These Broken Stars

Why I chose this book: I will be the first to admit it. I am a sucker for space operas. At the tender age of 8, I watched Star Wars for the first time and Han Solo had me at “I know”. When I was eleven, I wanted to be an astronaut. Sadly, a few rounds of roller coasters permanently crushed those dreams. Needless to say, I had stardust in my blood. The fortunate thing for me, and for young adult literature, is that there is some amazingly well written space opera and science fiction novels. I had seen a couple of book blogs I follow give this book a good review, so I knew I had to pick it up. Four things you need to know about this book: 1. Get ready for some beautiful writing. While this is written by two authors, there was no way you could tell who wrote what. It was seamlessly beautiful and gorgeous. Tarver and Lilac struggle together in a world that is equal parts foreign and mysterious. The world is written in various terrains that are each given equal attention to detail, providing the reader a picturesque image of an alien world. Have no fear; this would is far from the stereotypical idea of red, dusty planets and little green men tramping about. The writing doesn’t extend to simply the setting, the emotion throughout the book is one that thrives and grows with each chapter. When Tarver and Lilac first stumble onto the setting of the Icarus wreckage, the reader sees the enormity of the situation, while still fully aware of personal emotion that is tied to the crash. “The Icarus is falling. She’s like a giant beast up in the sky, and I imagine her groaning as she wallows and turns, some part of her still fighting, engines still firing in an attempt to escape gravity. For a few moments she seems to hang in there, eclipsing one of the planet’s moons, pale in the afternoon sky. But what comes next in inevitable, and I find myself reaching an arm around the girl beside me as the ship dies, pieces still peeling away as she makes her final descent.” (Chapter 5) 2. Character development that makes you feel like a proud momma. Lilac and Tarver are enemies at the beginning at the novel that only use friendship as a tool to survive. The two mix like fire and gasoline, and know exactly what it takes to get under the other’s skin. While their relationship is an explosive one, the trials and tribulations of the planet cause them to grow upward and inward. The reader understands the background of each character as Tarver and Lilac do, which I enjoyed. Along with this development runs an undercurrent of smaller themes like sacrificial love. While love does many things, sometimes it requires you to put others before yourself. This is particularly seen in the character of Lilac. If she began the novel as a selfish caterpillar, then her time on the alien planet was her cocoon. Needless to say, she blossoms into a beautiful selfless butterfly of a character. 3. Two characters, two POV. Sometimes I find that books force differing points of view when it is completely unnecessary, but this time it worked, brilliantly. Tarver and Lilac are completely different people, so their perspective on situations are about as different as their backgrounds. Not only does this push the plot forward, it makes the story’s pace never tire. 4. It’s all Greek to me! There are many references to Greek mythology and culture throughout the novel. For instance, the ship that Lilac’s father built is ironically named The Icarus. Without giving away spoilers, this plays out significantly in the end of the novel, and hints at a much greater theme in the coming trilogy. Lilac herself struggles with viewing her father as a greek God. Yet, like mythology, all gods have faults, and she comes to realize this. “My father and his stupid fixation on mythology. He told me all the old stories when I was little, of waring gods and goddesses, and I almost imagined he was one of them. All-powerful, all-knowing. Someone to be worshipped unconditionally. But who names a starship the Icarus? What kind of man possess that much hubris, that he dares it to fall?” (Chapter 24) Final Thoughts: This book is definitely one of my memorable favorites. I read it slowly, because I didn’t want it to end. I am thrilled that not all my questions were answered, because I know that means there will be more books in the future. This is a series that I know will be a beautiful and highly anticipated read. I gave this book five stars on Goodreads.

