The Darkest Star by Jennifer L. Armentrout is book one in a new YA fantasy series. A spin-off book from the Lux series, The Darkest Star does not disappoint. Well-written and fast paced. A great read and would recommend.

Armentrout’s latest is a bit melodramatic. Fans of her Lux series may relish the return to the fantastical world but the plot needed more depth.

I'm a sucker for series and spin-offs of series... When I get invested in a world an author has created, I never want it to end. Thankfully Armentrout delivers yet again with a book and series that is sure to have tens and adult readers alike anxiously awaiting the next installment with its non-stop drama, action, and swoony romance!

Absolutely LOVED this book! I was first introduced to Ms. Armentrout’s work through the Origin series, so it has always had a special place in my heart. This book takes place about 5 years after the Origin series. And it quickly fills you in on the war and what’s happened since Origins. Loved meeting Luc and Evie together and seeing their growth and overal just loved being in the Luxen world again. Definitely recommend!

Again Armentrout delivers exactly what I was hoping for. An entertaining, interesting, and engaging book that doesn't make me think too much. I enjoyed her original Lux series, and thought this was a good spinoff.

I was gifted an ebook via Netgalley. I voluntarily read and reviewed it. All thoughts are my own.

I recently (like last month) finished the Lux series. I had started this book prior to that, not realizing it was a continuation/spinoff of the Lux series. So I ended up putting it down until I finished it so I didn't get spoiled for events that happened in those last two books. These books are crack. Plain and simple. JLA has always been an author that is like crack to me. I don't always like every single aspect of the book and there may be some early 2010s cringey YA moments in the books, but I cannot stop reading them and loving them. I don't want to leave too much information in here if you haven't read the Lux series as not to get spoiled, but I love Luc and I'm so glad he gets a spinoff. I hope to get a little of his perspective in future books. Lots of twists and turns and unexpected events in this story. The drama, MAWMA.

****4.5****

Even though you don't need to, if you haven't read the LUX series, I highly recommend reading it first. Or at least be aware that there will be spoilers for that series in the book since this takes place after the ending.

Jen has done it again! I am so happy about this book!! I missed this world, I missed these characters SO SO much.

The pacing of the book felt great, the writing was amazing as always, and the characters unbelievably realistic, dimensional, well-developed and simply wonderful. I was for some reason expecting a dual pov and in reality, it's only Evie who tells the story, which I'll admit was a bit sad for me at first, but I totally understand, after reading it, why it must be only Evie's voice in this book.

This a very particular book for me because it has a huge plot twist, a big secret of something I never thought possible and wanted REALLY BAD. It's amazing and I don't think it deserves to be spoiled, but I'll say this: if you are a huge fan of LUX, you will love it and do the biggest dance party as soon as you reach that part.

While at the end of the Lux series we got to see the end of the war, the resolution of how everything got better after all that destruction, in TDS we get to see the aftermath, the world after the invasion... and we realize things are more complicated than what we got in Opposition seemed to indicate. This was so incredibly interesting to read, especially because it was super realistic, it puts this huge invasion into the real world and it gave us such a realistic picture of what would really happen after the world went through something like that, we see the reality politically and socially, and it was quite scary and interesting.

Finally, I just want to mention real quick how GENUINELY AMAZING was Luc in this book. I won't lie and say it wasn't a bit weird for me at a couple of moments to read him and not picture him like a kid, but it was easier than I thought and I 100% loved him. Like, he definitely can give Daemon a run for his money, you guys.

This book made me so nostalgic but it also brought something so unique to the table and I CAN NOT WAIT to read the next one.

It's fast paced,funny,sweet and there is a little bit mystery.I was intrigued from the beginning.I like the interactions between Evie and Luc, I just wanted more.

❝ “Peaches. I am really beginning to have a thing for peaches.” ❞

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own!

This was my introduction to the Lux universe and Armentrout’s writing, and I totally fell in love! This was one of my favorite reads of 2018 because of how much fun I had reading it.

One of the things that made this book so enjoyable was the fact that Armentrout did such a great job of describing the setting and summarizing the important pieces of history from the past/previous series. It’s always a little daunting starting a series that is related to a previous series, even when it has all-new characters and its own storyline. You worry about not getting the terminology, not understanding the history, and just feeling like you’re missing out on something. I didn’t feel that way at all when reading The Darkest Star. Although though I didn’t feel I needed to read the other series I loved this book so much I decided I wanted to read her Lux series.

