This Shattered World (Starbound)
ByAmie Kaufman
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Readers` Reviews
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
ysabet
Having absolutely loved These Broken Stars I couldn't wait to get my hands on a copy of This Shattered World so I could dive back into the world that Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner created. I have to admit that I was a little disappointed when I first realised that Tarver and Lilac weren't going to be the main characters for the entire series but the more I thought about it the more I realised changing characters was the best way for us to be able to explore more of this universe. It was also a great opportunity to see another side of what Lilac's father has been getting up to and just how deep the conspiracy goes.
Jubilee, known as Lee to her friends, is an army captain and one of the best soldiers on Avon. It is her job to keep the rebel forces from causing all out war on the planet and she is very, very good at her job. Flynn is the leader of the rebels and he is determined to find a peaceful solution to the ongoing conflict. All the rebels want is to find out why the terraforming of Avon is so far behind schedule and why they are being denied the supplies they so desperately need and they are sick of being ignored and pushed to one side. Some of Flynn's people are getting restless and threatening to revert to violence so Flynn knows he doesn't have long to come up with an alternative option to all out war. When Flynn manages to capture Lee he is hoping to use her safe release as a bargaining tool but when he realises her life is in danger from his people he is forced to change his plans.
I think one of the things I love most about this series is the sheer scale of the world building and it was really interesting to visit Avon and see the struggles the people there are facing. It was easy to understand why Flynn and the rebels were so desperate but that doesn't justify the lengths that some of them were willing to go to to get what they want. At the same time, although Lee and the other soldiers are only doing their jobs, it was harder to sympathise for them because you knew they weren't in the right. The trouble here is that the big corporations who pay for the terraforming are also the ones funding the army and their agenda is purely profit driven and doesn't focus on the lives of the people actually living on the planet.
Although I liked both Lee and Flynn I did have a bit of trouble with their relationship, things happen a little too quickly between them and considering the circumstances I struggled to believe their reactions. One time in particular Flynn has every reason to think that Lee has betrayed him and caused the death of some of his closest friends and family members yet he still takes her side without a second thought and walks away from everyone and everything he has ever known. I just couldn't understand why he would do that and it made me question his character. By the end of the book they had both grown on me and I was able to start rooting for them but I was never quite as invested in either of their characters as I was in Tarver and Lilac which is probably why their appearance was such a highlight for me.
While This Shattered World didn't quite manage to knock These Broken Stars off the series top spot it was still a fantastic read and I'm thoroughly enjoying this series. We've already met one of the main characters of the final book, Their Fractured Light, and I can tell you right now she's going to be fabulous. I have a feeling this trilogy is going to go out with a bang and I absolutely can't wait to see the downfall of LaRoux Industries!
Jubilee, known as Lee to her friends, is an army captain and one of the best soldiers on Avon. It is her job to keep the rebel forces from causing all out war on the planet and she is very, very good at her job. Flynn is the leader of the rebels and he is determined to find a peaceful solution to the ongoing conflict. All the rebels want is to find out why the terraforming of Avon is so far behind schedule and why they are being denied the supplies they so desperately need and they are sick of being ignored and pushed to one side. Some of Flynn's people are getting restless and threatening to revert to violence so Flynn knows he doesn't have long to come up with an alternative option to all out war. When Flynn manages to capture Lee he is hoping to use her safe release as a bargaining tool but when he realises her life is in danger from his people he is forced to change his plans.
I think one of the things I love most about this series is the sheer scale of the world building and it was really interesting to visit Avon and see the struggles the people there are facing. It was easy to understand why Flynn and the rebels were so desperate but that doesn't justify the lengths that some of them were willing to go to to get what they want. At the same time, although Lee and the other soldiers are only doing their jobs, it was harder to sympathise for them because you knew they weren't in the right. The trouble here is that the big corporations who pay for the terraforming are also the ones funding the army and their agenda is purely profit driven and doesn't focus on the lives of the people actually living on the planet.
Although I liked both Lee and Flynn I did have a bit of trouble with their relationship, things happen a little too quickly between them and considering the circumstances I struggled to believe their reactions. One time in particular Flynn has every reason to think that Lee has betrayed him and caused the death of some of his closest friends and family members yet he still takes her side without a second thought and walks away from everyone and everything he has ever known. I just couldn't understand why he would do that and it made me question his character. By the end of the book they had both grown on me and I was able to start rooting for them but I was never quite as invested in either of their characters as I was in Tarver and Lilac which is probably why their appearance was such a highlight for me.
While This Shattered World didn't quite manage to knock These Broken Stars off the series top spot it was still a fantastic read and I'm thoroughly enjoying this series. We've already met one of the main characters of the final book, Their Fractured Light, and I can tell you right now she's going to be fabulous. I have a feeling this trilogy is going to go out with a bang and I absolutely can't wait to see the downfall of LaRoux Industries!
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
manish jain
Okay. Truth time. I love This Shattered World more than These Broken Stars. I mean, I love both books. This series is 100 percent my jam. The hardcore sci-fi, the romance, the technical stuff, the world building... I mean, I'm so into it, I might as well be on Avon with Lee and Flynn. But while These Broken Stars is a creepy alien survival book with a soft, sweet romance, This Shattered World is this tough, gritty, alien war book with a romance that's almost secondary.
Even as I read the first couple of chapter of this book I knew I was going to get something so different than the last one. There are guns and blood and action... This Shattered World has this aggressive tone that jerks you around and throws you into the line of fire. And I love it. Truthfully, I'm not a blood and gore kind of girl and there was a paragraph or two I skimmed a bit, but This Shattered World is a book fraught with war and conflict and it totally embraces that, regardless of the YA categorization.
I also love the philosophical questions about morality that crop up in this book. At the beginning of the book, Lee is so black and white, right and wrong, you can't imagine her changing her mind, but the shift is slow and believable. It's the things she sees and the traumas she goes through that make the difference. Flynn, on the other hand, is already thinking outside the box - which is why he kidnaped Lee - but he's also got some growing to do. The way their minds open up to possibilities and other people's situations is so relevant to everything in life always (past, present, future) that I'm like HELLO PRECIOUS SCI-FI BOOK YOU ARE SO SMART NEVER LEAVE ME.
Of course, I also loved the cameo from Lilac and Tarver. It's built in so well. They really had a purpose in this book - I think they even has more purpose in this book than they did in the last. In These Broken Stars, Lilac and Tarver are trying to get off this bizarre planet. Yeah, they learn some thing along the way, but they don't have the whole picture until the end. In This Shattered World they know what's going on and they're ready to do something about it - they're ready to help Lee and Flynn when the creepy sci-fi things they're dealing with happen to be the same creepy sci-fi things Lilac and Tarver (and the reader) were introduced to in book one in the series. And guys? That creepy plot from These Broken Stars that comes back in this book? Keeps. Getting. Creepier.
I also enjoyed the romance. I'm not really one for the Romeo and Juliet trope, so going in I wasn't expecting much, but this book's main focus isn't the romance. While Lee and Flynn clearly really care for each other, they can both see the bigger picture. They don't want the bigger picture to be there, but they see it. Besides, there's so much running around and hiding from the law that the things that lead to Lee and Flynn "betraying" their people (y'know, as far as their people are concerned) seem like things they would feel morally obligated to do as their perspectives changed, not things they just did for love. Because Lee and Flynn are awesome, flawed, stand up characters who I admire greatly.
And, finally, the very best part of this book is that you really feel what the characters are going through. Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner, in their infinite sci-fi wisdom, hold nothing back and then make their characters deal with the consequences. I mean, really terrible things happen and watching Lee and Flynn react and work through those terrible things is both painful and stunning.
Even as I read the first couple of chapter of this book I knew I was going to get something so different than the last one. There are guns and blood and action... This Shattered World has this aggressive tone that jerks you around and throws you into the line of fire. And I love it. Truthfully, I'm not a blood and gore kind of girl and there was a paragraph or two I skimmed a bit, but This Shattered World is a book fraught with war and conflict and it totally embraces that, regardless of the YA categorization.
I also love the philosophical questions about morality that crop up in this book. At the beginning of the book, Lee is so black and white, right and wrong, you can't imagine her changing her mind, but the shift is slow and believable. It's the things she sees and the traumas she goes through that make the difference. Flynn, on the other hand, is already thinking outside the box - which is why he kidnaped Lee - but he's also got some growing to do. The way their minds open up to possibilities and other people's situations is so relevant to everything in life always (past, present, future) that I'm like HELLO PRECIOUS SCI-FI BOOK YOU ARE SO SMART NEVER LEAVE ME.
Of course, I also loved the cameo from Lilac and Tarver. It's built in so well. They really had a purpose in this book - I think they even has more purpose in this book than they did in the last. In These Broken Stars, Lilac and Tarver are trying to get off this bizarre planet. Yeah, they learn some thing along the way, but they don't have the whole picture until the end. In This Shattered World they know what's going on and they're ready to do something about it - they're ready to help Lee and Flynn when the creepy sci-fi things they're dealing with happen to be the same creepy sci-fi things Lilac and Tarver (and the reader) were introduced to in book one in the series. And guys? That creepy plot from These Broken Stars that comes back in this book? Keeps. Getting. Creepier.
I also enjoyed the romance. I'm not really one for the Romeo and Juliet trope, so going in I wasn't expecting much, but this book's main focus isn't the romance. While Lee and Flynn clearly really care for each other, they can both see the bigger picture. They don't want the bigger picture to be there, but they see it. Besides, there's so much running around and hiding from the law that the things that lead to Lee and Flynn "betraying" their people (y'know, as far as their people are concerned) seem like things they would feel morally obligated to do as their perspectives changed, not things they just did for love. Because Lee and Flynn are awesome, flawed, stand up characters who I admire greatly.
And, finally, the very best part of this book is that you really feel what the characters are going through. Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner, in their infinite sci-fi wisdom, hold nothing back and then make their characters deal with the consequences. I mean, really terrible things happen and watching Lee and Flynn react and work through those terrible things is both painful and stunning.
