November 03, 2015

Review: Fragments by Dan Wells

Fragments (Partials #2)
Author: Dan Wells
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Publication Date: February 26, 2013
Pages: 576
Format: Hardcover/Library

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.

Review: Overall, I enjoyed Fragments. We got a great amount of character and story development and I quite enjoyed it. Fragments took us all over. With Kira we started out in New York, then progressively made our way to Chicago and then all the way to Denver. Marcus also went on a smaller trip of his own in areas of New York and New Jersey close to the settlement. It was quite enjoyable reading about pretty much everywhere but East Meadow. I really enjoyed reading about Kira and Samm's journey though. We got to see what the most of the rest of the US looks like after the Partials war. We came across cities halfway underwater, we came across some that were completely underwater, making their journey harder. We also saw the destruction caused by the war with how many things were broken or completely gone. They also went through the toxic wasteland which that in of itself is a serious feat, though not everyone who started the journey with them made it through there. We hear about acid rain but it isn't really experienced, Kira and her companions had to cross hundreds of miles that could potentially bring down acid rain on them and hurting them, not to mention the fairly toxic air as well. I was very surprised though that when they got to Denver finally they end up finding a settlement with more humans, and at that, children, that somehow they've had a cure for RM since the beginning almost.

I really enjoyed Kira's character development. We found out at the end of Partials that Kira herself is a type of Partial. We see her become interested in finding out more about herself and going to great lengths to do it. But we also see her struggling to deal with the fact that she is a partial instead of a human. She is constantly thinking of herself as a human and talking to the others as so. They have to constantly remind her that she herself is a partial, even though they don't know what type. Eventually though she finally starts to see herself as a partial. We find out a lot about her. We find out that one of the developers of the partials is her "father," though we still have no word on whether he's alive still or not. We also find out about Nandita and why she disappears and how she fits into the picture with the partials and Kira. The most important thing though, is that we finally figure out what kind of partial Kira is and how she fits into the big picture. And I was a bit surprised as to how big of a role she ends up playing. I also liked how Kira and Samm's relationship developed. They went from being very distant to very close. 

I also enjoyed reading about Marcus trying to form an alliance with some of the other partial factions to band against Morgans. So far they haven't really been able to get anywhere with this but it is a brilliant idea if he can get some factions that haven't been destroyed or joined with Morgans on his side. 

The one thing I constantly hated throughout this book was Heron. She was a constant downer and just filled with negativity. I seriously wished she never went on the journey from the beginning. I also suspected she wasn't exactly going to be loyal to Kira and Samm and I was right. I just really despise Heron. 

4 1/2 Stars