This Shattered World by Amie Kaufman, Meagan Spooner Series: Starbound #2
Also in this series: These Broken Stars
Published by Disney-Hyperion on 12/23/14
Genres: Romance, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Pages: 390
Source: BEA
My content rating: YA/Adult (Nothing more than kissing; Some violence)
My rating:
The second installment in the epic Starbound trilogy introduces a new pair of star-crossed lovers on two sides of a bloody war.
Jubilee Chase and Flynn Cormac should never have met.
Lee is captain of the forces sent to Avon to crush the terraformed planet's rebellious colonists, but she has her own reasons for hating the insurgents.
Rebellion is in Flynn's blood. Terraforming corporations make their fortune by recruiting colonists to make the inhospitable planets livable, with the promise of a better life for their children. But they never fulfilled their promise on Avon, and decades later, Flynn is leading the rebellion.
Desperate for any advantage in a bloody and unrelentingly war, Flynn does the only thing that makes sense when he and Lee cross paths: he returns to base with her as prisoner. But as his fellow rebels prepare to execute this tough-talking girl with nerves of steel, Flynn makes another choice that will change him forever. He and Lee escape the rebel base together, caught between two sides of a senseless war.
The stunning second novel in the Starbound trilogy is an unforgettable story of love and forgiveness in a world torn apart by war.
This Shattered World is an amazing follow-up to These Broken Stars!! In fact, I think I may have liked this second installment in the series better than the first. I absolutely could not put this book down!
One thing that I’m loving about this series is that each book really is a standalone novel. We get the full story arc all in one book with no cliffhangers, yet we’re still left wanting more. This Shattered World takes place on a new planet (Avon) with characters we haven’t met yet. But we see some of the elements that were introduced in the first book. Avon is a planet that’s undergoing terraforming by LaRoux Industries, and we also get to see part of the rebellion that was being hinted at in the first book. Later in the book we, get even more tie-ins to book one, but I’ll talk about that in my actual review …
What I LOVED:
- Flynn. I loved the complexity of the characters in this book. Flynn is fighting for the rights of his people – they have been oppressed for generations and just want a say in what happens on their planet. But while some of the rebels are out for blood, Flynn urges them to strive toward a peaceful agreement. This doesn’t mean that he is a weak character, though. On the contrary, it is his strength that draws his people to him – makes them want to follow him. And it is his strength combined with his compassion that draws Jubilee to him as well.
- Jubilee. Jubilee is, in many ways, harder than Flynn. Because of a childhood trauma, Jubilee has cut herself off from her emotions. She is the perfect soldier (or, actually, captain) in many ways – the picture of strength and discipline. She believes strongly in the military presence on Avon because she has seen firsthand what the results of rebellion can be. And while Jubilee isn’t exactly happy, she is satisfied with her life. She feels a sense of purpose. Until Flynn comes and throws everything she believes into disarray. She doesn’t understand a rebel who doesn’t want to kill. Who strives for peace but is still not willing to give in and give up.
- The romance. This is not a love at first sight type of book (though Jubilee and Flynn both acknowledge to themselves that the other is attractive right away). On the contrary, the romance in this book is extremely slow-burning – it takes a long time for Jubilee and Flynn to trust each other at all and even longer for them to understand each other. We see the relationship unfold in a way that is believable and organic – they are on opposite sides, thrown together by circumstance in brutal conditions and brought together once they realize that neither of their sides is the true enemy. Which brings me to my next point …
- Good “bad guys” and bad “good guys.” Those of you who read my reviews regularly, know that I LOVE blurry lines between the good and evil, and that is precisely what we have here. First of all, we have a hero on each side of the conflict, and they both have good reasons to believe that their side is right. I definitely found myself sympathizing more with the rebels, but the members of the military weren’t portrayed as being bad and there were members of the rebellion who were suspect at best. Even the true evil on Avon might not be so bad. Maybe.
- Old friends. Yes! Just when I started to think that this story was going to be completely separate from These Broken Stars, the whispers appeared. I was so excited to see that the mystery of those whispers was incorporated into this new story! Plus, some old familiar faces made their way into this book as well (but I won’t tell how!).
- Multicultural. Yay for a cover that depicts Jubilee as she’s written – with dark hair and skin and a definite non-Caucasian ethnicity!! I also loved the Irish language and culture that was thrown in (Flynn’s people were originally of Irish descent, and they held onto some of their cultural background).
The negatives:
- Nothing. That’s right. I can’t think of anything I didn’t like about this book. Now, if you read my reviews, you know that I ALWAYS list negatives for every book I review. But, I thought and thought and couldn’t think of anything to say here (though I thought of several more small positives – I won’t keep going with those, though). I LOVED THIS BOOK!
So, obviously I highly recommend this book. With complex characters, an action-packed plot and plenty of mysteries, This Shattered World hits all the right notes. If you were a fan of the first book, you will love this next installment! If you haven’t read These Broken Stars yet, what are you waiting for? I give this one 5/5 stars.
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
LOOKING FOR A GIVEAWAY FOR THIS SERIES?
