Author: Amie Kaufman , Meagan Spooner
Date of Publication: December 23, 2014
Pages: 390
Source: Library

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.

Goodreads

Review:

I’ve been sitting on this review for a while. It’s one of those times when you come out of loving a book and feel at a loss for words to express yourself. Even so, this may not be anything new but it is how I feel and it’s long overdue that this books get credit on The Sirenic Codex. 

There are loads of sci-fi reads, the genre is so huge that sometimes one can get lost trying to find something that fits their needs. Meagan Spooner and Amie Kaufman’s work in this series is quickly becoming the place I go to get my sci-fi fix. 

In This Shattered World, we are introduced to a small planet on the edge of the universe, Avon. Avon has basically failed terraforming and is left in a stalemate as a wetland. Despite it’s perceived failures the natives are fierce and loyal to their planet and it’s sovereignty. 

Enter Flynn, brother of the former rebel leader, and stone-cold cold Captain Lee. What a duo. Initially out to get each other only to end up enlightened to other side of the story because there is always another side.

In These Broken Stars, I loved the romantic history the characters had, in this one I really appreciated the familial history. While the first book was more about survival in isolation this one was about war and the effects it has on a person's sanity, family, friends and home. 

This book also built further into the universe created in This Broken Stars. Not only was it set in a different planet but the characters stories of an ancient Earth and the colonization of the human race in different planets were a fascinating addition especially with the aspect of ethnic diversity that was done very well. For instance, Flynn was of Irish ancestry while Jubilee came form an asian background. 

Overall, this was a very easy book to get engulfed in. It’s action packed, intelligent and contains two very relatable and courageous protagonists. As if those aren’t good enough on their own, Spooner and Kaufman have weaved a full story into this book, independent of the previous and forthcoming instalments. Definitely, recommended. 

-MARI

A discussion between P.E. and Mari.

P.E.: It's been a while since we did this, so let's go for it. A new year, new books. What book are you hyped up for?

Mari: Oh gosh that's just evil. How about every book I've spotlighted on WoW for the past year? Somehow I've managed to downsize to 3 so here it is. This Shattered World looks like a fantastic companion to These Broken Stars. I'm very excited to read about a female soldier captured by rebels, yes!! As for The Young Elites, I will literally read anything Marie Lu writes so if this was about Barney getting plastic surgery to be a green dinosaur, I would still read it. Lastly, Mortal Heart is the conclusion to one of my favourite series. This story is so amazing and I can't wait to read Annith's side of things.  Some other titles that I feel deserve a mention are: The Dark Artifices by Cassandra Clare and The Winner's Crime by Marie Rutkoski.

P.E.: You know my book tastes pretty well. Let's spice this up: guess three books I'm dying to read. (They are sequels to books I've been telling you to read since forever!)

Mari: Lazy, I see right through you. But fine, the biggest, most obvious one is Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater. Next up is probably Rick Riordan's next book, which ever book it might be because he is your favourite and lastly I know you liked the The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey & Red Rising by Pearce Brown, so both of the sequels to those.

P.E.: And that is why I have a co-blogger. /endpost

Okay, maybe some more is needed. Mari's picks were all spot-on, and those are probably all the books I'm really dying to read. But, hype is not a finite thing: there is more to go around. For example, The Queen of the Tearling! Mari and I have been drooling over that book for quite some time now. I love epic fantasy with strong female characters that have to deal with politics. The rating on Goodreads isn't as high as I would have wanted (Oh no, a paltry 3.8), but that doesn't diminish my excitement!

Mari: I'm very much intrigued by this one, but I'm worried about some of the negative reviews surfacing. I'll still try it out but I'll have to get it from the library. A book that's been out for a while but I've only recently bothered to read the synopsis and realize that it's the kind of book I wanted to read is: The Kiss of Deception. I love the idea of someone running away on their wedding day, isn't that one of the most filmy scenes? Also, I would love to see the action between, the jilted prince and the assassin all in the process to woo a runaway princess!

P.E.: It reminds me of the first awesome scene in Spy Kids, when the parents are telling the story of their wedding? I loved that movie so much when I was a kid. Who's kidding, I still do. Anyway, another book I'm super excited for is Red Queen. I've had pretty great experiences with books that have "red" in their titles in the past (hehe), and the premise of this one is actually surprisingly close to Red Rising, what with the colour caste system. I guess I'm a sucker for books that promise adventure, intrigue, and seem a bit epic. I haven't read any reviews of Red Queen yet so I don't know if my excitement is warranted.

Mari: OHH, I can't say I've read any reviews but I have seen some buzz on this which is making me quite interested. I'm also super excited about this one.

These Are Our Hype Up Books, What Are Yours?

-P.E. & MARI