These Broken Stars

By: Amie Kaufman, Meagan Spooner

Narrated by: Cynthia Holloway, Johnathan McClain, Sarge Anton

Length: 11 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's 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.

©2013 Amie Kaufman (P)2013 Listening Library

Very fun

Liked it as far as ya books go. Unique story
Not sure why I have to write 10 more words

Very Entertaining!

Interesting story that developed the characters and their relationship very well. I enjoyed the setting, sci-fi that allows the impossible. It was fun to hear the story read with male and female voices! I found this book to be captivating!

A marvellously different fantasy

Where does These Broken Stars rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It was good but not one of my classics

Who was your favorite character and why?

The combination of the two lead characters is the charm of this book

Any additional comments?

Fun space fantasy book focusing on their relationship - light and enjoyable

Classic plot emerges from survival saga

Great performance. Character oriented narration used to good effect. Kept me glued to my Bluetooth until the very end.!

Amazing Story - "Titanic" in Space

Who was your favorite character and why?

Tarver! I love tough guys with the soul of a poet :)

Which scene was your favorite?

All of them, especially after they reach the wreck.

Any additional comments?

4.5 Stars

Even though I got These Broken Stars at BEA last year and I saw many promising reviews, it took me all this while to actually read it. Finally, I got it in audiobook and I just LOVE it! I’m kicking myself in the behind for not reading it before now.

I haven’t read anything by Amie Kaufman before, but I read Meagan Spooner’s Skylar , which I really enjoyed. In a nutshell, These Broken Stars is a combination of ‘Titanic’ in space and it also reminded me of Veronica Rossi’s Under the Never Sky (because of the main characters.) If you read the synopsis, you know that I’m not giving anything away. Lilac LaRoux is the daughter of the richest man in the galaxy, she’s the picture of the perfectly spoiled brat and in a sense, she is; but there is more to her that meets the eye.

Tarver Mederdsen is a ‘war hero’ and has gained the rank of major. He has made a name for himself and is being ‘rewarded’ by being invited to the Icarus to intermingle with the rich people. It is here that he meets the untouchable Ms. LaRoux and ends up saving her life. They end up in the same escape pod and crash land together. It is in this unknown planet that they learn to tolerate each other, and later fall in love. At the beginning, they don’t even like each other, but they slowly realize that there is more to each other and to the stereotypes they want to fit each other in. Lilac and Tarver complement each other really well and I love them as a couple. In case that you can’t tell, the characterization is outstanding, and it really had to be since we spend much of our time with only these two characters. The story is told from both Lilac and Tarver’s point of views, in the first person. Between each chapter, there is an interview with, presumably, an investigator (?) and Tarver, after they‘re rescued. Thus, we know from the beginning that they will eventually rescued.

There aren’t many other characters, but we do get to meet Lilac’s father briefly and he is a piece of work! I’m happy, albeit a bit freaked out with the ending :)

You would imagine that the plot is really simple, but it you would be wrong. Thrown in for good measure is a sci-fi / paranormal twist that makes the story different to anything I’ve read before. The world building is really good and easy to understand, even when it gets a little technical. The pace was a bit slow at the beginning, and even though I wasn’t bored, I kept wishing it could go faster. I think that besides the characters, the crowning glory of this book is the writing. The writing is easy to read, beautiful and lyrical.

Overall, These Broken Stars is a great space romance-sci-fi story. It has great characters, an unforgettable romance, and incredible writing. I’m looking forward to the rest of the books in the series and I hope we can see how Lilic and Traver are doing then.

About the narration – I enjoyed this one. Chapters are narrated by either Jonathan McClain (I’m assuming this is Tarver), and Cynthhia Holloway as Lilac. Also, as stated above, the person interviewing Tarver after the rescue is another narrator too. Overall, the pace is good, it was easy to understand them and I particular loved Tarver’s interpretation.

Action-packed mix of genres!!

Very cool mixture of scifi, adventure, romance, and mystery with a dash of dystopian rebellion thrown in! There's never a dull moment!

WOW

Couldn't stop listening. Great narration and amazing story. Narrators made you feel like you were there, experiencing it firsthand.

Unique and Interesting Sci-Fi Romance

I really enjoyed this book for the most part. the storyline was very unique and interesting. The romance came on a bit quick, the characters went from being constantly annoyed with one another to suddenly all in love, it happened a little fast without much lead up or explanation, but that was pretty much the only thing that threw me off even slightly. There were quite a few heart pounding, fast paced moments and the book never really got boring. I found it interesting, and the overall storyline and ending were also interesting. Not the greatest book I've ever read, but certainly not the worst either. I didn't feel like my credit was wasted at all. it's definitely worth a listen if you're into sci-fi romance. The narrators were pretty good as well, I enjoyed the girl who played Lilac more than the guy though, he was a bit monotone, but not terrible.

Wonderful story

Any additional comments?

When I began listening to the story, I was nearly turned off by the 'Titanic' like storyline. However, I stuck with it and boy, am I glad I did. I loved the sci-fi parts of the book, but I think I fell in love with the story as Tarver and Lilac fell in love, and grew both individually and together. This was an amazing listen, and I was happy to sacrifice sleep to continue listening. If you like stories about love, with sci-fi mixed in, you will love this.

I also really enjoyed the performance. They truly brought the story to life for me.

I love this book!

I have listened to this book twice & the story still moves me. Lilac & Tarver are very relatable, funny & believable. Read it.