About the Authors
Amie Kaufman is the co-author of the award-winning Starbound trilogy (These Broken Stars, This Shattered World) and The Illuminae Files trilogy (Illuminae). She writes science fiction and fantasy for teens. Amie had the good fortune to be raised just one block from her local library, and took full advantage of that fact growing up. She and her sister spent their childhood summers re-creating their favourite books by camping in the back yard, mapping their neighbourhood, climbing trees, stepping through magical doors and sailing the local seas. Raised in Australia and Ireland, she has kissed the Blarney stone six times, thoroughly cementing her gift of the gab.
As she grew older (but not up), she continued her education, and graduated with honors degrees in history, literature and law, and a master’s degree in conflict resolution. These days she combines writing with work as a mediator, as well as regular travel throughout the US, Europe and Asia. A few of her top travel moments include camping in the Sahara overnight, climbing a mountain in Vietnam, standing on the Great Wall of China and cycling the Loire Valley, but she has a huge list left to cover.
Amie lives in Melbourne, Australia with her husband and their very quirky rescue dog, Jack. She’s a huge fan of chocolate and naps, has an enormous music collection, and an entire room of her house is devoted to her library. She still sails, and though she climbs fewer trees, she remains partial to investigating the occasional magical door.
Meagan Spooner grew up reading and writing every spare moment of the day, while dreaming about life as an archaeologist, a marine biologist, an astronaut. She 
graduated from Hamilton College in New York with a degree in playwriting, and has spent several years since then living in Australia. She’s traveled with her family all over the world to places like Egypt, South Africa, the Arctic, Greece, Antarctica, and the Galapagos, and there’s a bit of every trip in every story she writes.
She currently lives and writes in Asheville, North Carolina, but the siren call of travel is hard to resist, and there’s no telling how long she’ll stay there.
In her spare time she plays guitar, plays video games, plays with her cat, and reads.
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26 responses to “5 Star Review & Giveaway – This Shattered World by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner”
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Nooooooooooo… i was hoping for a 2nd chance for Lilac and Tarver…
omg *heartbroken*
ailyn
http://honesty-virtue.com
Don’t despair – while this book isn’t completely about Lilac and Tarver, the “old friends” that I hinted at are Lilac and Tarver – they do make their way into this book (I just won’t tell how or when).
P.S. I just added info to the post about a giveaway for signed copies of the books PLUS a chance to actually meet the authors. Check it out!
I have been seeing nothing but great things about this series, I really need to start it soon.
LOVE this series – you definitely should pick it up! By the way, I just added info to the post about a giveaway for signed copies of the books PLUS a chance to actually meet the authors. Check it out!
Aaaaaah you’re making me even more excited to finally read this one hopefully next week. I loved These Broken Stars and it sounds like another winner! The characters are just so well developed and I’m happy this is still the same. I also like how well written and real and honest the romance sounds! Slow burning is the way to go if you ask me! 😉
Hope you love it!! This series is so fantabulous!
We were lucky in Australia, as it was released her before the rest of the world I believe. I couldn’t agree more, I LOVED These broken Stars but This Shattered World blew it out of the water! I loved that is was more dystopian science fiction, rather than space opera and Lee, I absolutely loved her no bullshit type character. It was amazing to see Flynn and his community embrace the Irish names and culture even on an entirely different place and planet. I missed the sarcasm and snark between Lee and Flynn, but the slow burn attraction was incredibly.
Brilliant review and now we’ve got the maddening wait until the finale *swoons and faints* <3
I was so excited to get this book from BEA that I read it back in June! I’m with you – waiting for the finale could kill me!
I’m glad you enjoyed this one so much! I love companion books 🙂
Jen @ YA Romantics
Yes, companion books are awesome because you get to continue with the worlds/characters that the author has created, but you still get a complete story with each book!
I haven’t started the series yet, but I am so glad you like it! I am excited!
Yes, you should definitely read this one! You don’t want to miss it!
I really have to read These Broken Stars like, yesterday. This series sounds amazing, and of course, the gorgeous covers don’t hurt! I didn’t read much of your review just in case it would spoil book one, but when I saw 5 stars, I knew I had to get on the ball with this series! So glad you loved it 🙂
Talk about gorgeous covers – these are to die for! If you go to the tour that’s mentioned in the giveaway, one of the posts is actually about the cover shoot. I always think those types of posts are so interesting!
I’ve heard a lot about this book, but I’m so behind on reading it lol fab review Melanie! <3 I'm glad you loved it!
Nicole** I’m so sorry, i always assumed the other one was your name! 🙁
No problem! It’s unusual to have two authors for a book, so I could definitely see how this could throw you off! 🙂
Eeep! I cannot wait to read this one. It will certainly jump to the top of my queue when the time comes.
Yes – definitely read it as soon as you can!!
Lovely review, Nicole, and I completely agree! This novel was so different from These Broken Stars yet all the dots connected so well. Loved the slow burn romance and the blurry lines. My favorite part was when we got to meet back up with you know who. Omg I was a giggly mess lol!
Yes – I was pretty much convinced at that point in the book that we weren’t going to see any of those past characters, so I was thrilled when they showed up!
I have yet to read this series, but I love the sound of it! I like the idea of the second book being even better than the first – when a series gets better you know the author is developing and you look forward to the next one even more!
Yes! I can’t wait to read more!
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