I got a copy of this book to review through NetGalley(dot)com. It was a very well done young adult science fiction with action, adventure, mystery, and romance. It was super hard to put down. The second book in this series will be titled This Shattered World, will follow a new star-crossed couple, and is set to release in late 2014.
Lilac LaRoux is the daughter of the richest man in the universe and has a strangely in-depth knowledge of electronics. Tarver Merendsen is a young and very highly decorated war hero. When disaster strikes they find themselves in the same escape capsule and sole survivors of a horrible disaster. They think they are alone on this planet theyve crashed on, but things arent adding up. As more and more strange things start happening, Lilac and Tarver know one thing is true, if they ever escape from this planet they will be very different people from whom they were when they arrived.
This is an incredibly gripping and compelling novel about space travel gone very wrong. It is also a sweet star-crossed romance about two people who find out that a person is much more than the initial impressions you get from them.
The writing is spectacular, very lush and descriptive. The scenes really come alive and the characters are incredibly engaging. I enjoyed the writing style a lot and was impressed at how lyrical the writing was.
Most of the story revolves around Lilac and Tarver. Lilac is a rich girl, but she has more depth to her than that. She has an unprecedented amount of knowledge around hyperspace travel and is incredibly adept with electronics. However, she is not a survivalist. When she meets Tarver on the spaceship she is drawn to his openness and sense of humor. When she first finds herself stranded with Tarver, her only thought is to protect this man from the wrath of her father.
Tarver is a decorated war hero, who is drawn to Lilacs openness and beauty. That is until he finds out who she is and realizes he doesnt have a chance in hell, at least he doesnt think so. He alternates between impressed with Lilacs skill and frustrated with her attitude. He is a skilled survivalist and definitely a hero at heart. He was a bit too goody, goody for me. Yet, he was still an engaging and complex character.
The mystery behind the planet they land on is fascinating. Lilac is being haunted by images and voices from dead people that were on the ship. At first Tarver thinks shes nuts, but when one of these voices saves their lives...he begins to reconsider. Watching Lilac and Tarver unravel the mystery behind this planet and the implications on the universe as a whole was really fun. Seriously this was some edge of the seat stuff here and made the book very hard to put down.
The book was well written and well suited to young adult readers. There is implied sex, some gross stuff (especially when they raid the ship for supplies), but it is all well done and all appropriate for a young adult age range.
The story is tied up very nicely, in a way that will leave readers feeling happy and good. The writing was fantastic and the book was a joy to read. There is a heavy science fiction element to the story, but its lighter than a hard core sci-fi novel, so its easily accessible for a wider range of readers.
Overall a fantastic young adult science fiction novel. There are a lot of elements to the story that are well balanced. There is adventure, survival, mystery, science fiction, and romance elements. The characters have to solve a rather large mystery to survive their crash and be rescued. There is also quite a bit of star-crossed romance, but it was very sweet and well done. I really enjoyed this novel and cant wait to see what This Shattered World will be like. Highly recommended to fans of young adult books, especially science fiction.
Lilac LaRoux is the daughter of the richest man in the universe and has a strangely in-depth knowledge of electronics. Tarver Merendsen is a young and very highly decorated war hero. When disaster strikes they find themselves in the same escape capsule and sole survivors of a horrible disaster. They think they are alone on this planet theyve crashed on, but things arent adding up. As more and more strange things start happening, Lilac and Tarver know one thing is true, if they ever escape from this planet they will be very different people from whom they were when they arrived.
This is an incredibly gripping and compelling novel about space travel gone very wrong. It is also a sweet star-crossed romance about two people who find out that a person is much more than the initial impressions you get from them.
The writing is spectacular, very lush and descriptive. The scenes really come alive and the characters are incredibly engaging. I enjoyed the writing style a lot and was impressed at how lyrical the writing was.
Most of the story revolves around Lilac and Tarver. Lilac is a rich girl, but she has more depth to her than that. She has an unprecedented amount of knowledge around hyperspace travel and is incredibly adept with electronics. However, she is not a survivalist. When she meets Tarver on the spaceship she is drawn to his openness and sense of humor. When she first finds herself stranded with Tarver, her only thought is to protect this man from the wrath of her father.
