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Partials Sequence #2
Fragments
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.
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.
576 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 26, 2013
About the author
Dan Wells
59 books5,655 followersDan Wells is a thriller and science fiction writer. Born in Utah, he spent his early years reading and writing. He is he author of the Partials series (Partials, Isolation, Fragments, and Ruins), the John Cleaver series (I Am Not a Serial Killer, Mr. Monster, and I Don't Want To Kill You), and a few others (The Hollow City, A Night of Blacker Darkness, etc). He was a Campbell nomine for best new writer, and has won a Hugo award for his work on the podcast Writing Excuses; the podcast is also a multiple winner of the Parsec Award.
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February 26, 2013
Win a Fragments ARC on the blog!
This review is spoiler-free, and safe even if you haven't read the first book in this series.
In my review of last year's Partials, I posted a handy check list to help readers decide whether the book was for them. If you're a fan of well-written science fiction thrillers or post-apocalyptic novels with strong heroines, this series is one you should definitely check out!
What do you need to know going into the sequel?
-- There are fantastic action sequences, full of taut suspense and emotion.
-- Survivalist enthusiasts will love it. During the first half of the book, Kira spends most of her time searching through rubble for clues to ParaGen's involvement in the devastating events that decimated human society.
-- A mysterious character named Afa, who has been wandering alone through Manhattan for 12 years since the break, could hold the key to everything Kira needs to know. If you liked the gentle, defenseless character Maury from The Reapers Are the Angels, Afa's relationship with Kira reminds me a lot of that his relationship with Temple. A few of the scenes involving Afa are among the book's most touching.
-- Improvements from the first book: the secondary characters are more defined. Less politics. Marcus is much more interesting. But romance still takes the back seat here, even more so than in the first book.
-- More of Kira's history, and the creation of the Partials, is revealed. And they are both intriguing.
-- There were some readers who complained about the pacing in Partials, and I'm afraid that it's even slower--and occasionally more sluggish--in Fragments. This is a hefty book at 564 pages, and while it's all good material, I would have preferred seeing probably 150 pages of it edited down. This would have balanced things out a bit more, and tightened up the story line in a way that sustained the tension better.
Overall, I thought this was a terrific sequel to a series I very much enjoy. My only issue was really with the length of the book, but hey--after plowing through so many disappointing sophomore efforts, I'm just grateful to have a book two that lives up to the original! And I can't wait to see how Kira's story ends when the final book is released next year.
This review also appears in The Midnight Garden. An advance copy was provided by the publisher.
This review is spoiler-free, and safe even if you haven't read the first book in this series.
In my review of last year's Partials, I posted a handy check list to help readers decide whether the book was for them. If you're a fan of well-written science fiction thrillers or post-apocalyptic novels with strong heroines, this series is one you should definitely check out!
What do you need to know going into the sequel?
-- There are fantastic action sequences, full of taut suspense and emotion.
-- Survivalist enthusiasts will love it. During the first half of the book, Kira spends most of her time searching through rubble for clues to ParaGen's involvement in the devastating events that decimated human society.
-- A mysterious character named Afa, who has been wandering alone through Manhattan for 12 years since the break, could hold the key to everything Kira needs to know. If you liked the gentle, defenseless character Maury from The Reapers Are the Angels, Afa's relationship with Kira reminds me a lot of that his relationship with Temple. A few of the scenes involving Afa are among the book's most touching.
-- Improvements from the first book: the secondary characters are more defined. Less politics. Marcus is much more interesting. But romance still takes the back seat here, even more so than in the first book.
-- More of Kira's history, and the creation of the Partials, is revealed. And they are both intriguing.
-- There were some readers who complained about the pacing in Partials, and I'm afraid that it's even slower--and occasionally more sluggish--in Fragments. This is a hefty book at 564 pages, and while it's all good material, I would have preferred seeing probably 150 pages of it edited down. This would have balanced things out a bit more, and tightened up the story line in a way that sustained the tension better.
Overall, I thought this was a terrific sequel to a series I very much enjoy. My only issue was really with the length of the book, but hey--after plowing through so many disappointing sophomore efforts, I'm just grateful to have a book two that lives up to the original! And I can't wait to see how Kira's story ends when the final book is released next year.
This review also appears in The Midnight Garden. An advance copy was provided by the publisher.
December 22, 2015
Sequels make me feel both excited and nervous. Nervous, because sometimes they don't quite live up to their predecessors and I'm left sourly disappointed. Fragments, however, didn't just meet my expectations, it exceeded them!
