Wednesday, January 20, 2016

This Shattered World by Amie Kaufman, Meagan Spooner Review

"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."
Second book in the trilogy. Different main characters. Different planet. But same enemy. This Shattered World stars Jubilee Chase and Flynn Cormac. Jubilee is a soldier while Flynn is a rebel. They are completely opposites (or so it seems), and they work on two sides that are fighting against one another.

Jubilee Chase is officially my favorite character so far in this series. She's tough. She's ruthless. She's feared. And she is all of that yet also none of that. She's human, and she's a wonderful character. She's the only soldier who can live on Avon (which is a dangerous planet) without contracting the Fury (which is sort of like sleepwalking but I'll explain it more in depth later). Her reputation of ruthlessness makes her seem bigger and badder than she really is, but darn, her heart and conscience and intelligence makes her even more formidable. She's constantly changing throughout the book.

Flynn is the other narrator. (I admit that he reminds me of Flynn from Tangled even though he probably has not a single thing that is similar to the thief. Flynn is serious, realistic, and anti-war/violence.) He, like Jubilee, is prejudiced, but with the threat of the Fury growing even more imposing, they work together to figure out what's going on. Their relationship has their shares of ups and downs, trust and mistrusts. And when romance is thrown into it... It's a Sci-Fi version of Romeo and Juliet. 

The world of Avon is dangerous, especially for those who don't belong to Avon. Jubilee is one such person, and the Fury is deadly. It strikes with few warnings, and dreams are one telling sign of the Fury. It's horrifying, and it's like this: One moment, a soldier stationed in Avon is laughing and talking. The next, he/she is shooting at innocents. And in the next moment, he/she will keep joking and speaking as if nothing has happened. Scary, isn't it? Luckily, Jubilee is one soldier the Fury can't touch. 

Avon, the planet itself, is a fascinating place. From what the book shows so far, Avon is mostly a swamp and the people of Avon have some Irish roots. (I think it is Irish, but I'm not too sure about that... Correct me if I'm wrong.) It's suspiciously similar to Earth, but I'll let that slide... 

The ending brings the series to a circle, and I can't wait to see what happens next. From what I've read on Goodreads, the third and final book in this trilogy will bring characters from These Broken Stars and This Shattered World together. 

Overall, This Shattered World is for fans who are looking for (sort-of forbidden) romance and Sci-Fi. We have a soldier and a pacifist working together to solve a mystery of a disease plaguing a planet. Full of action and intrigue, the book never stops until the very end. Plus, we have a Romeo-and-Juliet-style romance that's slaying. 

Rating: Four out of Five

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