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Starbound #1.5

This Night So Dark

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Don’t miss the breathtaking short story that connects the first two novels in the Starbound trilogy, These Broken Stars and This Shattered World.

Tarver still has nightmares about the night, six months before the Icarus crash, when he rescued a group of civilian researchers being held hostage by brutal mercenaries. Now Tarver and Lilac must reconcile his memories of that fateful night with the truth that they uncovered on a mysterious planet after the Icarus crashed.

Includes a bonus preview chapter from This Shattered World.

109 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 7, 2014

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8751 people want to read

About the author

Amie Kaufman

36 books13.3k followers
Amie Kaufman is a New York Times and internationally bestselling author of young adult fiction. Her multi-award winning work is slated for publication in over 30 countries, and is in development for film and TV. Raised in Australia and occasionally Ireland, Amie has degrees in history, literature, law and conflict resolution. She lives in Melbourne with her husband and daughter, their rescue dog, and an extremely large personal library. She is the host of the podcasts Amie Kaufman on Writing, and Pub Dates.

You can sign up for her newsletter to see what she's working on, hear when she releases a new book, and be automatically entered for giveaways: https://amiekaufman.substack.com/

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5 stars
966 (22%)
4 stars
1,692 (39%)
3 stars
1,356 (31%)
2 stars
238 (5%)
1 star
29 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 545 reviews
Profile Image for Sarah Elizabeth.
5,002 reviews1,410 followers
May 5, 2015

This was a short story from Tarver’s point of view, which takes place 6 months before ‘These Broken Stars’. I have to say that I found this a little dull really, and I had to take breaks, which considering how short this is – is ridiculous.
I liked the bits where Tarver and Lilac were talking, but I wasn’t the biggest fan of the rest of the story.
6 out of 10
Profile Image for Ryan Buckby.
704 reviews92 followers
August 17, 2020
First read: April 23rd 2018
re-read: August 17th 2020

actual rating: 3.5

first time reading a book of my phone and it was a very different experience for me, but this was the novella that is based around Tarver and Lilac as they reconcile some of his memories and this one is set six months before the initial icarus crash.

Plot: This novella we see Tarver before he goes on board the Icarus ship and before he meets Lilac, but it also goes between present Tarver and past Tarver. I actually like the fact that i got to learn more about Tarver and how different his life was prior to him going onto the Icarus because he has changed so much from the past right up until were we meet him in the beginning of book one. I enjoyed meeting some of the characters in Tarver's past because i got a sense of how different he's become.

for the most part however i found a lot of the back story stuff pretty dull to get through so it's one thing i struggled with a lot, but i did enjoy the Tarver and Lilac stuff of this novella. It's like i got to reunite with some old friends after spending time apart which was nice.


There’s no what’s next, there’s only now, and this moment lasts forever.


I highly recommend you reading these broken stars which is the first book in the trilogy before tackling this novella because things do get spoiled from the main story.


this was an enjoyable novella not the best i've read but still give it a go if you want to learn more about the characters from the starbound world.
Profile Image for Caru.
124 reviews171 followers
October 11, 2014
This Review Can Also Be Found @ http://myaddictionbooks.blogspot.com/...

6/22/14

Tarver's POV!!!Oh. My. God. YES!! YES!!!!
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OCTOBER 7TH IS WHEN IT COMES OUT!!!!

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10/9/14

Rating: 5 Golden Stars

My Opinion of This Book: description

___________________________________________________________________________



THE GOOD.

-Tarver: We learn so much about Tarver in this novella. Him back then, what he did, and all the good stuff. There's definitely character growth on his part. He's seriously so awesome. Like, you can tell he'd be a great friend. He's so nice, helpful, thoughtful, and just a good, cool guy.
Let's not forget that he's a gentleman. So freaking sweet, adorable, and reassuring. And he's got the looks, and the humor. He's just a really strong, brave guy. Love him to death and beyond.

-Lilac: Lilac is amazing. I totally adore her in this book. She's so caring and genuine. I'd say she's now one of my top favorite female characters.

