NO SPOILERS!

It's been several years since I read the Lux series, and I loved returning to the world of Luxen, Origins, etc. again. The Darkest Star was a great start to the new Origins series and Luc and Evie's story, and I really enjoyed the storyline and characters. Jennifer L. Armentrout weaved a surprising, funny, and action-filled young adult paranormal tale full of twists and turns that I didn't see coming. It was entertaining from beginning to end, and although there were some things I didn't like, I'm definitely looking forward to continuing the series in the books to come.

ARC received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Being back in the world of Luxen is everything. I mean come on, she writes about sexy aliens. How can you not just be in complete awe? The Darkest Star was everything I wanted and more. I devoured this book like a $2 taco on taco Tuesday, no joke. There’s instant action and angst right in the first chapter. The sparks don’t stop there though, they continue right through the whole book until you’re swooning at the last page and kicking yourself for finishing it so fast.

There are so many surprises and secrets in The Darkest Star and yet by the end of the book I still have many questions. I know Jennifer is going to continue to pack the punches (literally and figuratively) with this series and honestly I cannot wait to get my greedy little hands on it. Well, is it greedy if you love it so much?

At first with our main characters you meet Evie and Luc and think well here’s another innocent girl meets bad boy story. However, not really. Yes, Evie is ultimate good girl however we see her finally start breaking rules right in the beginning...busting out of her shell so you can say. Luc on the other hand is absolutely cocky however you quickly find out an all-around amazing guy. I highly enjoyed these two together and ship them all the way.

Overall, Jennifer L. Armentrout hit another one out of the park. I am really not sure she’s capable of disappointment. Drama, laughs, and sexy times are all present in her books and The Darkest Star is no exception. You absolutely want to grab this one when it comes out next week!

I wasn't sure what to think of this book when I first started it. BUT WOAH! This book was AH-MAY-ZING! I got sucked in really quickly and zoomed right through it!

The character development in this book was awesome! Luc reminded me of Rhysand from ACOTAR, who is my all-time-favorite book bf, so of course, I liked him almost immediately.

I also liked that even though this book is about 👽, there are also many comparisons to today's society. People are arguing over and protesting 👽rights sounds all too familiar. Also, the comparisons to mixed relationships being dangerous. Even though things have come a long way for biracial relationships, we still have so far to go.

I absolutely ♥ ♥ ♥ed this book! I was so mad when I got to the last page then looked on GoodReads and found out that I don't even know how long I will have to wait to see what happens next.

One thing that will make the wait a little better... This book is the first in a new series, based on the world from the author's Lux series. I started reading it immediately after finishing this book.

While you do not have to read the Lux series to understand or ♥ this book, I do recommend it. I am finding that reading this book before reading the Lux series gives some spoilers away.

However, I think the author did an awesome job world building in this book and in the Lux series. She did so in a way so that readers that started with this book could perfectly understand the world, while not being redundant for those that had already read Lux.

Again, if you have not read the Lux series yet and think you might want to at some point, I do recommend reading it first. However, if you don't ever plan to read it, dive on in to this series!

I received a copy of this book from the publishers, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Another stunning book by Armentrout... from the writing to the characters, to the overall plot, everything was perfect and drew me in from page one. The pacing was slow at times, but it never took away from my enjoyment, and I never found myself bored or wishing for it to speed up.
Overall loved this book and it will stick with me in my heart for a long while!

I gotta say, I'm a bit disappointed.

I loved the original Lux series and I just felt like this didn’t live up to that standard. Katy and Daemon will forever be goals. Their relationship, their banter, their sass, their inside jokes, all of it was golden. Evie and Luc seemed like a watered-down version of that. I didn’t really enjoy the romance and I was a bit disappointed by the plot twists. I totally called the first reveal from like page 8, and the other one disappointed me for other reasons.

There were a lot of nods to the original series and a lot of moments when they brought up the original characters, but it still felt like it was ripping off a lot of the original. Or at least, like it was trying too hard to get you to remember the good ol’ days with the original gang so you wouldn’t notice a lot of the recycled story. Even bits of the dialogue was taken right from the original series and I really didn’t like that. Like the whole joke with the adverbs, that’s Katy and Daemon’s joke (if you’ve read the series you’ll know what I mean). And Luc was constantly quoting Daemon and saying “I once knew a guy who said... (whatever it was that Daemon said)” as if that made it any more acceptable to take Daemon's best and sassiest lines!

In the end, I still don’t regret having done the absolute most to get my hands on this book. Still, I have to say that I didn’t love this book. I loved the original series and still do. I even liked Luc in the original series when he was a cocky 14-year-old with too much power and an attitude problem, more than I did in this one. Still, I do recommend this one if you’re a fan of the original series. And yes, this is one of the times when I think you need to read the original series before you get into the spin-off. None of this story would make sense without it.

5 - "Sometimes the truth is worse than the lie…" Stars!

Any book that takes me back to the Lux universe, makes me happy, and Luc and Evie’s story was a really great return. Although to be honest, anything that gives me a little more page time with my favourite alien ever; Damon Black is generally going to make me happy.

"You don’t fit in here…"

Filled with the usual twists and turns that Armentrout’s YA series generally carry, and a blossoming sexual tension between the leads The Darkest Star was the beginning that I was absolutely expecting for the Origin series in those respects, but the author kept me on my toes even more with some of the things that played out in the latter stages.

"What do you have to lose..?"

"… Everything."

This is definitely one of those sorts of books where you can’t say much about the plot, but if you have read the author before you won’t be disappointed, and if you haven’t but are looking for a well-crafted PG-13 Sci-Fi read, then this one will definitely be up your street. Although with no firm date for book two, or even a title at this point I am sort of wishing I had waited until the full series was out in the wilds because patience has never been one of my virtues.

"You were all my good memories…"

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I LOVE Jennifer L Armentrout and I absolutely LOVE the Lux series. I was beyond ecstatic when I learned we would get more of this world! I will say the only thing that held me back from a 5 star review was that it took me until 47% into the book to figure out or rather remember who these characters were. I'm sure that's partly my fault with my less than stellar memory of characters -even ones that I love - and since I read so many books and have read a ton since the Lux series. BUT when It did click HOLY CRAP I LOVE LUC he was one of my absolute favorite side characters! I was all in at that point and couldn't have loved it more. Chock full of action and snark with a little bit of romance on the side I just love that combo! I am so excited for more in this series it is sure to be another one of my faves!

I liked what is really going on to this book, like I’m get easily attached to it every time I read and it’s not easily to put it down! I swear! As a first reader with aliens, it’s pretty good and I have so much emotions drawing to my head. I liked to imagine the characters’ troubles, their abilities, their appearances and everything. The revelations between the human and alien parties are just really unexpected. Shocking to know the whole truth about Evie and Luc, I was like“Woah okay. Hold on there. I can’t hold that truth quick” kind of thing. Funny thing that while I’m reading it, I’m like creating a movie scene for this book with aliens and stuffs happening in the book. It was also a fast paced read, because every chapter in the book have this gripping moment that you don’t want to miss and I liked it that way! My favorite part is where Evie and Luc met on the first time because that one is really unexpected turn and that scene really make me smile and told myself that “oh yeah this is a great story right here”.

Full review in: https://dmcireadsblog.wordpress.com/2018/10/28/e-arc-review-the-darkest-star-by-jennifer-l-armentrout/

4.5
I would like to thank Netgalley and Tor Teen for gifting me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

As popular as this author is I have never read anything by her. (Hanging my head in shame.) This being a spin off to another series I’ll definitely have to read that series.

Luc – ummm yes!!! He’s everything that you love in a lead male character. A leader, strong, mysterious, bossy, and steals your heart.

Evie – I loved her as a female lead. I thought she had a lot of character development and grew so much in this book. She had a lot to deal with and learn and I think she handled it well.

I think what I liked the most of this book is how it seems to be a parallel to what we are living through now. I’m not sure if that is what she was going for but it’s something I kept thinking about while reading.

Don’t hesitate to pick this up.

3.5 stars

I was 10000% in on this story. I loved the previous series and was always intrigued by Luc.

I liked Evie well enough. She’s tough and smart and loyal. I liked being in her head and I loved the banter with Luc {even though it’s not as humorous as Katy and Daemon’s}. Getting more of Luc’s story was fairly satisfying. And while there are a few other characters, no one really stood out to me. Her friends felt interchangeable.

Plot wise, it was a bit slow. Don’t get me wrong, there are things happening and lots of things revealed, but it was very repetitive to me. Especially when several of the same phrases and words were constantly used. I’m seeing now that this is labeled as the first book of a series, so maybe the slow build up was all for the set up?

Overall, it was a good enough start, even if it was lacking the same spark the original Lux series had. However, if there are going to be more books, I’ll definitely be reading.

**Huge thanks to Tor Teen for providing the arc free of charge**

I really enjoyed this book and I think Evie and Luc are much more intriguing than Daemon and Katy were. Thankfully Luc isn’t as terrible and sexist as Daemon. The writing and plot in this book is such an improvement.

"We were all Dark Stars, but Luc...he was the darkest..."

I do love when the title of the book is subtly worked into the story, as it is in the above quote. I so went into this wanting to love it, but it just wasn't happening. The first half of this book was a struggle to get through…by far, there is too much silly high school drama. I don't remember the Lux Series being this childish, I actually really liked it. It was overwhelmingly disappointing for me.

With the second half, the story slowly improved little by little…once JLA stopped being so evasive and actually started giving us something plot-wise, anyway. She was so evasive that I found myself wishing I could remember more about the Lux Series, especially the final book, just so I might know wtf was up.

By the ending, it finally felt like something intriguing was being hinted at…unfortunately, I don't know if that hint will be enough for me to continue the series. Maybe, if I wait for the Audio, it will be doable??? I was looking at other reviews for this…and it seems most people loved it…so it's possible I'm in the minority here.

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~~~~~MY RATING~~~~~
☆2.7☆STARS - GRADE=C-
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๏๏๏~BREAKDOWN OF RATINGS~๏๏๏

Plot~ 2.8/5
Main Characters~ 2.7/5
Secondary Characters~ 2.5/5
The Feels~ 2/5
Pacing~ 2.5/5
Addictiveness~2.7/5
Theme or Tone~ 2.7/5
Flow (Writing Style)~ 2.3/5
Backdrop (World Building)~ 2.5/5
Originality~ 3/5
Ending~ 3.2/5 Cliffhanger~ "to be continued"
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Book Cover~ It's Starry…
Series~ Origin #1
Setting~ Columbia, Maryland
Source~ I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
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I read this in two days. It was another couldn't put down read from this author. Her Lux series was the same, I stayed up reading, who needs sleep ? This one picks up from the after edges of that series, based around the Origin Luc and a human girl Evie.
The world after the Lux series is not an easy gentle one, things are tough, fear prevails, memories are good and hate is strong. The fear is real when dead bodies start showing up. The government has taken control and neutralized the Luxen, giving humans a chance to feel equal. When Evie goes against the rules, and puts everyone in danger her and Luc are then on path that will change everything. The secrets that unravel in all this mess open her eyes to a past she will never know.
I didn't give this a five star, I just wasn't believing in some of the characters, Evie and Luc. Their actions/thoughts fit their age but not their life experiences. I think that was the problem, all that happened in that world would have aged them mentally and emotionally. They acted like stereotypical early high school kids not 17 and 18 year old raised in a world of alien wars and death.
The end ! ARGUH Way to leave me hanging JLA ! I can't wait to read book 2 in this series, hopefully they grew up a bit.

Evie Dasher just wanted to go out with her friend and relax for a change. When the club they are at gets raided, she is whisked into the back by Luc and her life is changed forever. Evie believes that Luc is a Luxen, an alien race that had invaded earth, but Luc claims he isn’t. Although Evie doesn’t know what Luc really is, she cannot deny the attraction she feels towards him. What of Evie’s knowledge is true and what is a lie? How will Evie react when her world is turned upside down?

The Darkest Star is the first book in the Origin series. Armentrout doesn’t waste time building up to the story. She takes readers deep inside the story in the first chapter and then explores the deeper truths about the characters along the way. There is a little bit of romance that is included in the story and a lot of time thinking about the shape of the boys’ bodies. I’m not sure this is relevant to the overall story and I began to feel like they were forced into the pages. This book does leave a lot of unanswered questions, so Armentrout has a newly created world with many more stories for the making.

4.5 Stars in my Sky!

I was absolutely flipping thrilled when I heard Luc was getting a spin off. Why I hear you ask? Because he's freaking awesome of course! *Note* After reading The Darkest Star I can confirm that he's even more awesome than I remembered/imagined!

Luc is the cheeky, sassy (yes guys can SO be sassy) and all round badass alien we all came to love in the Lux series, except this time round he's older and more powerful! Awesome, right?! Throw in a fab heroine like Evie, who could possibly even out awesome Katy, then you know it's gonna be another JLA classic!

The Darkest Star is set a few years after the events of the Lux series, so the world knows about aliens and the Luxens are kinda persona non grata because of the invasion!

Luc is as weird and dramatic as ever but he's totally dedicated to looking after those he loves and helping anybody he thinks needs help.

Evie is a bit of a mystery. Like a lot of humans, she's wary of the Luxens left on Earth but she's strangely drawn to Luc. From the second she meets him she feels a pull towards him she can't explain.

Oh the twists!! In typical JLA fashion she likes to keep her readers on their toes and keep us fan-girls guessing! Also the ending was everything I wanted and more, but OH THE CLIFFY!!! I've reread the story several times and I'm impatiently waiting to find out what happens next - The struggle is real people!!
I received a copy in exchange for an honest review!

I discovered this author a couple of years ago but only this year I read her series "Lux" and became a fan. Of course, I couldn't miss Luc's story because during the other saga I was interested in his thoughts and I wanted to see if he was really who he claimed to be. So I requested to read this book, but it wasn't what I hoped for. I realize that the author wanted to continue the story of the Luxen/Origin, but this book reused some classic YA plots like the girl who finds she's not "normal" and the mysterious guy who finds attracted to her despite they are from different worlds. In some parts it reminded me of other famous YA books, but I can't blame the author because sadly YA stories are very similar to each other. Despite all this, which I also remember to have found reading the first book of the Lux series, the story was enjoyable. The author knows how to write and I like the dialogue between the couple, because there's angst and they're funny to read. Since this is just the first volume of a new series, I'll read the sequel when and if it will be published, because maybe the story gets better.

Where do I start with this review? I loved Luc so much that he has rendered me speechless (which I’m sure he would love lol).

Luc is a character that we first met in the Lux series. He is an Origin, which is different than a Luxen. Luc is different in a lot of ways and that’s what makes him so special. His personality, his ego, and his “omnipresence” make him such a fun character. I could read about Luc forever and never grow tired of him **insert heart eyes emoji here**

I have been screaming from the rooftops for people to read the Lux series and now I’ll be including The Darkest Star to that list of must reads!

A huge thank you to NetGalley, Jennifer Armentrout, and Tor Teen for the amazing opportunity of reading The Darkest Star in exchange for an honest review.

I was a little off-put by the fact that I've never read the Lux series before, and that this book's main character appears halfway through the original series. But even if you don't know much about the world of the Lux, this book explains everything about the alien invasion, so it's all good. Just saying, this book was so utterly amazing, that I went out and ordered all the special collectors editions of the original five Lux books, and I am hoping for a similar feel. If the originals are anything like this, they will definitely not disappoint.

Years ago, the Luxen invaded, alien creatures that can take the guise of a human to blend in, as needed. Evie Dasher humors her friend by attending a night club where Luxen and humans can interact together, something highly frowned upon. When Luc, the Luxen who heads the club, wants to talk to Evie, she's fairly nervous. I mean, the guy is pretty darn hot!

As Evie becomes further and further involved with the Luxen, she learns about Origins, offspring of Luxen and mutated humans. And what Origins are capable of. Not only potentially much more powerful than Luxen, but they have some pretty over-powered healing abilities. Evie also learns about Arum, the alien species that destroyed the Luxen planet. And they are pretty scary shadow creatures with an interesting, yet creepy, was of communicating.

As Evie becomes more and more involved with the world of the Luxen--and Luc--she learns that her past might just have been hidden from her, and there's more to her involvement with Luc than meets the eye. With a number of girls who look like Evie being murdered...with their eyes burned out, a pattern from one killer, Evie's life is in danger. She's being targeted by one of the few Origins left, and no one can figure out why.

Wow, I hope I didn't give too much away, but this book is non-stop, fast-paced action, with quite a bit of spicy romantic elements, that make this a rather heart-pounding read. Definitely geared toward girls, but guys can enjoy this book too. If you have read the Lux series, I'm pretty sure you will absolutely adore this book. If you haven't read the Lux series, not a problem! Like I said, this book is so magically fascinating that I went out and bought all the other Lux books--before I even finished this one! Highly recommend and I seriously cannot wait until the next one. I haven't read a new author (new to me that is) with a book I'm willing to give five stars to in quite some time. For me, this is a huge deal, and probably one of my top reads for 2018.

WOW! First of all, I’m glad I took the time to read the Lux series because even though technically I didn’t need to, it provides the background that lets this books reach its highest potential. By the end of Opposition I was getting a little bogged down, things honestly felt somewhat predictable, but this series has truly captured my attention ferociously and quickly. I was worried about not being able to read this book fast enough, but trust me, I couldn't put it down.

What I enjoyed:
The nostalgic factor: OK I know I just read the lux series, but a lot of other people have read it years ago and bringing back this world and familiar characters is so touching. There's just enough of the others to bring that connection, but not take over the plot of this novel.
The romance: Daemon and Kat are classic, but the chemistry between Luc and Evie felt like another level.

A lot of spin-off books books just take one of the previous characters and write of what happened in their perspective. I love that this book not only simply continues the timeline instead of replaying the past. Not only that, but instead of making it in Luc's perspective we get a new perspective, Evie's.

I saw some of the plot twists, but there are plenty so this book will definitely keep you on your toes!! Any fan of the Lux series will love this book and anyone who hasn't read the Lux series yet, I really recommend it and then hurry and pick up The Darkest Stars right after!!

The Darkest Star is the first installment in a brand new series called Origin by author Jennifer L. Armentrout. This new series features 17-year old Evelyn (Evie) Dasher who lives in a world where 4 years ago, aliens invaded the planet and killed 3% of the world's population. Thanks to an Alien race called Luxen, the world was saved from complete extinction. Some of you already know this, but this is actually a spin-off from the authors Lux series. Does this mean you should that series first? I won't say no since there are some characters who do appear as much older versions of themselves, but I think you can get by without doing so.

So, Evie and her friend Heidi decide to go to this club called "Foretoken" where Heidi is supposed to meet a girl that she has fallen for. Evie is actually breaking all the rules since this club is known for having the sexy, gorgeous, beautiful aliens called Luxen hanging out there. Evie meets Luc, who like Daemon in the original series, is hot as sin, and as sarcastic as they come. He is also something that Daemon never was. an Origin. To say that he is rude from the moment that they meet, is mild. He is downright hostile and claims she is breaking an unsaid agreement.

When the club is raided by ART (Alien Response Task Force) and their drones, Evie and Luc are able to escape without getting caught. Evie doesn't know what unwritten rule she apparently broke by going to the club. She can't actually ask her mother or fear being grounded. Evie's world is turned upside down when things she thought she knew, are things that are far from the truth. As Evie struggles to keep her distance from Luc, girls from her school go missing & are found dead in and around the school.

Luc knows things about Evie, that is killing him in not bursting out and telling Evie about what he knows about her past. As the duo dances the tango around each other, and Luc does tell Evie about things her own mother hasn't told her, Evie is being stalked by someone extremely dangerous and it will only be a matter of time before things explode. Can Luc save Evie before it's late? When Evie learns the real truth about her past, will she run away, or stand and fight?

I have it on good authority that Luc was just a young boy in the original series, while in this story, he is 18, and not only running Foretoken, but also some other endeavors off the book. I will give one thing away, YES, a certain character does make a guest appearance in this book. ::lips are sealed:: I also have it on good authority that Evie was the ill girl from the original series which is why I suggest, but don't demand that you read the entire first series before jumping into this story.

One of the things that drove me nuts is the not knowing. The secrets that everyone seems to know, including Evie's mother Colonel Sylvia Dasher, about deals and the past and Evie's part in what happened 4 years ago. The relationship between Evie and Luc is a bit on the hot and cold side. Luc is also pretty darn funny at times especially when it comes to his teasing of Evie and his relationship with Sylvia. Meanwhile, Evie is pretty vanilla for a character. There's really nothing special about her. She's just a human. She's not a hybrid. She's not a Luxen. She's not a Luxen or worse, an Aren.

The best part of this story was the mystery. When the mystery is revealed, and the villain is named, readers of the original series will smirk knowing that he is very familiar. I think it's fair to say that there are a whole lot of questions that haven't been explained, and plot points that were intentionally left unsolved until the next installment in this series. So many questions about the villain of this books warning of things to come