Review of Broken
Each time I read another book in this series, I think the latest one is the best book. Broken is no exception. Mary Brock Jones eco-scifi series about colonization brings fascinating characters, exotic worlds and real-world issues together.
In Broken, Anna and Cumchdach are married with a new baby. But prior the events in this book, it was discovered that Anna’s father and his company defrauded Cumchdach’s family company Den Coille. Also at play is a conspiracy to ignore the Alliance’s directive to change how they treat the planet Arcadia. Money and power seem to be the only motivations, so Federal Marshals ask Cumchdach to infiltrate the conspirators.
These complications serve to drive a wedge between Anna and Cumchdach and they end up separated. Cumchdach continues to work with the Marshals while botanist Anna studes the planet’s ecology to look for solutions to save the world.
The complex plot takes 618 pages to unravel. Through all this, Anna and Cumchdach struggle to be together and struggle to be apart. The reader knows they belong together, but complications threaten to tear them apart. Enemies hound both Anna and Cumchdach, and the Marshalls are just as much a thorn in their side as they are protectors.
Broken is best read as part of the 4-book series. All the main characters from books 1-3 appear in in this one with hints of future main characters to come. I am a big fan of this series and will plan to keep cheering for the good people of Aracadia!
Thanks to the author for providing a copy of this book. My review is my honest opinion.
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About Broken by Mary Brock Jones
A fabled earth analogue paradise world, or a planet facing disaster?
Arcadia is the most perfect Earth Analogue world in all the Alliance – and plenty of others are ready to take the place of its settlers if they keep on abusing their world. That’s what the Galactic Alliance has ruled, and the Alliance never makes false promises. Arcadians must change how they treat their world, or they will be removed. But too many Arcadians refuse to believe the threat is real, and a band of conspirators will use any means possible to hold onto their wealth and profits, including kidnap, blackmail, and maybe even assassination. The Federal Marshals ask Cumchdach to infiltrate the conspiracy and expose it.
Cumchdach den Coille has always known he’d marry Anna one day. But not that conspiracies and business fraud would come between them. When Anna’s father defrauds Cumchdach’s family company, Anna leaves him, taking their baby.
As one the top botanists on Arcadia, Anna den Coille specialises in how plants work together and within their ecosystem to best thrive. Work needed by her government to help fix their world. Then she is betrayed by her father, which doesn’t surprise her. But Cumchdach’s betrayal threatens to destroy her. Even worse, her snarled up family connections and special skills make her a target for their enemies.
Can Anna and Cumchdach survive long enough to expose their enemies and save their world—and save their marriage?
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