"Stop that. You survived, and you got at least half a dozen hostages out. Did they make that up too? Just because you couldn't save everyone doesn't mean you're any less of a-"
"A what?"
"A hero."


-The Writing: Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner's writing is as beautiful and marvelous as ever, if not even better. The writing just really pulls you into the story. I so love it. It's simple, but incredible at the same time. And Tarver's POV? Hell yes, it's amazing!

-The Plot/Storyline: It was great. It gave insight on Tarver's past and you get to get to know him even better from this novella. It was just like, WOW. AMAZING.


-The Ending:

"Beautiful," I whisper into her hair,"we're an exception to every rule there is."


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One word: Perfection.

OVERALL.

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I am so happy with this novella. It had everything I wanted and more. I loved it.

I'd definitely recommend it if you enjoyed These Broken Stars, and if you haven't read that well, obviously it's amazing and my favorite book ever, so I'd say definitely give it a shot if you're into Sci-Fi!
Profile Image for ˙⋆✮ Anny ✮⋆˙.
567 reviews299 followers
June 26, 2018
I didn't even know this existed until a couple of hours ago!! And then Amazon wouldn't let me download it, because apparently it's not available in my country... but yeah, I managed to get my hands on it at last!

I read this short story in one sitting and even though it's already some years ago that I've read These Broken Stars, I had no difficulties getting into the story. It was interesting to read about a story from Tarver's past, and I liked the whole setup, that he's telling this story to Lilac while they're surviving together after the Icarus crashed.

The story itself is a nice addition to the Starbound trilogy, and even though it's very short I'd recommend it to every fan of the series! It's just so nice to be reunited with two of the characters again :) Plus, it's free! Thumbs up and 4 stars for this!
Profile Image for Susana.
1,053 reviews266 followers
February 26, 2016
2.5 Stars

This story whose events take place before the plot of These Broken Stars, shines some light on why and how Tarver was considered a hero.
It was okay. The authors definitely know how to write, and I had some bits of Tarver and Lilac to keep me more invested in it. Thing is, besides that, I wasn't that interested in what was happening.

-_-
Profile Image for Keertana.
1,141 reviews2,276 followers
October 13, 2014
I just want to read These Broken Stars all over again now. #PerfectOTPisPerfect
Profile Image for Jess at Such a Novel Idea.
597 reviews179 followers
October 29, 2014
At first, I was confused as to what was going on -- this book jumps right into a story that happened prior to the events of These Broken Stars. However, it quickly became apparent why we are learning this story.

The story was a great segue into This Shattered World. It did everything it was supposed to -- tied Tarver and Lilac's story to this new one, set up the plot for the second book, and tell a story that shows how the series is going to connect once it is complete. And now that I've started TSW, I have lots of questions for how things are going to pan out!




BEFORE READING:


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I'm kinda glad I only knew about this a week before it's released. Otherwise, I'd be a total mess waiting for October 7 to get here.
Profile Image for ShoSho .
994 reviews106 followers
June 29, 2016
I thought this would be a lovey dovey sequel to the first book but I was sooo wrong.
For a novella this short it sure packed a punch!
Profile Image for Alyssa.
1,069 reviews855 followers
November 21, 2014
***Review posted on The Eater of Books! blog***

This Night So Dark by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
Book 1.5 of the Starbound series
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Publication Date: October 7, 2014
Rating: 4 stars
Source: Kindle copy bought from Amazon

Summary (from Goodreads):

Don’t miss the breathtaking short story that connects the first two novels in the Starbound trilogy, These Broken Stars and This Shattered World. Tarver still has nightmares about the night, six months before the Icarus crash, when he rescued a group of civilian researchers being held hostage by brutal mercenaries. Now Tarver and Lilac must reconcile his memories of that fateful night with the truth that they uncovered on a mysterious planet after the Icarus crashed. Includes a bonus preview chapter from This Shattered World.

What I Liked:

If you've been regularly following my blog, you'll know that I've read and LOVED These Broken Stars and This Shattered World. Seriously, this series is fabulous, and it's got covers to match. Now, this novella. I'd already read books one and two, and I usually don't like novellas... but as I said, I love the series, and hey, the novella was free. Still is. So, what did I have to love?

