Audio Book Review: These Broken Stars (Starbound #1) by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

Media Type: Audio Book
Title: These Broken Stars
* Series: Starbound #1Author: Amie Kaufman, Meagan Spooner
Narrator: Christine Holloway, Johnathan McClain
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Format: MP3 Download
Length: 11 hours and 15 minutes
Source: Library
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Content Screening: Mild Violence

HDB Rating: 5 Keys to My Heart

Recommended to: Fans of romance and science fiction blended together in a beautiful way.

Add it on: Goodreads / Amazon / BookLikes

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.

Narrator Review:

It took me a little bit to warm up to McClain, but Holloway stole my breath from the beginning! After a few chapters, you couldn’t have told me that these characters sounded like anything other than what their narrators built them up to be. It was flawless. Holloway brings through the varying emotions that Lilac experiences perfectly, and McClain is so very swoon-worthy as Tarver. Highly recommended!

5/5 – Well worth a listen!

Book Review:

I remember the first time I read These Broken Stars fondly. After reading, I had so many varying emotions pent up inside of me that I couldn’t focus enough to write a review. The words just wouldn’t come. What could I say to convey the way that this book made feel? So I let it sit, and then I forgot about it, and now I’m back to remedy that lapse. I chose the audio book this time around and I’m sincerely glad I did. By the time I reached the ending, I could imagine Lilac and Tarver no other way than how their narrators portrayed them. It was perfection.

As a reader who generally has no love for spoiled rich girls, I never expected to love Lilac as much as I did. I wasn’t expecting her to be so damn easy to like. I loved her fire. Loved the way she held herself, even when there was no one around to look. Was so impressed by her overwhelming desire to make something better for herself. This girl isn’t a spoiled princess. She’s a warrior. Then there’s Tarver. The handsome soldier, with a past filled with regret. He’s as swoon-worthy as they get ladies and gentlemen. His whole persona screams charm, and you’d be hard pressed to ignore that. These two together were like fire and ice, and it was a beautiful thing to watch as they slowly came to understand one another.

That is, in fact, what made These Broken Stars such a stellar read for me. The vast majority of this book focuses on just one thing: Lilac and Tarver. While they navigate an unknown planet, and try to survive, the whole time it’s just the two of them adapting to life as a team. I couldn’t help but fall for their chemistry. There’s no insta-love here. No simpering girls. Just a man, and a woman, who only have one another left. Lilac and Tarver aren’t perfect, and their relationship takes work. That’s my kind of romance.

Throw these characters into a gorgeous story, with twists and turns around every corner, and you have my heart. Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner have managed to take a romance story, blend it perfectly with science fiction, and then wrap it all up with a beautifully written bow. There was nothing I didn’t love about this book. This was my second time experiencing These Broken Stars, and it still managed to surprise me. That, my friends, makes this a five star read for me.

So if you haven’t already taken the time to give These Broken Stars a place on your reading list, I’d highly suggest that you do. I’m so looking forward to the next book in this series. I want all the Lilac and Tarver there is!

FTC Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. I was not monetarily compensated for my opinion.

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