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The epic adventure continues. . .
Hokk is a criminal outcast who has been scavenging the bodies that fall from the sky to Below for meagre treasures to help him survive. Elia hails from the floating kingdoms in the skies of Above, where the islands' edges are borders no one dares to cross except for the ritual burials that send their dead to Below. Together, these teens embarked on a quest to return to the homes they've lost-but now their journeys have diverged, and their futures are more uncertain than ever. Without Hokk, does Elia have any hope of returning to Above and rescuing her family? Without Elia, will Hokk become just another lost soul roaming the endless plains of Below?
Hokk is a criminal outcast who has been scavenging the bodies that fall from the sky to Below for meagre treasures to help him survive. Elia hails from the floating kingdoms in the skies of Above, where the islands' edges are borders no one dares to cross except for the ritual burials that send their dead to Below. Together, these teens embarked on a quest to return to the homes they've lost-but now their journeys have diverged, and their futures are more uncertain than ever. Without Hokk, does Elia have any hope of returning to Above and rescuing her family? Without Elia, will Hokk become just another lost soul roaming the endless plains of Below?
384 pages, Paperback
First published August 25, 2015
About the author
Jason Chabot
3 books63 followersI live in Vancouver, British Columbia, but grew up in the rural outskirts of a city called Chilliwack – a Stó:lō First Nations word meaning “quieter water up the river” – where our home was built beside a gurgling creek and surrounded by forests. With no neighbors in sight and only one channel on TV, I had plenty of time to invest in my imagination.
Looking back, the seed for The Broken Sky Chronicles was first planted as a teenager when I worked at a tree nursery that supplied saplings to reforestation programs. I didn’t think a summer job could get any worse – the burning sunshine, the dirt, my aching back, the relentless little flies, always biting. I used to gaze up to the mountain peaks poking above a halo of clouds and wish I could somehow, miraculously, be transported to their alpine meadows, to relax for hours while watching everyone else slave away, far below, in the afternoon heat. “Above” always seemed like the ideal place to be, although I now suspect the bugs would have been larger and definitely more ravenous.
Many other elements of The Broken Sky Chronicles were inspired by places and moments in my life. Growing up on the West Coast, I have always been captivated by nature, whether by our storms, our oceans, or our sunsets. In Vancouver, we are always warned that the Juan de Fuca fault line is long overdue for a horrendous earthquake – so be prepared! And during an amazing trip to Egypt, I was surprised many times to see plastic trash everywhere, half-buried in the sand dunes or floating high in the air, caught in the currents where clouds should be drifting instead.
I chose to write a fantasy adventure novel for young adults because I was intrigued by all these natural elements and how they might affect the lives of two teenagers when their physical worlds collide. While Elia has been enslaved by class and drudgery, Hokk lives in almost complete isolation, and I have enjoyed exploring how each character discovers unexpected strength to survive epic challenges, yet at the same time questioning their perception of reality.
But of course, I suppose Hokk and Elia could have had it worse. They could have worked in a tree nursery!
Looking back, the seed for The Broken Sky Chronicles was first planted as a teenager when I worked at a tree nursery that supplied saplings to reforestation programs. I didn’t think a summer job could get any worse – the burning sunshine, the dirt, my aching back, the relentless little flies, always biting. I used to gaze up to the mountain peaks poking above a halo of clouds and wish I could somehow, miraculously, be transported to their alpine meadows, to relax for hours while watching everyone else slave away, far below, in the afternoon heat. “Above” always seemed like the ideal place to be, although I now suspect the bugs would have been larger and definitely more ravenous.
Many other elements of The Broken Sky Chronicles were inspired by places and moments in my life. Growing up on the West Coast, I have always been captivated by nature, whether by our storms, our oceans, or our sunsets. In Vancouver, we are always warned that the Juan de Fuca fault line is long overdue for a horrendous earthquake – so be prepared! And during an amazing trip to Egypt, I was surprised many times to see plastic trash everywhere, half-buried in the sand dunes or floating high in the air, caught in the currents where clouds should be drifting instead.
I chose to write a fantasy adventure novel for young adults because I was intrigued by all these natural elements and how they might affect the lives of two teenagers when their physical worlds collide. While Elia has been enslaved by class and drudgery, Hokk lives in almost complete isolation, and I have enjoyed exploring how each character discovers unexpected strength to survive epic challenges, yet at the same time questioning their perception of reality.
But of course, I suppose Hokk and Elia could have had it worse. They could have worked in a tree nursery!
