These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
Starbound #1
Release Date: December 10, 2013
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Source: Publisher (NetGalley)
Star Rating: ★★★★
Rating: Essential

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.

Nothing about this room is real.

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These Broken Stars was a highly anticipated read of mine, and I'm sure a lot of other bloggers and readers felt the same, so I was delighted to receive it for review. A sci-fi is just what I needed, and on top of that there was a hate-to-love (kind of) relationship, and survival stuff.

I looooove survival novels! LOVE THEM. And to have Tarver and Lilac trek across an unknown planet was just the perfect book for me. I always loved seeing them face off various dangers, cuddle up for warmth, and discover the answers to this new planet's mysteries.

These Broken Stars was unexpectedly creepy! I was reading it with Judith, and we both reached the creepy parts at about the same time. These parts gave me goosebumps, and I texted Judith and was like... is this happening? Lilac starts to hear voices on the new planet, and you know what? Voices are the creepiest thing in all of Creepdom. Especially when there is no apparent face or body or person to match up with these voices. NOPE.

One of my favourite aspects of These Broken Stars was Lilac's character growth. It was pretty awesome. I loved reading about the difficulties that she went through, and it was great how she went from rather snobby and depressed about her life to pretty freakin' badass. I also loved how she kept saving the day, because Tarver was okay at this survival stuff, but Lilac was the brains and the hero of the operation.

Lilac's father's presence in These Broken Stars was also very well done. We hear a lot about him throughout the novel, yet we don't meet him until the very end. However, that doesn't mean that his presence isn't felt. Lilac's father is everywhere you turn, from having built the ship that crashes, to having a remarkable effect on Lilac's life and choices.

I was very worried that this was going to have instalove because the first couple of chapters were very "I saw her and I loved her" and "His eyes are the colour of the forest which means we're meant to be", but no. I needn't have worried. Sure, there was attraction that was pretty instant, but the two characters definitely didn't fall in love easily. The romance progressed a little too quickly for my liking, but I am a fan of the slow burn, so I could have waited two more books for them to get together.

The ending was a little bit weird, and that's the reason this book didn't get the highest of points with me. It reminded me of the ending of Feedback by Robison Wells, and we all know how I felt about that ending. There was a tiny bit more closure, yes, but it was still very weird and slightly confusing. The explanation could have been better. 

I also would have preferred the ending if more brutal choices had been made, but what can you do? 

I'm very much looking forward to reading the companion novels in this series, because I think that Kaufman and Spooner work well together, and also because I just really love books set in space. I'm a little disappointed that the second book in this series doesn't feature two male MC's, because the synopsis made it seem like there was a lot of potential there. But whatever.