Gary Stringer draws us deeper into the characters and epic struggle of Tempestria with Shattered Lives! The Guardians continue their quest to search for the shattered fragments and unmask their true enemy, when they come across a new threat. In order for their plan to confront their enemy to work, they must first save the life and soul of a girl who believes the White Guardian murdered her father. Stringer has masterfully created a large cast of characters that are deep and very likeable over the course of the Tempestria series. I’ve really enjoyed how each book is a close in snapshot of the greater struggle, and takes a different focus each time. In this outing, we get a deeper look at each of the characters as we dive more into their characters and lives, and see their friendships and bonds tested to the brink as they attempt to save this girl. I really enjoyed how deep this episode was, capturing more of the heart of Tempestria, while also being deeply tied to the overall struggle and not just feeling like filler. I love Tempestria as a whole, so definitely check out the whole series, but if you’re looking for a nice character-driven narrative that has a lot of heart and meaning, definitely come piece together Shattered Lives!
