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

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.

My Review:

While there will be no spoilers for This Shattered World, I cannot guarantee there will NOT be spoilers for These Broken Stars. You can read the review for that book here.

When I read Amie and Meagan’s novel, These Broken Stars, I thought, this is incredible. This is an incredible mix of science fiction and romance and it blew my mind. It ended up being one of my favorites of the year, and I honestly held it in such high esteem when it comes to YA sci-fi. I seriously love it and I was highly looking forward to This Shattered World. I wasn’t able to buy it until this last week because, you know, holidays at Disneyland kept me quite busy. But once I bought this book and started it, I was completely hooked.

Because, honestly, I think this book is even better than the first. Amie and Meagan are absolutely fantastic authors. Such beautiful writing. I honestly had to pause a couple times and just marvel at how incredibly talented the two of them are and how they can collaborate on such a fantastic novel. The descriptions, the way the story flows and the characters they create all flow together in this perfect sequel to These Broken Stars. The world building is so impressive and its easy to forget that this world is fictional because it feels so real.

This is what really gets me about this book: it continues the story that we see in These Broken Stars but it also feels like a completely new story as well. While we do get to see Lilac and Tarver, the main focus is on Jubilee and Flynn and the struggle between the soldiers and rebels of Avon. While this connects to the story that was built in the first book, it feels like a story in its own right and you get so caught up in it that when the connection finally is made, it surprises you. This world is so vast and complicated, which is so great of a science fiction but its also so familiar and small at the same time. It feels new and exciting but you connect with the story so easily.

Which brings me to the characters of Jubilee and Flynn. I adored Lilac and Tarver for sure, but something about Jubilee and Flynn makes me love them more. I loved being in both of their heads, seeing their struggles to help each other out while also being loyal to their “families” so to speak. You felt for both of them, trying to do the right thing, especially when the right thing wasn’t very clear. Their dislike for each other to eventual alliance and later, romance, was natural and it flowed and I was on that painful journey with them the whole way through. A beautiful set of main characters that I definitely won’t forget.

Bottom line, if you’ve read These Broken Stars, you’re going to love This Shattered World. If you haven’t, get your ass off the computer and go buy both of these books. They are absolutely fantastic science fiction romances and you should DEFINITELY read them!

Rating:

5 out of 5 stars

Tuesday Top Ten: Authors New to Me in 2014

December 9, 2014December 9, 20142 Comments

Hello my lovelies! How are you all doing on this fine Tuesday? I hope fantastic. I hope you’re all watching fantastic shows and movies and reading fantastic books and just being all around nerdy and fantastic. Did I ever tell you how much I absolutely love the word “fantastic”? Well, seek I do.

But anyway…I had been trying to think of topics for a Tuesday Top Ten because I’ve been SO incredibly bad at doing them, and I was checking my emails and saw that this week’s post for The Broke and Bookish was the one I’m doing and I thought, hey that’s kind of fun!

So here we are, my top ten authors that are new to me, and a couple of honorable mentions as well because it was SO hard to narrow it down!

Honorable Mentions:

All debut novelists who rocked my world this year. The Jewel and Love Letters to the Dead all absolutely blew my mind and are books that I definitely won’t be forgetting any time soon.

Amy Ewing

Ava Dellaira

10. Tonya Kuper

I met Tonya at ALA in Las Vegas this past summer, and she made an impression on me. I didn’t know what her book was about, I didn’t even really know anything about HER. All I knew was that she was really nice, she was published by Entangled and that she was massively enthusiastic about her book. I went home, followed her on Instagram, became her friend on Facebook, and helped promote the hell out of her debut novel, Anomaly. I love her book and absolutely ADORE her so I’m glad she is a new author to me this year.

9. Cora Carmack

Cora Carmack came on my radar because she was friends with Jennifer Armentrout, who I adore to bits and pieces. The first novel I read of hers didn’t massively impress me, which I think was Losing It, back in the beginning of this year. However, when she started talking about her new series, which boiled down to football, hot guys, romance and sexiness, I knew I couldn’t resist and I immediately bought All Lined Up when it came out. Not long after, All Broke Down, released and I’m officially in love.

