Shattered Veil by Tracy E. Banghart (The Diatous Wars #1)

First Published: 24 February 2014
Series: The Diatous Wars #1
Pages: 377
Format: Ebook
Finished Date: 4 June 2014

Synopsis

When everything that defines you is stripped away, who do you become?

War has invaded Atalanta’s quiet villages and lush woodlands, igniting whispered worries in its glittering capitol. Far from the front lines, 18-year-old Aris Haan, a talented wingjet flyer, has little cause for concern. Until her beloved Calix is thrust into the fray, and a stranger makes her an impossible offer: the chance to join a secret army of women embedded within the all-male military.

Aris’s choice to follow Calix to war will do more than put her in physical danger; it will make her question everything she believes about herself. When she and her enigmatic commander uncover a deadly conspiracy, her expert flying may be the only hope for her dominion’s survival…and her own.

It’s Mulan meets Battlestar Galactica, with a heroine who is strong enough to save a nation…but only if she’s willing to sacrifice everything, even the one promise she swore she’d never break.

**WINNER** 2014 IndieReader Discovery Awards: 2nd Place, Fiction

My Rating

My Review

Shattered Veil was fantastic. It was extremely well-written, with an awesome cast of characters, great character building, a solid plot and an interesting concept. To top all that off? It has a really pretty cover too. Oh and before I get started? 1 disclaimer. I absolutely cannot spell veil and keep spelling it as ‘viel’ instead. So forgive me in advance if there’s any spelling errors over veil haha:)

I feel the need to spaz over character development first. I mean, like seriously. Shattered Veil has one of the best character developments I have ever read. It is so real and appropriate to everything that Aris, our female lead, goes through. Never once was I skeptical over her conclusions and reactions to an event that took place. In this aspect, I think the writing is flawless.

Aris may have started out with selfish reasons, ie wanting to be with Calix, the guy she loves. But it’s the journey that she is taken on, a journey of self-discovery, of strength, of growing up. She is extremely relatable and all her actions make sense. I loved the decisions she made towards the end, when she realized it wasn’t about herself, it wasn’t even about Calix anymore and hadn’t been for a long time. I think I especially loved how she wasn’t all perfect. Even though she could very well have been the best Flyer, this was counterbalanced by her slight walking disability and that she was physically not very strong. And the way she powered through that and overcame her challenges? That was inspiring. I don’t care that it was done for Calix, because I believe in love. I believe in love that pushes someone through all his or her difficulties, just to be with the other person. Maybe it wasn’t the most noble thing she could have done. I mean, it’s a war after all, people should be concerned more about saving lives and ending the war, than about a single other person or themselves. I don’t like perfect heroines, I love heroines that have flaws, that have to fight for their place in life, but also not arrogant with what they have. In Aris, I found all these qualities I love in a heroine.

The plot, too, was fantastic. It was very well laid out and engaging. I couldn’t put the book down, and all I could think about was when I would be able to read again, when I had no choice but to put it down. I love Ms. Tracy Banghart’s writing style. It’s simple, yet it doesn’t talk down to you. You feel like you’re actually there, beside Aris as she experiences it. Oh, how I wish I could fly like Aris. Maybe the action wasn’t very long but that didn’t bother me. I loved seeing how the experiences shaped Aris. And that confrontation with Calix? Alright, not confrontation exactly. Conversation, more like. That was one of the best parts of the book in my opinion.

Even the world building was fantastic. I really want to know more about the world and every little glimpse I’m given into it makes it more interesting. I think it was just enough to sate my curiosity, yet not overwhelming. This isn’t exactly a dystopian, even though choices can get taken away from you. Still, it is a fair system in my opinion. And the wards of each dominion changes things a little. Reminds me a bit of a game where you have to choose what best to do with your country. Like the game Civilizations haha. I love that game!

If I have one complaint, its that the thing with Major Milek was a little abrupt. Actually, I’m not surprised or even unhappy about it. I mean, its kinda sweet how such things happen I feel. Perhaps I just wanted a little more. But I have no doubts I’ll get it in the next book:)

You know that feeling you get when you finish an excellent book and you’re left smiling after it? Then a few days later, you think about the book again and you’re like, oh wow that was fantastic, I need that again!! And the whole host of emotions that you experience that I have no idea how to put into words. Yep, I got all that with Shattered Veil. Its been quite a while since I read such a good book and I cannot thank the author enough for writing such a good story and giving me the chance to read it. I am so excited to read the next book now, and it couldn’t come sooner. Now, time to go check out Ms. Banghart’s backlist:)

Disclaimer: A free copy of this book was given to me in exchange for an honest review. All views posted here are mine alone.