Book Review: This Shattered World by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner

Title: This Shattered World (Starbound #2)
Author: Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Publishing Date: December 23rd 2014
Length: 390 pages
Keywords: YA, fiction, sci-fi, space travel, romance, war 
Source: Netgalley

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.

Summary by Goodreads

In the fashion of THESE BROKEN STARS, THIS SHATTERED WORLD is told from two alternating perspectives by two very different characters. Jubilee is a soldier, trained by the government in order to keep order and peace. Flynn is a rebel and set on freeing his planet, Avon, from the military's tight reign. Avon's problems are their private problems, too, which definitely makes them star-crossed lovers. The two fight against each other. And when they know they can trust each other, they are fighting for the war to finally end.

The moment Flynn and Jubilee meet in a bar for the first time, you just know that their relationship is not going to be easy. Both carry emotional baggage with them. They are both very intelligent characters strongly defined by their goals and their pasts. Jubilee's personality is shaped by very methodical thinking and rational acting patterns. Whereas Flynn is more the emotional and passionate type. You never know what happens next, because their romance isn't as predictable as people might think. Especially in times of war their romance is bitter-sweet and every second of their young lives is endangered.
   Many attacks and the whole rebellion in general are leaving us with many casualties, violent crimes and victims. This second book in the STARBOUND series is much more fast-paced than the first, the characters are always charged up, the action top-notch. 

The spaces in between chapters are filled with bits and pieces of the story of a little girl who is plagued by illusions and memories and who is also witnessing strange occurrences and feelings of fright and loneliness. I wasn't too interested in these parts. But as readers fast guess they are an important part of explaining Jubilee's past. 

Amie and Meagan explore what it means to be a female commander, to have a high-ranking position in the military. And on the other hand what it means to be the leader of a rebellion. While THESE BROKEN STARS was set in a very sparse and lonely setting with only two characters most of the story, THIS SHATTERED WORLD totally blew my mind. There are so many characters, changes of setting and plot surprises that make Jubilee and Flynn's story so great. 

Tarver and Lilac, the two THESE BROKEN STARS protagonists, make a guest appearance, too. They get involved in Jubilee's case and help her find a solution. Tarver is a friend of Jubilee and only the mention of his name made me one happy, giddy reader. Now I'm counting on all four of them to show up in the third book in the STARBOUND series again. It is the best when beloved characters come back!

5/5 ***** THIS SHATTERED WORLD - A war-torn planet, star-crossed lovers and a galactic conspiracy. What's not to love about the sequel to THESE BROKEN STARS?

Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner invite us to another planet of their marvellous story galaxy. They are definitely not holding back on evoking strong emotions in their readers every way they can. There are massive casualties in the rebellion on Avon and no one is safe. Not even our two lovers Jubilee and Flynn. How are we ever going to endure the wait for the last book in the STARBOUND trilogy?

"He tugs me off the main path and into the shadows between the bar and the supply shed next door. Then it hits me: I'm not going to make anyone run laps in the morning. I'm a military officer, being captured by a rebel. I'm probably never going to see my troops again, because I'll be dead by morning. 

With a snarl, I jam my hand back and down, sending the blade of the pink plastic cocktail sword deep into the guy's thigh. Before he has time to react, I give it a savage twist and snap off the hilt, leaving the hot-pink plastic embedded in the muscle. 

At least I won't go without a fight." ― p. 10

THIS SHATTERED WORLD you might enjoy AVALON by Mindee Arnett, ACROSS THE UNIVERSE by Beth Revis and  GLITCH by Heather Anastasiu. Teens in space, rebelling, looking for freedom. Accompany them on their way to winning a big war with their enemies and themselves.

* Read THIS NIGHT SO DARK, the prequel to THIS SHATTERED WORLD.

* Click here to read an excerpt of THIS SHATTERED WORLD.

* For more information about Amie and Meagan visit www.meaganspooner.com and www.amiekaufman.com.

*Thanks to Disney Hyperion for providing me with a review copy via Netgalley!