These Broken Stars
by: Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner
Narrated by: Cynthia
Holloway, Johnathan McClain, and Sarge Anton
Published: December 10, 2013
Publisher: Random House Audio
Genre: Young Adult Sci-fi Romance
Rating: 4.5
So it seems that this year I am being dragged kicking and screaming onto the sci-fi bandwagon. But then, if this is what I can expect from YA sci-fi, I guess I won't put up too much of a fight. From the lovely cover to the skillful world building, These Broken Stars hit the mark for me.
The audio narration by Cynthia Holloway, Johnathan McClain, and Sarge Anton was masterfully done, pulling the reader into the story and bringing that world to life around them. I'm sure their job as narrators was made much easier by the lovely and expressive writing. I am surprised that this was a debut for this author. This is one of my favorite audio narrations of 2013 and I was thrilled to end the year with such a brilliant audiobook.
Sci-fi is not usually a genre that I gravitate to, so I was surprised that I was so quickly wrapped up in this story. I think that says a lot about the character building as well as the slow building relationship between the two main characters which kept me engaged. Although most of the story was a LOTR-esque trek through a deserted Middle Earth, I never lost interest or was bored by the journey. I remained invested in these characters and what their eventual fate would be.
I’ve seen this book described as being similar to Titanic, and I can definitely see where the two characters had a bit of a Jack & Rose feel and similarities in their backgrounds, but I think that These Broken Stars is more than just a reimagining of Titanic. Their struggle to survive and persevere against what seemed like impossible also drove the story. I don’t feel that the plot relied solely on the romance to move it forward. It was certainly not a fast paced read, but I enjoyed the slow and steady pacing.
I will say that some specific plot twists seemed a little farfetched and the ending left me with more questions than answers, but these things did not affect my overall enjoyment of the book. I'm hoping that many of my questions will be answered in the upcoming books in this series. This definitely deserves a spot on my "Best of 2013" list! I would highly recommend the audio format to anyone considering reading These Broken Stars.
Rating 4.5 of 5
