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    The Shattering
    The Shattering
    The Shattering
    Audiobook8 hours

    The Shattering

    Written by Karen Healey

    Narrated by Saskia Maarleveld

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Praised as "a breath of fresh air" (Booklist), Karen Healey's debut novel Guardian of the Dead received a starred review from School Library Journal and was a finalist for the William C. Morris Award. Healey's second novel The Shattering stars Keri, a 17-year-old trying to come to terms with her brother Jake's death. Although authorities believe Jake committed suicide, Keri cannot accept that her brother would take his own life. And when she's approached by her classmate Janna, whose brother also committed suicide years earlier, the two team up in search of answers. Soon the girls come to a grim realization-that their brothers weren't the first in town to die under mysterious circumstances.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateSep 5, 2011
    ISBN9781461847229
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    Reviews for The Shattering

    4/5

    92 ratings23 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Getting over the death of a loved one is always difficult, and it's easy to imagine it being still more difficult if it's a suicide. And it's even harder if you're the sort of person who wants to plan for everything, to have an idea of how to handle anything that could go wrong. So it goes for Keri, a tough, hyper-prepared young woman who's had to endure the shock of finding her brother Jake after he had seemingly done himself in, without really giving anyone an idea of why. And so when an old friend of hers approaches her and says they have an idea about who killed her brother, of course she's going to go with it. If you can get a reason, then you're going to want one.The Shattering is concerned with the search of Keri, along with Janna, a friend that drifted away and now has come back, and Sione, an out-of-towner whose family's been visiting the scenic New Zealand coast town of Summerton over New Year's for years. Both Janna and Sione's brothers also had killed themselves... but they think it was something more sinister, and the three of them are out to prove that there's been a killer preying on the young men in Summerton at the end of the year.The book rotates between the points of view of the three different characters, and each of them is very nicely presented, realistic and relatable and different. They're written consistently, too, so when you find out more about them, it pays off what's done earlier; you get to know them and have ideas about how to predict where they're going. The secondary characters beyond the main three are sketchier, but still good; I definitely got reminded of some of the Japanese people I've known in one of them, Takeshi, for example.I'm trying not to go into too much plot detail here, since this is a mystery, and a pretty fast-paced one, at that. All of the events that get rolled up in it, from changes in character to plot developments, come across as real and immediate, and I pretty much tore through it, reading it in whatever free time I had until I'd finished. I feel Healey's writing's grown better and more assured since her first novel, as well; it shows in the characters, and it shows in their interactions. It also shows in the plotting; I called some of the plot twists, for sure, but I missed some other ones, and they all felt real, either way.So I have to say, I really liked this one. It gives you a feel for a small resort town during the vacation high season, and presents its teenaged protagonists as full people grappling with some hard issues. I left this feeling really satisfied, and I'm betting you will, too, whether you're into YA work or not. Give this one a shot.
    • 4/5
      Another heavy read (obvious from the synopsis but hella trigger warnings for suicide!) but a really good book! Some murder mystery vibes but there's also magic and teenagers figuring themselves out and their relationship with their community and families.
    • 3/5
      Really well written mystery with excellent characters - I'm not a huge fan of realistic YA fiction, so I was perhaps not the best audience for this. But I still enjoyed it, and I know lots of our teens will love it.
    • 3/5
      I found it a quick read.

      I felt like the book let itself down by introducing a true supernatural angle (I would have liked it more if the leads were just paranoid, and I feel as though that would have mixed better with the overall mystery).

      All in all, an interesting look into area of the world that doesn't get much exposure in literature - or, at least, not here in the US in the world of YA.
    • 4/5
      3.5 starsIn a beautiful, touristy small town in New Zealand, Keri has just lost her older brother to suicide. When an old friend, Janna, comes around and suggests Keri’s brother may actually have been murdered (like Janna’s older brother years before, who was also assumed to have committed suicide), the two meet up with someone from out of town who’s older brother also “committed suicide”. There is an odd pattern here and the three of them are going to find out what’s going on and who actually killed their brothers. I enjoyed this. It’s YA, so not earth-shattering, but it was enjoyable. Each chapter switches viewpoints between Keri, Janna and their friend Sione, so we get a little bit of everyone’s point of view.
    • 4/5
      Plot: 4 stars
      Characters: 3 stars
      Style: 4 stars
      Pace: 4 stars

      A bit predictable, but love the deft handling of cultures and GLBT and magic all weaving together.
    • 5/5
      Karen Healey has done it again.
      Could NOT put this down.
      So good!
    • 5/5
      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, giving them distinctive personalities and traits, making them well rounded people that you could imagine hanging out with (or not, as the case may be). The story flowed at a goodly pace, with me figuring out what was going on approximately half a page before one of the characters jumped to the same conclusion. I laughed at the bits that were funny, cringed at the bits that were painful or uncomfortable, and felt my heart crumble just a little bit at a certain point nearing the end. Thank you Karen, and I'm sorry it took me so long to read this one.
    • 5/5
      Holy crap. I’ve been waiting on this book since Karen Healey announced it, and the wait was well worth it.

