rooibos's review
2.0
The worldbuilding in this book was pretty great, but the book was just lacking a lot of things I enjoy in books. The romance felt forced and the characters were all underdeveloped and unlikable. I can see how people liked reading Broken Skies, but it just wasn't for me.
lili_darknight's review
4.0
Niečo bolo predvídateľné, niečo bolo prekvapením. Veľa vecí ešte potrebujú vysvetlenie. Ale nakoniec sa z toho vykľulo pomerne dobré a pohodové čítanie, ktorí na konci príjemne prekvapilo.
nikki_daire's review
3.0
I had mixed feelings about this book. The storyline intrigued me and I want to know what is going on with the world, but there was way too much internal monologue going on. There were a bunch of little inconsistancies that bothered me like Jax hating being touched, being wary of all guys except her brother, but then going skinny dipping in front of a guy.
I normally enjoy 1st person present tense, but in this book it felt off. Maybe it was just difficult being in Jax's head.
The story could have been condensed down to make it more interesting - the entire epilogue could have been scraped. Don't think I'll read the next one even though the story was left hanging.
I normally enjoy 1st person present tense, but in this book it felt off. Maybe it was just difficult being in Jax's head.
The story could have been condensed down to make it more interesting - the entire epilogue could have been scraped. Don't think I'll read the next one even though the story was left hanging.
powellki's review
4.0
I love science fiction, the genre of stories has some sort of hold over my heart and provides me with a with an escape to a normally dull day life. Received as an Advanced Reader Copy, this book captivated me. My internet happened to think it a wonderful time to crap out at 12:26 in the morning on Tuesday Night, and being unable to sleep I picked up the book and started reading. Two hours later, my internet still hadn't come back, but I had gone from 30 pages into this wonderful book to over 100 read. In short succession I've finished the book, and I can honestly say I want more.
The story of Jax is a complex one, starting with her discomfort in the town of Bridgelake, Virginia. This town, like a handful of others, is a settlement for the remainders of humanity. Jax, our rather emotionally-fragile heroine, finds like here to be stifling, unwilling to join in on any activities that might make her seem more docile and, as she put it, a sheep. Her plan is simple, escape the town with her twin and make off into the woods again. Problem is, aliens get to to her twin before she can even tell him of her plans to leave. Left behind in his place is Lir, one of the E'rikon who had come to settle on Earth after the collapse. Stuck with a choice of trusting Lir or trying to bust into a city full of E'rikon, Jax makes the choice to demand help from Lir.
Kay's book is a wonderfully captivating story, though I admit at times I was a bit annoyed with Jax and her inability to focus on more than one thing. But that's part of the charm of this book. Kay has managed to make a perfectly believable character of questionable backgrounds (you find out later that Jax is half human, half E'rikon) seem human enough to relate to. Science fiction, while wonderful in everything it does, sometimes takes it too far with even the most human of characters and I applaud Ms. Kay for being able to portray this well.
Throughout the book, Jax grows in her understanding of her life. Her brother, the reader quickly comes to learn, isn't as perfect as Jax believes early on. In fact, he's a bit of an asshole who uses an emotional bond he's realized he shares with his sister through their alien blood to manipulate her for the past year. He's lied to her, and made his bondmate promise to watch over her if something happens to him. Disturbed by this realization, Jax realizes she has to work her way through the events of the past and what's happening around her to survive.
The book is a great story that leaves me wanting more. I'll admit, I was a bit frustrated that Lir didn't escape with Jax at the end, but the fact that she's able to release all of her pent up emotions to Peter (a priest we meet in the book) is a sign of change. I can't wait to see any further books in this series.
