These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
Release Date: December 10, 2013
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Genre: Young Adult Sci-fi
ISBN: 978-1423171027
Source: ARC from BEA 2013
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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.

1. Who were the most memorable characters?
Aside from Lilac and Tarver, I found Lilac’s entourage to be very memorable. One scene that sticks out the most after reading is the scene when Lilac turns Tarver down in front of the girls. Lilac explained it so well when she said she can’t even trust her best friends to keep her secrets. The moment Lilac acknowledges that she is well aware why this has to be really hits hard. Those symbols in her life play a big part in her transformation….I loved how Lilac starts out with a group of friends she can’t be herself with and ends up with only one who she can.

2. What point of view did you enjoy the most?
I enjoyed Tarver’s point of view more than Lilac’s. He had nothing to hide from Lilac from the very beginning. While I do appreciate Lilac’s transformation over the course of the book, Tarver was upfront with Lilac the entire time and there was something refreshing about that.

3. Which characters did you want more from?
I say that I want a little more from Lilac’s dad but something tells me I really don’t. The timing and pacing is just right. Something tells me we’ll get more from Lilac’s dad in the second book.

4. Which character name is your favorite?
Tarver wasn’t a name I was familiar with before reading this book, so that name has been on my mind for some time.

5. How did you connect with the main characters?
Tarver goes after what he wants but isn’t as stubborn about it like Lilac. He is more level headed, he knows his strengths and weaknesses and works around the latter. He’s already sacrificed so much to be where he is and I think that’s why I connected more with him than Lilac. He was willing to sacrifice the entire time. It took Lilac awhile to get there and there’s nothing wrong with that but that is why it took longer to connect with her. One was always a step ahead or behind the other and as much fun as it was to read, there’s just one character I connected with on more levels.

6. How did you connect with the villain?
I think we can all relate to making a certain decision to protect someone we love, but (so we think at the time) more importantly, ourselves. Lilac’s dad is genuine in wanting to protect his daughter but there’s more to it than that. He’s at the top of an empire and has clearly dabbled in the happenings of other planets. I’m looking forward to Lilac’s dad being tested in ways he never thought in book two. Get his priorities in order.

7. Which relationship did you enjoy reading the most?
I was shocked to learn about Lilac’s first love and how that ended. I don’t want to say that I “enjoyed” it the most but I was deeply impacted by this story.

8. What were your initial thoughts on the premise?
What else? It’s hard to talk about this book without giving anything away, so I see why I thought that in the first place. I’m glad I continued reading. This is more than just a boy meets girl in space story.

9. What setting had the best imagery?
I absolutely loved the imagery from the very beginning on the Icarus. It set the tone for the rest of the book perfectly.

10. What line or scene made you think, “I wonder how much research it took to write this?”
How about those handful of chapters after Tarver & Lilac find the building? Also, I wonder if there is going to be a map of the Icarus in the finished copy. I just loved the details of the ship as Lilac made her way through it after they found the wreckage. I’m interested in visually seeing how Amie and Meagan’s vision compares to other ships from other space operas and Sci-fi movies/television shows.

11. What did you notice most about the writing?
Everything was so well crafted and executed. I loved, loved, loved the dialogue before the beginning of each chapter. Amie and Meagan are brilliant.

12. Which scene resonated with you the most?
The scenes that show Lilac at her most vulnerable state…those are the most raw and I love them.

13. What theme/symbolism struck you the most?
Trust. Tarver and Lilac had to trust each other in order to survive. Trust was tested at every turn. You never know who will have your back when there’s nothing left.

14. If this book had a theme song, it would be?
I can’t pinpoint one song but the instrumentals album, Night of Hunters by Tori Amos comes to mind.

15. What was the biggest lesson learned for you?
When you think you’ve knocked down every door, you haven’t.

16. Did you read this at the right time in your life?
Maybe if I were a romantic, I would have been swept away more towards the end. Otherwise, yes.

17. Any pet peeves?
No. Sure, I wasn’t a fan of how easily Tarver dismissed Lilac when she told him about what she was seeing. Sure, I wish Lilac were upfront about her daddy issues to Tarver and didn’t treat him so badly in the beginning. But it all had a purpose and was instrumental to the story and their character growth. So no, I don’t have any pet peeves.

18. Which did you like the most, the title or cover? The storytelling, writing, or world building? The opening or conclusion?
I love the title and the cover…it’s impossible to choose one over the other. I loved the storytelling the most. Talk about a page turner. The opening hooked me in immediately. I love when I pick up a book from my shelf and just get immersed into the story.

19. Can you rate pacing, transitions, and the middle on a scale of 1-5 with 5 being the best?
4, 5, 4.

20. If you read this again, would it be as an audio book or on your kindle to annotate?
I would love to read this an audio book.

21. If you put together your dream cast for a movie adaptation, who would play the MC?
Rachel Hurd-Wood or Lily Cole as Lilac would be something else. I’m not sure about Tarver. I’d like to see a newcomer in that role.

These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner releases December 10, 2013.