Book Review: THIS SHATTERED WORLD by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

Description from Goodreads:

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.

If you read my review of These Broken Stars (Starbound Book #1), you’ll know how much I love, LOVED that book. Even knowing that This Shattered World was a companion novel and not a continuation of Tarver and Lilac’s story, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. (Though Tarver and Lilac certainly make an appearance!!!)

It was so completely different than the first book that I can’t even try to compare them, but there was still so much to love! From the star-crossed love story to the colorful characters and action that literally jumped off the page right from the beginning. Kaufman and Spooner delivered another one to add to my favorite list.

We meet no-nonsense Captain Jubilee Chase and smooth talking rebel Flynn Cormac on the embattled planet of Avon. Their individual motivations and loyalties ran deep and there was plenty of drama and heartbreak to go around. With themes and storylines reminiscent of Romeo and Juliet and West Side Story (of which I’ll never grow tired…), Jubilee and Flynn have to first overcome their own prejudices in order to figure out what is really happening on Avon and hopefully end the fighting between their two groups.

For the rebels or natives on the planet, Kaufman and Spooner incorporated a rich Irish ancestry that they cling to. This was a perfect and believable background. They are fighting to have their homes back and to protect their families, but while some are interesting in winning by any violent means necessary, all Flynn wants is to stop the fighting.

The soldiers that serve under Jubilee don’t last long on Avon. They come for a few months at a time before becoming affected by some mysterious element that sends them into murderous rages. While the natives are immune to this, so is Jubilee, who has been there for a year. The mystery that simmers just below the surface is just as intriguing as in TBS. The task for Jubilee and Flynn is to find out if there is some greater force at work and if they can stop it before both sides  

As with TBS, I wasn’t overwhelmed by the Sci-Fi element (that sometimes goes wayyyy over my head!) This Shattered World had just the right amount of action, romance, and mystery!!! You can read this book if you haven’t read book 1, but I recommend it before moving on to this fantastic companion!