{ARC Review} This Shattered World by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner
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Series: Starbound #2
Author: Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner
Published: 1st Dec 2014
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Sci-fi
Source: Paperback ARC provided by Allen & Unwin for fair & honest review
Rating: 5/5
BLURB:
The second installment in the epic Starbound trilogy introduces a new pair of star-crossed lovers on two sides of a bloody war.
Jubilee Chase and Flynn Cormac should never have met.
Lee is captain of the forces sent to Avon to crush the terraformed planet's rebellious colonists, but she has her own reasons for hating the insurgents.
Rebellion is in Flynn's blood. Terraforming corporations make their fortune by recruiting colonists to make the inhospitable planets liveable, with the promise of a better life for their children. But they never fulfilled their promise on Avon, and decades later, Flynn is leading the rebellion.
Desperate for any advantage in a bloody and unrelentingly war, Flynn does the only thing that makes sense when he and Lee cross paths: he returns to base with her as prisoner. But as his fellow rebels prepare to execute this tough-talking girl with nerves of steel, Flynn makes another choice that will change him forever. He and Lee escape the rebel base together, caught between two sides of a senseless war.
The stunning second novel in the Starbound trilogy is an unforgettable story of love and forgiveness in a world torn apart by war.
A Sophisticated Sci-fi With Intelligent Plot & Culturally Diverse Characters!!
REVIEW:
The story:
Jubilee Chase is a military captain serving on Avon to help protect the people of this young planet. Flynn Cormac, in charge of the rebel movement, he doesn't want to see his home torn apart by violence and war. But most importantly he wants answers as to why Avon's tera-forming is not progressing as it should. Jubilee and Flynn are on opposite sides of the war on Avon, but as they are forced to work together, they start to realise that there may be another common enemy that is the real reason Avon is crumbling.
This Shattered World was a surprising read for me. It was quite different to These Broken Stars, not just in the actual story but also the overall feel. While TBS was a story of survival and romance, TSW is primarily focussed on war and conspiracy theories revolving around the strange things occurring on the plant Avon. The story revolves around the complexities of human nature.
I was excited to see the 'whispers' were back, raising more questions about these mysterious creatures and their place in the universe. This was such a thrilling and facilitating story, and while TBS is still my favourite book of the series,TSW does not disappoint!
The characters:
Let's just take a moment and applaud Kaufman & Spooner for the amazing character diversity is this book!
Jubilee is part Chinese, and her cultural background is referenced throughout the story. I loved her spirit and strength. She has fiery attitude - she's fierce and determined. It was excellent to see Jubilee making her own decisions, she never blindly believed anyone, instead she looked at the situation in front of her and make up her own mind as to what needed to be done.
Flynn is Irish, I could actually hear the lilt of his accent in the dialogue. Flynn is such a sweet character, especially for someone who's a rebel. He doesn't want war and distraction and is set on finding a peaceful outcome for everyone. He's passionate and dedicated to protecting his home and it's people.
I actually squealed when Lilac & Tarver made an appearance! All the feels from TBS came flooding back. They both have an interesting part to play in this story - but that's all I'm going to say...
The romance:
I'll be honest, there wasn't much romance in this book, and certainly less than there was in These Broken Stars. But for this particular story, it seemed natural that the romance would take a back seat. The connection between Flynn and Jubilee was always there in the background, slowly building, and never never forced. You could feel the attraction growing despite them both fighting what they believed could never happen. The few romantic moments that do occur were so heartfelt and poignant.
The writing:
Kaufman & Spooner write with such expressive language, it's simply sensational. Scenes are described in such vivid detail, I would spell the earthy scent of the swamp water, see the 'will o wisps' floating through the air - it made this books so real, it felt like I had been sucked into their world.
Like TBS, there are mini chapters between each POV chapter. I will admit they made no sense to me what so ever, and I didn't get the meaning of them until quite late in the book. But once I did - wow.
FINAL WORD:
With an exciting & intelligent plot and culturally diverse characters, This Shattered World is a breathtaking sequel in this epic and sophisticated sci-fi series!
CONTENT:
Sexuality: mild / some kissing and very minor references to 'hooking up'
Violence: medium-strong / military based violence, guns, deaths, descriptions of bodies
Language: mild
Drugs & alcohol: mild / some 'underage' drinking which is allowed in this world
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I just started this one and your review is making me really excited! I'm hoping that I'll love it as much as you did. :D Thank you for sharing Amy!
ReplyDeleteI really need to read this series, and this review just made me need to read it earlier and I just want to be in the know of what this whole series is about! EEEE Excited!!!
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