Review/Author Interview/Giveaway: This Shattered World by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner

This Shattered World by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
Released: 1st December 2014
Series: Starbound #2
Published by: Allen and Unwin 
Genre: YA Science Fiction
Source: Publisher
Pages: 374
My Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
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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.

The stunning second novel in the Starbound trilogy is an unforgettable story of love and forgiveness in a world torn apart by war.

Thank you to Allen and Unwin for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

He could tell me he doesn't want to lose me, but we're both already lost, and only the tether between us keeps us from drifting out into the black.

This Shattered World takes the best of what Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner have to offer, to create yet another amazing YA science fiction novel that surpassed my high expectations. This is a story that places you right in the midst of the action where danger may lurk behind every corner. Loyalties are tested. Secrets are released. Tensions come to the surface. After all that's gone down, you'll finish this book remembering why you love this series in the first place!

I don't have the luxury of dealing with his hormones - or mine, for that matter. What, did he think I was just going to melt into his arms? Start a tragic and dramatic tale of star-crossed lovers on a war-torn planet?

Once again in this book the main protagonists were really well-developed. Jubilee especially took on a kick-ass personality where she knew how to lead and get the job done. While her determination and hard-lined desire for results had gotten her so far, it was nice to see how she also possessed an inherent sense of empathy. Flynn was similarly looking out for his own 'kind' and a rebel, yet when the two came together and cooperated they both found parts of themselves which they didn't know existed. While the first book in this trilogy did have more of a heavy focus on the romance, in this one that element takes a back seat for the most part, while the action and new developments in the thrilling events which unfold are the focus.

Our brief time together, the extraordinary circumstances that made us allies - there aren't any words to give it shape. He could tell me he loves me, but he doesn't know me the way a lover would; he knows the shape of me, though, the curve of my heart, as I know his. 

As you can tell from the synopsis, This Shattered World isn't about Lilac and Tarver's story. However, even though the overall concept of this book is a lot different, we still get to see little glimpses into what has become of those two. I'm not going to give anything away here, but I was glad to have some insight into their lives at this point, and even thought their role in the story itself wasn't groundbreaking, it did provide a sense of continuity which tied the two books together. There are also other links to be found where the secrets which came to the surface in book one about LaRoux Industries that will keep you on the edge of your seat, which further enhanced my enjoyment of the novel. 

FINAL THOUGHTS

Fans of These Broken Stars are sure to love this stellar sequel that is sure to be another big hit in the YA sci-fi world. These two very talented authors have created a story that incorporates the perfect balance of action, mystery and intrigue, leaving me even more excited for the final book in the trilogy.

What inspired you to come up with the initial concept for this stellar series?

Meg and I have both been huge fans of science fiction all our lives—she grew up watching Star Trek with her dad, and I grew up devouring Jules Verne novels. We’re both huuuuge space nerds, too, so when we started playing with ideas for stories we’d like to tell, we ended up with a shipwreck story set in space. From there, we asked ourselves who’d be the most interesting characters to strand together (read: who would hate each other the most) and the story and our universe grew from there!

What's the best thing about co-writing a novel?

The best thing by far is that you’ve always got somebody right there by your side—if I’m stuck, Meg’s not! You have someone to brainstorm with, someone to celebrate with, someone to dig your way out of plot holes with, you name it!

Do any of your own personal traits come through in Jubilee, Flynn or any of the other characters?

There’s a little bit of me in every character in the book, but the part of me that’s most woven through This Shattered World is the Irish influences. My mum’s Irish, and I majored in Irish history at uni. You’ll find smatterings of Irish language, Irish names, and a retold Irish legend at one point in the book!

Without giving too much away, is there a favourite moment or quote in particular that you'd like to share from This Shattered World?

Oh gosh, so hard to pick! I really like the explosions, and I like the kissing bits, and I like the murky, swampy world of Avon. There’s one line Meg wrote that you’ll find in one of the interstitials, that’s my favourite. In These Broken Stars the interstitials showed Tarver being interviewed. In This Shattered World, you’ll have to wait and see and deduce for yourselves what they are. The line is beautiful partly because of its context, but I also think it’s gorgeous and poetic. It reads: “But this time the green-eyed boy takes her hand, and when she opens her eyes, the sky is full of stars.”

I also really love another line Meg wrote, which basically sums up Jubilee perfectly: “He’s chiselled, with a chin so perfect, it makes me want to hit it.”

What's some advice to other aspiring authors who want to write something as amazing as what you have?

One piece of advice that made a big difference to me—and is particularly apt because I’m writing this during NaNoWriMo—is that if you want to get anywhere, you have to finish your draft. There’s no point having a perfectly polished first chapter, and nothing else! Be brave enough to push through to the end of your first draft and just let it be bad. Then, once you have the whole story, you can see the shape of it. That’s when you’ll know what you’re going to keep and what you’re going to cut, which will make sure you’re polishing the right things!

As authors, you must be big readers as well - what are some of your favourites at the moment?

I’m definitely a big reader, and I’ve always got something on the go. Recent books I’ve loved include Marie Lu’s The Young Elites, Will Kostakis’s The First Third and Ellie Marney’s Every Breath. Right now I’m reading The Walled City by Ryan Graudin.

Can you give us just a little bit of a sneak peek about what you're currently working on, or what the third book in the trilogy will be about?

Right now Meg and I are working on the third book in the trilogy, and I can reveal that it’s set on the planet Corinth – the most important planet in the galaxy, or as Tarver calls it, ‘the brightest of all the bright lights’. I’m also finishing up proofing the designs for Illuminae, which is the first in my new series with Jay Kristoff, which will be starting next year. Very busy, but lots of fun!

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