These Broken Stars (Starbound, #1)

by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

[Angie]

I received an ARC through NetGalley.

After I heard that These Broken Stars was "Titanic in space" I knew I had to read it! And that comparison is 100% spot on, at least for the first part of the book. After that, it turns into something that I have no comparisons for. It's utterly unique, interesting, confusing, and awesome. But if you want to keep with the Titanic theme, it's like Titanic in space if Jack survived and the rescue ship never came, with a hint of Survivor, and let's throw in some The Journey of Allen Strange while we're at it. I don't know if my brain was just in 1912 mode, but the story does have a kind of old-timey feel to it, which I liked. I think this has more to do with the way the characters speak than with the actual setting though. Either way, I thoroughly enjoyed These Broken Stars.

In the opening chapters, we meet sixteen year old Lilac, who is the daughter of the richest man in the galaxy. Not just the world. Her father could probably buy the world. She's enjoying a luxury cruise on the latest spaceliner, Icarus, which of course, daddy built. Eighteen year old war hero, Tarver is also at this party, where he doesn't really belong, since he's poor, but rich people like rags-to-riches stories. At least for the cameras. Needless to say, they meet, have a moment, Lilac is rude to him order to push him away, then the ship starts shaking. Obviously somethings goes wrong when everyone is heading to their escape pods, and Lilac and Tarver are forced together in their own pod, which is the only one that gets away before the ship is pulled down into a fire ball of doom. Our heroes crash land on an unknown planet and must now survive and wait for a rescue ship that may never come. Totally my kind of story, and the end of all things Titanic related.

This is where These Broken Stars gets really good and totally branches off from the obvious path. Tarver, being the military man, is in charge of their survival. Lilac isn't exactly a damsel in distress, but she is trekking through a forest in an evening gown and high heels, so she's clearly not much help. She's trying though. But then things get weird. Why has no one come to rescue survivors or clean up the mess? It's not like this was some dingy cargo vessel. And where are the planet's inhabitants? And why is Lilac all of a sudden hearing voices and going into complete hysterics?! I actually loved how not together Lilac was. It was quite refreshing from the totally kick ass heroine who can survive all on her own. Shock is a very real part of trauma, and I'm sure falling straight out of the sky in the middle of space counts as traumatic. Then there's a twist, that I cannot mention, because it is spoilerific and it is bizarre! I had to know what the heck was going on on this weird planet that's bursting with every kind of life except for humans!

My favorite part of These Broken Stars was how it was all laid out. It's told in dual POV, which is great, but every chapter ends with pieces of an interview between Tarver and some unknown person. It's clear from the beginning that something very strange or very wrong happened, but I couldn't figure out what. Obviously he had to survive, and most likely Lilac along with him, but then the questions take on a more...disturbing tone. It kept me flipping pages to find out what was really happening!

There are a few things that bothered me, which kept me from totally falling in love with These Broken Stars. The first was why no one came by the crash site. I didn't completely buy the whole theory that they were too far out, and too suddenly pulled off course to be found. I bet with the level of technology that existed, someone out there would know the ship went down and could estimate some possible locations. Plus, if it's owned by the richest man IN THE GALAXY, it would definitely have gotten a space wide search party. The second was why the ship went down in the first place. I don't think it's because it was named Icarus. There is a kind of explanation, but not a full one. I would have like a clearer answer. The third is spoilery, but I want to know what's up with Lilac at the end of all this. Finally, why the heck was there a random giant cat with a taste for flesh in the forest?

Overall, These Broken Stars definitely kept me guessing right up until the last page. I was hooked from the beginning and fell in love with the atmosphere the authors created, even if I didn't fall quite as hard for the story. It's undeniably unique and stands out from other YA Sci-Fi novels for sure. It's clear why so many readers are head over heels for it. It's exciting and strange, and I really enjoyed it. I just wish the authors had taken a risk and not fixed everything that went wrong.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.