A Thousand Pieces of You (Firebird) :: These Broken Stars :: Gemina (The Illuminae Files) :: The Dilemma of the Individual in Modern Society - The Undiscovered Self :: The Prophet (The Cloister Book 2)
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
kivrin engle
Captain Jubilee "Lee" Chase is known for two things, the efficiency of her platoon and her no-nonsense attitude. On the planet Avon, the military is tasked with maintaining order and keeping the Fianna, the rebels fighting for Avon's independence, under control. Flynn Cormac, unspoken leader to the Fianna, struggles to keep the frustration of his people at bay. While some are more than willing to take their independence from the military by force, Flynn is determined to seek a peaceful agreement. When circumstances force Flynn to take Jubilee prisoner, the two discover they aren't so different and the real enemy has been hiding in their midst all along.
Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner's This Shattered World reads more like a companion novel than a sequel to their breathtaking Starbound debut, These Broken Stars. Our two leads, Jubilee Chase and Flynn Cormac, come from very different worlds, one leads with military finesse and the other through diplomatic means. Both sides of this conflict have flawed perspectives and are prone to make mistakes because of it, which inevitably elongates the war between them.
While I admired both Jubilee and Flynn as individual characters, it was difficult for me to buy into their romantic relationship, at least in the beginning. Both characters develop feelings rather quickly and despite both resisting the relationship, I felt that the romance's pacing was a bit quick. It was only toward the end of the book that I felt that their relationship had been earned.
The narrative had more focus when told from Jubilee's perspective. Much of the story takes place on Jubilee's own territory, we see her relationships with several other characters, and we are privy to her dreams. Flynn spends less time with his own people, so it was difficult to get a complete picture of him and the Fianna. His cousin, Sean, is in several scenes and if allowed more depth would have made both Flynn and the Fianna more well-rounded. Despite the book's flaws, I loved seeing both Tarver and Lilac make cameo appearances and seeing the Starbound universe expanded upon.
Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner's This Shattered World reads more like a companion novel than a sequel to their breathtaking Starbound debut, These Broken Stars. Our two leads, Jubilee Chase and Flynn Cormac, come from very different worlds, one leads with military finesse and the other through diplomatic means. Both sides of this conflict have flawed perspectives and are prone to make mistakes because of it, which inevitably elongates the war between them.
While I admired both Jubilee and Flynn as individual characters, it was difficult for me to buy into their romantic relationship, at least in the beginning. Both characters develop feelings rather quickly and despite both resisting the relationship, I felt that the romance's pacing was a bit quick. It was only toward the end of the book that I felt that their relationship had been earned.
The narrative had more focus when told from Jubilee's perspective. Much of the story takes place on Jubilee's own territory, we see her relationships with several other characters, and we are privy to her dreams. Flynn spends less time with his own people, so it was difficult to get a complete picture of him and the Fianna. His cousin, Sean, is in several scenes and if allowed more depth would have made both Flynn and the Fianna more well-rounded. Despite the book's flaws, I loved seeing both Tarver and Lilac make cameo appearances and seeing the Starbound universe expanded upon.
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
seshadri
After These Broken Stars (which I loved) and all of the reviews claiming that This Shattered World was even better, I had some pretty high expectations going into this novel. While I did really enjoy it, it wasn’t quite as good as These Broken Stars and the two novels are just very different.
These Broken Stars was a romance at heart. Yes, there were a few paranormal/sci-fi elements thrown in, and yes you did have two people traversing a deserted planet fighting for survival, but it was really about Lilac and Tarver falling in love. Watching their relationship develop is that really made These Broken Stars so wonderful for me.
In This Shattered World, we have almost an entirely different cast of characters. There is still a love story in the novel, but it is much more understated and takes a back seat to the plot. Unfortunately, the plot wasn’t my favorite part of the book. It was still good, but it was more about rebellion and untangling a nefarious plot against planet Avon. Even though I enjoyed the story, it was starting to veer a bit out of my wheelhouse.
The writing and character development, however, are truly outstanding. Kaufman and Spooner create these people that are so real, you can’t help feeling for them. There were so many heart wrenching moments in this story that came alive because of the writing style and were made even more meaningful because of the connection you feel with the characters.
Even though This Shattered World didn’t quite live up to my expectations and the hype, it was still a great book. If you liked These Broken Stars, you won’t be disappointed with the sequel, but just know that they are very different stories despite the things they have in common.
For more book reviews, discussions, and book-related fashions, visit abouttoread.com
These Broken Stars was a romance at heart. Yes, there were a few paranormal/sci-fi elements thrown in, and yes you did have two people traversing a deserted planet fighting for survival, but it was really about Lilac and Tarver falling in love. Watching their relationship develop is that really made These Broken Stars so wonderful for me.
In This Shattered World, we have almost an entirely different cast of characters. There is still a love story in the novel, but it is much more understated and takes a back seat to the plot. Unfortunately, the plot wasn’t my favorite part of the book. It was still good, but it was more about rebellion and untangling a nefarious plot against planet Avon. Even though I enjoyed the story, it was starting to veer a bit out of my wheelhouse.
The writing and character development, however, are truly outstanding. Kaufman and Spooner create these people that are so real, you can’t help feeling for them. There were so many heart wrenching moments in this story that came alive because of the writing style and were made even more meaningful because of the connection you feel with the characters.
Even though This Shattered World didn’t quite live up to my expectations and the hype, it was still a great book. If you liked These Broken Stars, you won’t be disappointed with the sequel, but just know that they are very different stories despite the things they have in common.
For more book reviews, discussions, and book-related fashions, visit abouttoread.com
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
prayathna
My Thoughts: Wow, just wow!! I think I liked this one more than the first! A new set of characters and a new set of problems! But we do see Tarver and Lilac for a little while.
We are introduced to Captain Lee who is a girl nobody messes with. All her soldiers respect her and know not to mess with her physically or emotionally. She’s strong willed, opinionated, and awesome.
Next, we meet Flynn Cormac who is mostly known for his sisters actions. He is following in her footsteps but he just wants to get along and make peace.
Flynn and Captain Lee meet in a unique way, certainly. I loved how they met, and they had so much chemistry! Too bad they are on opposite sides!
I loved following Flynn and Lee’s adventure. They were trying to work together (eventually) to change things and figure out the truth. I feel like this one was just too complex to explain everything. So much happened, and it was all important. I loved how they had to trust one another even though obstacles were against them.
I also loved all the little things going on in this book. I loved the descriptions of the caves, the stars, the water, everything. I felt like I was right there next to Lee talking to her soldiers and Flynn trying to make things better.
Also, I wanted to cry during the blast (you’ll know which one I’m talking about when you read this). It was devastating and heartbreaking! Tears!
I just loved Lee and Flynn so much!!! Amazing characters, amazing plot, and wow the feels!
Overall: I don’t want to say much more but I loved this one! I loved it even more than These Broken Stars! I loved the characters and the plot and I think everybody should give this series a chance!!!
Cover: Love it! These are so colorful yet they show the characters so nicely! Love it!
What I’d Give It: 5/5 Cupcakes
_________
Taken From Princess Bookie
We are introduced to Captain Lee who is a girl nobody messes with. All her soldiers respect her and know not to mess with her physically or emotionally. She’s strong willed, opinionated, and awesome.
Next, we meet Flynn Cormac who is mostly known for his sisters actions. He is following in her footsteps but he just wants to get along and make peace.
Flynn and Captain Lee meet in a unique way, certainly. I loved how they met, and they had so much chemistry! Too bad they are on opposite sides!
I loved following Flynn and Lee’s adventure. They were trying to work together (eventually) to change things and figure out the truth. I feel like this one was just too complex to explain everything. So much happened, and it was all important. I loved how they had to trust one another even though obstacles were against them.
I also loved all the little things going on in this book. I loved the descriptions of the caves, the stars, the water, everything. I felt like I was right there next to Lee talking to her soldiers and Flynn trying to make things better.
Also, I wanted to cry during the blast (you’ll know which one I’m talking about when you read this). It was devastating and heartbreaking! Tears!
I just loved Lee and Flynn so much!!! Amazing characters, amazing plot, and wow the feels!
Overall: I don’t want to say much more but I loved this one! I loved it even more than These Broken Stars! I loved the characters and the plot and I think everybody should give this series a chance!!!
Cover: Love it! These are so colorful yet they show the characters so nicely! Love it!
What I’d Give It: 5/5 Cupcakes
_________
Taken From Princess Bookie
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
leska
Jubilee (Lee) Chase is a hardnosed captain in a force sent to keep order and contain the rebels on Avon. Flynn is a rebel colonist whose sister was executed years before for her part as leader in the rebellion. Despite his anger, Flynn has a faint hope that somehow he and the other rebels can somehow gain full status for Avon and end the bloodshed. Unfortunately, one of the other leaders of the rebellious colonists is determined to do anything, even murder, to fire up the confrontation.
Flynn slips into a bar one night and strikes up a conversation with Lee. She's interested, but wary. Not wary enough, however, as Flynn kidnaps her and heads into the swamps with her as his very unwilling hostage. Lee is furious at finding herself powerless, but when Flynn rebels against his own people after they decide to execute her, she has to re-examine not only how she feels about him, but how she's been trained to deal with the people on Avon. As they try to find out a safe place and regroup, Lee and Flynn stumble upon a strange facility that seems to be invisible, but they both get a strong sense that it's not only real, but sinister and may have a big part in why Avon has never been able to reach the point where terraforming works as it should.
From this point on, Lee and Flynn are in a race to prevent a disaster from exploding and creating untold casualties. When Lee contacts her former superior, Tarver, the only person she really trusts for advice, he's far off with Lilac, his girlfriend and daughter of the owner of LaRoux Industries, the most powerful company in the universe. It was at this point where I realized how darn good the book was. I was three pages past their initial conversation when I went “Whoa, that's how this one is connected to the first book!” It was masterfully done and oh, so smooth.
Following Lee and Flynn as they try to survive., learn to trust each other and figure out just what the heck is happening on Avon and how it relates to the rest of the universe, makes for a superb read. Fans of Diana Peterfreund's books, For Darkness Shows The Stars and Across A Star Swept Sea will love this book as well as the first in the series, These Broken Stars big time. Teens who like action, intrigue, science fiction, or compelling characters will like this, too.