How to describe this book - An adventure, survival, syfy, love story. It was okay, that is the main thought I had in my head after finishing this book. I went in to this expecting it to pull on my heart strings and leave me gasping for breath, that's what I took away from the reviews I had read of it and that's not what I got. Let me start off by saying this is a good book, it's not a bad book, I can't honestly think of one thing I hated about it, I can't think of one moment I stopped waiting to love it and starting feeling nothing for it. It just wasn't for me, I guess. Likes - -The Characters - I loved both characters which just makes it all the more confusing as to why I didn't like this book! The romance was sweet and slow and I love that but when they finally did get together and when all these bad heart breaking things started happening I didn't really feel anything, my heart didn't break for these characters the way I wanted it to. -I liked that it was a kind of survival story, I'm a sucker for a survival story. - Beautiful writing. - Characters - Again I really did love the characters! Dislikes - - My main "dislike" I guess would have to be that I didn't really feel invested in this book. I don't know why, the writing was good, I loved the characters, just something about the book, the pace, the plot, just made me feel disconnected and while I was excepting this book to pull my heart every which way and keep me on the edge of my seat it just didn't. -I guess I felt that the over all world in this book, with all the planets and the terraforming could have be explained a little more, you kinda have figure it all out for yourself and it's slightly confusing at times. -While I liked that it was a love story/survival novel/ adventure/sy-fy I also feel that it was trying to be too many things at once and so nothing got enough attention. In conclusion - The writing was beautiful, the characters were well developed and likable, it was just missing that 'pulling on my heart strings' factor that I so love in a book and that I was expecting in this book. And at some point along the way I kinda just stopped caring about this book for the most part. I got disconnected and never really connected again even when we got to the most important parts. I gave this book 4 stars because It's not that it's a bad book it's just that at some point along the way it lost something for me, but I don't think that will happen to most people, I think most people will probably really enjoy this book. I guess for me it was just that it took too long to get where it was going and I kinda lost interest. I will probably at some point pick up the next book when it comes out just to see what happens but it's not something that I have the overwhelming desire to read the minute it comes out.​

