Jennifer Armentrout has once again managed to sweep me away to a fascinating place that I could never dream up!

I don't know what it is about the Luxen/Origin world that enthralls me so much, but I love the story line and I'm so glad that it is continuing with Luc and Evie.

The Darkest Star takes place 4 years after the Luxen invasion and we find out what Luc has been doing during that time. Evie is introduced to Luc and let the swooning begin.

I don't want to spoil anything, but love how everything is tied together.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. I will be sitting on pins and needles waiting for the rest of the series!

Omg. Guys I loved this book.
I have heard of Jennifer before, however I have not read any of the books already in this series. I caught on quickly and Luc was such a HOT hero!!! I immediately went to download the previous books to read after finishing this book. A great read!

Soooo GREAT! OMG! The push and pull, the questions that fill your head as you try to put the puzzle pieces together and the well there’s Luc...total YA hotness. Action, edge of your seat battles and everything we devoured in the Lux series but with new characters.

The world carried on after the attack. Put its parts back together and tried to regulate everything to provide a mirage of safety. Evie just a girl with great friends and teenage woes mixed with dealing with the fall out of a alien invasion. Until she crosses his path.

An explosive teetering on your toes and can’t read fast enough new JLA series and I can’t wait to discover all the secrets as they reveal in the other books.

Evie knew being in Foretoken Club is a bad idea. Not only is she an underage, the notorious club is also known as a hangout place for unregistered aliens. There she met Luc, who she thought is an alien, a Luxen, but turned out to be something more. It doesn’t help that he's not registered and worse he seemed to know so much about her. Warning bells filled her mind yet she can't seem to stay away from him. And it seems that things get more complicated as they get closer to each other. Secrets are revealed, psycho killers are on the loose and innocents get killed. And Evie's life as she knows it is being turned upside down.

This book seemed to have everything you can ask for in a YA Paranormal Romance. First, there are government secrets and conspiracies that started way before the alien invasion 4 years ago. Second is a semi-forbidden romance that is sweet enough and lastly, aliens. Gorgeous, dazzling aliens that surely can be dangerous.

After reading this, my first thought was, there are still many questions left unanswered. I’m not even sure yet who or what are the real antagonist. All I know is that the government kept and is still keeping secrets about the aliens. And that there are more to know about these aliens. So really the whole plot of this series is unclear yet and for me, that’s a good thing because it kept the intrigue and mystery alive.

Personally I’m contented for what the author decided to give me, mainly about Evie and Luc’s identities. And the repercussions of what Luc did before. It's what sparked the conflict of this book. Though I must say there’s no real reveal or twists in this book. The secrets behind Evie and Luc’s connection are a little predictable and you can guess them from chapter one. But weirdly that didn’t put me off from reading. This is one of those books that'll hook you in right from the first chapter, you might roll your eyes as you keep reading but you can't stop.

And mind you there are tons of eyeroll-inducing moments/scenes/lines/parts and even cliche parts. Mainly because this is too YA, and that again mainly, because of Evie. Stereotype alert. All I can say about her is that she's a high school student. She likes photography but thinking of taking nursing. She especially aggravated me how she reacted when she finally knew everything. Jesus! There were like five confrontations, her saying the same things, same sentiments over and over again. I do understand her sentiments but come on, girl, there's a psycho alien in the loose, and things are happening in the world, and the people around you just want to protect you and you act like freakin' immature. It hurts but you must understand why they did it. Put your sentiments aside and act like you care for not only yourself. Heck, just be thankful you're still breathing.

"I didn't spend half of my godforsaken life trying to keep you alive for you to just throw it all away!"

When Luc said this, I literally said, 'come on Luc, tell her'. And God, I don’t like Evie’s lines. Like she’d say, ‘You have a terrible way of showing it. Terrible.’ or ‘I don’t like it. At all.’ And the book’s in her POV so... But what I own is an ARC and that might change upon publication.

