Audio Review: These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner

Posted January 28, 2022 by Lillian in Reviews / 0 Comments

Audio Review: These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman & Meagan SpoonerThese Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman, Meagan Spooner
Narrator: Cynthia Holloway, Johnathan McClain, Sarge Anton
Series: Starboard #1
Published by Listening Library on 2013-12-10
Length: 350 pages
Length: 11 hours and 15 minutes
Reviewing Audiobook, Kindle from Library, My Book Shelf
Rating:

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.

This book has been on my TBR for what feels like years…because it was literally years. Seven to be exact. I don’t know why I kept putting it off. I truly have no excuse. Anyways, I’m so glad that Lenore from Celebrity Readers asked if I’d like to buddy read it with her because it would most likely still be on my TBR shelf if she hadn’t. These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman, Meagan Spooner is the first in a series of standalone novels called Starboard. This one features Lilac LaRoux and Tarver Merendsen and their survival after a spaceliner crashes.

I started off reading this one as I had a Kindle copy that I purchased years ago, and I just could not get into the story. Not because I wasn’t enjoying it (I was), I was having a hard time focusing. That is all on me y’all and my headspace at the time I was reading the book. So I switched to audio and finished in like two days. The audiobook is fantastic. The narrators are spot on. I loved Johnathan McClain (I believe he is the one reading for Tarver). He brought the character to life, and where I was struggling to connect he helped me picture Tarver and fully fleshed him out in my mind. There are three narrators for this one. One for Tarver, one for Lilac, and one for a guard who questions Tarver after they are rescued. That is one thing about the book, you know that rescue will eventually come because of the questioning that occurs between the chapters. I actually liked this tactic. It added a little to the suspense because you know they survive but you have no idea what is coming for them next.

Now on to the characters 🙂

Lilac LaRoux is the daughter of the CEO of LaRoux industries. She is untouchable, a part of the elite. Actually scratch that, she is above the elite. If princesses existed in this world, she would be that. As such, it comes as no surprise that she is on a luxury spaceliner (think like a cruise ship in today’s world), living what looks like the high life to those on the outside. However, Lilac feels trapped by her father. People do not see her as a person but a possession out of their reach. In truth, she seems lonely.

Then enters Tarver Merendsen. Tarver is the first point of view we get in the story, and he notices Lilac in the ballroom when she enters. Tarver is a soldier, recently promoted and awarded for his service during what seemed like an impossible scenario. He is haunted by his time serving and on his way to his new post. He is resourceful, comes from a poor family, and as he has spent his life on the outskirts of the universe, has no clue who Lilac is. After a brief encounter between the two that does not end well, Tarver finds himself in an escape pod with Lilac when the spaceliner is yanked out of hyperspace and on a collision course. Experienced with survival, Tarver takes it upon himself to make sure the LaRoux heir doesn’t die, but can he protect his heart in the process?

The planet they land on is unknown to either of them, yet has some signs of colonization. Tarver and Lilac strike up a shaky truce in order to survive. I found myself just enamored with the planet. It is beautifully described and deadly. I loved the immersive quality of the story. Things are explained as readers encounter them through the characters rather than in large info dumps. Tarver and Lilac’s characters play off each other well. Both come from very different backgrounds and live different lives, but the banter and chemistry between them are off the charts hot. I loved seeing their interactions and getting both characters’ points of view. This helped to understand them better and even empathize with them.

Overall I really enjoyed These Broken Stars. I hope to finish the series soon! I already purchased book 2 and will not leave it on my TBR as long as the first. If you are a fan of science fiction with a dash of romance and a heap of adventure, I highly recommend it.

About Amie Kaufman

Amie Kaufman is the New York Times and internationally bestselling co-author of The Illuminae Files (Illuminae, Gemina) and the Starbound Trilogy (These Broken Stars, This Shattered World, Their Fractured Light.) Her award-winning books are published in almost 30 countries, and she is based in Melbourne, Australia, where she lives with her husband, their rescue dog, and an extremely large personal library. To learn about her latest releases or be notified about events and signings in your area, you can sign up for her newsletter at www.amiekaufman.com.

About Meagan Spooner

Meagan Spooner is the New York Times bestselling author of the Skylark trilogy and the Starbound trilogy.

She grew up reading and writing every spare moment of the day, while dreaming about life as an archaeologist, a marine biologist, an astronaut. She graduated from Hamilton College in New York with a degree in playwriting, and has spent several years since then living in Australia. She's traveled with her family all over the world to places like Egypt, South Africa, the Arctic, Greece, Antarctica, and the Galapagos, and there's a bit of every trip in every story she writes.

She currently lives and writes in Asheville, North Carolina, but the siren call of travel is hard to resist, and there's no telling how long she'll stay there.

In her spare time she plays guitar, plays video games, plays with her cat, and reads.

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