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
November 17, 2021
Could barely put it down. I didn't order the next book soon enough and now I have an AGONIZING week long wait before I can continue the story. SO GOOD!!!
July 9, 2017
The first book was unremarkable but enjoyable. This book is definitely a star below the first. Main characters Hokk and Elia have both become extremely unlikable, leaving me no one to care about except the fox. The science of the shattered world made less sense and was harder to believe in this book. The mechanics of everything do not seem to have been well thought out. Also, I felt the first book was aimed at 11-12 year olds, but the violence in this one raises the target age range above that.
On the whole, a dull and disappointing read. Not sure if I will try to finish the series or not.
On the whole, a dull and disappointing read. Not sure if I will try to finish the series or not.
March 5, 2018
“Above” the second book in the imaginative and exciting “Broken Sky Chronicles” a science fiction- fantasy is set in a dystopian world of floating islands bathed constantly in sunshine above the fury of rain storms that wash over the bleak plains of the wilderness below. The adventure continues when Elia and Hokk, leaving Koiyim behind escape the clutches of the Torkin flying to the Isle of Drifting Dunes where Tasheira (Tash) the daughter of Baron Shoad and her cousins Fimal and Neric are unearthing relics from the past.
With Hokk burned by the sun’s rays and their flying horse dead Elia searches for help only to be rescued by Tash. Assuming she’s a noble who’s lost her memory and Hokk’s the lunar traveler from the space craft found in the desert, it’s inevitable that the two finally end up at the Baron’s home where a message from the twin rulers has summoned them all to the Mirrored Palace.
Wanting to uncover the truth about the telescope she keeps hidden that could harbour damaging secrets about the royals as well as uncovering its connection to her family, Elia urges Hokk to keep up their deception at the palace. But like all epic adventures the truth is never hidden for long leaving their future uncertain as they make dangerous choices.
Well-developed and intriguing Elia and Hokk’s paths converge sending them fleeing to the islands Above and on a perilous adventure as she looks for clues to her missing family and the mysteries that haunt her while he with his reddened skin and inability to cope with the sunlight takes on a different persona crafted by an amazing discovery buried in a crater, and carrying a message to the rulers. Twisting and turning the plot unravels not only scraps of information about the history of a shattered world and about the mysterious telescope but about the ambitious and competitive twin rulers. Intensity and suspense heat up when Tash’s servant Marest unearths the truth about Elia; Fimal disappears below the clouds; and Hokk is faced with a royal from his world. Fast-paced and filled with action the plot progresses to a shocking ending that begs for answers and the third book in the trilogy.
Jason Chabot creates characters that are complex and human in their failings like Hokk a criminal outcast whose obsession with fire cost lives and who’s looking for redemption from all his bad choices. Lonely, guilt-ridden but resourceful and drawn to Elia, the seventeen-year-old’s conscience is troubled when he’s kissed by Tash. Sixteen-year-old spirited, cautious and curious Elia, a former laundress is awkward and shy around the nobles at the palace but shows bravery when forced to make a choice that could end her life. Among the new faces in this story are the eccentric and paranoid Koiyin; the ambitious, arrogant and self-serving Tasheira; the wise and congenial Baron; and the devious and cunning Emperor Tael. All bring this story to life adding excitement, drama and high-energy as events unfold.
I thoroughly enjoyed “Above” a story you can’t put down until finished and I look forward to continuing the adventure in the last book of the Chronicles.
With Hokk burned by the sun’s rays and their flying horse dead Elia searches for help only to be rescued by Tash. Assuming she’s a noble who’s lost her memory and Hokk’s the lunar traveler from the space craft found in the desert, it’s inevitable that the two finally end up at the Baron’s home where a message from the twin rulers has summoned them all to the Mirrored Palace.
Wanting to uncover the truth about the telescope she keeps hidden that could harbour damaging secrets about the royals as well as uncovering its connection to her family, Elia urges Hokk to keep up their deception at the palace. But like all epic adventures the truth is never hidden for long leaving their future uncertain as they make dangerous choices.
Well-developed and intriguing Elia and Hokk’s paths converge sending them fleeing to the islands Above and on a perilous adventure as she looks for clues to her missing family and the mysteries that haunt her while he with his reddened skin and inability to cope with the sunlight takes on a different persona crafted by an amazing discovery buried in a crater, and carrying a message to the rulers. Twisting and turning the plot unravels not only scraps of information about the history of a shattered world and about the mysterious telescope but about the ambitious and competitive twin rulers. Intensity and suspense heat up when Tash’s servant Marest unearths the truth about Elia; Fimal disappears below the clouds; and Hokk is faced with a royal from his world. Fast-paced and filled with action the plot progresses to a shocking ending that begs for answers and the third book in the trilogy.