The story alternates between Kira and Marcus's point of view. We follow Kira (who is later joined by Samm and Heron) on her journey to find the Trust, and Marcus as he takes a stand and does what he can to save the people of Long Island. Marcus wasn't my favourite character in Partials, but I think I appreciated him more in Fragments. Wells shows that there's more to him than just being funny and charming, he's also a resourceful young man who's willing to take action.
In Fragments we see a different side to the Partials. In book 1 we hear about them from the survivors of Long Island, so it's no surprise that they're portrayed in a negative light. But in this book we see them through Marcus's eye, and to my surprise I found myself sympathising for them. Yes, some are cold and ruthless, but there are others that are so human-like that I couldn't help but wish that they were able to co-exist peacefully with the humans.
To my delight we also get to hear from Samm's perspective. Unlike Heron who could easily pass of as being human, he struggles with expressing his thoughts and emotions which makes his interactions with Kira all the more fascinating. He's a character I became easily fond with in book 1 and even more so in Fragments.
Heron is an interesting character, if you haven't already, I definitely recommend reading Isolation (the prequel to Partials) as it gives a glimpse into her back story. We see her being created, trained and eventually set up as a spy for the United States Government. Having read it I think it helped me better understand her fiery and sarcastic nature.
One of the best things about this trilogy is how unpredictable it is, the plot twists literally threw me. I don't think there was a moment where I thought "I saw that coming". The revelations that came to light were shocking and I was utterly fascinated with the scientific of aspect of the story. Wells raises some interesting questions, and pushes his characters to their limits, having them make tough decisions. The exploration into race, fascism, and humanity was ever present and thought provoking.
I think Dan Wells deserves a round of applause for the subtle romance. Through simple gestures and words Wells has crafted together a beautiful romance that is not only swoon worthy, but also believable. It was everything I hoped it would be and more.
The ending. One moment I was like "YES. This is what I've been waiting for!" and then next I was screaming "WHAAAT?! NOOOO!" Seriously, it's going to be a killer wait for the third and final book in the trilogy.
Bursting with action and excitement Fragments deserves all the stars, I honestly can't praise it enough!
This review also appears on my blog, The Page Turner.
The story alternates between Kira and Marcus's point of view. We follow Kira (who is later joined by Samm and Heron) on her journey to find the Trust, and Marcus as he takes a stand and does what he can to save the people of Long Island. Marcus wasn't my favourite character in Partials, but I think I appreciated him more in Fragments. Wells shows that there's more to him than just being funny and charming, he's also a resourceful young man who's willing to take action.
In Fragments we see a different side to the Partials. In book 1 we hear about them from the survivors of Long Island, so it's no surprise that they're portrayed in a negative light. But in this book we see them through Marcus's eye, and to my surprise I found myself sympathising for them. Yes, some are cold and ruthless, but there are others that are so human-like that I couldn't help but wish that they were able to co-exist peacefully with the humans.
To my delight we also get to hear from Samm's perspective. Unlike Heron who could easily pass of as being human, he struggles with expressing his thoughts and emotions which makes his interactions with Kira all the more fascinating. He's a character I became easily fond with in book 1 and even more so in Fragments.
Heron is an interesting character, if you haven't already, I definitely recommend reading Isolation (the prequel to Partials) as it gives a glimpse into her back story. We see her being created, trained and eventually set up as a spy for the United States Government. Having read it I think it helped me better understand her fiery and sarcastic nature.
One of the best things about this trilogy is how unpredictable it is, the plot twists literally threw me. I don't think there was a moment where I thought "I saw that coming". The revelations that came to light were shocking and I was utterly fascinated with the scientific of aspect of the story. Wells raises some interesting questions, and pushes his characters to their limits, having them make tough decisions. The exploration into race, fascism, and humanity was ever present and thought provoking.
I think Dan Wells deserves a round of applause for the subtle romance. Through simple gestures and words Wells has crafted together a beautiful romance that is not only swoon worthy, but also believable. It was everything I hoped it would be and more.
The ending. One moment I was like "YES. This is what I've been waiting for!" and then next I was screaming "WHAAAT?! NOOOO!" Seriously, it's going to be a killer wait for the third and final book in the trilogy.
Bursting with action and excitement Fragments deserves all the stars, I honestly can't praise it enough!
This review also appears on my blog, The Page Turner.
March 27, 2014
Just finished re-reading Partials (it was just as amazing as the first time)!!! So excited to see what happens now.