Flynn slips into a bar one night and strikes up a conversation with Lee. She's interested, but wary. Not wary enough, however, as Flynn kidnaps her and heads into the swamps with her as his very unwilling hostage. Lee is furious at finding herself powerless, but when Flynn rebels against his own people after they decide to execute her, she has to re-examine not only how she feels about him, but how she's been trained to deal with the people on Avon. As they try to find out a safe place and regroup, Lee and Flynn stumble upon a strange facility that seems to be invisible, but they both get a strong sense that it's not only real, but sinister and may have a big part in why Avon has never been able to reach the point where terraforming works as it should.
From this point on, Lee and Flynn are in a race to prevent a disaster from exploding and creating untold casualties. When Lee contacts her former superior, Tarver, the only person she really trusts for advice, he's far off with Lilac, his girlfriend and daughter of the owner of LaRoux Industries, the most powerful company in the universe. It was at this point where I realized how darn good the book was. I was three pages past their initial conversation when I went “Whoa, that's how this one is connected to the first book!” It was masterfully done and oh, so smooth.
Following Lee and Flynn as they try to survive., learn to trust each other and figure out just what the heck is happening on Avon and how it relates to the rest of the universe, makes for a superb read. Fans of Diana Peterfreund's books, For Darkness Shows The Stars and Across A Star Swept Sea will love this book as well as the first in the series, These Broken Stars big time. Teens who like action, intrigue, science fiction, or compelling characters will like this, too.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
tom sheehan
Jubilee Chase is the Captain of the Military forces sent to stop the rebels on the planet of Avon. Flynn Cormac is the leader of said rebels. He wants to end this war with words and not violence. When Jubilee catches him on base spying. He kidnaps her. Never imagining that he would feel an attraction for her or her for him or what secrets Avon is really hiding and who is behind it all.
I love Jubilee. How she is a tough as nails,never gives up,is intelligent,can think on her feet,is beautiful but most of all a take no names solider. Flynn is a great hero. Strong but peaceful. I love how he was a peaceful rebel leader and thought that was a brave direction for the authors to go. In this book for most of it their are no good guys or bad guys. Just two groups of people trying to stay alive and fighting for their own reasons. Both which sometimes are hard to find fault with. Jubilee and Flynn both have a deep love for their people and I think that is one of things that draws them together. Your heart breaks for Jubilee and Flynn. They have had such horrible things happen to them. Both their pains are almost visible.
The last pages of this book moved me to tears. That speech at the end was one of the most moving tributes to the hope for humanity I have ever read.The Ending=Perfection. I am loving that this series has a different hero and heroine for each book but they are all intertwined together. Lilac and Tarver from These Broken Stars show up and loved seeing them again. This book is so action-packed and exciting. Sometimes it was hard to sit still with so many OMG moments and surprises. The Writing in this book was just as breathtakingly great as in book 1 and I can't decide which book I love more. I can't wait for the last book to come out in December.
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Content Rating: PG-13
I love Jubilee. How she is a tough as nails,never gives up,is intelligent,can think on her feet,is beautiful but most of all a take no names solider. Flynn is a great hero. Strong but peaceful. I love how he was a peaceful rebel leader and thought that was a brave direction for the authors to go. In this book for most of it their are no good guys or bad guys. Just two groups of people trying to stay alive and fighting for their own reasons. Both which sometimes are hard to find fault with. Jubilee and Flynn both have a deep love for their people and I think that is one of things that draws them together. Your heart breaks for Jubilee and Flynn. They have had such horrible things happen to them. Both their pains are almost visible.
The last pages of this book moved me to tears. That speech at the end was one of the most moving tributes to the hope for humanity I have ever read.The Ending=Perfection. I am loving that this series has a different hero and heroine for each book but they are all intertwined together. Lilac and Tarver from These Broken Stars show up and loved seeing them again. This book is so action-packed and exciting. Sometimes it was hard to sit still with so many OMG moments and surprises. The Writing in this book was just as breathtakingly great as in book 1 and I can't decide which book I love more. I can't wait for the last book to come out in December.
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Content Rating: PG-13
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
barb vasos
This Shattered World by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner is magical. In my world of revolving stories and characters, Kaufman and Spooner managed to make an impression that will last a lifetime. As a second book in the Starbound trilogy, I worried how it would compare to These Broken Stars. But to do so won't give this book, the characters, and this expansive world justice. There is something to be said for two authors who reinvent a world, allowing a reader to once again be captivated and enthralled! I constantly wondered what was next, all while absorbing each word.
This Shattered World follows the tale of Captain Jubilee Chase and Flynn Cormac. In an out-of-this-world Romeo and Juliette story, it isn't exactly as plain and simple as boy meets girl. Jubilee, Lee, Chase is a captain of the forces on Avon, doing what she must to battle the colonists and rebellions. Flynn Cormac is one of the said rebels, trying to take back his planet from the corporation. Told in an alternating point-of-view style, I enjoyed every moment of it.
Lee Chase is a main character if I ever saw one. She demands attention in a no-nonsense way. She isn't a typical MC, and I loved that about her. She has bravado, guts, and all the glory that you can imagine. But with all her exterior gumption, she has a vulnerable side. You would never sense it with Lee, since she puts up a mean poker face, but it's slowly revealed. Her character progression is familiar and warming, and I felt like I always knew her and all her secrets. She's enjoyable and realistic, and you just always want to be on her side. She's memorable and I admire that about her.
Flynn isn't your normal love interest, nor is he your normal white knight. But what Flynn is, is the boy who wins your heart. As an opposite to Lee, Flynn doesn't demand attention. There's an easy-going way to his character and personality. What Flynn gets from me is my loyalty and friendship, and who wouldn't want that for a character? His story is familiar, yet unique, and enjoyable.
In a story of survival and conspiracies, this book heightened galactic rebellions with a romantic flair. Kaufman and Spooner managed to bring a different dimension (pun intended) to their world. A second book will always be a second book, but these two authors managed to intrigue me with their story and characters once again. I didn't love Lee and Flynn as much as Lilac or Tarver, but it is hard to forget about your first love.
This Shattered World follows the tale of Captain Jubilee Chase and Flynn Cormac. In an out-of-this-world Romeo and Juliette story, it isn't exactly as plain and simple as boy meets girl. Jubilee, Lee, Chase is a captain of the forces on Avon, doing what she must to battle the colonists and rebellions. Flynn Cormac is one of the said rebels, trying to take back his planet from the corporation. Told in an alternating point-of-view style, I enjoyed every moment of it.
Lee Chase is a main character if I ever saw one. She demands attention in a no-nonsense way. She isn't a typical MC, and I loved that about her. She has bravado, guts, and all the glory that you can imagine. But with all her exterior gumption, she has a vulnerable side. You would never sense it with Lee, since she puts up a mean poker face, but it's slowly revealed. Her character progression is familiar and warming, and I felt like I always knew her and all her secrets. She's enjoyable and realistic, and you just always want to be on her side. She's memorable and I admire that about her.
Flynn isn't your normal love interest, nor is he your normal white knight. But what Flynn is, is the boy who wins your heart. As an opposite to Lee, Flynn doesn't demand attention. There's an easy-going way to his character and personality. What Flynn gets from me is my loyalty and friendship, and who wouldn't want that for a character? His story is familiar, yet unique, and enjoyable.
In a story of survival and conspiracies, this book heightened galactic rebellions with a romantic flair. Kaufman and Spooner managed to bring a different dimension (pun intended) to their world. A second book will always be a second book, but these two authors managed to intrigue me with their story and characters once again. I didn't love Lee and Flynn as much as Lilac or Tarver, but it is hard to forget about your first love.
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
indy chakrabarti
Can we just take a moment to appreciate how beautiful this book cover is? Lovely.
I remember These Broken Stars not really being what I expected it to be, and honestly, that’s kind of what happened with This Shattered World as well. Even after reading These Broken Stars and the description for This Shattered World I just wasn’t sure how I would feel about it. Here’s the thing, I really liked it.
The biggest thing I’d say is that what I expected the book to be took place in the first 50% of the book. That left a lot of “additional” stuff to happen in the 2nd half of the book. I knew that This Shattered World was a switch to new characters within the same Starbound world. I knew events would take place at a different location since the planet that Traver and Lilac were on in These Broken Stars was destroyed. But I guess I wasn’t expecting any particular kind of crossover with these two stories. Traver and Lilac were both present even though neither had a particularly large part to play. That was a nice surprise. Similarly, the villain is a crossover as well. Without giving anything away. That’s all I’ll say about that.
Jubilee and Flynn had such an interesting story—one that I didn’t feel like I could easily predict. Jubilee is a rules-follower. She’s a Captain in the military, and she’s used to people thinking that she has no soul. Her parents were killed in front of her as a child by rebel sympathizers and she was shipped off planet to an orphanage. These experiences have shaped her and changed her irrevocably. It’s created in her this need to establish peace and order wherever she goes. Flynn’s kind of the opposite. Even though he’s orphaned as well, the two don’t appear to have much in common. Flynn spends his time trying to talk down the other rebels on his home planet of Avon, where Jubilee happens to now be stationed, from seeking out violence as a means to getting what they want and instead seeking the outcome they want through more peaceful means. Yet he’s not exactly a rules-follower.
Flynn and Jubilee have a turbulent relationship. They’re fighting for different things, on opposing sides of the war. They’re constantly battling what they think they know of the other side with what they’re witnessing within each other. And more than anything, things are not as they appear. Jubilee and Flynn have to learn to trust what they feel deep inside over what they see with their eyes in order to survive and come out on the other side. I loved that their journey was not easy. I loved that even when they wanted to find a way to each other things weren’t always cut and dry. Even though brief moments of “for your own good” popped up, Jubilee and Flynn fought forward to a better Avon and a future where they might be able to give being together a chance.
I wasn’t always sure that Jubilee and/or Flynn was safe from harm and that was a good thing. It kept me on the edge of my seat while reading. I wasn’t freaking out because it looked like things might go south, but I wasn’t calm and at ease that things would work out easy-peasy for them either.
