Dear Bookworms,
With the printing of Their Fractured Light at the end of last year, co-authors Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner have concluded their exciting YA series the Starbound trilogy. This action packed series is a layered series, much like the highly-acclaimed Lunar Chronicles, where each novel introduces a new set of characters and follows how their story builds onto the larger, expanding narrative. 
The adventure was compelling and I found the futuristic setting appropriately developed, creating a world of new possibilities without becoming so overdrawn as to be inaccessible to the average reader. The romances are the focal point of each book’s individual plot, providing a framework for the progression of the over-arching action/adventure/mystery. These relationships are high emotion, strong drama, and if a little predicable, are compensated for by the strong writing and clever plot twists. While on this note, I would also mention that I appreciated Kaufman and Spooner’s ability to draw strong female characters without emasculating their male ones.
Here is my brief summary of each volume in this series. Hopefully this will give you a sense of each book without giving anything away, and allow you to decide if this series is of interest to you.
These Broken Stars (#1)
The Opening Gambit. A tragic accident shipwrecks galactic heiress Lilac LaRoux and soldier Tarver Merendsen onto a seemingly deserted planet. This was my favorite of the series. Ostensibly a survival story, these two must learn to work together to make their way across a planet that is as unfamiliar to them as it is to their readers. It contains strong elements of mystery, and spooky tension.
This Night So Dark (#1.5)
The Novella. I do not always recommend the novellas that accompany so many series these days. Mostly I find them unnecessary and not as well written. In this case, however, I’d call it as much a part of the series as the other three books. Technically a prequel, it is the story of how Tarver distinguished himself as a soldier. The story is quick and action-packed. By nature of the format it is not a fully developed tale and does not stand on its own, but it does provide key material for the overall series, and I think will be of interest to anyone who enjoyed the first book.
This Shattered World (#2)
The Plot Thickens. Politically focused, this one develops around the tensions of a planet embroiled in the power struggle between a planet-occupying military and a native rebel force. Captain Jubilee Chase and insurgent leader Flynn Cormac are obvious enemies, but as problems escalate, both find themselves questioning their own side of this bitter struggle. Themes of loyalty and integrity provide a strong framework to the swelling mystery.
Their Fractured Light (#3)
The Climax. Sofia, a grifter bent on taking down the man responsible for her father’s death, finds herself tangled with hacker Gideon Marchant, a man on a mission that intersects with her own. Two loners; each hesitant to trust the other. They need each other, but do they want the same thing? This one starts with a spy-games feel, giving way to full out actions adventure as the pieces from all four volumes come together. Towards the end, it succumbs into complete zombie apocalypse mode, which I found cliché but may appeal to some.
Overall, a fun, easy sci-fi series for young adults.
Keep reading!
Live, Love, Learn,