Waiting on Wednesday (#292): Sherwood by Meagan Spooner

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week, I'm featuring:

Sherwood by Meagan Spooner

Publisher: HarperTeen

Publication Date: March 19, 2019

Summary (from Goodreads):

Robin of Locksley is dead. 

When news comes that he's fallen in battle at the King's side in the Holy Land, Maid Marian doesn’t know how she’ll go on. Betrothed to Robin, she was free to be herself, to flout the stifling rules of traditional society and share an equal voice with her beloved when it came to caring for the people of her land.

Now Marian is alone, with no voice of her own. The people of Locksley, persecuted by the Sheriff of Nottingham, are doomed to live in poverty or else face death by hanging. The dreadful Guy of Gisborne, the Sherriff’s right hand, wishes to step into Robin’s shoes as Lord of Locksley, and Marian’s fiancé. Society demands that she accept her fate, and watch helplessly as her people starve.

When Marian dons Robin's green cloak, and takes up his sword and bow, she never intended that anyone should mistake her for Robin, returned from the Holy Land as a vigilante. She never intended that the masked, cloaked figure she created should stand as a beacon of hope and justice to peasant and noble alike. She never intended to become a legend.

But all of Nottingham is crying out for a savior. So Marian must choose to make her own fate and become her own hero...

Robin Hood.

Website | Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | The Ivy Bookshop

I have read nearly all of Spooner's books and enjoyed them! Her Skylark series, her Starbound series, Hunted, and Unearthed. Hunted is my favorite book of hers. I cannot wait for this new standalone!

Review: Unearthed by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

Unearthed by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

Book One of the Unearthed series

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Publication Date: January 9, 2018

Rating: 3 stars

Source: ARC sent by the publisher

Summary (from Goodreads):

When Earth intercepts a message from a long-extinct alien race, it seems like the solution the planet has been waiting for. The Undying's advanced technology has the potential to undo environmental damage and turn lives around, and Gaia, their former home planet, is a treasure trove waiting to be uncovered.

For Jules Addison and his fellow scholars, the discovery of an alien culture offers unprecedented opportunity for study... as long as scavengers like Amelia Radcliffe don't loot everything first. Mia and Jules' different reasons for smuggling themselves onto Gaia put them immediately at odds, but after escaping a dangerous confrontation with other scavvers, they form a fragile alliance.

In order to penetrate the Undying temple and reach the tech and information hidden within, the two must decode the ancient race's secrets and survive their traps. But the more they learn about the Undying, the more their presence in the temple seems to be part of a grand design that could spell the end of the human race...

What I Liked:

I'm going to be completely honest - I had a really hard time reading this book. I struggled to get through it, which is something I usually don't have a problem with. It took me nearly a week to finish the book, which is seven times longer than it would usually take me to finish the book. I recognize and acknowledge how well the story was put together, but the first half of the book was extremely dull, and it almost seemed like the authors were trying to include too many mysteries and puzzles and half-truths here and there. In the end, I want to read the next book, but I won't forget how much I struggled with this first book.

Jules Addison has landed on Gaia to explore an unknown temple that could contain a wealth of information that could change the future of Earth. There is technology that the Undying left behind on Gaia, and Jules is determined to find it. Mia has also just landed on Gaia, having been smuggled in, in order to find artifacts to bring back to Earth to sell. She is a scavenger in desperate need of money; he is a scholar with a thirst for knowledge. Their paths collide, and they have no choice but to work together to find a way off the planet. But the farther they go into the hidden temple, the more they learn about the Undying... there is more to the temple than advanced technology, and the discovery could change the future of Earth forever.

I struggled with the first half of the book, and the second half of the book was still a bit of a struggle, but definitely more interesting. I think I really only started to try and get invested when Jules and Mia were deep in the temple, and they realized that they were not alone. From that point on, I started to at least care more. But everything before that - Jules and Mia meeting, their bargain with each other, actually finding the temple, starting to explore the temple - meh. Once Jules and Mia started to feel more pressure and danger, AND started to realize that there was more to the temple than old rocks and symbols, I started to care more.

I did like the Indiana Jones feel that I got as the story went on. There were so many puzzles and traps and decoding that needed to be done, which was really cool. Jules's education and quick-working brain came in handy, as did Mia's fast instincts and math skills. They were a well-matched pair for the temple, given how complex and different each obstacle was. The Undying really made things complicated for those trying to seek out their technology.

