Review: These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

Posted by Jessi (Geo) on December 2, 2013 | 2 Comments


Review: These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan SpoonerThese Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman, Meagan Spooner
Series: Starbound #1
Published by Disney Hyperion (12.10.2013)
Genres: Romance, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Format: eARC, 384 pages
Source: NetGalley
Buy on Amazon


4.5 Stars

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.

My thoughts

These Broken Stars is kinda like Shades of Earth meets Titanic, and it’s unlike anything else I’ve read. The world building was by far my favorite part of this book! I loved the feel of the story, and the planet’s energy-based life forms. Their abilities were fascinating! 

This is a hell I’ve never imagined. And I think I’m going to die here.

I didn’t care much for Lilac in the beginning. She’s a spoiled rich brat who’s lived a frilly life without hardship. She was kind of whiney in the beginning, but there was clear development in her character. She grew stronger as the story went along.

Tarver, on the other hand, was kind of a hardass in the beginning. He’s no-nonsense and logical. He has experience in survival, so Lilac is forced to depend on him, creating an uneasy alliance. 

I choose her. I choose whatever world has her in it.

I loved the romance! Tarver and Lilac are unlikely companions, thrown together by fate. They don’t like each other very much at all in the beginning. These are my favorite love stories; the ones where they think they can’t stand each other, but slowly realize that there’s something there the more they get to know each other. 

The only problem for me was that sometimes I felt a bit disconnected from the story. I was never fully invested emotionally like I wanted to be. Something MAJOR happens at the end that probably should have made me cry….but I felt nothing. I didn’t take it seriously, because I knew it wouldn’t happen that way. I knew that this would be a HEA, even when things were going horrendously wrong.

Overall Assessment

Plot: 4/5
Premise: 5/5
Writing style: 4/5
Originality: 4.5/5
Characters: 4/5
World-building: 4.5/5
Pace: 4.5/5
Feels: 2.5/5
Cover: 4/5
Overall rating: 4.5/5

Jessi (Geo)

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2 responses to “Review: These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

  1. I totally agree about…the thing near the end. I was kind of hoping that the authors would take a risk instead of fixing it, but alas, it was not meant to be. I think if they had, I probably would have given this one 5 stars.

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