Book Review: Their Fractured Light by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner

Title: Their Fractured Light (Starbound #3)
Author: Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Pulishing Date: December 1st 2015
Length: 432 pages
Keywords: YA, fiction, sci-fi, romance, friendship, space travel, war
Source: Bought

A year ago, Flynn Cormac and Jubilee Chase made the now infamous Avon Broadcast, calling on the galaxy to witness for their planet, and protect them from destruction. Some say Flynn’s a madman, others whisper about conspiracies. Nobody knows the truth. A year before that, Tarver Merendsen and Lilac LaRoux were rescued from a terrible shipwreck—now, they live a public life in front of the cameras, and a secret life away from the world’s gaze.

Now, in the center of the universe on the planet of Corinth, all four are about to collide with two new players, who will bring the fight against LaRoux Industries to a head. Gideon Marchant is an eighteen-year-old computer hacker—a whiz kid and an urban warrior. He’ll climb, abseil and worm his way past the best security measures to pull off onsite hacks that others don’t dare touch.

Sofia Quinn has a killer smile, and by the time you’re done noticing it, she’s got you offering up your wallet, your car, and anything else she desires. She holds LaRoux Industries responsible for the mysterious death of her father and is out for revenge at any cost.

When a LaRoux Industries security breach interrupts Gideon and Sofia’s separate attempts to infiltrate their headquarters, they’re forced to work together to escape. Each of them has their own reason for wanting to take down LaRoux Industries, and neither trusts the other. But working together might be the best chance they have to expose the secrets LRI is so desperate to hide.

Summary by Goodreads 

THEIR FRACTURED LIGHT was one of my most anticipated books to be released in 2015. It's been a long wait until I could finally start the third book in the STARBOUND trilogy but it was so worth it! In each instalment Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner introduced us to a new pair of protagonists who were always very likely to fall in love. And THEIR FRACTURED LIGHT is no different. We have the pleasure to meet Sofia, a real con artist, and Gideon, the universe`s most skilled hacker. Their first meeting is just as explosive and heated as Lilac and Tarver and Jubilee and Flynn's first encounters in the previous books. What a dynamic jump into the story!

What I loved most about THEIR FRACTURED LIGHT is that we get to meet our two other favourite STARBOUND couples again. Lilac and Tarver have been there from the very beginning of the story and they are there when it all comes to an end. Just like Jubilee and Flynn, who are at the side of their best friends when the final battle decends upon them. Sofia and Gideon are the perfect addition to this group of friends. They fit together so naturally you can't but adore them.
   Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner write the best characters anyway! Their writing in general is so vivid and strong I can't help getting sucked into their stories again and again... and again.

So much has happened since THESE BROKEN STARS and I couldn't be happier about THEIR FRACTURED LIGHT finally uniting the stories of our six beloved STARBOUND protagonists. The conspiracy dots are connecting to constellations and the story is striving towards a finale like a super nova. In the end THEIR FRACTURED LIGHT is a brilliant and very fulfilling conclusion to the STARBOUND series, solving the mystery of the whispers we encountered in the first book and inducing the big showdown of our friends against the power-hungry Roderick LaRoux.

THEIR FRACTURED LIGHT has so much to offer. We get to explore the planet of Corinth, which creates a rich and diverse background to our story. There is this very sweet love story between Sofia and Gideon and the friendship between all of our STARBOUND heroes. In addition lots of hacking business, chases and battles are upping the thrill factor to maximum.

   The stories of THESE BROKEN STARS, THIS SHATTERED WORLD and THEIR FRACTURED LIGHT connect to one big and brilliant reading experience. And the last book in the STARBOUND series really ends on a beautiful and hopeful message. Thank you Amie and Meagan!

5/5 ***** THEIR FRACTURED LIGHT - A stellar, quick-witted and very beautiful conclusion to my favourite space trilogy! 

With the STARBOUND trilogy Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner created a marvellous reading experience for every fan of...well, words. Yes, THEIR FRACTURED LIGHT and its companions are that good! I'm in love with every fibre of Amie and Meagan's STARBOUND universe!

"I slide my other hand past the hacker's lap, toward the door controls, the movement quick but smooth. The driver's going to get over his confusion and outrage at some point, and I need to get the door open so we can bolt. I'm about to palm the scanner when the boy's lips curve under mine  – he's smiling, grinning – and it's the only warning I get before he's parting his lips and taking full advantage of my ploy by trying to stick his tongue down my throat. 

Asshole." – p. 32

THEIR FRACTURED LIGHT you might enjoy AVALON by Mindee Arnett, ACROSS THE UNIVERSE by Beth Revis and  GLITCH by Heather Anastasiu.

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

* Click here to read an excerpt of THEIR FRACTURED LIGHT!

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

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!

