Fragments by Dan Wells

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.

Review:

So, I cannot believe how long I have ownend this book before I finally got to reading it! I feel like I have forgotten just how awesome book 1 was. As soon, as I started this sequel though, things started coming back to me.

It’s a little massive (564 pages), and maybe this is why I kept putting this farther behind in my TBR piles, However, I read it super quick. The action, the adventure, and all the clues that keep coming through out the whole suspenseful story just made it so impossible to put down. It’s one of those books that will have you up late, dying for answers. 

And thankfully, here is a sequel that does give us answers! Kira discovers so much history about partials, about herself, and about how her world came to be as bad as it is. She has to work extremely hard to get these answers though. To start with, she scavenges the ruins of NYC. She battles panthers, conquers floods, escapes bullets, and befriends a crazy loner. When she does eventually meet back up with Samm and Heron, things only get harder.

They cross rivers, survive acid rain, outsmart soliders and partials, and communicate with survivors back home. The book kind of reads like its part dystopia, part sci fi, part war story, part horror movie, and part epic fantasy. The quest Kira goes on with her friends to cross half of a decimated country was both terrifying and wonderful. Getting to see how the rest of the country faired from so much disease, war, and genocide was so, so amazing to read.

The characters come off stronger. I actually began to care for the lesser-present characters, particularly Marcus, who goes on some adventures of his own.

And almost more interesting than all the violence, battles, and destruction is Kira’s own history. What is she? How did she come to be? And is it really possible for her to attain her goals of a peaceful co-existence? Partials are dying off because of their expiration date. And humans are dying slowly because the disease that prevents the survival of new babies is still thriving, despite the cure that Kira found. 

As all the best dystopias are, Fragments, is loaded with tough questions, tougher answers, and some seriously moralistic dilemmas. Kira has a lot to learn, a lot to sacrifice, and a lot to do if she really wants to save the world (both humans and partials alike). There’s a very tiny bit of romance in this one, and I was actually really okay with this. It was more about survival, about saving the human race, and deciding how far you can go to do what you think is right.

I was super impressed by the setting, about how thought out Wells’ destroyed world is. I was even more impressed by the questions this book address about survival.The bad guys also super impressed me. Good and bad is a little bit blurry here and that makes everything even more interesting. I wasn’t quite as interested in Marcus’ story as I was with Kira’s, but who could really compete with Kira?

I think I enjoyed this one even more than I enjoyed book 1. It was fast, action packed, and just so good. I highly recommend this series to fans of Divergent, The Hunger Games, and Blood Red Road. I give it a 10/10.