Review: These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

These Broken Stars

Author: Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
Series: Starbound #1
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Genre: YA Scifi
Format: Ebook
Release Date: December 10, 2013
Source: Received eARC from the publisher via Netgalley
Rating: 5 Stars
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 ***I received a free copy of this book from the publisher. This has in no way changed my opinion of the book. The review below is my open and honest opinion.***

Synopsis 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.

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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.

My Review:

I heard that this book was like Titanic in space and couldn’t resist. I had to see what all the fuss was about. I was a bit worried about hype. Everybody has been saying awesome things about this one and I find that a lot of times that kills it for me. But not with this one. It totally lived up to and exceeded my expectations.

For the first couple chapters, Titanic in space is exactly what it is. It had all the glamour of the upper decks that you see on Titanic and the stink of the lower decks. I loved seeing the class distinctions and the luxuries that the rich could afford. The descriptions that the authors use to describe the ship are stunning. I felt like I was right there, on board the Icarus. I could see the ship as Tarver and Lilac walked through it. I could see the gorgeous dresses, the books lining the shelves, the champagne flutes, everything.

But although the first part was reminiscent of Titanic, the rest of the story was all about survival. It didn’t end with the crash of the ship. Instead, we get to explore this unknown planet and follow our two main characters on their journey.

Tarver, one of our MC’s (sidenote: this book was written in alternating POVs and was done perfectly), is a decorated major in the military. He is a war hero and as such, is paraded around the upper decks of the ship with the rich folk as the military’s golden boy.

Lilac, our other MC, is the daughter of the richest man in the galaxy. She is untouchable. No guy can come near her. If they do, her father will make them pay the price. He’s not a nice guy. Anyway, they meet and in a horrible turn of fate the ship crashes and they are forced to try and survive together. The tension and chemistry between these two was amazing. No insta-love here, though I was a little worried at the start. It was a slow burning, agonizing wait. Lilac is a "spoiled rich girl" but she's actually way tougher than she looks. She changes so much throughout the book. She learns how to survive, and she learns how to love again. 

Tarver is a soldier. He is trained to survive and he knows that he has to do everything in his power to save Lilac LaRoux's life. She is Lilac LaRoux you know. But saving her is harder than he thought it would be. Especially when he has feelings for her that he can't act on. Tarver develops a lot throughout the book as well. He goes from being a cold, hard soldier, to somebody that can open up, that can share and it was spectacular to watch and read about. His thoughts about Lilac made my heart melt into a puddle at my feet. He is definitely swoon-worthy. 

So basically these two journey across this planet looking for any means of communication to send out a distress signal. Well they find a lot more interesting things. I won't spoil anything but things get crazy. There's a lot of science-y stuff going on, but it's explained really well and I was never lost. This book gave me so many feels. Tarver and Lilac are amazing. I love them so much. This book was a roller coaster of emotions that I couldn't put down. It completely lived up to the hype. Something I really loved is that there wasn't a huge cliffhanger. I'm definitely intrigued and want to read more, but I'm not dying, feeling like I'm going to suffocate for an entire year while I wait for the next one. If you want something different and exciting, pick this one up. Titanic in space meets scifi survival story. Happy reading all!

Have you guys read this one? What did you think? Did you love Tarver and Lilac as much as I did?