Another element that made this book fun for me was the characters. Yes, Luc can be totally infuriating at times, but he has such sweet, genuinely adorable moments that it’s impossible not to love him. He was kind of a smartass and sarcastic (and I totally love characters like that) so I fell in love with him right away. Plus, his shirts were awesome.

Evie was also great because she always dished it right back to Luc. She was brave and so direct at times that it made me laugh. Her story was interesting to me and I enjoyed discovering pieces of it throughout the book.

❝ “Did you love her, Luc?”

[…] “With every breath I take.” ❞

But aside from just the characters, I also loved, loved, loved the relationship between them. And by “them” I’m definitely talking about Evie and Luc. Any time they were together on the page I knew that I could look forward to a good laugh. Their chemistry and exchanges were the highlights of the book for me. Even though I was interested in the story, they were the reason I kept reading. I was always looking for their next great moment.

That being said, this book had a lot to offer, but it did fall a little short in some areas. As I said, Evie and Luc’s relationship was the driving force of The Darkest Star, but sometimes it felt like without them the story would feel a little flimsy. There weren’t very many other well-developed characters in the story. Evie and Luc didn’t necessarily outshine anyone, there just wasn’t much to outshine. This may have been because it was the first book and maybe we’ll get to know the other characters better in the next book (I hope because I definitely wanted to get to know them better).

There was also the plot, which felt divided. The main focus of this book was the relationship between Evie and Luc, but there was also hints of an overarching storyline working in the background. You could tell there was more to the story, but it was kind of simmering in the background. I’m hoping this book was just a preview of it and that we’ll get to know a lot more in the next book.

Overall, I think this was a successful beginning to a new series and despite some hiccups, it was still thoroughly enjoyable. It’s one I highly recommend for people who like YA romance.

The Darkest Star was released on October 30th, it’s a book that’s worth checking out!

I loved the previous books in this series and The Darkest Star didn't disappoint either ! Everything we know and love with a touch more action and character strength ! highly recommend

At first I wasn’t sure about this book, the cult references seemed a little forced and I wasn’t sure what to make about Evie as a character. Then along came Luc and I was even more unsure, the lines he spouted were just cringe. However I later realised there was a reason for this, because as he said, he doesn’t do people well.

I really grew to love both characters in the end though. Evie was feisty and passionate, and even her one-liners grew on me.

"I swear to God and the Holy Ghost, I was going to ninja kick him in the face."

And Luc turned out to be a complete book-crush for me. Although the way the relationship started was really not healthy, Luc’s behaviour really made a lot of sense in the end when all the plot secrets had been revealed (so stick with it guys, if that sort of thing put you off a book).

The Side characters in this book were just as compelling, we only met Daemon for a moment but I really hope we hear more from him as that guy was awesome! He was really snarky and funny and I hope we see more of him in book two.

This book is all about the aftermath of an alien invasion where humans are learning to live alongside the Luxen that are leftover. Because of this there are some really deep themes of racism and oppression that was hard to read at some points.

But there was more to it than that, this book is about trauma and PTSD too, there were so many levels to the book that I really found myself sucked into the world.

And I have to mention the TWISTS. Oh. My. God. Those. TWISTS. Although I saw some coming it made me feel really smart for guessing them, so I was pretty happy with that. But others came out of nowhere and had me reeling in shock.

Those twists were good. Full Stop.

I LOVED this book! I loved the characters, I loved the romance (I shipped it), I loved the drama, the action, the layers, the depths. I loved everything about this book.

But mostly I really just loved that this book reminded me of those YA paranormal books I read a lot as a teen. It took me back and reminded me of the books that I loved like Morganville Vampires and Night World.

I pre-ordered book two as soon as I finished this, that’s how much I enjoyed it. I really recommend it, not just because it’s full of nostalgia, but because the plot is full of so many twists and mysteries that it’s compelling from the first page to the last.

I loved this book so much. The auther has created a world that is truly magical to me and characters i both loved to hate and hated to love. I would recomend this book to all fans of YA fantasy.

4.★★★★Stars

Genre: Fantasy/Romance
Type: Book 1 of the Origin series
POV: First Person

I enjoyed this book, some things felt predictable but I still liked it a lot. I was able to understand the story even though these are side characters from a preview series. I highly recommend it; the characters are like-able and you;ll fall in love with the hero and the heroine. Readers looking for a new romantic fantasy will find this book appealing.

