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Review: The Darkest Star by Jennifer L. Armentrout (Origin #1)

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The Darkest Star by Jennifer L. Armentrout // VBC ReviewThe Darkest Star (Origin #1)
Jennifer L. Armentrout
Published: Oct. 30, 2018 (Tor Teen)
Purchase: Book Depository or Amazon
Review source: copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review

Reviewed by: Amy

Rating (out of 5): 4 stars

Note: While this review will be spoiler free, it may unintentionally contain spoilers for two series set in the same world. If you haven’t stepped into this world yet, check out VBC’s reviews of Obsidian and Obsession.

About four years ago an alien race called the Luxen invaded Earth with the intention of taking control. Not all Luxen, however, were in favor of total domination. Some just wanted to live in peace and start a new life, cohabitating with humans. Those Luxen fought on the side of the humans and shifted the tide of the war. Now, as Earth tries to rebuild what was lost, there are still tensions between humans and the Luxen that remained. The government has put a lot of restrictions upon the Luxen, but there are always those that break the rules.

So when Evie Dasher sneaks out of her house to go to a club where mingling between Luxen and humans is the standard, she’s a little apprehensive. Then she meets Luc, a mysteriously attractive guy whom Evie immediately assumes is a Luxen. But then the club gets raided and their time together cut short. However, she just can’t seem to get him out of her head. There’s a strong connection between them that Evie is hesitant to explore further because she doesn’t really trust him. Everything Evie thought she knew and understood about a world so changed by war will be called into question as the connection between her and Luc grows deeper.

I haven’t read the previous series/books that The Darkest Star is spun off from, but I didn’t find any issues in picking up the story. Although, upon research, I believe there are a few cameos which should delight longtime fans of the series, plus the fact that Luc himself was once a secondary character.

Pretty much from the start, you know there’s something going on that is eluding Evie. Something that she’s been unaware of within the human/Luxen dynamic around her. I had it pretty much pegged from the start, so wading through all the starts and stops and teases that it takes to get to the moment when Evie is finally made aware was a little trying. But, in the interest of remaining vague, I liked that Jennifer Armentrout didn’t put all her eggs in one basket, so to speak. There was a depth to what was happening around Evie that I didn’t see all the pieces coming or how they all fit together.

The story is told entirely from Evie’s point of view, and I cannot help but wish we got a little from Luc’s as well, if anything I think some of the monotony of Evie just missing the mark on putting things together would have been avoided, but I understood because this is the beginning of the series. If nothing else it’s almost easier for the reader to identify with Evie and her new eyes-wide-open perspective at this point before delving into the over-arching conflict in the next book(s).

In this way, I loved that the attraction between Luc and Evie is so tentative. It’s an important part of the story, but it doesn’t take precedence over other, possibly direr circumstances. By the end of The Darkest Star they’re still learning about one another. I appreciated the slow burn aspect to their relationship and I look forward to seeing them explore it more in future books.

By the end of The Darkest Star Evie’s world has opened up exponentially, I’m looking forward to seeing her navigate it and seeing how she and Luc fit together.

Sexual content: kissing

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