I liked Jules from the get-go, with his proper, well-mannered ways. He is very intelligent and inquisitive, and cares so much about finding the tech so he can study it. He is a scholar with a true scholar's mind, and he is a good person with little malicious intent. He has good instincts and he has a good heart. I liked his strengths - his quick mind, his cleverness, his selflessness.

Mia is more savvy and sly, a scavenger out of necessity but a very skilled person to have around. She gets herself and Jules out of some sticky situations. She has murky motives at times, but she really cares about her little sister back on Earth. Everything she does is for her sister. For the most part, I liked Mia, and I understood her.

Jules and Mia are a great pair together, especially in terms of how well they worked together to find a way out of the temple. They are both very smart in different ways, and they use their strengths to help each other. They didn't always have the best relationship, with the amount of lies between them at first, but they begin to trust each other after they save each other's lives several times. 

You can guess that there is romance in this book. It is very subtle and barely there, but Jules and Mia start to catch feelings for each other towards the end of the book, which was cute. No love triangle or anything like that, just subtle romance that takes its time to build. Which is fine!

I won't say too much more in terms of the plot but I will say that the ending is not necessarily surprising, but it is very cliffhanger-y and can be seen as shocking if you weren't looking at all of the clues that the authors left. It's a good hook for setting the book up to have a sequel, and I'm looking forward to reading the sequel (whenever that will be). I definitely want to know more!

What I Did Not Like:

The only reason why I'm not giving this book four stars is because I struggled so much with it. I tried three times to read this book, and I feel asleep or put the book aside each time. The four time (Sunday night), I told myself that I was finishing it once and for all. The first half of the book is incredibly boring. There are so many passages of info-dumping, and even with all of the info-dumping, I was often left confused about the world-building, the history, who the Undying were, if the Undying were the people that left in a ship from Earth... there are a lot of questions that I have and I think I should not have those questions because they are fundamental groundwork questions. What exactly is the Undying? How do humans on Earth know of their existence if the Undying lived a zillion years ago? What is up with the ship that disappeared from Earth without a trace? There were a lot of "historic" things that just didn't add up to me. I think the authors also tried to have to many half-truths out there, too many seeds to pick up, too many half-written histories that would be explained letter. For all the info-dumping that happened, I was still really confused. And really bored.

In any case, the first half of the book did not interest me. The second half of the book was... better? But still kind of dry and stuffed with long passages of info-dumping. There was more dialogue in the second half, and more heart-twisting events, but I still didn't get invested in the story. I never felt like I truly got into the story.

Would I Recommend It:

I do recommend this book, despite my struggles with it. It could have just been me! (Though, based on reviews by blogger friends, I don't think this is the case.) I love YA science fiction and thought this book would have been my jam, but that wasn't necessarily the case. It was okay though! I think the story was well-written and creative. I just had a hard time getting into it.

Rating:

3.5 stars -> rounded down to 3 stars. I will still definitely check out the sequel, as I have certain hopes and expectations for the book. But I'm not really as enthusiastic about the series as I was before I read this book. It was a little disappointing, to have struggled so hard with a book that I'd been looking forward to reading for a year or more. But I'm hoping the next book will be better for me!

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Was this review helpful? Please let me know in the comments section!

Check out the Unearthed tour:

Today is the LAST DAY to preorder the book - and receive goodies!

Science in Fiction (#36): Unearthed by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

Welcome to this month's Science in Fiction feature! Science in Fiction is a meme I created to showcase the wonderful aspects of science in Young Adult fiction novels. For more information and previous feature, check out the "Science in Fiction" tag!

This month, I'm featuring Unearthed by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner!

Unearthed Swoon Thursday

As soon as I saw Unearthed, I knew it would be a future Science in Fiction feature. But what would the topic be? I'm excited about how many topics I could have drawn from this book. One thing that stuck out is the condition of Earth that the authors have illustrated - basically it's a disaster, with how badly climate change has affected the planet. Our protagonists are currently on a different planet - Gaia - as are other humans, trying to find artifacts and important items for research (and the black market). But back on Earth, deserts have swept the planet, sandstorms are numerous and deadly, and resources are scarce enough that a one-child policy is implemented everywhere. 

So today, I'm going to talk about the extreme weather events, due to climate change!