THIS DESERVES A TRILLION STARS. it's just that good!
THIS DESERVES A TRILLION STARS. it's just that good!
March 1, 2013
Fragments
Book 2 of the Partials Sequence
By Dan Wells
A Review by Eric Allen
A few years ago, Suzanne Collins wrote The Hunger Games, and while not terrible, it was not exactly the best, nor most original book ever to come along. It sold ridiculously well, and this, in turn, set off what I like to call the Dystopian Revolution. Think hard, you'll see the joke in it eventually, if not outright. Publishers saw that there was huge interest in Dystopian fiction, and many an aspiring writer saw their chance to break into the industry. And since then, we've had a whole slew of Dystopian books, released by a whole slew of different publishers, trying hard to cash in on the fad before it dies. While some of them are pretty good, the majority of these books, I've noticed, read like they're trying to BE Suzanne Collins. They copy her style, which is distracting in and of itself because I really dislike her style. They copy her ideas, which, again, weren't all that original to begin with. They copy her characters, their motivations, their love triangles, and in the end, all we're left with is a whole stack of poorly written, unoriginal books trying to emulate a poorly written, unoriginal book.
Last year, with Partials, Dan Wells took his own crack at the Dystopian genre, and where so many writers fail to deliver, he succeeded spectacularly. He created an interesting post-apocalyptic future, an interesting enemy that is not exactly what it seems, and a pretty stunning plot twist. But at the heart of the story, he created Kira Walker, a very likeable protagonist with a very real problem that she set out to correct, and that led her into a much larger world of mystery than she ever suspected existed. Basically, he did everything right where so many Dystopian authors rarely do. He told an exciting and suspenseful story about a character that is both likeable, and someone that the reader can really get behind and cheer for. It just happened to take place in a Dystopian setting. And THAT is how stories SHOULD be told. Not identifying the genre first and working inward, but starting with the characters, moving out to their conflict, and then to their world, which will eventually lead to the genre in which the story is classified. Far too many authors in the Dystopian genre do it the other way around. They choose their genre, then make their world, toss in some cool sounding conflict, and then, if there's time left over, they'll think about trying to fit an interesting character in. They don't seem to understand that it's the characters and the story that come first. Everything else is secondary.
Dan Wells really outdid himself with Partials. I think I only had one or two little nitpicks about the book. So, how did he fare with the inevitable sequel? Lets take a look.
Convinced that Kira Walker is the key to solving the Partials experation date, Doctor Morgan, leader of one of the Partials factions leads an assault on the last human community on Earth, capturing their entire island and taking every human that can be found prisoner. She demands that Kira, who has disappeared, give herself up, executing one hostage a day to draw her out.
Meanwhile, Marcus, Kira's one-time future husband, organizes a peace envoy to another Partials faction to gain aid in fighting Morgan's troops on the island. Whilst he sues for peace and alliance, walking right into the figurative lion's den, hidden forces of the human Defence Grid make guerilla attacks upon the Partials occupation forces, and try to salvage a nuclear warhead from the wreckage of the last human fleet that the Partials destroyed.
Kira, Samm, and one of his friends that defected with him named Heron, set out west to find the Trust, those who lead the Partials, and may just have been the scientists that created them in the first place. Their goal is to obtain both the cure for the RM virus that kills any and all human children born, and to remove the Partials expiration date. Without the Partials, the human population will die out in a single generation. Without the Humans, the Partials may never find a cure for their own expiration dates. Each group cannot survive without the help of the other, and yet they are locked together in war. It is Kira's hope that investigating the headquarters of Paragen in Denver she can find the solution to the problem, save BOTH sides, and stop the war once and for all.
The Good? This is exactly what I look for in a sequel to a good book. It remains faithful to the characters, the story, the setting, and keeps to the rules set down in the first book. And then it builds upon that foundation, reaching outward to new heights, branching out bigger and better than the first book. It is a thing that very, very few authors manage to achieve, and Dan Wells has outdone himself here again. I am constantly amazed at the quality of material he manages to produce, and the speed with which he does it. He is a truly impressive writer and I hope he never backtracks. He gets better with every book that he writes, and Fragments is no exception.