8. Lauren Miller

I first met Lauren when she made an appearance at my fave event, Ontario Teen Book Fest. I was already about halfway through the ARC of her new book, Free to Fall. She was so FUNNY and I had a ton of fun talking to her and so I immediately went home and finished this book, and then read her first novel, Parallel. I love both of these books, so fresh, so new, I love the romance, and I adore Lauren. I’m also glad they’re both standalone so that I didn’t get sucked into the never ending abyss of series!

7. Jenny Han

I had never read Jenny Han before. Ever. For some reason, her series just never ever appealed to me. I’m not sure why, but I know I went to the bookstore numerous times, and held her books in my hands and then ultimately decided not to get them. She did a signing in May with Morgan Matson and you had to buy one of their books in order to do the signing. I already had all of Morgan’s books (obviously) so I bought this one. Jenny read from it and it was funny and SHE was funny and I went home THAT night and read it in a few hours. This book is fresh and hilarious and beautiful and I’m already DYING for the sequel.

6. Amie Kaufman and Megan Spooner

I had seen this book circling around the interwebs for a while, I think instagram or some such like that and finally I decided, hey, what the hell, I’m going to buy. Even though I had heard good things, I was still wary. I think the cover is totally beautiful BUT I also think its a little cheesy too haha. Its possible for it to be both right? Right. Anyway, what I found was a fantastically written science fiction novel that also held an incredible romance as well. I BLEW through this book and was amazing at every moment. This book is incredible and brilliant and I’m counting down the days until the sequel comes out.

5. Sara Raasch

I literally read this book about a week and a half ago but that’s how much of an impression it made on me. I’m not really sure how it got on my radar but it did and it sounded really awesome and I liked the title and the cover and her name is Sara without the H which is brilliant and yeah. I was on a book buying ban, technically, but I decided, meh, what the hell, and ended up buying it anyway because I wanted to read it so bad and I am so glad that I did. Its a fantastic fantasy novel that I legitimately canNOT get out of my head and I hope there are more (please be more) because Sara’s writing was just so fluid and descriptive and real and beautiful that I need more of it in my life.

4. Melissa Landers

This was another book that seemed to be floating around my radar on IG and that sort of thing. She was signing ARCs of the sequel, Invaded, at ALA and somehow, miraculously, I got my hands on it. We joked that I got mine early, before Sasha (because I think that’s who I had heard it from) and I kind of felt bad! I had a signed copy of the ARC and I hadn’t even read the first book! So I went to the book store, bought this one and read in a few hours. This book is INCREDIBLE. I swear by it. I keep telling people about it. Its beautiful. I love that its an incredible romance but it also has a great science fiction background with it. I love aliens and there just aren’t enough alien books out there, not ones like this.

3. Victoria Scott

I only found Victoria because of Jessica Brody and I seriously thank her SO much for that. She did a live vlog thing with Victoria because their books were releasing the same day and I won a trivia part of it and got some signed swag from Victoria. So when Fire and Flood released, I immediately bought it and I LOVE it. A lot of people compare it to The Hunger Games, which I *kinda* see but I honestly think its unique and fresh and I love the main character, Tella, so much and I LOVE Pandoras (read the book). I recently won a copy of the sequel and LOVED that as well, and I also read the first of her Dante Walker series and I’m just madly in love with Victoria. I’m glad to be part of her V Mafia now!

2. Kiera Cass

It took me AGES to read this and I can’t believe that it did. I think it was the cover. Scratch that, I know it was the cover and I just didn’t know what it was going to be about really but there wasn’t much desire to read it. That is, until someone gifted it to me. I had heard it described as The Bachelor meets The Hunger Games, and its totally that, in an amazing way. The entire trilogy was totally brilliant and I’m anxiously awaiting The Heir. I’m SO glad I finally buckled down and read it and I’m so glad that I totally have the entire series signed now too! Kiera is always a totally LOVELY human being that I adore to pieces so I’m glad I finally read this book.

