darkest Star takes readers on a journey that reveals identities, secrets and leaves clues sprinkled throughout for future revelations and some ominous foreshadowing leading into the rest of what hopefully is a series as great as the original.

If you enjoyed the Lux series, putting the Origin series on your TBR is a must. Let’s hope for more cameos from our Lux favorites!

I had a hard time connecting with the main character because I didnt agree with so many of her decisions. It took Evie forever to find out something I knew for most of the book. I also didnt like how she overreacted to the big reveal. However my biggest issue was the romantic plot and the love interest. With them being a major part of the story it really affected my overall enjoyment. I just couldnt get over some of the stuff Luc did, especially when he wouldnt let her leave the club. I disliked the invasion of privacy and his overall attitude. The female friendships were my favorite part of this book. Evies best friends were awesome. I really wanted more of them and less romance.

I though the world was interesting, but I feel like I would have gotten more out of it had I read the previous series. I still ended up enjoying the aliens and their powers. They had a compelling history. The story had some tropes I don't usually enjoy. The plain and clueless main character is not my cup of tea. Not to mention I really dont like controlling alpha males. As for the plot, I found it fairly predictable. There were a couple plot twists I didnt see coming, but most of the plot was obvious to me. I still found the parts about the murder mystery, the rebellion, the government conspiracies and the shadow aliens exciting.

Being turned off by the love interest early on made the romance parts of the plot feel like they dragged on. I just wasnt excited to pick the book back up during those moments, but the pace was still interspersed with enough action and mystery to keep me going. The story includes some commentary about immigration that added a layer substance. I also noticed some weird scene transitions, but maybe thats due to the way the egalley was formatted. Im sure if you loved the previous series you will enjoy this book, but it wasn't for me. Id continue on with the series if it followed the lesbian couple because despite being predictable I thought the plot and world were entertaining.

I loved the concept of this story: on a post-alien-invasion Earth, humans struggle to adjust to living along-side aliens. Main character Evie falls into a love-hate relationship with one of these aliens, exemplifying that struggle. The story raises important issues about how we treat the “other,” using aliens as a metaphor for members of an ethnic minority group. The aliens in the story are subjected to bullying at school, forced imprisonment and scientific experiments and the story shows how wrong the actions of both individuals and the government are.

The thing that keeps me from giving The Darkest Star a more glowing review is in the dialogue and its effect on characterization. The dialogue sometimes feels forced, like it’s written to build tension or push the plot forward, but not genuine to the characters in the conversation. It keeps the characters from feeling real. Because of this, I’d say this book is not for everyone, but would have appeal to someone who’d like to explore the idea of an alien race finding our planet and how we’d learn to live side-by-side. Or even consider the way members of some races are/have been treated through the lens of the treatment of the aliens.

I did not like this book enough to review it on The Winged Pen but will put a review up on Goodreads now and on Amazon and Barnes and Noble when it launches.

***I received an eARC of this book via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.***

To say I was excited when I found out that Jennifer L Armentrout was writing a spin-off series to Lux is an understatement. I was bouncing off my seat giddy! The Darkest Star doesn’t disappoint either. It delivered a unique tale that both honored the original series with some cameos and easter eggs AND continued the world-building. Set roughly five years after the end of Opposition, The Darkest Star follows Evie Dasher and how she finds out that everything in her life is a lie.

The Daughter of a Hero
Evie Dasher is your typical teen, well typical in the sense that she survived an alien invasion and may suffer from PTSD. You get the picture ;) Evie is a fun character and one that I quickly figured out was about to have a large wrench thrown into her seemingly perfect life. Raised by a single, work-obsessed mom, Evie finds herself alone most of the time. She's a rule follower, not impulsive, and enjoys photography.

When the story opens, Evie has been convinced to go to a local Luxen bar with her friend. Using fake IDs which just the thought of gives Evie palpitations, they get in AND this is where the story gets interesting. A handsome character, who if you’ve read the Lux series you’ll recognize instantly, enters the scene…..LUC!!!! Y’all I was SO excited to see him. I knew this series would feature him, but.....Luc is everything he was when we first met him in the Lux series and more. He’s older, hotter, cagier, just more everything. He’s still annoying, manipulative, but dare I say it he’s shown he has feelings! The back and forth between him and Evie is the angst you’ve come to know and love from Armentrout.

Secrets and Lies
All the secrets and lies that surround Evie begin to unravel as an unknown player has entered the game. Humans are being killed, and it is made to look like a Luxen did it. Yet Luc knows better, as does Evie. Evie begins to question everything: her dad’s role in the Luxen invasion, her mom’s knowledge of it, the Luxen at her school, even her friends and memories.