Tarver is a decorated war hero, who is drawn to Lilacs openness and beauty. That is until he finds out who she is and realizes he doesnt have a chance in hell, at least he doesnt think so. He alternates between impressed with Lilacs skill and frustrated with her attitude. He is a skilled survivalist and definitely a hero at heart. He was a bit too goody, goody for me. Yet, he was still an engaging and complex character.
The mystery behind the planet they land on is fascinating. Lilac is being haunted by images and voices from dead people that were on the ship. At first Tarver thinks shes nuts, but when one of these voices saves their lives...he begins to reconsider. Watching Lilac and Tarver unravel the mystery behind this planet and the implications on the universe as a whole was really fun. Seriously this was some edge of the seat stuff here and made the book very hard to put down.
The book was well written and well suited to young adult readers. There is implied sex, some gross stuff (especially when they raid the ship for supplies), but it is all well done and all appropriate for a young adult age range.
The story is tied up very nicely, in a way that will leave readers feeling happy and good. The writing was fantastic and the book was a joy to read. There is a heavy science fiction element to the story, but its lighter than a hard core sci-fi novel, so its easily accessible for a wider range of readers.
Overall a fantastic young adult science fiction novel. There are a lot of elements to the story that are well balanced. There is adventure, survival, mystery, science fiction, and romance elements. The characters have to solve a rather large mystery to survive their crash and be rescued. There is also quite a bit of star-crossed romance, but it was very sweet and well done. I really enjoyed this novel and cant wait to see what This Shattered World will be like. Highly recommended to fans of young adult books, especially science fiction.
Summary:
This story is told in alternating chapters from two different perspectives. Lilac is the daughter of the richest man in the universe. She's aloof and spoiled. Tarver is a soldier. He comes from nothing and really doesn't feel like Lilac is worth the time of day. Both of them are aboard a massive luxury spaceship as tragedy strikes and it crashes. Tarver and Lilac survive but find themselves on ab abandoned planet. How will the two of them survive and end up putting their differences aside to work together?
My thoughts:
I loved this book and can not wait for the next installment. While I won't go so far as to say that it is my favorite of the year, it does have all the makings of a repeat read. Lilac and Tarver are both amazing characters. Reading the story from both points of view allows me to get to know both the good and the bad of each character. They also grow together and become more accepting as the story goes on. Kaufman also does a wonderful job in world building. The planet that they crash into is fully developed. This feels like a science fiction movie. Finally, I enjoy the romance. It's not a quick instant love because both characters know that they are unable to be with one another and are from completely different walks of life. To be honest, they don't particularly like one another. I can't wait for the next in the series.
This story is told in alternating chapters from two different perspectives. Lilac is the daughter of the richest man in the universe. She's aloof and spoiled. Tarver is a soldier. He comes from nothing and really doesn't feel like Lilac is worth the time of day. Both of them are aboard a massive luxury spaceship as tragedy strikes and it crashes. Tarver and Lilac survive but find themselves on ab abandoned planet. How will the two of them survive and end up putting their differences aside to work together?
My thoughts:
I loved this book and can not wait for the next installment. While I won't go so far as to say that it is my favorite of the year, it does have all the makings of a repeat read. Lilac and Tarver are both amazing characters. Reading the story from both points of view allows me to get to know both the good and the bad of each character. They also grow together and become more accepting as the story goes on. Kaufman also does a wonderful job in world building. The planet that they crash into is fully developed. This feels like a science fiction movie. Finally, I enjoy the romance. It's not a quick instant love because both characters know that they are unable to be with one another and are from completely different walks of life. To be honest, they don't particularly like one another. I can't wait for the next in the series.
Great read with a complex plot and outstanding characters. These young authors worked hard to develop a most interesting novel and prepare their readers for a sequel. The young principals who fall in love are almost as complex as the plot, particularly Tarver. Lilac LaRoux is a bit much for a name. I felt as if the authors were poking fun at their readers. Thus, I suppose that it's natural for me to dislike Lilac in many ways. Couldn't understand why Lilac was not killed off completely? Why did this novel win the Aurealis Award for Best Young Adult Novel in 2013? Perhaps, there was little competition. Not sure I agree the choice. Nevertheless, this book is worth reading and most entertaining and I plan to read the sequel when it appears.