I'm sure everyone is familiar with the latest incredible storm - the bomb cyclone that hit the northeast USA? Some people (like the stable genius in D.C.) think that the bomb cyclone is evidence to deny climate change. Stable genius is... not a genius. I'll explain why this assumption is wrong, and why extreme weather events - regardless of temperature - are evidence of climate change.

But first, a little bit of information about the bomb cyclone, since I've brought it up. A "bomb cyclone" is basically a sharp and quick drop in pressure, which makes the storm much more intense. Specifically, air pressure must drop at least 24 millibars in 24 hours (which is really, really fast for that amount of pressure). This latest bomb cyclone was characterized by biting cold, heavy snowfall, thick ice, and really gusty winds. 

This bomb cyclone is no longer a rare or abnormal event. The Northeast region of the USA has seen more snowfall in recent years - especially in heavy storm events. According to NOAA, the frequency of heavy snowstorm events have doubled in the last fifty years. Why is this happening, especially with climate change occurring?

The thing about climate change is that rising surface temperatures affects sea levels, and jet streams, and atmospheric circulation patterns, and all of those things affect weather patterns. In the last half-century, we've seen a rise of extreme weather events. Hot months are even hotter, cold months are even colder, more snow in states that get a lot of snow, more intense heat in places that experience high temperatures. More snowfall isn't evidence of the nonexistence of climate change - it's huge evidence in favor of the existence of climate change. Melting Arctic ice weakens jet streams, which changes the circulation pattern of the jet streams and brings colder air from the poles further south. Hence why states like Florida have seen snow for the first time in decades, in the last week. Check Environmental Defense Fund or National Climate Assessment for some science-y evidence.

National Climate Assessment has this graph of the frequency of extreme precipitation events  in the USA over the last century. The writing is clearly on the wall!

Source: NCA. (NCA has adapted from Kunkel et al. 2013).

NOAA has a really great image of the bomb cyclone storm event that hit the USA on January 4th:

Source: PRI. (Image is from NOAA.)

What other types of weather changes can we expect to see?

- Extreme snow events (in areas that receive snow).

- Extreme rain events.

- Higher "high" temperatures during summer months.

- Record year-end high temperatures and record year-end low temperatures.

- Severe droughts.

- Heat waves.

- Coastal flooding.

- Flash flooding in urban areas.

- Stronger hurricanes (in areas that experience hurricanes).

More extreme weather events are listed HERE.

I've talked about terraforming and other space-related topics in which humans go in search of other planets for survival. I have no doubt that scientists are looking and hoping to discover new forms of life, with one goal being to find somewhere to inhabit in addition to Earth. Our planet has been changing and not for the better. I urge readers to educate yourself on climate change and understand why it is very real and very much something we should all be thinking about.

Let me know what your thoughts are, on climate change and extreme weather events!

Swoon Thursday (#258): Unearthed by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

- From the book you’re currently reading, or one you just finished, tell us what made you SWOON. What got your heart pounding, your skin tingling, and your stomach fluttering

- Try to make the swoon excerpt 140 characters (or less), if you are going to tweet about it. Use the hashtag #YABOUND when tweeting

This week, my swoon is from Unearthed by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner!

Now that his bright helmet's off and out of my eyes, I can see some of Jules's face in the half light left by the mirrors high overhead. His dilemma is so clearly written there that my heart aches for him. And in that moment I know what to do.

"Sometimes you have to go on instinct," I whisper. Then I lean into him and stretch up onto my toes, sliding one hand up his arm to curl around the back of his neck and pull him down into a kiss.

For an instant, there is no portal. There's no Liz, no armed crew ready to kill us, no loved ones waiting for us on Earth. He's motionless for a heartbeat. Then he slides his arm around the small of my back and pulls me in against him, our bodies colliding and robbing me of breath.

His other hand cups my cheek, as gentle as his embrace is fierce, and my skin burns where his fingers rest. I meant to shock him, distract him, interrupt his frozen indecision - and instead I'm the one who's melting, my body fitted against him, my lips parting with his, a heat washing over me so intense I have to break away or else catch fire...

- ARC, pages 198-199

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | The Book Depository | The Ivy Bookshop

This book is amazing (so far)! I'm hoping to post my review tomorrow. Mia and Jules are cute. Did you know? If you preorder Unearthed (less than a week left to do so), you'll receive goodies!

Be sure to check out the authors' tour schedule, to see if they are coming to a city near you!