Where the first book centered solely around Kira and was told completely from her viewpoint, the story exapands to several different locations in this book, and thus, incorporates several more viewpoint characters. I know that a lot of fans were apprehensive of this happening in book two before it was released, but have no fears. Wells has done an excellent job of keeping the story interesting, and dividing it amongst likeable and sympathetic supporting characters to keep things moving and keep the story focused where it needs to be focused at all times. Kira's quest does take up a smaller percentage of this book than in the first book, this is true, but the parts of it dealing with her are much better written than in the first book. Really, my only complaint about the first book was that Kira felt more like a girl written by a man than a real girl. This was a nitpick that was expressed by quite a few people whose reviews I have read. In this book, Wells seems to have taken that feedback to heart and done some work on her to make her feel so much more like a realistic young woman than a fictional one. Besides that, the other viewpoint characters add in different perspectives on what is happening in the world for a much clearer, and oftentimes more frightening, picture.
Kira's dilemma, her inner turmoil over revelations given near the end of the previous book, and her determination to set the world to rights make her a much more sympathetic and three dimensional character than she was before. Many of the other characters find themselves in very hard spots throughout the book, and the story is charged with genuine emotion, tension and drama as events play out, and Kira's quest to find the answer to everything unfolds.
The Bad? Honestly, the only bad thing about this book is that I have to wait a whole year for the next one. It was THAT good. In fact, it's amongst the best books I've read in a very, very long time. I always love to see talented new authors coming onto the scene, and Dan Wells is quite talented.
In conclusion, fans of the first book will not be disappointed in this one. It is a worthy sequel to one of the best books of 2012. It remains true to the first book of the series, expounding upon the mysteries and questions that it left, answering some, building up others, and bringing up some new ones. It's bigger and better in every way without forgetting where it began, as so many other followups tend to do. Kira's character feels a lot more realistic than she did previously, and the use of other viewpoint characters gives the world a little more depth and color than it previously had. It is excellently written, exciting, and charged with emotion, tension, drama and action. If I could give this book six stars, I would. It really was that good. Dan Wells has told a great story about great characters that just happens to take place in a Dystopian setting. I only hope that other Dystopian authors follow his lead from now on. He's raised the bar for the genre to a respectable level at last.
Check out my other reviews.
Book 2 of the Partials Sequence
By Dan Wells
A Review by Eric Allen
A few years ago, Suzanne Collins wrote The Hunger Games, and while not terrible, it was not exactly the best, nor most original book ever to come along. It sold ridiculously well, and this, in turn, set off what I like to call the Dystopian Revolution. Think hard, you'll see the joke in it eventually, if not outright. Publishers saw that there was huge interest in Dystopian fiction, and many an aspiring writer saw their chance to break into the industry. And since then, we've had a whole slew of Dystopian books, released by a whole slew of different publishers, trying hard to cash in on the fad before it dies. While some of them are pretty good, the majority of these books, I've noticed, read like they're trying to BE Suzanne Collins. They copy her style, which is distracting in and of itself because I really dislike her style. They copy her ideas, which, again, weren't all that original to begin with. They copy her characters, their motivations, their love triangles, and in the end, all we're left with is a whole stack of poorly written, unoriginal books trying to emulate a poorly written, unoriginal book.
Last year, with Partials, Dan Wells took his own crack at the Dystopian genre, and where so many writers fail to deliver, he succeeded spectacularly. He created an interesting post-apocalyptic future, an interesting enemy that is not exactly what it seems, and a pretty stunning plot twist. But at the heart of the story, he created Kira Walker, a very likeable protagonist with a very real problem that she set out to correct, and that led her into a much larger world of mystery than she ever suspected existed. Basically, he did everything right where so many Dystopian authors rarely do. He told an exciting and suspenseful story about a character that is both likeable, and someone that the reader can really get behind and cheer for. It just happened to take place in a Dystopian setting. And THAT is how stories SHOULD be told. Not identifying the genre first and working inward, but starting with the characters, moving out to their conflict, and then to their world, which will eventually lead to the genre in which the story is classified. Far too many authors in the Dystopian genre do it the other way around. They choose their genre, then make their world, toss in some cool sounding conflict, and then, if there's time left over, they'll think about trying to fit an interesting character in. They don't seem to understand that it's the characters and the story that come first. Everything else is secondary.
Dan Wells really outdid himself with Partials. I think I only had one or two little nitpicks about the book. So, how did he fare with the inevitable sequel? Lets take a look.
Convinced that Kira Walker is the key to solving the Partials experation date, Doctor Morgan, leader of one of the Partials factions leads an assault on the last human community on Earth, capturing their entire island and taking every human that can be found prisoner. She demands that Kira, who has disappeared, give herself up, executing one hostage a day to draw her out.
