28 February 2016

Review #353: Broken Sky (The Broken Trilogy #1) by L.A. Weatherly



My rating: 5 of 5 stars


“We'd stared into the face of Death, and Death blinked first. You'd think that would make us feel brave and invincible. It didn't.”

----Rick Yancey



Lee Weatherly, an American best-selling author pens her new YA fantasy book, Broken Sky which marks the first book in The Broken Trilogy under her pseudonym L.A. Weatherly. This story is set far back in time and history when technology has recently touched the base of the civilized society of mankind, and a new world has arisen from the ashes of destruction due to the war. And this unfolds the story of a young pilot who is a peace-fighter but when her homeland is under attack, this pilot needs to save the lives of those who matter the most by trusting no one.




Synopsis:

Welcome to a ‘perfect’ world.

Where war is illegal, where harmony rules.

And where your date of birth marks your destiny.

But nothing is perfect.

And in a world this broken, who can Amity trust?



Amity is an eighteen year old peace-fighter (a pilot) for her homeland which are divided and has their own rules and the peace-fighters are there to protect the territory of their homeland. There is a central state which is dominated by a leader who believe in the birth-star signs where the citizens must live with obedience and disobedient individuals are marked as "discordant" and are then sent off to correction camps where death is the final destiny. When the leader of this state attacks Amity's homeland, Western Seaboard, Amity must decide quickly on how to save her little brother and widow mother, before it's too late. (Divergent much!!?!)

Imagine a world you live in where your birth star signs mark your fate on whether you are eligible to be a citizen of that world or not!! All in the name of Harmony. Sounds superstitious, I know. But being superstitious in that world will not do any good to you, it didn't do any good to Amity who never believed in them. But it seems there is corruption hidden under the name of Harmony.

Well, the world building is slow and it also takes a great deal of time to slowly adjust with the author's make-believe post-apocalyptic world, but this world building is done quite skillfully by the author. The author explains the development with great detailing and depths and history behind it thus making it sound believable. Moreover, this post-apocalyptic world is set in the 1940s USA and to prove that the author have included the effect of then-technology in the lives of the citizens. Otherwise, the time-shift was not much evident either through the demeanor of the characters or from any details mentioned in the story line.

The writing style is absolutely fantastic, which is layered perfectly with a myriad of emotions as well as adrenaline-rushing action above the ground level and a great deal of riveting mystery that keeps the readers on their edges till the very end. The narrative style is strong and engaging and it immediately pulls the readers into the story along with it's flow. As the story progresses, the mystery around it becomes deeper and darker, thus keeping the readers turning the pages of this book till the very end, which once again ends with a mind-blowing cliff-hanger.

The characters are well-developed, especially the main character who feels a bit like Tris from Divergent- brave, fearless, fighter, speaks her mind, mature and above all curious. Amity is social and at times she is funny. She makes a strong and promising female heroine for a YA fantasy series. The supporting cast are a real gem to this book, especially the negative character, who is so well-developed that his demeanor fills the readers' hearts with hate and rage.

Behind all the action, there is a sweet love story that unfolds between the main character, Amity and her childhood boyfriend, Collie, who reunite once again in the Western Seaboard state against all the evil and murders and especially with the fear of being killed, keeps them strong. Their story is depicted with lots of passion and evocative emotions that makes the readers root for them till the very end. Thank god, there is no love triangle in this story, which makes me love the book even more.

This series is completely based on astrology and star sign readings, thus making it a fascinating as well as enlightening book for the readers. Yes, the concept is very unique and fresh thus making it an addictive read for the readers. The mystery is so tight that it keeps the readers anticipating till the very end.

All-in-all, the book is like a roller-coaster ride filled with bone-chilling action scenes, which unfold like it is happening right in front of the eyes of the readers, with a twisted and complex mystery, that keeps the readers glued to the book and with a passionate love story that makes the readers hold on to the story line. Well as for me, I can't wait to read the next book in the series as the author dropped an unpredictable bomb at the end of this engrossing story.

Verdict: Definitely a must-read and for all YA fans out there, do not miss this epic and promising YA fantasy series.

Courtesy: Thanks to the author, Lee Weatherly's publicist, for giving me an opportunity to read and review an ARC of this book. 
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Author Info:
Lee Weatherly was born in 1967 and grew up in Little Rock, Arkansas, USA. She lives with her husband in Hampshire, England, where she writes, goes on walks, tries out new recipes and has a cat named Bernard.

L.A. Weatherly is the pseudonym for Lee Weatherly.
Visit her here 


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