These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

“I know a thousand different smiles, each with its own nuanced shade of meaning, but I don't know how to reach the few feet away to touch this person next to me. I don't know how to talk to him. Not when it's real.”

This was one of those delightful, yet very rare times when against all odds a book that I didn’t think I’d enjoy makes it to my favourites. These Broken Stars was, very different from what I expected but in the end, I loved almost every minute of it.

The plot is simple, the Icarus, a very luxurious Spaceliner unexpectedly crashes in the middle of it’s journey through space, apparently the only survivors are Lilac, a young heiress whose father owns almost every known planet, and Tarver, a war hero who comes from a modest family. Both are forced to cooperate as they end up in an unknown, deserted planet. Not much happens besides this really, the book is more focused on Lilac and Tarver’s unlikely alliance and the bond they form as they survive their surroundings than action scenes.

At first, I was a bit wary of this because it seemed like the entire situation had been constructed to get the two main characters together, and in a way, that’s the main purpose, but where I was expecting them to fall into each other’s arms at the first realization of their situation, they didn’t. Their relationship starts badly, Lilac tries to push Tarver away, so her father doesn’t make him a target for being interested in his little princess, and she behaves abominably for the first thirty percent of the story. However, there is a certain determination to her that though it doesn’t make up for her behaviour, it does make it a bit understandable.

Tarver on the other side, is a perfect gentleman, probably one of the most decent romantic interests I have encountered in similar books. He stands by this brattish girl and makes sure both he and her survive through their hostile surroundings, where any other would have abandoned her at the first chance. Of course, after a while Lilac does rise to the occasion and becomes the kind of heroine I personally love, determined and strong and yet still feminine. Their romance flows very realistically, they gravitate towards each other not only because of their status as survivors but because of the things the share.

The writing is beautiful and the descriptions, detailed, it brings the story to life and successfully portrays the character’s emotions in a way that makes it very easy to sympathize with them and understand them. Even though it was written by two different authors the story flows as if it was the work of one.

There is, however, almost no world-building and sometimes the plot feels a bit too slow. But when it comes to the romance and its portrayal, the book excels all expectations, and considering this is probably the objective, I would call it a win. I don’t know what else I can say about this book, besides that it has certainly carved a place in my heart.

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The Thousandth Floor by Katharine McGee
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"Winner's curse," [...] "Where the victor gets exactly what he wants, only to find that it isn't quite as he expected."

 Alright, hear me out, when I first came across The Thousandth Floor I didn’t think much of it. I liked the cover and though I was considering adding it to my never ending TBR, the mixed reviews convinced me otherwise. However, from time to time my heart craves a bit of a chick-lit respite from the more serious reading I tend to do; and so, a few days back I decided to pick it up just for entertainment and boy it was a ride.

 The story revolves around a group of teenagers, some rich, some not, who live in a futurist version of New York where the entire city is contained in a single, massive tower, a thousand floors high. The book opens with a prologue describing a girl’s tragic descent to death as she falls from the highest floor of said tower, and then rewinds to follow the kids’ separate stories some time prior to the incident and how it came to be. There’s enough drama and secrets and scheming to keep the pages turning fast, even though the characters may not be very different from the usual type populating this kind of novel, like the golden girl, the forbidden love interest and the crazy bitch, there’s even a lonely boy, if you know what I mean.

 It’s achingly similar to Gossip Girl most of the time, which I’ll admit, was one of the things that caught my attention at first. The setting on the other hand, felt vey unique and it did not disappoint, adding a unique edge to a story that wasn’t terribly original.

 Now I’ve read reviews complaining about one thing which you should be warned about, because it could be a serious turn off for some people, and that is that one of the main characters is head over heels for her step-brother. I know, ick! But surprisingly even though I was expecting a different reaction from myself I must admit it didn’t bother me all that much in the end, it just wasn’t that important to me I guess.

 So finally, did I like The Thousandth Floor? Yes, very much. Did I think the writing style and the characterization was on point? Probably not. Was it one of the best books I’ve read this year? Definitely not. But was it enjoyable? Yes, one of the most enjoyable books I’ve read these last weeks.

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Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

 So I read this book a long time ago (which means I don't remember everything exactly) but to honor the hype I've decided to write a review anyway. I love video games, even though I discovered the joy of them when I got older (my mom didn't want my brother and I to grow up with them, bummer I know) they're not only as fun as watching a movie or a series, you get to participate too! So when a friend lent me this book I already knew there was a great chance I would love it.

 The story is simple, there's a boy, Wade, who lives in a terrible version of the future where real life pretty much sucks, so he spends most of his time in a virtual reality named OASIS which makes it bearable. Inside the OASIS there is hidden a prize; when it's creator died he decided he would hide an Easter Egg inside the game and the user who found it would inherit his fortune, so everyone has been searching said prize for a long time. Obviously Wade becomes the first user to discover a real clue about the Egg and on the journey becomes instantly famous, makes some unlikely friendships and meets the girl of his dreams all the while making countless references to pop culture and other vintage marvels.

 I absolutely loved it. There are so many books these days which are written by adults and try to appeal to a teenage audience and fail miserably, this one however triumphs on the easy, knowing way the author explains online gaming and the enviroment; he's been there, playing until late night hours probably, Cline's not faking this or making it up, and I think that is best part of this book by far. Someone who enjoys gaming will understand completely that sense of camaraderie, the bonding and how sometimes the real world pales in comparison with a great adventure, even if it's just inside a screen.

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 Leí este libro hace bastante tiempo ya (lo que significa que no recuerdo exactamente todo lo que ocurre) pero por motivos de popularidad decidí escribir una reseña de todas maneras. Me encantan los videojuegos, aunque mi introducción a ellos fue un poco tardía (mi mamá no quería que sus hijos crecieran frente a la pantalla, lo sé, una lata) jugar no es sólo tan divertido como ver una película, sino que además te permite ser parte de la historia también! Así que cuando un amigo me prestó éste libro ya sabía que había una gran posibilidad de que lo amara.

 La hisoria es simple, hay un chico, Wade, que vive en una versión terrible del futuro donde la vida cotidiana es tan mala que lo obliga a pasar la mayor parte del tiempo en una realidad virtual llamada OASIS. Dentro de OASIS hay escondido un tesoro; cuando su creador falleció decidió que escondería un Huevo de Pascua dentro del juego y el usuario que lo encontrara heredaría su fortuna, así que naturalmente todo el mundo ha estado buscando dicho tesoro por bastante tiempo. Obviamente Wade se convierte en el primer usuario en encontrar una pista real sobre el Huevo y en el camino gana fama instantánea, hace algunas amistades y conoce a la chica de sus sueños, todo el tiempo haciéndo miles de referencias a la cultura pop y otras maravillas vintage.

 Amé este libro por completo. Hay tantos hoy en día que son escritos por adultos y tratan de apelar a una audiencia jóven y fallan miserablemente, éste sin embargo triunfa en la complicidad con la que el autor explica el ambiente y sensación de jugar online; él tiene esa experiencia, ha jugado hasta altas horas de la noche probablemente, Cline no lo está inventando, y creo que esa es la mejor parte de éste libro, la autenticidad. Alguien que ama jugar entenderá completamente esa sensación de camaraderia, la amistad y cómo algunas veces el mundo real palidece en comparación con una aventura, aunque ésta sea dentro de una pantalla.


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