Review - These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

Title: These Broken Stars

Series: Starbound #1
Author: Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

Release Date: December 10, 2013

Pages: 374

Goodreads Rating: 3.96/5 Stars

My Rating: 5/5 Stars

My Content Rating: YA (Characters have sex, but it's not described)

Summary from Goodreads:  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 into 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 here 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.

--

A timeless love story, THESE BROKEN STARS sets into motion a sweeping science fiction series of companion novels. The Starbound Trilogy: Three worlds. Three love stories. One enemy.

I won this book back in December and have been dying to read it ever since. Don't know why it took me so long!  This book was awesome!

These Broken Stars is an amazing YA sci-fi/fantasy romance.  The story follows Lilac and Tarver as they struggle to survive after their spacecraft crashes.  They are left to make their way across a hostile planet, completely alone, searching for rescue. But the planet seems to be home to something strange, and Lilac and Tarver start to think that they might be in more danger than they ever realized.

The negatives:

• Characters didn't feel their ages.  I kept having to remind myself that these characters are supposed to be teenagers.  Neither of them felt or sounded like teenagers to me - which was nice in a lot of ways (I may have preferred it).  But I was surprised every time it was mentioned that Lilac was 16 (Tarver was a bit older, so his age didn't throw me as much).

What I LOVED:

• Soft sci-fi.  For me, this was a plus (though true sci-fi fans might be disappointed).  There were definitely sci-fi elements to this book, but it wasn't hardcore sci-fi.  Once the spaceship crashes, Tarver and Lilac struggle to make their way through a foreign land, full of dangerous creatures and harsh conditions and Lilac is haunted by voices that only she can hear.  It all felt a bit more like fantasy than sci-fi, which was perfect for me.  It was the perfect blend of sci-fi, fantasy and adventure in my book.
• The mystery.  There are so many mysteries set up in this book and twists and turns that I did not see coming.  From the very beginning of the book, we know that Tarver (and, we assume, Lilac) have been rescued because we get snippets of Tarver's debrief (or, perhaps, interrogation?) at the beginning of each chapter.  But these little snippets of information just serve to pique your interest more.  How were Tarver and Lilac rescued?  What happened to them on that planet?  What happened between them?  When Lilac begins hearing voices, the questions just get bigger.  And the payoff for all of these mysteries was amazing!
• Tarver and Lilac.  I absolutely loved the romance in this book - it was perfectly done. It started out with a spark of interest between both characters, but there were realistic barriers that kept them apart and their initial interest turned toward a bit of antagonism - but that spark never quite went away.  Instead it steadily grew as the characters started to let down their guard.  Despite Lily's status as a debutante, her strength and tenacity won me over, just as it won Tarver over.  Both of the characters went through an incredible amount of growth throughout this book, and I loved going on that journey with them! 

I highly recommend this book! If you're a fan of futuristic fantasy with a touch of sci-fi, this is the book for you! I give it 5/5 stars.