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This Shattered World by Meagan Spooner & Amie Kaufman: Review

This Shattered World (Starbound, #2)Title: This Shattered World (Starbound #2)
Author: Meagan Spooner and Amie Kaufman
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Buy this book: Amazon / Book Depository
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
I'd been quite nervous to get to This Shattered World, mostly because of how much I loved These Broken Stars and my worry that the sequel wouldn't be anywhere near as good. I shouldn't have worried so much, Meagan Spooner and Amie Kaufman definitely deliver with This Shattered World. Although, if I am being completely honest, my feelings for the book are the same as my feelings for the cover - I really like it and it's good, it's just not as good as the first one.

The second book in the Starbound trilogy takes us to Avon, where Captain Jubilee 'Lee' Chase works to take down the colonist rebellion, in which Flynn is a key player. When the two cross paths it leads to Flynn taking Jubilee back to the colonists base, in the hopes that she can be used as a bargaining chip. But the colonists hatred for the soldiers and the terraforming companies, who they feel have failed them on Avon, means that everyone else would much rather see her dead. Flynn makes a life changing decision when he helps Jubilee escape.


This book has a really fast start, it wastes no time and jumps straight into the action. I was surprised by just how different this felt to These Broken Stars. It's so much darker and the stakes are much higher this time. It's filled with war and death, what more could I ask for! I liked that this was darker, that there was so much at stake for both Jubilee and Flynn, it meant that there wasn't much time for romance. That worked better for me, especially since I wasn't entirely convinced when it came to those two. It felt like they moved from hating one another to liking one another far too quickly. But, on the plus side, it never reaches that awkward insta-love phase where I want to sigh, roll my eyes and throw the book across the room.

Okay, I feel I must confess to being a little confused when reading This Shattered World, It's been over a year since I read book one, and I clearly didn't remember it as well as I thought. If you're one of those people who remembers every minute detail of the books you read, I both envy and kind of despise you. I am not one of those people! I forget things, I don't remember every plot point and so reading sequels without rereading the first one beforehand can sometimes cause problems. I think it might have done here, which may have contributed to why I didn't love it as much as book one. I feel like I remember most of These Broken Stars, at least from the main storyline, but when it came to the whispers in This Shattered World, I was feeling a little confused. I just couldn't remember everything I learnt about them in book one, so I felt a little lost there. They also felt a lot creepier in this, especially with the 'Fury' making people go so crazy they suddenly start killing people for no apparent reason.

One thing I was very excited about was the fact that Lilac and Tarver make small appearances in this book. I think I would have missed them far too much if they haven't! Tarver used to serve with Jubilee, so it gives him the perfect excuse to turn up in this book and lend a helping hand. I have to admit to kind of wishing there had been more of them, but that's just because I missed the laughs they brought me in These Broken Stars. This Shattered World is light on the laughs, it's much more serious and we don't get the hilarious dialogue between characters like we did with TBS.


4/5 Butterflies

I really did enjoy This Shattered World, but I must admit that I enjoyed These Broken Stars more. I've been left with very little to say about the book though, which perplexes me. I felt it was a lot darker than the previous book, something that I appreciated but I did miss the funny dialogue. I am very excited to see where the series goes next and I hope it can add the light-hearted banter back in, despite how serious everything is getting. If you enjoyed the first book then you're definitely not going to be disappointed. 




*I received a copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review and received no monetary compensation for this review.

18 comments:

  1. Loved the first one, and this one sounds even better :)

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    1. It's a really great book, I preferred the first for the characters but most people loved this one because of the action.

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  2. Yes, there was definitely the darker angle in this one especially when it came to everything happening on the planet, but I loved Jubilee and Flynn and how they got to know and supported each other too. The cameos between Tarver and Lilac were also fantastic! Great review Charnell, glad you still enjoyed it a lot, despite loving the first one more.

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    1. I really did enjoy it, I just missed the funny dialogue between the characters. This one feels a lot more serious then book one. It's not a bad thing, I'm sure a lot of people will love that about it.

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  3. HEY HEY, I was confused as well and I'd only read the first book a couple of months back so I feel you. I think that was what detracted from my reading experience the most. BUT I loved the darker feel to this book, it gave me something to hook onto, especially considering how the romance died down a tad. The Tarver and Lilac cameo was the absolute best though! I loved the team together :D Fantastic review, Charnell! <3 x

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    1. Yay, at least I wasn't the only one who was confused. I did enjoy the fact it was darker, and the atmosphere that gave to the book. But I did miss the funny dialogue between characters that we got in book one. I'm very excited to see where the series goes next.

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  4. So glad you liked this one. I'm reading it as soon as I finish the two review books I'm currently reading! I love that it's darker. I'm like you though, I don't remember much of what happened in These Broken Stars. Usually things come flooding back to me when I read the next books so I'm hoping this happens here. Great review!
    Cassi @ My Thoughts Literally

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    1. That's usually what happens to me too but it didn't here. I remember most of the book though, so maybe it's just small details I can't recall but that prove to be important. Who knows.

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  5. I haven't read these books yet, but I really want to! Both the covers look amazing. I am glad this was a sequel which you still managed to enjoy like the first one, even though it wasn't as much. And it was nice for the previous characters to return as well. I am one of those people who can usually remember the details if it hasn't been too long... the one series I remember rereading for the sequel though was Eragon... all three! That was hard...

    http://olivia-savannah.blogspot.nl/2014/12/walled-blog-tour-giveaway.html

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    1. I really loved the book, I just preferred book one. The darker side of things does work well, but I missed the funny banter. I wanted more light-hearted moments, but this is all war and battles and death and destruction.

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  6. *hi fives* WE ARE THE SAME ON THIS ONE. Missed that witty banter so much. :( And I didn't feel like I had a whole lot to say on it either. 0.0 Somehow I breezed through but I feel like it was really deep and complex *shrugs* EH. I want book 3. Okay more than that: I WANT TO SEE BOOK 3'S COVER.

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    1. HAHA! ME TOO!!! I need to see the cover and the title. I hope I absolutely love book three. I just missed the funny banter because it worked so well in book one. This one felt a lot more serious, which isn't a bad thing but I missed the fun!

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  7. I'm hesitant about reading This Shattered World because I was a bit disappointed by These Broken Stars :/
    I might give it a go if I work up the nerve :)

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    1. I've heard a lot of people who didn't really like These Broken Stars absolutely loved This Shattered World, so it might be worth giving it a try.

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  8. I'm the exact opposite, I actually liked this one more than These Broken Stars. I just connected with the characters more for some reason. I did have a question the whole book, though. Where did the colonists come from? If they're terraforming the planet, it couldn't sustain life before they came, right? So the colonists came from some other planet at some point? If so, what was their role supposed to be? That was just confusing to me, but maybe I don't understand what terraforming is. Email me sometime if you want to chat about it! ~Pam

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    1. I think quite a lot of people preferred book two, I was clearly the odd one out. I did like it, it just didn't completely work for me for some reason. I missed the more funny side to These Broken Stars, this book was too dark to really have that. Can't wait for book two though :)

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  9. I'm so damn excited for This Shattered World. These Broken Stars is just wonderful. That ending, yo!
    I agree this cover is a bit of a disappointment when comparing to the first one. But still good.
    I think I remember most of TBS, so hopefully I'm good for TSW.
    Great review! Seeing all the early reviews is just making more and more eager for the 23rd.
    Happy reading!
    Brittany @ This is the Story of My(Reading) Life

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    1. I hope you love it when you get to it! I really can't wait for book three! I need to see the cover and title asap.

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