      The thing that you have to take note of is how different the plot is from most other paranormal YA books. For starters, the main characters are all normal teens thrust into an extraordinary situation—and they stay normal. They don’t have super special abilities (or they’re winging it), they’ve got real problems beyond the supernatural plot of the book, they’re insecure and doubt themselves and they fuck up. The antagonists aren’t EVIIIL; what they’re doing is wrong, but it’s out of misguided and warped intentions. Not to mention, some of them aren’t the slimeballs the teens immediately suspect (well, there are actual slimeballs)—a lot of people involved are the same adults whom Keri and Janna have grown up with and trust.

      Janna’s the most cocky of the three, the one who’s already figured everything out and says that she knows what to do. And that also makes her the most vulnerable of the main characters. I like the contrast between the weak, unsure Janna who doesn’t even know if her hunches are right and the confident, swaggering Stardust, bass goddess who can get any boy she wants. I like Janna’s determination to get justice for her brother Schuyler and all of the others, to the point where she’s willing to sacrifice her own goals to do so. She’s a bit thick at times, but she doesn’t need to have things constantly explained or spelled out for her. And although Janna’s the most selfish of the group, it made her feel more realistic and flawed. Yes, her stalking and leading on Takeshi wasn’t good (especially because she never explains why she’s so interested in him), but she’s able to recognize that it’s a bad thing and beat herself up for it later on.

      Sione’s got a lot more on his plate—not only is he still recovering mentally from his brother’s suicide, but Matthew still manages to overshadow Sione, even in death. A lot of this is tied into Sione’s identity crisis and insecurity about being Samoan—he’s not as athletic or strong or big as Matthew was. Sione gets insults hurled at him, and questions whether or not try to avenge Matthew’s death would be a good thing for himself. If there’s one thing about Sione I wanted to get expanded on, it’s his religious side. It’s mentioned that he’s very involved in his church, but aside from one culture shock scene and a couple of mentions, it’s never really brought into the story proper. It would have made a nice foil to Janna, and even the little bit that got mentioned in-story gave a little more to his character. And I loved his growing relationship with Aroha.

      And Keri- oh, Keri, Keri, Keri. I loved that her sections were all done in the first-person, because it made her grief more raw and added so much to her determination to find out who really killed her brother. There’s much more of a feel for her methodical, crazy-preparedness for almost everything and how she’s been dealing with her family after the tragedy. The flashbacks to where Keri discovers her brother’s body were gut-wrenching and her rage is just so strong, it really works so much better from her own perspective. And then when you find out that Jake wasn’t affected by the Summerton sacrifice, her eventual depression in the end is so much more heartbreaking. (Although I loved the epilogue on Karen Healey’s blog.) The revelation that Keri’s gay was also handled really well. It doesn’t overshadow her storyline, and it really helps illustrate how small and close-minded Summerton is.

      The relationship between the three was also handled admirably. Aside from the fact that they’ve all got personal issues with one another, they’re not automatically portrayed as besties. They all don’t really trust one another—Sione and Keri barely believe Janna when she first tells them about the sacrifices—and when the antagonists try to force them apart, they still have to deal with the ugly things they’ve admitted about their feelings. (Also, when Keri figures out that they’re under the influence of a spell, it’s not automatically broken and they all have to still deal with their negative feelings.) The three are thrown together by unfortunate circumstances, but I like the sense of distance between them all.

      If there’s one place where Healey shines is her secondary characters. While Takeshi and Aroha start off as potential love interests, they don’t just sit around and wonder why Janna, Sione and Keri are being dodgy and mysterious with them. Well, they do, but once things get rougher, neither one take being mysterious for an answer and they get in there and kick ass. (Especially Aroha.) I liked that they’re fully defined characters in their own right. Even the side characters, like the other members of Vikings to the Left, feel rounded and real, not just random characters to fill up the space.