Meanwhile, Marcus, Kira's one-time future husband, organizes a peace envoy to another Partials faction to gain aid in fighting Morgan's troops on the island. Whilst he sues for peace and alliance, walking right into the figurative lion's den, hidden forces of the human Defence Grid make guerilla attacks upon the Partials occupation forces, and try to salvage a nuclear warhead from the wreckage of the last human fleet that the Partials destroyed.
Kira, Samm, and one of his friends that defected with him named Heron, set out west to find the Trust, those who lead the Partials, and may just have been the scientists that created them in the first place. Their goal is to obtain both the cure for the RM virus that kills any and all human children born, and to remove the Partials expiration date. Without the Partials, the human population will die out in a single generation. Without the Humans, the Partials may never find a cure for their own expiration dates. Each group cannot survive without the help of the other, and yet they are locked together in war. It is Kira's hope that investigating the headquarters of Paragen in Denver she can find the solution to the problem, save BOTH sides, and stop the war once and for all.
The Good? This is exactly what I look for in a sequel to a good book. It remains faithful to the characters, the story, the setting, and keeps to the rules set down in the first book. And then it builds upon that foundation, reaching outward to new heights, branching out bigger and better than the first book. It is a thing that very, very few authors manage to achieve, and Dan Wells has outdone himself here again. I am constantly amazed at the quality of material he manages to produce, and the speed with which he does it. He is a truly impressive writer and I hope he never backtracks. He gets better with every book that he writes, and Fragments is no exception.
Where the first book centered solely around Kira and was told completely from her viewpoint, the story exapands to several different locations in this book, and thus, incorporates several more viewpoint characters. I know that a lot of fans were apprehensive of this happening in book two before it was released, but have no fears. Wells has done an excellent job of keeping the story interesting, and dividing it amongst likeable and sympathetic supporting characters to keep things moving and keep the story focused where it needs to be focused at all times. Kira's quest does take up a smaller percentage of this book than in the first book, this is true, but the parts of it dealing with her are much better written than in the first book. Really, my only complaint about the first book was that Kira felt more like a girl written by a man than a real girl. This was a nitpick that was expressed by quite a few people whose reviews I have read. In this book, Wells seems to have taken that feedback to heart and done some work on her to make her feel so much more like a realistic young woman than a fictional one. Besides that, the other viewpoint characters add in different perspectives on what is happening in the world for a much clearer, and oftentimes more frightening, picture.
Kira's dilemma, her inner turmoil over revelations given near the end of the previous book, and her determination to set the world to rights make her a much more sympathetic and three dimensional character than she was before. Many of the other characters find themselves in very hard spots throughout the book, and the story is charged with genuine emotion, tension and drama as events play out, and Kira's quest to find the answer to everything unfolds.
The Bad? Honestly, the only bad thing about this book is that I have to wait a whole year for the next one. It was THAT good. In fact, it's amongst the best books I've read in a very, very long time. I always love to see talented new authors coming onto the scene, and Dan Wells is quite talented.
In conclusion, fans of the first book will not be disappointed in this one. It is a worthy sequel to one of the best books of 2012. It remains true to the first book of the series, expounding upon the mysteries and questions that it left, answering some, building up others, and bringing up some new ones. It's bigger and better in every way without forgetting where it began, as so many other followups tend to do. Kira's character feels a lot more realistic than she did previously, and the use of other viewpoint characters gives the world a little more depth and color than it previously had. It is excellently written, exciting, and charged with emotion, tension, drama and action. If I could give this book six stars, I would. It really was that good. Dan Wells has told a great story about great characters that just happens to take place in a Dystopian setting. I only hope that other Dystopian authors follow his lead from now on. He's raised the bar for the genre to a respectable level at last.
Check out my other reviews.
February 8, 2017
So I decided to give the series another shot and I'm glad I did. The first was too ham-fisted or at least a bit to obvious in the social commentary for me, but this one ran with a more adventure theme that left behind most of the us/them dynamic and instead focused on ethics where we weren't doing a lot of traveling and hunting for clues across the country.
The twist, and yes, there's more twists, were very decent and I can't complain when it comes to my high-satisfaction quotient. :)
I've respected the author for quite some time now, and that goes a long way to my having given the series another shot. It's a different kind of book even when it contains a lot of the same characters, and thankfully, it hit the spot this time. (It helps that the l-triangle is practically gone. Yay!)