This novella is a short story - it tells the story of how Tarver became a hero, when he was held by mercenaries and miraculously escaped with other hostages. The story itself is less than half of the ebook - the other half is the beginning of book one, and a preview of book two (both of which I'd already read).

Like with most novellas, this one wasn't NECESSARY to read, in order to know the story in books one and two. I can freely say this because I've read books one and two, before reading this novella. It definitely does help, to see how Tarver became so highly honored in the military.

The story is pretty intense, and I won't go into the specifics (it's so short, you could read it yourself!). Kaufman and Spooner manage to pack in a complete story in a very small space, which is awesome. Seriously, there were some plot twists that threw me in the beginning, and the ending rushed at me very quickly (in a good way). Very well done!

Lilac is present in this story - Tarver was having nightmares about this night, and she wakes him, so he tells her about it. At the beginning of every chapter, we get Tarver telling Lilac something about the memory (present), and then Tarver and the hostage situation (in the past). There is something crucial that Tarver tells Lilac in this book, something that Tarver doesn't realize in the first book. It's not necessary to read this book to know the thing, because it's taken care of in book two, but I like how all arrows are pointing in the same direction. So to speak.

As you can tell, I liked this novella! For someone who doesn't like to read too many of these, I liked it a lot.

What I Did Not Like:

It was so short! Not even half of the ebook! But then, it is billed as a short story. Waahh, I so wanted more. In a good way!

Would I Recommend It:

Even though I don't like novellas (too short, too expensive, too unnecessary), I would definitely say that this one is worth the time! And it's free, so, why not. Also, I recommend this series in general.

Rating:

4 stars. Now, back to wanting book three... it will be a long wait, especially since I read This Shattered World back in June!
Profile Image for Sarah.
3,358 reviews1,236 followers
February 21, 2015
This Night So Dark is a free novella that can be downloaded from the These Broken Stars website here. I have to warn you that the story is shorter than it looks because nearly half of the ebook is taken up with sample chapters from both These Broken Stars and This Shattered World but although I would have liked it if the story was longer I can't really complain when the author's have offered this for free.

Although the main events in this story actually happened before events in These Broken Stars I wouldn't recommend reading this until after you've read the first book. People familiar with the first book will already know that Tarver is a war hero but we never really got much information about the mission that earned him that title. In This Night So Dark we find out what really happened in the form of flash backs as Tarver describes the event to Lilac after waking up from a nightmare.

I don't want to say too much about the plot but I will say it gives us some more insight into the kind of man Lilac's father is, it hints at the conspiracy that Tarver and Lilac have already started to uncover and I think it shows that there is even more going on under the surface that we don't know about yet. It was nice to see Tarver and Lilac together after their rescue but if I'm honest I really wanted a bit more information about what they're up to now. I was kind of disappointed when I found out that This Shattered World is about two different main characters because although I'm sure Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner will make me fall in love with them too I'm still going to miss Tarver and Lilac. Hopefully we'll still get a little information about them as the series continues, I have a feeling that Lilac is going to have a key role to play in stopping her father's plans so I'm confident we'll have to see more of her.

If you enjoyed These Broken Stars then you can't go wrong reading This Night So Dark, especially since it's free! It's always nice to be able to revisit characters and get more background information and this little novella achieves both of those goals and has left me eager to pick up the story in This Shattered World.
Profile Image for Medini.
432 reviews60 followers
April 12, 2020
Little Bangalore, on the northern continent of Corinth.

It makes me happy to come across the name of my hometown in a space opera novella written by an Australian author. ^^

Read this for free here
Profile Image for starryeyedjen.
1,768 reviews1,264 followers
July 18, 2016
This review can also be found at The Starry-Eyed Revue.

More Tarver! And that's really all you need to know. :)

Just kidding. Sort of. The thing is, I tried to get Tarver to divulge the details on his hero status several times in our interview last year, but he was more than a little hesitant. That's probably because in this awesome FREE short story, he finally explains the true nature of the mission that led to his being on the Icarus in the first place. This story is a bridge between These Broken Stars and This Shattered World, and it really foreshadows what we can expect from the sequel.

