[ARC Review] The Darkest Star by Jennifer L. Armentrout

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

Rating

Review

The Darkest Star is Jennifer L. Armentrout’s YA return to the world of Luxen, taking place just a few years after the end of the original Lux series. It follows a new character, Evie, whose family is tied closely with the government and its secrets, but doesn’t know what political leaders have decided to hide behind closed doors about Luxen and the invasion. It’s a book with aliens, mystery, and romance, and follows the same addictive style of the original Lux series.

When I saw that more books were going to be released in the world of the Lux, I was overjoyed. Then I saw I had been sent an advanced copy of that same book, and that joy turned to pure excitement. It’s been a year or two since I last read Armentrout’s Lux series, but this book brought me right back into the world of awesome aliens and passionate romances, even if I didn’t remember everything that happened in the original series. I’m really intrigued by where this world and series seems to be going, and already cannot wait for the sequel to The Darkest Star!

The main thing I remembered from the Lux series was how addicting the romance was, and The Darkest Star is no exception there. The love interest, and thus romance, is introduced almost right away, in the very first chapters of the book no less, but it didn’t put me off of it at all. While it originally seemed to move quickly and irrationally, it slows down quickly while also later explaining why things transpired like they did at first. Additionally, the early introduction allows for the romance to become intertwined with the plot itself, and the two seem to be equally important and intriguing in this book!

The plot itself isn’t too complex, but I found that didn’t really negatively impact the book or my enjoyment of it. The book mainly revolves around things that happened before this book takes place. I guess you could call it a background book. Most conversations and actions are based around giving information to Evie and the reader, specifically about her own individual past as well as the truth behind Luxen and the invasion. The main issue here was that a lot of the secrets about the world and Luxen were things readers of the original Lux series will know already, making some big reveals pretty disappointing. The present plot itself mainly follows a murder mystery, though this almost seems to act as a background plot of sorts, mainly used as a way to push information to the main character, and thus to the reader. Even though I normally wouldn’t enjoy a book like this, as it would feel too repetitive or slow, Armentrout managed to make it extremely entertaining regardless, due to both the romance and the characters themselves. However, my last main “issue” with the plot, if you can call it that, would have to be how obvious the main twist is. From about 20%-30% in, I realized what was going on and the main secret of the book and characters, and was stuck waiting until 70%-80% for that twist to come to light to everyone else. In the end, that coupled with the regurgitation of old secrets from the Lux series made nothing in the book really shocking, though I did still enjoy it in its entirety.

Overall, The Darkest Star felt like a solid beginning to a new addition to the world of Luxen, though I do feel it relies heavily on its romance and past success to fully carry the simple plot of this particular book. However, I don’t think this will last, as now that both the reader and main character are caught up to speed the rest of the series should be packed full of twists and turns, as well as tons of action. I’m excited to see where this world continues to go, and cannot wait for the sequel!