I will continue! :)
The twist, and yes, there's more twists, were very decent and I can't complain when it comes to my high-satisfaction quotient. :)
I've respected the author for quite some time now, and that goes a long way to my having given the series another shot. It's a different kind of book even when it contains a lot of the same characters, and thankfully, it hit the spot this time. (It helps that the l-triangle is practically gone. Yay!)
I will continue! :)
Shelved as 'did-not-finish'
December 1, 2018I made it 48% but really wasn't feeling this one. First book was great, but this one was dragging and the main plot seemed like it was really a small thing in comparison to everything going on in the world. Additionally, there is a fat character introduced early on that we spend a lot of time with and at first the descriptions were pretty neutral, but they quickly evolved into stereotypes (he's the only character who ever gets out of breath, he's obsessed with food, he's perceived as childish) and then the narrative started going on about how he's mentally "damaged" and "broken" and I just could not.
I'm fine with pretending the first book was a standalone.
tw: fat hate, outdated attitudes and language toward mental and physical disabilities.
I'm fine with pretending the first book was a standalone.
tw: fat hate, outdated attitudes and language toward mental and physical disabilities.
November 23, 2013
Review from Ja čitam, a ti?
Just because of Samm. I remember when I read Partials - I was speechless and completely amazed. Dan Wells gave me exactly what I love in my post-apocalyptic novels - well thought fictional world, strong characters and captivating plot twists. I loved every second of it. Now, I finally made myself to read the sequel - and it was all because of Samm. Fragments has 576 pages!
It was kind of a... boring. One of my status updates while I had been reading was this: "And that's why I avoid male authors - you like to talk to much about completely unimportant stuff." I know it was a mean thing to say and Dan Wells doesn't deserve it, but I was frustrated with how long this book is and how little happens until the last 30%. (But also I totally blame it on Russian Realism - it made me hate reading for a while.) Now, what is common thing for Russian Realism and Fragments? Too many too long descriptions. They did help me to imagine how does post-apocalyptic world looks like in author's head, but I had a feeling like a lot of them were there just to fill space between the actual plot twists.
Then there is Kira... I loved her in the first novel, but here she was just boring. She, Heron and Samm are traveling across the destroyed countries looking for an answers - mostly traveling and talking in circles and not finding anything important. Samm wasn't that much important part of the story - main focus was on Kira's inner discussions.
What was different is that in the sequel we have two narrators - Kira and Marcus. He is our connection with East Meadow and what happens there. That part was far more interesting and I loved that Dan Wells decided to give us more detailed view in the lives of the secondary characters.
That ending killed me. Of course author decided to finish it at the most interesting part. Why did I think something else would be the case? Final instalment of Partials series - Ruins - should be published on March 11th next year. I have no idea what to expect or how it might end. I can't wait to read it.
Just because of Samm. I remember when I read Partials - I was speechless and completely amazed. Dan Wells gave me exactly what I love in my post-apocalyptic novels - well thought fictional world, strong characters and captivating plot twists. I loved every second of it. Now, I finally made myself to read the sequel - and it was all because of Samm. Fragments has 576 pages!
It was kind of a... boring. One of my status updates while I had been reading was this: "And that's why I avoid male authors - you like to talk to much about completely unimportant stuff." I know it was a mean thing to say and Dan Wells doesn't deserve it, but I was frustrated with how long this book is and how little happens until the last 30%. (But also I totally blame it on Russian Realism - it made me hate reading for a while.) Now, what is common thing for Russian Realism and Fragments? Too many too long descriptions. They did help me to imagine how does post-apocalyptic world looks like in author's head, but I had a feeling like a lot of them were there just to fill space between the actual plot twists.
Then there is Kira... I loved her in the first novel, but here she was just boring. She, Heron and Samm are traveling across the destroyed countries looking for an answers - mostly traveling and talking in circles and not finding anything important. Samm wasn't that much important part of the story - main focus was on Kira's inner discussions.
What was different is that in the sequel we have two narrators - Kira and Marcus. He is our connection with East Meadow and what happens there. That part was far more interesting and I loved that Dan Wells decided to give us more detailed view in the lives of the secondary characters.
That ending killed me. Of course author decided to finish it at the most interesting part. Why did I think something else would be the case? Final instalment of Partials series - Ruins - should be published on March 11th next year. I have no idea what to expect or how it might end. I can't wait to read it.
June 14, 2013
Sometimes I freak out a little that I know Dan. I've bought Girl Scout cookies from his daughter. Been to a concert with him and his lovely wife. And then you realize: Holy frak, he's probably one of the smartest writers working today. AND I KNOW HIM. Dan is a genius for using plenty of good, hard science in his books, without either confusing or condescending to the reader. You feel smarter after reading one of his books. You also feel entertained.