I will note that I’m a little concerned about book 3 in this series. It’s noted in the acknowledgements that book 3 will be about an entirely new planet—Corinth. And I’m assuming/hoping we’ll get some brand new characters with that story as well, but like This Shattered World have a crossover with Flynn and Jubilee and also with Traver and Lilac from These Broken Stars. But I’m concerned that book 3 might follow the path of Mockingjay and/or Allegiant--you know those books where you fall in love with the characters and the worlds in book 1 but by the time you get around to the last book in the series everything has turned political and the characters are fighting to overthrow the unique way of living that you fell in love with reading about in the first place. Yeah, so I guess time will tell with that.
I won’t say I “loved” This Shattered World, but I did really, really enjoy it. The world building was excellent. I could see Avon. I could totally imagine being in a small row boat in the middle of the swamps with no stars overhead because of the dense cloud cover. Being in the caves where the rebels hid. All of it. The characters were likable. And there was plenty of mystery concerning what was going on, what would happen, whether the characters I liked were going to make it or not. This Shattered World easily gets 4 Stars from me. Have you read This Shattered World? What did you think? Let me know!
For more book reviews, check out Somewhere Only We Know - http://sandyfarmer.blogspot.com.
I remember These Broken Stars not really being what I expected it to be, and honestly, that’s kind of what happened with This Shattered World as well. Even after reading These Broken Stars and the description for This Shattered World I just wasn’t sure how I would feel about it. Here’s the thing, I really liked it.
The biggest thing I’d say is that what I expected the book to be took place in the first 50% of the book. That left a lot of “additional” stuff to happen in the 2nd half of the book. I knew that This Shattered World was a switch to new characters within the same Starbound world. I knew events would take place at a different location since the planet that Traver and Lilac were on in These Broken Stars was destroyed. But I guess I wasn’t expecting any particular kind of crossover with these two stories. Traver and Lilac were both present even though neither had a particularly large part to play. That was a nice surprise. Similarly, the villain is a crossover as well. Without giving anything away. That’s all I’ll say about that.
Jubilee and Flynn had such an interesting story—one that I didn’t feel like I could easily predict. Jubilee is a rules-follower. She’s a Captain in the military, and she’s used to people thinking that she has no soul. Her parents were killed in front of her as a child by rebel sympathizers and she was shipped off planet to an orphanage. These experiences have shaped her and changed her irrevocably. It’s created in her this need to establish peace and order wherever she goes. Flynn’s kind of the opposite. Even though he’s orphaned as well, the two don’t appear to have much in common. Flynn spends his time trying to talk down the other rebels on his home planet of Avon, where Jubilee happens to now be stationed, from seeking out violence as a means to getting what they want and instead seeking the outcome they want through more peaceful means. Yet he’s not exactly a rules-follower.
Flynn and Jubilee have a turbulent relationship. They’re fighting for different things, on opposing sides of the war. They’re constantly battling what they think they know of the other side with what they’re witnessing within each other. And more than anything, things are not as they appear. Jubilee and Flynn have to learn to trust what they feel deep inside over what they see with their eyes in order to survive and come out on the other side. I loved that their journey was not easy. I loved that even when they wanted to find a way to each other things weren’t always cut and dry. Even though brief moments of “for your own good” popped up, Jubilee and Flynn fought forward to a better Avon and a future where they might be able to give being together a chance.
I wasn’t always sure that Jubilee and/or Flynn was safe from harm and that was a good thing. It kept me on the edge of my seat while reading. I wasn’t freaking out because it looked like things might go south, but I wasn’t calm and at ease that things would work out easy-peasy for them either.
I will note that I’m a little concerned about book 3 in this series. It’s noted in the acknowledgements that book 3 will be about an entirely new planet—Corinth. And I’m assuming/hoping we’ll get some brand new characters with that story as well, but like This Shattered World have a crossover with Flynn and Jubilee and also with Traver and Lilac from These Broken Stars. But I’m concerned that book 3 might follow the path of Mockingjay and/or Allegiant--you know those books where you fall in love with the characters and the worlds in book 1 but by the time you get around to the last book in the series everything has turned political and the characters are fighting to overthrow the unique way of living that you fell in love with reading about in the first place. Yeah, so I guess time will tell with that.
I won’t say I “loved” This Shattered World, but I did really, really enjoy it. The world building was excellent. I could see Avon. I could totally imagine being in a small row boat in the middle of the swamps with no stars overhead because of the dense cloud cover. Being in the caves where the rebels hid. All of it. The characters were likable. And there was plenty of mystery concerning what was going on, what would happen, whether the characters I liked were going to make it or not. This Shattered World easily gets 4 Stars from me. Have you read This Shattered World? What did you think? Let me know!
For more book reviews, check out Somewhere Only We Know - http://sandyfarmer.blogspot.com.
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
jennie
Review also posted at Young Adult Hollywood.
In this installment we have a new set of characters. Jubilee Chase, the captain of the force working in Avon and Flynn Cormac, the rebel. They are completely paradoxical from each other. Their paths should have never crossed, but desperate times call for desperate measures and when Flynn kidnaps Jubilee and takes her as a prisoner, all hell breaks loose.
In comparison to These Broken Stars, This Shattered World is certainly a much finer book. Why did I not give it five stars? The answer is that while this sequel is eloquent, its predecessor is much easier to follow. That’s not necessarily a bad thing.
I admit at first This Shattered World is a tough book to love. I had ridiculously high expectations for this sequel, probably because These Broken Stars is one of my few favorite Science Fiction books, but don’t fret my loves because it does not disappoint at all.
This Shattered World is well written. The world building is luscious, perplexing and intricate. Kaufman and Spooner’s writing improved immensely and while its predecessor heavily focuses on survival and love story, This Shattered World is more about politics and rebellion. That is what sets them apart.
The characters radiate so much confidence, intelligence and maturity. We have a badass, people of color protagonist in Jubilee and a subversive, charming rebel in Flynn. Their chemistry is incendiary.
Maybe it’s just me, but this book gave me a lot of Disney’s Rapunzel and Flynn feelings. The parallels are so uncanny. (I mean to me anyway.)
And for those who are wondering.. Yes we do get to see Lilac and Tarver and they are cuter than ever.
This Shattered World is not a perfect book as there are a few things that made me cringe bordering on problematic.
Over all, This Shattered World is a great follow up that does not fall to the sequel syndrome. It is the kind of story a reader wants to savor slowly. This book is highly recommended to Starbound Trilogy fans and Sci-fi readers.
In this installment we have a new set of characters. Jubilee Chase, the captain of the force working in Avon and Flynn Cormac, the rebel. They are completely paradoxical from each other. Their paths should have never crossed, but desperate times call for desperate measures and when Flynn kidnaps Jubilee and takes her as a prisoner, all hell breaks loose.
In comparison to These Broken Stars, This Shattered World is certainly a much finer book. Why did I not give it five stars? The answer is that while this sequel is eloquent, its predecessor is much easier to follow. That’s not necessarily a bad thing.
I admit at first This Shattered World is a tough book to love. I had ridiculously high expectations for this sequel, probably because These Broken Stars is one of my few favorite Science Fiction books, but don’t fret my loves because it does not disappoint at all.
This Shattered World is well written. The world building is luscious, perplexing and intricate. Kaufman and Spooner’s writing improved immensely and while its predecessor heavily focuses on survival and love story, This Shattered World is more about politics and rebellion. That is what sets them apart.
The characters radiate so much confidence, intelligence and maturity. We have a badass, people of color protagonist in Jubilee and a subversive, charming rebel in Flynn. Their chemistry is incendiary.
Maybe it’s just me, but this book gave me a lot of Disney’s Rapunzel and Flynn feelings. The parallels are so uncanny. (I mean to me anyway.)
And for those who are wondering.. Yes we do get to see Lilac and Tarver and they are cuter than ever.
This Shattered World is not a perfect book as there are a few things that made me cringe bordering on problematic.
Over all, This Shattered World is a great follow up that does not fall to the sequel syndrome. It is the kind of story a reader wants to savor slowly. This book is highly recommended to Starbound Trilogy fans and Sci-fi readers.
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
forrest
THIS SHATTERED WORLD is the second book in a trilogy. It is also a standalone romance novel and science fiction thriller. Captain Jubilee Chase is assigned to Avon where most soldiers rotate in and out frequently because otherwise they fall victim to the Fury - which steals their minds and causes them to commit various acts of mayhem. For some reason Lee is immune to the effects. Lee doesn't dream and hasn't since she was eight and saw her parents murdered in a revolution on her home planet. As soon as she could, she decided to join the military to keep the peace and stop that sort of revolution from happening again.
Flynn Cormac is one of the rebels on Avon though he is actually a peacemaker at heart. He is part of the rebel group because his sister led the rebels before she was caught and executed ten years earlier. Flynn wants to try to preserve the current cease fire and decides that kidnapping Captain Chase would be a way to force concessions out of the military.
However, things don't work like he hopes. He gets to know Lee and she gets to know him. Despite being enemies, they find that they have lots of things in common. Both would like a peaceful resolution to the situation on Avon. That situation is being complicated by the secret maneuverings of the richest man in the galaxy who is using Avon to conduct experiments on the populace using some alien creatures he has trapped in this universe.
I really enjoyed the romance in this action-packed story. I also enjoyed the seeing Tarver Merendsen again as he comes to the planet at the request of one of his former soldiers - Jubilee Chase. They work together to try to expose Roderick LaRoux and his dastardly plot.
I can't wait for the third book in this series to find out how this whole situation is resolved.
Flynn Cormac is one of the rebels on Avon though he is actually a peacemaker at heart. He is part of the rebel group because his sister led the rebels before she was caught and executed ten years earlier. Flynn wants to try to preserve the current cease fire and decides that kidnapping Captain Chase would be a way to force concessions out of the military.
However, things don't work like he hopes. He gets to know Lee and she gets to know him. Despite being enemies, they find that they have lots of things in common. Both would like a peaceful resolution to the situation on Avon. That situation is being complicated by the secret maneuverings of the richest man in the galaxy who is using Avon to conduct experiments on the populace using some alien creatures he has trapped in this universe.
