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rebelrider's review against another edition
3.0
I picked this book up from StoryCartel. I’d been wanting to read it for a while, so getting to review it gave me a good opportunity to snag the trilogy.
The concept of Shatterworld, a group of pacifist colonists going to a planet and finding aliens, intrigued me. It was something I’d never read before, so it was a refreshing change from my normal reading material. The one thing I disliked was it seemed like the scenes were a bit choppy, and the family conflict didn’t really mesh well with the alien plot line, but overall, it was an entertaining read. I enjoyed the worldbuilding and the alien POV, which was really original.
The concept of Shatterworld, a group of pacifist colonists going to a planet and finding aliens, intrigued me. It was something I’d never read before, so it was a refreshing change from my normal reading material. The one thing I disliked was it seemed like the scenes were a bit choppy, and the family conflict didn’t really mesh well with the alien plot line, but overall, it was an entertaining read. I enjoyed the worldbuilding and the alien POV, which was really original.
booksforchristiangirls's review against another edition
2.0
About this book:
"Fleeing persecution and low on fuel, religious refugees from Old Earth find themselves stranded on a planet with a dark history. The promise of a future is shadowed by a dreadful past.
Twelve-year-old Rejoice Holly is expected to someday become a farmer's wife, and set aside her dreams of astronomy. But the discovery that their Promised Land is already inhabited isn't helping her struggle between duty and dreams. Peace seems precarious, and the voice of reason is being silenced by one of fear.
As a new danger looms, the friendship or enmity forged could save or doom them all. Will the colonists and natives be able to set aside their differences for the sake of survival?"
Series: I believe so.
Spiritual Content- Prayers; Scriptures are quoted & mentioned; Talks about God, His will & being vain; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; Many mentions of prayers, fasting & hymns; Mentions of praising & thanking God; Mentions of God & Christ; Mentions of the Lord’s day; Mentions of Bibles, Bible reading, Bible studies & sermons; Mentions of those in the Bible; Mentions of Christians being persecuted; Mentions of sins & pride; “God be with you” and “God bless you” are said many times; Every adult is called Brother or Sister; Everyone is named after a biblical phrase or concept;
*Note: Stronghold doesn’t believe in God; “I’ll have to stay damned” is said; A couple mentions of a person named “Thou Hadsn’t Been Damned”; A mention of Hell’s gate; A mention of primitive squids; A couple mentions of the Kraken; A talk that “Sometimes [God] calls us to die.”.
Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘butt into’, a ‘butting in’, a ‘gah’, an ‘idiot’, two ‘shut up’s, five ‘stupid’s; Sarcasm & Eye rolling; Tantrums, Hating & (verbal) Fighting; Pain, Blood, Injuries, & Knives (semi-detailed); Mentions of killing & limbs being cut off (up to semi-detailed); A couple mentions of suicide; A couple mentions of a girl who died from leukemia.
Sexual Content- Rejoice doesn’t intent to get married; Mentions of who-likes-who, gawking, boys & boy-crazy girls; Mentions of marriages; Mentions of miscarriages, babies conceived & birth control; A few mention of breeding; A mention of hormones.
-Rejoice (in the Lord’s Salvation) Holly, age 12-13
P.O.V. switches between her, Ur-Veena, and others
Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Future
172 pages
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Pre Teens- One Star
New Teens- One Star
Early High School Teens- One Stars (and a half)
Older High School Teens- Two Stars
My personal Rating- Two Stars
{Add 1-2 Stars for girls who like Sci-Fi/Fantasy}
Well, this was…interesting. This book had a fair chance with me, as I kept my mind open to the Sci-Fi aspects—a genre I don’t read much—however, the alien/squid/crab things was more than a bit weird to me. Okay, positive elements first then what I wasn’t a fan of. Quite a bit of Spiritual Content (though I didn’t agree with everything said). The author did a pretty good job painting the picture and scenery (though some parts could have been turned down in details). For the parts I wasn’t a fan of: The alien/squid/crab things. (I was not expecting those things at all and since I couldn’t picture them (even though the author describes them), I ended up skimming all the parts with the creatures in it.) The talking between Rejoice, her people and the hexacrabs reminded me of the whole caveman grunting (which/who I don’t believe existed) (Example: “Exist under feet this, then rock”). The names. Oh goodness, the names. Very over the top. (Examples: Rejoice in the Lord’s Salvation Holly. Be Still and Know That I AM God Hardesty. No Confidence in the Flesh Cruz. (Brother) Grace to the Humble Hammer. Blessed in the Pure in Heart Olson. While I’m sure the author meant well, it just didn’t come across well to me.) Everyone was supposed to be equal, like once when Rejoice’s mom put up a wreath on the door, she was called vain. Yet, they all dress the same and have the same screens (tablets?). I wasn't a fan of any of the adults and had a hard time knowing who-is-who.
