This Shattered World Blog Tour: Interview + Giveaway

I'm thrilled today to be a part of the promotional tour for This Shattered World, the second book in the Starbound Trilogy by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner. I fell madly in love with These Broken Stars last year and could barely summon up the patience to wait until This Shattered World released, but somehow I pulled from patience reserves I never knew I had and endured until I was lucky enough to get my hands on a copy. So good.

Now I have the pleasure of welcoming Amie and Meagan back to the blog to answer a few questions, so I hope you all enjoy the interview! Be sure and check out the bottom of the post for all the details on a giveaway as well as the full list of participating blogs.

Given Lee and Flynn are on opposite sides of Avon's rebellion, there's a forbidden aspect to their romance. What are your top three fictional forbidden or starcrossed romances?

Oh, soooooo many to choose from! Given the influence their story had on this book (it’s set on planet Avon, after all), we have to choose Romeo and Juliet. We love a story about secret allies from two warring factions, and the agony of conflicting loyalties that comes with it. (We’re basically awful people. We just like agony.)

We also love the movie 10 Things I Hate About You—also, interestingly enough, a Shakespearean play in film form. There’s just something about their banter that stuck with us, and it’s that back and forth that we always try to give to each of our couples in each book. Especially with Flynn and Jubilee, who get along like matches and gasoline. (Explosively. Also: hot.)

And finally, what better starcrossed romance is there than Elizabeth Bennett and Fitzwilliam Darcy? No one would’ve ever picked those two for a couple, and yet they just end up working. Unlikely couples are our favorites.

If you were to find yourself under Lee's military command, what are a few of the words she might use to describe your physical abilities in her initial evaluation of your combat readiness?

Oh man, you had to ask. Let’s just say we’re both significantly better at writing about great feats of physical prowess than we are at performing them. A few phrases on our personal reports would include ‘noodly-armed’, ‘a danger to themselves and others’, ‘constantly daydreaming’ and ‘too busy talking to take orders’. We would also suck at getting up in time for the morning parade.

If you lived in the world of the Starbound Trilogy–where interstellar travel is commonplace and numerous planets are inhabitable–and found yourself on a previously unknown planet with your dream environment, what would that environment consist of and what would you name your new world?

Oooh, good question! The two things we love to do most together are write stories and go out on road trips, so those would shape our dream planet. We’d find ourselves surrounded by breathtaking scenery—some of our favourite places to explore were the Grand Canyon and Yosemite National Park—though we have to be honest, our dream environment would also involve a comfy house to kick back after our days of exploring.

When we need to work on a story, we love to head somewhere beautiful to walk and brainstorm, whether that’s the luxurious hot springs just outside Melbourne, or the amazing Biltmore Estate outside Asheville. So, sounds like our dream planet would be magnificent in its natural beauty, with just a touch of luxury. And hopefully some very easily harvested food. We’re not survivors like our characters!

What would we call our planet? Home.

Let's say that tomorrow you board a ship for an entirely new planet, with little to no knowledge of what awaits you in terms of food, living conditions, amenities, etc. What one aspect of this world or the comforts of your current life would you miss most?

As outlined above, we really do like our creature comforts! The truth is, though, that we’re both okay roughing it when we need to. As long as we could take our families (and our pets) with us, then the one thing we’d miss most would be our bookshelves! With comfy beds a close second ;)

If Lee and Flynn were told their lives were the subject matter for a piece of fiction, what would their first immediate reactions be? Would they want to read their story?

Flynn would absolutely love it! He comes from a long tradition of Irish storytelling, and one of the things we get to see in This Shattered World is his cousin Sean re-telling an old Irish legend about a couple called Niamh and Oisín, complete with modern touches like space shuttles. Flynn would probably prefer to hear the story told with all the embellishments you could manage, but he’d definitely want to read it too.

Jubilee’s a little more no-nonsense than Flynn (A little? A lot…) and would probably just say that she’s already lived it, she knows how it ends, and she’d rather focus on the future than spend time rehashing the past. That said, she’d probably end up reading it to humor Flynn, and we bet she’d enjoy it, even if she did critique everyone’s tactics.

A huge thank you to Amie and Meagan for taking the time to answer my questions!

• • • • • • • • • • • 

THIS SHATTERED WORLD

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.

Goodreads • Amazon

 

• • • • • • • • • • •

AMIE KAUFMAN + MEAGAN SPOONER

Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner are longtime friends and sometime flatmates who have traveled the world (but not yet the galaxy), covering every continent between them. They are sure outer space is only a matter of time. Meagan, who is also the author of the Skylark trilogy, currently lives in Asheville, NC, while Amie lives in Melbourne, Australia. Although they currently live apart, they are united by their love of space opera, road trips, and second breakfasts.