I really enjoyed the romance in this action-packed story. I also enjoyed the seeing Tarver Merendsen again as he comes to the planet at the request of one of his former soldiers - Jubilee Chase. They work together to try to expose Roderick LaRoux and his dastardly plot.
I can't wait for the third book in this series to find out how this whole situation is resolved.
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
marietheresa lilley
This Shattered World follows two more opposites fighting it out thanks to the messed up experiments by LaRoux Industries. Flynn grew up on Avon, where their world was supposed to be terraformed to make them a more contributal planet. But decades later their world is no closer to achieving that than the day they agreed to it. The rebellion has been well underway, with Flynn's sister already dead ten years, who was once their leader. A great majority look to her brother Flynn as the next leader, but a man named McBride has an itchy trigger finger to start attacking the military and break the cease-fire. He has good reason - military personnel has to be constantly changed out every one to two months because they're susceptible to something they refer to as the Fury, where the officer loses control and goes murderous. The military tries to get them off planet in before that can happen by monitoring the signs, but sometimes it happens too fast, and native residents of Avon seem to be the only victims of this curious disease. While McBride believes it's just an excuse to kill their people, Flynn begins to believe in the possibility that something more supernatural is going on. But for the most part, his attention is more focused on a secret base he's sure he saw out east, and also on a high ranking officer named Jubilee, who seems to be immune to this so-called Fury and has been on Avon for a year now. Surely she has the knowledge he seeks.
Desperate for answers and to stop McBride from convincing his own people to attack the better equipped military, he seizes the opportunity to abduct Jubilee off base. But she holds no answers for him, or at least isn't willing to share them. And when his plan to trade her for supplies is rejected, he knows killing her will only unleash the military's wrath, so he goes against his people and allows her to escape. Ready to go after the rebel leader who abducted her, certain events take place that begin to make Jubilee question the things Flynn interrogated her about, and as both their worlds become more deadly, two sworn enemies soon realize working together is their best chance for saving both sides.
This was a good follow-up to These Broken Stars, which I absolutely loved. Flynn and Jubilee didn't win my heart as much as their predesecors, but I still adored them by the end. And before you ask, yes, you'll get to see Tarver and Lilac again, who have an intimate knowledge at dealing with the shady side of LaRoux industries, but only for a small percentage of the novel. But if you loved the first novel of the Starbound series, you'll love the second one too.
Desperate for answers and to stop McBride from convincing his own people to attack the better equipped military, he seizes the opportunity to abduct Jubilee off base. But she holds no answers for him, or at least isn't willing to share them. And when his plan to trade her for supplies is rejected, he knows killing her will only unleash the military's wrath, so he goes against his people and allows her to escape. Ready to go after the rebel leader who abducted her, certain events take place that begin to make Jubilee question the things Flynn interrogated her about, and as both their worlds become more deadly, two sworn enemies soon realize working together is their best chance for saving both sides.
This was a good follow-up to These Broken Stars, which I absolutely loved. Flynn and Jubilee didn't win my heart as much as their predesecors, but I still adored them by the end. And before you ask, yes, you'll get to see Tarver and Lilac again, who have an intimate knowledge at dealing with the shady side of LaRoux industries, but only for a small percentage of the novel. But if you loved the first novel of the Starbound series, you'll love the second one too.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
patty baldwin
This book was incredible. I loved every minute of it. It was a lot different than These Broken Stars, but that was okay with me. The characters felt more realistic and their motives were clear. I loved the progress that their relationship took, from enemies to shaky allies, to friends, to something more. The setting was on the planet of Avon, a world torn apart by a long war between the government and the rebels. We got more information about the "whispers" from the first book and a few more questions answered about LaRoux Industries. Lilac and Tarver even make a short appearance in the book.
I still had a lot of questions at the end, but not so many that I got frustrated. I really liked Flynn and Jubilee's story, the answers they found, and the problems they solved. This story is more war focused that its predecessor, so it's more violent. It doesn't have any sex, but there are a few kissing scenes, and there is some language.
If you like science fiction, survival stories, and save the world plots, you will like this book. I would suggest starting with the first book. Even though this is a complete story, it builds off the first one.
Content: Violence and some language (including one f-word)
Source: I received a digital galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I still had a lot of questions at the end, but not so many that I got frustrated. I really liked Flynn and Jubilee's story, the answers they found, and the problems they solved. This story is more war focused that its predecessor, so it's more violent. It doesn't have any sex, but there are a few kissing scenes, and there is some language.
If you like science fiction, survival stories, and save the world plots, you will like this book. I would suggest starting with the first book. Even though this is a complete story, it builds off the first one.
Content: Violence and some language (including one f-word)
Source: I received a digital galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
jerzy drozd
Why you should read it: Disney Hyperion has been releasing some awesome YA/NA books and one of my favorites is These Broken Stars. I listened to the audio and was blown away (I've already pre-ordered the audio of This Shattered World). This Shattered World, I think, is even stronger than These Broken Stars, though nothing can compare to Lilac and Tarver. Jubilee is such an interesting and intense heroine. I loved everything about her. She felt real. I could clearly see her in my head, and Flynn is the perfect match. The best part of this series: All these characters have complete personalities of their own. Lilac is nothing like Jubilee and Tarver is nothing like Flynn. Flynn and Lilac are also very dissimilar (in case you're thinking the genders just switched). I rarely come across authors who have such vivid and different characters in their book that it kept me reading all through the night. Jubilee and Flynn's relationship still has the slow burn like TBS, but the chemistry and heat are unique to them. I also loved that we get to see Tarver and Lilac again as well. This is definitely a must-read for any sci-fi/dystopian/awesome (yup, just invented a genre) fan. The audiobooks are also spectacular, and I can't wait to hear TSW. Please release the third book!
To see what Meagan and Amie are working on next head over to the HEA Blog!
To see what Meagan and Amie are working on next head over to the HEA Blog!
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
suzanne benson
The decision to move to a different planet, and not follow Tarver and Lilac after the These Broken Stars, is a smart one. The overarcing plot of the story that Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner have created is bigger than just one planet and two characters. I like that we're seeing the same story from a different standpoint and being introduced to two new points of view.
We learn more about what's happening here, more about the experiments that Lilac's father was conducting that caused her and Tarver to crash on an abandoned planet in the middle of nowhere. I was excited to discover more of the secret, to go a little bit deeper into the mystery.
The world-building is also much better in This Shattered World than it was in These Broken Stars, perhaps because Avon is a planet with a population and a history, as opposed to the empty planet on which Tarver and Lilac found themselves. There was as much to learn about Avon as there was to learn about our new protagonists, Jubilee and Flynn, and I loved getting the chance to immerse myself in an entirely new world.
I liked Jubilee and Flynn as well, both different enough from Tarver and Lilac that This Shattered World did not at all seem like a simple retread of These Broken Stars (though having Tarver and Lilac themselves appear later helped). However, their romance took a little bit more for me to swallow. Tarver and Lilac were alone and had only each other for company. They were forced to rely on each other for survival, and they originally started out liking each other before Lilac tried to push him away. Jubilee and Flynn start out hating each other on principle, and even when he kisses her later, I couldn't really tell whether or not they liked each other.
But overall I liked their interactions, and how they didn't just immediately fall into googly-eyed love, because regardless of current circumstances, they don't know that much about each other. I was glad that Jubilee pointed that out, that the characters were even aware that it would be ridiculous for them to be zomg!soulmates so quickly.
I devoured This Shattered World with the insensity with which I read These Broken Stars, and I will be anxiously awaiting the third installment. I can't wait for the culmination of all three stories, and I'm excited to see Corinth!
We learn more about what's happening here, more about the experiments that Lilac's father was conducting that caused her and Tarver to crash on an abandoned planet in the middle of nowhere. I was excited to discover more of the secret, to go a little bit deeper into the mystery.
The world-building is also much better in This Shattered World than it was in These Broken Stars, perhaps because Avon is a planet with a population and a history, as opposed to the empty planet on which Tarver and Lilac found themselves. There was as much to learn about Avon as there was to learn about our new protagonists, Jubilee and Flynn, and I loved getting the chance to immerse myself in an entirely new world.
I liked Jubilee and Flynn as well, both different enough from Tarver and Lilac that This Shattered World did not at all seem like a simple retread of These Broken Stars (though having Tarver and Lilac themselves appear later helped). However, their romance took a little bit more for me to swallow. Tarver and Lilac were alone and had only each other for company. They were forced to rely on each other for survival, and they originally started out liking each other before Lilac tried to push him away. Jubilee and Flynn start out hating each other on principle, and even when he kisses her later, I couldn't really tell whether or not they liked each other.
But overall I liked their interactions, and how they didn't just immediately fall into googly-eyed love, because regardless of current circumstances, they don't know that much about each other. I was glad that Jubilee pointed that out, that the characters were even aware that it would be ridiculous for them to be zomg!soulmates so quickly.
I devoured This Shattered World with the insensity with which I read These Broken Stars, and I will be anxiously awaiting the third installment. I can't wait for the culmination of all three stories, and I'm excited to see Corinth!
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
nia ch
Knowing that this story continues from the perspective of two new characters, I was still thrown at first. But I see why they continued the story in such a way, and it was worth it. it helped to open up the word further to the reader's imagination and helps to further develop it. It continues on the planet Avon, following soldier Lee Chase and rebel Flynn Chormick as they attempt to unravel the mystery of a station that comes and goes from existence. Of course, like I said in my review on book 1, you add in physics and you have me from "HELLO." I was not disappointed in this sequel.
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
brian daugherty
After much thought, I think the reason I enjoyed this book a tiny bit less than I did the previous one, is because I went into These Broken Stars with low expectations (and was pleasantly surprised), and I expected far too much from This Shattered World. Don’t get me wrong. This was a really fantastic story, but it missed a lot of the “wow” that blew me away with These Broken Stars.
