Reviewed by Quirky Cat on
The Darkest Star is the first in Jennifer L. Armentrout’s newest series, Origin. For those that don’t know, this is actually a spin-off series from Lux. If you go and read the description, you’ll probably recognize a name or two…and yes, it’s okay to squeal a bit.
I know that a lot of fans were very much in love with one specific side character from the Lux series, so it’s great to see him getting a chance to shine in this new series.
Don’t worry: if you haven’t read the Lux series you can still read this one, no problem. You will miss some of the backstory for the Luxen and for Luc, but enough of it is covered where you won’t really feel like you’re missing out. The only thing you’ll be missing really is the nostalgia for the older series.
The Darkest Star was an incredibly fast read, due mostly to the fact that I simply couldn’t put it down. Jennifer L. Armentrout did a fantastic job of capturing my attention right for the get go, and kept building up the plot and romance steadily.
There was only one downside to it catching my attention right away; I had originally read the sample shared through BookishFirst, and was not lucky enough to have one it (and I had just spent my points the week before so…). Thankfully my request through NetGalley was accepted, so it was only two weeks of torture I had to deal with, instead of waiting until the release date!
I’ll confess that I’m not up to date in the Lux series, but I still had zero problems following what was happening here. Since it’s a spin off you can see how the two different series connect, but Armentrout did a decent job of making this one completely standalone. I think that new fans could be found here – though obviously they won’t have been waiting years for a Luc book, like some of have been.
I really enjoyed Evie’s character on the whole. Things got a little crazy and confusing at points, but at least there’s a really good reason for that. The revelation is shocking…but at the same time it’s supported by hints that were dropped throughout the entire novel, so I’m happy with it.
Evie and Luc’s relationship is, for lack of a better term, cute. It starts out like you’d expect, with them sort of hating each other (at least by all appearances), but of course it gradually builds into something more. Granted there’s a lot more going on here than we were originally made aware of, but it is all explained with time.
I love that Evie’s friends actually acted like people. They weren’t just cardboard cutouts whose sole purpose was to support Evie and the plot. They had their own dreams and motives, for better or for worse.
I’m sure that there will be more books to this series, and I’m very sad that I’ll have to wait for them. I suppose in the meantime I can get caught up with the rest of Jennifer L. Armentrout’s works?
For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 20 October, 2018: Finished reading
- 20 October, 2018: Reviewed