Brought to you by OBS reviewer Andra

Shattered Warrior tells the story of Colleen Cavenaugh and the new world she has been living in for the past eight years. The Derichets invaded and conquered the planet with the end goal of harvesting the planet’s resources, which are used to fuel their warships.

I found the story relatively fast paced and kept my interest. Colleen works in a factory which refines the planet’s resources for export. One of the products produced is quite valuable and can be used to cause explosions. As the story unfolds, Colleen joins forces with the underground revolution to help free their world from the clutches of the Derichets.

Colleen is a strong main character and I quickly began to root for her and the resistance movement to succeed. The growth of “family” through common goals and acceptance was evident throughout. This is an important element when one’s blood relatives are all gone and I felt provided the foundation for Colleen to shine in her role in taking down the Derichts. There was also some class angst on the part of Jann, which I did feel was a bit over the top.

There is some violence (as predictable given the story being told) but nothing to egregious to be unacceptable to the teen level reader.

I really liked the illustrator Molly Knox Ostertag’s artwork, specifically for her ability to convey feelings through her illustrations.

I found I liked the story well enough, the art work good, characters interesting. I would read more from this author if the opportunity presented itself.

If you are looking for a graphic novel with an interesting storyline and good graphics – then I suggest reading Shattered Warrior.

Although the concept of aliens was a bit hard for me in theory, in practice it was the story of a rebellion and overcoming the powers that control you. Interesting story with a great art style.

Shattered Warrior was visually appealing. It was also a great fantasy that was still rooted in possible reality. The art was well done and so many parts of the story were told just through the imagery.

Shattered Warrior was a pleasant surprise to read. On the one hand, it’s fairly predictable with its story, but on the other hand… I couldn’t put it down. What Shattered Warrior does best is creating a believable world, but one with a deep history. At first glance, the story seems like it’s taking place on earth after it’s been colonized by aliens. These aliens are ruthless, and while they haven’t quite enslaved the entire planet, they have taken all their liberties and changed the social landscape of the entire planet.

The other thing it does quite well is several things that all relate to each other. There’s the social commentary on class and the class system and how it can become deeply rooted in a person’s upbringing. Then there’s the commentary and very real treatment of how women have been treated by all colonists. This includes rape, beatings, and murder. While it’s the hardest part of the story to read at times, it’s also very important that it’s addressed. No, it’s not graphically shown, but how it affects the women is shown and dealt with throughout the story. It adds this intense layer of danger that has nothing to do with the rest of the plot. It’s just an everyday danger that all the women in the story must deal with and think about wherever they go.

As for the story, it follows a woman named Colleen who is the essentially the last member of her family. A family that was once very rich and at the top of the social hierarchy. Now though, her parents are dead. Her brother-in-law is also dead, and her sister and niece were taken by a high-ranking official in the Derichet empire which means they’re either dead or wishing they were.

Colleen works in a sorting facility that takes material that miners have dug and divided out the two sources. One of the sources is highly explosive and can be used for space travel. A group of rogues moves in next door to her, and one of them warns her that it’s best for her to move on from her house because their leader is going a bit crazy. This event introduces us to the social hierarchy that’s no longer practiced since everyone is in the same boat, but still a part of people’s upbringing. While I could go on, I would have to spoil parts of the story instantly to continue to set the very large stage that writer Sharon Shinn has created.

While I did find parts of the story to be predictable, that is a testament to Shinn’s writing because a good author can lead you down the path they’re taking you and make you think you knew the way the entire time. In the end, this story is as much about the journey as it is the characters. You care about the characters because of everything they end up going through together, and that’s something that’s slowly built up throughout the course of the novel.

Bringing Shinn’s words and characters to life is super talented Molly Know Ostertag. The story has a dark tone for most of the story. The theme is love and hope for sure, but to get there, we must first go through the darkness. That’s where Ostertag shines because she keeps this book from being overwhelmingly sad. She also brings out so much emotion from the characters and Colleen in particular that deals with a ton of shit throughout the story. That is another great part of the journey, seeing how strong Colleen is and how she manages to keep going one setback after another. Ostertag’s alien designs were also particularly interesting because there were so many different varieties of Derichet. It wasn’t one design fits all, but rather as many varieties as there are humans in the story. The last note on the art and story, in general, is that minorities are represented in a big way throughout the entire story which is going to make a lot of kids day when they pick this book up and can relate to the characters.

On a weird, “I like print better than digital” note, this book smells great. Seriously, pick it up and just give it a sniff. The ink, the paper, it’s so nice. First Second has the best smelling and feeling books on the market. They have officially dethroned the now absorbed Archaia imprint at BOOM!. Seriously, the feel of this book is great and truly adds to the reading experience.

Shattered Warrior is only part of the story. While this volume is a complete and full story, it's also clear that Shinn and Ostertag have more to tell. I will be looking forward to that and seeing what they do with these characters as the theme and focus of the world shifts. If you’re looking for an uplifting story for your young teen or you’re an adult that’s looking for a new fantasy series to follow, then you’ve found it.

I didn't get to finish but loved the beginning and was just getting into it when it expired. I am hoping one will arrive at my house!