Visit the These Broken Stars website for the latest news on the series and follow the authors on Twitter at @AmieKaufman and @MeaganSpooner. This Shattered World is available for pre-order (with fun swag!) and will be released in North America on December 23, 2014.

Find Amie:

Website • Twitter • Facebook

Find Meagan:

Website • Twitter • Facebook

• • • • • • • • • • • 

GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, Dec.8 - The Midnight Garden - Secrets of Starbound: Characters           
Tuesday, Dec. - The Book Smugglers - Making an Audiobook
Wednesday, Dec. 10 - Ivy Book Bindings - Secrets of Starbound: Science and Settings
Thursday, Dec. 11 - Cuddlebuggery - How Amie & Meagan Met
Friday, Dec. 12 - Little Book Owl - Video Interview
 
Monday, Dec. 15 - Mundie Moms - Shooting the Cover
Tuesday, Dec. 16 - Xpresso Reads - Starbound Inspirations
Wednesday, Dec. 17 - A Book Utopia - Video: Your New Book Boyfriend
Thursday, Dec. 18 - Supernatural Snark - Q & A
Friday, Dec. 19 - Love is Not a Triangle - Gender in Science Fiction

Review: This Shattered World

THIS SHATTERED WORLD
Starbound #2
Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
Young Adult/Sci-Fi
390 pages
Disney-Hyperion
Available December 23rd
Source: BEA

THE STORY (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.

MY THOUGHTS
This Shattered World takes us to a perpetually cloud-covered Avon, a planet on the brink of war as the restlessness of the native inhabitants edges toward a breaking point with the military personnel assigned to keep the peace. While we’re easily caught up in the tension between the two sides, in the back of our minds we can’t help but wonder how Lee and Flynn’s story is going to tie in with that of Lilac and Tarver's, straining a bit to remember just what happened to them when the Icarus crashed. It isn’t until about the halfway point when the two stories start to converge, and once they do, we simply cannot turn the pages fast enough to see how things are going to play out.

Lee is quite the departure from Lilac (at least the Lilac at the beginning of These Broken Stars), physically and mentally strong and always battle-ready, prepared for whatever threat is going to come her way. While Flynn does manage to overpower her in the opening chapters, she never stops fighting, even if that fight consists of a quiet defiance that brings a smile to our faces. Though she's constantly thinking of ways to escape Flynn and return to base, she’s not so singularly focused that she doesn’t realize things with the rebels are not entirely what they seem, and it doesn’t take her long before she starts to believe in Flynn and his theories that something more is going on with Avon than simple unrest.

Flynn is much like Lee, beautifully open to the possibility that what he thought he knew or what he’s been told is not the only side to the story, allowing himself to trust a young woman whose reputation for being cold and ruthless precedes her. His affection for her is understandably and thankfully slow in coming, their romance developing at the perfect pace given the level of distrust that exists between the military and the rebels. There are no declarations of love between them, just the simple development of a bond that has the potential to turn into love, and it’s nothing if not satisfying to watch it form in the midst of increasing hostility.

Overall, This Shattered World is a strong companion to These Broken Stars, taking just a little while to completely draw us in given the way our minds question the link between Lee and Flynn and Lilac and Tarver, but growing in intensity with every chapter. We end desperately wanting to wipe the utterly insincere grin from Roderick LaRoux’s face with a good hard smack, already counting the days until the next book releases and hoping against hope that he’ll get what he so rightfully deserves.

Rating: 4/5
 

Find Amie:

Website • Twitter • Facebook • Goodreads • Amazon

Find Meagan:

Website • Twitter • Facebook • Goodreads • Amazon

This book was given to me by the publisher at BEA free of charge for the purpose of a review. 

I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.

Interview: Amie Kaufman + Meagan Spooner

I'm so pleased today to welcome authors Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner to the blog to answer a few questions about their outstanding YA science fiction novel, These Broken Stars. I read These Broken Stars a while back and fell madly in love with it, but due to crazy schedules on both sides, I'm just now getting this interview up and I'm so excited to share it with all of you! If you haven't had the chance to read These Broken Stars yet, I can't recommend it enough.

We don’t get to spend too much time on the Icarus before tragedy strikes, so our glimpse of the grandeur of her is fleeting. If you both were on-board as first-class guests, how would your days likely be spent?

Gosh, what wouldn’t we do? We’d hang out in the salon a little (like Tarver, we’d want to check out the books) and we’d want to explore the huge gardens, and the viewing decks where you can see the colours of hyperspace—imagine the Northern Lights—whirling past the glass dome. And then someone would work out we’re writers, and march us down to third-class where we belong!