Luc, on the otehr hand, is so easy to love. I mean he’s an alien. Who doesn’t love an alien??? Hehe. Kidding aside, I find Luc funny and irresistible. I love his lines and his conversations with Evie usually become banters and again, who doesn’t love banters? I really hope that in book 2, I get more of Luc’s thoughts. Because I don't him to be just funny. That can get old and I'm afraid he ends up anther stereotype character. Funny but no real personality. Ugh! But anyway, so far I’m enjoying Luc and because of him, I love the romance. A little twilight-y but I can forgive that. And I think you can too because Luc has more valid reason than Edward.

Overall, this is such a fun and engaging read. Once you start reading, it’s hard to put this down. And that’s the reason why I rated this book high. It’s questionable if you look into my complaints but the fact that I couldn’t put this down and read it for three hours without getting up, that says a lot. I’m really a fast reader, but not getting up for three hours? That’s a good writing right there guys. Jennifer L. Armentrout is applaudable and I vow to read all her books. Especially Lux series. But this, this is a very promising series and I’m excited to read book 2. Also there's no big cliffhanger so you can ease your heart.

By the way, Origin takes place four years after LUX ended. And even though I haven't read LUX yet, it was easy to understand the world of Luxen. So you can read this without reading Lux.But if you already did, well, you’re in for a treat because Daemon (Lux’s protagonist) made a cameo here and those are great scenes. :)

My *spoiler free mini* review

All the book feels for Jennifer L. Armentrout's The Darkest Star. If you love Daemon, wait till you meet Luc. Luc's story was totally worth the wait! I absolutely loved being in this world again. It’s been awhile since I lost sleep over a book, but #TheDarkestStar was totally worth it.

Dear Daemon, I’m sorry, Luc has stolen your place. I still love you. You were the first, but Luc may be the last. I loved that you had a part in his book. Now I need to go re-read your books.

Dear Luc, Daemon is pretty hard hard to replace. Congratulations, you’ve proved otherwise. Just don’t keep me waiting too long for more of your stories. I NEED MORE!

If you’re a fan of Jennifer L. Armentrout's Lux series, you NEED TO READ this book! It’s a brand new story that I fell in love with, and has all the elements you’d except from an Origin/Lux story. Yes, a few favorite nonhuman characters make appearances. If you’re a fan of Daemon, just wait till you meet Luc! This book will be out in October from Tor Teen, and I highly recommend picking it up.

I'll be posting my full review closer to the release date.

I just finished reading The Darkest Star by Jennifer Armentrout, a spin-off of the Lux series and let me just say OMG, Mind Blown! This story centers around Luc, you know our young origin in the Lux series that helped out Daemon, Kat, and Daemon’s brother Dawson, if you don’t remember or haven’t read The Lux series, don’t fret you don’t have to read it in order to enjoy this story, but I do highly recommend it. So let me get back to my review. This story is about Luc and Evie. Evie is a senior in high school and lives with her mom, she’s a normal teenager going about her regular life, nothing exciting happens until she steps in Luc’s club Foretoken one night with her friend Heidi, not wanting her friend to go alone, she’s there for moral support. Foretoken is a club where everyone can be themselves. Humans and luxen alike attend to have a great time without any judgement, because after the invasion the luxen are kept on a tight leash from the government and humans are still scared of them, so there is a lot of prejudice in this story. Luxen and humans cannot intermarry or date and if they do there are consequences, also the luxen wear a disabler on their wrists to mute their powers. During her time at the club Evie meets Luc and they get off to a rocky start, she doesn’t get along with him and a raid full of government agents enter the club to find unregistered luxen, but this is the least of Evie’s problems, because their is a serial killer on the loose, killing girls that resemble Evie that also happen to attend her school. During their tenuous relationship Luc seems to care an awful lot about Evie and her well being and insinuates that he knows a lot about her and her life. Evie is a little unnerved by this, but isn’t scared of Luc, she keeps going back to him because she’s interested in the secrets her mom is keeping from her that Luc seems to know an awful lot about. Evie ends up finding out all kinds of things about the Luxen and government conspires that she never thought about in her wildest dreams and also finds out about an even bigger secret that involves her, that i think the people who have read The Lux series would know immediately from the moment Evie meets Luc. The excitement about the secret was not me finding out, but the anticipation of Evie finding out.

