Book Shelf: Broken Sky (Broken #1) by L.A. Weatherly

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?

From the bestselling author of the Angel trilogy comes Broken Sky – an exhilarating epic set in a daring and distorted echo of 1940s America and first in a new trilogy.

More info on Goodreads.....


Review:

Author of the bestselling Angel series L.A Weatherly is back with Broken Sky, a powerful and exciting novel set in an alternate 1940’s that features a strong heroine, harrowing danger and plenty of suspense!

Broken Sky introduces readers to an almost dystopian like alternate 1940’s world, where American as we know it is non-existent. Instead the world is separated into different states and nations that operate differently and are run by different leaders. It’s a world where war is a past occurrence and nations instead battle over government and economic issues through a series of flights where opposing pilots engage in one-on-one air strikes against each other until one plane goes down—usually with the pilot parachuting out—with the other side winning the fight and the rights over whatever conflicts they were battling for. Each nation and their conflicts are overseen by a neutral party called the World for Peace.

Heading into this novel I wasn’t really sure what to expect. The description of the novel doesn’t give much away, but Broken Sky quickly drew me in. L.A. Weatherly presents a very vivid and authentic alternate 1940’s world in Broken Sky and was reminiscent of the movie Pearl Harbour—without the air attacks and huge loss of life. I was really impressed with all the different details Weatherly included to bring Broken Skies to life; the slang, the dialogue, the clothes etc. The very way of life for the characters was so reminiscent of 1940’s life but with an alternate twist. I also commend her on allowing females to be strong flyers and fighters, something that wasn’t always true for this time.

Our heroine in this novel is Amity Vancour, a Peacefighter—a pilot that flies for the Western Seaboard. Amity is very strong and personable. She’s not naive and is a really fighter. Amity has a strong belief in what she believes to be right and she fights whole heartedly for this. She comes across as guarded to those who meet her, but as we follow her throughout the story, it’s obvious she cares deeply.

The Western Seaboard’s greatest threat in Broken Sky is the Central States, led by a man by the name of John Gunnerson whose belief in astrology and the power of star signs sees him rule with an iron fist. In the Central States, those with bad star signs are labelled Disordinant and sent to correction camps and with a majority of the population of the Central States living in fear. Weatherly includes a villain in Gunnerson, a man whose dictatorial methods are a threat to all the other nations around him. Gunnerson has big plans for expanding his state and doesn’t care what methods he uses including espionage, bribery and murder.

Though Broken Sky predominantly follows Amity, we also see a portion of the story follow Kay Peirce, a Central States astrologer whose choices and predictions have harrowing effects on Amity’s life and those of the Western Seaboard. Kay doesn’t believe in astrology, but her intelligence and ability to read people keep her alive under Gunnerson’s watchful eyes. It’s really interesting to see how Kay’s predictions effect Amity; they never meet and they don’t know each other, but their lives are inexplicably intertwined.

L.A. Weatherly packs the story with a great cast of minor characters including many of Amity’s Peacefighting comrades and her love interest Collie—the boy who has always owned her heart, but whose disappearance changed something in her. Amity’s mother and brother Hal are also great additions and I’m eager to see whether their roles grow in the coming novels.

With plenty of suspense and unexpected twists, Broken Sky isn’t always predictable and features an ending so unexpected you’ll be left gaping. Fast paced and fantastically detailed, Broken Sky by L.A Weartherly is a unique dystopian style novel well worth a read that leaves me aching for more!

Rating:
Source: Sent for review by Harper Collins Australia (Thank you Holly!)
Format: Paperback
Buy it: Bookworld | The Nile | The Book Depository | Amazon
My Recommendation: If you enjoy sci-fi and dystopian reads, Broken Sky will be perfect for you.
Cover: Simple, but fitting considering the time period the novel is set.
Will I read sequel/continue with series: After that ending? Hell to the yes!