These Broken Stars: A Starbound Novel

Amie Kaufman · Meagan Spooner

Dec 2013 · Sold by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

About this ebook

"One of the most intense, thrilling, and achingly beautiful stories I've ever read."--Marie Lu, New York Times best-selling author of the Legend trilogy

The first in the New York Times bestselling author duo Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner's sweeping science fiction trilogy, These Broken Stars is a timeless love story about hope and survival in the face of unthinkable odds.

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 are the only survivors. 

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.

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.

Ratings and reviews

This book had been on my ereader for a super long time…like years. The cover has always intrigued me but i always seem to be in some kind of reading slump. I decided to pick this one up about a month ago, just a random idea. It took me almost the full month to read it. It wasn’t wholly the book’s fought….i had final exams last week and so i pretty much read only my textbooks and study notes for about two weeks straight. The story itself does move a bit slow though as well, but i didn’t mind it really. Characters. I didn’t dislike the characters…but i also didn’t find them super attractive and they certainly weren’t good role models. I found Lilac to be quite bitchy and annoying sometimes… especially in the beginning. I understand there were reasons for how she acted, but still… She did grow a lot through the book and started to seem a bit better. Tarver was ok. I liked his sense of humor at times and he was pretty helpful in a survival situation….so that’s good. Not sure if i’d claim “book boyfriend” though. There wasn’t a lot of depth to the other characters. The only other character i really remember is the Dad. From what i understand, we will be seeing more of him…or atleast of his company in the coming books, so i think this first book was a good introduction to him. full review on my Books in Bloom tumblr blog.

4.5 stars — Wow. That was nothing like what I was expecting. I mean, I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t that. I was sucked in almost immediately. The first few chapters had a bit of a Titanic retelling feel, but that’s as long as that lasted (obviously). All the same, it was a great way to get thrown into the plot, and see our characters in truly terrifying circumstances. While I enjoyed and was intrigued by both Tarver and Lilac right from the start, I wasn’t expecting how deep they would both be. Lilac has this outer shell of spoiled princess, and while she is somewhat sheltered, she’s also hiding pain and isolation. I kind of appreciated that she could be all of that. And she just grew so much as the story went on. We got to see just how strong her backbone is — how brave she could be. And Tarver had an air of cynicism to him, but he also felt *so* much because of his unique position as someone lower class who is thrust into the upper echelons. I loved how he had this balance of his soldier side — which was super competent and observant and practical — with his poetic side. I wasn’t expecting it, but I loved everything I learned about him that was a direct result of his family. And together they were SO MUCH. They have this immediate attraction and connection, which they both put barriers up against. So then there’s all this conflict and push and pull — they knew how to get under each other’s skin in good and bad ways. But you could see them getting closer, even as they fought it. And while I can’t go into any more thoughts because I really don’t want to ruin anything, I really loved the highs and lows of their relationship. And while characters and relationships are my bread and butter with books, this book also had a fantastic mystery/plot side to it. I got so spooked by those whispers, and everything that was going on on that planet. I honestly wasn’t expecting a lot of it. I had some theories, but I’m not sure I ever really got there. I was sucked in, and I loved it. The ending felt like it came up fast, but then I wonder if that’s because it ended at 90% on my Kindle (because of preview of next book), and so I was primed for more story, you know? I’m curious how the rest of the series is going to play out, especially given Lilac and Tarver aren’t the next MCs.

Gets confusing at some points but otherwise this book is great. It takes you forward in time to a futuristic setting and well developed characters that are very different from each other. On the luxury ship called the Icarus- Tarver is a war hero at the age of 17 or 18 and he meets the eyes of a beautiful girl across the party room - who he doesn't know is Lilac RaLoux. Lilac is the daughter of the richest man in the galaxy- but its beautiful when they come together to survive on a unknown planet

About the author

Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner are longtime friends and sometime flatmates who have traveled the world (but not yet the galaxy), covering every continent between them. They are sure outer space is only a matter of time. Meagan, who is also the author of the Skylark trilogy, currently lives in Asheville, North Carolina. Amie, who is the coauthor of the Illuminae Files, lives in Melbourne, Australia. Although they currently live apart, they are united by their love of space opera, road trips, and second breakfasts. You can find them on Twitter @AmieKaufman and @MeaganSpooner.