As mentioned yesterday, here is our GLOWING review of These Broken Stars. Which I’m pretty sure Kate made me sign on to chat directly after finishing it so we could write this. Which probably means it is not very coherent.
Don’t forget to check out the Fun Fact from the Authors we posted yesterday, with other blog tour and giveaway info!
Caitlin: When I started reading this, I thought I knew exactly where it was going to go. And every single time there was a twist, I once again thought I knew where it was going. I was wrong. Each and every time.
Kate: I KNOW! I was SO surprised by everything in this book. In fact, I think at one point my goodreads status was “Ahhhh what the hell what the hell what the hell!?”
Caitlin: At first, I was SO sure this was going to be a Titanic in space with a happier ending. Like, the ship was going to have something bad happen to it and we were going to have to watch it go down and somehow Tarver and Lilac were going to fall in love during that and…then the ship was destroyed and everyone was dead and they were on a planet and I was FREAKING OUT.
Kate: YES! It was a proper and tragic disaster and then there was an ALIEN PLANET! I LOVE Alien Planets. And all of a sudden we get all of this fascinating world building in a show not tell kind of way that just worked so beautifully. Because every step they took on that planet and every weird thing they discovered meant discovering something new about themselves and undoing a preconceived notion they had about each other and basically every single thing they knew
Caitlin: I did love how their relationship, which I thought I had figured out on page three, took a long journey with twists and turns and disasters. And the pay off on their personal and physical journey was so fabulous. There were parts when I was reading and I did not believe that everything was going to come together and work. But then it did and I loved it so much.
Kate: I thought so, too. Because their relationship was real and founded on earned trust and respect, but it was also founded on the mutual spark that drew them together in the beginning. Like, this whole book was slowly fanning the teeny flame Tarver lit at the start. Because…good lord, the chemistry? It was beyond amazing.
Caitlin: Yes! Yes it was! There were so many times when I was yelling at my ereader, “JUST MAKE OUT ALREADY” but at the same time I’d be yelling, “WHAT IS GOING ON!?” And I loved, loved, loved that I was just as invested in the plot and the mystery of the planet and the Whisperings, as I was in the romance and the characters.
Kate: I really liked the whispering because it played into the fears they had about each other. Lilac fears that Tarver thinks she’s a vapid, selfish, weak little rich girl and the whispering plays right into that. And of course Tarver fears that what if she isn’t, because if she isn’t then she’s someone worthy of the spark he felt and that spark could clearly burn him alive and ahhhh!
Caitlin: I loved how slowly Lilac realized the ways she could take care of Tarver, instead of the other way around, and how the spoiled rich girl came to understand that the nobody soldier was so much more important than she was. And she was so devoted to getting him home, even when all she wanted was to keep him for herself and…I just loved everything about these two.
Kate: I think that we got to see a lot of growth for both of them, which was good because they were both already amazing and so it only went up from there. And Tarver! I loved Tarver so, so much. The whole time, I kept thinking, “Come on, Lilac! He’s a hot, sensitive war hero. You gotta LOCK THAT DOWN!” And of course she did! Of course that meant I was…distraught when….certain things happened. VERY DISTRAUGHT. And SO SURPRISED. And also really scared and invested and panicked. And basically I felt a lot of things
Caitlin: Right. I was surprised when it happened but, as we’ve discussed outside of review, knew immediately where that was heading and then was excited. From a plot point of view, I thought it was awesome that they went there with that part of the plot. And that they went as far with it as they did. And that it wasn’t an immediately happy thing. That both of the characters had things they needed to get over. And…ugh. I WISH WE COULD SPOIL THINGS
Kate: SO DO I! Because there are so many spoilery things I want to talk about! The ending was maybe a little easier than I expected in some ways, but I also think that was necessary. Because you can’t have the crazeballs climax of this book without some room to breathe at the end. ESPECIALLY since this book is, hallelujah, not the start of a traditional trilogy.
Caitlin: Companion novels! I’m so excited for more from the universe without the horridness of dragging out Lilac and Tarver’s story more than it needs. Though I do hope we see glimpses of them!
Kate: I hope that we see glimpses of them, too. I honestly don’t know who else I want to see. I’m maybe a little afraid we’ll see Lilac’s companions from the start of the book, but I really kind of hope they stay dead.
Caitlin: I hope they’re dead as well. Which sounds horrible but the whole point was them being alone on the planet, possibly forever. I don’t know. I don’t want them to be alive.
Kate: I also would not be traumatized if they were, though.
Caitlin: I might be.
Kate: This opening installment has just engendered so much goodwill in me toward everything else that comes after. The cover even fits, Caitlin!
Caitlin: Yes! The cover!
Kate: For once we get a girl in a big dress on the cover and it MAKES SENSE.
Caitlin: I was so worried when I first saw the cover because it was in space and why the heck would someone be wearing a big pouffy green dress while floating around in space. But, THERE IS A BIG POUFFY GREEN DRESS! And it’s important to the story, which is kind of odd, now I think about it. I think we saw that green dress more than any other human being. Tarver and Lilac aside, obviously.
Kate: It was such a symbol for Lilac though, and I loved it. Especially in the context of the…things…that happen at the end. Well, THE thing.
Caitlin: Right. THE thing. And on that note, I think we should wrap this up? Any last thoughts?
Kate: No. I’m too busy re-reading the scene where Tarver sees Lilac for the first time.
Caitlin: Alright then. To sum it all up. Read this book for the swoons but also for the amazing twisty, turny plot! And for the standalone, yet epic nature of the book!