Jubilee and Flynn are two magnificent characters, yet there interactions and eventual romance didn’t interest me as much as Lilac and Tarver’s did. The story only hooked in the last sixty or so pages. The world building, though, is what got me through to the end. It wasn’t as intriguing or mysterious as the planet Lilac and Tarver got stuck on, but Avon is a dark, dreary and swampy place – the perfect setting for madness and the whispers to flourish.
The ending was heartwarming and the perfect conclusion to a story that could’ve gone the other way. Overall, a wonderful read.
Jubilee and Flynn are two magnificent characters, yet there interactions and eventual romance didn’t interest me as much as Lilac and Tarver’s did. The story only hooked in the last sixty or so pages. The world building, though, is what got me through to the end. It wasn’t as intriguing or mysterious as the planet Lilac and Tarver got stuck on, but Avon is a dark, dreary and swampy place – the perfect setting for madness and the whispers to flourish.
The ending was heartwarming and the perfect conclusion to a story that could’ve gone the other way. Overall, a wonderful read.
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
josue
Reading companion novels to a book you love can be a scary thing. Almost as scary as reading sequels, potentially worse. There’s the risk that you won’t love the new characters or the new story. You dream of cameo appearances or mentions of your beloved old characters but there’s no guarantee they’ll appear. The entire thing could destroy your expectations and hopes for the series.
These were definitely some of my fears going into THIS SHATTERED WORLD. Fortunately, it was a good follow up to THESE BROKEN STARS. Did I love it as much as Tarver and Lilac’s story? No, it didn’t quite connect to me well enough for that. This could be related to my difference in mood at the time I read the books, as I was certainly more tired and distracted when reading THIS SHATTERED WORLD. Whatever trapped me when reading THESE BROKEN STARS just wasn’t there. It still had the same great writing and characters and world, it just took me a while to become invested in it is all.
Jubilee and Flynn’s story takes place on Avon, a very different planet to the abandoned one Tarver and Lilac crashed on. It’s a place with a fair amount of military conflict and tension. Jubilee and Flynn are on opposing sides of a rebellion and neither are exactly what you’d expect. Which, of course, I loved. Lee is a very determined girl with plenty of military experience under her belt and a sad past. You expect her to be cold, heartless, but she cares a lot about the people around her. Flynn is the rebel leader and the type of character you’d expect to be cocky, angry, not good at thinking before he acts. In reality he’s someone who wants to solve his people’s problems with words, not violence.
THIS SHATTERED WORLD has a slow building plot, in the way I often describe as “like a steam train”. Little things occur at the start, little tense things here and there. Nothing too exciting. The world is explained, the characters struggles established, connections to THESE BROKEN STARS plot slowly revealed. time more and more events happen. The plot builds momentum until the climax, where things barely slow down. Seriously, the end was awesome.
The romance also developed in a similar fashion. Nice and slow burning and very different to Tarver and Lilac’s relationship in THESE BROKEN STARS. Both couples are starcrossed lovers but in very different situations. Lilac and Tarver were alone on the planet and, while from two completely different classes of society, could develop their romance relatively freely. Jubilee and Flynn are enemies in a tense situation. They can’t give into their desires because they have other people to protect and jobs to do first. I’m very glad they understood this because there’s been so many instances where characters in other novels think making out is more important than the strife around them and it pisses me off!
While THIS SHATTERED WORLD didn’t blow me away like THESE BROKEN STARS did, I found it to be a very enjoyable companion. The plot developed slowly but was rewarding in the end, and the romance was lovely. It was interesting to see how the plot connected to its prequel, and I can’t wait so see how it all wraps up in the final installment of the trilogy later this year!
These were definitely some of my fears going into THIS SHATTERED WORLD. Fortunately, it was a good follow up to THESE BROKEN STARS. Did I love it as much as Tarver and Lilac’s story? No, it didn’t quite connect to me well enough for that. This could be related to my difference in mood at the time I read the books, as I was certainly more tired and distracted when reading THIS SHATTERED WORLD. Whatever trapped me when reading THESE BROKEN STARS just wasn’t there. It still had the same great writing and characters and world, it just took me a while to become invested in it is all.
Jubilee and Flynn’s story takes place on Avon, a very different planet to the abandoned one Tarver and Lilac crashed on. It’s a place with a fair amount of military conflict and tension. Jubilee and Flynn are on opposing sides of a rebellion and neither are exactly what you’d expect. Which, of course, I loved. Lee is a very determined girl with plenty of military experience under her belt and a sad past. You expect her to be cold, heartless, but she cares a lot about the people around her. Flynn is the rebel leader and the type of character you’d expect to be cocky, angry, not good at thinking before he acts. In reality he’s someone who wants to solve his people’s problems with words, not violence.
THIS SHATTERED WORLD has a slow building plot, in the way I often describe as “like a steam train”. Little things occur at the start, little tense things here and there. Nothing too exciting. The world is explained, the characters struggles established, connections to THESE BROKEN STARS plot slowly revealed. time more and more events happen. The plot builds momentum until the climax, where things barely slow down. Seriously, the end was awesome.
The romance also developed in a similar fashion. Nice and slow burning and very different to Tarver and Lilac’s relationship in THESE BROKEN STARS. Both couples are starcrossed lovers but in very different situations. Lilac and Tarver were alone on the planet and, while from two completely different classes of society, could develop their romance relatively freely. Jubilee and Flynn are enemies in a tense situation. They can’t give into their desires because they have other people to protect and jobs to do first. I’m very glad they understood this because there’s been so many instances where characters in other novels think making out is more important than the strife around them and it pisses me off!
While THIS SHATTERED WORLD didn’t blow me away like THESE BROKEN STARS did, I found it to be a very enjoyable companion. The plot developed slowly but was rewarding in the end, and the romance was lovely. It was interesting to see how the plot connected to its prequel, and I can’t wait so see how it all wraps up in the final installment of the trilogy later this year!
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
srilata
This story is the definition of "beautiful"! I loved the characters, the plot, the turnarounds, the ties to "These Broken Stars" - it was, simply put, alluring and edge-gripping and absolutely perfect!
I fell in love with both main characters from the beginning.
Flynn is witty and caring, Jubilee (aka. Lee) is strong and determined. He wants peace and freedom for his people, she needs to keep order and to seek revenge. They are from different worlds (just the way Tarver and Lilac were), from opposite sides of this senseless war, still they are perfect for each other.
The action is addictive, edge gripping; the characters are flawed, yet fleshed out, realistically portrayed. The ending feels more plausible than the first one, as that was more sci-fi compared to what I am used.
THIS SHATTERED WOLRD does not give you time to think about it, you just dive into it and stop breathing until you reach the last page. But trust me, you will feel like you've reached that one way too soon.
I, for one, could never have enough of this story.
I fell in love with both main characters from the beginning.
Flynn is witty and caring, Jubilee (aka. Lee) is strong and determined. He wants peace and freedom for his people, she needs to keep order and to seek revenge. They are from different worlds (just the way Tarver and Lilac were), from opposite sides of this senseless war, still they are perfect for each other.
The action is addictive, edge gripping; the characters are flawed, yet fleshed out, realistically portrayed. The ending feels more plausible than the first one, as that was more sci-fi compared to what I am used.
THIS SHATTERED WOLRD does not give you time to think about it, you just dive into it and stop breathing until you reach the last page. But trust me, you will feel like you've reached that one way too soon.
I, for one, could never have enough of this story.
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
tony mize
This is the second book in the science fiction series calling itself the Starbound Trilogy, the follow up to the first book--These Broken Stars. While it takes place in the same world as book 1, the focus is on new characters and a mostly new situation. The romantic heroine is a broken girl named Jubilee and the romantic hero is named Flynn. It takes place on a planet named Avon in the midst of a rebellion. Jubilee is a captain in the army and Flynn is part of the rebellion opposing the army. The two are thrust together and gradually come to understand they're not really enemies and that the entire war between them is based on false understandings and manipulations. Gradually they come together to find a way to end the hostilities. The story line in These Broken Stars intersects this story towards the end.
Overall, I thought this story was a step down from These Broken Stars (TBS). TBS was, IMO, rather threadbare as a science fiction story, but what made the book great for me was the romance. Here, the romance is not nearly as well done and the sci-fi foundation is more center stage, asked to carry much more of the burden of the story. Unfortunately, again IMO, the sci-fi is still threadbare--there ain't much and it ain't very original. Other criticisms: the plot is a little convoluted compared to TBS, the ending felt like a poor Xerox of TBS, and no one ever says `I love you'. So, in sum, the writing was generally decent and the characters were generally interesting, but, for me, they weren't that engaging. A lot of the story takes place in the midst of a dreary war and killing saga, which is a difficult environment to spin out a romance, and that's a big part of the problem here--the violence overshadows everything else.
Overall, I thought this story was a step down from These Broken Stars (TBS). TBS was, IMO, rather threadbare as a science fiction story, but what made the book great for me was the romance. Here, the romance is not nearly as well done and the sci-fi foundation is more center stage, asked to carry much more of the burden of the story. Unfortunately, again IMO, the sci-fi is still threadbare--there ain't much and it ain't very original. Other criticisms: the plot is a little convoluted compared to TBS, the ending felt like a poor Xerox of TBS, and no one ever says `I love you'. So, in sum, the writing was generally decent and the characters were generally interesting, but, for me, they weren't that engaging. A lot of the story takes place in the midst of a dreary war and killing saga, which is a difficult environment to spin out a romance, and that's a big part of the problem here--the violence overshadows everything else.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
garrett tezanos
YOOOO. HOW DO I PROPERLY REVIEW THIS PERFECTION??? SERIOUSLY THIS BOOK WAS LEAPS AND BOUNDS AHEAD OF THESE BROKEN STARS.
I can't even think of one bad thing to say about This Shattered World. Honestly! All gripes from These Broken Stars STAYED with TBS - no carry over into TSW. There was a marked improvement in plot clarity and romance/adventure balance, and I'd love to reread it immediately.
