The Shattering

I loved Karen Healey s Guardian of the Dead for its strong female protagonist, its use of Maori mythology and its authentic New Zealand setting The Shattering is a less substantial novel It s a supernatural thriller, based on the efforts of a trio of teenagers to prove that their elder brothers deaths were not suicide, but murders by a serial killer Keri, Janna and Sione are interesting, wel rounded characters the story is mainly Keri s but chapters aternate between the three points of view Kare [...]

The plot itself is a bit cheesy, of the small town with a secret persuasion A bit Wicker Man But there is a lot to like There s a likable cast of characters, and appreciate that the three main characters are processing similar griefs differently I like the slight twist at the end, even if I did see it coming in advance, and I like that there are lasting effects for everyone involved There s enough detail here to keep this from being interchangeable D list horror, but a healthy appreciation of th [...]

This is an author to watch out for her first book, Guardians of the Dead, a retelling of what I think were Maori myths certainly no myths stories that I d grown up with was a great read, and this one shows she s getting better at her craft.Again the setting is New Zealand, so while there is some familiarity there s just enough difference from other white native or minority books I m thinking of all the Hispanic characters I ve met in books set in the American SouthWest West She doesn t belabor t [...]

The writing itself is good and the voices of the three different POV characters were distinctive and appropriately teenagery I really liked Keri and Janna Keri is smart and strong, and Janna is cool and fun and not nearly as shallow as she thinks she is And I thought it was interesting that the author chose to write Keri s chapters in first person but Janna s and Sione s chapters in third person You might have noticed that I didn t mention I liked Sione I wanted to really I did But he came off a [...]

I was lukewarm on Karen Healey s award winning debut novel, Guardian of the Dead, but after reading THE SHATTERING s eerie and absorbing first chapter, I was willing to give her books a second try Unfortunately, THE SHATTERING just confirmed what I was already worried about that there is something off with either me or with Healey s writing, resulting in a disconnect between her stories and me.As I mentioned, THE SHATTERING starts off strong The cast of characters is diverse, and each main chara [...]

I highly enjoyed this teenage drama mystery with a supernatural edge The town of Summerton had me enchanted from the start a West Coast town where it doesn t rain Certainly, there did seem something suspicious about it It may be a fictitious place, but it reminded me rather of the small NZ country township where I grew up, Golden Bay The characters are well developed, and showcase the ethnic diversity of New Zealand without any of them being a cliche Healey develops her characters caringly, givi [...]

Originally posted on The Book Smugglers HEREReview First Impressions Ana Karen Healey s first book, Guardian of the Dead, took me entirely by surprise last year and it even made its way to my top 10 of 2010 I had been waiting for her sopho novel ever since and it is with great relief that I say that The Shattering is yet another great book following up on the steps of GoD and featuring an incredible cast of diverse, three dimensional characters who carry the story through with aplomb I loved it [...]

I expected that that anxiety would have a stronger influence on her character and the plot it s actually fairly peripheral My concern with this fact is that it would be easy to dismiss Keri s concerns as her simply worrying too much or needing to lighten up admonitions that anyone with anxiety will recognize as dismissive and hurtful By relegating Keri s mental illness to the background, Healey potentially minimizes the overwhelming effects that anxiety can have on a sufferer.However, one of Hea [...]

Last year I read Karen Healey s debut novel,Guardian of the Dead which may be known in some circles as that cover with the creepy eye mask thing , those circles being my sister and I , and really enjoyed it for its unique combinations of mystery and mythology Her second novel,The Shatteringwas one I eagerly anticipated and I m glad to say it met up to my expectations.The novel once again takes place in New Zealand, Healey s forte it seems as well as where she lives Keri, Janna, and Sione are thr [...]

Karen Healey s The Shattering was a gripping paranormal thriller that I just could not put down The story was involving and the characters very authentic and relatable The novel focuses on three characters Keri, Janna and Sione These three teens have something terrible in common their elder brothers all committed suicide Keri s brother is the latest victim After his death, Janna comes to Keri with the notion that it was not suicide after all she believes that it was murder Janna has been in touc [...]

Is this a story about teen suicide A murder mystery A dystopian parable A paranormal tale about plucky young people holding off the forces of evil A realistic take on coming out of the closet Well yes The Shattering is undoubtedly an engaging read, but there s a lot of competing themes to contend with.The story opens with Keri, a Maori girl who has lived her entire life in the idyllic New Zealand seaside hamlet of Summerton Her older brother Jake has recently committed suicide, leaving her in a [...]

Like the best of speculative fiction, this refreshingly different young adult book beautifully illuminates reality and highlights truth, in this case, the nature of grieving for those left behind after the suicide of a loved one The Shattering also has an imaginative take on the term magic when we apply it to a beautiful landscape.Have you ever seen the glassy eyed stare of a tourist as they stand bewitched by the beauty of a glittering bay You may look at that stuporific stare a little differen [...]

2.5 starsA dark, intense book that blends reality and dark magic to create a story that is at times horrifying and other times relatable The Shattering is a story that explores the lives of three teens from New Zealand whom are all coping with the loss of their older brothers who have supposedly died from committing suicide I say supposedly, because that s what it s suppose to appear like, but for the teens who s siblings died, they know that s the furthest thing from the truth I liked that Kare [...]

This review is also posted on Gypsy Book ReviewsThe Shattering was amazing At first, from the summary, I thought it d just be a book about murders which I love, btw , but it s so much I m awed at the amount of complexity this book packs together suicide, murder, bullying, being gay, and magic Yeah, you heard that there s magic included in this book And it s not like waving wands or anything, but Wicca magic White magic and black magic and oh my god, so amazing What I really loved about The Sha [...]