Shattered Warrior is a graphic novel written by Sharon Shinn and illustrated by Molly Knox Ostertag. It is ten years after Colleen Cavanaugh's home world was invaded by the Derichets, a tyrannical alien race bent on exploiting the planet's mineral resources. Most of her family died in the war, and she now lives alone in the city. Aside from her acquaintances at the factory where she toils for the Derichets, Colleen makes a single friend in Jann, a member of the violent group of rebels known as the Chromatti. One day Colleen receives shocking news: her niece Lucy is alive and in need of her help. Together, Colleen, Jann, and Lucy create their own tenuous family. But Colleen must decide if it's worth risking all of their survival to join a growing underground revolution against the Derichets.

Shattered Warrior is a graphic novel that begins as a story about survival and struggles in a world as a second class citizen. I liked Colleen's resilience and strength- and while she is not afraid of taking risks for what she deems the greater good she is not overly reckless. I liked the character development and the extended cast of supporting characters. I think the us verses them was a little too easy- even though there were good and bad people among every group in the book, the Colleen and the resistance too easily dubbed the Derichets as worthy of death. While that might have been for effect- the current political climate makes me a little too sensitive to this kind of attitude. Although, it could very well have been part of the author's intention to open people's eyes to the dangers of this kind of attitude I have found those with that mindset see nothing wrong with that idea and would take this as further validation.

Shattered Warrior is a thought provoking graphic novel, but I think there are issues that could have been further or better explored. The artwork, characters, and conflicts are well done and interesting. It was a good graphic novel, I just thought that it could have been even better and was hoping for more.

Rich story telling makes this an exciting science-fiction adventure. Set on a humanoid world which has been invaded and now ruled by aliens. The story centres on a young woman who grew up, pre-invasion, as a rich elitist little girl whose family was one of the most influential, and a young man, born a coal miner's son, who now belongs to a gang which causes trouble for both other humans and the aliens. They both eventually join the resistance and learn that even though they come from opposite backgrounds they now are on even footing as they fight for freedom. This is an exciting story with action from start to finish but also a love story of two people who must get over their biases to find happiness. Very well written and a quick page-turning read.

Aliens, but hardly aliens really. This could just as easily have been ogres or something. The point is the physically large and powerful taking advantage of the small and weak who must find smarter ways to fight back. Its an intriguing plot. It works for a relatively quick read but merits a slower and more contemplative exploration.

Shattered Warrior is an affecting portrait of life during wartime occupation, a story of a young woman fighting the alien race who’ve stolen her world that demonstrates real emotional depth in life-and-death situations.

Colleen was the privileged daughter of a great estate until the aliens came. They destroyed the city and her home and killed her family (and stole her Bible! just kidding, Romancing the Stone fans). Now, she works a tiring, assembly-line job sorting minerals for the occupiers to feed herself, returning home to her abandoned, falling-down mansion at night.

As Colleen’s tale continues, we meet her long-lost niece, a rebellious member of a tribal gang, a sympathetic occupier who tries to protect her, and a band of resistance fighters. Colleen learns to look forward instead of back, to find a purpose beyond mere survival, to learn to love others in spite of the risk of loss. It’s inspiring. It’s also an incredibly empathetic portrait of what it might be like to live under occupation — to fear everyone around you and to cope with casual violence and the potential disappearance at any time of those you care about.

So many stories of this type are about rebellion and fighting back, but this one is just as much about daily survival. It’s those details that make the story so engrossing. The moments, the small scenes are true and affecting. Which makes Shattered Warrior surprisingly current as we learn more about the struggles faced by some of our world’s citizens.

Writer Sharon Shinn knows her audience, as she’s written a number of other science fiction/fantasy works, including some for young adults. I suspect her novelist background is why this story is so complex. She doesn’t underestimate her readers, instead challenging them with a variety of emotions and motivations.

Artist Molly Knox Ostertag (Strong Female Protagonist) builds a rich, believable world with expressive characters and all the necessary detail. Together, they have put out a powerful, timely read, romantic and exciting and suspenseful and dangerous.

Shattered Warrior, by Sharon Shinn/Illustrated by Molly Knox Ostertag, (May 2017, :01FirstSecond), $17.99, ISBN: 9781626720893

Recommended for ages 14+

It's been eight years since Colleen Cavanaugh's world was invaded, her people enslaved. The Derichets, a warlike alien race, have human slaving in mines and factories, mining and refining minerals to power their weapons and their technology. Colleen, who lost most of her family in the invasion, discovers that her young niece, Lucy, is alive, and bribes the Derichets to get her back. Along with Jann, a member of a gang of rebels called the Chromatti, Colleen, Lucy, and Jann try to stay off everyone's radar and live quietly, a small family of their own. But Colleen is also helping another rebel group; one that's much more dangerous to the Derichets than the Chromatti. When a chance for a big victory makes an appearance, Jann and Colleen have to take it - even if there are dire consequences.

Sharon Shinn is a bestselling sci-fi author; Shattered Warrior is her first graphic novel, illustrated by Molly Knox Ostertag, best known for her Strong Female Protagonist webcomic. Shattered Warrior is the first volume in this story of love amidst rebellion; Shinn and Ostertag certainly have come together to give us a strong female protagonist in Colleen. She's strong, having endured the invasion of her world and enslavement of her race; the deaths of her family; and now, the discovery of her niece. She keeps her household going in the face of an utterly bleak future, but refuses to open herself to love because she can't deal with the pain of losing. As the novel progresses, she ultimately realizes that love provides the power to keep going, and falls in love with Jann. The novel ends on a cliffhanger, ensuring that we'll all be waiting for the next installment.