Synopsis
oey Targe’s job was to stand at attention and look good in a uniform unless someone earned themselves an ass kicking.
He spent years climbing the ranks to be a Master Sergeant in the Sorento Royal Senate Guard and now has the top tier gig – he’s Guardian to High Senator Sara Brand, one of the leaders of the planet Sorento.
Life is going pretty good for Poey and he’s looking forward to a future of settling down and retiring from his… but all that changes when High Senator Brand receives troubling news…
SHATTERED is the story of doing the right thing… And the consequences of those actions.
It’s the story of Poey Targe, Sara Brand, and a few friends as they struggle to keep their planet safe.
SHATTERED: A Sanguine Stars Novella – is a short, action packed science fantasy read that features political intrigue, a lot of fun action, and a touch of humor while setting the stage for everything to come…
Review
“…and just two days ago,” Macs said, “you said it was unconscionable- unconscionable!- for the senate cafeteria to run out of your favorite candy.”
This was an excellent read for me. I don’t think I’ve read a novella that focused on political themes this much while having giant scorpions and a nine headed monster. This was one of those books that feels like it is specifically written for me.
‘I was under the impression that it was going to be a fun sci-fi or sci-fantasy book but the theme it has struck is one that is of the need of the hour and that elevates the whole reading experience for me now. I love this book so much and can’t wait to finish it’ – This is a highlight I wrote down at chapter 3- barely about 30 pages into the book. The world Nicholas has built is awesome and I cannot wait to return to it in a bigger installment.
These days it’s all about characters for me and Nicholas excels with his character work. Poey Targe and Sara Brand are instantly endearing characters and I am going to be reading the whole series for them. Where Nicholas especially stood out is with another major side character – Kelley Aegis. I consider Fonda Lee to be the best character writer and Nicholas follows in her vein with Aegis. He was such a realistic character and had a full character arc eliciting all the feels from either side of the emotional spectrum. Achieving that within so few pages is really skillful.
I also loved many other little things in the novella that I can’t talk about because I think it is best enjoyed going in blind. I will say I really enjoyed the nods to authors and other members of the bookish community in this. I counted 10 different people I knew but I am sure there are definitely more people hidden in the story. All in all, it is the perfect prequel novella for an epic science fantasy series and I cannot wait to get to Book 1 when it is released. From cultural divisions across different nations to bull faced beasts, there’s a lot of different stuff to enjoy in this little novella and Nicholas is very brutal to all of his characters (literally no one has any kind of plot armor.)
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