Hello my name is Ashley and I have an addiction to Jennifer Lynn Armentrout. I fell head over heels with Daemon in her Lux series and when we were introduced to Luc in the series and the vital role he played I hoped and prayed to the book gods that there would be a book about him. Cue me flailing like a maniac when I see that she wrote a book about Luc AND I was able to read it early. Its a double edge sword because I very much want to scream from the mountaintops that everyone needs to read this book but also I'm stuck in limbo knowing it'll be at least another year before the second book comes out. Also I would like a refund on my heart. It keeps beating really fast whenever Luc is mentioned and it weeps for Evie after that MAJOR plot twist at the end. 

This story picks up about four years after the events in the last Lux book. There is mention of our favorite characters which brought me great joy because I was dying to see what they were up to. Although this book takes place in the same world Jennifer did a wonderful job blending and giving us little bits of information (without it looking like a info dump) so this book is open to anyone. You definitely do not need to read the previous Lux books. Although I recommend them because duh, aliens. 

Evie was super refreshing and I loved that she was human. I loved Kat from the Lux series but it was extra fun to see a human with all their weaknesses and faults go head to head with all the big baddies in this book. Evie may look weak and physically be weak sometimes but she is not lacking in courage. That girl is fierce! It was also so nice to see a close knit group of friends and how they all took care of one another. You don't see it as often in YA as I would like nowadays. 

There is a lot that can be considered as spoilers so I'm not able to get into the plot but just know that Jennifer writes a killer story! Overall I'm just going to say that if you are a fan of fast pace, paranormal-y-scifi stories with strong lead characters and tons of emotional turmoil and enough hormones to make this reader fan herself then The Darkest Star is for you!  

Would I buy this book? YES! I pre-ordered it since there is an awesome pre-order campaign going on right now!

Would I recommend it? YES

Would I re-read it? YASSSSSSSSSSSS

The Darkest Star by Jennifer L. Armentrout is the first book in her new YA Origin series, which is a spinoff of her wonderful Lux series. I am a huge fan of Armentrout’s Lux series, and was thrilled to find out that she was returning to this world. I totally loved reading The Darkest Star, and so happy to be back home again.
Evie Dasher, our heroine, is convinced to go with her friend Heidi to Foretoken, a notorious club that Luxens and Humans can mix, but at seventeen, Evie is forbidden to go there. While at the club, the place is raided, and she meets the club’s owner, Luc.

Luc is extremely handsome, not to mention very powerful. Much to Evie chagrin, Luc seems to know everything about her, and all she knows is that he is a Luxen. Luc helps her escape the club, but her life is about the change, as he plans on being a big part of her life going forward.

Evie will find out her mother knows Luc, and as time moves on, other people close to her know him too. In a short time, Evie finds herself attracted to the beautiful Luc, and meets some of his friends. She learns some of the truths from her mother about who her father really was. Why does Luc know everything about Evie? What are the secrets that some are hiding from her?

What follows is a wonderful story, where a rogue Luxen is killing some students, creating dissention in the school between those against the aliens, and those on their side. The danger escalates putting Evie in danger, as the villain is someone from the days before the war.

In time, Evie will learn all the truths and secrets about her life, and about Luc. Though I understand her refusal to believe the truths, she was a bit stubborn early on, but in time she allows herself to open her heart to Luc, and accept the truth about her past, and forgive those who kept those secrets.

Armentrout does a fantastic job of grabbing our attention early on, and never letting go. She keeps us on our toes, as she slowly reveals different twists or revelations that catch us by surprise. The Darkest Star was an exciting, fast paced, intense & intriguing story that was also fun, with a sweet slow build romance between Evie and Luc. Evie will learn and see for herself just how powerful Luc really is.

