The novel elaborates more on the dire circumstances of Vivian, our narrator, and the rag-tag group of survivors that she joined up with out of necessity. (At least, that was why she stuck by them at first.) Vivian’s tone is still very conversational, which gives the book the same familiar feeling of being a story told by a friend rather than a novel about a dystopian wasteland filled with zombies. The tone suits the character well (an ex-stripper who was living in Kentucky at the time of the outbreak), and the easy to read language selection lends itself to the page-turning action and romance sequences that Mary frequently transitions between.If it is possible, I liked Shattered World even more than I liked Broken World. Despite my fondness for terrible movies, I actually adore character development and was excited to learn more about Vivian, Axl, Angus, and the rest of the cast of characters from the first book. I love the opportunities that Mary’s writing style affords the reader to get to know each character. We get to see not only their actions, but their interactions with other characters and with Vivian in particular. Though her vocabulary is not always the most elevated, Vivian is a sharp character and is very observant. Her characterization and portrayal only adds to the presentation of the story as Mary has written it and intended it to be. Honestly, I don’t think the novel would be as fun were it not for the added drama of character dynamics including the romantic components. (Take that, naysayers.) Thanks to Mary’s clever monologues and the quip-laden banter which is exchanged with anyone who crosses Vivian, the book maintains a fun feel and doesn’t dip into the monotonous melancholia that can overwhelm novels about morbid topics such as the zombie apocalypse.In this second volume of the series, the reader is exposed to more of what has happened. With each new character introduced another piece of the outbreak puzzle and experience is revealed. Readers learn a bit more about what the outbreak looked like for people across the United States as the individuals themselves were vastly different and in incredibly different situations prior to the spread of the infection. We also are exposed to some of the different ways that people handle seemingly impossible scenarios, such as a zombie apocalypse, but also the more mundane but still tragic scenario of losing a loved one. Mary presents these themes well and covers a large amount of territory in terms of character development and back story establishment in a fairly short amount of time through dialogue.For those who do not like to merge themes within the horror genre there is, as in the last book, a blend of romance and action. Due to the nature of the story, the transition from romance to fighting zombies and back again can happen in a matter of pages. Even Vivian, the narrator, occasionally kicks herself for not keeping her thoughts on survival, something I think even those who dislike romance in their horror can appreciate. Who hasn’t watched a horror flick and thought “Seriously? You want to flirt NOW?”Overall, I give this book a very positive review. If you enjoyed Broken World you should definitely pick up Shattered World!
Good post-apocalyptic romantic series You can pretty much feel the influence of the Walking Dead (especially in the character of the brothers, who might as well be called Daryl and Merle) but decent writing and characterization, along with a slow-burning romance make this a pretty compulsive read. The series isn't over yet (one more book due in December) and I hope it wraps up well. There are a couple of threads hanging out there that need to be tied up, but I'm willing to trust the author to get us there. A couple of things I really liked/didn't like: SPOILER-Y I love the storyline with the heroine's daughter in the first book. I loved Viv's reaction to being a mother and her guilt for what happened to the girl. That ambivalence felt very real. I really love Hadley's character, and I was a) glad to see that she and Viv became friends, rather than turning her into a spoiled selfish woman (as could have very easily been done, given Hadley's background.) On the other hand, I was sorry to see what happened to her in Las Vegas. I felt as if it had to happen to Hadley simply because the author didn't want it to happen to Viv (and the plot gymnastics she pulled to make sure it didn't happen to Viv would have earned a high score in the Olympics). But, dangit, SOMEONE had to be raped. So Hadley it was. I'm not so sure that I like where Hadley's story is going now, but I'm holding off until the final book. Maybe I'll like how it turns out. Maybe not. For now, however, I'm enjoying the series and would recommend it to anyone who can ignore how much certain aspects of the books mirror The Walking Dead, and to those who enjoy a nicely developed romance. There's nothing new here, but what is here is entertaining and well written.
Do You like book Shattered World (2014)?
First of all, I don't understand why people keep saying that this book is like TWD!! I don't find that the story is similar, of course there are a couple of cliches but I don't think that they "belong" to the tv show! Once again, Kate delivers another great book. The group is growing, the safe place is not so safe, so our main characters must go to Las Vegas looking for supplies, the zombies are in full motion, giving us more action and over the edge scenes. We are introduced to new characters and one of them is very close to Vivian, there are also a couple of them that are suspicious, so I found myself enjoying the development of their stories.Axl and Vivian are growing closer, maybe putting them in danger? It's seems to be that she's going trough a crisis, because she rambles a little to much. Axl, of course, is perfect! LolThis is how I see our couple in this book:Vivian with her crisis Axl more adorableI'm so happy that I was able to read this books, I'm loving this Author!!Can't wait to grab book #3!!!!!!*I received a copy in exchange of an Honest review*
—Julia Damatto
As a mega fan of The Walking Dead, I was eager to get my hands on something zombie themed while waiting for the new season. The first book in this series blew me away and I was instantly drawn to the quirky characters, especially Vivian, the ex-stripper telling the story. It was easy to get back into the flow where the group was left in the desert, locked out from their hope of survival. There are more zombies in this book and it moves at a faster pace than the first. While at times the concept of the redneck brothers reminds me of Daryl and Meryl, it's not to the point where the author copied these characters as Axl and Angus have their own sets of issues and personalities that run even deeper. I really enjoyed the side story of romance and seeing the relationships of the characters develop. Definitely a page turner with a shocking ending...you'll be anxious for the release of book #3 in January!
—Jen
4.5 Trying to Survive StarsShattered World is book two of the Broken World series and Shattered World continues the story.Shattered World picks up where Broken World left off and WHAT A CLIFFY! I’m just glad I didn’t have to wait for this book because let me tell you, I COULD.NOT.WAIT. I read Shattered World in one sitting and I’m so excited that my zombie book continues! I really liked how Broken World was written, I felt like there was a lot of character build up, the author let me get a glimpse to all the players and we finally realize yes, there are ZOMBIES. YAY! I didn’t know what to expect going into Shattered World, it’s very hard to keep up with the pace with the story, BUT the author didn’t disappoint.Shattered World is different, but has much depth and we get to know the characters on a different level. We also see new characters and I love it when the bad and good collide.Vivian, the brothers and the group has found refuge within an underground compound. BUT it’s not all fun and games, there are still people to deal with right? I like the direction this book was going and the little break from the outside world was nice. This let me focus more on the characters and how they interact with each other, yes!We get to see Vivian and Axl relationship progress. Vivian is very insecure as she shares a room with a hot movie actress. Axl still gives Vivian the hot and cold treatment, BUT it seems like he’s giving her more hot than cold and I seriously gobbled this up. I’ll be honest, Axl wasn’t my favorite character, BUT he really warmed up to me throughout the book. As the group tries to get settled in, various problems arises and I LOVE how everything is handled, it’s like one problem after the next that needs to be solved and it keeps the pace, fresh, fast and moving forward.Just like what I expected, HUGE cliffy in the end and yeah, I’m jumping to the next book to find out what happens next. **READ on Kindle Unlimied REVIEW | AMAZON AMAZON
—Jacqueline's Reads
