This Shattered World (Starbound #2)

This Shattered World (Starbound #2)
Age Range
13+
Release Date
December 23, 2014
ISBN
978-1423171034
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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.

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2 reviews
Sci-Fi + Romance
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4.0
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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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4.5
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4.7(3)
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3.3
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4.0
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3.0
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"This Shattered World" follows Jubilee (Lee) and Flynn, who live on a planet that has failed terraforming, leaving it with a constant smoky sky- they cannot see the sun, moon, or stars. Lee and Flynn are on opposite sides of a brewing war between the military (Lee) and the rebellion (Flynn). To add to all this, a lot of people are unable to stay on the planet long without losing their minds- perhaps because of the failed terraforming (though the real reason becomes clear later). Lee seems to be one of the only people who can live there for a long time from the military side.

When Lee and Flynn first meet, Flynn is seeking answers but takes the opportunity to capture her to use for bargaining with the military. When he realizes what the rebellion would do with her (kill her), he decides to save her life, and then they are both on the run. At the same time, they are seeking answers about the mysteries of the planet and what has really happened. This leads them back to Tarver and Lilac, who I was glad to see make an appearance in this book. The current of the overall story continues and progress is made in terms of getting answers and beginning to pinpoint the real "bad guy."

In terms of the story, I was very interested in the planet, new characters, and the wisps/mysteries that threaded from the previous book (I am being intentionally vague to avoid spoilers). In terms of the romance, I felt pretty meh about the characters and their chemistry. Considering the way they met/interacted (with the capture/hostage-type situation followed by "rescue"), I really need to be convinced that feelings are not a result of circumstance, and I just personally did not really get there. I had really high hopes considering how much I enjoyed the first book, so it is also possible my expectations were just too high. I am not saying I disliked this book, but it didn't hold as much appeal or gushing for me, mainly to do my so-so feelings about the romance.

Overall, it was a solid continuation, and I am curious to see where the overall story arc will go in the next book!
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A 'Shattering' Sequel!
Overall rating
 
5.0
Plot
 
5.0
Characters
 
5.0
Writing Style
 
5.0
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N/A
MY THOUGHTS
I loved These Broken Stars, so I was excited to read this book! This book wasn't quite as amazing as These Broken Stars, but I still loved it!

Lee is captain of soldiers on the planet Avon. The goal there is for them to crush a rebellion brewing from the natives. Then a boy named Flynn kidnapped her, as a spur of the moment. Turns out Flynn is one of the leaders of the rebellion, but instead of killing her, like the others want, they end up joining forces. Together they realize that there is a different enemy on Avon and everything connects to it. A disappearing base, a madness falling upon the soldiers, and why the planet hasn't been terraforming.

I really liked being back in this world again! This is a completely different storyline than These Broken Stars, but it takes place in the same universe. At first I was upset that this was only a companion book, with different characters, but I actually really like how this was a completely different story. I was really engrossed in this new world and I liked seeing how this one planet was affecting by the ongoings on one corporation.

Also, we do get to see the characters of These Broken Stars!!!! Briefly, but it made me so happy!

I did grow to love the characters in this book as well! Lee is a badass girl, and I absolutely loved her. Flynn is also tough, living with the rebels, but he prefers peace and he is also very kind. Any of the other rebels would have killed Lee, but he helped her.

As for romance, I loved it. First of all, it had a bit of a hate-to-love thing going on. Yeah, we could see it coming, but the fact that Lee and Flynn began as enemies and Flynn even kidnapped Lee, yeah, it began in tough territory.


IN CONCLUSION
This book was very exciting and fast-paced! I loved everything about it, even if I loved the first book more! I'm only disappointed that there wasn't as many plot twists, but that's not a problem! Overall, I love this series and can't wait to see what characters I will get to follow next!
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A 'Shattering' Sequel!
Overall rating
 
5.0
Plot
 
5.0
Characters
 
5.0
Writing Style
 
5.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
N/A
MY THOUGHTS
I loved These Broken Stars, so I was excited to read this book! This book wasn't quite as amazing as These Broken Stars, but I still loved it!

Lee is captain of soldiers on the planet Avon. The goal there is for them to crush a rebellion brewing from the natives. Then a boy named Flynn kidnapped her, as a spur of the moment. Turns out Flynn is one of the leaders of the rebellion, but instead of killing her, like the others want, they end up joining forces. Together they realize that there is a different enemy on Avon and everything connects to it. A disappearing base, a madness falling upon the soldiers, and why the planet hasn't been terraforming.

I really liked being back in this world again! This is a completely different storyline than These Broken Stars, but it takes place in the same universe. At first I was upset that this was only a companion book, with different characters, but I actually really like how this was a completely different story. I was really engrossed in this new world and I liked seeing how this one planet was affecting by the ongoings on one corporation.

Also, we do get to see the characters of These Broken Stars!!!! Briefly, but it made me so happy!

I did grow to love the characters in this book as well! Lee is a badass girl, and I absolutely loved her. Flynn is also tough, living with the rebels, but he prefers peace and he is also very kind. Any of the other rebels would have killed Lee, but he helped her.

As for romance, I loved it. First of all, it had a bit of a hate-to-love thing going on. Yeah, we could see it coming, but the fact that Lee and Flynn began as enemies and Flynn even kidnapped Lee, yeah, it began in tough territory.


IN CONCLUSION
This book was very exciting and fast-paced! I loved everything about it, even if I loved the first book more! I'm only disappointed that there wasn't as many plot twists, but that's not a problem! Overall, I love this series and can't wait to see what characters I will get to follow next!
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