These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner Edition reviewed: Hyperion, First Edition hardcover No major plot spoilers. Why I picked it up: I was browsing books on Amazon one day, and was looking for a science fiction romance. Why? Because of the (small) hole left in me by "For Darkness Shows the Stars" by Diana Peterfreund. I heartily give it a solid 4 star review, because it had everything I was looking for at that point in time: no paranormal elements/creatures (taking a break from fantasy), an original plot, and strong, likeable characters. It hit all of the aforementioned elements, BUT it was lacking a bit in chemistry – and the two leads did not ever share a kiss. Thus, These Broken Stars. It promised romance, as well as everything else that For Darkness Shows the Stars delivered, so I dived in. The Writing: Rather than describing the general summary of the novel, I’m going to assume that most of you have read the provided description. First of all, I was blown away by the fluidity in this book despite the fact that it was written by two authors! Had I not known, I would never have guessed it because the writing flows so beautifully. Kaufman and Spooner have forged an amazing partnership in the creation of this novel, and I am so glad that they found each other as writing partners. Lilac and Tarver were both stunningly well developed characters. Throughout the book, I liked Tarver’s personality, through both his perspective, and Lilac’s perception of him. On the other hand, I grew to like Lilac over time. I definitely liked her at first – but it was only during her chapters that I found her to be sympathetic. I disliked her everytime it shifted to Tarver’s chapters, because she seemed like an absolute brat. This remedied itself as the plot unfolded, as it revealed Lilac’s fragility in the face of her outwardly strong persona. Basically, I felt like I liked her more and more as Tarver began to like her – which really demonstrates the authors’ talent, that I was sharing these emotions with the characters. Plot wise, I didn’t choose this book for originality. It was more or less a replacement for For Darkness Shows the Stars, which was based on Persuasion by Jane Austen, so I didn’t care that this book seemed like it was a sci-fi version of Titanic. However, I was happy to discover that although the initial premise of this novel sounded cliché, the plot started spinning a much more interesting and original storyline than I had anticipated. I was thrilled by every turn of events, and did not find this book to be predictable in the least. Even at the end (more on this later in the review), I didn’t know what was going to happen to the protagonists, so I was kept at the edge of my seat the whole time. I haven’t read such a thrilling, absorbing novel in Young Adult fiction in a long time. I didn’t set out to read such a gem, but I found one in These Broken Stars. The Romance: This is where this book really shines. This is doubly true for me, since I picked this one in large part for the promised romance. The relationship between Tarver and Lilac developed at the perfect pace, and did not seem manufactured or forced. It was both believable and sweet. Yes, they feel an immediate attraction at the beginning of the novel while on the Icarus, but this turns out to have little to no effect on the burgeoning romance once they crash onto the unknown planet. Tarver files her away as a beautiful, but typically spoiled and helpless heiress, and it almost seemed as if her appearances worked against her at first. But after being stripped to their innermost layers, removing all the superficial personas, Tarver and Lilac fell in love with the vulnerable and true personalities that they saw in each other. While this can be a pro or a con depending on the person, I loved that the heat was turned up a bit for this novel. There were definitely references to sex, nudity, and even the “problem” that Tarver woke up with after sharing blankets with Lilac. It’s a PG-13 level romance, but I loved the amped up heat after their relationship blossomed. Favorite line about their relationship: Tarver, in Chapter 31: “There are moments like this when I can actually imagine her at my parents’ cottage. I can see her hauling wood with the rest of us, chopping vegetables, going to long walks and calling it entertainment. I think my parents would like her. I can see her happy there.” The Ending: The ending, in my opinion, was pretty perfect. Loose ends were tied up, and although the ending was pretty brief, it did everything right. I loved that I couldn’t really predict the ending. Maybe I guessed what type of ending it was going to be, but I had no idea how Tarver and Lilac were going to reach that point. Basically, everything in the last few chapters was a surprise to me, and it was thrilling to figure out how things were going to be tied up. So even if you know the starting and ending point of a book, I think it’s the actual journey that’s the most fun to read. With another of my favorite books, Les Miserables by Victor Hugo (a very different type of book), or The Road by Cormac McCarthy (also a very different book), the actual ending really mattered to me. With These Broken Stars, it was just so thrilling to read how they were going to get themselves out of a seemingly impossible situation. Final Thoughts: This book far exceeded my expectation in everyway. So much, that I added it to my favorites shelf, which I reserve for books that really leave an impact on me. It’s probably one of the best Young Adult reads of 2013, and I actually resent the fact that the School Library Journal book summary (the first one you see on Amazon) sounds so cliché. It starts by saying that “Lilac LaRoux is the belle of the ball,” despite how Lilac is first seen sitting away from other people, almost isolated despite her reputation. The next sentence says, “Beautiful Lilac is constantly denying suitors who seem only to be after two things, her fame and her father’s fortune,” which is even farther off the mark. The only “suitor” that comes up to her in the entire span of the book is Tarver, who doesn’t even know who she is at that point. The only other guy that is mentioned to have approached her romantically is a boy that Lilac herself loved, who was poorer than her, and bonded with her over things like electric wiring. So why does the summary begin with those statements? I turned away from the book at first, having only read that description, and only came back to it after reading other reviews that insisted that this book was original. Don’t think that this book is just a rehashed Titanic or Romeo and Juliet! It’s so much more, and I believe that any Young Adult romance lover will find this book just as intense and enthralling as I did. It really is a splendid read. The only thing I still want to know: Who is Sarah? When Lilac hears Tarver call her Sarah, I wanted to find out if she was right in her assumption that it was Tarver’s ex-girlfriend. Maybe this was cleared up somewhere in the book, but if it was, I missed it. I combed the chapters before and after that scene, and I couldn’t find any clarification. I know it’s not really relevant at all, but it’s my tiny nit-pick for this book. But anyway, read this book! It will blow you away, and you will fall in love with Lilac and Tarver because of their hardships, not in spite of them. You’ll fall in love with their fragile-on-the-outside but inwardly unbreakable bond. You’ll fall in love with the amazing world and expertly spun storyline that makes These Broken Stars such a thrilling ride.