Lilac and Tarver get off to a bit of a rocky start, each finding themselves stranded with someone who doesn’t particularly care for them. If in those early days they could have handpicked a companion from a different young adult novel to replace the one they were with, who would each of them have chosen?

Wow, that’s a tough question! Tarver probably would have picked someone tough and capable, maybe June from Marie Lu’s Legend series. When they first crashed, Lilac had no idea what she was in for, so she would’ve likely picked someone who would be better company, rather than someone competent. She would’ve enjoyed palling around with Effie Trinket from The Hunger Games, or Persis Blake from Across a Star-Swept Sea. (Though of course, Persis actually IS competent, she just hides it well!)

You both end up on the escape pod with Lilac and Tarver, crash landing with them on an unknown planet. What’s one quality or skill each of you possesses that would come in handy given your circumstances?

Amie: I don’t think we’d be anyone’s companion of choice, but I do know how to start a fire, so that’s something. If we were truly shipwrecked I’d be much more useful—I’ve been sailing since before I took my first steps.

Meg: I don’t run very fast, so if anything came after us it’d probably eat me before it’d eat any of the others. I imagine they’d find that pretty handy.

After enduring weeks in a survival situation like Lilac and Tarver’s, what is the first comfort food you would seek out upon being rescued?

Amie: Giant hamburger. I’ve done a lot of hiking, and that’s always one of two things I daydream about while I’m away from it all. The other is fresh, crunchy apples.

Meg: Korean-style fried chicken, and lots of chocolate afterward.

What is a favorite line from the book each of you has that was written by the other person?

Amie: There are so, so many things Meg wrote that are just beautiful and lyrical. It’s so hard to choose one! There’s one, though, that conjures up an image I adore:

Tarver lowers himself down again, arm circling my waist. His voice is soft and warm by my hear. “What is this place?”

I have no answer for him, and we watch the false moon in silence. For a dizzying moment I see us as if from above, a tiny lump in the blue-black sea of grass, nearly swallowed by the vastness of the plains.

Meg: Amie’s pretty much hilarious, and that comes through in Tarver’s personality and not-so-hidden sense of snark. I still laugh at some of the things he says, despite having read them over dozens of times by now. One of my favorites happens very early on, when Tarver’s struggling with how difficult it is to drag Lilac through the woods. He asks if she wants to take a break, and here’s her reply:

She considers the question, then nods, reaching up to tuck her hair back where it belongs. “Where will I sit?”

Sit? Why, on this comfortable chaise lounge I’ve carried here for you in my pocket, Your Highness, so glad you asked.

I clamp my mouth shut, struggling not to say it aloud.

Thank you so much Amie and Meg!

• • • • • • • • • • •

THESE BROKEN STARS

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.
 

Find Amie:

Website • Twitter • Facebook • Goodreads • Amazon

Find Meagan:

Website • Twitter • Facebook • Goodreads • Amazon

Review: These Broken Stars

THESE BROKEN STARS
Starbound #1
Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
Young Adult/Sci-Fi
374 pages
Disney Hyperion
Available Now
Source: BEA

THE STORY (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 THOUGHTS
These Broken Stars is a story that appears to move quietly despite the enormous tragedy responsible for Lilac and Tarver's presence on an unknown planet, but every footfall across the unfamiliar landscape seems to echo and grow louder until their journey reverberates through us, imprinting itself deeper onto our minds and hearts with every page. Aside from an intriguing mystery slowly unraveling thanks to two outstanding protagonists, the setup itself proves to be equally fascinating, the alternating perspectives of Lilac and Tarver interrupted with short dialogue snippets from what is clearly a post-rescue debriefing of Tarver. At first it seems as though these short detours might not be entirely necessary, but soon we come to see the level of intimacy they provide us as we watch Tarver expertly deflect some questions and outright lie as answer to others, all the while reveling in the knowledge that we're privy to what his interviewers so desperately want to know.

Lilac is a young women hard to define in the beginning, her moods and behavior shifting quickly from one moment to the next so that we never quite get a read on her, always dodging our attempts to connect to her with a level of skill borne of someone who's relentlessly pursued the art of how to isolate themselves from those around them. She's defiant out of spite when she and Tarver initially crash land, earning her negative opinion points when she ignores Tarver's clearly superior survival knowledge, yet as the story progresses she becomes not only a partner to him, but also a leader in her own right. She sheds the skin of the girl who pushes everyone's buttons to keep them at arm's length, leaving her behind in a torn heap of green fabric and pulling on the strength and determination of a fighter who doesn't know how to lose.

