Review: This Shattered World by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

This Shattered World by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

Book Two of the Starbound series

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Publication Date: December 23, 2014

Rating: 4 stars

Source: ARC sent by the publisher

Summary (from Goodreads):

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.

What I Liked:

I read and wrote the review for this book back in June, guys... just a note, in case anyone wants to know anything and I'm shaky on the details!

Despite giving both books the same rating, I liked this book more than I liked the first book! To me, These Broken Stars was great, but nothing SUPERB or amazing (hey, just my honest opinion). I'm not saying this book was, either, but it was definitely more EPIC than book one. Both books are excellent, and I'm so glad that I have had the opportunity to read both! 

In this book, we follow Lee and Flynn's story. Flynn is the brother of the former leader of the rebel colonists of Avon - the rebel colonists call themselves the Fianna. Flynn wants peace on his anarchy-filled, terraformed planet. Jubilee Chase, on the other hand, is a trodaire - she a one of the military personnel sent to the put down rebellions in Avon and restore peace. As the power struggle for Avon continues, Lee and Flynn finds themselves unable to see which side is right and which is wrong. 

The biggest thing that I liked about this book compared to book one was that this book is set in such a grander scale than book one. Book one deals with Tarver and Lilac and the aftermath of the shipwreck on a mysterious planet. While there are major things that could possibly affect the entire universe (LaRoux Industries), it seemed like These Broken Stars was really all about Tarver and Lilac. The story was very slow, and filled with survival. I love the rawness of Tarver and Lilac's fight to live, to stay sane... but I wanted to know the grand scheme of things. We only really get to that at the very end of the book.

In this book, the story is so much more than Flynn and Lee. It's so much more than a potential love story. It's so much more than a kickbutt captain and a stoic rebel struggling to find their place on Avon. I LOVE that this book focuses on Flynn and Lee and their actions, but it's not all about them.

Even with that said, I really like both characters. Flynn is very different from what is marketed as the typical YA hero. He isn't macho and alpha and basically Superman. He's quite handsome, according to Lee, but he's patient, quiet, almost passive. He wants peace on Avon, not war, but he wants the universal governments to stop interfering. He knows something is wrong with his planet, but he has a fierce loyalty towards Avon and his people. I have a lot of respect for Flynn.

Just like in These Broken Stars, I like the hero more than the heroine. Don't get me wrong, I like Lee! I like Lilac! But I like Flynn (and Tarver) more. Lee is deadly, kickbutt, feisty, and quite frankly, cold. But she's human, and she's a girl, not invincible. It was almost funny to watch her wrestle with her feelings towards Flynn. Flynn's feelings for her were more obvious than hers towards him, but I like what Flynn did to Lee. He took her by surprise, and I like how confused he made her.

So... yes, this book does feature a love story. However, it's not as dominant as Tarver and Lilac's. These Broken Stars was alllllllll about the romance. This book was not. Which, honestly, I quite prefer, IN THIS SERIES. I like that this book focused more on the politics, the secrets, the scheming, than the romance. This book's romance seemed impossible, especially with Lee basically pushing Flynn away at every turn. Good on Flynn for not giving up! The romance in this book isn't breathtaking or beautiful, but it is hard-fought and desperate and powerful.

We do get to see a lot of Tarver and Lilac in the second half of this book. I don't think I remember Kaufman and Spooner mentioning Lee's connection to Tarver, so that was really cool to discover! I love the role that Tarver and Lilac play in this book, and I'm really glad that they appeared in this story.

This book is set in a very different world than that of These Broken Stars. The monsters aren't creatures - they are human beings. And the "whispers" or illusions of book one DO appear in this book as well. They're called "wisps" in this book, and yes, we do get a slightly better idea of what they are in this book. Actually, we get to know where they come from and sort of what they are. But truly what they are is not (yet?) revealed. Perhaps in the next book. But some things that I wondered about in book one were cleared up in this book. In case anyone was confused by things in book one. Not Lilac's resurrection though - I'm still a little confused by that. A lot confused, actually.

Anyway. Like I said, I enjoyed this book even more than I enjoyed book one! I loved that this book focused more on the planets and secrets of LaRoux Industries, rather than solely focusing on the romance, THEN the mysteries. I'm really excited for book three!

What I Did Not Like:

I'm still confused about the "whispers"/"wisps"/"illusions"/whatever you want to call them. I feel like we get a little bit of what they are in each book... so maybe we'll finally get the whole truth in book three? If that's the case, great, but I hate being kept in the dark about something that is SO IMPORTANT to each book, and the series in general.

Would I Recommend It:

I highly recommend anyone and everyone read this book and series! If you read the first book - whether you enjoyed it or not - read this one! Personally, I liked this book even more than I liked the first book. So even if you didn't like book one, you might really enjoy this book! And if you haven't started this series, you should do so! Especially before the series goes to the little screen!

Rating:

4 stars. I'm very pleased with this book! I cannot wait to read the next book - set on Corinth! I wonder in what Kaufman and Spooner will take this series. Fun!

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