I loved Evie and Luc, and also was thrilled to get to see some of our old favorites such as Daemon and Archer. I also like some of the new characters, such as Evie & Luc’s friends. It was great that we get to learn more about the Origins that was barely hinted in the previous series.

The Darkest Star was fantastic YA thriller, wonderful déjà vu sweet romance, and though the story ended satisfactory, there are so many questions still to be answered. I cannot wait for the next book, and what Jennifer L. Armentrout has in store for us. Thank you Jennifer for bringing us back to this world.

The Darkest Star is straight from the early 2010 with a few 2018 elements. I hadn't read a JLA book in years, since the first Lux book which I can't even remember but I think, unlike me, you have to have read the previous books to be able to follow this story line or the ridiculous pronoun game this book is so obsessed with. JUST CALL STUFF WHAT THEY ARE, BOOK. I got so tired of the "you know what I mean" "you know what things" "I know you know what I'm talking about", just don't.

Evie, a 17yo who talks like authors think 17yos talk *side eye* gets caught in a raid at the Luxen club she went to with her friend, using a fake ID the bouncer knew was fake but whatever, and that's how the story begins. Inside the packed club, full of all kinds of people, including Luxen (that's aliens for you) she happens to catch the eye of Luc. A Luxen. Named. Lux. I'm sorry, I meant Luc. He is the usual douche who is all tough and mysterious, for literally no reason, from the moment he meets her.

What unfolds is a decade old storyline with so much drama and secrets and Evie being beyond stupid for her age and the severity of the situation she is in - for example:

"She is no one you need to worry about, Archer."
Archer? What kind of name was that?

This comes from a girl named Evie, in a book with people named Luc, Kent, and Chas. *sodonewiththis*

Overall, reading this felt like going back in time but not in a good way, the archaic way of writing teenagers and conveying emotions on paper were so outdated, Evie was annoying for the most part and Luc unbearable.

When everything you thought you knew is challenged. Just one night out turns Evie Dasher’s world upside down. The club she goes too with her friend Heidi gets raided and she comes across a handsome guy she assumes is Luxen. Luc is so much more than that and it seems like he knows Evie even though she has never met him. She will discover there are different beings on earth besides Humans and Luxen and they all aren’t good.

A creative story and fast paced. There are twist and turns and will keep you reading just to figure out what it happening. I enjoyed reading this book and recommend fo you to add to your reading pile.This is the 1st book in the series Origin can’t wait to read more!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This is by far one of the most unique interesting novels I have ever read. Introducing Luc and the world of the Luxen that is the highest of class you can get and then we meet Evie the girl next door that just wants to get through her life. I really hope this becomes a series and see what will happen with the lives of Kuc and Evie and I know Our patrons will fall in love with them too.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. We will definitely consider this title for our young adult collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

ARC was provided via NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

It feels like I've been waiting g forever for this book, but it was so worth the wait.
The Darkest Star contains everything you'd expect from a Jennifer L Armentrout book. Mystery, murder, suspense, humor and a swoony boy, with cameos that'll make you legit scream.

Read it people. Just read it

I don’t think I will be able to write a coherent review about this one so bear with me.

First of all, in preparation for The Darkest Star, I decided to reread all of the Lux series, which is one of my first ever book obsessions. I love Kat so damn much and Daemon a little less damn much, but most of all I love Jennifer L. Armentrout. I know I’ve talked a lot about her in my blog and there is one reason and one only: her books are like chocolate or like chips: you can never have just one!

So when I saw that The Darkest Star was up for review on NetGalley I thought I’d try my luck and YES! I GOT THE ARC!

That brings us to the actual review (told you this review would make zero sense).

★ Luc is the love of my life. I want to simultaneously love him and protect him from all the bad things in this world even though he is probably much much much stronger than me and can protect not only himself but also others. ANYWAY, Luc is a very interesting, multi-layered character and in this first book I felt like we barely got to scratch the surface. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for the next books!