Book Review: These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner

Title: These Broken Stars (Starbound #1)
Author: Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Publishing Date: December 10th 2013
Length: 384 pages
Keywords: YA, fiction, sci-fi, space travel, romance, survival
Source: Netgalley

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.

Summary by Goodreads

Lilac LaRoux and Major Tarver Merendsen are both on board of the gigantic luxury spaceliner prophetically named Icarus when it's thrown out of hyperspace and crashes into the nearest planet. Lilac and Tarver are from different social spheres but after the crash they are the only two people left or so it seems and they have to team up in order to survive and find a way to call for help.

Think of THESE BROKEN STARS as a YA version of Titanic set in space and add a ton of extra dangers, special effects and feels. No reader can say no to that, right?

Amie and Meagan's version of a future galaxy holds many miracles that have you marvelling at their invention and sheer existence. People have colonised numerous planets, changed the texture and feel of so many things and travel through space in the blink of an eye. The story's level of individuality is set very high. Technical details, the construction of the Icarus, the complexion of the new land and each step of Lilac and Tarver's journey, it all felt so complete and well-connected.

Chapters alternate between Lilac and Tarver's perspective. Don't you think men in uniform are extremely sexy? Let me introduce you to Major Tarver Merendsen then, the epitome of a YA hero who makes your heart race and takes your breath away. Despite his simple upbringing he is intelligent, strong and has become a trained soldier and war hero. On the new planet Tarver is not only responsible for his own life, he sees it as his mission to protect society princess Lilac LaRoux at all costs.

A relevant part of THESE BROKEN STARS is about the differences in their upbringings and the planets they are living on (yes, two lovers who are from different planets!). Lilac sees what it means to be out in the world and without her posse for protection. Lilac and Tarver are exploring the new planet they landed on. Is it inhabitable? What dangers and discoveries are awaiting them?

They are both busy following their own goals and intentions. Tarver to get through this mission without being fooled by the heir to the galaxy's richest industry mogul. 

And Lilac...well, let me just say it takes her some time to see clearly again after years of false pretense and hiding behind conventions.

Every subtle change in their ways of thinking and their feelings towards each other was present and poured off the pages right into my heart where there's just so much love for them as individual characters and as a couple. Tarver and Lilac are an explosive combo and their love burns as bright as the brightest star. I have read so many love stories with intimate scenes that often felt simply insufficient whereas Tarver and Lilac's love story was never less than fulfilling and just perfect. Both teens can't fully escape the sadness of their pasts but what would life be worth if they hadn't something wonderful to live for in the future? Hopefully each other! 

The romance of the manly soldier and the delicate society girl is a sexy and powerful one. Their rough edges made them the most fascinatingly interacting characters I have encountered in a very long time. Heated kisses had me swooning, strange happenings really scared me to death and the more emotional parts of their story had me sobbing through the night. Oh my, all the feels! And there is a ton of them! THESE BROKEN STARS became my favourite book of 2013 in only a matter of a few hours.

Sometimes there are key scenes or moments that make you feel at home in a story. Characters you can identify with, places so exciting you want to dive in head first and words so compelling you read them in a kind of trance. THESE BROKEN STARS did that to me and every page made me think: 'Yes, this is exactly my kind of story. I don't want to just read it, but make it my new home and live in it forever!'

5/5 ***** THESE BROKEN STARS –  Space adventure galore of the most splendid kind, an irresistible romance and a universally captivating storyline. Whatever you are looking for in a favourite YA read in 2013, Amie & Meagan's debut has it all and beyond!
 

The first book in the STARBOUND series is a paramount debut thanks to Amie and Meagan's stellar writing. Exceeding all expectations, THESE BROKEN STARS is a story so finely fabricated you will feel the magic of stars and with it an entirely new futuristic galaxy come to live and unfolding on every single page. Lilac and Tarver's story is resplendent, an emotional firecracker and the galactically good start to a new space trilogy! It's going to be a long long wait until its companion is coming out in 2014.

„There are sheets, we can make a bed. A proper bed, imagine. We won't know what to do with it.“

She's laughing as she speaks.

Oh, trust me, Miss LaRoux. I'd know what to do with it. I can think up a whole list of things, if you like. ― p. 208*

*This quote is taken from the Netgalley provided by Disney Hyperion. It is subject to change before its publication and will be checked against the finished copy when it comes out in December 2013! 

THESE BROKEN STARS you might also enjoy ACROSS THE UNIVERSE by Beth Revis, the first sci-fi YA novel set in space I ever read and loved. CINDER by Marissa Meyer isn't set on a spaceship directly but the earth has been reformed and interplanetary travel has been made possible. FOR DARKNESS SHOWS THE STARS by Diana Peterfreund is a Persuasion by Jane Austen inspired story set in space. It's on top of my TBR pile!