While I’m sure others have/will enjoyed this one, it just wasn’t my cup of tea.
Link to review:
http://booksforchristiangirls.blogspot.com/2016/02/shatterworld-by-lelia-rose-foreman.html
*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.
*I received this book for free from the Author for this honest review.
"Fleeing persecution and low on fuel, religious refugees from Old Earth find themselves stranded on a planet with a dark history. The promise of a future is shadowed by a dreadful past.
Twelve-year-old Rejoice Holly is expected to someday become a farmer's wife, and set aside her dreams of astronomy. But the discovery that their Promised Land is already inhabited isn't helping her struggle between duty and dreams. Peace seems precarious, and the voice of reason is being silenced by one of fear.
As a new danger looms, the friendship or enmity forged could save or doom them all. Will the colonists and natives be able to set aside their differences for the sake of survival?"
Series: I believe so.
Spiritual Content- Prayers; Scriptures are quoted & mentioned; Talks about God, His will & being vain; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; Many mentions of prayers, fasting & hymns; Mentions of praising & thanking God; Mentions of God & Christ; Mentions of the Lord’s day; Mentions of Bibles, Bible reading, Bible studies & sermons; Mentions of those in the Bible; Mentions of Christians being persecuted; Mentions of sins & pride; “God be with you” and “God bless you” are said many times; Every adult is called Brother or Sister; Everyone is named after a biblical phrase or concept;
*Note: Stronghold doesn’t believe in God; “I’ll have to stay damned” is said; A couple mentions of a person named “Thou Hadsn’t Been Damned”; A mention of Hell’s gate; A mention of primitive squids; A couple mentions of the Kraken; A talk that “Sometimes [God] calls us to die.”.
Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘butt into’, a ‘butting in’, a ‘gah’, an ‘idiot’, two ‘shut up’s, five ‘stupid’s; Sarcasm & Eye rolling; Tantrums, Hating & (verbal) Fighting; Pain, Blood, Injuries, & Knives (semi-detailed); Mentions of killing & limbs being cut off (up to semi-detailed); A couple mentions of suicide; A couple mentions of a girl who died from leukemia.
Sexual Content- Rejoice doesn’t intent to get married; Mentions of who-likes-who, gawking, boys & boy-crazy girls; Mentions of marriages; Mentions of miscarriages, babies conceived & birth control; A few mention of breeding; A mention of hormones.
-Rejoice (in the Lord’s Salvation) Holly, age 12-13
P.O.V. switches between her, Ur-Veena, and others
Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Future
172 pages
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Pre Teens- One Star
New Teens- One Star
Early High School Teens- One Stars (and a half)
Older High School Teens- Two Stars
My personal Rating- Two Stars
{Add 1-2 Stars for girls who like Sci-Fi/Fantasy}
Well, this was…interesting. This book had a fair chance with me, as I kept my mind open to the Sci-Fi aspects—a genre I don’t read much—however, the alien/squid/crab things was more than a bit weird to me. Okay, positive elements first then what I wasn’t a fan of. Quite a bit of Spiritual Content (though I didn’t agree with everything said). The author did a pretty good job painting the picture and scenery (though some parts could have been turned down in details). For the parts I wasn’t a fan of: The alien/squid/crab things. (I was not expecting those things at all and since I couldn’t picture them (even though the author describes them), I ended up skimming all the parts with the creatures in it.) The talking between Rejoice, her people and the hexacrabs reminded me of the whole caveman grunting (which/who I don’t believe existed) (Example: “Exist under feet this, then rock”). The names. Oh goodness, the names. Very over the top. (Examples: Rejoice in the Lord’s Salvation Holly. Be Still and Know That I AM God Hardesty. No Confidence in the Flesh Cruz. (Brother) Grace to the Humble Hammer. Blessed in the Pure in Heart Olson. While I’m sure the author meant well, it just didn’t come across well to me.) Everyone was supposed to be equal, like once when Rejoice’s mom put up a wreath on the door, she was called vain. Yet, they all dress the same and have the same screens (tablets?). I wasn't a fan of any of the adults and had a hard time knowing who-is-who.