I loved the additional world-building here. We are seeing a post-Luxen invasion world. People still live in fear, the Luxen are forced to wear a power-suppressing wrist band (my mind immediately went to the Star of David Jews wore in Germany during WWII, don’t ask me why), and they are segregated. New laws to “protect” humans and Luxen alike have been passed. These people are living in fear daily, always looking over their shoulders. It made for an interesting, fast-paced read.

My Final Thoughts
The Darkest Star was everything I wanted and more from the Luxen world. Armentrout delivers a new story with new characters and new troubles while staying true to the original world she built in Lux. Y'all it's fantastic!!! If you enjoy urban fantasy or paranormal romance, I highly recommend you get yourself a copy ASAP.

I had a blast reading this book. I had been in a rut for some time, trying to find books that gripped my attention, and I read The Darkest Star. There went my Saturday morning. I had not read a book by Ms. Armentrout and was not at all familiar with the Luxen storyline, however The Darkest Star can stand alone just fine. 17-year-old Evie Dasher made me laugh out loud with her observations and interactions with Luxen Luc. I will be going back to read other Luxen books (and waiting for future ones) for sure. A swoon-worthy book at times (even though I'm way passed 17), I giggled like a school girl and was all the happier for it. Evie's normal world includes (gorgeous) aliens, forbidden love, danger - things included in a world I like reading about. On to the next one :)

Absolutely, truly an amazing 5 Star read that I didn’t want too put down. Luc, will make you swoon, big time. I absolutely love the story, definitely love the characters and now I definitely have to check out Jennifers other books.

Jennifer L. Armentrout’s Lux series is one of my favorite YA series and I was so excited to learn there was going to be a spin-off. Luc was such an interesting character in the Lux world and I always hoped we would get more of his story someday. While The Darkest Star didn’t give me all that I was anticipating, it was definitely a good start to this new series.

I think Armentrout definitely wrote this book so it’s possible to read without having read the original series it spun-off from. This is great for new readers, but it did provide me with some frustration. Lux fans already know what Luc is and we know his connection to Evie (maybe we aren’t supposed to connect the dots so quickly, but yeah). However, it takes to about the 45% mark before the word “Origin” is used. I felt like there was way too much build up for something I already knew. I also felt like the plot was pretty thin. The whole book is basically Evie finding out about Luc and her connection to him and how she deals with that. There’s a bit of a murder and mystery thrown in, but mostly there’s just a lot of up set up for future books.

Speaking of things I already knew, I thought that this book was extremely similar to Obsidian, the first book of the Lux series. There were scenes between Luc and Evie that seemed almost carbon copies from scenes of Daemon and Katy. I’m really hoping that symmetry was intentional. I was also expecting Daemon and Katy to play larger roles here, but Daemon is only in a few scenes and Katy is mentioned a couple of times, but never appears. I’m really hoping they pop up in future books because I will always need more Daemon Black in my life. I also liked the Archer cameo and would like more from him, as well.

So, despite some obvious issues, I did really enjoy this book. I have so much love for the first series and just being back in their world was so nostalgic for me. I’ve always liked Luc and I liked him just as much here. I also thought Evie was a pretty likable character. I really thought we were going to get Luc’s POV and was a little disappointed that we didn’t, but Evie was a good narrator so I didn’t mind it as much as I thought I would. I enjoyed the signature JLA banter between them and look forward to seeing their relationship progress.

Overall, I enjoyed The Darkest Star. I’m increasing my rating by at least half a star just because reading it gave me so much nostalgia for Lux. I’m already planning on going back and re-reading it. I honestly don’t know if I can be impartial enough to rate or recommend this book without letting myself be influenced by the first series. I do think that fans of JLA will enjoy this, especially if they read the Lux series.

Overall Rating (out of 5): 4 Stars

TDS was my most expected book for this year and it was definitely worth the wait. I am such a crazy fan of Lux and have read the series more times that I could count. So being back in this world was like a dream come true, like coming home after being away for a while. I haven’t realized how badly I missed the whole gang. And my heart was overflowing with so many emotions the moment I stepped back in the Lux universe. But even though the set was the same, or rather the Lux world 4 years after the Invasion, there were lots of new thing happening in this world that made it even more intriguing.

You may think you know some of the characters in this story and in a way you do if you’ve read Lux, but there is so much more going on in their lives in TDS. Luc was his typical overconfident, a little arrogant and a lot awesome self. He definitely gave Daemon a run for his money in the cockiness department and then he could easily compete against Seth in the going-around-shirtless contest. I laughed a lot with him in here, but there was this sweet, caring, overprotective side of him that we saw a lot and it would absolutely make you swoon. He was just the perfect, dreamy BBF material.

