These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman, Meagan Spooner

These Broken Stars (Starbound, #1)

by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

It's a night like any other on board the Icarus. Then, catastrophe strikes: the massive luxury spaceliner is yanked out of hyperspace and plummets to the nearest planet. Lilac LaRoux and Tarver Merendsen survive. And they seem to be alone.

Lilac is the daughter of the richest man in the universe. Tarver comes from nothing, a young war hero who learned long ago that girls like Lilac are more trouble than they're worth. But with only each other to rely on, Lilac and Tarver must work together, making a tortuous journey across the eerie, deserted terrain to seek help.

Then, against all odds, Lilac and Tarver find a strange blessing in the tragedy that has thrown them into each other's arms. Without the hope of a future together in their own world, they begin to wonder - would they be better off staying in this place forever?

Everything changes when they uncover the truth behind the chilling whispers that haunt their every step. Lilac and Tarver may find a way off this planet. But they won't be the same people who landed on it.

The first in a sweeping science fiction trilogy, These Broken Stars is a timeless love story about hope and survival in the face of unthinkable odds.

Reviewed by littleread1 on

5 of 5 stars

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*blink* holy f@$k, can someone tell me what the hell just happened and why I have to keep swallowing my stomach? And why, at nearly 3am I have tears in my eyes and no hope of sleep? Geez ... this book ... *sigh*

Official Review:
I have been struggling with what I am going to say about These Broken Stars ever since I put it down 2 nights/mornings (it was 3am) ago. Nothing I can say is going to express the beauty this story captures, in the characters, in the world, or in the writing. But I will do my best.

The story starts of like many YA Sci-Fi romance stories I've read; boy meets girl, they are attracted to one another (but not insta love I promise!), there is some reason they can't be together, some event forces them to be together, and they fall in love. Typical. What is not typical is the twists and turns Lilac and Tarver take to get to the love, and the story doesn't end with the love. There are some moments that had me staring at the page, re-reading certain sections, and not believing my eyes. That can't happen!! Kaufman and Spooner take some risks - and those risks pay off magnificently.

Something else that is not typical - the writing. From the first chapters my attention was glued to the page. I didn't want to do anything else; not get up to take a break, not get a drink of water, not even sleep. The imagery and dialogue from the beginning and all the way through is enchanting and mesmerizing, and all other adjectives describing wonderful, good, and amazing things.

I want to gush over this book, and talk about things that happen with you. So know that as you read it, and when you get to those parts that elicit strong emotions (even days later when I think about certain parts, I have an emotional response) I am here for you. Email me, tweet me, message me, whatever. I will be your support, although I won't tell you what the outcome will be. You will have to suffer through it, just like I did. But you won't have to do it alone.

I love a lot of books, I would be a hobby reviewer if I didn't. But These Broken Promises is making picking a favorite just that much more difficult. It has thrown itself into a very short list of favorite books of 2013, if not all time. Sleepless night and all. This is one of those stories I will remember for a long time to come, and the next book cannot come fast enough.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 22 November, 2013: Finished reading
  • 22 November, 2013: Reviewed