Author: Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction
Release Date: November 20, 2013 (Aus); December 10, 2013 (US)
Source: Allen&Unwin Australia. Thank you!
Goodreads rating: 4.20 out of 5.00 (700+ ratings)
Goodreads | The Reading Room
The Starbound Trilogy: Three worlds. Three love stories. One enemy.Review by Nara
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.
Basically the two things that drew me to this book were 1. The cover. The beautiful, beautiful cover. And 2. SCI-FI!! I feel like there really aren't enough sci-fi YA novels out there (I don't consider all dystopians to be "sci-fi" per se), and I was super excited when I first heard about this book because come on! It's like Titanic in space (hopefully without the tragedy of the ending). Now having read the book, I can most definitely say that These Broken Stars does not disappoint. It's a beautifully written tale of survival against all odds, of a mystery that intrigues and haunts and of a love that was....kinda cliched. But sweet all the same.
This is something I questioned as soon as I saw the name in the synopsis (and I must add that it is brought up in the book), but SERIOUSLY?! Why the heck would you EVER name a spaceship Icarus?! For those unfamiliar with the Greek myth, basically there's this inventor named Daedalus. He's held prisoner by this king with his son Icarus. In order to escape from the king, he builds these wings with feathers held together by wax. He tells his son: don't fly to close to the sun. But of course, Icarus is a typical kid and doesn't listen to his old man. He flies close to the sun and BAM the wax melts, the wings fall apart and he falls to his death. Now WHY would you name a spaceship after that kid?? So stupid.
/Rant over.
Okay, sorry. I'll get back to my review of These Broken Stars.
To be honest, I would have liked a bit more focus on the sci-fi aspect of things but this didn't necessarily detract from my enjoyment of the book. A warning to people wanting more world building and futuristic gadgets and such: this book is very romance focused. That's not to say there weren't any science fiction-y things at all- there was a bit, but I personally would have liked a bit more exploration of this aspect of the plot.
That being said, the romance was definitely enough for me to enjoy the book. Both characters were very well developed, and the dual perspective was done excellently- it was clear at all times who was speaking, simply due to the strong narrative voices of both characters. While admittedly, the love story was a bit cliched (and quite similar to Titanic, now that I think about), that didn't make it any less realistic or any less swoony. (Tarver, I love you.)
Also driving the plot was this element of mystery. Both characters begin to hear voices in their heads, start to see weird hallucinations and find objects everywhere that they had previously thought they'd lost. I mean, for a moment there I thought this was going to be a paranormal- but this aspect is explained through scientific means. And I must say, I don't know if I was completely convinced about the scientific validity of the explanation, but I was fine with not overthinking it.
There's this bit towards the end where an event happens that is REALLY quite shocking. I actually put the book down for a second to collect my thoughts before moving on. While kudos to the authors for managing to shock me, I feel like they moved on a bit too quickly from the event, i.e. resolved it too quickly for me to really get the full effect of the shock.
Despite a few small flaws, These Broken Stars was an incredibly well written tale with beautiful prose, distinctive narrative voices and a swoon-worthy romance. I, for one, am definitely looking forward to getting my hands on the sequels (and to seeing what the covers look like *drools*).
Really liked it
Ratings
Overall: 9/10
Plot: 4/5
Writing: 5/5
Characters: 4/5
Cover: 5/5
I love it when authors genuinely manage to shock you. It happens less often the more I read. I'm picking this up tonight and can't wait! Thanks for the warning about the science fiction vs the romance. I don't mind so much that it might be more romance-focused, but it is something that I'd prefer to know before going in. Great review, Nara! :)
ReplyDeleteIt was definitely a shock! Didn't expect something so drastic to happen!
DeleteYep, not so much sci-fi content in there. Basically just think of it as a survival story that happens to be set on another planet haha
That's great that you really liked this one. I haven't read much sci-fi, though I do need too. If the book is really focused on the romance, at least it's a good one! I like that the dual narrative worked too.
ReplyDelete-Lauren
The dual narrative was done incredibly well! The voices of the characters are so distinctive. I do wonder which of the authors did which POV...maybe I should go read those TBS Blog Tour posts haha
DeleteI really liked this too. It reminded me of how sci-fi world building can be like fantasy, my favorite genre.