1. Catherine Linka

This is the debut novel of a local author friend of mine. I had heard about it through Alethea, who runs Read Now Sleep Later and managed to get my hands on an early copy, because I was going to be meeting her at Ontario Teen Book Fest. This book completely BLEW my mind and I am seriously anxiously awaiting the sequel. I’m going to convince her to get one to me ;) The reason she’s number one is because I’m so inspired by her. She had a struggle to get it published, she had to change things, and work out kinks but the book has done SO well and won awards and she’s SUCH a great friend and inspiration. She’s constantly giving me tips and words of encouragement and I just adore her. Her book is fabulous and I can’t wait for the sequel.

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What are some new authors YOU’VE read this year? Share in the comments!

January Book Wrap-Up

February 1, 2014January 31, 2014Leave a comment

Books Pledged to Read in 2014: 150 Books

Am I On Track: Nope. I’m 3 books behind. I’m in SUCH a slump this year, story so far.

Books Read So Far: 9

Total Books For January:

Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith

Review for this book will come on February 20th, buy more about when I am part of the blog tour!

Ask the Passengers by A.S. King

The Selection by Keira Cass

The Elite by Kiera Cass

These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Megan Spooner

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare (Re-Read)

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling (Re-Read)

Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer

Being Friends with Boys by Terra Elan McVoy

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I super hope February is MUCH better than January. I was in a major book slump, and I hope that I’m now out of it.

How was your January? What did you like? What books didn’t you like? What are you planning to read for February? Share in the comments!

Book of the Week-These Broken Stars

January 16, 2014January 16, 20142 Comments

Okay, treat I know, buy I know, generic I know. I’m doing right awful with blogging lately. I blame it on the fact that I totally got a “real” job and then I’ve been sick (kidney stones, enough said), and I’ve just been overwhelmed.

But this is totally my baby and I miss being on top of it so I’m going to be doing my best to get back into it, and make sure that I’m posting for you all!

Here is the most recent book that I read: These Broken Stars.

These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Megan Spooner

GoodReads / Barnes and Noble / Amazon / Book Depository

Genre:

Young Adult, Science Fiction, Romance

Part of a Series?:

Yes, the first novel of the Starbound Series

Age Recommendation:

14+

Plot Summary:

From GoodReads:

It’s a night like any other on board the Icarus. Then, catastrophe strikes: the massive luxury spaceliner is yanked out of hyperspace and plummets into the nearest planet. Lilac LaRoux and Tarver Merendsen survive. And they seem to be alone.

Lilac is the daughter of the richest man in the universe. Tarver comes from nothing, a young war hero who learned long ago that girls like Lilac are more trouble than they’re worth. But with only each other to rely on, Lilac and Tarver must work together, making a tortuous journey across the eerie, deserted terrain to seek help.

Then, against all odds, Lilac and Tarver find a strange blessing in the tragedy that has thrown them into each other’s arms. Without the hope of a future together in their own world, they begin to wonder—would they be better off staying here forever?

Everything changes when they uncover the truth behind the chilling whispers that haunt their every step. Lilac and Tarver may find a way off this planet. But they won’t be the same people who landed on it.

My Review:

I am so glad that I finally picked up this novel. Honestly, I feel like I’ve been seeing this all over the place, and I had NO idea what it was. It was on NetGalley and then everyone was jumping on it when it was finally released, and I knew I had to get my hands on it.

When I finally DID get my hands on it, I must admit…it took me awhile to get into it. The first 100 pages or so, it was very hard to get past. If it weren’t for the fact that I had heard so many good things about it, I may have given up. Its not that the story was bad or anything but I felt like…I didn’t really know where things were going. Tarver and Lilac are crash landed on this planet and obviously this is a problem, and they need to survive and figure out a way off, but…it seemed like a lot of book for that. So it was slow going. I wasn’t fond of either character in the beginning, to be perfectly honest.