POSSIBLE MINOR SPOILERISH ITEMS BELOW? This is kind of like a sci-fi Romeo and Juliet, only this seemingly doomed couple ride around in space ships and get crashed alone on a planet. It turns into a survivalist romance, where two "star-crossed lovers" find love - with a big metaphysical twist. I'm ALL about mysticism and the idea of nonphysical life forms. This is *right* up my alley in a MEGA way. However, those parts weren't fleshed out enough to be truly satisfying to me. I felt like so many interesting opportunities to explore the planet were wasted. Too much time was spent describing events like a monsoon, snow during a stressful trek through a mountain pass, finding a wreckage of a ship, a wound that demands a search for supplies and medicine. I just wanted *more* about the strange planet, the "whispers." I feel that was incredibly undeveloped and a waste of a BRILLIANT idea. I liked the 2 main characters. The female lead especially grew on me. She was annoying beyond words in the beginning, but quickly became a true hero. What seemed to happen to me was that we had a great premise in the beginning, that stalled at around 30-40% into a very SLOW middle of the book, finally peaked at about 70%, and then was enthralling to the end. I LOVED the idea of what the whispers were. I wanted MORE about them, but that part seemed undeveloped and it frustrated me. I skimmed some of the middle because it was same-old and boring for me personally. The ideas attempted metaphysically were still not enough for me to rate this more more 3 stars. It's not bad at all really, I just was expecting more action and instead got a slow-paced survivalist romance with a cool minor "out of this world" element that wasn't developed enough to satisfy me.

Be prepared: I am going to gush on this one. These Broken Stars is the first book in the Starbound Trilogy, a young adult science-fiction series that transcends the genres it attempts to incorporate. As for the "young adult" aspect, the quality and maturity of the writing lends the story an air of sophistication and poetry that is acceptable for almost any age. Somehow, the young protagonists still manage to sound the correct age, without the immaturity that many writers infuse into their younger characters. They don't sound older than they are, but they don't sound like annoying teenagers either. It's hard to explain, but trust me: It works. It is both soft sci-fi, as well as paranormal, with a good bit of romance. And before you cringe at that, let me say this: I do not read romance novels of any sort. If it contains romance, fine. But I don't read it as a specific genre simply because I like the plot to define what happens, not cheesy lines and awkwardly written scenes (this is my personal bias). But this is not that type of romance. This is the kind that can't be pegged down by limited parameters, the kind that flows into its own universe and drags us along the way, leaving us broken then healed but better for having taken the journey. I am not overly sentimental, particularly when it comes to book romances, but this story is about so much more. It's about love, yes, but also about truth, about trust, about perseverance, about what really makes us human and what lengths we go to in order to make the world a better place. We all come from different walks of life, but shared experiences can bridge that gap. I argue that I'm not overly sentimental as I'm tearing up writing this part of the review, but I can't help it for one very specific reason. I can't share it with you without spoiling the story for you (I hate when reviews do that), but I will say that I have never in my life read a scene as realistically heartbreaking as a *particular* one in this book. It will make you want to cry, to scream, to throw the book across the room and curse the heavens (or me) for having allowed you to read it. Yet it is so achingly simple and human that we could all relate in one way or another. What causes it to happen is not normal, nor is it reasonable to expect what you later realize is the inevitable. When it happens, though, it is not what happens that will rip your heart out. It is the reactions and thoughts of another character that will punch you in the gut. I was so incredibly angry at the book at that point, but I kept reading, and I am very glad that I did. All I can say is, when you feel like you've been betrayed by the authors, don't automatically give up. Keep reading. Trust me. My daughter had an even stronger reaction when I told her to read this book, after having told her how much I enjoyed it. She became very upset with me at that point in the story, refusing to continue with it. This remained the case for almost two weeks before I finally convinced her to trust me (to trust me after she felt I had tricked her). Luckily, she did finish it and decided to forgive me in the end. This book is that good. The two main characters alternate first-person POV from chapter to chapter, but the genius of this is that the two authors (Kaufman and Spooner) each wrote from one character's perspective, emailing chapters back and forth as they completed them. It's like a tandem story, only with more planning, cohesion, and editing involved. The end result is stunning, and they mastered the art of co-writing. Each of the two characters has a distinctly different voice, and neither of them come across as anything less than very real and human in their thoughts and actions. The Starbound Trilogy is, by far, my favorite YA series to date (barring one exception that I don't count as YA, but that's for another blog post). I have read all three books now, as well as a prequel novella, and while I love the entire series, this first book is the best in the series by a long shot. Shortly after finishing the series, I reread the first book. Let me repeat that: I, who firmly do not believe in rereading books when there is little time for the books that are out there, reread this book. If you like the paranormal and science fiction genres, yet can tolerate some romance along the way (think The Notebook if it involved hyperspace travel, or Rose and Jack from Titanic, only IN SPACE and other exotic locales, minus the stupid freezing to death bit), you won't be disappointed. Better yet, think Glenn and Maggie ("I'll find you"). Sucker-punch to the gut right there. No need for Lucille. The characters are REAL (well, as real as any character in fiction can be), the love story is undeniably REAL, and the plot only gets better as the story progresses. Can I promise that you'll love it as much as I do? Perhaps not, and that is the beauty of literature. This piece is as beautiful as the genre gets, as far as I'm concerned. Not beautiful as in it lacks action and humor. There is an overwhelming sense of foreboding, an ominous nature to several aspects of the plot, not to mention a handful of grit to balance out the poetry of it all. And there are lighter, funnier moments amidst the serious goings-on in the story. If I had to recommend reading one YA series this summer, I'd definitely say give this one a shot. Read the first book and see how you like it. If you're like me, you'll devour it and immediately want to begin the next book. The entire series is fantastic, but the first book is by far the best (or maybe I'm just biased toward the characters in that one). There is also a short story entitled "This Night So Dark" that connects the first two books in the series, but I read it after the series. You don't want to spoil anything for yourself. You could read it any time AFTER you read These Broken Stars, but not before.

