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Quick answer: If you loved Obsidian, try Onyx, The Darkest Star, The 5th Wave, I Am Number Four, The Host and Twilight. Each one offers addictive paranormal romance, sharp banter and a teen heroine pulled into a hidden world.
Jennifer L. Armentrout's Obsidian follows Katy, a book blogger who moves to a small West Virginia town and clashes with her gorgeous, infuriating neighbor Daemon Black. When Katy learns that Daemon is a Luxen, an alien hiding on Earth, she ends up marked and hunted. Readers love the enemies-to-lovers banter, the bookish heroine and the fast plot. These books share its slow-burn romance, secret worlds and page-turning danger.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Age | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Onyx | Jennifer L. Armentrout | YA | readers ready for the next Lux book |
| The Darkest Star | Jennifer L. Armentrout | YA | fans who want the Lux world again |
| The 5th Wave | Rick Yancey | YA | readers who want darker aliens |
| I Am Number Four | Pittacus Lore | YA | readers who like aliens among teens |
| The Host | Stephenie Meyer | Adult/YA | readers who like alien love stories |
| Twilight | Stephenie Meyer | YA | readers who like dangerous small-town romance |
| Beautiful Creatures | Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl | YA | readers who like Southern magic |
| Vampire Academy | Richelle Mead | YA | readers who love sharp-tongued heroines |
| Shiver | Maggie Stiefvater | YA | readers who like quiet longing |
| Evernight | Claudia Gray | YA | readers who like boarding school secrets |
| The Darkest Minds | Alexandra Bracken | YA | readers who like teens on the run |
| Cinder | Marissa Meyer | YA | readers who like sci-fi romance |
| Wicked Lovely | Melissa Marr | YA | readers who like dark faeries |
| Everneath | Brodi Ashton | YA | readers who like mythic romance |
| From Blood and Ash | Jennifer L. Armentrout | Adult | older readers who want more Armentrout |
1. Onyx by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Katy and Daemon are bound together as a government agency starts closing in on them.
Best for: readers ready for the next Lux book.
2. The Darkest Star by Jennifer L. Armentrout
A new heroine stumbles into the Luxen conflict after the original series ends.
Best for: fans who want the Lux world again.
3. The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey
A girl survives an alien invasion and cannot tell who is still human.
Best for: readers who want darker aliens.
4. I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore
An alien teen hides in an Ohio town while hunters track his kind.
Best for: readers who like aliens among teens.
5. The Host by Stephenie Meyer
An alien soul shares a body with the human she was meant to erase.
Best for: readers who like alien love stories.
6. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
A new girl falls for a boy who is hiding a very big secret.
Best for: readers who like dangerous small-town romance.
7. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
A boy in a small town falls for a mysterious girl with a dangerous gift.
Best for: readers who like Southern magic.
8. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
A guardian in training protects her best friend at a hidden vampire school.
Best for: readers who love sharp-tongued heroines.
9. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
A girl loves a boy who turns into a wolf when the weather gets cold.
Best for: readers who like quiet longing.
10. Evernight by Claudia Gray
A girl at an eerie academy learns what the other students truly are.
Best for: readers who like boarding school secrets.
11. The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken
Kids with dangerous powers escape a government camp and fall in love.
Best for: readers who like teens on the run.
12. Cinder by Marissa Meyer
A cyborg mechanic in New Beijing is drawn into the plans of a prince and a lunar queen.
Best for: readers who like sci-fi romance.
13. Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr
A girl who can see faeries is pursued by their summer king.
Best for: readers who like dark faeries.
14. Everneath by Brodi Ashton
A girl returns from an underworld and has six months to say goodbye.
Best for: readers who like mythic romance.
15. From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout
A veiled maiden falls for her guard in a steamy fantasy kingdom.
Best for: older readers who want more Armentrout.
How to Choose
Start with Onyx if you simply want more Katy and Daemon, then move to The Darkest Star. If the aliens were the hook, The 5th Wave, I Am Number Four and The Host keep that premise but differ a lot in tone: the first is bleak, the second is pure action and the third is a slow love story. If the banter and tension mattered most, pick Vampire Academy or Twilight. Readers who have aged out of YA will find the same writer's humor and heat in From Blood and Ash. For something gentler and more atmospheric, Shiver trades the fight scenes for snow, music and longing, and it is a good palate cleanser after a long series.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Obsidian about?
Katy moves to West Virginia and discovers that her rude, attractive neighbor Daemon is an alien called a Luxen.
What order do the Lux books go in?
The main series runs Obsidian, Onyx, Opal, Origin and Opposition.
What age is Obsidian for?
It is young adult, usually best for readers 14 and up because of the romance and some mature moments.
Is Obsidian enemies to lovers?
Yes. Katy and Daemon start out trading insults, and much of the fun comes from that friction.
Is Obsidian like Twilight?
It shares the new-girl, secret-boy setup, but Katy is much more outspoken and the romance is funnier.
Do I need to read the Lux series before The Darkest Star?
It helps. The Darkest Star can be read alone, but it is more rewarding once you know the world and characters.