★ Evie is a sweetheart. I think I like Evie even more than I like Kat and that is saying something. She is kind and kind of a dork and adorable and I want to hug her and never let go. I loved how she stood up to Luc and their banter restored me back to life. I am practically a second Jesus.

★ The twist!!!! To be honest I knew what the twist would be from the beginning BUT this did not make it any less shocking and WOW. I NEED TO KNOW HOW EVERYTHING WILL PLAY OUT AFTER ALL THIS PLEASE BOOK 2 WHERE ARE YOU.

★ The Darkest Star is also way more political than the Lux series; you can see that Armentrout has developed and matured as an author; where in the Lux universe there was some kind of hint for racism and discrimination, in this book she took the alien/human allegory to another level. Also she included people of colour and some LGBTQA+ characters (LESBIANS) which is always a plus.

I have high hopes for the continuation of Luc and Evie’s story and I sincerely hope that the dear author won’t hurt my babies a lot in the upcoming books!

*Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Teen for providing me with an e-ARC. All opinions are my own.*

LOVED this book! I had heard so many great things about JLA’s books, I have only read one and that was earlier this month and I loved the writing style. This was the same, the writing was so easily read, the story just flowed organically. I loved how plot driven this book was, with a sprinkle of romance (which I feel I need to continue to see where both the romance and story goes). The twists that happened throughout made this book a page turner. I loved the characters, particularly Luc and his abrupt and in your face attitude, I totally fell for him haha! I feel this was a great introduction to this new series, and its really got me keen for the sequential books to come! I have not read any of the LUX series, but this book has made me obsessed with the world that I feel I need to pick up those books ASAP!

I have been a fan of Jennifer L Armentrout's Lux series forever and have reread it multiple times. Therefore, I was beyond excited that she was creating a new series in the same world. The Darkest Star can be read without reading the Lux series because it gives you enough background information that you won't be lost. But the story was enhanced for me by getting to see familiar faces from the previous series.

In Evie Dasher'sworld,  humans know that aliens exist. Four years prior, the world had been attacked by a race of aliens called Luxon. Not all Luxon living on Earth were bad and now humans are trying to coexist with them. Evie's life is relatively normal until one night she decides to go to a species neutral club with her friend. Here she meets a guy named Luc, who she assumes is Luxen. As her attraction and curiosity of Lux grows, everything she thought she knew is questioned. She doesn't know who to trust or who to believe, and she ends up with her life at risk.

Evie's character is extremely likable and I could totally see us being friends, eating waffles and watching horror flicks. She's, spunky and curious. Her character was easily relatable and I loved that about her. I was smitten with Luc's character in the Lux series and those feelings grew ten fold in The Darkest Star. {{Sigh}} he was swoony with his laid back attitude and smirk. He looks out for the under dog and does the dirty work when it needs to get done.

The Darkest Star had everything I expected from Jennifer L Armentrout. A fantastic storyline with angst, sarcasm, action and bad ass aliens. It is a 5 star must read !

If you’ve ever read a novel by Jennifer L Armentrout then you know that she has a skill for creating incredibly hot paranormal love stories. If you haven’t, then you’ve been missing out. The Darkest Star is no exception to that, it’s hot, funny and has a good plot too. I haven’t read the Luz series, and even though this is a spin-off of that series, you don’t have to read it first.

I really liked the characters in this book. There was so much witty banter that I found myself laughing or grinning a lot of the time while reading. Luc was my favorite character. He was rude to Evie when she first met him and that was not at all like what I expected him to be., He was funny and an interesting love interest. Evie was a little more vanilla, but I still enjoyed reading about her.

The plot was pretty good. There was a bit of a mystery and a plot twist, but I totally saw it coming and guessed almost every thing that happened. So I’m a little sorry to say that it was pretty predictable. I did really enjoy the world building and the whole alien story line. Reading this book really made me want to read the Lux series.

Overall I would say that it was a hot YA paranormal romance with a good, but predictable plot and great world building. Although it was predictable I enjoyed the story line and characters enough that it didn’t bother me too bad. I have read several novels by Jennifer L Armentrout and would highly recommend them to fans of romance novels with sexy men in them.