      Now, before I continue fangirling, I actually do have an issue with the book; namely, the plot and the pacing of the mystery. We find out very early on who’s behind the murders, how the sacrifices are chosen, and why it’s done. There’s very few red herrings – mostly the people involved in the conspiracy (although there’s a nice “Oh crap” moment near the climax involving that)—but there’s really not that many mistakes or misapprehensions that the main characters make. (Save for the big huge spoiler, see above if you dare.) A lot of the tension of the book revolves around “We have to save Takeshi before the ritual happens on New Year’s Eve!” and the main trio trying to keep one step ahead of the murderers. It’s still done very well, but I would have liked some more mystery toward the climax.

      In spite of the plot problems, if you haven’t read Karen Healey before, I highly recommend starting with The Shattering. It still manages to have great characters, tension, and interesting plot that doesn’t dance around aimlessly to create ~mystery~ for three-quarters of the book. The hard topics (sexuality, suicide, depression, identity) are handled extremely well, without being too overbearing for the reader. In the meantime, I’ll be waiting impatiently for Karen Healey’s next book. (Unless if I get my hands on a TARDIS, but I hear those are hard to come by. Blast.)
    • 3/5
      Three teens, all of whose brothers supposedly committed suicide, believe that murders are being committed in their peaceful, touristy town.
    • 3/5
      Keri never believed that her beloved older brother Jake was actually capable of committing suicide, so when her childhood friend, Janna, and Sione, a boy from out of town, propose another theory—that their older brothers were actually murdered—she jumps on board their investigation. As the three teens explore further, they begin to realize that Summerton, their “perfect” tourist town, actually has some sinister secrets hidden behind its beautiful surface. There are people who are willing to do whatever it takes to keep Summerton the way it is, but Keri, Janna, and Sione are also willing to do whatever they can to ensure that no other family has to suffer the way they did.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 character has their own worries and distinct personality. You’re not quite sure what’s going on in Summerton, and so you read on, your heart fluttering to know. It’s a great setup, and all the elements are there to make it a good story: the suspense, the characters’ personal investment, the tensions between the characters, and the hint of a threat beneath it all.Unfortunately, THE SHATTERING was ultimately a frustrating read for me. Oftentimes I felt like I was singlehandedly trying to pull a stubborn mule and his cart up an unending hill, that was how much the plot dragged at times. A large part of THE SHATTERING felt simply like the characters were running around, not finding out much. Once again, the problem I had with Guardian of the Dead arose here: I felt like the ultimate setup and revelation of the suspense did not justify all the “effort” that the characters—and readers—invested into discovering it. In short, I liked the characters, but wanted them to be part of a different story: either one that wasn’t so ambitious in its supernatural elements (so perhaps a contemporary novel, which poses its own awe-inspiring complexities), or one that did succeed at achieving its supernatural ambitions (i.e. an urban fantasy that is more fantasy than urban).THE SHATTERING will find its audience in fans of uncommon elements of speculative fiction. It is far from bad, but it just didn’t have the special something, that readerly investment, that I crave in my books.
    • 4/5
      Three teens whose older brothers all apparently killed themselves unite when one discovers a pattern—every year, an older brother who was present at their tourist-filled New Zealand town’s New Year’s celebration shortly thereafter dies, an apparent suicide. Their investigation leads them to magic and to deeper revelations about themselves. I enjoyed it; the teens were appropriately messy and distractable and brave, and there were villains but not inexplicable ones.
    • 4/5
      After Keri's older brother suddenly commits suicide, she is devastated. Then a friend who also lost an older brother tells her that both boys were murdered by a serial killer who haunts their perfect town's New Year's Eve celebrations. They join forces with a third younger sibling to find the killer. But the truth is far more shocking than even they had supposed.Moving.
    • 4/5
      When is suicide not suicide? In the Shattering we meet three characters who share one thing in common, the death of an older brother. Keri is someone who has everything all figured out. She seems to always know what to do in any situation. That is until her brother’s death. Enter her friend Janna whose brother died a few years before and Sione who not only lost his brother but believes it was not a suicide. These three begin to stir things up as they are motivated to find out what is really going on in Summerton, New Zealand. Things are definitely not what they seem.This was an interesting story. I have enough trouble trying to figure out how to write in one POV. Karen Healey has stepped it up a notch. Keri’ POV is told in first person, whereas both Janna and Sione have their POV told in third person. Believe it or not this really works for this book. Readers who are not familiar with many of the words used in New Zealand can easily figure them out from the context. For those who like to just skip over those unknown words and hope they can continue on, I am speaking to many of my students, there is a section in the back of the book that can help with that.The Characters were well developed and believable. They came across as your typical teens. I would not put this on my shelves for my sixth graders to read as the topic can be quite disturbing. However, those more mature students I have will enjoy it. I do keep those books in a closet for my more mature readers and those whose parents have given permission for them to read that particular type of material. The book deals with multiple issues and shows how those issues can be handled inappropriately. So after saying all of that would I recommend this book? Most definitely.