BUT LET'S NOT FORGET THE ROMANCE SHALL WE?? I'll be up front and honest about the fact that Irish accents are a favorite of mine, so clearly Flynn Cormac is my dude. But also the fact that he's a pacifist and Jubilee is the warrior queen. Because I do love inverted tropes and also that makes Jubilee the reigning badass in this book, which I greatly appreciate. Theirs is a slow burn, and it never reaches the level of romance that Tarver and Lilac went to, but it's a perfect example of hate to love.
AND SPEAKING OF LILAC AND TARVER BE STILL MY HEART. THE CAMEOS WERE PERFECTION. And also their relationship is totes adorbs and their banter gives me life. I can't wait to see them again in book three, and also Jubilee and Flynn (right? right). And according to the acknowledgements section book three will be set on Corinth? My interest is piqued.
Okay what else... oh yes plot. PLOT WAS FAB. Lots of action and bombings but also they killed some of my favorite characters and that was quite rude. Still crying. And it wasn't an easy conclusion either - there were a lot of sacrifices on both sides. So happy for the realism (in relative terms, seeing as sci-fi isn't real yet, but we won't discuss that disgusting fact) and how the story was concluded. Mostly because it wasn't a cliffhanger, but there's enough untied threads to be picked up in the third book.
I've not done the book justice but you just need to read it okay? It's heart-pounding, it's swoon-worthy, and it's just plain awesome all around. 'Tis the bomb diggity.
I can't even think of one bad thing to say about This Shattered World. Honestly! All gripes from These Broken Stars STAYED with TBS - no carry over into TSW. There was a marked improvement in plot clarity and romance/adventure balance, and I'd love to reread it immediately.
BUT LET'S NOT FORGET THE ROMANCE SHALL WE?? I'll be up front and honest about the fact that Irish accents are a favorite of mine, so clearly Flynn Cormac is my dude. But also the fact that he's a pacifist and Jubilee is the warrior queen. Because I do love inverted tropes and also that makes Jubilee the reigning badass in this book, which I greatly appreciate. Theirs is a slow burn, and it never reaches the level of romance that Tarver and Lilac went to, but it's a perfect example of hate to love.
AND SPEAKING OF LILAC AND TARVER BE STILL MY HEART. THE CAMEOS WERE PERFECTION. And also their relationship is totes adorbs and their banter gives me life. I can't wait to see them again in book three, and also Jubilee and Flynn (right? right). And according to the acknowledgements section book three will be set on Corinth? My interest is piqued.
Okay what else... oh yes plot. PLOT WAS FAB. Lots of action and bombings but also they killed some of my favorite characters and that was quite rude. Still crying. And it wasn't an easy conclusion either - there were a lot of sacrifices on both sides. So happy for the realism (in relative terms, seeing as sci-fi isn't real yet, but we won't discuss that disgusting fact) and how the story was concluded. Mostly because it wasn't a cliffhanger, but there's enough untied threads to be picked up in the third book.
I've not done the book justice but you just need to read it okay? It's heart-pounding, it's swoon-worthy, and it's just plain awesome all around. 'Tis the bomb diggity.
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
didi chanoch
The internal struggle of each character is so strong in this series. For me, this book truly showed the challenges and emotional turmoil of recognizing your enemy as another human, another soul, but still having to fight. The tension of the characters as their roles and as their own selves is so beautifully done. I also cannot wait to see the foursome finish off LaRoux industries in the last book! (I hope at least! I ❤ Merendsen!)
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
jacobine
YOOOO. HOW DO I PROPERLY REVIEW THIS PERFECTION??? SERIOUSLY THIS BOOK WAS LEAPS AND BOUNDS AHEAD OF THESE BROKEN STARS.
I can't even think of one bad thing to say about This Shattered World. Honestly! All gripes from These Broken Stars STAYED with TBS - no carry over into TSW. There was a marked improvement in plot clarity and romance/adventure balance, and I'd love to reread it immediately.
BUT LET'S NOT FORGET THE ROMANCE SHALL WE?? I'll be up front and honest about the fact that Irish accents are a favorite of mine, so clearly Flynn Cormac is my dude. But also the fact that he's a pacifist and Jubilee is the warrior queen. Because I do love inverted tropes and also that makes Jubilee the reigning badass in this book, which I greatly appreciate. Theirs is a slow burn, and it never reaches the level of romance that Tarver and Lilac went to, but it's a perfect example of hate to love.
AND SPEAKING OF LILAC AND TARVER BE STILL MY HEART. THE CAMEOS WERE PERFECTION. And also their relationship is totes adorbs and their banter gives me life. I can't wait to see them again in book three, and also Jubilee and Flynn (right? right). And according to the acknowledgements section book three will be set on Corinth? My interest is piqued.
Okay what else... oh yes plot. PLOT WAS FAB. Lots of action and bombings but also they killed some of my favorite characters and that was quite rude. Still crying. And it wasn't an easy conclusion either - there were a lot of sacrifices on both sides. So happy for the realism (in relative terms, seeing as sci-fi isn't real yet, but we won't discuss that disgusting fact) and how the story was concluded. Mostly because it wasn't a cliffhanger, but there's enough untied threads to be picked up in the third book.
I've not done the book justice but you just need to read it okay? It's heart-pounding, it's swoon-worthy, and it's just plain awesome all around. 'Tis the bomb diggity.
I can't even think of one bad thing to say about This Shattered World. Honestly! All gripes from These Broken Stars STAYED with TBS - no carry over into TSW. There was a marked improvement in plot clarity and romance/adventure balance, and I'd love to reread it immediately.
BUT LET'S NOT FORGET THE ROMANCE SHALL WE?? I'll be up front and honest about the fact that Irish accents are a favorite of mine, so clearly Flynn Cormac is my dude. But also the fact that he's a pacifist and Jubilee is the warrior queen. Because I do love inverted tropes and also that makes Jubilee the reigning badass in this book, which I greatly appreciate. Theirs is a slow burn, and it never reaches the level of romance that Tarver and Lilac went to, but it's a perfect example of hate to love.
AND SPEAKING OF LILAC AND TARVER BE STILL MY HEART. THE CAMEOS WERE PERFECTION. And also their relationship is totes adorbs and their banter gives me life. I can't wait to see them again in book three, and also Jubilee and Flynn (right? right). And according to the acknowledgements section book three will be set on Corinth? My interest is piqued.
Okay what else... oh yes plot. PLOT WAS FAB. Lots of action and bombings but also they killed some of my favorite characters and that was quite rude. Still crying. And it wasn't an easy conclusion either - there were a lot of sacrifices on both sides. So happy for the realism (in relative terms, seeing as sci-fi isn't real yet, but we won't discuss that disgusting fact) and how the story was concluded. Mostly because it wasn't a cliffhanger, but there's enough untied threads to be picked up in the third book.
I've not done the book justice but you just need to read it okay? It's heart-pounding, it's swoon-worthy, and it's just plain awesome all around. 'Tis the bomb diggity.
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
ron price
The internal struggle of each character is so strong in this series. For me, this book truly showed the challenges and emotional turmoil of recognizing your enemy as another human, another soul, but still having to fight. The tension of the characters as their roles and as their own selves is so beautifully done. I also cannot wait to see the foursome finish off LaRoux industries in the last book! (I hope at least! I ❤ Merendsen!)
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
annamarie
*I received a review copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. It did not change my review."
This review originally appeared on Pivot Book Reviews.
Dearest This Shattered World,
Oh, how I wanted to fly through your addicting pages with lightning speed, unfortunately for me, I had just undergone surgery and subsequently had to read you very slowly because of all the meds I was on. Every time I sat down to read you, I had to have a war with my eyeballs because you are so dang good, This Shattered World, but alas, the meds always came away with a victory, forcing me to fall asleep with merely a chapter or two of you read. To say this made me depressed is an understatement. I was definitely kicking myself in the rear for not starting you before the whole surgery thing. Despite how long it took me to read you, that has nothing to do with your beautiful story. In fact, I'm 110% sure that I LOVED you even more than I did These Broken Stars, and on one hand, I'm almost glad it took me so long to read you, because I was able to savor each and every word of you that much longer, which was pure and utter bliss.
Don't get me wrong. I totes loved Tarver and Lilac, your two MC's in These Broken Stars, but Jubilee and Flynn....*le sigh* I just wanted to grab their heads and smoosh them together so they would just kiss already! The anticipation for that killed me! Maybe I should back up a little bit before I start rambling more about one of my new favorite OTP's, don't you think? Well, you follow Jubilee Chase, who is the Captain of the forces sent to a planet Avon to help control the planet's rebellious colonists, which just so happen to be led by our other MC, Flynn Cormac. Flynn ends up kidnapping Jubilee to try to use her for a trade for medical supplies etc., but when his people find out about Lee and try to kill her, Flynn and Lee make a break for it and end up caught together in the middle of a war that escalates more and more by the minute.
I think the reason you worked so much for me, This Shattered World, is because despite Jubilee and Flynn being sworn enemies and knowing that they should not trust each other whatsoever, they still try to see the other person's side. Sure, they fight each other a lot in the beginning, but they ultimately grow on each other, and becoming even more kickass together than they were seperately. They make an awesome team (and couple!). Also, hate-to-love relationships are the best kind to read, in my opinion. I eat those relationships up for breakfast, lunch, snack, and dinner, if you get what I'm saying. They are my muse, but they only work when done correctly, and correctly done you were, This Shattered World. Lee and Flynn both know they have feelings for each other, but never once do they say they love each other. They are smart enough to realize that, 'hey, this is a high stakes game and we might just have the hots for each other bc of that; so there's no time for love right now, but maybe later when we have time to actually get to know each other'. Those types of relationships are more believable, and work better in the long run in my opinion. I have a higher hope for HEA's if the couple likes each other for awhile first then it grows to love. Whoa, I'm talking way too much about love interests right now, so I'll try to get back on track.
Your setting on Avon and off was magnificent, painted in my mind with such vivid details that I could see the bunker Lee stays in, the bar her and her mates frequent, the swamps, the sun less atmosphere, caves, etc. The world-building was just out of this world, and brilliantly laid out without overwhelming me with all that scientific mumbo jumbo. I easily understood everything, and then the action. Your authors, Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner, definitely know how to hook a chapter. It seemed like every time I got to the end of a chapter, something bat s*** crazy was happening, and I had to know what happened, but then my pain killers would kick in and snoooooze Becca was out.