While I’m sure others have/will enjoyed this one, it just wasn’t my cup of tea.
Link to review:
http://booksforchristiangirls.blogspot.com/2016/02/shatterworld-by-lelia-rose-foreman.html
*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.
*I received this book for free from the Author for this honest review.
r_j_setser's review
3.0
Shatterworld combines Christianity with Science Fiction on a doomed planet far away from Earth.
To say that this book was interesting would be an understatement. I’ve read lots of Christian sci-fi, however I’ve never read one quite like this one, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
Shatterworld follows a group of people who are searching for freedom to practice their Christianity away from fallen Earth and after years aboard their space craft, they finally find their new “home”. However this foreign planet is anything but that feeling of “home” to Rejoice and her brother.
After reading this, I’m left with mixed emotions. One side of me was quite taken with the story and I even enjoyed the content of aliens and faith. However the other side of me was just a bit too overwhelmed with the Christian content, which is saying something, because I’m a very strong Christian and love Christian fiction.
The characters’ names are phrases from the Bible, not just words or names. So you’ll have a character with a name that’s 5 or 6 words long such as “No Confidence in the Flesh”. I love the idea of this, don’t get me wrong, however understanding this alien planet is difficult enough without also trying to remember multiple phrases and associating them to their proper characters. Especially when the characters are only mentioned in one or two scenes and then not again for the rest of the book.
The story also took a bit to build up some action. The first several chapters is mainly Rejoice and her brother complaining about their new planet and several of the scenes seemed to repeat each other. But once the story took off, it did contain a good plot and I did like it.
But honestly, I’m only going to be giving this book 3 out of 5 stars for the simple reason that I did only “like” it. This book may find itself another reader’s favorite, especially if you’re a really big fan of Christian sci-fi, however this book was not for me.
I received this book from the author for the purpose of this review. All comments and opinions are entirely my own.
This is a LiteratureApproved.com Review.
To say that this book was interesting would be an understatement. I’ve read lots of Christian sci-fi, however I’ve never read one quite like this one, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
Shatterworld follows a group of people who are searching for freedom to practice their Christianity away from fallen Earth and after years aboard their space craft, they finally find their new “home”. However this foreign planet is anything but that feeling of “home” to Rejoice and her brother.
After reading this, I’m left with mixed emotions. One side of me was quite taken with the story and I even enjoyed the content of aliens and faith. However the other side of me was just a bit too overwhelmed with the Christian content, which is saying something, because I’m a very strong Christian and love Christian fiction.
The characters’ names are phrases from the Bible, not just words or names. So you’ll have a character with a name that’s 5 or 6 words long such as “No Confidence in the Flesh”. I love the idea of this, don’t get me wrong, however understanding this alien planet is difficult enough without also trying to remember multiple phrases and associating them to their proper characters. Especially when the characters are only mentioned in one or two scenes and then not again for the rest of the book.
The story also took a bit to build up some action. The first several chapters is mainly Rejoice and her brother complaining about their new planet and several of the scenes seemed to repeat each other. But once the story took off, it did contain a good plot and I did like it.
But honestly, I’m only going to be giving this book 3 out of 5 stars for the simple reason that I did only “like” it. This book may find itself another reader’s favorite, especially if you’re a really big fan of Christian sci-fi, however this book was not for me.
I received this book from the author for the purpose of this review. All comments and opinions are entirely my own.
This is a LiteratureApproved.com Review.
hlburke's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoyed this book. It reminded me a lot of reading Madeline L'Engle but more scientific than philosophical. I really appreciated the gentle handling of some very deep and complicated ideas, both spiritual and scientific (laws of physics are even explained in a way young children can understand and relate to.).
Occasionally I found myself frustrated with how calm the adults were and how legalistic the system felt, but this was addressed towards the end and my frustrations were mirrored by the younger characters. I really got into how the Squid Folk looked and communicated.
The whole thing felt very real and very well thought out.
Occasionally I found myself frustrated with how calm the adults were and how legalistic the system felt, but this was addressed towards the end and my frustrations were mirrored by the younger characters. I really got into how the Squid Folk looked and communicated.
The whole thing felt very real and very well thought out.
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