* Make sure to add the second novel in the STARBOUND trilogy to your wishlist!

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

* Thanks to Disney Hyperion and Netgalley for the chance to review THESE BROKEN STARS!

Book Review: All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill

Title: All Our Yesterdays (Cassandra Chronicles #1)
Author: Cristin Terrill
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Pulishing Date: September 3rd 2013
Length: 368 pages

Keywords: YA, fiction, time travel, romance, action

Source: Netgalley

"You have to kill him." Imprisoned in the heart of a secret military base, Em has nothing except the voice of the boy in the cell next door and the list of instructions she finds taped inside the drain.

Only Em can complete the final instruction. She’s tried everything to prevent the creation of a time machine that will tear the world apart. She holds the proof: a list she has never seen before, written in her own hand. Each failed attempt in the past has led her to the same terrible present—imprisoned and tortured by a sadistic man called the doctor while war rages outside.

Marina has loved her best friend James since the day he moved next door when they were children. A gorgeous, introverted science prodigy from one of America’s most famous families, James finally seems to be seeing Marina in a new way, too. But on one disastrous night, James’s life crumbles apart, and with it, Marina’s hopes for their future. Now someone is trying to kill him. Marina will protect James, no matter what. Even if it means opening her eyes to a truth so terrible that she may not survive it. At least not as the girl she once was.

Summary by Goodreads 

Someone caught in a tiny space, not knowing when or if they will ever be free again. That's the best way to start a story that I want to keep reading. Em our heroine finds herself in such a situation, confined in a cell. There are just so many unknown constantes in this equation, who is keeping her hostage, what did she do to get herself in there and how will she escape? It's the deperate search for a way out that always appeals to me on a very instinctive level. Seeing the main character caught in such a hopeless scenario is an immediate bonding guarantee for me.

In the cell next to hers is a boy who we fast learn stars as leading male character and will make for a gorgeous love interest. With the looming threats of a mad scientist hunting them there isn't much time for romance so I even more savoured each scene piecing together their grand love story. Finn is one love interest who's worth a sleepless night equally spent reading and swooning.

Finn and Em are so good together. They aren't trained agents or spies but they are just as bad-ass and determined. Being given a time frame of only a few days makes solving the puzzle and ending their task so much more urgent and thrilling.

Em has to figure out the list she finds in her cell, written by her future self with some of the hardest decisions that will change her life forever. Destroy the life you know and work against another version of yourselves and friends to save the entire world. Working against your own past self has something very emotional and tricky about it. It's about the person you were and you could become in future if you just tried hard enough to change. Cristin Terrill wrote a story so complex and basically mastermind I'm sure she'll have countless fans by the time her second book comes out.

The two different persons they are, Marina in the past and Em in the future, are in love with two different men. Finn and James. The (internal) character conflicts and love conflict proved to be very engaging and threw up a lot of questions.

Every thing they change in the past makes the future even more unpredictable. It's like a never-ending (admittedly slightly confusing at times) mystery, a puzzle with endless pieces that needs to be solved.

We are given information about the past, as Finn and Em are seeing their old selves living it in form of flash backs. And hints at what happens in the future if they fail, who has to suffer and who won't make it. This story works on so many different levels and is layered with so many emotions you better pick up a copy yourselves and make sure you don't miss Cristin's stunning debut. 

5/5 ***** ALL OUR YESTERDAYS – A multidimensional quest of two teens set out to save the world, their future and themselves. Astonishing in its addictiveness, disarming in its time travel glory, ALL OUR YESTERDAYS will constantly have you pining for just one more page. 

I read ALL OUR YESTERDAYS expecting it to be a standalone and I really loved it. The story could've been wrapped-up in only one book but it definitely leaves room for more content. And I was so stoked when I found out there will be a sequel coming in 2014 because Cristin's characters Marina and Finn had grown on me so much I wouldn't want to let them go. Time can be a tricky thing and for all its endless possibilities it brings you love ALL OUR YESTERDAYS even more.

"I start to shake. In this time and place, a letter I don't remember writing means something very specific.

But it's the last line that makes me scramble for the toilet in the corner of the cell.

You have to kill him." ― p. 11

ALL OUR YESTERDAYS you should also enjoy HOURGLASS by Myra McEntire, TEMPEST by Julie Cross and PIVOT POINT by Kasie West. All three are just as action-packed, cleverly thought-out and have the best romances.

* How do you like the UK cover for ALL OUR YESTERDAYS?

* Click here to read an excerpt.

* Want to find out what happened before ALL OUR YESTERDAYS? Watch the prequel web series.

* For further information about Cristin Terrill and her books visit www.cristinterrill.com

* Thanks to Disney Hyperion and Netgalley for the chance to review ALL OUR YESTERDAYS!

