msmattoon's review
4.0
Really good. Loved the interaction between the personalities of the two mains, and it was well well written and very entertaining. Interested to see where this is going.
kasiej's review
5.0
hese Broken Stars blew me away. Imagine the Titanic in Space but instead of an iceberg and frozen water, they land on an empty planet with nothing but themselves to rely on. Kind of like Cast Away.
This book was beauty in writing form and I have officially added it to my favorites shelf.
I'm going to backtrack a little and start with my initial impressions. I had been fawning over this book for quite sometime. It's a YA Sci-Fi/Romance and as far as genres go only the really good Dystopian can top that for me. The cover is to die for. It provides the reader a quick sense of the story while remaining aesthetically pleasing. Then add the fact that's part of a trilogy? Perfect. 3 Worlds? 3 Love stories? Oh, I'm definitely in for the entire ride.
The story is told in a mix of 2 different first person POVs along with segmented interrogation from the future. It sounds a little confusing but it flows effortlessly. The interview portions are foreboding, showing bits and pieces of another time outside of the main story line, even though it has the same characters. I wasn't expecting anything like that so it left a lasting impression.
The two main characters are Lilac LaRoux and Major Tarver Merendsen. Neither one of them fell into the usual stereotypes. Tarver is flawed and I couldn't be happier about that. Lilac is also imperfect, a little bitchy at first but so strong willed I couldn't help but like her.
Their back and forth is humorous which provides good balance to the overall tone of dread from the crash.
As witty and comical as the snarky remarks are, it's painful to see how they struggle. Alone, beaten up, hungry, lost, confused, and broken, I hope to never have to experience what they went through.
The scientific elements have been obviously researched. In depth referencing like this is hard to come by now a days. Most people just slap the usual, "It is because it is" excuse and move on, but Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner had explanations for everything possible while still maintaining a mystery for the reader.
The enigma of the planet and the strange debriefing segments had me reeling over what it could be. I was absolutely dying to find out. The secrecy of the plot was another unexpected outcome. Of course, I tried not to reach much into this book so I didn't spoil anything for myself. I hope I didn't spoil anything for you either.
I laughed, I cringed, I cried. What a wonderful way to start off my year.
This book was beauty in writing form and I have officially added it to my favorites shelf.
I'm going to backtrack a little and start with my initial impressions. I had been fawning over this book for quite sometime. It's a YA Sci-Fi/Romance and as far as genres go only the really good Dystopian can top that for me. The cover is to die for. It provides the reader a quick sense of the story while remaining aesthetically pleasing. Then add the fact that's part of a trilogy? Perfect. 3 Worlds? 3 Love stories? Oh, I'm definitely in for the entire ride.
The story is told in a mix of 2 different first person POVs along with segmented interrogation from the future. It sounds a little confusing but it flows effortlessly. The interview portions are foreboding, showing bits and pieces of another time outside of the main story line, even though it has the same characters. I wasn't expecting anything like that so it left a lasting impression.
The two main characters are Lilac LaRoux and Major Tarver Merendsen. Neither one of them fell into the usual stereotypes. Tarver is flawed and I couldn't be happier about that. Lilac is also imperfect, a little bitchy at first but so strong willed I couldn't help but like her.
Their back and forth is humorous which provides good balance to the overall tone of dread from the crash.
"Or else I’m dead, and I’ve ended up in hell after all, and it’s an escape pod with Lilac LaRoux." - Tarver
“Where will I sit?” - Lilac
Sit? Why, on this comfortable chaise longue I’ve carried here for you in my pocket, Your Highness, so glad you asked. - Tarver
As witty and comical as the snarky remarks are, it's painful to see how they struggle. Alone, beaten up, hungry, lost, confused, and broken, I hope to never have to experience what they went through.
The scientific elements have been obviously researched. In depth referencing like this is hard to come by now a days. Most people just slap the usual, "It is because it is" excuse and move on, but Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner had explanations for everything possible while still maintaining a mystery for the reader.
The enigma of the planet and the strange debriefing segments had me reeling over what it could be. I was absolutely dying to find out. The secrecy of the plot was another unexpected outcome. Of course, I tried not to reach much into this book so I didn't spoil anything for myself. I hope I didn't spoil anything for you either.
