{ARC Review} These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner
Labels:
5 Stars,
Amie Kaufman,
Dystopian,
Meagan Spooner,
Sci-fi,
Young Adult
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Title: These Broken Stars
Series: Starbound #1
Author: Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner
Published: December 10th 2013
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Sci-Fi Dystopian
Source: ARC copy provided by Allen & Unwin Australia for fair & honest review
Rating: 5/5
BLURB:
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.
To be honest this is one of the most difficult reviews I've had to write, because I don't know how describe the awesomeness that I just read. THIS BOOK IS EXCEPTIONAL!!!
REVIEW:
The story:
These Broken Stars starts out so well and just gets better from there. The story is so clever and well written I was completely engaged from the first scene and couldn't put it down. There are twists and turns throughout that I certainly didn't see coming and I'm not ashamed to admit I ugly cried over one particular shocking twist!
Although this story does indeed start out similar to the Titanic movie, with the evacuation pods and the space liner, crashing, this story is more about survival and the mystery surrounding the plant they crash land on. At first Lilac and Tarver's aim is to find a place to wait for a rescue party, but as they start to realise they might never be found, they start to face new threats. Their journey is as much a battle of mental strength as it is physical. They are faced with many challenges that threaten their sanity and lives. To say any more about the story would ruin the enjoyment of this book - JUST READ IT!
The characters:
What I found very surprising was that for the majority of the book we only have the two main characters Lilac & Tarver. I've read other books like this and is hasn't worked - to have only two character carry the entire story is very difficult and it can often become stagnant, but that's not the case here. Both characters are so well developed and the dual POV keeps things moving.
Lilac, the celebrity socialite, is known across the galaxy as daughter of the wealthiest man and builder of the luxury space liner Icarus. But the happy carefree girl everybody sees is somewhat an act. Her father won't allow her to see or talk to just anybody, and he even has her friends and body guards follow her and report back to him if she steps out of line. But away from the social life she knows, on this mysterious planet, she shows us that there is so much more to Liliac and comes to be an amazingly strong character. I can't tell you how refreshing it was to have such a great female MC - AT LAST!!
Tarver, a reluctant war hero, is quite the opposite of Lilac. He comes from a normal loving family and in some ways resents Lilac and her wealthy lifestyle. He sees the stereotypical 'princess' and makes it clear that he doesn't like her. But after their predicament worsens and she remain strong, not falling apart, he finds a new respect for her. And it was at this point that I truly fell for Tarver. He shows a softer side and you can see how much he cares for Lilac.
The romance:
I loved how the romance was built slowly throughout the story. At first they can barely tolerate each other, but after seeing more than just the stereotypically personalities of each other, a tentative friendship starts to develop and eventually turns into something more. Their relationship never felt forced, it was beautiful. The romantic scenes were so incredibly sweet and passionate that I was melting by the end.
The Writing:
I can't praise Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner highly enough for their amazing work! They created such a powerful, emotional and eerie atmosphere. And the pacing is perfect - at no point does the plot drag, it just runs so smoothly, with plenty of plot twists that kept me guessing the entire way. The dual POV is also very effective - I loved being inside both character's minds, and being able to see how they were dealing with the situation. Also in-between chapters we are treated to some intriguing snippets of Tarver being questioned over the entire incident. This often raised more questions than it answered - and I loved that. This is such a well structured story with, all the small threads of the story built to a stunning ending that gave me chills!
FINAL WORD:
I now have a major book hangover after reading this. Whether you love sci-fi and dystopian stories or not it really doesn't matter, this book is definitely worth the read. I am also super excited to hear that the other books in the series will be companion novels - don't get me wrong I love Lilac and Tarver, but to continue their story wouldn't do them justice. These Broken Stars is an epic story of love and survival and is absolutely SENSATIONAL! It's the must read story of 2013!!!
CONTENT:
Sexuality: medium / suggestive fade to black sex scene (not detailed)
Violence: mild-medium / animal attack, mild descriptions of dead bodies
Language: mild
Drugs & alcohol: none
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I so want to read this! I applied for it on netgalley but sadly I didn't get it. Now I've read so many great reviews - yours included - that I cannot wait for it to come out. Luckily I won't have to wait for that much longer...
ReplyDeleteHave a great weekend!
Cheers, Kaz :)
Oh this book is so worth the wait Kaz, its so amazing! I'm telling everyone I can to read this book lol! I hope you love it as much as I did!
DeleteHave a lovely week Kaz :)