Review: These Broken Stars

These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner
Starbound #1
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Release Date: December 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."

Taken from Goodreads

Start: 12/27/13  |  End: 1/1/14  |  Pages: 374  |  Rating: 3.5 Stars

My Thoughts: 

I went into These Broken Stars with incredibly high expectations, due to reviews I read about the book, and boy was I let down. For example, this one review compared it to the video game series Star Ocean, and I am OBSESSED with Star Ocean. It is literally one of my favorite video game series, so to be told that a book is similar to your favorite video game, and then find out is NOT similar to said game, is like being shown chocolate chip muffins, but then later finding out they are raisin.

These Broken Stars started onboard a large cruise-like vessel, called the Icarus. Here, we are introduced to a society with a huge social gap between the rich and the poor. Our heroine, Lilac LaRoux, daughter of the man who created LaRoux Industries, finds herself talking to recent war hero, but poor, Tarver Merendsen. Unfortunately, this fated encounter should not have happened, because the wealthiest man's daughter cannot be seen together with some poor war hero. But when the Icarus suddenly starts to fall apart, the two are forced to team up together in order to survive.

To be honest, I really hated Lilac LaRoux from the start. I did not like the way she played with Tarver's heart, especially when she embarrassed him in front of her friends. So when the two finally escaped the ship and crash landed on the foreign planet, I half expected Tarver to just leave her. BUT NO. He's way too nice. Also, during the first part of their trek towards the Icarus crash site, I wanted to punch Lilac in the face. Seriously, stop insulting him and tell him the truth. JUST TELL HIM YOU'RE PROTECTING HIM. Yes, I was pretty frustrated at this part.

But the second half, the second half was more interesting. Now there are the whispers, and the illusions, and things materializing out of thin air. With Tarver and Lilac's relationship stabilized, the more important question was with the planet itself. Just what was that planet, and who exactly lived there?

Lilac eventually redeemed herself. She no longer was the little, helpless, daddy's girl, but an actual independent woman. Tarver, on the other hand, didn't change much at all (at least I don't think so), other than his feelings for Lilac. But since he was already a super nice guy in the beginning, I don't think it matters much. And with this, my love for their relationship grew along with the progression of the story. The book gave a perfect amount of romance, not too much and not too little.

However, the reason this isn't a 4 star, or even a 5 star book, is because the author didn't explain much, especially at the end. There are a lot of things I am still very confused about, and I wish the author would clarify what exactly happened in the events. When it comes to hyperspace and time travel or rifts and whispers, I know next to nothing. This is one of those books where you just have to accept everything that comes along. If you look for an explanation, you will find none.

I would like to end with the fact that this is part of a series, and like other series, it continues in the next book. Unfortunately I recently found out, through some searching, that the next book will not be focusing on Tarver and Lilac but on a completely different couple.

Yeah, I'm a little heartbroken about this, but nevertheless I will be looking forward to the other books as well.