Review: DRIVE by Stephanie Fournet
I have loved everything I’ve read from Stephanie Fournet, and DRIVE did not disa[...]
These Broken Stars (Starbound #1) by Amie Kaufman, Meagan Spooner
Published by Hyperion on December 10, 2013
Genres: Romance, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Format: Advance Reader Copy
Pages: 374
Source: NetGalley, Publisher
Goodreads • Amazon •
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. (Goodreads)
Oh, what a lovely book. That was my first thought as I finished These Broken Stars, a science fiction epic by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner.
The book is a mix of old and new: a luxury spaceliner on her maiden voyage and the nouveau-Victorian guests within who dress in top hats and ball gowns; future technology and basic survival. A lot of the initial set-up, including rebel colonists and terraformed outer planets, reminded me a bit of Firefly. There are shades of Robinson Crusoe and even Orson Scott Card’s Speaker for the Dead, but despite all these inspirations that I saw in the book, These Broken Stars stands on its own.
Also standing on their own are the wonderful characters Lilac LaRoux and Tarver Merendsen. Each is damaged in their own way, but they both have a resilience that I admired. They surprised me, which is always nice. I absolutely loved the way authors Kaufman and Spooner show these two slowly growing and challenging themselves as they face the unknown. Whether that’s Lilac learning how to hike—in heels!—through a decidedly non-virtual forest (a first for the coddled girl) or Tarver learning to accept help and lower his defenses. It’s a wonderful journey.
These Broken Stars isn’t quite what I expected. It’s not action-packed, but it is tense. It’s mysterious, but not a mystery. It’s ephemeral and raw at the same time. It makes the book hard to pin down, but also kind of hard to forget. And even better—I found it completely satisfying. This is the first in what is going to be a trilogy of companion novels (so, not quite sequels), but as far as Lilac and Tarver’s story is concerned, I loved where we left it.
Author Links: Amie Kaufman: Website | Twitter | Goodreads, Meagan Spooner Website | Twitter | Goodreads
I really love this book. I read a digital ARC and then pre-ordered a signed copy 🙂
Where did you pre-order the signed copy?
Lizzy recently posted..Book Review: Portal by Imogen Rose
Twitter: celialarsen
says:
I love that you highlighted how *tense* it was – that was the thing that kept me reading, and wondering, and enjoying it. I think it’s hard to pull off that atmosphere, but the authors did. I can’t wait to read the companion novels!
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I was so surprised by how much I loved this one, and I think you’ve perfectly captured how reading it made me feel! It definitely wasn’t the most action-packed book I’ve ever read, but it was so tense! I was on edge the whole time, mostly because I loved both Tarver and Lilac and just wanted them to be ok.