Waiting on Wednesday: These Broken Stars

These Broken Stars (Starbound, 1)
by Amie Kaufman and Megan Spooner

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.

This cover is absolutely stunning! It's what caught my eye...and then I read the synopsis. I've really been liking a lot of science fiction/dystopian novels lately and this book is one I'm dying to read! It feels like it will be something along the lines of Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi and Gravity by Melissa West. 

I'm so excited for this novel that I already have such high expectations. PLEASE PRETTY PLEASE don't disappoint!!!  

Hover

Hover (The Taking, 2)
by Melissa West
Rating: 5 Bows!

On Earth, seventeen-year-old Ari Alexander was taught to never peek, but if she hopes to survive life on her new planet, Loge, her eyes must never shut. Because Zeus will do anything to save the Ancients from their dying planet, and he has a plan.

Thousands of humans crossed over to Loge after a poisonous neurotoxin released into Earth's atmosphere, nearly killing them. They sought refuge in hopes of finding a new life, but what they became were slaves, built to wage war against their home planet. That is, unless Ari and Jackson can stop them. But on Loge, nothing is as it seems...and no one can be trusted.

OH DEAR BABY JESUS! This book was absolutely fantastic, words really can't explain how much I loved this book!!

Hover picks up where Gravity left off and the action starts the moment Ari opens her eyes. I really admired Ari in this novel. She picks up the role of a leader without question and her motives or always for the good of the people. We get to see Ari grow up in a blink of an eye and the situations she's placed in were terrible and I think that's what made me love her more, she always had hope.

Jackson..swoon. I adored Jackson. We get to see more of him and why he is the way he is. My heart broke for him and for everything he's been through. He is truly the strongest person ever! The love he has for Mami is heart-wrenching and you really see his true colors when he speaks about her. 

Jackson and Ari's relationship is non-existent for most of the book...but don't worry it comes back and with a vengeance! I can understand why Ari pushed him away most of the time, I mean he lied to her about everything, so I would want to get to know the REAL him also before letting him back in again. When they get together, wow. It's a beautiful love full of trust and the ability to lean on one another. This is the kind of love that I wish more YA books would have.

I'm not gonna lie, the events that occur in this book are hard. There's anguish, death, fear and anger. Everything leads to the Zeus. I wanted to kill Zeus myself every time he   made an appearance, I HATE HIM!!! And that's not even the worst of it, the ending...WOW...I did not see that coming. Warning: It is a cliffhanger BOO!!! 

Seriously...GO READ THIS SERIES IT'S AMAZING!! <3

Scarlet

Scarlet (The Lunar Chronicles, 2)
by Marissa Meyer
Rating: 5 Bows!

Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She's trying to break out of prison—even though if she succeeds, she'll be the Commonwealth's most wanted fugitive.

Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit's grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn't know about her grandmother or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother's whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her prisoner.

It just keeps getting better! I haven't found a YA series that progressively gets better as the books go by since Cassandra Clare's The Mortal Instruments. Marissa Meyer has an act for intertwining fairy tails with her novels without us even noticing because we are too wrapped up in the story...and I love that!

Scarlet starts right where Cinder left off and the action starts from there. 

In a way this was two different stories to me until I got close to the end. We meet Scarlet a red-headed farmer who is looking for her Kidnapped grandmother. She meets Wolf, a mysterious fellow who seems to know where her grandmother is. And so the journey begins for these two.

Then we have Cinder. Following the doctors orders, she escapes prison, but not alone. Captain Thorne is a prisoner as well and with his help, they manage to flee the prison. Cinder and Captain Thorne set off to find the woman who was responsible for bringing Cinder to Earth.

While everyone is off on their journey, Emperor Kai is dealing with the Lunar Queen and the fact that she has launched attacks on Earth. 

The new characters were perfect in this story, Wolf was powerful and secretive and that made him so sexy! Captain Thorne was handsome and down right hilarious! And Scarlet was so much like Cinder, strong when she needed to be while still being a teenager and falling for Wolf. 

Marissa Meyer I salute you! This was a fantastic sequel to Cinder and I can't wait for Cress. My only complaint is WHY WON'T IT COME OUT SOONER!!!!

Under The Never Sky

Under The Never Sky
by Veronica Rossi
Rating: 4 Bows!

WORLDS KEPT THEM APART.

DESTINIES BROUGHT THEM TOGETHER.

