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.
(Summary from GoodReads)
I’m always really pumped when I hear about an upcoming YA book that takes place in or involves outer space. There’s not a lot of pure science fiction in YA lit, so more of it is always welcome. As a bonus, These Broken Stars was getting rave reviews from bloggers long before it released and has a gorgeous cover. Kaufman and Spooner’s debut proved to be an inventive story that was packed with adventure and romance.
The world building in this story isn’t like anything I’ve read recently. Tarver and Lilac both know who they are and where they’re from, but they know very little about the place where they crash land, and have to figure it out as they go. Spooner and Kaufman wrote the planet so lushly that I had a complete visual in my head the entire time I was reading.
I was a big fan of how mystery and intrigue were so nicely built into this world. So many moments had me turning the page and going “What the…?” There was a nice dose of action in this story, but the amount or scale of it never felt excessive.
What really made this book for me were the dual points of view between Amy and Tarver. Without both of their perspectives, their situation would have felt completely unbalanced. Tarver’s romantic interest in Lilac felt a little over the top at times, but for the most part he was an incredibly sweet character to read about. I loved Lilac because she was incredibly real, and I think that like her, I probably would have been woefully unprepared for the situation she found herself in.
These Broken Stars may be my favorite debut novel that I read this year. Even though the romance came across as a bit of a stretch at times, the rest of the book was interesting enough that I was really engaged throughout the whole thing. If you like your science fiction to have a nice dose of romance, this is definitely the book for you.
Disclosure: I received a digital galley of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
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Great review. I think I've decided that I need to read this book ASAP. You mentioned you could see the world as they described it. That was my favorite thing about The Hallowed Ones. That was its saving grace, for me. I love a good story that I can see in my head in detail. Sci-fi is also a plus. :)
ReplyThe dual points of view really made this book for me too. Actually, this is probably my favourite use of a dual narrative all year. It was great seeing the romance develop from both sides of the relationship, and it definitely made it easier connecting with both Lilac and Tarver. I'm glad you enjoyed this overall, Liz! Great review. :)
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