I was kind of surprised at the beginning that the whole book was told from Evie’s POV, but her backstory was so intriguing that it sucked me in from page one. She seemed like the normal, regular kind of girl with very human hobbies and interests. But she was anything but that. There were lots of things about her that were revealed one after another and kept my interest to the very end. She was a true enigma and still is, even though lots of questions were answered there are a ton more that are still running in my mind.

The love between Luc and Evie was a slow-burning one and I really liked the fact he was so attentive and gave her the space she needed to come to terms with the relationship they were building. I never took him for the patient type, but apparently, he somehow changed through the years and grew a little in a very good way. Be prepared to sigh and drool a lot during this book.

But also expect a lot of action, some epic battles and some very intensive and nail-biting moments in typical JLA style. I absolutely forgot how awesome Luc was and the extent of his abilities. He showed some serious powers and I really enjoyed seeing him in fight-mode. He was awesome, as well as some other very well known friends who made an appearance. I might have cried a little when a certain dark-haired Luxen showed up in the book.

It felt surreal seeing some of our beloved characters from Lux. But even though there were parts that were very much connected with Lux series, the story was somehow unique on its own. I highly recommend reading Lux before going for this story, even though everything was well explained in here.

Seriously, I wouldn’t have dreamt of a better sequel to Lux series. I absolutely loved it. So many emotional moments, so many twists and turns, so many secrets revealed, so many new favorite characters made and so much more to come. All the feels, all the stars, top read for the year and a new favorite book couple. Great come-back in the Lux universe and holy alien babies, I need moreeeeeeee!

The same review is posted on bookbub and GR (with some pictures/ teasers included). Link below.
The same text will be copied and pasted on amazon, kobo and Barnes and Noble on release date.

After I fell in love with the Lux Series years ago, I couldn’t believe my luck when I heard, that I get to see my babies again and come back into the Luxen Universe.

And as always with a Jennifer L. Armentrout book - I was not disappointed 😊

Luc was just a witty and perfect as in the past books. And though I guessed most of what will be happening right - was the story still super exciting and fast pacing! Just as we love it :)
The new characters were lovable!
To unravel all the secrets around Evie Dasher (do I hear bells ringing in your ears?) and the other characters that have grown up now to badass people was just fun and I can’t wait for the second book in this series!

If you liven the Luxen series you won’t live without that one!

We’ve got all the cheese, all the hotness and all the power we missed for years now and we also get some new stuff you won’t even believe!

So see for yourself and read this cheesy and fast pacing masterpiece 🧐

4.25-4.5 STARS

There’s little doubt that die-hard fans of author Jennifer Armentrout’s Lux series will be thrilled to delve back into that realm, where the weirdly endearing Luc takes center stage in this author’s new spin off Origin series, “The Darkest Star.” I, for one, have been longing for Luc’s story with eager anticipation for quite some time. And while Luc’s quirky persona has matured along with his character, I couldn’t hold back the smile that spread across my face each time Luc let loose his trademark sardonic comments that first endeared him to me several years ago.

This first installment to the Origin series introduces us to 17 year-old Evie Dasha, who gets swept up into a world she is unfamiliar with—a world that Luc easily controls and commands. From the very moment that Evie steps into Luc’s domain, she sets a cascade of events into motion that unfurls secrets and lies that will ultimately turn her entire life upside down. And all the while, Luc acts as the puppet master, trying to protect Evie from the truth while furtively doling out clues that just might reveal it all.

With cameo appearances by some familiar and beloved characters, reading “The Darkest Star” felt a lot like coming home. That said, my expectations going into this new series were really quite high. So, as much as I enjoyed Luc and Evie’s story, it did fall a bit short. Still, I have a feeling that the next installment in this Origin series might just blow me away. Because as history has proven, Jennifer Armentrout knows how to draw readers in, hold them captive, and then take them on the ride of their lives. As for me, I’m buckled up and ready to go wherever this series takes me.

The darkest star tells us the story of Luc, whom you have already met in the Lux series, and whom you probably liked. Luc is an origin, the story takes place a few years after the Opposition events.

I loved Luc in the Lux series and I was looking forward to reading his story, I am absolutely not disappointed by this book that features Luc and tells us his story. We learn more about Nadia, and we see Daemon and Asher again, which is great.

Luke is faithful to himself, he tries to save the Luxens because the world has changed, now everyone is aware of their existence and they are controlled. They can no longer use their powers without risking their lives. They are listed and those who have managed not to be listed ask Luc for help to escape.