Mini Reviews # 10

THE GIRL OF FIRE AND THORNS by Rae Carson, MERCY by Rebecca Lim and THE NEAR WITCH by Victoria Schwab are three more 2011 Netgalley titles I finally got to review. Read my mini reviews for them below.

The Girl of Fire and Thorns (Girl of Fire and Thorns #1) by Rae Carson

The blue gemstone in Elisa's navel is a sign for the divine purpose she's destined to fulfill. Chosen by God like many others before her every century. Married to King Alejandro de Varga, Elisa is expected to fit into her new role as future Queen of Joya d'Arena. Until she is kidnapped by revolutionaries and  has to choose her very own path.

Finding her path has to be understood figuratively as literally. Elisa is travelling a lot whether she wants to or not. She leaves her home of Orovalle for Joya d'Arena, most of the route leads her through desert areas of great expanses. I really would have liked a map to go with the story so I could have followed Elisa's journey more easily. She's living in a war-torn country and that's why there were too many discussions about strategy and stretched marches through the desert that lacked all kinds of excitement.

It must have been the long and tedious  journey that clouded my senses and made me unresponsive for Elisa's desert romance.

Central to the story are high beliefs in God, thorough praying, a profound historical background and tellings of former Godstone-bearers.

3,5/5 ***/* THE GIRL OF FIRE AND THORNS -  Have a little faith and this could be an adventurous journey!

Elisa's special because she's a Godstone-bearer. But her ways of communicating with God weren't exactly what made her appealing as a main character but the metamorphosis she's undergoing in so many different ways. For fans of GRACELING by Kristin Cashore, LEGACY by Cayla Kluver or A TOUCH OF POWER by Maria V. Snyder.

Publisher: Harper Teen
Publishing Date: September 1^st 2011
Length: 423 pages
Keywords: YA fiction, fantasy, religion, history, romance, sorcery

Source: Netgalley

Goodreads Summary 

The Girl of Fire and Thorns Excerpt 

Author's Homepage

Mercy (Mercy #1) by Rebecca Lim

Waking up in a new human body now and then, taking over their lives to righten things, that's what Mercy's existence looks like. This time Mercy finds herself on a schoolbus on its way to a choir practice trip and with that in the life of Carmen Zappacosta. From the beginning it's all about singing and choir meets - a complete musical overload if you ask me.

Then there's a crime case at hand that Mercy gets involved with. Lauren, the daughter of her host familiy went missing almost two years ago and Lauren's brother Ryan still hasn't lost hope of finding her. Mercy and Ryan team up to dig for info with joined forces.

There was nothing said about Carmen's life before Mercy or that much about the missing girl's life.

Ryan and Mercy as Carmen wander around town, blatantly and obviously asking people about where Lauren could be. I could't call it hunting for clues, they are just too dumb to realise what's right in front of them the whole time. I guess they were supposed to bring a romance factor to the story of MERCY but I hardly felt the spark.

From the sound of its abstract MERCY is supposed to be the start of a new paranormal angel series but there's not much talking about angels and everything about the background of Mercy is left in the dark. No explanations, therefore stark frustration.

1,5/5 */* MERCY – Music, angels, a missing girl – all rather disproportionate and shapeless parts of MERCY not really adding up.

MERCY was a touch case. The story got more absurd and cruelly evoking disinterest with each passing page. The entire choir and music theme a liability. The romance probably the weakest I've encountered so far this year. Only the idea of some angelic being put into another human's life to offer help and improvement time and time again was what kept me reading.

Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Publishing Date: May 17^th 2011
Length: 288 pages
Keywords: YA fiction,music, angels, romance, missing girl

Source: Netgalley

Goodreads Summary 

Mercy Excerpt 

Author's Homepage

The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab

The Near Witch is only an old child's tale. That's what Lexi believes until one day when a stranger appears, in the town of Near where there are none, and children start to disappear overnight.

Lexi and the stranger Cole, who has an otherworldly feel about him, start looking for clues to find the lost children and see if there's actually more to the near witch tale than they always thought. Cole is mysterious and elusive and  I wasn't sure if their relationship was supposed to be a love story, it only evoked weak feelings.

The story itself is supposed to be scary, slightly unset was all I felt. It's more of a spooky tale to read to children than a Young Adult novel.

3/5 *** THE NEAR WITCH – An eerie read for cold and windy days. More children's tale and not much of a successful YA debut.

It's been a while since I read THE NEAR WITCH and even though the plot wasn't elaborate enough to fully grasp me it's the atmosphere of a remote town, a whispering gale, moor and green glades that's still surprisingly present when I think about Victoria Schwab's debut.

Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Publishing Date: August 2^nd 2011
Length: 282 pages
Keywords: YA fiction, tale, witch, romance

Source: Netgalley

Goodreads Summary 

The Near Witch Excerpt 

Author's Homepage