Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Fragments by Dan Wells [REVIEW]

TITLE: Fragments (Partials #2)
AUTHOR: Dan Wells
PUBLISHER: HarperCollins
PUB DATE: Feb 26 2013
Summary 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."

Rating:

Whew! I took me quite a while to finish Fragments. I had to stop around page Page 40 and read something else because I felt that the first half of the book was really dragging on. I was most especially uninterested in Marcus’s POV. I’m sorry, but I really don’t care about what happens to him. I’m being mean aren’t I? It’s just that I feel Kira deserved a better male lead. So whenever I came across the chapters were Marcus was narrating, I just didn’t want to see it. I was debating whether to just add this book to my DNF list, but my reading buddy, Maria, had convinced me [a month later] to give it a shot again.

Sure enough, once Afa comes into picture, things finally picked up the pace. Like most of those who’ve already read this, I really wish it was edited out more. There were a lot of narratives describing an already too long journey that I couldn’t help but complain a lot. Sorry.

But don’t think this book didn’t have its perks. For one, I got to know Heron a bit more. I kind of both love and hate her. She’s not exactly one of the good guys, but her personality’s pretty interesting. Then we have Nandita’s little surprise which really gave off a very interesting twist yet to be seen in book 3. But what I believe to be one of the most captivating parts of this book was Samm’s one and only chapter! Damn... really? Just one? Marcus has like, what, three chapters more or less, and this hot Partial gets one?! So unfair!

It was kind of sad to see that after all Kira and Samm went through, they ended up exactly at the moment they were trying so hard to avoid, with all the hardships they went through, and the losses they’ve had to encounter.

It’s a relief to finally get to finish this book. I don’t like letting them stay on my “Currently-reading” shelf for too long. Although Fragments and I started off on the wrong foot, we got through one interesting story with a follow up worth looking forward to. I just hope this time I won’t be left with more questions than answers like Partials and Fragments.