Pages: 374
Genre: Sci-fi/Romance
Series: Starbound #3
Publisher:Disney Hyperion
Release Date: Dec 10, 2013
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.
I got These Broken Stars a little after release, and by then people were fawning over it, talking about how much they loved it, how amazing it was so suffice to say, I had high expectations. Very high expectations. So high I screwed studyimg for finals and read it instead.
And you know what? I loved it. Right from the start I loved it and it broke my slump of starting 8 books and finishing none of them. That's how amazing These Broken Stars was. Plus, that cover!
So I actually have no idea how to start this review. It's always hardest to write about a book you loved, I guess? But let's start with characters.
I adored Lilac as a character. She was brilliant character who was completely amazing throughout the entire book. She was smart, witty, and was willing to do what she could. She pretended to be the flighty heiress everything thought she'd be, but her reasons for doing so was heartbreaking and I actually felt heartbroken by page twenty. She was a character I could sympathize with and it's amazing that Lilac went through some character growth without losing my admiration.
Tarver was swoony. Can I leave it at that? Fine. He was sweet and swoony and amazing and swoony and I loved him and his swooniness. In all seriousness though, Tarver was just as brilliant as Lilac, though more street smart than book smart, and it showed. I loved how caring he was towards Lilac and how badass he was, though not without his vulnerability.
The romance was swoon worthy, but I think I've already used that word too much. I'm always a fan of hate/love relationship which is definitely how their relationship seemed when they crashed. I adored how they first met though, although it did seem a bit insta lovey, but the romance after that was entirely amazing. And I actually loved the insta love part of it too, surprisingly. I'm pretty sure there's a meme that's like "True love is when you take care of each other even if you're angry." or something like that and it definitely applies to the book. Also? Let me just say that I couldn't contain my squeals (and screams) at all.
The worldbuilding and the vivid descriptions were a giant part of the novel and the science part was...mind blowing and just...brilliant. It was amazing, the things behind the whispers, behind the mysterious terraformed planet and it's definitely a creative, if not somewhat original, idea.
These Broken Stars is, at it's core, a survival story and I loved that. I never knew watching people walk could be so fascinating. Of course, that's not all that happens. There was a mystery on the edges of the book and you couldn't help but get enraptured, wondering, dying to know what was happening, what was causing this or that, whether they were going crazy, or if there really was something...other.
What I think I loved the most was that our characters reached the conclusion before we did, which is actually pretty hard to do. And it wasn't just some wild leap, there was actually evidence to back it up and it was...interesting, seeing where we'd be taken next.
These Broken Stars is, perhaps, one of my favorite sci-fi books out there and I can't wait to read book two, which I'm hoping will at least have a Lilac or Tarver cameo! (It has to guys, it has to.) Heartbreaking and awe inspiring, These Broken Stars is just one that'll have to make it to the top of your TBR, no matter how towering it already is!
So I actually have no idea how to start this review. It's always hardest to write about a book you loved, I guess? But let's start with characters.
I adored Lilac as a character. She was brilliant character who was completely amazing throughout the entire book. She was smart, witty, and was willing to do what she could. She pretended to be the flighty heiress everything thought she'd be, but her reasons for doing so was heartbreaking and I actually felt heartbroken by page twenty. She was a character I could sympathize with and it's amazing that Lilac went through some character growth without losing my admiration.
Tarver was swoony. Can I leave it at that? Fine. He was sweet and swoony and amazing and swoony and I loved him and his swooniness. In all seriousness though, Tarver was just as brilliant as Lilac, though more street smart than book smart, and it showed. I loved how caring he was towards Lilac and how badass he was, though not without his vulnerability.
The romance was swoon worthy, but I think I've already used that word too much. I'm always a fan of hate/love relationship which is definitely how their relationship seemed when they crashed. I adored how they first met though, although it did seem a bit insta lovey, but the romance after that was entirely amazing. And I actually loved the insta love part of it too, surprisingly. I'm pretty sure there's a meme that's like "True love is when you take care of each other even if you're angry." or something like that and it definitely applies to the book. Also? Let me just say that I couldn't contain my squeals (and screams) at all.
The worldbuilding and the vivid descriptions were a giant part of the novel and the science part was...mind blowing and just...brilliant. It was amazing, the things behind the whispers, behind the mysterious terraformed planet and it's definitely a creative, if not somewhat original, idea.
These Broken Stars is, at it's core, a survival story and I loved that. I never knew watching people walk could be so fascinating. Of course, that's not all that happens. There was a mystery on the edges of the book and you couldn't help but get enraptured, wondering, dying to know what was happening, what was causing this or that, whether they were going crazy, or if there really was something...other.
What I think I loved the most was that our characters reached the conclusion before we did, which is actually pretty hard to do. And it wasn't just some wild leap, there was actually evidence to back it up and it was...interesting, seeing where we'd be taken next.
These Broken Stars is, perhaps, one of my favorite sci-fi books out there and I can't wait to read book two, which I'm hoping will at least have a Lilac or Tarver cameo! (It has to guys, it has to.) Heartbreaking and awe inspiring, These Broken Stars is just one that'll have to make it to the top of your TBR, no matter how towering it already is!
Glad to hear there is good world building, as this is what I look forward to the most. I was turned off by negative reviews of this but now I'm being pulled back in the direction of "WANT TO READ!"
ReplyDeleteI'm really happy that you liked this one! I feel like everyone really liked this one and I'm one of the only people who rated it less than three stars. But either way, I'm really happy that you enjoyed Lilac and Tarver's characters as well as their relationship. <3
ReplyDelete