That sort of attitude sort of makes me laugh now because I ended up SERIOUSLY enjoying this novel. I think once the two main characters started to warm up to each other in the story, that was the moment that I started to warm up to them and the story. Once Tarver and Lilac really began to question the strangeness of the planet and started really focusing on their survival is when the story starts to pick up. The authors are able to build up this incredible mystery and tension, both in the survival on the planet and the build up between Tarver and Lilac. I honestly had no idea what was going on, and I couldn’t even begin to guess what would happen next. The last 75% of the novel went by so fast, and I read it faster than that first quarter of the book. It sped up, the story was interesting and the character development was fantastic.

I think the characters and the way they developed throughout the novel was one of my favorite parts. Lilac could have been the typical spoiled, privileged rich girl that learns the errors of her ways through the trials and tribulations of survival. And I’m not saying that this is untrue, but there’s so much more depth to Lilac’s character than I would have imagined. She has more depth than that, and I really love Lilac because of that. She could easily have been dismissed on my radar as a typical archetype but they take a familiar character type and make it that much better.

I am seriously looking forward to the next book. Amie and Meagan take a story that could be wrapped up in one novel, but build so much mystery and tension and unanswered questions that its subtle enough to make you go, “Wait a minute…what about…” And I love that. Its not a huge cliffhanger but its just subtle enough, its just there enough that you’re thinking, there’s already so much that is going on and I think we’re only on the tip of the iceberg.

Lastly, the reference of Icarus…oh my god, I love that so much, I couldn’t handle that. If you don’t know the reference of the story of Icarus and the reason I love it as the name of the fallen spaceship, you should definitely look it up! I was SO into that reference.

Rating:

4 out of 5 Stars

Recommended or Not?:

Yes! I honestly think this is one of the strongest YA sci-fi novels written lately and I think that’s incredible, considering its two authors in one. I am really looking forward to what happens in the coming books and I am NOT looking forward to waiting for them!

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I hope you enjoyed this week’s Book of the Week. Head to a bookstore soon to pick up this fantastic novel!

WWW Wednesday

January 15, 20147 Comments

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme, buy more about hosted by Should Be Reading.

The three W’s are:

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading? (Click on the book covers for reviews!)

What do you think you’ll be reading next?

What are you currently reading?

I just picked this up yesterday and I’m excited to read it! I met Ransom finally, pharmacy officially, salve for the first time yesterday and so yay! Exciting news!

I’ve honestly been reading this book for nearly a week now. It just hasn’t quite…I don’t know. I’m struggling with it. I’m determined to finish it though.

What did you just recently finish reading?

I’m really behind in my book reviews right now (I’m behind in the blog, in general) but I was definitely a fan of this book, and I can’t wait to share my review with you.

I re-read City of Bones. Again. I have lost count on how many times I’ve read this. Seriously, its getting unhealthy haha.

What do you think you’ll be reading next?

The cover and title caught my eye. I’ve heard some good stuff about Colleen so I’m down to read this.

I am a HUGE fan of Between the Lines by Tammara Webber and every time I google it, this comes up so I figured, hmm, I gotta give this book a try then. So I bought it and its sitting in my “to-read” pile.

This is one of those books that keeps popping up on my radar, so I’m finally sitting down to read it. Once I get to it. But I bought it so its sitting there for me also.

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What are you reading this week? Share in the comments!

Genre:

Pages:

Part of a Series?:

Release Date:

You Can Find the Book At:

GoodReads Summary:

My Review:

Rating:

Honorable Mentions:

10. Tonya Kuper

9. Cora Carmack

8. Lauren Miller

7. Jenny Han

6. Amie Kaufman and Megan Spooner

5. Sara Raasch

4. Melissa Landers

3. Victoria Scott

2. Kiera Cass

1. Catherine Linka

What are some new authors YOU’VE read this year? Share in the comments!

Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare (Re-Read)

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling (Re-Read)

Being Friends with Boys by Terra Elan McVoy

These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Megan Spooner

Genre:

Part of a Series?:

You May Like if You Liked:

Age Recommendation:

Plot Summary:

My Review:

Rating:

Recommended or Not?:

What are you currently reading?

What did you just recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll be reading next?