I did not think that the middle of a black magic ceremony was an appropriate time to be pashing your boyfriend.Summerton is a small, perfect town on the West Coast of New Zealand s South Island It s untouched by the usual social problems drugs, unemployment, crime It never rains in the week from Christmas to New Year It s a tourist magnet even after the major attraction, a set of limestone shelves shade of the Pinka nd White Terraces was destroyed, busloads of tourists continue to roll over the [...]

Also reviewed on my Youtube channel.I wasn t quite sure what to expect with this book It seemed like a fairly standard YA crime novel, based on the blurb and the first few chapters But what I got was a fabulous mixture of crime, thriller, contemporary, and fantasy paranormal something The story is set in a small town on the south island of New Zealand, and is split between three narrators who ve just finished high school Keri is half Maori and view spoiler a lesbian, though she s very much in th [...]

THE SHATTERING is an exciting and mysterious novel that will have your head spinning The plot is creepy yet entertaining It wasn t at all predictable and I had a hard time figuring out what exactly was going on The characters all had their own stories and worked well together in trying to solve the supposed suicides of young men The ending will leave you feeling perfectly satisfied, yet wanting from Healey She is a phenomenal writer and knows how to keep her readers interested.We are first intr [...]

This is a book that was just okay for me It was good, I enjoyed it, but I can t sit here and tell you that it was the greatest thing ever and you should run right out and buy it I d be lying And well, what good would that do anyone Let me start off by saying that it wasn t at all what I expected but that has nothing to do with my lack of enthusiasm I wasn t familiar with the author s previous work and based on the synopsis I went in thinking this was going to be a straight up mystery, which exci [...]

The Shattering is about a 17 year old girl Keri , who is grieving over her brothers death Her best friend tries to tell her that he committed suicide because her brother died almost the same way Janna tries her hardest to convince Keri that her brother wasn t murdered, that he committed suicide, so she brings her friend Sione over, who also lost her older brother to suicide The three begin to find clues to all their deaths and soon realize that maybe it wasn t suicide They soon find out that the [...]

Keri lives in an idyllic town on the coast of New Zealand One day, her beloved brother commits suicide Or does he When an old friend suggests that maybe her brother was a victim of a serial killer, Keri begins investigating a pattern of death.I am such a big fan of Karen Healey I love that her stuff is set outside of amerika, I love that her characters don t fit in stereotypical boxes, I love that her mythologies aren t the same as most fantasies This could be called a thriller, this could be ca [...]

Omg, this was awesome I could barely put it down And to throw in another cliche, for about the last quarter of the book, I was literally on the edge of my seat Sort of bouncing up and down, like.A little disappointed although not surprised, as it made sense that view spoiler Janna and Takeshi didn t stay together More disappointed that he had convinced himself of a mundane interpretation of the events Like, DUDE, YOU WERE THERE AND THEY TRIED TO KILL YOU WTF Kind of a let down after everything t [...]

I have the same major criticism for this as I did for Karen Healey s previous book, Guardian of the Dead which was nevertheless one of my favorites read that year the build up is too slow The characters are introduced The characters come together Something is Going On The protagonists investigate The protagonists investigate The protagonists investigate One protagonist figures out part of the mystery, but the others don t buy it And that s when the book really gets good, roughly halfway through [...]

I am so glad i picked up this book for my read The title really did justice to the story Literally shattered the concepts of cliche by its end When i started reading it initially, I was skeptical The story line seemed to follow the usual route of 3 people setting out to find out who did away with their brothers I confess i found it rather monotonous, as if i could read it and at the same time think of something else too But then, somehow, the story picked up steam I found myself too absorbed in [...]

The premise was really interesting, but I wasn t fond of the characters Sione whined Keri complained Janna was slutty Takeshi took up space I was really interested in the story yet the character s petty thoughts and behavior made it hard to really root for them There was a nice revival for them all at the end, turning their supposed weaknesses into strengths, plus a few unexpected twists It still wasn t a great book, though, too many social issues that felt rushed sexualiy, suicide, depression, [...]

Maybe I m just not in the mood for this one right now, but I can t seem to push myself past the 50 page mark I don t like any of the characters, and something about the abrupt way Janna tells Keri that her brother was murdered and something about the way Keri responds to that felt fake and forced andmehow ridiculous I felt like I couldn t take any of it seriously after that But everyone else seems to be enjoying it, so

I started of really liking this story I thought it was a crime type mystery with three teens who had lost their older brothers searching for a murderer And then, this book had an identity crisis and I stopped liking it and just got confused The way the story is told is another reason for the confusion One character is told from first person point of view I,me, etc and the other two are told from what I think is third person omnicient I didn t like the mix.

4.5 LOVED Summerton reminded me of Punakaiki on steroids although I tweeted the author and she said the fictional town is a combo of all West Coast towns Anyway,I liked this better than Gaurdian of the Dead Really compelling read with strong characters and that supernatural twist I love.Review to come

What began as a book about the grieving process ends up being a book about magic It was a kind of weird mashup of ideas and doesn t combine very well The story different because it takes place in New Zealand and has lots of local terminology included If you read this you ll need to refer to the back of the book for definitions.

I keep trying to make let me give The Shattering 6 out of 5 stars with the power if my brain The rating remains stubbornly limited to 5 Please know, however, that this is an amazing book full of wonderful characters and a climax that s brilliant and sad and perfect.

I honestly loved this book It led on for awhile and toward the end of the book took an unexpected and heartbreaking turn.