“If you die,” I whisper, my eyes on his, “then I will too.” - Lilac
I laughed, I cringed, I cried. What a wonderful way to start off my year.
thanh's review
5.0
Loved the hate to love relationship that was developed throughout the book and how it was written. This story made me feel all sorts of feelings. I laughed, I cried.
Finished it in just two sittings, couldn't put the book down!
Finished it in just two sittings, couldn't put the book down!
leyaruth42's review against another edition
5.0
This is an excellent Young Adult sci-fi romance novel. I enjoyed the fascinating aspect of the typical crash survivor epic tale, with the romance building between the main characters. The most interesting part was the sci-fi aspects. I won't give it away but it is very cool and interesting. Be prepared for some very interesting twists to the story.
larissax's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
lolasreviews's review against another edition
4.0
I heard so many good things about this book, which made me excited to finally pick up this book. In some ways this book was like I expected and in other ways completely different. It was a very well written book and I found myself easily turning the pages and getting lost on this book. It's a weird mixture of genres, seeming sci-fi at first sight, but also containing survival, romance and even some horror elements. A big space ship crashes and Lilac and Tarver survive the crash and have to survive on the planet. That's where the survival story starts. The story was slow paced at first and it is a mainly character driven book, there is also a strong plot, but it moves more slowly and I found the focus was on the characters.
There is a sense of wrongness that seems persistent through the book, it's obvious something is wrong with the planet. Some mystery that is only revealed towards the very end of the book. The wrongness and mysteriousness almost gave it a creepy feel at times. It made my skin crawl. It was very subtle, but present. there was a twist towards the end that I didn't like too much as it felt off and didn't make much sense. I did really like the ending and how it things got wrapped up.
At first I had a hard time with the characters. Lilac was a spoiled brat and that's putting it nicely. Her father is one of the richest and most powerful people in the universe and she's his daughter. That fame isn't all god, but it was hard to feel even remotely sorry for her when she was acting like a spoiled brat while being stubborn and refusing to listen to Tarver who knew what they where dealing with. Then again I also didn't like Tarver's attitude towards Lilac, sure she might act stupid and stubborn, but she was used to a life of luxury and now she has to survive on a wild planet. I mean that was obviously so out of her comfort zone I think he could've cut her some slack.
Like I mentioned this book is very character driven and it's all about the characters and while they might start out difficult to like that changes, they change a lot. It goes slowly, but we see how what they go through impacts them, brings them closer together, makes them understand each other. They are forced together through circumstances, but it's still great to see these go from almost adversaries to lovers. It goes slowly and the romance builds slowly, but it fit the book. And it kept my attention, so I don't think the slower pace is an issue, although there were a few chapters where I wished things would speed up a little.
It's hard to see Tarver and Lilac their romance separate from their situation and I still wonder if they would've connected without this experience, but then again you can't see them without it as this experience shapes them and changes them and makes them right for each other. I didn't really feel the romance at first, but it becomes clear how much they mean to each other and there are a few scenes which really makes it clear. Lilac might change even more than Tarver does and that might be my favourite part of this book, seeing her adapt to this situation and handling it better than i would've expected. She's stubborn and not giving up, she does what is necessary to survive and I really liked her for that.
I really felt like the author put a lot of effort and time into developing this world and it felt like there was a lot of world building behind it all, but we see very little of it at the same time. The story takes place on board of a ship and on the planet where they try to survive. We see very little from the world except for this tiny piece and while I liked it, I also wished to know ore as I was fascinated by this world and wanted to know how everything worked and what more there is to this world. So I am hoping the later books in this series provide some more pieces of world building.
To conclude: These Broken Stars is a character driven slow paced survival story. There is a sense of wrongness that stay with me most of the book and a mystery which we only understand towards the end of the book. It's a powerful and well written book, although there were some parts i liked less. There was a twist towards the end that felt off, but also one twist which really intrigued me and appalled me at the same time. Seeing Lilac change was one of my favourite parts of this book and it's amazing to see her change into a very different person. The romance is also well done, building slow, but eventually bringing them together. The world building felt well done, but we only get a small piece, I hope to see more of that in the next books.