Jason Chabot creates characters that are complex and human in their failings like Hokk a criminal outcast whose obsession with fire cost lives and who’s looking for redemption from all his bad choices. Lonely, guilt-ridden but resourceful and drawn to Elia, the seventeen-year-old’s conscience is troubled when he’s kissed by Tash. Sixteen-year-old spirited, cautious and curious Elia, a former laundress is awkward and shy around the nobles at the palace but shows bravery when forced to make a choice that could end her life. Among the new faces in this story are the eccentric and paranoid Koiyin; the ambitious, arrogant and self-serving Tasheira; the wise and congenial Baron; and the devious and cunning Emperor Tael. All bring this story to life adding excitement, drama and high-energy as events unfold.
I thoroughly enjoyed “Above” a story you can’t put down until finished and I look forward to continuing the adventure in the last book of the Chronicles.
March 20, 2017
I'm very much enjoying the world that Jason built. It's not a perfect book, he uses colloquialisms which I found a bit distracting but maybe that's just because I was noticing how specific it was to our time. And the time that Twister and the stallion spent in the cave was glossed over a bit… They would've needed to a lot of food and water. Mind you that might explain why the stallion died. Anyway those are all fairly nitpicking, the story is fun and the character are good (although Tash is spectacularly naïve and not necessarily believable), it's a fun ride and I'm looking forward to seeing how it all ends.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 4, 2019
In this sequel to the author’s Below, Elia returns to the floating islands that were her home. Accompanied by Hokk, the boy from Below, who is still exiled from his own home. Passing themselves off as a member of a royal family who has lost her memory and the surviving member of an exploratory group from yet another world, the two find themselves involved in palace intrigue.
A solid continuation of the Broken Sky Chronicles. This is YA novel.
A solid continuation of the Broken Sky Chronicles. This is YA novel.
May 24, 2021
I couldn’t finish this book. I thought the first book was interesting enough that I wanted to see how it goes. I got to page 144 and still nothing seemed to change. The pace wasn’t superb, I wasn’t fully invested in the characters, and I just didn’t want to keep trying to power through.
Maybe I’ll pick up this book again someday, but I have too many other books I want to read first.
Maybe I’ll pick up this book again someday, but I have too many other books I want to read first.
December 9, 2017
Interesting blend of fantasy and sci-fi. I like that the female protagonist is trying to prove herself and toughness to the tribesmen through the narrative.
April 6, 2020
Nice addition to the series. Can't wait to get the third.
May 12, 2020
A good addition to the story and quite a change from the first if a bit anti-climactic.
July 30, 2021
due to busy real life, it took me months to finally finish this book 😩😩
only to witness the two main characters getting themselves into more shit and get separated again 🙈
only to witness the two main characters getting themselves into more shit and get separated again 🙈
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July 28, 2016I gave it a chance after the lackluster read of Below, and I had to give up. I found the plotline dragging (again!) and the real turn off was the utter lack of morality/remorse of the characters. The author seems like a very nice person, but that just wasn't enough to get me to enjoy this book.
August 29, 2016
I gave this 3 stars instead of 4 as it's in medias res. These middle stories never seem to be quite as good as the beginning and the end even if the narrative does move nicely along. And this book is still very good. The action is original and the characters continue to develop in interesting ways. It just makes me long for the next book more and I know there will be a long wait.
This honest review is in exchange for a free copy received from the publisher.
This honest review is in exchange for a free copy received from the publisher.
January 23, 2017
The world is layered. On is above the cloud bank that encompasses the lower level. Elia has fled the upper world bearing a secret that could end the empire of the upper world [Above] and struggles to fit in. Meanwhile she is pursed by Imperial guards. There are two parallel stories, one for each world. Above was an interesting science fiction read. It was a free review copy from Turner Publishing.
September 21, 2015
Chabot leaves us on another crazy cliff hanger!!!!
November 24, 2015
A satisfying Part 2! Answers some questions and presents a few more. Blends future worlds with ours really well, I though. Looking forward to the final book in the trilogy!
Want to read
July 11, 2016*e-Arc provided free for review by publisher via Edelweiss *
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews