The Darkest Star

Origin Series, Book 1

By: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld

In the world of the Lux, secrets thrive, lies shatter, and love is undeniable.

Number-one New York Times, USA Today, and internationally best-selling author Jennifer L. Armentrout brings her trademark drama and intrigue to a new romantic YA science-fiction series with The Darkest Star.

A girl pulled into in a world she doesn't understand finds herself confronted by long-buried secrets, a betrayal that could tear her life apart...and Armentrout's most swoonworthy audiobook boyfriend yet.

Seventeen-year-old Evie Dasher knows firsthand the devastating consequences of humanity's war with the aliens. When she's caught up in a raid at a notorious club known as one of the few places where humans and the surviving Luxen can mingle freely, she meets Luc, an unnaturally beautiful guy she initially assumes is a Luxen...but is in fact something much more powerful. Her growing attraction for Luc will lead her deeper and deeper into a world she'd only heard about, a world where everything she thought she knew will be turned on its head....

©2018 Jennifer L. Armentrout (P)2018 Macmillan Audio

Great world building

Great characters and great narration. Suspense and drama mixes with romance and fear in this first book of the series. I think it is a good foundation to build upon.

Great story

I would read anything by Jen. I have. I love the story and cannot wait to read the sequel as well.

Knowing he had deep feelings

I really like he didn’t give up on her even when she wanted him to

Loved this!

The Darkest Star is a must read for Lux fans. I love Luc!

My thoughts

I loved being back in the world of Lux! Over the summer I finished the Lux series, so the story and characters are still fresh in my mind. The Darkest Star picks up several years after the finale in the Lux series. The world is different now that the truth of the Luxen alien’s existence has come to light. Evie Dasher is your normal teenager, juggling high school and a social life. Breaking the rules, she and her friend go to a night club for Luxens and humans. The night doesn’t turn out as planned when Evie meets Luc, a Luxen with a bad boy attitude, and the club gets raided. A rocky start to their relationship leads to further complications and unusual deaths in their small-town. The Luxens integration into society has not been equally welcomed by the humans, which mirrors the American social unrest of the segregated schools in the 60’s and the current political state of immigrants. As frustrating as it was, I think the author made a good choice of including this tension in the story so young readers can view how fear can drive people to panic and treat others cruelly.

This book has the same formula as the Lux series - a cocky alien and a strong-willed human. Evie is tough and smart, but at times her stubbornness annoyed me. But Luc is perfect! He has the cocky attitude but when his secrets are revealed you can’t help but fall in love with him. I loved their banter and chemistry, and their connection was partly predictable and shocking.

This book is a spinoff, but you don’t need to read the Lux series. I highly recommend you do since Daemon and Archer make cameos, and you don’t want to miss all the swoon worthy moments with Daemon in the other books. I love the other characters making an appearance and being mentioned, so I hope in the next books we get to see more of my favorite characters.

This was my first time listening to narrator Saskia Maarleveld and I enjoyed her performance. She sounds like Justine Eyre (the narrator for the Lux series) so it was an easy transition to a new narrator and series. The character voices and personalities were spot on and added life to the story.

The Darkest Star has it all – romance, action, suspense and comedy. I took my time to read this book because I didn’t want this to end. This was a great start to a new series with characters I’ve grown to love. I can’t wait to read the next book!

Another good story!

loved this story. I'm so glad she continued the story...can't wait for the next. J. Armentrout never disappoints.