Also, I really enjoyed the manner in which Tarver's version of things comes to light. In much the same way that These Broken Stars was an interrogation, with snippets of the actual conversation interspersed into the story between chapters, This Night So Dark is basically Tarver relaying the cause of his nightmares -- that fateful mission all those months ago -- to Lilac. Bits of their conversation are placed between chapters as they reflect on what they've each realized and what it means. And in the meantime, I got a Tarver/Lilac feelsplosion! =)

After reading this novella, I am just that much more excited to get to my copy of This Shattered World. I think I've put it off long enough now. I can't wait to meet the new characters -- and see a bit more of Tarver and Lilac, not gonna lie -- and see how they all fit into the scheme of things. This Night So Dark is a must-read if you've already read These Broken Stars and you plan to continue the series. And you really have no reason not to read it since it's absolutely free!

GIF it to me straight:
Profile Image for Kelly (Diva Booknerd).
1,106 reviews295 followers
July 22, 2015
http://www.divabooknerd.com/2014/10/m...
This Night So Dark follows the story of Tarver, taking place before he found himself on the Icarus, and being stranded with Lilac before disaster struck. He holds the position on the patrol squad, seemingly an easy task as he recovers from his duty on the front lines. As he recalls that night at the facility to Lilac, the reader learns more about LaRoux industries, the technology that fueled the Icarus and why he was a celebrated and decorated hero. It was a superb read.

The second half of this free novella contains the first three chapters of These Broken Stars and This Shattered World, which I'm eagerly awaiting to be released. This Shattered World is the story of Jubilee and Flynn, one a military captain and the other a rebel leader who is holding Lee hostage in the midst of an escalating war. It was three chapters of brilliance. The reader is thrown straight into the action and introuduced to the two new characters, Lee and Flynn, that will take the Starbound series to the next level.

I'm giddy with excitement waiting for it's release.
Profile Image for Dre.
246 reviews90 followers
November 10, 2014

When I started reading These Broken Stars, I wasn't impressed with the first five chapters. It was a slow start for me. But having a dose of Tarver and Lilac, I got hooked. I wanted more of them. When I learned about this novella, I had to have it. It's a great thing that it's free!

To be honest, this wasn't the novella that I wanted. Yes, I wanted more of Tarver, but I also wanted more of Lilac. However, in this novella, it was more of Tarver's experience, and itty-bitty conversations with Lilac in between chapters. But it's not a huge failure, this novella. It provided more information about LaRoux Industries, and it supported my suspicions when I read These Broken Stars. This novella did pack a little punch, and we got to know Sanjana and Fisk.

Added bonus in the end are a few chapters of This Shattered World. <3
Profile Image for Teresa Mary Rose.
1,293 reviews343 followers
November 3, 2014
More Reviews Here: Readers Live A Thousand Lives

This was a fun little addition to the series and fans of the series are sure to enjoy it. I know I loved getting some more Tarver and Lilac and I loved seeing what events led to Tarver landing on the Icarus. Tarver is one smart cookie and shines when things get tough. The story wasn’t much but it was still fun and I loved the little bit more we got. I also really love the authors writing style. The way it is both in the present and the past is awesome. I just love the little dialogue breaks in between chapters, especially because the dialogue breaks are with Lilac and Tarver. Those two are so cute and I seriously love them together. Also, the epilogue was everything. So yeah. All in all, This Night So Dark is the perfect treat for fans of the series and if you haven’t started this series yet you need to.
Profile Image for Maggie.
617 reviews739 followers
March 18, 2020
Fast and short novella showing us why Tarver became a war hero. It wasn't exactly anything substantial though. Recommended for fans of These Broken Stars and Tarver.
Profile Image for Alaina.
7,344 reviews203 followers
March 9, 2019
I honestly have no idea what to write for this.

This Night So Dark is a novella for the Starbound series. In it, you will get to know more about Tarver. He's kind of a war hero.. bu other than that it was okay? I don't remember much from reading it a couple of days ago but that's because I've been in and out of all day meetings all week.. so my mind was honestly elsewhere.

