This electric, intensely addictive novel by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner, These Broken Stars, has seized the attention of readers everywhere since it’s debut in late 2013. The colorful language and exhilarating action swirled with a thrilling science fiction fantasy genre sent this story soaring towards the top of reading lists.

The scene is set with Lilac, the privileged daughter of the richest man in the universe, on board her father’s greatest engineering masterpiece: Icarius. This gargantuan luxury spaceship glides through the stars, a titanic of the new frontier, virtually indestructible. Well, almost.

Disaster rocks the ship, and those onboard are in extreme danger. In moments of pure panic and adrenaline, Lilac encounters rugged soldier Tarver in a desperate situation, and together they escape the dying ship to what they hope is safety. Their hope, however, is soon swept away when they crash onto a seemingly deserted planet, one that silently hides the dark and dangerous creatures it harbors.

Together, they must survive. Trekking through this new and alien world, Lilac and Tarver find themselves haunted by the planet’s hidden secrets. As they begin to unfold a shocking and deeply buried mystery that throws everything they know into doubt, their chances of survival slowly begin to dwindle, and possibilities of rescue become nearly nonexistent.

With it’s combination of vivid imagery and realistic dialogue, the writing incites an exciting sense of realism despite the novel’s sci-fi genre. The characters are thoroughly developed, which in turn allows readers to invest themselves on an emotional level when reading the story. And who can blame them? Tarver and Lilac, with their ceaseless banter and cold mutual dislike melting to something warm and fuzzy, practically made me bounce off the walls, grinning giddily like a little kid with a sugar high.

Aside from the believable and sometimes heartbreaking romance, the plot is solid and well thought out, supporting the story firmly. Surprisingly, the sci-fi nature of the book wasn’t cheesy or overplayed. It simply served as the foundation for the scene and plot components to the novel, and didn’t swallow up the story.

Dual narration also made an appearance, as readers look through both Lilac and Tarver’s eyes, which, if I do say so myself, is swoon-worthy as romance sparked between them. This enabled the story to focus on other conflicts, rather than leaving readers to simply obsess over unrequited feelings.

Disclaimer: These Broken Stars is tailored toward the gals, though by no means does that indicate that guys shouldn’t give it a read. You never know, right? With such phenomenal writing and plot development, this novel earned a well-deserved rating of five, fully intact stars. Was a pun on the title too much?

Luckily, These Broken Stars is far more humorous than I. But don’t just take my word for