ReplyDeleteWell I suppose both sci-fi and fantasy world building involves imagining worlds different to our own, so they would be similar to a certain extent :)
DeleteI keep hearing about this extremely shocking ending and now I'm super curious. I love the cover too! Typically, I don't end up reading much romance but I might make this one an exception just because it sounds so good, plus the characters seem to be well developed, which is huge.
ReplyDeleteGreat review!
-P.E. @ The Sirenic Codex
Oh man, it is so surprising. It was one of those, wait...what just happened?! type events. This books is definitely a love story at heart. The mystery and sci-fi elements are just decorative. Still, it's well done, so I can't complain :)
DeleteTHE COVER IS BEAUTIFUL.
I keep hearing good things about this book! I look forward to reading it. I agree with you that the cover is gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteYou keep hearing good things about the book because it's amazing! I think this is one of those books that the blogosphere is kind of collectively backing. I hope you get to read it soon :D (it also just looks really pretty on the shelf haha)
DeleteI love that you comment/rant about the spaceship's name because part of this book's blog tour included a day where bloggers posted fun facts about the book. I participated in the tour, and my piece of trivia was about this topic.
ReplyDeleteAs for the rest of the review, I'm glad you enjoyed this story even though the sci-fi aspect was lacking. The dual POV sounds great as well. Sometimes the multiple-voices writing technique falls flat if the characters are too similar, so I'm happy to hear the authors kept the narratives separate.
I hope you enjoy the rest of the series just as much!
It's really quite annoying when the characters' voices sound the same. I feel that if you can't write in different voices, you really shouldn't be attempting dual POVs *cough Veronica Roth in Allegiant cough*
DeleteOh man, that shocker at the end totally got me. I was left thinking, "How could...is that even allowed...??" I liked all the resolutions though. ;)
ReplyDeleteI just absolutely ADORED this book. It's one of my top-top favourites for this year. The romance was adorable (who doesn't like a fighting couple) even if the plot wasn't the most original thing I've ever heard. I didn't have a clue where the book was going most of the time. The fact that it was a survival story really startled me. (You don't pick that up form the blurb, much, eh?) But yes. Total love, for me. Tarver was such a gentleman. ;)
The resolutions were definitely much appreciated. Many a book would have been thrown without those resolutions!
DeleteDefinitely not particularly original, but the writing was just spectacular. OMG the romance was so cute. Typical, but cute haha.
I've been lusting after this book for weeks now! At first I was really skeptical, since EVERYONE was raving about it and I thought it was just another hype, but I actually think I'd really enjoy this one. And I wish there was more sci-fi in YA too. I love the genre so much :)
ReplyDeleteI really hope you enjoy it when you get your hands on it! It really is quite good. Sometimes the hype is correct :P
DeleteHopefully there'll be a bit more sci-fi stuff in the sequels to this book. But then again, this one was pretty good even without the sci-fi. Eh, I'm good with whatever as long as the books are well written.
So incredibly keen to read this book. Not kidding. I have not seen ONE low rating around the blogosphere (as of yet), and all these positive reviews make me want to run down to my room, and grab the book and read it right now. But alas, I have a system, and must stick to it. Must. Stick. To. It.
ReplyDeleteI am also madly in love with the cover.
Although I am a bit disappointed to learn that the sci-fi elements are a bit lacking, and the scientific explanation for weird things is a bit lacklustre, I am still really excited to read it.
BUT. If they resolve the shocking problem too quickly, I will probably feel the same as you. I am never too keen on problems being instantly resolved.
A system?! What system might this be..in any case I recommend you destroy the system in the fires of Mt Doom and read the book. It'll be worth it :P
DeleteThere's a reason this particular problem is resolved pretty quickly though, and I think I can accept it. I may need a reread...
I just finished this today and honestly, I'm still not sure how I feel about it. I'll have to think about it for awhile. :P
ReplyDeleteHa ha, I can believe that a spaceship has been named the Icarus. I mean, doesn't the Titanic mean the unsinkable? Get too cocky and BAM! sucker punch.
ooo interesting. A bit on the fence are we? I guess I can see why some people might not like it. But on the other hand, the writing is rather nice isn't it?
DeleteI know...some people are stupid. Or arrogant. Or both.
I enjoyed this one, although I had a lot of the same complaints as you, it seems!