Lilac LaRoux is accustomed to living a life of wealth. Her father owns the largest company in the galaxy and she hides deep pain behind the mask of an heiress. Major Tarver Merendsen finds himself on the Icarus’ maiden voyage after his heroic actions lurch him into the spotlight. Tarver and Lilac couldn’t be more different and they’re thrown together as the Icarus plummets from the sky, leaving them as the sole survivors of the crash. As much as the two can’t get along, they have to figure out a way to work together to survive on this strange planet. I have been wanting to read this book for quite awhile. The cover is stunning and I will guiltily admit that it first drew me to want this book. Then, I read the synopsis and it sounded like just my kind of book. I will admit, it was way less space opera than it was made to sound, but I didn’t mind. The romance is really the focus of this book, but I did expect as much from the synopsis. Something I really loved about this book is learning the main characters’ back stories. The authors did an amazing job of slowly revealing bits and pieces of Lilac and Tarver that I felt intrigued the whole time. There is so much pain and uniqueness to both these characters that they became so much more real. Lilac is tough, but not in the way so many female leads are these days. She has so much inner strength. She’s smart, which she hides well, and determined. At the same time, she grew up in the upper crust of society, so she struggles when she’s deserted with Tarver on an unknown planet. She falls apart and puts herself back together so many times throughout this book. She may not be the strongest physically, but she has so many qualities I admire. It’s refreshing to read a strong female lead that isn’t the typical amazing-at-everything girl. Tarver is also a great character to read. I was so fascinated by his story, especially his mom and his poetry. He wasn’t just the heroic soldier, but he also had a soft side. I really wish the authors would’ve included more of his poetry into this book. At times it was so easy to forget he wrote because we never got to see any of it. I also really enjoys all the snippets between the chapters. It was so fun to guess what was going one throughout them and I loved seeing them build into something great. They flowed so nicely with each chapter and it was great that they eventually connected closely with the story. I really loved this book until about 75% percent through it. I won’t spoil it, but some things happen that really upset me. At that point until the end, it just felt like a big scramble and it didn’t feel natural to me. I kept expecting the twist to turn into another twist, but that never came and I was pretty disappointed. The ending to this book was great, even with the stuff happening that bothered me. Each novel in this series focuses on a different cast, so each book has a pretty clear ending with no cliff hangers. Once I read this book, I just wanted more and I immediately pick up the next book. I just finished the whole series in just few days and I definitely think each book is better than the one before it.