Waiting on Wednesday (#232): Unearthed by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week, I'm featuring:

Unearthed by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

Book One of the Unearthed series

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Publication Date: January 9, 2018

Summary (from Goodreads):

When Earth intercepts a message from a long-extinct alien race, it seems like the solution the planet has been waiting for. The Undying's advanced technology has the potential to undo environmental damage and turn lives around, and Gaia, their former home planet, is a treasure trove waiting to be uncovered.

For Jules Addison and his fellow scholars, the discovery of an alien culture offers unprecedented opportunity for study... as long as scavengers like Amelia Radcliffe don't loot everything first. Mia and Jules' different reasons for smuggling themselves onto Gaia put them immediately at odds, but after escaping a dangerous confrontation with other scavvers, they form a fragile alliance.

In order to penetrate the Undying temple and reach the tech and information hidden within, the two must decode the ancient race's secrets and survive their traps. But the more they learn about the Undying, the more their presence in the temple seems to be part of a grand design that could spell the end of the human race...

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | The Ivy Bookshop

I can't wait to read more by this powerhouse duo! Their science fiction books are fantastic. I've read most of their books (solo, co-written, with Jay Kristoff). These ladies never stop writing, which is great for us readers!

Review: Hunted by Meagan Spooner

Hunted by Meagan Spooner

Publisher: HarperTeen

Publication Date: March 14, 2017

Rating: 4 stars

Source: eARC from Edelweiss

Summary (from Goodreads):

Beauty knows the Beast’s forest in her bones—and in her blood. Though she grew up with the city’s highest aristocrats, far from her father’s old lodge, she knows that the forest holds secrets and that her father is the only hunter who’s ever come close to discovering them. 

So when her father loses his fortune and moves Yeva and her sisters back to the outskirts of town, Yeva is secretly relieved. Out in the wilderness, there’s no pressure to make idle chatter with vapid baronessas…or to submit to marrying a wealthy gentleman. But Yeva’s father’s misfortune may have cost him his mind, and when he goes missing in the woods, Yeva sets her sights on one prey: the creature he’d been obsessively tracking just before his disappearance. 

Deaf to her sisters’ protests, Yeva hunts this strange Beast back into his own territory—a cursed valley, a ruined castle, and a world of creatures that Yeva’s only heard about in fairy tales. A world that can bring her ruin or salvation. Who will survive: the Beauty, or the Beast?

What I Liked:

I've read Spooner's solo books (her debut trilogy), and her co-written books with Amie Kaufman. Her Skylark trilogy was so-so for me, but I loved the Starbound trilogy. When I saw that she would be publishing a new fantasy series, I was definitely intrigued and hopeful - maybe I would love this new solo series of hers. I'm so happy to say that I really enjoyed this new book of hers!

Yeva and her family have fallen on hard times, and they move far from town to their old cabin, where Yeva's father will hunt in the forest in order to provide for his three daughters, and make some money back to pay debts. Yeva's two older sisters, Lena and Asenka, are not like Yeva and her father. Yeva loves being in the forest, away from town, being able to hunt at will. But something dangerous lurks in the forest - a Beast who Yeva's father feared, right before he went missing. Yeva hunts the Beast, and what she finds isn't quite what she expected. She hates him, but she begins to understand him. How is it that he is just as trapped as she is? Yeva learns that the world she knows is not the only world that exists - and she is caught up in the magic.

Beauty and the Beast retelling, anyone? Perfect timing, given the live-action movie to be premiered soon. Personally, I'll take books over movies any day. This retelling is on its own level! I loved it. I was so curious to see how Spooner would handle the fairy tale, especially with all of the controversial aspects of Beauty and the Beast (Stockholm Syndrome, for one). 

Yeva is a not an angelic, naive heroine, nor is she a fierce, kickbutt type of heroine. She is sweet and selfless, but also tough and very independent. She likes to hunt in the forest, and enjoys the solitude. She cares for her two older sisters and her father, so much so that she makes different sacrifices when the opportunities present themselves, in order to help her family. When Yeva ends up in the Beast's castle, she is angry but unafraid. I really, really liked Yeva. Arguably, she is one of my favorite Spooner heroines (I liked the ladies in the Starbound trilogy though). She is so selfless, when it comes to her sisters and father, and eventually, the Beast.

The Beast... we all know the story of Beauty and the Beast, so I couldn't help but feel pity and remorse for him, from the start. But in the beginning, the author makes readers feel a little angry with him. He is not kind or patient with Yeva, and he seems more animal than human in the beginning. But his humanity comes about more and more, the longer Yeva is with him. The Beast is a character that I knew I would feel for, and my heart broke for him constantly.

