ARC Review: The Darkest Star by Jennifer Armentrout

The The Darkest Star
By Jennifer Armentrout
Origin #1
ARC: 366 pages
Tor Teen
October 30, 2018
Categories: Science Fiction, Romance, YA
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My Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ |5/5|
Spoiler-free review below

When seventeen-year-old Evie Dasher is 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 he 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...

#1 New York Times, USA Today, and internationally bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout returns to the universe of the Lux in this brand new series, featuring beloved characters both new and old.

I received an ARC from the publisher for an honest review.

Holy alien babies!

Jennifer Armentrout is the jedi master of writing perfect male characters. I don't know how she does it, but her male leads never fail to make me swoon, and Luc is no exception. It could be the arrogance and sarcasm that she introduces them with, or the amazingly big hearts they always reveal-- but my lord. I officially have a new favorite male character in my life!

The story begins 4 years after the Luxen invasion that threatened to destroy Earth. If you read The Lux Series, you have already met Luc. He is an Origin, a hybrid alien/human created by the government to be a super soldier. If you have not, first of all, what the hell are you doing with your life? Second-- please go pick up this series and read it. It is such an amazing adventure. I never knew I would fall in love with sexy aliens, but I absolutely did and my life is better for it. Third-- I will explain a bit of the back story that leads us to the beginning of this book.

The Luxen are from another star system and fled to Earth when their planet was attacked and subsequently destroyed by the Arum, another race of extraterrestrial beings. They have lived among humans and assimilated our DNA to blend in and appear as one of us. The truth of the Luxens is known by only the government, and the Daedulus Group, responsible for creating Luxen/human hybrids known as Origins. Origins are crazy powerful, and since they have been raised in a lab, know nothing of morality. They are super soldiers in every sense of the word. Thankfully, when the enemy aliens invade Earth, hell-bent on exterminating human life and inhabiting our planet for themselves, most Luxen residing here as well as the Origins take up arms against the invaders. 4 years after the war that destroyed most US cities, Luxen are now known to humans. Regardless of the fact that they saved our species, they are under constant surveillance and required to register with the government. The remaining aliens on Earth are judged harshly for who they are and forced to wear bracelets that disable their abilities. It is the same sad story of racism that we see over and over again on this planet. I'm praying Bernie will be in office if ever we discover extraterrestrial life does exist. But now I'm rambling. Anyways..

Our main character is a 17 year old girl named Evie. She has little memory of the invasion and the subsequent war that follows. Her life has just begun to get back to normal. She is an only child; her father died in the war and her mom works long hours for the military. Evie is basically left to her own devices, which leads us to her decision to go to a club that is frequented by Luxen. Here, she meets Luc. He is cocky and annoying, basically telling that her she doesn't belong there. When the club gets invaded by military police looking for unregistered aliens, it is Luc that keeps her from danger. I enjoyed Evie's character; she is a strong female that makes the most ridiculous life decisions. I can totally relate! Her relationship with Luc is dangerous, frustrating, and at times, inconvenient. I. Loved. It. As their connection grows, so do the questions surrounding Evie's past. I don't want to give too much away, but the twists and turns throughout this story were wonderfully done. Yet again, Miss Armentrout's writing is superb. Her characters are among my favorites ever written! This heart-pounding, non stop adventure left me with tears on my cheeks and a smile on my face. I cannot wait to read more of Luc and Evie's escapades in the books to come. I highly, highly recommend putting this book, as well as the first series on your tbr. I don't think you will be disappointed!

Morrighan