I received a copy from Netgalley, this is my voluntary review.

My first book by this author and yes I get that this connects to her previous series about the Lux but it absolutely worked for me as a standalone. I liked that the heroine Evie is someone I'd want to be friends with and there's a mysterious, somewhat dark hero in Luc but best of all secrets that will knock your socks off.
Obviously if I'd read the previous series I'd have already known certain things about the aliens and I'm guessing that perhaps one or two of the characters here will be familiar to fans. I had kind of worked out something as the story progressed but there were still surprises left . I'd really like to know what is in store for these characters and whilst reading kept thinking it would make an amazing television show particularly given how much science fiction is popular recently. This is YA but there's definitely a sexy vibe about Luc !

After the alien invasion, things have calmed down. Well, somewhat. Evie doesn't know her world will be turned upside down after she goes with her friend to bar known to host Luxen. Secrets are everywhere. Secrets that involve her too. And there's a new alien in town. Only he's not Luxen, but something else. Can Evie trust him enough to learn the truth about not only herself, but her family as well?

What worked: I'm a huge fan of Armentrout's Lux series. I even named my bird after Daemon, the hot Lux alien! So when I found out she wrote another book in that world, I had to read it!

Let's just say I wasn't disappointed!

There's much to love about this new book in the Lux world. Evie is someone who is loyal to her friends and her mother. That doesn't mean she doesn't question about her dead father and parts of her memory of the time before the invasion. When she meets Luc, it's not love at first sight. He's abrupt and almost rude to her in the bar. Later though sparks do fly.

I have to admit, I love Daemon in the Lux series. Luc at first comes across as cocky and full of himself. What I love is how Armentrout shows little vulnerabilities Luc has like how he tries to help Luxen that are on the run from a government that has prejudices against them. He also looks out for Evie even when she does her best to push him away. Luc worms into readers hearts though. By the end of the book I wanted more between them!

Captivating new book in the Lux world with a new hot hero to root for. I hope this isn't the end of Luc and Evie! Fans of the Lux series will totally love this story too!

Its been awhile since I've picked up a Armentrout young adult read, but immediately starting The Darkest Star I was reminded why I love her writing so much. Fast moving, action intense and packed with solid, believable and humanized characters that pull you into her storytelling...hook, line and sinker!

We met the Origin before but now we are getting up close a personal with a new direction to these aliens that are cohabitating with us on earth. I can't wait to see where this will go.

My only complaint, it ended way to soon! I wanted more!!!

I received this ARC copy of The Darkest Star from Macmillan-Tor/Forge -
Tor Teen. This is my honest and voluntary review. The Darkest Star is set for publication October 30, 2018.

My Rating: 5 stars
Written by: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Series: Origin Series
Sequence in Series: Book 1
Hardcover: 368 pages
Publisher: Tor Teen
Publication: October 30, 2018
ISBN-10: 1250175739
ISBN-13: 978-1250175731
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Darkest-Star-O...
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-...

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In the first book of the series from Lux world, Evie is your average teenage girl whose world gets thrown upside down when she meets Luc. Luc has a complex past that threatens the simple world that Evie lives in.

Armentrout does it again with her very complex and twisted storyline. It’s been a while since we have seen these characters and this world. For me, I liked it when she repeated the story of what happened on the original series because I forgot a lot of the details. If you just finished the series (whether it be first time or reread) you may get bored with it. But thank you for bearing through it because it is worth it.

Evie is a strong female character but it’s Luc that steals the show. He gives Daemon a run for his money for best book boyfriend in this series. He’s a romantic that will do anything for the girl he loves even if it means staying away from her. While there are times when you may not think a Evie is ‘strong’ there are glimmers of it and you know it’s just the surface of what she can do. I can’t wait to see when that happens.

The story doesn’t necessarily have a cliffhanger but it definitely leaves the door open for more books. There is a lot of questions that I know I would like answered and another book would be amazing. I just hope we don’t have to wait for long for that to happen.