GoodRead - This Night So Dark

After I finished This Shattered World that the lovely Luna from Luna's Little Library lent me (she got a copy from BEA - my review of that is here), I wasn't ready to leave this world. Even though I have LOADS of books to read - one book I really should have finished sometime this week but I know I'm not going to make my mental deadline and I have a second that I need to read by 3rd December - I wanted to stay in this world for a tad longer.

I knew about this eNovella for a while, but it took a while for me to hunt it down and get a copy of it. This is free and if you live in the UK and you want to read this eNovella within These Broken Stars world, you can go here. Anywhere else in the world can go here.

Tarver has started to have nightmares. Nightmares about something that happened six months prior to the horror that was the Icarus crash. Six months prior where Tarver has to rescue a group of civilians from a group of brutal mercenaries. But is what happened then connected to what happened to both him and Lilac...

I finished this several days ago and, I did like this. It was a fast read (though I did have to spread it over several days - real life sucks sometimes!) and it was a nice titbit for readers. We get more Tarver and Lilac and we see them after the events of These Broken Stars. But it also gives us a insight to Tarver's history and why he was on the Icarus. 

And it does a good thing by making the plot thicken over the mysterious LaRoux Industries.

But, I did have some issues. I always do so why did I expect not to have problems is anyone's guess.

While it was nice to read this, I was expecting more. I'm not what more I wanted but I was expecting more details, more hints and clues and more story (with this download, 47% is This Night So Dark and the rest is sample chapters of These Broken Stars and This Shattered World). Also, I expected to see a crossover where we meet Jubilee from This Shattered World and see how she and Tarver know and interact with each other. But the only clue for This Shattered World is Tarver mentioning he was based on Avon a month or two ago.

While this isn't important to the series in my opinion (so if you miss it or decide not to read it but read This Shattered World), I think fans will enjoy this. And if you're curious over this series, this is free and there is sample chapters of These Broken Stars and This Shattered World, I would say go to it.

GoodRead - This Shattered World

I must thank Luna from Luna's Little Library. Thank you Luna! Luna got this at BEA earlier in the year and I kept going on about wanting to read it (I went mad over the first book in the trilogy, These Broken Stars [review to that is here!]. And, very kindly, Luna offered to let me borrow her BEA copy as we were going to meet at the Zoe Marriott/Walker Books event (and she "forced" me to buy more books in a charity shop. Will read them soonish. Hopefully).

So, I got this and I spedread this and, yes, even though this isn't out till 23rd December, am going to write my review now and maybe - MAYBE - review it on the Bookish Brits YouTube Channel  nearer the publication date. Maybe.

In this, the second book in the Starbound trilogy, a war is raging on the planet of Avon. Captain Jubilee (Lee for short) Chase has been sent to he planet to crush the terraformed planet's rebels. Flynn is one of these rebels, trying to end the war peacefully.

The two were never meant to meet. But a chance meeting make Flynn taking Lee has a hostage. As his fellow rebels plan to execute Lee, Flynn makes another decision, changing them both. Soon, they find themselves working together to figure out a way to end this senseless war...

And, from a distance, LaRoux Industries is watching...

Ok, as you are aware, I LOVED These Broken Stars so I knew from the word go that it was going to be hard for this book to live up to my reaction, and with this book focusing on new characters rather than Tarver and Lilac, it was going to be a very interesting.

It was going to be, I decided, like Anna and the French Kiss trilogy by Stephanie Perkins. But in space.

And I really liked it. I enjoyed myself while I galloped through the pages. Yes, it didn't live up to my love to These Broken Stars, but it is a very worthy sequel.

First thing I really enjoyed was how different yet similar this book was to These Broken Stars. We have two strong and interesting characters. I think you guys are going to love reading about Jubilee (Why, authors? Why use that name? Every time I read it, I kept thinking of Jubilee from the X-Men?!). You'll like Flynn too, but this was really Jubilee's book.

And how this book linked with These Broken Stars. I don't want to spoil anything but, if you loved These Broken Stars, you'll squeal when you see who/what pops up...

Also, the last 100 or so pages - Meagan and Amie know how to make those last few pages count. They will have you on the edge of your seat and breathless - I remember finishing these pages and going to Twitter to some bookish pals and going "PLEASE TELL ME YOU READ THIS?!"

(Again, why doesn't this series not have a UK publisher? Why?!)

I am going to admit there are little things that bothered me. There are not big deal breakers but I noticed them and, once you notice something...

The one real thing that bothered me was only really used in the first 50 or so pages when we are told several times that Jubilee is Chinese descent and people of Avon have hints of Irish. Compared to some books where they drum this details into the reader's head with a fork-lift truck, this was more gentle. But I spotted it and was annoyed over it... I blame Zoe Marriott (not read her. You should!

I think my issues come down to the fact that with These Broken Stars, I listened via audiobook so I crept under the character's skins. But with This Shattered World, I borrowed someone's book (I'm weird over borrowing books from people) and I devoured the book within 8 days. That is fast for me, but I must have liked and enjoyed myself as I usually take two weeks to read one book. But I think if I listened to the audiobook, my reaction might have been different.

Maybe I should get the audiobook when it's released and do a reread...

But fans of this series will really enjoy this book and I can't wait to get my hands of the third and final book in the trilogy, which should be out in December 2015 (SO FAR AWAY!). But, there is a eNovella that ties These Broken Stars and This Shattered World together - This Night So Dark - and I plan to be reading that VERY SOON (you can read it here...).