I love Luc, he’s arrogant but he can be, he’s powerful, he has power but he also has a weakness. I like his protective side towards the Luxen but also towards Evie. They’re so cute when they’re looking for lice.

I liked Evie, we feel that she is looking for herself and that her life will change, she doesn’t like danger yet she is heading straight for him. She is innocent but she doesn’t hesitate to be respected by Luc. She will discover that many people around her have lied to her and are still lying to her, and it will become complicated for her to trust anyone.

Evie will be in danger and Luc will have to protect her, he thinks he knows who he will have to fight but nothing is obvious until the end. As the world has changed, humans are beginning to rebel against the Luxen, especially after some have been found dead.

I loved the relationship between Evie and Luc, we feel that Luc is hiding something from her and even if we guess what it is, Evie is taking longer.

I wasn’t surprised by the revelations in this volume, and this about any character. I don’t mind, but it’s true that it was a little predictable.

Jennifer L Armentrout is still as talented as ever at telling stories and the volumes that await us promise a lot of action.

Quick word: I loved this book and I recommend it if you liked Luc.

2 stars.

*

The Darkest Star is a fast paced and tense YA novel with a cool world-building and lots of banter between characters. The plot is rather complex, if incredibly dramatic, with quite a few over the top twists and reveals. The romance element follows the line of creepy heroes who behave like jerks and heroines who somehow love them anyway, but there is some nice action to balance out that aspect of the story.

Jennifer L. Armentrout comes back to the world of Lux with a spin-off that can be easily read as a standalone. The world-building seamlessly ties together with the plot in a way that is very easy to understand and grab your attention. There isn’t anything new in this novel, though, and some scenes do give a feeling of deja vu.

Well, this is a disappointment. I loved the Lux series when I read it many years ago, but I’ve grown as a person and as a reader since then. This novel feels kind of… outdated, in a way? It follows the same line of narrative as the previous series did, but in the year of 2018, so it really just feels like it’s been stuck in time somewhere around the mid 2000s and early 2010s.

The world-building is nice, though! I remembered very little of it, and Armentrout does a wonderful job recapping the world and what happened before the spin-off took place, as well as developing this world even further. It never feels like there’s too much information all at once. Although, some of the major reveals? Yikes. Over the top and dramatic and convoluted are understatements when it comes to the plot and major twists? It’s just… some of it is really really really forced and breaks the bounds of how much realism there is to the story.

And the romance… ugh. Luc behaves like a complete jerk the entire novel. And considering how one of the twists impacts his relationship with Evie, things go from yucky to extremely creepy in about a chapter. There is nothing romantic about a guy who belittles you, makes fun of you, and lies to you about important parts of your own life. Just no!

In the end, The Darkest Star is much of the same kind of thing YA readers have seen over and over again. Armentrout could have tackled some of the issues from the original series and changed things in this one, but she mostly decided to stick to the usual devices. I’m personally disappointed, but I’m sure this will hit the nostalgia button for many Lux fans.

I started this book not remembering much abouth the Lux series which I read years ago so I really appreciated that this book could also be read as the start of a stand alone series. The author took the time to re-immerse in the universe without recapping the previous series. The characters were fascinating. I kept reading because I wanted to see what they would do and how they would react. This is a book that I would definitely recommend to teens who are interested in scifi/fantasy.

The Quick Cut: A girl's world is turned upside down when she is at a club in the middle of a raid and meets Luc - a boy she's incredibly attracted to, but definitely isn't human. Chaos breaks loose when she discovers the truth and worlds are turned upside down.

A Real Review:
Thank you to Macmillan for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Spinoffs in general can be a real shot in the dark. Even though you come with a pre-established world and a built in audience, there is always the risk that a new focus and crew of characters will not bring in the same amount of interest. With this spinoff to the Lux series, the focus is now on a girl named Evie and the boy he meets named Luc.

Evie lives with her military mom after her dad died during the war between the human and the Luxen not so long ago. The remaining peaceful Luxen agreed to wear disabling wristbands and be registered by the government. It's a life and world that can now live in peace. Evie thought that was what she knew when a friend dragged her to a Luxen safe club... until she ended up meeting Luc and her life gets blown to pieces. Luxens aren't the only aliens around, her parents are not who they appear to be, and not everyone is registered for a reason.

Full disclosure: I never read the original series for this one. So I'm a newbie to this universe. That being said, the start was really strong for this book and then really seemed to lose steam. Once the author started unveiling information, it all got confusing VERY quickly and once that happens you lose an audience fast. On top of that, many reveals happen far too late in the game... we're talking the final ten percent or so. With more of a build-up, the emotional power behind that would've been so much stronger.



