Two words — space romance. Convinced? Okay, I'll work a little harder.
This Shattered World is the second installment in Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner's co-written trilogy, Starbound. The first book, These Broken Stars, is known for three main things, I feel: the gorgeous dress on its cover, its compelling hook, and the oh-no-they-did-not-just-go-there climax.
This Shattered World has fewer pretty cover-outfits, a less juicy hook (in my opinion), but wow, does it ever deliver on the oh-no-they-did-not-just-go-there. While I was reading, I had to put the book down for a few moments and then look back, because I was so sure I'd read a certain moment wrong. But, no. Kaufman and Spoon did indeed go there.
In fact, This Shattered World is full of surprises. For one, compared to These Broken Stars, the setting is much more hostile. What could be more hostile than a desert planet, you ask? Well, the events of This Shattered World take place on a planet called Avon, which is lagging far behind its terraforming schedule. It's a swamp planet — an expanse of sludge. It swarms with insurgents. There is a perpetual, gloomy cloud cover, which obscures the glory of the heavens and renders satellites and other technologies useless. However, these harsh conditions do not stop the people of Avon from fighting fiercely for their planet's rights, which are suppressed due to their halted development.
Our hero and heroine are on opposing sides of the conflict...
Flynn Cormac, a rebel, harbors pacifist ideals, and is trying desperately to staunch the violence that wreaks his home. Jubilee Chase is an infamous captain in the military presence that is attempting to stifle the Avon rebellion. The two meet in the very first sentence of the very first chapter. It's an explosive exposition. I was not expecting the book to take off so quickly, but wow, was I impressed by the opening.
Since it's said in the synopsis, I think it's okay to mention: Flynn abducts Jubilee and brings her to the rebel base! (Though not without a dirty knock-down fight. A cocktail skewer is involved.) From there, the plot unfolds. It was fairly unpredictable. There were several moments where I thought, surely this is the climactic moment! But no, my e-reader told me over and over again that there was still a long way to go. It was as if Kaufman and Spooner kept trying to top themselves with what hairy situations they could throw their characters into. By the time I got to the true climax, I was almost fatigued. Our protagonists had certainly been put through the ringer. Thank goodness for sci-fi health care!
Speaking of our protagonists, I think the characters will please readers. Jubilee Chase is a bad-ass heroine, who takes a lot of initiative. It's a tad implausible that a such a young girl would achieve so much so quickly, but hey, this is YA fiction. Just believe! Flynn's character turned out to be a good counterbalance to Lee — more thoughtful and restrained, while still being capable. I appreciated how both characters were driven by strong senses of integrity, although they acted on their beliefs in different ways. (Side note: Gradually, it's revealed that the people of Avon are descended from the Irish. My appreciation of Flynn's character grew exponentially once my inner voice started to read his lines with a brogue.) Also, a plus, we get to see a good deal of Tarver and Lilac, from These Broken Stars. They pop up in an unexpected manner that's sure to delight fans of book one.
And here's something that might surprise you. Unlike These Broken Stars, This Shattered World focuses less on romance. That is to say, romance was still a large presence in the book, but equal time, if not more, was spent on the troubles on Avon, the events of the rebellion, and the overarching plot-line of the trilogy. This was both a plus and a minus, in my opinion. A plus because it gave This Shattered World some meat on its bones, and a minus because who doesn't love a good swoon? It's my belief that This Shattered World did not have the most compelling romance, but I've read enough reviews of the book to believe I might be in the minority on this one.
Overall, This Shattered World was a great follow-up to These Broken Stars. There was a fantastic, atmospheric setting, taut conflict, and bold decisions were made. Kaufman and Spooner continued to show us how love can flourish in the most hostile of environments. But can love conquer something as powerful and evil as La Roux Industries?? I am so eager to see how Kaufman and Spooner will wrap up this trilogy!