In this book, Yeva actually gets to know the Beast for a bit before she finds out that he is the Beast, if that makes sense. She believed him to be a fellow prisoner at first, and he brought her food and supplies in the dungeon cell. But then all is revealed that he is actually her captor, and she hates him. It's interesting because Yeva gets to know the Beast before she learns that he is her captor, and then she finds out and hates him, and tries to kill him several times. But she quickly figures out that he is cursed, under a wretched spell, and that he seems to be both human and Beast. I liked this setup, in terms of the story. It sort of accounts for why Yeva might fall for him - she knew him as a "good guy" at first. Furthermore, she tries to keep hating him after she finds out that he is her captor, but he is kinder to her, and not a terrible, abusive captor. Still a captor.

The way this story is told, you won't find Stockholm Syndrome here. Yeva recognizes that she probably shouldn't care about her captor, but she also recognizes herself in him (the loneliness, the love of the forest, the desire for more). She talks to a friend about loving a cruel man, but realizes that the Beast is not that type of "cruel man". I think the author handled this aspect of the fairy tale extremely well, and worked around Stockholm Syndrome.

The progression of the relationship is extremely slow, and there is no physical aspect of the romance. In fact, it's hard to call the romance a "romance" because while Yeva does fall for the Beast (and vice versa), it's definitely more of a progression of an emotional connection than a physical one. This is kind of obvious, right? I liked the development of this powerful emotional connection, though it's hard to say in my mind that it's a "romance". It definitely becomes one after the spell is broken.

There is a good deal of magic in this book! Yeva's father used to tell her tales of magical beasts he used to see while hunting in the forest. Now, Yeva begins to see them herself, like the Firebird. Soon it becomes clear that the only way for Yeva to free the Beast from his spell is to seek out magic, and that is what Yeva decides to do, towards the end of the book. 

The setting is very Russian-esque, with the snowy scenery, forest, mountains, castles, and the obvious Russian names. I loved the setting and how it added to the magical world-building! Spooner did a beautiful job in crafting this fantasy world.

Overall, I really liked this retelling. Beauty and the Beast retellings can be extremely tricky, given the obvious Stockholm Syndrome problem, and bestiality, but I think Spooner rewrote the classic tale extremely well. There is so much more than two people falling for each other, but I'll let you discover that on your own. This is a great story, friends!

What I Did Not Like:

This is definitely a standalone novel and I absolutely love that it's a standalone novel, but I can't help but want a little more from Yeva (Beauty) and her "Beast", when he becomes human! We only get a few pages of them as a human man and human girl together, and the epilogue is a little on the vague side. Wishful thinking on my part, but I would have loved to get scenes showing the pair together, in the end. Like a more specific epilogue, showing their obvious love and adoration for each other.

But still, I'm really satisfied with this book overall.

Would I Recommend It:

I highly recommend this book if you like fantasy novels, fairy tale retellings, Beauty and the Beast, magical settings, clever heroines, and a romance that isn't a "romance" like you think. Plus, this is a standalone (though I think Spooner is writing more fairy tale retellings, possibly set in the same world but I'm not sure). It's perfect for fans of YA fantasy and fairy tales!

Rating:

4 stars. I had some expectations for this book, and I'd say Spooner met them. I'm excited to see what other solo projects she has, though I'm also looking forward to reading more co-written books!

Author Website | Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Was this review helpful? Please let me know in the comments section!

Waiting on Wednesday (#193): Hunted by Meagan Spooner

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week, I'm featuring:

Hunted by Meagan Spooner

Book One of the Hunted series

Publisher: HarperTeen

Publication Date: March 14, 2017

Summary (from Goodreads):

Beauty knows the Beast’s forest in her bones—and in her blood. Though she grew up with the city’s highest aristocrats, far from her father’s old lodge, she knows that the forest holds secrets and that her father is the only hunter who’s ever come close to discovering them. 

So when her father loses his fortune and moves Yeva and her sisters back to the outskirts of town, Yeva is secretly relieved. Out in the wilderness, there’s no pressure to make idle chatter with vapid baronessas…or to submit to marrying a wealthy gentleman. But Yeva’s father’s misfortune may have cost him his mind, and when he goes missing in the woods, Yeva sets her sights on one prey: the creature he’d been obsessively tracking just before his disappearance. 