Aria has lived her whole life in the protected dome of Reverie. Her entire world confined to its spaces, she's never thought to dream of what lies beyond its doors. So when her mother goes missing, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland long enough to find her are slim.

Then Aria meets an outsider named Perry. He's searching for someone too. He's also wild - a savage - but might be her best hope at staying alive.

If they can survive, they are each other's best hope for finding answers.

Can I just say how beautiful and captivating the cover is? I must admit that the covers of books sometimes determine whether I get the book or not, I try really hard not to do that though but it just happens! Well the cover of this book definitely drew my attention. Again, I'm not very big on the whole "earth is destroyed and there's different worlds" types of books so I never really wanted to read this. There was however so much hype about this book that I gave in and read it.

However I was a little disappointed, there was so much hype that I expected this grand story and it just fell a little flat to me. There were some things that I just couldn't get my mind wrapped around and some things that I thought needed a little more explanation. I ended the book with questions (which is not a happy thing for me) like "What happened to Cinder?" "What exactly is Aether" but it is a series so I'm assuming explanations will be given later.

On a good note, I did like Aria. She behaved like any normal person would if they were in her situation. She was scared and confused being left in an unknown place and it took her time to gradually trust in Perry and have courage in herself. This is a big thing for me because it makes the character more believable and relatable. 

Perry was just as great. Being a "savage" he pretty much acted like one through out the story until he came to accept Aria and trust in her. I loved all his mad skills and the concept of his abilities. What I really liked about Perry was that he didn't automatically fall in love with Aria, it took time and it progressed through out the book. 

The side characters play big roles in the story and they brought humor and suspense to Aria and Perry's quest. I gotta say though, I hope we see more of Roar in the next book, he cracks me up!

For being a novel with a theme that I stay away from, it was good. I wouldn't say it was up there with the hype it was given, but that's just me. I think everyone should give this book a chance and it may turn out to be your cup of tea and you'll really love it. I'll definitely be picking up the second novel "Through The Ever Night"!

Gravity (The Taking, 1)

Gravity (The Taking, 1)
by Melissa West
Rating: 4 Bows!

In the future, only one rule will matter:

Don’t. Ever. Peek.

Seventeen-year-old Ari Alexander just broke that rule and saw the last person she expected hovering above her bed — arrogant Jackson Locke, the most popular boy in her school. She expects instant execution or some kind of freak alien punishment, but instead, Jackson issues a challenge: help him, or everyone on Earth will die. Ari knows she should report him, but everything about Jackson makes her question what she’s been taught about his kind. And against her instincts, she’s falling for him. But Ari isn’t just any girl, and Jackson wants more than her attention. She’s a military legacy who’s been trained by her father and exposed to war strategies and societal information no one can know — especially an alien spy, like Jackson. Giving Jackson the information he needs will betray her father and her country, but keeping silent will start a war.

Okay...I was totally not expecting this. I was expecting this book to be somewhat like Jennifer L. Armentrout's Lux Series, but I was gladly mistaken! Gravity has a dystopian feel to it but it's not entirely dystopian...does that make sense? Gravity is set in the year 2140 and humans are no longer at the top of the food chain...

Aliens have been a new topic in YA novels but Melissa West changes what we know about them and incorporates them into Earth. In Gravity, to sum up what is going on with out spoilers, humans have destroyed earth and it's no longer habitable. The Ancients, which is what they call the Aliens, have a similar problem and decide to form a treaty with the humans: They will restore Earth and in exchange the humans will need to help The Ancients survive on Earth. Here's the kicker though, the humans have to provide the Ancients with their antibodies through a process called the Taking...the rule: Don't Ever Peak.

The Characters: Ari was the perfect heroine, being the daughter of the Commander, she is taught from young how to fight, and how to be a leader, so naturally this makes her a strong women. What was wonderful about her was that she always had the world's best interest at heart, even if that meant going against everything she was taught. Ari has a good head on her shoulder and is realistic about most things but of course she always had help from her two best friends Law and Gretchen. Jackson Locke, where will I start? He is perfect, divine, handsome, athletic, caring, and so much more but I'm at a loss of words...haha. Jackson is an Ancient and his mission is to discover the humans plans since they are no longer compiling to the treaty. Jackson seeks Ari's help and their world is turned upside down. Jackson shows Ari Earth from his view and as they work together emotions grow and everything they've both known is questioned.

You seriously need to go buy this book, you won't regret it! Gravity is an action packed novel with romance that will have you cheering at the end..but for whose side? The Humans...or the Ancients?