These Broken Stars [Book Review]

Disclaimer: I received a e-copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinions.

Stats:
#1 in Starbound trilogy

Hardcover, 384 pages

Expected publication: December 10th 2013 by Disney Hyperion 

ISBN: 1423171020

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Synopsis:
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. The first in a sweeping science fiction trilogy, These Broken Stars is a timeless love story about hope and survival in the face of unthinkable odds.


My Thoughts:
If you liked Across the Universe or the Titanic, you're sure to like this book. It's Spaceship Titanic and we all know how the ship didn't arrive to its destination...neither does Icarus.

Unlike Titanic, there weren't hundreds of survivors - only two: the daughter of an extremely wealthy business man, Lilac LaRoux, and a war hero, Major Tarver Merendsen. Lilac is both a little haughty and spoiled, but she is also stubborn and determined to prove herself. Tarver is a very jaded character and suspicious as well. They crash onto a terraformed planet with no sign of human life and are unsure of how they are going to make it.

It's always very interesting to have such an emotional battleground like that in a survive-or-die situation. You see the real characters, not the mask they parade around in. The planet they land on is described so beautifully. It was really easy to picture what was going on. There is only a glimpse of the secondary characters, so it's very much about Lilac and Tarver. As expected, there is a lot of character growth from the two of them and the authors really delivered with that. It was very believable.

I docked half a star because some of the "twist" was kind of weird to me, like it didn't really fit into the story. Once it started to be explained more, I was more on board. I'm curious to see if it'll resolve itself as a problem with weirdness for me in the next book. I also can hardly believe there were/are two authors. It flowed so seamlessly.


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