13138635Title: These Broken Stars

Author: Amie Kaufman, Meagan Spooner

Publisher: Disney Hyperion

Publication Date: December 2013

Genre: Young Adult Fiction/Sci-Fi

Series or Stand Alone: Series, Book One

Synopsis can be found here.
I received a copy of this book from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review.

 

Review:

Favorite!

There is so much to love about These Broken Stars, I don’t know how I’ll mention it all without sounding like a crazy gushing fan girl. Oh well. Here it goes.

Lilac, privileged and isolated, is on the Icarus space ship when she meets Major Tarver. A decorated war hero, Tarver doesn’t belong on the upper class decks nor does he fully belong on the lower decks with his fellow soldiers.  But something draws them to each other and for just a second, both feel comfortable in their own skin. It can’t last for long as Lilac knows what her privileged life entails and she forced Tarver away.

Then the unthinkable happens. The spaceship malfunctions, sending the residents into a panic trying to get to the escape pods. And Tarver and Lilac crash land on a remote island. Together. Alone.

The world is mesmerizing. I loved the planet, the spaceship, the world that they explore. The danger is heightened each chapter, throwing Tarver and Lilac into some desperate situations.

Tarver is strong, trained and probably the perfect person to be with if I was ever to crash land on an alient planet. He’s very smart, young but with loads of experience in stressful situations. I liked his no nonsense attitude immediately. Lilac is perfect for him. I loved that he isn’t a very prissy high maintenance girl. She doesn’t whine. Yes, they trade insults and she is difficult, but coming from the world she lives in and the inner guilt she’s acquired in her young age, I feel like these things were warranted and they didn’t bother me. Through the book, Lilac grows the most as a character. She toughens up, is forceful and stubborn and doesn’t give in. She becomes resilient. I loved her character arc. I LOVED the fact that she started out this journey in a beautiful green dress and how the dress signifies Lilac’s own growth and shedding the layers of her former life. Um, I also love that dress and wish I had it. One note- I didn’t think of these characters as teenagers. Major Tarver is very experienced and Lilac lacks the angst and whine of some teenage protagonists out there. I liked both of these things about this story because each character felt more mature and realistic to me.

At it’s core, These Broken Stars is a sweeping love story of two hearts able to find peace and understanding with each other. Yes, she’s pretty. Yes, he’s good looking. But the characters’s relationship grows organically, slowly, allowing the reader to see all of the different colors of love. They hate each other, they push each other, they need each other. Brilliant.

At first, I was skeptical because I thought it would be hard to keep my attention on a story that only revolves around two characters, stranded on a remote island. Hello? Not a problem at all! This writing team adds so much drama, emotionally and physically, there was not one slow moment in the story. In fact, I was half way done and had to go out and pick up a hard cover copy of it for my library. I loved it that much.

I can’t wait to see the rest of this series. Tarver and Lilac’s story has closed but I’m excited to see other star crossed lovers in this dangerous sci-fi world.

Can’t wait for more.

Rating 9 Ridiculously Awesome like Cookies and Ice Cream