I actually give this book 4.5 stars, but by page 20, I was hooked. What made TBS so intriguing? Well, really it's the premise. This book is like Titanic mixed with Across the Universe mixed with Firefly/Serenity mixed with Article 5 mixed with Halo AND Aliens mixed with every survival story ever. And yet, although it shares elements and plot points with all these stories, it manages to stand by itself as something unique and interesting. See, first, we're on the Icarus (SO ill-named, a fact that Lilac discusses at one point) rubbing elbows with the fancy first-class, but then the ship is evacuated. By the magic of book luck and plot manipulation, Tarver and Lilac end up alone in an escape pod. They manage to detach from the ship and land on a nearby planet–that they've never heard of before. Enter survival mode. How is this unique? you ask. Well, there's also an absolutely insane paranormal-y twist that I didn't expect at all. It's so subtle that I was questioning Lilac and Tarver's sanity right along with them. When you have a movie or a book with few characters, you can also concentrate on them. Think Castaway or Gravity. To some extent, Catcher in the Rye. Not only is TBS plot-driven, but the fact that other characters are not often present, Amie and Meagan were able to really develop Tarver and Lilac. Their relationships to others is intrinsically important to their development and the plot, but we don't actually know these other characters, and that allows us to get to know Tarver and Lilac really well. First person dual pov is such a blessing because we can hear BOTH main characters' thoughts. I knew immediately that Lilac was no princess, that there was a lot more to her. She's so smart, so calculating, but not necessarily in a cruel way, except when necessary. She's strong and passionate and utterly likeable. Likewise, Tarver isn't the big dumb soldier that he pretends to be around others. He's also smart and he's considerate, but he also makes the tough decision occasionally to be momentarily less kind in a life-or-death situation. While in those moments he seems like a jerk, Tarver is totally the kind of guy who would sacrifice anything to keep someone else safe, even the girl who publicly humiliated him, especially the girl who publicly humiliated him, and that's a testament to just how good of a person he is. Amie and Meagan did a great job creating these two characters that I loved very early on. I sympathized with every rough moment, every harrowing near-miss, every injury. I cheered every obstacle cleared. I was completely engrossed in this slow-building romance that reminded me of embers that are slow to ignite, but when they finally catch, they blaze with such heat and light that you have to step away. The romance, when it happened...just WOW. And the thing is, it wasn't insta-love. When two characters go through such hardships, it's no wonder that they grow close, but it wasn't just that. It's apparent in their first meeting that Tarver and Lilac have a deeper connection. I loved every aspect of this book. I feel like everything was addressed properly and in good time. After they land, I'm sitting there going, "Lilac is NOT going to hike around in high heels," and the problem was fixed. What would happen to the canteen? SOLVED. I absolutely loved that Tarver's investigation co-incided with the novel. Those chapter breaks gave me something to look forward to when things dragged OR got too intense. It was like listening in to Tarver's side of the story, but getting the full thing since we know he's being selective with his answers. The breaks also gave good insight to a snarkier, slightly resentful Tarver, which was definitely fun to watch. Why didn't I give this novel 5 stars? I can't really say. I think I'm giving it some growing room. I was sucked in by page 20, but by page 120, I wanted a break. I didn't have to read it all in one sitting. I always wanted to finish, but I didn't absolutely HAVE TO FINISH IT RIGHT NOW. But by the end of the novel, when I woke up at 2 AM and couldn't get back to sleep immediately, I wanted to finish. The drama increases and the stakes rise exponentially in a mad conclusion. I can't wait to read This Shattered World, book two of the Starbound trilogy, which will be released in 2014. This is a companion series rather than direct sequels, but I sincerely hope to see characters from TBS again...at least the ones who survived. ;) PS I totally love the cover. It was what attracted me in the first place. And before you go off about pretty white girls in prom dresses, the dress is actually pretty significant.

