I read These Broken Stars, the first in this YA trilogy in December of last year and enjoyed it.
You don't have to read the books in order, however, because the stories are different. These Broken Stars features Tarver Merendson and Lilac Laroux; This Shattered World has Captain Jubilee Chase and Flynn Cormac as protagonists on a planet on the verge of war. There are connections, to be sure, and Tarver and Lilac make brief appearances, but TSW belongs to Jubilee and Cormac.
Avon is a planet that is stalled in a number of ways: the terraforming projections just never seem to happen; the military presence is oppressive; a mindless rage called The Fury eventually affects new recruits--and as quickly as the condition is discovered (often too late) those who are affected are shipped out--this means military personnel is in constant flux; the rebels are divided between wanting to be treated fairly and wanting to wage war.
For some reason, only Captain Jubilee Chase seems to have a resistance to The Fury, and has therefore, been able to remain on the planet much longer than is commonly the case. Flynn Cormac is a rebel, but his goal is to avoid war and regain schools and hospitals for his people.
I can make pretty much the same comments about TSW as I did about TBS: the pov shifts from Jubilee to Flynn and back again; present tense; more telling than dialogue; interruptions in the story to insert dream sequences (in TBS, it was interrupted by an interrogation); likable characters; and plenty of action.
Another similarity, the characters in both novels are 16-18, but the personas seem much older and more experienced.
I like the characters, the action, and the fact that, although part of a trilogy, the plot begins and ends within the novel. The connections to the first novel are present, but This Shattered World functions completely independently and has a conclusion. (I do get tired of cliff hangers, so Yay for Kaufman and Spooner intertwining the novels without resorting to the frustrating cliff hanger.)
I'm assuming next December will bring the final book, and I will be looking for it!
NetGalley/Disney-Hyperion
Science Fiction/YA. Dec. 23, 2014. Print length: 400 pages.
This sounds like a good read, despite the flaws. POV shifts are definitely tricky, as is writing a convincing adolescent character.
ReplyDeleteThe POV shifts are fine. I don't consider them a drawback. I liked getting the perspectives from Jubilee and from Flynn. Even the "telling" didn't bother me; it worked for this novel. It is a good example of scifi action with a little romance thrown in.
DeleteThe characters, however, do have a level of maturity and experience that feels way beyond that of people their age --maybe they should have been a bit older than 18. But it was a fun read, and I enjoyed it.
Stand alone series or trilogy books are definitely a plus. It isn't that I don't like cliffhangers now and then, but it's nice when a book is self-contained, especially if I have to wait a year before the next installment comes out.
ReplyDeleteThis does sound like a good book, as did the first one. I will have to add it to my wish list.
I only like cliffhangers if I have all the books in the series. As you say, the waiting a year for the next book to be published and reveal what happened is a year too long to wait.
ReplyDelete