Shatter by Aprilynne Pike

The Quick Cut: Girl turned queen continues to try to survive in the palace without losing the precious few she cares about. Royal drama ensues.

A Real Review: Thank you to Random House books for providing a copy of the book in exchange for a fair review.

My eyebrow raised a lot during this book because it was so satisfying to see soapy drama play out on the page. It can be extremely difficult to make this type of drama enjoyable without it coming off as ridiculous or over the top, but this book does that balance like an expert. I kept finding myself thinking of the TV show "The Royals" because the antics level is similar and the emotional intensity is the same.

This sequel book to Glitter is split into 2 parts. Our queen Dani spends a good portion of Part 1 absolutely rejecting her marriage status and it's fascinating seeing that transition from "I refuse to acknowledge this!" to "I can use this..."

The only attitude that definitely does not change for her is the feelings she has towards Saber. Her dedication and refusal to leave him behind is the driving force for a significant amount of the story here, although I did hope to feel a little more romance from these two. Many times, it felt a bit stiff overall.

My biggest issue with Part 1 of the book is all of the entangled dramas with the secondary characters. So many names with a ton of title changes, moves to different locations, and alliances to different people?

It is very easy to lose track and I did a number of times. I ended up re-reading sections to make sure I caught that detail correctly (and it's a good thing I did because it makes a big difference later on). If you have a not so great memory like mine, that becomes an issue .

In Part 2, the story takes a dynamic pacing shift towards more action, less drama. I enjoyed this part more personally, but it's also the shorter one. I won't spoil the ending with any details, but I found it a very satisfying way to end the series.

At the end of the book, I didn't really like Dani (although I understood her life choices). You agreed to sell drugs to get out of your life that you were signed up for and a marriage to a man you hate. However, Dani comes off a little too much as self seeking intead of protecting those she loves. Her interactions with Justin are intriguing because they both know they're manipulating each other, but at some point Dani manages to get the advantage. Her ability to manipulate is unparalleled (and on some level, unnerving).

Overall, the book is strong and well written. However, the littany of secondary characters and their drama is distracting from the core story. Without a lead character I like to get behind, I found it hard to get truly passionate about this one.

My rating: 3.5 out of 5