Common Sense Media Review
By Michael Berry
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Exciting tale of resisting alien invaders has romance, too.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 12+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
In SHATTERED WARRIOR, alien invaders called the Derichets arrived on Colleen Cavanaugh's home planet eight years ago and destroyed her family. Now she works on an industrial conveyor belt with other survivors, making it through the day before retreating to her damaged home in the countryside. Safety isn't guaranteed, not with the dangerous gangs who operate there. But when she take in a long-lost niece, the stakes are raised even higher for Colleen. She joins a band of rebels and begins to fall in love with a reckless fighter named Jann. Should she risk her newfound family or work to free her planet by actively resisting the Derichets?
Is It Any Good?
One young woman's journey to active resistance against her planet's alien invaders proves to be thoughtful and compelling. In Shattered Warrior, author Sharon Shinn gracefully charts Colleen's path from beaten-down factory worker to committed rebel. Artist Molly Knox Ostertag expertly depicts the action, both physical and emotional. The mix of adventure and romance should hit the sweet spot for many readers. The story is open-ended, but there's a welcome sense of completion when Colleen and her fellow fighters make their stand.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Shattered Warrior and how it uses the graphic novel format to tell its story. What kinds of stories work best as graphic novels?
How is violence used in Shattered Warrior? Is violence an effective method of political resistance?
Why can it be more difficult for people to love each other in times of great danger and unrest?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Mary Knox Ostertag
- Genre : Graphic Novel
- Topics : Adventures
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : First Second
- Publication date : May 16, 2017
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 11 - 14
- Number of pages : 256
- Available on : Paperback, Nook, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 30, 2025
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