The Darkest Star

August 15, 2018
The first installment of a spinoff from Armentrout's bestselling Lux series.It's been four years since Earth won the global war against invading space aliens called Luxen, who combined spectacular good looks with deadly superpowers. Life is back to normal for 17-year-old Evie. Her father died in the war and her mother still works endless hours in the military, but Evie's main concerns are the everyday dramas of high school life. When she accompanies a friend to a nightclub known to be patronized by Luxen, she meets Luc, a staggeringly hot 18-year-old who claims not to be Luxen despite having unnerving Luxen-like eyes. In days to come, girls from Evie's school disappear, Luc shows up with frightening regularity, and gradually Evie learns that nothing, including herself, is what it seems. Aliens of many types abound--holes in worldbuilding can always be shored up with new aliens--and the overwritten prose gives the same emotional weight to girls dying from their eyes being burnt out as to preferring Coke over Pepsi. Some characters are described as gay or dark-skinned, though none of the characterization goes below surface level. Luc's commanding, kissing-without-consent demeanor seems out of step with the #MeToo era, and unless you're willing to put your brain on a hook and just coast through the fluffy writing, there's not much to admire here beyond Luc's pecs.That said, it's certainly heir to the Twilight tradition and will probably be a bestseller. Unfortunately. (Science fiction. 14-18)

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September 17, 2018
This science fiction drama picks up four years after the events of Armentrout’s Lux series. Aliens known as the Luxen have launched a failed invasion of Earth, and humans have entered into an uneasy, fragile peace with those Luxen who chose integration rather than conflict. When 17-year-old Evie Dasher accompanies a friend to a nightclub where humans and aliens can mingle, she’s inadvertently drawn into a terrifying mystery in which she discovers that many aspects of her life are false. The aggravating and oh-so-sexy Luc insinuates himself into her life at every turn, and Evie can’t get away from the Luxen, as much as she’d prefer to continue her quiet life as an ordinary high schooler. But she may need Luc if she wants to survive the attentions of a superpowered killer. While this series opener draws heavily on the events and premise of the previous series, it works as an entry point for new readers. Unfortunately, Luc comes across as more annoying than appealing, and the constant string of surprise revelations may test the limits of plausibility. Ages 13–up. Agent: Kevan Lyon, Marsal Lyon Literary.