Deaf to her sisters’ protests, Yeva hunts this strange Beast back into his own territory—a cursed valley, a ruined castle, and a world of creatures that Yeva’s only heard about in fairy tales. A world that can bring her ruin or salvation. Who will survive: the Beauty, or the Beast?

Author Website | Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Skylark | Shadowlark | Lark Ascending

These Broken Stars | This Shattered World

A new Spooner book! While I didn't like her debut trilogy much, I did like her co-written series with Kaufman. I'm excited for this new solo one!

Waiting on Wednesday (#135): Their Fractured Light by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week, I'm featuring:

Their Fractured Light by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner

Book Three of the Starbound series

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Publication Date: December 1, 2015

Summary (from Goodreads):

A year ago, Flynn Cormac and Jubilee Chase made the now infamous Avon Broadcast, calling on the galaxy to witness for their planet, and protect them from destruction. Some say Flynn’s a madman, others whisper about conspiracies. Nobody knows the truth. A year before that, Tarver Merendsen and Lilac LaRoux were rescued from a terrible shipwreck—now, they live a public life in front of the cameras, and a secret life away from the world’s gaze.

Now, in the center of the universe on the planet of Corinth, all four are about to collide with two new players, who will bring the fight against LaRoux Industries to a head. Gideon Marchant is an eighteen-year-old computer hacker—a whiz kid and an urban warrior. He’ll climb, abseil and worm his way past the best security measures to pull off onsite hacks that others don’t dare touch.

Sofia Quinn has a killer smile, and by the time you’re done noticing it, she’s got you offering up your wallet, your car, and anything else she desires. She holds LaRoux Industries responsible for the mysterious death of her father and is out for revenge at any cost.

When a LaRoux Industries security breach interrupts Gideon and Sofia’s separate attempts to infiltrate their headquarters, they’re forced to work together to escape. Each of them has their own reason for wanting to take down LaRoux Industries, and neither trusts the other. But working together might be the best chance they have to expose the secrets LRI is so desperate to hide.

Author Website | Author Website | Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

These Broken Stars review | This Shattered World review

Gorgeous cover! I can't wait to see how this series wraps up :)

Review: This Night So Dark by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

This Night So Dark by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

Book 1.5 of the Starbound series

Publisher: Disney Hyperion

Publication Date: October 7, 2014

Rating: 4 stars

Source: Kindle copy bought from Amazon

Summary (from Goodreads):

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

What I Liked:

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

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

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

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

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

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

What I Did Not Like:

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

Would I Recommend It:

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

Rating:

4 stars. Now, back to wanting book three... it will be a long wait, especially since I read This Shattered World back in June!

Author Website | Author Website | Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Was this review helpful? Please let me know in the comments section!

Swoon Thursday (#93): This Shattered World by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

Swoon Thursday is a hot meme hosted by the fabulous ladies at YA Bound!

- From the book you’re currently reading, or one you just finished, tell us what made you SWOON. What got your heart pounding, your skin tingling, and your stomach fluttering

- Try to make the swoon excerpt 140 characters (or less), if you are going to tweet about it. Use the hashtag #YABOUND when tweeting

This week, my swoon is from This Shattered World by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner!

When I lift my eyes again, Flynn is no more than a silhouette. He moves toward me, taking hold of my arm and pulling me in against him. He doesn't speak. Our brief time together, the extraordinary circumstances that made allies - there aren't any words to give it shape. He could tell me that he loves me, but he doesn't know me the way a lover would; he knows the shape of me, though, the curve of my heart, as I know his. He could tell me the doesn't want to lose me, but we're both already lost, and only the tether between us keeps us from drifting out into the black.

I hear him draw a quick, shaking breath, and then his mouth finds mine. His kiss is fierce, his fingers splaying across my back, pressing me close. His lips this time ask for nothing, no demand for fire or for possession, nothing like the way he tasted in the back room of Molly's, turning my bones to ash. He's just kissing me, holding me, searing me into his memory. I lean into him, making his arms tighten around me in response, and we stand there, the water quiet around our ankles, as though all of Avon is holding its breath.

When we let each other go, we don't speak.

- Bound manuscript, page 332

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Read my review of This Shattered World!

Read my review of These Broken Stars (book one)!

I read this one back in June, but I was sure to save a swoon to share with you all! I didn't post my review until this past Monday :)

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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