One piece that was not lacking is the chemistry between Evie and Luc. Their bond is very confusing at first considering Luc has far more information, but the more time they spend together (and pushing back and forth with their power plays) the more clear it becomes how strong their chemistry is. It doesn't get an opportunity to shine until about three quarters of the way through, but once it happens... get yourself some lotion because the fire from their sun is bound to burn.

Although it has a strong start and some heavy chemistry between the leads, the plethora of data spilling put at one time gets confusing for a reader unfamiliar for a new reader.

My heart is so full I love love love love this book!

Thank you very much to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I requested this book before I realised it was a spin off from the Lux series, and I have not read the Lux series. However, I do know the very basics about the series and what it was about. I had a little knowledge in regards to that this book was going to be about the alien species in these books known as the Luxen. I do not believe that not having read the Lux series, it deterred me from understanding the plot of the book. Yes there were bits and pieces that did not make sense and would probably have made sense if I had read the original series. I think Armentrout did well with making it readable without needing to read the Lux series.

I loved both Evie and Luc's characters and their growth in their relationship. From Evie not trusting Luc at all, to slowly becoming friends and experiencing so called Luxen attacks. There were times where I just wanted to grab Evie by the shoulders and shake her to her senses, but her emotions were also valid considering what she was experiencing and finding out about herself and her friends and family. I found Luc absolutely wonderful and I loved everything about him. From his dorky and punny t-shirts to his sass and sarcasm, he is everything I love in main male characters. Yes at times, he was a bit pig-headed and stubborn, but he also shows his empathetic and human feeling side to himself.

I loved the character development for all of the characters. I loved reading Evie growing as she learnt more about the Luxen world and what was happening in her home town and to the people she knows.

I personally didn't pick the main plot twist, but I don't know if that's because I don't know the full Lux series storyline, or because I just didn't pick it. In saying that, I did like it and I was probably a bit naive to not think that was the plot twist with particular conversation lines dropped into the storyline from Luc. I found the ending good, as there was no major cliffhanger, but it definitely leaves it open for a second book with many unanswered questions that I hope are explored in the sequel.

My only real negative was that I do think that at times the writing is more aimed and suited for a younger audience, but in saying that, it was a good lighter read that even someone who is in their mid 20s still thoroughly enjoyed.

3.5 stars. I think the story was well-written and fleshed out nicely, but I had trouble getting into it. It didn't help that the beginning felt like I was reading a book written how someone thought a teenager SHOULD talk as opposed to how teenagers (at least the ones I know) actually do speak and behave.. Still, for the most part that passed and I didn't have too many issues with the writing itself beyond that. Sci-fi can be a hard genre to really get into sometimes and for me to really love one it needs to check all my boxes. This didn't do that for me. I will say this though: I read the entire thing in one sitting.. So, as far as "I couldn't put it down"ness goes . . . well I couldn't put it down. After the first fifty or so pages anyway. It took the book a while to get started and truthfully I almost DNFed it until it finally picked up. I don't know how much my desire to keep going had to do with the plot more than with my fascination with the characters, though. That's one thing I loved, and the reason this review is 3.5 stars as opposed to the 2 stars I would've otherwise given it. Fans of her other books will love this one, but casual fans may want to tread lightly here. It was overall an average book. Am I happy I read it? I think so, yeah. Would I read it again? Right now it's doubtful.

First of all, I did not know there's a Lux series before this novel. Now, that I've finished this book, I really do want to read the Lux series. This book made an excellent stand alone novel.



It was supposed to be a romance novel but it didn't come across like that to me at all. There is a little bit of romance.



This about your typical 17 year old girl's world started changing the moment she stepped in the night club illegally after sneaking out of her house with her friends.



There was never a dull moment in the book. Plot after plot, twist upon twist, mystery upon mystery kept me on my toes.



As the pages flipped, I respected Evie more and more due to the fact she chose to be herself, not afraid of expressing her feelings, standing up for others and standing up for what she believes in. I like the fact as she learns more about herself and others around her, she knows she's going to be okay as a kick ass chick for a human being.



I really did enjoy this book and the characters. Jennifer L. Armentrout has a way with words that keeps you engrossed in her story where you don't want the story to end. She's a rarity for keeping your interest that long.



Now, I need to hit those Lux series.



4 stars by the way. Well worth my 5 hours today!

I received this engrossing Sci-fi ARC from MacMillan-Tor/Forge through Net Galley in exchange for my unbiased and honest review. Thank you!