There's been a lot of positive buzz for These Broken Stars around the blogging community. It feels great to say that I enjoyed this story, even though it didn't exactly hit the five star mark. There are two enjoyable main characters, a story that was extremely engrossing from beginning to end and a romance that felt surprisingly authentic in spite of its timeframe. What's not to like indeed? Of the narrating characters, I was drawn to Tarver and immediately developed a big crush on him. (What can I say? I do adore a man in uniform.) He is an amazing example of strength, responsibility and loyalty, even when under duress. He is a protector, and a hero, and an all-around good guy. Even though he veered into serious, abrasive territory at times, his good nature always prevailed -- and that is why I loved him so completely. Lilac is the other narrating character; she was definitely more difficult to like. She pulled off being a spoiled brat in the earlier chapters so effectively that I very nearly disliked her. Eventually, readers will learn more about her history and it will be helpful in understanding what made her who she is. My favorite thing about her was watching her transformation during the entirety of their experience on the unfamiliar planet, especially when it came to her bravery and strength. If it isn't obvious, these two become romantically entangled. Their relationship could have fallen into the realm of insta-love based on the timeframe alone, but it just felt true to the situation they found themselves in. Personally, I thought that it developed pretty darn well. It ebbs, flows and grows over the course of time - going from indifference, to hate, to like and to something a little bit more. Apart from the romance, and these characters, there is also the epic adventure this story takes us on. The beginning felt a little clunky, especially because everything felt a wee bit too orchestrated to lead up to the crash. But from the moment Lilac and Tarver embark on their journey on the unknown planet, things get really interesting! I liked reading about the various landscapes they had to traipse through, and the things they faced along the way. As for the ending (a.k.a. the last few chapters), my feelings are lukewarm. There are too many elements that I remain unsure of, but hopefully, the next few books will clear things up for me. These Broken Stars was certainly written beautifully, with words that flowed into and out of one another effortlessly. The elements are carefully pieced together, but my decided lack of personal connection to the story is what made me forgo that one star in the rating. Still, there's something intriguing here, a unique factor that kept me reading on. And that, my friends, is what makes me want to find out what happens next to Lilac and Tarver -- and encourages me to recommend this book.

Great book. DHL threw the package in my yard and it was rained on but customer service was great of amazon

Series: Sleepless Series #1 Publication Date: December 2013 Summary: "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." This is a beautifully written space opera, with elements of the paranormal. The plot is very much survival-based, and in the course of the novel the relationship between the survivors grows, which makes this book stand out. The writing is beautiful, the descriptions are exceptionally well done, without any elements of purple prose; it flowed exceedingly well. The romance was well built, and completely believable, although a little overwhelming at times given the environment and the situation. I wound up liking both of the characters, even if I didn't start off that way. Lilac and Tarver's relationship and its development was the best thing about this book. Lilac's character is a bit annoying in the beginning and, truly, I just wanted to punch her, but in the course of the novel she suffers some major character development. Even being a great book, I still have reservations about it that, in my opinion, keeps it from being a even greater novel. That includes the slowness of the plot, the unconvincing character of Tarver (even though I love him very much) and the complete lack of world building. The plot dragged on at times because an overwhelming part of the book is composed of the pair traipsing through an alien planet, trying to survive an unknown environment. The narrative flows well, but Tarver's character isn't as convincing as I would like him to be as the lead male. Overall, I really, truly enjoyed this book, and it is absolutely in the running for one of my notable reads. Absolutely recommended, and I cannot wait for the next two books in the series.

The characters are great and they really leap off the page. I couldn't put this down! I really recommend this and it seems like it will go somewhere great with the second book, when it comes out. Recommended reading!

Llego a tiempo y las condiciones bastante buenas por el precio que es. Lo volvería a comprar incluso para un regalo

Non sono una grande amante dei libri sci-fi ma la copertina mi ha attirata e non ho saputo resistere, sono debole ahahah. In generale il libro mi è piaciuto anche se secondo me la prima parte è troppo lenta e l'ultima un po' confusionaria