Review: Shattered Veil by Tracy E. Banghart

Title: Shattered Veil

Author: Tracy E. Banghart

Series: The Diatous Wars #1

My Rating: ★★★★★

Genres: YA, Sci-fi, Dystopian

Published February 28th 2014

Format: eARC, NetGalley
Goodreads/Amazon/Book Depository

Description from Goodreads

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.

My Review

Wow. Just wow. This book is AMAZING! It kept me awake all night, and I just didn't want it to end. I'm totally on a book hangover, and can't read anything else. 

I've been putting off writing this review because I find it difficult to write whenever I'm overwhelmed. Though a week has passed from when I finished reading Shattered Veil, I'm still very obsessed with it. My feelings are still all over the place, but I'll try my best to write a coherent review.

Alright, so what's it about? Shattered Veil is a Sci-fi/Dystopian book, and it's about a girl called Aris who disguises as a man to become a Military flyer. Now, in case you guys are wondering why she has to cross-dress, let me explain it to you. Women in this book can't join the military. The story takes place in the future, and after decades of war the population has diminished drastically. So, the government decided to ban women from doing any kind of dangerous work, as they wanted to ensure the survival of the human race.

Aris has never cared about the war, she decided to enter the military just to be with Calix, the guy she loves. She's the silly type of girl who's hopelessly romantic. Initially, I was a bit annoyed at her because I wanted her to join the military for a honorable reason, and not because of a man. Things developed quickly though, and I soon saw her change as the story progressed. 

The transformation from Aris to Aristos was very different. It wasn't the usual 'breast binding' and 'dressing like a man' transformation. It was more complex, and really extreme. I mean, she shaved her head to look like a guy!

There wasn't much romance in this book. Aris did have a long distance relationship with Calix, but it was obvious from the beginning that they weren't meant to be. So, I kept wondering if there was some other guy. Although the book didn't really focus on the romance, I was glad that there was indeed another guy!

The book is told from different point of views which helped building the climax towards the end of the story. The mystery aspect was beautifully executed. I liked how everything unfolded, and that ending!

Shattered Veil left my mouth wide open, so READ IT!

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Edit: August 1st 2014
SHATTERED VEIL has a new title and cover: Rebel Wing.