Can we just take a minute and talk about how amazingly beautiful this cover is? It reminds me a lot of the original covers for Beth Reviss Across the Universe trilogyvery Hollywood!
"These Broken Stars" is basically a modern-day "Titanic" story, as many other reviewers have already pointed out. I wish there had been more time spent on the actual ship, however, like in the actual "Titanic" movie so we could have learned more about the society, the universe, the government structures, etc. Once they shipwreck, we dont really learn about anything outside of the habitat of the planet they landed on, which was a pretty big disappointment for me. Without spoilers, Id just like to say that the inhabitants of the planet they land on were really intriguing, I loved them. As my boyfriend pointed out, it all felt very "Star Trek"-ish.
The romance aspect of the story was a little too predictable, campy, and frustrating, just because it felt very staged most of the time. Oddly enough, however, this did not seem to bother me one bit. I still really enjoyed Lilac and Tarver together. I really appreciated that two different authors wrote the points of view so the voices were distinctly unique and separate, although I have to admit I was a little biased toward Meagen Spooner given my love of the Skylark books.
Overall, I really enjoyed the book and it will be interesting to see where the next two books go, since each installment is apparently about a different pair of people. If you enjoy books about ship wrecks, aliens, survival, and space, you might want to consider looking into this series. I must warn, however, that the main focus of the book is the romance and everything else takes a backseat.
"These Broken Stars" is basically a modern-day "Titanic" story, as many other reviewers have already pointed out. I wish there had been more time spent on the actual ship, however, like in the actual "Titanic" movie so we could have learned more about the society, the universe, the government structures, etc. Once they shipwreck, we dont really learn about anything outside of the habitat of the planet they landed on, which was a pretty big disappointment for me. Without spoilers, Id just like to say that the inhabitants of the planet they land on were really intriguing, I loved them. As my boyfriend pointed out, it all felt very "Star Trek"-ish.
The romance aspect of the story was a little too predictable, campy, and frustrating, just because it felt very staged most of the time. Oddly enough, however, this did not seem to bother me one bit. I still really enjoyed Lilac and Tarver together. I really appreciated that two different authors wrote the points of view so the voices were distinctly unique and separate, although I have to admit I was a little biased toward Meagen Spooner given my love of the Skylark books.
Overall, I really enjoyed the book and it will be interesting to see where the next two books go, since each installment is apparently about a different pair of people. If you enjoy books about ship wrecks, aliens, survival, and space, you might want to consider looking into this series. I must warn, however, that the main focus of the book is the romance and everything else takes a backseat.
In These Broken Stars, a young Major in the military is stranded along with a civilian society girl on an abandoned planet following an accident aboard the space ship they were traveling on. Major Tarver Merendsen and Lilac LaRoux must overcome their class differences and prejudices in order to survive the desolate and dangerous environment they find themselves in.
This book is marketed as sci-fi, but it is so much more. The chapters alternate between Tarver's and Lilac's narration, and excerpts of an interview between Major Merendsen and an unnamed interrogator. Because of this structure, the reader understands and empathizes with the characters, even when they are hurtful to each other. The alternating narrative also makes the slow development of trust and love between them real and moving. There are hints of the TV show "Lost" in this story which should satisfy sci-fi fans, but I would recommend this book to any YA or adult who enjoys adventure, romance, or dystopian-type fiction.
This book is marketed as sci-fi, but it is so much more. The chapters alternate between Tarver's and Lilac's narration, and excerpts of an interview between Major Merendsen and an unnamed interrogator. Because of this structure, the reader understands and empathizes with the characters, even when they are hurtful to each other. The alternating narrative also makes the slow development of trust and love between them real and moving. There are hints of the TV show "Lost" in this story which should satisfy sci-fi fans, but I would recommend this book to any YA or adult who enjoys adventure, romance, or dystopian-type fiction.