Seriously though, This Shattered World, I already admitted I loved you more than your previous installment, which makes me nervous and also extremely excited for your next, because what if I love it even more than I do you? I mean, yeah, that's friggin awesome, but also, I'm scared I'm going to build it up too much in my head, but if one thing is true, your authors know their craft and proved to me that they are just gonna keep getting better and better, and I can't wait to have my mind blown by whatever comes at me in book 3. FIVE STARS!!!
Glad I can see the stars from my planet,
Becca
P.S. For those wondering, if couple #1 makes an appearance in book #2, the only hint I will give you is two thumbs up! :)
This review originally appeared on Pivot Book Reviews.
Dearest This Shattered World,
Oh, how I wanted to fly through your addicting pages with lightning speed, unfortunately for me, I had just undergone surgery and subsequently had to read you very slowly because of all the meds I was on. Every time I sat down to read you, I had to have a war with my eyeballs because you are so dang good, This Shattered World, but alas, the meds always came away with a victory, forcing me to fall asleep with merely a chapter or two of you read. To say this made me depressed is an understatement. I was definitely kicking myself in the rear for not starting you before the whole surgery thing. Despite how long it took me to read you, that has nothing to do with your beautiful story. In fact, I'm 110% sure that I LOVED you even more than I did These Broken Stars, and on one hand, I'm almost glad it took me so long to read you, because I was able to savor each and every word of you that much longer, which was pure and utter bliss.
Don't get me wrong. I totes loved Tarver and Lilac, your two MC's in These Broken Stars, but Jubilee and Flynn....*le sigh* I just wanted to grab their heads and smoosh them together so they would just kiss already! The anticipation for that killed me! Maybe I should back up a little bit before I start rambling more about one of my new favorite OTP's, don't you think? Well, you follow Jubilee Chase, who is the Captain of the forces sent to a planet Avon to help control the planet's rebellious colonists, which just so happen to be led by our other MC, Flynn Cormac. Flynn ends up kidnapping Jubilee to try to use her for a trade for medical supplies etc., but when his people find out about Lee and try to kill her, Flynn and Lee make a break for it and end up caught together in the middle of a war that escalates more and more by the minute.
I think the reason you worked so much for me, This Shattered World, is because despite Jubilee and Flynn being sworn enemies and knowing that they should not trust each other whatsoever, they still try to see the other person's side. Sure, they fight each other a lot in the beginning, but they ultimately grow on each other, and becoming even more kickass together than they were seperately. They make an awesome team (and couple!). Also, hate-to-love relationships are the best kind to read, in my opinion. I eat those relationships up for breakfast, lunch, snack, and dinner, if you get what I'm saying. They are my muse, but they only work when done correctly, and correctly done you were, This Shattered World. Lee and Flynn both know they have feelings for each other, but never once do they say they love each other. They are smart enough to realize that, 'hey, this is a high stakes game and we might just have the hots for each other bc of that; so there's no time for love right now, but maybe later when we have time to actually get to know each other'. Those types of relationships are more believable, and work better in the long run in my opinion. I have a higher hope for HEA's if the couple likes each other for awhile first then it grows to love. Whoa, I'm talking way too much about love interests right now, so I'll try to get back on track.
Your setting on Avon and off was magnificent, painted in my mind with such vivid details that I could see the bunker Lee stays in, the bar her and her mates frequent, the swamps, the sun less atmosphere, caves, etc. The world-building was just out of this world, and brilliantly laid out without overwhelming me with all that scientific mumbo jumbo. I easily understood everything, and then the action. Your authors, Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner, definitely know how to hook a chapter. It seemed like every time I got to the end of a chapter, something bat s*** crazy was happening, and I had to know what happened, but then my pain killers would kick in and snoooooze Becca was out.
Seriously though, This Shattered World, I already admitted I loved you more than your previous installment, which makes me nervous and also extremely excited for your next, because what if I love it even more than I do you? I mean, yeah, that's friggin awesome, but also, I'm scared I'm going to build it up too much in my head, but if one thing is true, your authors know their craft and proved to me that they are just gonna keep getting better and better, and I can't wait to have my mind blown by whatever comes at me in book 3. FIVE STARS!!!
Glad I can see the stars from my planet,
Becca
P.S. For those wondering, if couple #1 makes an appearance in book #2, the only hint I will give you is two thumbs up! :)
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
collin
Love second books that seem like non-sequiturs that suddenly and stunningly reveal their relation to the first book in the series...this one was so well-done. I stayed up late multiple nights (despite being sick) to try to finish this. Can’t wait to get my hands on the third!!
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
shannon cuthbertson
Squeeeeee. I loved this book.
This book was another great installment in the Starbound trilogy. While it doesn’t concentrate on Tarver & Lilac from TBS, it concentrates on Jubilee & Flynn, a soldier and a rebel.
What made this book so much different than the first one, is the fact that it didn’t only revolve around the two main characters. In this book, Jubilee and Flynn are facing some very powerful enemies and together they must figure out what to do before their planet suffers the consequences.
I loved the way this book was structured. It is told in both Jubilee and Flynn’s voices, and I loved it. I loved their voices and the fact that they were so distinct. The pacing is steady and fascinating; told in a way that you gradually feel more and more invested into the story.
In this book, politics and strategies are much more prominent, which leads to it playing with our minds and deciding who to trust and who not to trust.
The romance is absolutely adorable and very low key. Flynn and Jubilee have a way of “clicking” that seemed so effortless. Where Tarver and Lilac had to overcome their differences, Flynn and Jubilee had to remind themselves constantly that they were supposed to be enemies.
“This boy, the only one who believes I’m not what they say I am, what I believed I was: a solider without a soul, a girl with no heart to break. He’s the only one who’s proved me wrong.”
I loved the fact that it wasn’t the main focus of the book; that the planet Avon and what was going on there was more important.
The ending was really intense and frankly beautiful. The way everything clicked and made sense at the end? It was awesome. There were no loose ends, and there was a wonderful resolution.
I really really enjoyed this book, I’m not sure which one is my favorite: These Broken Stars or This Shattered World; one thing’s for sure: I cannot wait for the last book in the trilogy.
An advanced ebook copy of this book was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book was another great installment in the Starbound trilogy. While it doesn’t concentrate on Tarver & Lilac from TBS, it concentrates on Jubilee & Flynn, a soldier and a rebel.
What made this book so much different than the first one, is the fact that it didn’t only revolve around the two main characters. In this book, Jubilee and Flynn are facing some very powerful enemies and together they must figure out what to do before their planet suffers the consequences.
I loved the way this book was structured. It is told in both Jubilee and Flynn’s voices, and I loved it. I loved their voices and the fact that they were so distinct. The pacing is steady and fascinating; told in a way that you gradually feel more and more invested into the story.
In this book, politics and strategies are much more prominent, which leads to it playing with our minds and deciding who to trust and who not to trust.
The romance is absolutely adorable and very low key. Flynn and Jubilee have a way of “clicking” that seemed so effortless. Where Tarver and Lilac had to overcome their differences, Flynn and Jubilee had to remind themselves constantly that they were supposed to be enemies.
“This boy, the only one who believes I’m not what they say I am, what I believed I was: a solider without a soul, a girl with no heart to break. He’s the only one who’s proved me wrong.”
I loved the fact that it wasn’t the main focus of the book; that the planet Avon and what was going on there was more important.
The ending was really intense and frankly beautiful. The way everything clicked and made sense at the end? It was awesome. There were no loose ends, and there was a wonderful resolution.
I really really enjoyed this book, I’m not sure which one is my favorite: These Broken Stars or This Shattered World; one thing’s for sure: I cannot wait for the last book in the trilogy.
An advanced ebook copy of this book was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
gina lee
Thanks to NetGalley and Disney-Hyperion for the arc of This Shattered World by Amie Kaufman! This mysterious sci-fi thriller grabbed my attention. The snippets from Jubilee's past are sad, odd and mysterious and made me wonder what she had gone through as a child. Little by little, her memories are explained along with the whispers.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
tino paz
This series just gets better and better. I am always wary of series and also of YA sci-fi. They never seem to hold up for me. But Spooner and Kaufman do a fantastic job of the dual point of view, the space aspect and the world building. I can't WAIT to see what happens next! This series is just so so fun. HIGHLY rec'd if you love science fiction and want to read some upper young adult novels to boot. :-)
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
brandi campbell
Such a fun, exciting book! The tension and action really build, so there's an epic climax. Also, I ship this romance so hard. Flynn is so sweet and charming, and Jubilee is beautifully broken yet resilient. I think I liked this one even better than the first!
Please RateThis Shattered World (Starbound)
When we open up the book, we see Flynn actually lure Jubilee into a trap and then she becomes his prisoner not realizing that they will start to unravel mysteries that have been going on at Avon. Plus Flynn blames the soldiers for the death of his sister. So he is seeking revenge, but over the course of time and getting to know Jubilee when he brings her to the rebels headquarters and things get really intense. Plus the way that the flashbacks are incorporated into this novel were a good use of explaining some of the things that have happened in the past.
I also like how Jubilee is smart and resourceful. She is not going to let anyone try to save her. Jubilee decides to try and save herself, Jubilee is not your typical female. She is a strong young woman who wants to go back to her platoon and do her job. Jubilee also starts to feel some sympathy for what Flynn has done. Jubilee and Flynn learn that they are not bad, but trying to survive. Avon has some issues. Some of the colonists want the military to leave, but then there would be no law or order.
Plus we learn that the scientists on Avon are keeping a major secret. This secret totally changes things in a way that Jubilee and Flynn know that they are in major danger if anyone finds out about these creatures from another dimension call whispers. These whispers come from a place that is different from ours. No one knows what they want exactly, but the facilities keep moving because of some weird reason. No one is sure why this happens.
I really love the adventure and spirit of this book. This book had a very strong female character. The male character is also very strong. Plus there were a lot of twists and surprises that made me enjoy this book. I really want to see what happens in the next book in this series.
Rating:
Four Hearts