Review: Fragments by Dan Wells

Fragments

Author: Dan Wells
Series: Partials Series, Book Two
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Genre: Dystopian, Science Fiction
Format: Hardcover, 576 pages
Release Date: February 26, 2013
Source: Mid-Columbia Libraries

Synopsis from Goodreads: 

Kira Walker has found the cure for RM, but the battle for the survival of humans and Partials is just beginning. Kira has left East Meadow in a desperate search for clues to who she is. That the Partials themselves hold the cure for RM in their blood cannot be a coincidence—it must be part of a larger plan, a plan that involves Kira, a plan that could save both races. Her companions are Afa Demoux, an unhinged drifter and former employee of ParaGen, and Samm and Heron, the Partials who betrayed her and saved her life, the only ones who know her secret. But can she trust them?

Meanwhile, back on Long Island, what's left of humanity is gearing up for war with the Partials, and Marcus knows his only hope is to delay them until Kira returns. But Kira's journey will take her deep into the overgrown wasteland of postapocalyptic America, and Kira and Marcus both will discover that their greatest enemy may be one they didn't even know existed.

The second installment in the pulse-pounding Partials saga is the story of the eleventh hour of humanity's time on Earth, a journey deep into places unknown to discover the means—and even more important, a reason—for our survival.

My Review: 

Oh my gosh. I am freaking out. I just finished reading Fragments and can't even wrap my head around what happened. This book was so amazing. Original and well thought out. This book was a dark, dystopian science-fiction story that will leave you reeling. Dan Wells creates this new world where humans are close to extinction by showing us where our current problems could go wrong, such as our obsession with money. He didn't discuss things like this in the first book, Partials, but the addition of the root causes makes the story that much more real and that much more terrifying. His writing caused me to insert myself into this world and truly become afraid that this may one day happen to us or at least something similar if we, as humans, don't make some serious changes. I love books that make you think and this one did just that.

Be prepared when you read this book for lots of description and lots of analyzing. There wasn't as much action in this book as the first one, but trust me, you will not get bored. A couple times throughout the book, Wells recaps what we have learned thus far, which I really appreciated. There is a lot of information to take in so it helped to have that reminder to keep all the details straight.

Kira became even more of a fighter in this book. After discovering her true nature, she doesn't let it stop her. She simply pushes harder to cure both humans and Partials. She understands the importance of co-existence between the two species and will do anything to save them both. If you thought that Kira had to make hard decisions in the first book, the decisions she is face with in this one will blow you away. She struggles with them as anyone would, but stays focused on her end goal the whole time. She is a symbol of good in a world full of hate and evil.

Samm trusts Kira explicitly and will do anything to help her in her quest. He struggles with his own emotions and feelings in this book and I enjoyed getting to know him better. He struggles with feeling superior to humans and begins to try and understand them better, even relate to them because he understands that a union is the only way to save the world.

Marcus turns into a badass in this book. In the first book, he was whiny and scared of everything, but he really changes in this book. He throws himself into battle against Partials and takes insurmountable risks to save humanity. Kira obviously inspired him. I loved this new Marcus. He was much hotter in this book. (I'm still on Team Samm, don't worry.)

We also get to know Heron better in this book, Samm's Partial friend. She is condescending and arrogant. I really did not like her character. Although, I will admit, she was a necessity to Kira's journey. By the end, I wondered if she was softening a bit, but it's hard to tell with her.

Overall this book blew me away. The plot is dark, intricate, and intriguing. You will not be able to put this book down. I was constantly trying to guess at certain things, most of which I got wrong. Dan Wells has created a world and a story that both terrified and excited me. I have no clue how I am going to survive the wait for the third one, Ruins, since this one ended on such a cliffhanger. Write faster, Dan Wells! Now I am going to go take a nap because I am so mentally and emotionally exhausted from reading Fragments. Happy reading all!

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