What if the colonization of America by the Pilgrims took place in space, on a distant planet?

That’s the scenario presented in Shatterworld, making the geek in me was giddy with excitement.

Book summary (from Amazon):

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?

Plot

I love plots that grip me from start to finish, take me on a wild ride, and throw some serious shockers at me. Other than survival on a new world, the book didn’t have any distinct plot, which for me was disappointing.

The plot and purpose of the story was tied into the lives of the characters and their interactions with the creatures of New Earth. Nothing spectacular to keep me up at night, though there was more than enough conflict to keep things interesting.

Things picked up near end of the book, which presented a new vista of opportunity with promises of upcoming adventures in the sequel.

Setting

This was one of my favorite parts. Taking an ordinary story and transporting it to another planet—bring it on. If you haven’t noticed, I have a soft spot for stories that take me to new worlds, and Shatterworld did a wonderful job of satisfying that craving.

The alien creatures, called hexacrabs, were the main emphasis of the unexplored planet, presented with detail that made them realistic and easy to imagine. I enjoyed learning about their culture and lifestyle, as if I was an explorer studying them for research.

Throughout the book, Rejoice had recollections of life on Old Earth—simple things we take for granted. To her, surrounded by a new environment, they were links in the chain to a different life.

That sense of uncertainty in a new place was a good way to show the effect the setting had in the lives of the characters and made their situation more relatable.

Characters

When I started reading and found out the characters were futuristic Pilgrims, I was worried. Oh no, not one of those stories.

You know the type—books that focus so much on telling a wholesome story with moralistic messages and virtuous characters that everything else suffers a painful death. I’ve read plenty of lousy books like that.

Yeah, not fun.

As I read on, I was glad—and relieved—to discover this wasn’t the case with Shatterworld. Yes, the colonists paralleled the Pilgrims in many ways, but the individual characters were full of life, passion, and believable traits. They had struggles and problems. They messed up and got into arguments.

Unlike in some stories I’ve read, the characters felt real. And they were allowed to test the limits and question things instead of being forced into a box.

They exhibited humor, conviction, doubt, and a range of other emotions that drew me into the story and kept my attention from lagging or shutting off because they acted according to expectations with no room for surprise. The diversity of Rejoice and her family was refreshing, and the fact that her interests didn’t align with the expectations of the colony created friction and aroused sympathy for her.

Conclusion

Shatterworld managed to include obvious religion without throwing it in my face or descending into the mire of “preachy” writing. It was important to the characters, and instead of slathering every page in a syrup of unbearable moralism and “come to God” messages, it provided sources of conflict and questioning.

This book is geared toward a middle-grade and young adult audience. It lacks the complex plot and nuance I prefer from books, but I still enjoyed it and would recommend it to people—especially younger readers—looking for a spec-fic spin on a traditional story.

Shatterworld earns a spot on Shelf Average.

Author website: Lelia Rose Foreman

Buy the book on Amazon

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review