ReplyDeleteFirst off, thanks for that explanation behind the word Icarus. I knew there was some sort of meaning behind it, but I was too lazy to look it up. ;) Despite being a stupid name of a ship, I kind of like the dramatic irony it brings to the story, and the parallels with the Titanic.
Also, I DEFINITELY wished we had more sci-fi elements in the story. I liked how some of the explanations were spaced out so there was no info-dumping, but I definitely would have liked a tad bit more of sci-fi in there. That didn't really take away from my enjoyment of the story, though.
The romance, while definitely cliched, I liked. But what I enjoyed most was the gorgeous character development. Like woah. I loved, especially, seeing Lilac change over those few weeks, especially when Tarver has some... ahem, issues, and isn't able to really help her out. Her bravery in that scene just made me fully love her when I hated her in the beginning.
Also, can we just say HOLY PLOT TWIST?! I know exactly which one you're taking about. My heart literally stopped when I read it. I was all like "They can't do that?! RIGHT?! RIGHT??". My poor sister, who was sitting next to me, thought I had officially lost it. From that part onward, I was just like "I have no idea what's going on" several times while I was reading. But I really enjoyed that plot twist, although I agree that it was resolved to easily. Although I did think that ending was just plain awesome sauce.
Gorgeous review, Nara!! <3
haha no probs. I just love mythology, so when that name came up as the name of the spaceship I was like ...... Ah true. I suppose it does bring some irony to the story :)
DeleteI agree! While I would have liked a bit more sci-fi in there, it wasn't essential to the story and I don't think it detracted from my enjoyment of the book that much either.
The character development! It was really very nice. I have to admit that I didn't like her that much in the beginning either- she seemed a bit shallow and annoying to be honest. She definitely grows on you though!
YEAH I KNOW RIGHT. I literally put the book down for a sec and was like WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?! But then it's resolved, and on the one hand it's like, thank god it's resolved, and on the other hand it was a bit too quickly done. Meh. I'd rather have it done quickly than not done at all.
Thanks Aneeqah :)
Lovely review Nara, I just finished this one and yes that was a shocker of a twist! I could not believe it! I picked this book up thinking it was a sci-fi but it's more of a survival Story.
ReplyDeleteDAT TWIST. Definitely wasn't expecting it to happen....
DeleteI have been seeing this book ALL OVER twitter lately but it didn't occur to me until right this very minute that hey, they're all over Dymocks and that it had been released here already -.- I'm going to order it now (from Dymocks, yay local..ish!) because I've so been looking forward to it :D
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your thoughts. I will probably compare it to Titanic in my head as I read it haha
Dymocks totally counts as local... (Maybe...)
DeleteIt's definitely worth buying, because even if you don't like it, it still looks amazing on the shelf hehe :P
There are definitely some parallels, but I don't know how extensive they are, because, to be honest, I don't really remember that much about Titanic. I watched it more than 5 years ago, and yeah. Crappy memory.
Waaaa. Another positive review. TBH, I've never read a negative review for this book. I think everyone is hyping about it. I actually requested it from NG months ago but I got disapproved. It was a sad day for me because you are right, that cover is really pretty to make me obsessed about it. It's like seeing a Disney movie poster.
ReplyDeleteAll the good things that you've said about this book are pretty much the same as with the other reviewers. The banter between Lilac and Tarver seems like very swoon worthy and sweet. Ahm, I am okay with cliche romances as long it's done well. And it has no super icky cheesy moments or co-dependency stuff.
What a bummer that the world building and sci-fi elements of this book are weak. But I am glad that the other awesome stuff still managed to make this book mindblowing.
Great review, Nara!
Yeah I got rejected for it on NetGalley too! But then the Aussie publisher sent me a hardcopy of it, so I can't complain haha. Too true! It does look like a Disney movie poster. So pretty :3
DeleteDefinitely no disgustingly cheesy moments or co-dependency! Despite the cliches, it's a pretty healthy relationship :) And because the romance is so good, the lack of sci-fi is okay!
Nice review. Haven't read this author before
ReplyDeleteThat might be because this is their debut novel!
DeleteSo glad you enjoyed it! I really found this to be utterly refreshing when I read it. I got to read an ARC so the wait for book 2 is just absolutely killing me! Cannot wait.
ReplyDeleteI don't think the wait is that bad! I mean, they're all standalone/companion novels so they're based on different characters and all that, so no cliffhangers or anything haha :D
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