Review: Shattered Stars by Theresa Kay

Title: Shattered Stars
Author: Theresa Kay
Series: Broken Skies #3
Genre: Sci-fi/Romance/YA
Publisher:
Publication Date: October 24th, 2017
Edition: Kindle Edition, 365 pages
Source: Received for review
Purchase/Pre-Order: Amazon US | Kobo | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | iBooks | BAM

Synopsis:

Unexpected allies. Unexpected betrayals. Unexpected abilities.

     The last thing Jax Mitchell ever wanted was to be a weapon. Her abilities are unpredictable at best, but with her twin lost, there’s no one else with enough power to take on Jastren and his mental manipulations. She doesn’t have to do it alone, though. Not only can she rely on the unwavering support of Lir, Rym, and her human friends, she also ends up with help from a surprising source. 

     Meanwhile, her twin brother Jace—his body controlled by Jastren, and the shattered pieces of his mind locked inside—has become a monster. The struggle to hold on to what’s left of his humanity has left him weak and more confused than ever before. Every thought, every impulse, and every memory has the potential to destroy him—and everyone else around him. 

     The futures of both the humans and the E’rikon are on the line, but as ulterior motives and political machinations are revealed, it becomes clear that the betrayals aren’t restricted to only one species. Can Jax and Lir get everyone to work together in time to prevent the two species from destroying each other? Can Jace find some measure of redemption for all he has done? And will Jax be able to harness her powers… without losing herself?

Review:

This series, for me, has gotten slightly less interesting as each book goes on. I start to care a little less about the characters and what they are going through. Which is kind of the opposite reaction you want when reading a book. 

I don't really remember if I ever cared for Jax as a character, and I'm not sure I really cared about any of the other characters either. None of the characters in this book are particularly likable. And jumping between Jax and her twin brother Jace, just didn't do it for me. It has also been a couple of years since I read the last book, and I didn't retain any connection to the characters or the story that I might have had from when I read it.

Everybody in this book is pretty selfish in their own right. Yes, Jastren is a terrible person who has murdered innocent people, and brainwashed his grandson. But all the other collective groups are only looking after themselves. But since Jax and Lir are kind of ostracised from both the human and the E’rikon, they appear to be looking after the equal safety of each group. But I never really got the impression that either really cared about the other. There were attempts at humor through the book, but most just fell really flat for me.

I just felt a huge disconnection from the characters. I think if I had read these books one right after the other, no year/2-year gap, I would have kept the connection I had with the characters.  2 years is a long time to wait for a sequel.