Oh, and stressed.
Yes, you definitely feel stressed.
And sometimes terribly frightened. Yep, that too.
Dan will make you paranoid. He'll make you question the workings of your own brain. He'll make you love his characters, then he'll kill them or put them into situations so dangerous that you can feel the sweat springing up on your palms and the soles of your feet when you think about the book days later.
Dan is evil.
Read his books.
The end.
PS- I don't know how many books are going to be in this series, but if there isn't at least one after this, I WILL KEEEL HIM.
Oh, and stressed.
Yes, you definitely feel stressed.
And sometimes terribly frightened. Yep, that too.
Dan will make you paranoid. He'll make you question the workings of your own brain. He'll make you love his characters, then he'll kill them or put them into situations so dangerous that you can feel the sweat springing up on your palms and the soles of your feet when you think about the book days later.
Dan is evil.
Read his books.
The end.
PS- I don't know how many books are going to be in this series, but if there isn't at least one after this, I WILL KEEEL HIM.
March 13, 2013
Consistently mediocre is not a bad thing for a series to be, not when there are so many bad ones constantly being sold (and praised). Fragments is a story neither better nor worse than Partials, but it is just a bit more ambitious, as it splits into two plotlines that will most assuredly come together in the end.
In Fragments, the narrative is split between Marcus and Kira, and I was very surprised to find myself enjoying Marcus’ point of view more. Far more interesting things were happening on his end, while Kira’s journey seemed endless and monotone after a while. While Marcus was trying to stay alive in the middle of a war and form treaties and alliances at the same time, Kira, Samm and Heron embarked on a journey across the country, through hundreds of miles of toxic wasteland in hopes of finding the cure for both the RM, and the Partials’ expiration date.
I freely admit that I don’t remember much of the first book, but I distinctly remember not liking Marcus much, and yet he was my favorite in Fragments. He was funny and resourceful and ready to take action when action was required. Samm, on the other hand, lost some of his appeal, not because he did something wrong, but because he was mostly passive throughout the book. He just silently followed Kira, and although his reasons were good, it wasn’t very impressive. I respected Heron more for having a a firm opinion and not hesitating to express it loudly, even though she opposed Kira every step of the way.
In Fragments, Dan Wells raised some interesting questions that are easily applicable today, and then did his best to answer them through Kira and Samm, and possibly even Marcus. There were no easy answers for any of them, and making some of the decisions they were forced to make, meant stepping out of morally gray area into complete darkness. Mostly it was Kira who had to make these impossible choices, and I’m still not sure she made the right ones. Neither is she, for that matter, probably because right choices simply didn’t exist.
How easy would it be for a civilization so amazing to reach just a little too far? To do something it shouldn’t? to make one sacrifice or one compromise or one rationalization too many? If you can build a city so great, what’s to stop you from building a person? If you can control a lake, what’s to stop you from controlling a population? If you can subjugate nature itself, why should a sickness ever get out of hand?
Despite all the action and excitement, at least on one end, Fragments was still about 200 pages too long. I’m not one to shy away from long books, but 560 pages (US edition) is far too long, at least when so little is actually going on. What made it even worse was the vicious cliffhanger we were left with. I wish I’d have known about it in advance, I probably would have decided to wait a while to read it.
In Fragments, the narrative is split between Marcus and Kira, and I was very surprised to find myself enjoying Marcus’ point of view more. Far more interesting things were happening on his end, while Kira’s journey seemed endless and monotone after a while. While Marcus was trying to stay alive in the middle of a war and form treaties and alliances at the same time, Kira, Samm and Heron embarked on a journey across the country, through hundreds of miles of toxic wasteland in hopes of finding the cure for both the RM, and the Partials’ expiration date.
I freely admit that I don’t remember much of the first book, but I distinctly remember not liking Marcus much, and yet he was my favorite in Fragments. He was funny and resourceful and ready to take action when action was required. Samm, on the other hand, lost some of his appeal, not because he did something wrong, but because he was mostly passive throughout the book. He just silently followed Kira, and although his reasons were good, it wasn’t very impressive. I respected Heron more for having a a firm opinion and not hesitating to express it loudly, even though she opposed Kira every step of the way.