Overall, it was cute and short. I'm glad that I read it.. but now I feel like I'm obligated to finish off the rest of the series.
Profile Image for Lauren Stoolfire.
4,771 reviews296 followers
October 24, 2017
I love the Starbound series, and this novella is worth checking out if you're a fan. However, it totally isn't necessary and doesn't provide any new information or anything that I really could have done without. The short is set between book one and two of the trilogy, but majorly features Tarver's flashbacks to six months before book one. I particularly liked seeing Tarver and Lilac interact with one another. Also, the story is much shorter than it let's on - it's less than half of the length of the ebook and the rest of it are mostly previews of book one and two.
Profile Image for Rian *fire and books*.
633 reviews218 followers
June 24, 2020
I don’t feel it’s fair to rate a 50 page novella. It’s just too short!

The story is told following a nightmare Tarver has about how he got his promotion that made him a war hero. There’s not a lot that connects it to the main narrative except in an illusory way.

It’s tiny and I wouldn’t say it’s necessary to read.
Profile Image for Madison.
182 reviews18 followers
June 11, 2016
THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST THINGS IVE EVER READ AND IT'S ONLY 48 PAGES.
This takes place after These broken stars (book 1 in the starbound trilogy) and that is one of my favourite books ever, I read that back in 2014 and yeah it's amazing. So seeing Tarver and Lilac again made me smile so much even though Lilac was only in this for one chapter. Oh and let me just say.. Tarver is the most attractive fictional boy ever.
I didn't know if I would like this because the last book I read by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner was horrible, that was This shattered world (the 2nd book in the starbound trilogy) oh gosh I hated that book so much.
But I loved the first book and the novella so so so so so sooooo much! I still have yet to read the 3rd book because I'm scared I'll hate it.
My favourite characters in this were Tarver (obviously, oh gosh I love him so much) and Sanjana.
Sanjana is the coolest character ever! And what she did at the end nearly made me start crying.
Speaking of crying, I nearly cried twice while reading this! first being what Sanjana did and second being what Fisk did at the end.
How did a 48 page novella nearly make me cry twice?!?!
Anyways I looooooved this and you should all read this after you finish these broken stars!
Profile Image for Aleena.
220 reviews32 followers
November 17, 2020
This Night So Dark is a novella that acts as a bridge between the first and second books of the Starbound trilogy. If I'm honest this nearly put me into a reading slump, even though it was technically less than 50 pages. The story felt like it had no stakes because its a prequel and the constant action meant there was little room for the plot to breathe. I did love the parts between Lilac and Tarver, so I'm giving an extra star for that.
Profile Image for Shannon A.
705 reviews511 followers
October 7, 2014
Okay - so the actual novella is only about 45% of the ebook - the last half is promo stuff, including excerpts from These Broken Stars and This Shattered World.
That being said, I quite enjoyed this snippet into Tarver's past. I think it filled in some of his back story and also prepped us for the plot of This Shattered World.
And of course, always happy to see Lilac and Tarver :)
Profile Image for Malcolm.
260 reviews38 followers
April 27, 2017
I don't read these in-between installments as a general rule, but my wife insisted that we finish this before moving on to the second book in the series. This short story takes about an hour (probably less) to read and elaborates on how Tarver earned his war-hero status.

The pacing is lightning fast and Tarver is a protagonist worth following, but the ending was far too abrupt. When we reached the epilogue, we were both like, "Wait, what? That's it? Huh. Okay." The intercalary dialogue between Tarver and Lilac that framed the story was cute, so maybe it was worth reading just for that (Side Note: Not sure if "intercalary" is a term only used when talking about The Grapes of Wrath or not).

I will forever make fun of the title, though: This night so dark, yo.
Profile Image for BabyLunLun.
916 reviews131 followers
August 18, 2020
Is it possible to hate the first book but still wanting to know more about the world?

I think the conversation between chapters really add to the whole allure of the book. It took me few chapters in to finally guess that it is Taver telling Lilac about what happened to him that got him his medal and how its related to the crashing of Icarus.

I can't wait to see what happens next and how they gonna expose Lilac's dad
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