I loved JLA’s Lux series. When I heard she was going back with The Darkest Star and new Origin series, I was thrilled. I couldn’t get my hands on it soon enough. I couldn’t even binge read it, because I wanted to savor it. Now that I’ve finished, I just want more.

I have to be honest, I find it very difficult to review non-contemporary books because it’s far too easy to give important things away. I’m going to keep my review pretty short and sweet — and vague — because I don’t want to run the risk of that. If you’ve read and enjoyed the Lux series, you will undoubtedly want to read The Darkest Star. That said, I’m also confident those who haven’t read the Lux series could still get into this one. (But they might not be as excited about certain cameos as those of us who read and loved Lux were.)

The Darkest Star has all those things I’ve come to expect from Jen’s books — a great heroine, swoony (even unexpectedly so) hero, sass and sarcasm, humor and plenty of twists and turns. While I was falling for the characters, I was trying to put the pieces together to figure out what was going on. But for real, y’all, no way I was figuring it out on my own this time. The story is SO FREAKING GOOD and the further I got into the story, the harder I found it to savor it. I just wanted answers and kissing and all the good stuff.

The Origin series is off to an amazing start with The Darkest Star. I’m in love with Luc. Evie is pretty amazing in her own right. I have a lot of questions and I’m totally intrigued by the storyline overall. I’m not sure when we’ll get more, but I know I’ll be waiting with grabby hands until I do.

FAVORITE QUOTES
That was what I wanted at some point in my life, for someone to look at me like I looked at tacos.

Deep down I knew that whispered words were going to turn into actions, and things would escalate. Fear would turn to hatred, and that was a deadly combination. The school was a powder keg, and it wasn’t a matter of if it would blow. It was only a matter of when.

“If I had to do it all over, I would. Without a fucking doubt, I would do it again, because the only other option would be that you wouldn’t be standing in front of me—pissed off, but breathing. Alive and so damn beautiful that it sometimes kills me a little each time I look at you.

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

AMAZING BOOK this was my first book from this author after my friend recommended her to me and I'm so glad I took the plunge and decided to give this a go this book has had me gripped from start to finish I can't wait to try some of her other works.

I really really enjoyed thus book!

I forgot how much I loved Jennifer's writing and the world of the Luxen and Origins

I loved the expanding of characters we saw in the Lux series and seeing cameos from the main characters from the Lux series and I really enjoyed all of the new characters too

It was so great to be back in this world and I can't wait for book two!

This book was not what I had expected. This was also my first Jennifer L. Armentrout novel, and I did not realize it was actually a book in an already existing universe of Lux novels. Perhaps I would have enjoyed it more if I was familiar with those books. Overall, it was just not the book for me but I can see where it would be beloved by those who enjoy the series.

Fun, intrigue, mystery, supernatural and sci-fi rolled into one!
Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Teen for the opportunity to read and review The Darkest Star by Jennifer L. Armentrout!
Two teenage girls, Evie and Heidi, go into an all-inclusive club and while one is having fun dancing the other one is being interrogated by Luc, who’s being extremely rude. Evie isn’t the least bit impressed with Luc and tells him so. The club gets raided and Luc takes Evie to hide inside a closet with him, claiming to be protecting her. She realizes the next day that she’s lost her phone and it’s probably at the club. She heads back to retrieve her phone, to no avail and from there, the acquaintance with Luc grows into more. In the meantime, the Luxen invasion is described and Origins are explained. Luc and Evie are fun characters, each with distinct personalities and I thoroughly enjoy their banter. This story contains several mysteries, which build then unfold throughout the book. I love the author’s writing and have devoured her realistic fiction novels, The Problem with Forever and If There’s No Tomorrow. The Darkest Star is the first supernatural novel of hers that I’ve read and it’s just as awesome, showing how talented Jennifer L. Armentrout is! Even though many mysteries come into the light, there are still unanswered questions at the ending which leads the reader into the next book, The Burning Shadow. Supernatural mystery earning a solid 5 stars!

One of my absolute favorite novels from Jennifer. I loved delving back into this world and it’s characters while introducing a new set that will keep your engaged.

Loved reading this! I wasn't sure what to expect, but this book is so much more than I first thought! So good!