These Broken Stars (Starbound, #1)

by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

[Amber (The Literary Phoenix)]

I never expected to like this as much as I did.

These Broken Stars is a book with a pretty cover and the promise of a lost-in-space adventure, so naturally I assumed it would be cliche and cheesy. It was, a little, but it was a lot more than that. This book has such strong worldbuilding and a well-driven plot that I was almost able to forgive it the silly romantic tryst. Almost.

The way the setting has been written is so captivating. There's moment here and there that pulled me in tightly and took my breath away. For me, the plot and world is what kept me reading, because I found the characters particularly annoying. I don't particularly enjoy the 16-year-old military commander/major/general trope because I have a difficult time believing it, and Lilac herself was whiny and dull. Without liking either of the characters, it was difficult to get into the romance.

But the worldbuilding was so good that not only did I keep reading, but I added the next book to my TBR. I think this book has a definite audience, and I'm impressed enough with the writing style that I'll be reading more from both of these authors, who were new to me with These Broken Stars!

Plot - four stars
Characters - one & a half stars
Writing - three stars
Pacing - five stars
Setting - five stars
Narrator - three stars
Personal Enjoyment - four stars
Overall - three & a half stars