    • 5/5
      I absolutely completely fell in love with this book. It was a surprisingly powerful, fast-paced fantasy. One of the reasons I liked this book so much is that it's quite unlike most fantasy books out there. It reminded me, a little, of Melina Marchetta's book Jellico Road in that it was so engrossing and beautiful within this almost real and yea quite clearly not quite real setting. I think it's partly different because the author is Australian (like with Marchetta's books) and partly because it's a much more grittier fantasy than a lot of what's out there for YA. I really loved this book.
    • 5/5
      Getting over the death of a loved one is always difficult, and it's easy to imagine it being still more difficult if it's a suicide. And it's even harder if you're the sort of person who wants to plan for everything, to have an idea of how to handle anything that could go wrong. So it goes for Keri, a tough, hyper-prepared young woman who's had to endure the shock of finding her brother Jake after he had seemingly done himself in, without really giving anyone an idea of why. And so when an old friend of hers approaches her and says they have an idea about who killed her brother, of course she's going to go with it. If you can get a reason, then you're going to want one.The Shattering is concerned with the search of Keri, along with Janna, a friend that drifted away and now has come back, and Sione, an out-of-towner whose family's been visiting the scenic New Zealand coast town of Summerton over New Year's for years. Both Janna and Sione's brothers also had killed themselves... but they think it was something more sinister, and the three of them are out to prove that there's been a killer preying on the young men in Summerton at the end of the year.The book rotates between the points of view of the three different characters, and each of them is very nicely presented, realistic and relatable and different. They're written consistently, too, so when you find out more about them, it pays off what's done earlier; you get to know them and have ideas about how to predict where they're going. The secondary characters beyond the main three are sketchier, but still good; I definitely got reminded of some of the Japanese people I've known in one of them, Takeshi, for example.I'm trying not to go into too much plot detail here, since this is a mystery, and a pretty fast-paced one, at that. All of the events that get rolled up in it, from changes in character to plot developments, come across as real and immediate, and I pretty much tore through it, reading it in whatever free time I had until I'd finished. I feel Healey's writing's grown better and more assured since her first novel, as well; it shows in the characters, and it shows in their interactions. It also shows in the plotting; I called some of the plot twists, for sure, but I missed some other ones, and they all felt real, either way.So I have to say, I really liked this one. It gives you a feel for a small resort town during the vacation high season, and presents its teenaged protagonists as full people grappling with some hard issues. I left this feeling really satisfied, and I'm betting you will, too, whether you're into YA work or not. Give this one a shot.
    • 4/5
      I really love Healey’s first novel Guardian of the Dead. Since reading The Shattering, I can officially call myself a fan of hers. Like Guardian of the Dead, The Shattering is a murder mystery with folklore and magic mixed in, and they both take place in New Zealand. This time, however, Healey presents us the mystery of supposed suicides rather than an immediately recognizable serial killing.The Shattering starts off as a seemingly normal story—like with Guardian of the Dead—this time as one about grief and a girl coming to terms with the suicide of a beloved brother. The story is told from the perspectives of these three teenagers who have been brought together through their shared desire to piece together the truth behind their older brothers’ deaths… and to ultimately prove that their brothers were murdered.Then Healey starts introducing elements of the murder mystery, and it becomes quickly apparent that there is more to the story. Healey is a master at plot, and it is definitely a big part of why of I love her writing. Her attention to detail and clever plot twists kept me enthralled with the story and consistently second guessing myself. It wasn’t until I reached the end of the novel, that I was one hundred percent sure of the story and how it would end.The Shattering is a brilliantly crafted novel with a fresh setting (for me—Healey herself is a New Zealander). Those of you have who read and enjoyed Guardian of the Dead should definitely pick up The Shattering. If you haven’t and you end up enjoying The Shattering (if you haven’t already read it), then you should try picking up Healey’s first novel. Just keep in mind that both contain darker themes, more so in The Shattering what with references to suicide, racism, and bullying.
    • 3/5
