Adrift But Not Alone

Adrift But Not Alone

• Jul 16, 2014

These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner

Release Date: December 10, 2013
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Pages: 374 pages
Source & Format: Bought; Hardcover
Series: Starbound #1
Amazon | Goodreads

Summary (from Goodreads)

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.

Thoughts on These Broken Stars

I fell in love with this cover before I even knew what the book was about! Isn't it so gorgeous? I don't always love covers with real people on them where you can clearly see the "characters," this is an example of how it can be done really well. So, I rarely read science fiction or anything set in space, but I was definitely intrigued by the summary. The positive reviews started rolling in, and I knew I was going to give this one a shot.

These Broken Stars opens with a disaster: a "massive luxury spaceliner is yanked out of hyperspace and plummets into the nearest planet." Lilac LaRoux and Tarver Merendsen, two people from opposite social classes. Lilac is wealthy and famous, but Tarver has just started to make a name for himself. When the two survive the crash, they have only each other to rely on.

Oh man, I loved this book! Lilac and Tarver are complicated and frustrating characters in the very best way. They argue and bicker, getting on one another's nerves constantly, which is basically the premise of every single one of my favorite love stories. SOLD. Despite their flaws, I really did enjoy getting to know both of them.

I loved that this was really more of a survival story than anything else. While I get the science fiction aspect, it wasn't an intimidating aspect. There's a romance that I loved, and lots of action/adventure as these two try to find their way back to civilization. The science fiction element does come into play at one point, and it contributes to one of the big reveals in the book. Some people may not love that part, but I liked it because it was so different. There's a sort of creepy feeling because they're stranded in a place filled with so many unknowns, and it set the tone perfectly for some of what was to come.

Each chapter opens with a portion of dialogue between Tarver and an unknown character, which I thought was a nice touch. You see Tarver's attitude, and it was really just perfect. There is a lot of humor in this book, even in the moments where it's dark or things are tense. Additionally, the pacing worked really well for me. Plus, there's a great moment where your jaw drops and the story suddenly ramps up to a whole different level. It really was just such a fun read, even when it was putting my emotions through the ringer!

This was such a fabulous read, and I was so glad I gave it a chance. I love that the story was completely resolved by the end of the book and that it's a series of companion novels. I had some lingering questions about the world, and that was probably my only complaint about the book. I couldn't fully picture everything that was described and there were a few things that didn't really make sense to me. I have a feeling that those will be likely be addressed in the books to come, and I can't wait to meet new characters and spend more time in this world!

So Quotable

"For a moment the image before us is frozen: our world, our lives, reduced to a handful of broken stars half lost in uncharted space. Then it’s gone, the view swallowed by the hyperspace winds streaming past, blue-green auroras wiping the afterimages away. Until all that’s left is us."