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

Mesmerizing!

From the start I was instantly drawn into this story. Told in duel points of view, it was such a mesmerizing listen. The narrators did an excellent job of bringing this well written and unique story to life. It made me feel transported to another place and time and I became utterly lost within the words.

These Broken Stars is a story of survival and love, set in a sci-fi world, with intriguing mysteries to solve, that will have you listening late into the night. There are so many twists and turns and “I didn’t see that coming” moments. It will have you guessing almost to the very end.

This was such an unexpected gem of a book. 5 HUGE stars!!

Enjoyable Story

These Broken Stars is a well written YA science fiction novel that does circumvent a lot of the cliches in the genre. What begins as a "Titanic" type disaster turns into a survival story with the characters slowly bonding over the course of their ordeal.

Lilac LaRue is the daughter of one of the wealthiest men in the galaxy. Tarver Merendsen, son of a teacher and a poet, comes from humble origins. When Lilac's father's flagship unexpectedly fails, both are forced to use each of their unique talents to survive the disaster - and then find help on the oddly empty terraformed planet they've been stranded upon. But things are not as they should be and both are going to be forced to find inner strengths in order to solve the mystery of the planet and the disaster.

Lilac is a strong character and brings as much to the plate as her male counterpart. What I feared would start out as a 'big misunderstanding' (which would be yet another endless bickering between the two) ended up having a good root cause and quickly overcome by the very real dangers they face together. There are very few deux ex machina to make their journey easier and the mystery at the end justified the middle survival story.

I especially liked that throughout, they each have to save each other and both are more than they seem on the outside.

The Audible version has both a male and female narrator and both did a very good job with the characters.

WARNING! DON'T READ THIS! REALLY!

Please don't read this book unless you want to be incredibly disappointed! I tried this book out and at first I thought it could be amazing! However (Spoiler Alert!!!!) after going through the journey of survival and the two main characters falling in love, the author stupidly kills off the girl and I was utterly devistated. I say stupidly, because it was a pointless and unhelpful death, totally avoidable and deeply tragic. I was actually shocked and couldn't believe the authors did it. Then, in a horrible way, the authors bring the girl back to life ...but it hardly makes sense and isn't really believable and is also stupid! I felt completely betrayed by the authors and then even worse when they tried to make it all okay in the end. I have never left a bad review of anything in my life, and I repurchased this book (after returning it, it was so bad) so that I could leave you this warning. I purchased this book because the other reviews were so good and it had such a great rating - but don't be tricked by it! really, I am trying to save you. This book worked a number on me. I was so distraught after it and would never encourage a single soul to go through the torment of reading this book. I promise this review is written after much consideration and not overdramatic in the slightest. I hope you will see this and save yourself the gruelling experience of reading this book. This is not reverse psychology. It's just a bad book. Don't waste your time or your book credits here! Read The Night Circus or the Howl's Moving Castle series instead! Anything but this horrible story.

A Young Adult Tale that Lives Up to the Hype

Finally a YA book that lives up to all the hype. The pretty cover doesn't hurt either. . . but, seriously, I have been terribly disappointed in the YA titles that continue to be hyped to the pointed of silliness and yet are shockingly bad (Divergent, I am looking at you). While Twilight was silly at least it had a plot that was fairly clear to follow and made sense. Many of the books I have recently read are either:

1) poorly edited
2) poorly executed -- do YA authors understand human nature at all?
3) poorly written
4) and most probably, all of the above

These Broken Stars breaks the cycle of bad YA titles because it has a entertaining yet surprising complex plot, a well thought out premise that makes sense and it is well paced. The audio book is especially well done due to the alternative voices for Tarver and Lilac and the added voice of Tarver's interrogator. The authors bring everything to a satisfactory close with an open mystery that will serve as the connecting thread between the other books in the projected trilogy. I liked that. While this story ends with no cliff hangers for the main characters, the mystery continues. And while no cliffhangers may seem to be a possible damaging factor here for the series, it isn't. The book is written to hold your attention to the very conclusion and leaves you wanting to read the next book ASAP. I could hardly pull my headphones off during the last 10 chapters or so. Both Tarver and Lilac are sympathetic characters that not only grow through their ordeal of survival, but don't become so annoying during their "growth" that you want to bash them both over the head with a blunt instrument (i.e whiny, insecure heroines or heroes that stay pretty much whiny and insecure through out their "growth"). They follow the rules of human nature and learn how to use their strengths to work together and survive. There, of course, is a curious and often disturbing reality that they learn about on the planet they have crashed on that makes their journey of survival much more than just surviving and being rescued. It all works together and makes sense. So I would highly recommend this book, especially as an audio book. I am looking forward to the rest of the series.

Good sci-fi buried in cheesy teen romance

BE WARNED. If like me you were drawn to this book after reading Amie Kaufman's "Illuminate" series than you are in for a shocking disappointment. While most of the main characters in the "Illuminate" books are older teens and young adults and there are some romantic aspects they blend in well with the storyline and move the plot along. This, on the other hand, is a teenybopper bodice-ripper smothering a pretty good sci-fi story. Let me sum it up for you. Hes a dashing war hero. Only 18 and already a Major due to his heroism on the battlefield. A poor boy from the wrong side of the tracks, the son of a poet and a schoolteacher who grew up n a picturesque cottage. Of course he writes his own poetry but he keeps that a carefully guarded secret less anyone learn of his soft and vulnerable side. She's literally the daughter of the richest man in the galaxy. The only daughter and only child of course. Her mother died when she was 8 and her father is doting and overprotective. She lives a carefuly scripted and sheltered existence that others would envy, but she secretly wishes to be free. They meet on the biggest luxury liner in existence (owned by her father of course). Shes attracted to him but cant get too close for fear her father will "make something bad happen to him" I could go on, but if your the kind of reader who will find this review useful then you've already moved on.

Liked it, but...

This was a great story and I was really into it until about two-thirds in, then the suspension of disbelief began to fail. The performances were great and continued to carry the story for me, but I'm not sure if I will continue with the series. Too many questions left unanswered and too little plausibility for the answers that were given. But world-building was well done, characters were well drawn, and the writing was enjoyable to read (or hear).

Great start, but falls apart somewhat.

Great 1st act, 2nd act too long, 3rd act devolves into technobabble and illogic actions.

not bad

started out kind of choppy or perhaps almost forced feeling but soon as the characters began to open up and more conflict developed i began to enjoy it a lot more. not a book i stayed up super late wanting to know what hapoened next because of the back a forth interview cutaways i knew it was all going to workout in the end, which made some of the most dramatic scenes less heartrenching.

Disappointed

Book was sooooo slow. Expected something, anything, interesting to happen while they where on the planet but no. Nothing. Would not recommend honestly.

Not bad.

Good story, a bit slow in places but nice characters and a good love story.