Tarver is much easier to relate to from the first chapter, clearly out of place amidst the elite on board the Icarus and rather brutally shot down by Lilac early on for daring not to recognize the face that goes with the infamous name. Once on the new planet he's calm and collected, the soldier with years of experience in the field asserting himself and ensuring he provides a sometimes-infuriating Lilac with the best chance of getting rescued. As Lilac grows throughout this first installment, so too does Tarver, some of his training melting away to show us the man beneath the military know-how; one with a heart that had previously only beat for a lost brother and the family he left behind, but now finds a new rhythm inspired by red hair, a quick wit, and an aptitude for all things electronic. He's strong when Lilac needs him to be, but he also has a gift for knowing when she needs to be one who feels in control, and the two of them together make a pair so beautifully perfect for one another we almost wish the rescue we know is coming would suddenly get lost en route and leave them to their striking solitude.

There are of course questions left unanswered in the end after all Tarver and Lilac uncover, but we do learn enough about the planet's secrets to satisfy us for the time being, leaving us content to wait for the next book rather than cursing the authors for their cruelty. Overall, These Broken Stars is a spectacular start to this series, expertly detailing both the individual growth of our two protagonists as well as their progression as a couple, and testing our emotional resiliency in the later chapters when rescue–though we know it to be inevitable given Tarver's debriefing–seems to lose all meaning, and hope is something we dare not feel for the loss of it would be a fate worse than death for two people we've come to love with rather impressive fierceness.

Rating: 4.5/5
 

Find Amie:

Website • Twitter • Facebook • Goodreads • Amazon

Find Meagan:

Website • Twitter • Facebook • Goodreads • Amazon

This book was given to me by the publisher at BEA free of charge for the purpose of a review. 

I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.

Cover Reveal + Giveaway: These Broken Stars

I'm super excited today to be able to share with you the cover for These Broken Stars, a new young adult science fiction novel by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner set to release in December from Disney Hyperion. I also have the pleasure of introducing you to Tarver, war hero and love interest extraordinaire, so get ready to add this one to your "must have" lists!

THESE BROKEN STARS

Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

December 10th, 2013

Disney Hyperion

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.

The first in a sweeping science fiction trilogy, These Broken Stars is a timeless love story about hope and survival in the face of unthinkable odds.

Early praise For These Broken Stars:

"Absolutely brilliant. This is the sci fi I've been waiting for! Action, romance, twists and turns–this book has it all!" – New York Times bestselling author of Across The Universe, Beth Revis

• • • • • • • • • • 

AMIE KAUFMAN + MEAGAN SPOONER

Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner are longtime friends and sometime flatmates who have traveled the world (but not yet the galaxy), covering every continent between them. They are sure outer space is only a matter of time. Meagan, who is also the author of the SKYLARK trilogy, currently lives just outside DC, while Amie lives in Melbourne, Australia. Although they currently live apart, they are united by their love of space opera, road trips, and second breakfasts.

AMIE

Website • Twitter • Facebook

 MEG

Website • Twitter • Facebook

• • • • • • • • • •

MEET THE "STARS" - TARVER

You see that gorgeous photo up there? One of the things we adore about our cover is how well-cast the models in the photo shoot were. It’ll be a while before most people get to meet Lilac and Tarver completely, but we thought that since you’re all getting a little glimpse at them on the cover, it’d be a good idea to tell you a little more about the stars of the story! Meet Tarver--for Lilac, click here!

Age: 18
Height: 6’2”
Hair: Dark brown
Eyes: Brown
Rank: Major

Bio: Tarver Merendsen is a decorated war hero. He enlisted when he reached his majority at sixteen, and by eighteen has been promoted with unusual speed to the rank of Major, acquiring a chest full of medals along the way. Raised on a quiet planet in a rural area, he’d rather spend an evening with his platoon than facing down a room full of cameras, and he’s uncomfortable in the spotlight. High society makes his teeth hurt. But despite appearances, he’s about to discover that Lilac LaRoux isn’t like the rest of them. And if they’re going to survive, they’re going to have to work together.

• • • • • • • • • •

MORE THESE BROKEN STARS GOODIES

Five other fabulous blogs are participating in this cover reveal extravaganza, each with unique content about the making of the cover, the characters themselves, and the story behind the title, so be sure and visit them so you don't miss out on any info and enter for a chance to win an ARC!

Cuddlebuggery: See what the cover COULD have looked like, plus a live interview with Amie and Meg!

The Book Smugglers: This is all well and good, but what do the authors REALLY think about their cover?

The Midnight Garden: Where did the title come from?

Pub(lishing) Crawl: Check out this exclusive interview from cover designer Whitney Manger!

Mundie Moms: Want to know more about the characters on the cover? Click for more about Lilac!

• • • • • • • • • •

GIVEAWAY

Thanks to Amie, Meg and Disney Hyperion, I have one ARC of These Broken Stars to give away on the blog today! To enter, please just fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Giveaway is open to US/Canada only. Good luck everyone!

a Rafflecopter giveaway