"Not even" as a conjunction or for contrast
Is this sentence fine?
It was pitch black, not even the stars could be seen.
I know that you can use a comma before not even and then a noun for contrast, but can it still work with a sentence?
Solution 1:
Technically these are two sentences, so should be separated by a semicolon or perhaps a dash would do.
Grammatically this would then make sense. For me it's a bit jarring logically, as in my experience the less (artificial) light there is in spot, the more stars tend to be visible. This may not be what you're asking about, though.