Today we are excited to participate in the book blitz (organized by Books Over Boys) for Unbreathable by Hafsah Laziaf. Unbreathable is a young adult science fiction book and Laziaf’s debut novel that was released October 29, 2013.
Tag Archives: space
These Broken Stars — Book Review
The Deets
author: Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner
released: December 10, 2013
format: e-book, hardcover, audiobook
pages: 384 pages
publisher: Disney-Hyperion
read: July 26-27, 2013
acquired: Netgalley
book pages: Amazon.com
book type: YA, NA, science fiction, fantasy, aliens, survivalist
The Down-low
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. (From Goodreads.com)
Why You Should Buy It
This Titantic meets Shades of Earth is a combination of all things to love in YA. A blend of old world and future, it will leave readers spellbound. The book is smart, mysterious, and will make a sci-fi fan out of anyone who happens across it. If you’re looking for the next big thing, pick up These Broken Stars — you won’t regret it.
My Thoughts
*I received this e-book in exchange for an honest review via Netgalley.*
Let’s all just take a moment to stare at the gorgeousness that is that cover. Seriously! The first time I saw it, I had no idea what the book was about, but I knew I had to read it. So of course finding out it is basically my favorite kind of book was just icing on the cake. The beautiful stars, the way that PERFECT green dress just billows out into space, and two people reaching desperately for one another. ❤
I’ve also got to take a moment to thank Disney-Hyperion for so graciously providing the ARC. This is probably the most excited I’ve been about receiving a book on Netgalley. I may or may not have done an embarrassing happy dance in public. (And by may or may not I mean I definitely did.) Of course, the entire time I was reading, I kept having to go back and just stare at the beautiful cover. Le sigh.
So, as you may have heard this book is like Titanic in space. And we all know what happens to the unsinkable ship. Except in this case, the unsinkable ship is a ship pulled out of hyperspace. Thanks to some quick thinking of Tarver and Lilac’s ingenuity, the two are able to make it to a pod and crash land on a nearby planet. They come to find they are the lucky ones on board this ship of 50,000.
Lilac and Tarver are from two different worlds. She is the daughter of the richest man in the world, a man who doesn’t want any guys near his daughter. So of course, after a chance meeting where they are definitely sparks, Lilac must pretend she couldn’t care less about Tarver’s attention. They get into a few skirmishes that of course leaves them at odds and provides tension for most of the book. I swear, if people communicated, 75% of the books I read wouldn’t exist. But we humans just love to not communicate our true feelings and we LOVE to assume what other people think and feel.
I felt like this book picked up where Beth Revis’ Shades of Earth ended. Here we have this uninhabited planet that is fully able to sustain life. With of course weird creatures and things that go bump in the night. I have to admit there were times I was seriously creeped out and had to hide under the covers. We know there is something there, but we have no idea what and Kaufman and Spooner do a fabulous job of giving the reader just enough to be intrigued and frightened at the same time.
For me this book was just perfection. It was everything I love in a book: space, new worlds, a bit of mystery, beautiful descriptions, and a really great love story. The world Kaufman and Spooner builds is absolutely incredible, and so realistic I could see everything as Lilac and Tarver were living it (and I’m NOT a visual person at all!) And the twist, the big reveal, was really just brilliant. It is so smart, so subtle that you don’t see the plot set out in front of you until you are right up on the events.
The book made me smile, laugh, cry, and REALLY cry. I broke down for awhile. It took up all my attention and I really just didn’t want it to end. At one point, I woke up from a dead sleep, because I just had to know what happened next. Few books have sucked me into the story the way this one did.
There are books that we all love to talk about to everyone we meet. For me, one of those books is These Broken Stars. I am recommending it to anyone and everyone and I know it is going to be a major hit – which is why I’m so thrilled and honored to be in on the ground floor. I said it when I finished reading and I truly mean it: This book is my absolute favorite of the year and is now in my top ten favorites of all time. So, I’m serious when I say, you’ve GOT to get this book!
Rating
Top Ten Tuesday (11)
It’s Top 10 Tuesday (hosted at The Broke and the Bookish) and the topic is:
Top Ten Books Books Set In The Future
I love books about the future. Especially space. I love seeing what things stick and what things evolve. I love seeing how our customs/ideas get twisted and changed over the years. It makes me think of what we think about the past now and what really happened. Like in the future what will historians say about ipods? Will they be mind control devices or something the ancient people used to plug in with others… You get the idea. Whether it is pretty or a totalitarian society, I love that little glimpse into what could be. I actually have 13 this week, because there were so many good choices. SO, without further ado, here are my
Top Ten Thirteen Books Set In The Future
1. These Broken Stars
Two strangers from two different worlds… The daughter of a rich space pioneer and a poor solider deserted on an unknown planet. The two have to learn to work together, survive, and figure out the mysteries of the world they crashed into.
2. Delirium
In a world where love is a disease, will you take the cure or become infected?
3. The Hunger Games
To atone for the sin of trying to overthrow a government, the society sends 12 boys and 12 girls to sacrifice each year. Only one can survive.
4. Across the Universe
A young boy who will one day lead a ship of people and a young girl woken after 300 years of sleep. The two will come together to unlock the mysteries of their current home (a spaceship) and their future home (a new, undiscovered planet).
5. Shatter Me
A young girl with the power to kill with one touch. She will change the world.
6. The Knife of Never Letting Go
A young boy in a society of men who hear every thought. What happens when he finds someone whose thoughts he can’t hear… And who is a girl?
7. Uglies
In a world where pretty means perfection, would you choose to be who you are, even if it meant staying ugly forever?
8. Inside Out
In a world inside, can there every really be a way out? And what will we find when we do?
9. Unwind
In a world where the young can be unwound, what lengths would you go to so you could stay in one piece?
10. Matched
If the government could pick your entire life, how far would you go to make your own choices?
11. Enclave
There is no world above. Underground is the only safe place… Or is it?
12. Divergent
Faction before blood… Selflessness, Peace, Intelligence, Bravery, or Honesty — which do you choose?
13. Verita/Concisus
They sent us here to colonize a new planet… They gave us the knowledge we needed to prepare the planet, but what else are they putting in our minds that we didn’t ask for?
∞
So, that’s it. What about you? What setting did you pick this week?
Such A Novel Idea 