Recently I read a book called The Darkest Star by Jennifer L Armentrout. This book is very famous in the YA genre, so I gave it a go. The book is about a girl named Evie who lives in a post alien invasion world.
❄ S U M M A R Y:
An alien race called the Luxens live among humans Luxens look just like humans but better, they have perfect features and no physical flaws, they also have super powers. The government is running a tight regime and keeps every Luxen tracked and all Luxens are forced to wear small band bracelets called disablers that disables their powers and makes them more human.
Evie's father was a military leader who helped defeat and register the Luxens. But he died in the war. The world has returned to normal and now humans and Luxens live in assimilation. Everything is going fine until Evie meets this guy names Luc. He claims he is not a Luxen but something else far more dangerous. He has a long history with Evie's family. There are alot of secrets being kept and no one is what they seem.
The story entails Evie solving the mystery about the Luxens and especially Luc. I'd give this book a 3/5⭐. I think the plot is cool and tense, but the writing style could have been much more mature and sophisticated. I love a rich writing style and this book doesn't have that. It is funny and a casual light read. While the whole premise is great and the book is a real page turner, I do not think it's worth the amount of hype it's given. Nonetheless a good read.
🌹 R E V I E W:
First of all, the book's cover is stunning and it really draws one in towards the book. The plot concept and idea is also great. It's not often that the YA genre gets a book about aliens and not the usual vampires or werewolves. The book was fast paced, light, and full of witty banter. The book had the suspense quality that keeps you turning pages. This book exhibited the racial tensions between humans and aliens very well. It even mirrored real life occurrences regarding race in our world today. I enjoyed the sprinkle of humor and the atmosphere of mystery in the book. It also had a great flow and didn't leave me confused at any moment.
But in a more critical perspective, there were certain aspects of the book that could have been improved. The writing style is my first con regarding this book. Yes, it's a book about teenagers, so slang and general casual dialogues are expected. But, I wish the author had delved more into the construction of the writing. I love books that are rich, descriptive, and really immerse the senses. The use of diction is this book was very common and plain. At times even felt rushed and hastily written. The writing style was comparable to writing styles typically used in wattpad books, and we all know that does not have a good connotation. Several times, the author repeated the phrase " a muscle flexed along his jaw" in describing Luc, the main male character of the book. I quite literally mean this. That phrase was repeated nearly in every chapter and it became quite an eyesore. But perhaps, the easy flowing writing style implemented in the book makes it an easy enough read to captivate a younger teen audience.
My next con in the book is the protagonist, Evie. As a character, Evie is very cookie cutter and plain. It is difficult to provide a distinguished persona to the character who's point of view the book is written in, but it is not impossible. The whole time, I was waiting for something special or something remarkable to come up about Evie. She was just an average girl who the plot revolved around. This lack of personality, also made it difficult to comprehend why other characters in the book were ready to throw their lives away for her. The whole situation is comparable to The Vampire Diaries, where everyone is ready to sacrifice themselves for the cookie cutter Elena.
My last issue with the book is the withholding of information. Yes, it's supposed to be a mystery where Evie discovers her true identity and past. Luc held all the answers to her past and he withheld that information for the nearly the whole book. He only revealed bits and pieces chapter by chapter. Quite frankly it was frustrating. Evie didn't do any mystery solving, no clue digging, no epic sleuthing. She just had the information fed to her in intervals by Luc. The structure of the book was just Evie's life, then Luc reveals a secret or two, then back to Evie's life, and then Luc reveals a secret or two. This was an ongoing cycle until the climax at the end where Evie's mom reveals the whole story and Evie's whole life comes crashing down.
All I am saying is that the idea, concept, and premise of the book is great. It could have been executed much better. By no means is the book bad. It just seems like it will appeal to younger teens and not older teens or young adults. That is a caveat because this book is in young adult genre. This book is part of a series, so hopefully it gets better in the next installment. I do not think I will actively seek out the next installment. If I come across it in my local library, then I may continue it.
If you are looking for an easy, thrilling, and casual read, this book is the way to go. But, if you really want to be immersed in the book, it's world, and the plot, then this is not the book for you.
Overall Rating: 3 / 5 ⭐
Thank You For Reading!
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