Stacking the Shelves (106) - Jan 10th

Stacking the Shelves - hosted by Tynga at Tynga's Reviews - features books that you bought, borrowed, rented from the library, received for review, etc.

Upcoming Reads

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Neil Patrick Harris: Choose Your Own Autobiographyby Neil Patrick Harris
This Shattered World (Starbound #2)by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner

And don't miss our Two Year Blogoversary Giveaway! 

What books are stacking your shelves??

ARC-REVIEW: These Broken Stars (Starbound #1) by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner

Title: These Broken Stars
Series: Starbound #1
Author: Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Release Date: December 10th 2013
Pages: Hardcover, 374 pages
Source: ARC from BEA

Summary from Goodreads:
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.

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A timeless love story, THESE BROKEN STARS sets into motion a sweeping science fiction series of companion novels. The Starbound Trilogy: Three worlds. Three love stories. One enemy.

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• Each chapter started with a bit of dialogue from Taver's police questioning.  It was an amusing and different way to get to know Taver and see more of his personality.  Which made him even more likeable. 
• The world building and science fiction elements are some of the best I have read this year.  Kaufman and Spooner draw this dangerously mysterious and beautiful world that challenges Taver and Lilac on so many levels.  Both the space travel and the planet life are so vivid and perfectly created it is easy to just immerse yourself into the story.  It also lets you focus on the relationships and the mystery instead of having to try and understand the world they live in. 
• Taver is witty and stubborn at times which combined with his strength and soldier mentality to create a very likeable and real character.  His internal dialogue had me chuckling and the chemistry between Lilac and him was great.  
• I did originally think I knew where the plot was going and it was easy to guess how the romance unfolds but I was pleasantly surprised with the development of Lilac and some of the other plot twists the story took.  Lilac held her own, grew into her role, and was able to surprise me with her strength in the situations.  
• As always, I loved the dual point of views and how I could read the character's thoughts. I felt like I could feel the chemistry between Taver and Lilac and could better understand each character. 

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• There was not much I did not like, I thought parts of the plot were a bit predictable but the story line and writing were so good I did not mind.  
• I did get a bit confused near the end of the book when certain things happened with Lilac.  I felt like I missed something or some clear understanding of how things happened and how the ending happened. 

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These Broken Stars is a beautifully vivid story that blends science fiction space travel and other crazy events with some romance. The plot is full of suspense and mystery that is driven by the banter and adventure of two fantastic characters.
  

MINI-REVIEWS #92 & #93: Skylark (Skylark #1) By Meagan Spooner & The Prince (Selection #0.5) by Kiera Cass

Title: Skylark
Series: Skylark #1
Author: Meagan Spooner
Publisher: Carolrhoda Lab
Release Date: August 1st 2012
Pages: Hardcover, 344 pages
Source: Audiobook from the library

Summary from Goodreads:
Sixteen-year-old Lark Ainsley has never seen the sky.

Her world ends at the edge of the vast domed barrier of energy enclosing all that’s left of humanity. For two hundred years the city has sustained this barrier by harvesting its children's innate magical energy when they reach adolescence. When it’s Lark’s turn to be harvested, she finds herself trapped in a nightmarish web of experiments and learns she is something out of legend itself: a Renewable, able to regenerate her own power after it’s been stripped.

Forced to flee the only home she knows to avoid life as a human battery, Lark must fight her way through the terrible wilderness beyond the edge of the world. With the city’s clockwork creations close on her heels and a strange wild boy stalking her in the countryside, she must move quickly if she is to have any hope of survival. She’s heard the stories that somewhere to the west are others like her, hidden in secret—but can she stay alive long enough to find them?

While I did enjoy Skylark, it just felt a bit slow at times. I felt myself having to really focus or else I would lose interest. I can’t decide if it was the  audio book narration, which was dry and not the best or if it was just the story in general. Skylark is far from a cookie cutter predictable dystopian story. It has actually been one of the better dystopian worlds I have read lately.  The whole idea of having energy created from magic  was something I found fresh and unique.

The story has twists throughout the whole plot  with a slow building romance (no insta-love!). Overall I would give Skylark 3 stars, it was missing some pizzazz but the world building in the magical dystopia was well done and worth the read. I plan to read the sequel but I might stay away from the audio version of Shadowlark.

If you read/listened to  Skylark, what did you think?  

Title:The Prince
Series: The Selection #0.5
Author: Kiera Cass
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: March 5th 2013
Pages: ebook, 64 pages
Source:Library

Summary from Goodreads:
Before thirty-five girls were chosen to compete in the Selection...

Before Aspen broke America's heart...

There was another girl in Prince Maxon's life...

Don't miss this thrilling 128-page original novella set in the world of the New York Times bestselling novel The Selection. Also features a teaser to The Elite, Kiera Cass's hotly anticipated sequel to The Selection.

“She was looking at our fingers and not into my eyes, and thank goodness for that. If she were, she’d have seen how absolutely floored I was the first time I finally, truly saw her. The clouds moved at just the right moment, full lighting her face by the moon. As if it weren't enough that she was willing to stand up to me and clearly unafraid to be herself, she was dazzlingly beautiful.”

The Prince was a nice addition to the story.  It was a different perspective to actually hear Prince Maxon's thoughts on love and the selection process.   It was cute, I definitely swooned some when he described his first meeting with America.  Even though I enjoyed it, I did not find it necessary to enjoy the series. Simply put, it was a nice filler story.