About This Book
Reach for this book when your teenager is grappling with questions of identity, the ethics of technology, or the pressure of living up to a specific reputation. Shatter City follows Frey, a girl raised to be her twin sister's secret body double, as she navigates a futuristic city where citizens use an interface to regulate their emotions. As she works to stop her dictator father's war, she must decide who she is when she is no longer hiding in someone else's shadow. It is a high stakes thriller that explores themes of independence, the danger of suppressing feelings, and the complicated loyalty between siblings. It is best suited for readers aged 12 and up who enjoy fast paced action and stories about standing up to systemic injustice.
What Parents Should Know
Sensitive Topics
DISTRESS: The book contains scenes of urban warfare and high tech combat. There is a specific scene involving a pulse surge that causes significant physical and psychological distress to the characters, simulating a loss of bodily and emotional autonomy. The threat of a father willing to kill his own children is a recurring, heavy theme. CONVERSATION: Be ready to discuss the concept of emotional regulation versus emotional suppression. The city of Paz offers a chance to talk about whether it is healthy or even possible to eliminate negative emotions like anger or sadness through technology. You may also want to discuss the ethics of drones and remote surveillance in a modern context.
Ideal Reader
A middle or high schooler who feels like they are constantly compared to a sibling or who feels they have to hide their true self to fit in. This is also a great pick for readers becoming increasingly interested in social justice or those starting to question the authority of institutions and leaders. Also perfect for fans of tech heavy dystopian worlds.
Parent Prep
Parents should be aware that this is the second book in a series. Reading or skimming Impostors first is recommended to understand the sibling dynamic and the political stakes. The primary concern for parents will be the recurring and heavy theme of a father who is actively hunting and willing to kill his own children.
Age Experience
Younger teens will focus on the pulse technology and the cool factor of the gadgets. Older teens will likely pick up on the political allegories regarding surveillance and the loss of individual agency in a controlled society.
What Makes It Special
Unlike many dystopians that focus on physical scars, this book focuses on the internal landscape: how technology can be used to colonize a person's very feelings and moods.
Read plot summary
Picking up after the events of Impostors, Frey travels to the city of Paz to hide from her father, the tyrant of Shreve. Paz is a supposedly peaceful utopia where citizens use the pulse, a technological interface, to manage their moods and maintain harmony. However, Frey discovers that peace built on emotional suppression is fragile. When her father's forces threaten the city, Frey must lead a resistance, navigate her developing feelings for Col, and find her sister Rafi, all while questioning if she can ever be more than just a weapon or a double.
This overview was generated by AI based on the book's content and reviews, and may not capture every nuance.
Discussion Prompts
1
In Paz, people use technology to numb their 'bad' feelings. If you could turn off your anger or sadness with a button, would you? What would you lose by doing that?
2
Frey was raised as a secret double for her sister. How does her childhood impact the way she views her own worth compared to Rafi?
3
The city of Paz claims to be a place of peace, but Frey sees it differently. Is a society truly peaceful if that peace is forced through technology?
4
Frey's father justifies his cruelty as being for the 'greater good' of his city. At what point does a leader's desire for order become tyranny?
5
How does Frey's relationship with Col change as she begins to trust her own instincts instead of just following orders?