The story of Jax is a complex one, starting with her discomfort in the town of Bridgelake, Virginia. This town, like a handful of others, is a settlement for the remainders of humanity. Jax, our rather emotionally-fragile heroine, finds like here to be stifling, unwilling to join in on any activities that might make her seem more docile and, as she put it, a sheep. Her plan is simple, escape the town with her twin and make off into the woods again. Problem is, aliens get to to her twin before she can even tell him of her plans to leave. Left behind in his place is Lir, one of the E'rikon who had come to settle on Earth after the collapse. Stuck with a choice of trusting Lir or trying to bust into a city full of E'rikon, Jax makes the choice to demand help from Lir.
Kay's book is a wonderfully captivating story, though I admit at times I was a bit annoyed with Jax and her inability to focus on more than one thing. But that's part of the charm of this book. Kay has managed to make a perfectly believable character of questionable backgrounds (you find out later that Jax is half human, half E'rikon) seem human enough to relate to. Science fiction, while wonderful in everything it does, sometimes takes it too far with even the most human of characters and I applaud Ms. Kay for being able to portray this well.
Throughout the book, Jax grows in her understanding of her life. Her brother, the reader quickly comes to learn, isn't as perfect as Jax believes early on. In fact, he's a bit of an asshole who uses an emotional bond he's realized he shares with his sister through their alien blood to manipulate her for the past year. He's lied to her, and made his bondmate promise to watch over her if something happens to him. Disturbed by this realization, Jax realizes she has to work her way through the events of the past and what's happening around her to survive.
The book is a great story that leaves me wanting more. I'll admit, I was a bit frustrated that Lir didn't escape with Jax at the end, but the fact that she's able to release all of her pent up emotions to Peter (a priest we meet in the book) is a sign of change. I can't wait to see any further books in this series.
rattletheshelves's review
4.0
I still cannot form coherent sentences, even after a night's sleep, so let me just ask you WHY AREN'T YOU READING IT YET?
Seriously, more people need to know about this gem, it's definitely the best sci-fi/alien book I've ever read.
Seriously, more people need to know about this gem, it's definitely the best sci-fi/alien book I've ever read.
marie_thereadingotter's review
4.0
4.5 stars
Review:
http://pagestoexplore.blogspot.com/2015/01/broken-skies-by-theresa-kay.html
Review:
http://pagestoexplore.blogspot.com/2015/01/broken-skies-by-theresa-kay.html
suzjustsuz's review
3.0
2.75 stars (weak 3)
The book reeled me in, it's true. I wanted to know what was going to happen. I wanted to get questions answered, so it engaged me.
I spent a good deal of the time reading this book being frustrated with it, though. The idea is quite good, but the notion that a teenage girl, who was born in and has spent her entire life on a dystopian earth, could be so damaged by a single traumatic event that she has debilitating panic attacks is just implausible for me. In a dystopian world that is so dog-eat-dog this should have gotten her killed. Survival of the fittest and all that. Yeah, her twin has been looking out for her. I still don't buy it and it was used throughout the book as a plot pacing device so it was very difficult to ignore.
There was also a lot of not talking to each other used for plot pacing, so much that it was unrealistic.
Additional YA tropes included everybody wanting her, everybody taking care of and rescuing her, rebellious foot-stomping, and the inability to think about the task at hand because of obsessing about the hot guy.
It did get interesting toward the end when the long arc started to reveal itself. The character growth of the heroine happened entirely in the epilogue and it was told, not shown.
Also, the entire book was world building and long arc set up. There were almost no resolutions at all in this book, although in fairness the crisis point for the book arc did get resolved. The book ended with more unresolved than resolved, though. Not a cliff hanger, but certainly not a satisfying ending.
In short, it was YA. Had it been written with adult characters perhaps I would have enjoyed it more. It's an intriguing premise.
The book reeled me in, it's true. I wanted to know what was going to happen. I wanted to get questions answered, so it engaged me.
I spent a good deal of the time reading this book being frustrated with it, though. The idea is quite good, but the notion that a teenage girl, who was born in and has spent her entire life on a dystopian earth, could be so damaged by a single traumatic event that she has debilitating panic attacks is just implausible for me. In a dystopian world that is so dog-eat-dog this should have gotten her killed. Survival of the fittest and all that. Yeah, her twin has been looking out for her. I still don't buy it and it was used throughout the book as a plot pacing device so it was very difficult to ignore.
There was also a lot of not talking to each other used for plot pacing, so much that it was unrealistic.
Additional YA tropes included everybody wanting her, everybody taking care of and rescuing her, rebellious foot-stomping, and the inability to think about the task at hand because of obsessing about the hot guy.
It did get interesting toward the end when the long arc started to reveal itself. The character growth of the heroine happened entirely in the epilogue and it was told, not shown.
Also, the entire book was world building and long arc set up. There were almost no resolutions at all in this book, although in fairness the crisis point for the book arc did get resolved. The book ended with more unresolved than resolved, though. Not a cliff hanger, but certainly not a satisfying ending.
In short, it was YA. Had it been written with adult characters perhaps I would have enjoyed it more. It's an intriguing premise.
therealestreya's review
5.0
I loved this really unique book! It’s an excellent parable of racism and the damage it causes. The aliens versus humans story is an excellent mechanism for demonstrating inherent racism.
Special shoutout for a non-central LGBT character! I love to support authors who are inclusive
Special shoutout for a non-central LGBT character! I love to support authors who are inclusive
heatherleann's review
5.0
Recently, I received a copy of Broken Skies by Teresa Kay to read and review. This review will be fairly short, and I’ll keep the spoilers to a minimum just in case any of you want to read it!
So, first of all, I love any books that have to do with aliens. So I knew right from the start that I would love this one. Of the three (in my opinion) main characters, we have a heroine, Jax, who is a strong, sassy girl that can hold her own, but she also has flaws and insecurities. We have a protective brother, Jace, with his fair share of secrets and sacrifices, and we have a gorgeous boy named Lir, who’s a little out of this world (I love puns).
After Jace is mysteriously kidnapped by the aliens inhabiting Earth, and Lir is stranded outside of his home city with no contact to anyone on the inside, Jax has to make a decision to save Jace and get Lir back home. Of course, if it were that simple, this book wouldn’t be so interesting. The unlikely pair faces many trials along the way, along with a plot twist that will leave you speechless, just like I was. Oh, and of course, no young adult fantasy novel would be complete without a love interest, and this one certainly doesn’t disappoint.
I rate this book five stars in my book, for five reasons:
1. ALIENS.
2. The characters are relatable and fantastically written.
3. I truly enjoyed the plot of this book, and I felt that it was very well written (i.e., no plot holes, etc.)
4. I discovered my newfound fictional crush (hint, it’s the alien).
5. There will be a sequel. I. Love. Sequels.
So, first of all, I love any books that have to do with aliens. So I knew right from the start that I would love this one. Of the three (in my opinion) main characters, we have a heroine, Jax, who is a strong, sassy girl that can hold her own, but she also has flaws and insecurities. We have a protective brother, Jace, with his fair share of secrets and sacrifices, and we have a gorgeous boy named Lir, who’s a little out of this world (I love puns).
After Jace is mysteriously kidnapped by the aliens inhabiting Earth, and Lir is stranded outside of his home city with no contact to anyone on the inside, Jax has to make a decision to save Jace and get Lir back home. Of course, if it were that simple, this book wouldn’t be so interesting. The unlikely pair faces many trials along the way, along with a plot twist that will leave you speechless, just like I was. Oh, and of course, no young adult fantasy novel would be complete without a love interest, and this one certainly doesn’t disappoint.
I rate this book five stars in my book, for five reasons:
1. ALIENS.
2. The characters are relatable and fantastically written.
3. I truly enjoyed the plot of this book, and I felt that it was very well written (i.e., no plot holes, etc.)
4. I discovered my newfound fictional crush (hint, it’s the alien).
5. There will be a sequel. I. Love. Sequels.