Thursday, February 26, 2015

Review: These Broken Stars (Starbound #1) by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner



These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
These Broken Stars
(Starbound #1)
by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
December 10, 2013
374 pages
 

Goodreads Summary:
Luxury spaceliner Icarus suddenly plummets from hyperspace into the nearest planet. Lilac LaRoux and Tarver Merendsen survive -- alone. Lilac is the daughter of the richest man in the universe. Tarver comes from nothing, a cynical war hero. Both journey across the eerie deserted terrain for help. Everything changes when they uncover the truth.

The Starbound Trilogy: Three worlds. Three love stories. One enemy.



Review

I finally grabbed this book off my shelf to read and I'm very happy to say that I loved it! I can see why it's so well-loved. The cover is seriously stunning. Every time Lilac's dress is mentioned, it pops into my head. Such a pretty visual aid ;) The setting was unique and I especially love how the characters developed.

This was a survival story. Lilac and Tarver are two people who basically come from opposite sides of society. When the spaceship they were on unexpectedly gets pulled out of hyperdrive (think Stat Wars), they find themselves in the same escape pod. The two crash land on a totally foreign planet shaken but otherwise unharmed. When they realize no rescue of any kind was coming, they embark on a journey to look for help. Along the way, they bond and realize there's so much more to each other than meets the eye. 

At first, Lilac, who has an all-powerful father, believed she would be rescued in no time. She kept comforting herself by saying he will come for her but no such thing happened. When it finally dawned on her that no one was coming, I was happy to see her learn to adapt. She adjusted herself to her new world physically, mentally and emotionally.
With everything she had to deal with, a part of me really thought she was going insane hearing whispers but thankfully that wasn't the case. We see Lilac start off the book as an intentionally cold and snobby girl but with the passage of time and familiarity with Tarver, she began to open up and show her true side. I admire her strength and resilience because the horrific things she went through to help Tarver, I'm not sure many can endure it. I love that by the end, she was confident enough to stand up to her father and protect her heart.

Since Tarver was a soldier, he was in his element. He took matters into his own hands to equip Lilac with survival skills and to keep her safe while searching for help. Even in his weak moments, he looked out for her. Though I'm happy he was too proud to be nice because it was so fun to hear his inner snarky thoughts about her. He also directly addressed Lilac with terms like My Lady and Your Highness just to irritate her. Those times cracked me up. The interviews with him at the beginning of each chapter created suspense and I was very intrigued to see where it all led. Most importantly, I'm thrilled it showed Tarver retained his verbal sarcasm even after going through so much. He definitely made the best out of his situation. 

I was completely unprepared for the big thing that happened. Lilac died. It happened super fast but I just kept telling myself it wasn't possible. I was in shock. It just couldn't be. I knew there had to be a way for her to come back so I wasn't surprised when she reappeared. Clever trick ;) I can't say too much without spoiling the story but just know that the truth about the planet helped. Lilac and Tarver's questions about the deserted planet were answered. Although I found the synopsis to be a little misleading since they only find out part of the truth, not the whole truth.  Needless to say, I want to know!

While I wasn't thrilled with where the book ended, the story was engaging and the characters were simply fantastic. I just need to know more about the conspiracy! What are we dealing with here?! Hopefully we'll get to know more in the sequel~

4 Cats

20 comments:

  1. Sorry the ending was on a cliffhanger of sorts! I hate it when that happens but I guess it isn't always a bad thing, it does make us want the next book right away! :P
    Lovely review!

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    1. It was an overall good ending to the book but I can definitely understand why there will be more books :D

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  2. I haven't read this book yet, but I've heard some pretty good reviews! I'll have to pick it up soon!

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  3. I'm so glad you like this one. It was one of my favorite books of the year last year. It totally blew my mind. I can't believe you knew that thing was going to happen to Lilac after that other thing. I didn't see that coming at all and it was one of those "WAIT... What just happened?" moments for me!

    And yes, now you have to read This Shattered World so you can learn to love Lee Chase and Flynn Cormac just as much as Lilac and Tarver.

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    1. I had my suspicions but I couldn't believe it actually happened LOL. It was shocking for sure! I can't wait to meet Lee and Flynn!!

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  4. I'm so glad you liked it! I adore this book and love Lilac & Tarver. When that "big thing" happened, I stopped breathing for at least a minute. Total shock! I had to re-read that part to make sure what happened really happened. You have to read This Shattered World. Lilac & Tarver show up and the conspiracy continues. I can't wait until the third book!

    Michelle @ Michelle's Minions

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    1. My jaw definitely dropped at that moment!! Like you I also had to reread it to make sure I was reading it right haha. The next book has already moved up my TBR!

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  5. I'm glad that you loved this one! I simply adored this one and loved both Tarver and Lilac and their interactions!
    We find out more about the conspiracy in the sequel, but I think we won't get the full picture until the final book!

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    1. I'm hesitant to start the second book until closer to the release date of the final book but I'm not sure I can wait that long! I want to find out more about the conspiracy!

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  6. this is one of those super popular books lately which I haven't read (or even bought). It sounds like Lilac had a nice development which is really a major plus for me. And Tarver sounds like a great guy. I'm definitely getting this next time I see this. Great review! :)

    czai @ <a href="http://theblacksheeproject.blogspot.com/>the Blacksheep Project</a>

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    1. Yes! Lilac and Tarver are amazing! I hope you'll enjoy it when you read it. Definitely feel free to message me to fangirl ;)

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  7. I bought the ebook when it was $1.99 after Christmas. I love stories set in space, so I should like this. I have so many other books I might wait until all three of these are out and then binge read them. That seems to be my plan with a lot of duologies, trilogies, and series as of late. Thanks for the review it was well thought out. :)

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    1. Awww thank you! I always think my reviews sound like I'm rambling lol. Binge reading is a great idea! I would've waited but I was craving a sci-fi read and the book just called out to me haha.

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  8. I'm glad you liked this one. I, on the other hand, didn't like it. Overall it was a good book but I just didn't feel what you felt for this book. I got to admit, the ending got me thinking about continuing the series. Fab really view Eileen!

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    1. Thanks Sharmaine! I hope you keep going. The story definitely has me intrigued :)

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  9. I have really been meaning to read this book, my friend is obsessed with it and i started it but couldnt seem to get into it at the time. Maybe i should give it a try sometime.

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    1. I definitely recommend reading on because it gets mysterious and suspenseful and just so good!

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  10. Hey Eileen!
    Have you read "This Shattered World" yet? I loved that one even more than "These Broken Stars" :-)!
    Yours, Kim

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    1. No I haven't but I do own it! I'm thinking of reading it together with the last book :D Great to hear you loved it~~!

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