These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

These Broken Stars 
by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner 
Read: September 27 - 29, 2013

Published: December 10, 2013 by Disney - Hyperion **UPCOMING**

Source: NetGalley THANK YOU!
Category: Space, sci-fi, survival, ya
Find: Goodreads | Amazon

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.
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A glittery, future world with Victorian inspired elements and beautiful ball gowns. Hyper space travel. A swoony forbidden love story between classes. An intense and epic crash a la titanic. A battle of survival, including a scenic but harrowing trek across a landscape. Creepy mind games and lots of danger. These Broken Stars has something for everyone. 

The cast

Lilac is the daughter of the wealthiest man in the universe. She is a socialite used to parties and paparazzi, but she has depth and strength that she hides well. 

Tarver is a military war hero on a publicity tour, who is not interested in the flashy life of a celebrity. He is more comfortable on the field where he is well trained and has very good survival skills. 

Big and small, loud and soft, 5 details about These Broken Stars that make this book stand out.

1) Extreme Contrasts. A glossy and chaotically crowded ship vs. an uninhabited planet. The number of survivors contrasted with the number of people who don't make it out of the crash. Tarver's world vs. Lilac's and how much that matters (and doesn't) once they're on the planet. These Broken Stars features some extreme contrasts, all of which work to set the mood of the book, heighten the tension and provide a stunning and eerie picture of before and after the ship goes down. The imagery of LOUD to quiet perfectly sets the mood of the story and is one of my favorite elements. 

2) Interludes. A brief section of dialogue between Tarver and someone else is included before each chapter begins. It takes up such a small part of the overall tale, but it simply and perfectly ties the pieces of this story together. I'm not sure this book would feel complete without it. These moments succeeded in being witty, while setting the stage for the chapter to come. They made me feel like I was an accomplice in everything that Tarver and Lilac faced, adding to my emotional connection to the story and these characters. The interludes provide a little different look at Tarver from what we see in his interactions with Lilac. As the story went along, they also helped to heighten the tension.  

3) Am I going crazy? There is an underlying creepiness to These Broken Stars that is delicious. As I mentioned above, this was partly done through contrasts, as Lilac and Tarver go from an excessively crowded space ship to an grossly uninhabited planet. But eerie things start happening once they arrive on the planet that slowly creep into the plot, adding to the atmosphere. Lilac begins to see odd things soon after she crash lands, which only complicates their trek across the deserted landscape. The strangeness of this world slowly comes into the story, adding to a rising sense of foreboding. Yum. 

4) I can't believe they go there. These Broken Stars kept me on my toes. This book is filled with surprises, but one particular part of the book blew everything else out of the water. It is shocking and terrifying, and I could not believe the authors had done it at the time. I still can't. Yes, you will know exactly what I mean when you get to this part. I kind of hate them for it. I kind of love them. But this book wouldn't be as stunning without the choice to go where they do. I'm also not sure I would have felt as emotionally connected to this story and these characters without it. Are you dying to know what I'm talking about yet? Good! Read the book. 

Don't miss Amie and Meg's thoughts on shocking their readers in my interview with them. 

5) A perfectly paced romance. For most of this story there are only two characters total, and yet, these authors managed to write a slowly building, shivery, tension filled romance that builds and builds until it explodes. But while that is happening, these two characters each get more incredible as well. They balance each other perfectly, and truly wouldn't have survived without the others strength. It's also fun to discover each of their secret passions, which are surprising and very different. If I had to pick one person to keep me alive on an uninhabited planet for an indefinite amount of time, it would be Tarver. But though Lilac seems the weaker of the two at first - she's wearing heals, a ball gown and has never had to fend for herself - that girl has a core of steal. I daresay, Tarver wouldn't have made it without her either. 

These Broken Stars was as good as I hoped it would be. I fell in love with Lilac, Tarver and their future world, and I can't wait to find out where Amie and Meg take us next! 

Love Triangle Factor: None
Cliffhanger Scale: Low. Companion series. 
Cover: A gorgeous cover, and that cover dress is ACTUALLY IN THE BOOK. It's not just a standard prom dress cover. Lots of fun book clues on the cover photo. 

RE the next book: 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. 

Book two This Shattered World is set in the same galaxy as book one in the Starbound Trilogy. Six months after the events of THESE BROKEN STARS, the second book in the trilogy follows a new pair of star-crossed lovers—one a rebel fighting for his home, the other a soldier, her mission to eradicate the rebellion—facing down a powerful darkness hidden in the wilderness of a newly terraformed world.

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Don't miss my stop on the These Broken Stars blog tour, including my interview with authors Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner, found HERE.