      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 excited me to no end, but it ended up going paranormal on me. This isn't a bad thing, it just wasn't what I thought I was reading. That said, there are a lot of things I liked about this book. For one, the paranormal concept is unique to an over-saturated genre. I'll give it credit even thought I wish it had been billed that way. Second, while a few sections here and there were slow, for the most part it was fast paced and kept me guessing, thus flipping pages. And then there's Keri. The story is told in alternating point of view of the three main characters, but I found myself drawn more to Keri than the others. Like me, she plans for every possible event/outcome and I really came to like her despite the fact that the story wasn't working for me. Still, I failed to truly connect with the story. It lacked a certain something. That intangible that makes me want to attack strangers on the streets and force a copy of a book I love into their hands. However, I would certainly recommend reading it and giving it a chance. It's something different and if you're looking for something a little dark or a little unique, this book could definitely be for you.
    • 3/5
      The Shattering is a fairly interesting paranormal young adult novel. The three friends, each having lost an older brother to suicide, begin to investigate similar suicides in their search for a serial killer. The plot twists in this story weren't really twisty enough. I found things fairly easy to predict, but I did enjoy the relationship between Keri, Janna, and Sione. The author, Karen Healey, did a nice job showing them grow closer as they investigated and helped each other out of tough situations.This book should appeal to younger adults and perhaps any adult who has an addiction to all things paranormal.*Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher through Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review
    • 5/5
      Book of my heart. You should read this immediately and fall in love with it and with Keri, one of the main characters, just like I did. She is brave and smart and organized and determined, and I adore her.
    • 5/5
      This book seemed really interesting, but I was not expecting to be taken for such a great ride. I loved this book! It was the perfect mix of murder-mytery, folklore and magic. Keri, Sione and Janna have one thing in common; they all had older brothers who committed suicide in the same town, around the same time of year, showing no signs of depression, leaving behind no note. Their suicides never made sense to them, but as they look into the similarities of the three boys' deaths, and patterns of other "suicides" they doubt that the deaths were actually suicides. As they try to pinpoint the murderer, his (or her) next victim and why all of these boys are being killed, they find out more about their town than they really wanted to. Their investigation may uncover the truth, but at what cost?This novel was set at the perfect pace, the setting was different from what I'm used to (takes place in New Zealand), the characters were all interesting; overall, I was dying to know how the story played out. It was definitely a very quick read. The only thing that I wasn't crazy about was that the book uses some words in Maori and Samoan. There is a glossary in the back, but this aspect kind of went both ways for me. I could see how it would make the setting more realistic, since people in the country actually use words from these languages even while speaking English, but I found flipping to the glossary to take away from the story. But really, it was not that big of a deal.I don't really know what to say, except, "This book was cool as!" Do you kiwis appreciate my New Zealand lingo? (I learned that in Australia).
    • 3/5
      I was super excited for this book and delighted when I got it on Netgalley. Although the book started off good for me, it slowly went down and was disappointed in the end. I loved the beginning of the book. This town plague my myterious suscides that no one thought the people would commit, Keri and her friends are determined to fine out what is really going on. I loved Keri and the other characters. They weren't afraid to ask questions. To go places where they needed to go. They followed patterns of deaths and became excellent investigators. I am impressed how quickly these three were and how good they handled it all. The plot line of the book is what I didn't enjoy. The problem for me with this book is that even though is started off great with the mysterious death, patterns and whatnot, I just did not like the way it ended. I was hoping for more. A surprise or such, but nothing what I thought. I am extremely disappointed in myself that I could not like it more. But this book is simply not what I thought. The writing is good, along with the development of the characters. I enjoyed watching them learn, grow and become closer friends then ever.
    • 3/5
      Keri's brother has just shot himself in the head with no note and no warning. Still grieving, an old friend approaches Keri claiming her brother was murdered. Intrigued, Keri joins Janna and her friend Sione, both of whom have had older brothers who committed suicide--with no warning and no note. A disturbing pattern of "suicides" emerges, making them wonder just what is going on in the idyllic seaside town of Summerton. As they continue their investigation, they come to realize that people they trusted might be at the center of a sinister plot and something very deadly may be afoot.I would call this book "very intriguing" over "very engrossing." The action moved slowly and at a very leisurely pace, but nonetheless I was intrigued how this book would turn out and it kept me reading. It wasn't one of those heart pounding page turners. Yes, certainly I kept coming back to it to figure out what was going on. Yes, as a plot, the ending was satisfying. But I would have been happy to have never read this book and will likely not recommend it to others.I was impressed by the conclusion (after the plot's been all resolved, etc.) It discusses suicide and what it does to a family. Then afterword briefly mentions resources for those contemplating suicide.However, it's only fair to admit that part of my dislike of this book is it's focus on witchcraft, and not the Harry Potter wizardry, but the white magic/dark magic/spirits type of witchcraft. This is not something I want to read about and not really something I enjoy seeing in books for children.