There is a sense of wrongness that seems persistent through the book, it's obvious something is wrong with the planet. Some mystery that is only revealed towards the very end of the book. The wrongness and mysteriousness almost gave it a creepy feel at times. It made my skin crawl. It was very subtle, but present. there was a twist towards the end that I didn't like too much as it felt off and didn't make much sense. I did really like the ending and how it things got wrapped up.
At first I had a hard time with the characters. Lilac was a spoiled brat and that's putting it nicely. Her father is one of the richest and most powerful people in the universe and she's his daughter. That fame isn't all god, but it was hard to feel even remotely sorry for her when she was acting like a spoiled brat while being stubborn and refusing to listen to Tarver who knew what they where dealing with. Then again I also didn't like Tarver's attitude towards Lilac, sure she might act stupid and stubborn, but she was used to a life of luxury and now she has to survive on a wild planet. I mean that was obviously so out of her comfort zone I think he could've cut her some slack.
Like I mentioned this book is very character driven and it's all about the characters and while they might start out difficult to like that changes, they change a lot. It goes slowly, but we see how what they go through impacts them, brings them closer together, makes them understand each other. They are forced together through circumstances, but it's still great to see these go from almost adversaries to lovers. It goes slowly and the romance builds slowly, but it fit the book. And it kept my attention, so I don't think the slower pace is an issue, although there were a few chapters where I wished things would speed up a little.
It's hard to see Tarver and Lilac their romance separate from their situation and I still wonder if they would've connected without this experience, but then again you can't see them without it as this experience shapes them and changes them and makes them right for each other. I didn't really feel the romance at first, but it becomes clear how much they mean to each other and there are a few scenes which really makes it clear. Lilac might change even more than Tarver does and that might be my favourite part of this book, seeing her adapt to this situation and handling it better than i would've expected. She's stubborn and not giving up, she does what is necessary to survive and I really liked her for that.
I really felt like the author put a lot of effort and time into developing this world and it felt like there was a lot of world building behind it all, but we see very little of it at the same time. The story takes place on board of a ship and on the planet where they try to survive. We see very little from the world except for this tiny piece and while I liked it, I also wished to know ore as I was fascinated by this world and wanted to know how everything worked and what more there is to this world. So I am hoping the later books in this series provide some more pieces of world building.
To conclude: These Broken Stars is a character driven slow paced survival story. There is a sense of wrongness that stay with me most of the book and a mystery which we only understand towards the end of the book. It's a powerful and well written book, although there were some parts i liked less. There was a twist towards the end that felt off, but also one twist which really intrigued me and appalled me at the same time. Seeing Lilac change was one of my favourite parts of this book and it's amazing to see her change into a very different person. The romance is also well done, building slow, but eventually bringing them together. The world building felt well done, but we only get a small piece, I hope to see more of that in the next books.
em_green's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
ihateanis's review against another edition
4.0
Es un libro que empecé a leer con unos 13 años y nunca llegué a terminar, hace poco me puse a leerlo desde el inicio y DIOS MIO!!
Es tan bueno como recordaba, me da pena que sea tan poco conocido pero lo recomiendo muchísimo.
La historia te engancha y el final es
Es tan bueno como recordaba, me da pena que sea tan poco conocido pero lo recomiendo muchísimo.
La historia te engancha y el final es
mansiv27's review
4.0
Look at this beautiful cover seriously it gorgeous. They say never judge a book by its cover. Hell ya with a cover like this I will definitely pick it up. Just by looking at this we know this book is based out of space and doesn't the cover remind you of Titanic of that epic scene which Rose leaves Jack to freeze and then let goes his hand. Yep exactly that one. Though it has entirely predictable romance. This book has plenty of twists and turns you'll be glued to the pages until the very end.As this story has a dual point I loved the way the romance between Lilac and Tarver was portrayed in this book.This is some awesome writing, plain and simple. Spooner and Kaufman did an amazing job of writing two distinct characters (These Broken Stars is dual point of view, something I really came to like,) who, despite both being first person point of view, don’t resemble one another at all.Read my entire review on this here; http://www.peacockfeatherz.com/broken-stars-amie-kaufman/