In Fragments, Dan Wells raised some interesting questions that are easily applicable today, and then did his best to answer them through Kira and Samm, and possibly even Marcus. There were no easy answers for any of them, and making some of the decisions they were forced to make, meant stepping out of morally gray area into complete darkness. Mostly it was Kira who had to make these impossible choices, and I’m still not sure she made the right ones. Neither is she, for that matter, probably because right choices simply didn’t exist.
How easy would it be for a civilization so amazing to reach just a little too far? To do something it shouldn’t? to make one sacrifice or one compromise or one rationalization too many? If you can build a city so great, what’s to stop you from building a person? If you can control a lake, what’s to stop you from controlling a population? If you can subjugate nature itself, why should a sickness ever get out of hand?
Despite all the action and excitement, at least on one end, Fragments was still about 200 pages too long. I’m not one to shy away from long books, but 560 pages (US edition) is far too long, at least when so little is actually going on. What made it even worse was the vicious cliffhanger we were left with. I wish I’d have known about it in advance, I probably would have decided to wait a while to read it.
August 17, 2016
Siento que este libro mejoró muchísimo con respecto al anterior. El autor arregló la mayoría de las falencias que me molestaron la primera vez.
Hubo un par de momentos en que la trama se estancaba, pero había tantas cosas sucediendo y tantos puntos de vista, que eso casi no se nota. Los protagonistas también me cayeron mejor que en el primer libro, han madurado a la fuerza y se ven obligados a tomar decisiones imposibles, que vuelven el relato más interesante.
Estoy ansiosa por leer la culminación de la trilogía, le tengo mucha fe al autor, espero que no me decepcione.
Hubo un par de momentos en que la trama se estancaba, pero había tantas cosas sucediendo y tantos puntos de vista, que eso casi no se nota. Los protagonistas también me cayeron mejor que en el primer libro, han madurado a la fuerza y se ven obligados a tomar decisiones imposibles, que vuelven el relato más interesante.
Estoy ansiosa por leer la culminación de la trilogía, le tengo mucha fe al autor, espero que no me decepcione.
February 12, 2015
POR.DIOS
Los últimos capítulos son tremendos, si bien por partes se me hizo aburrido los giros que tiene este libro te dan piel de gallina. Increíble.
Menos mal que tengo Ruinas al lado o me volvería completamente loca de la ansiedad.
Los últimos capítulos son tremendos, si bien por partes se me hizo aburrido los giros que tiene este libro te dan piel de gallina. Increíble.
Menos mal que tengo Ruinas al lado o me volvería completamente loca de la ansiedad.
May 13, 2013
2.5 stars - Spoilers
Meh, it was okay. The writing wasn't bad, it was just really slow and really BORING… And slow and boring aren't the best of combinations.
I enjoyed Partials far more than Fragments… I disliked the slow pace, the lack of thrilling action, and the change to multiple POV's. I would have rather read Kira's POV alone - I wasn't interested in Marcus or Samm, they were positively dull. Not that Kira was exciting but she was at least somewhat mildly engaging. Okay, that's not true, she was just as uninteresting as Marcus and Samm, but at least I used to her voice.
Other thoughts:
-Kira went on a long and largely uneventful journey to find out the truth about herself/her dad/Nandita, and Paragen or whatever that morally corrupt/evil corporation was called. She also tried to look for a cure for the nonsensical RM disease. And of course, she also wanted to help those douchey partials from expiring.
-Nothing much happened for the majority of the book - Kira and co just travelled from one destination to another, and between traveling they occasionally got attacked. They never seemed to reach any headway in finding the information they needed to 1. Cure RM and 2. Help with the partial expiration problem… It just made their quest seem pointless, and it was very frustrating to read about — they kept going round and round in circles, and for the most failed to make any progress.
-I found it unbelievably cheesy that the only way for both humans and partials to survive was by working together or some shit. Humans needed the partial pheromones to cure RM and for some reason partials could only survive with help from humans. It made me sick. Am I the only one that wants the humans to kill those bastard partials? I hate them so much.
-Kira was a real Mary Sue. Worst of all, she was self righteous and sanctimonious… Also, it was irritating how Kira saw everything as black and white. I'm sure she was a more bearable character in the first book.
-Samm and Kira's romance was predictable and lame. Samm didn't even have a personality.
-I'm guessing I was meant to feel sympathy for all the partials but I didn't. I actually hope they all die, even Kira.
-I actually liked Ariel's small POV - she was the most interesting POV character. I did want more of a showdown between her and Nandita though. Also, I was kind of surprised about the revelation that both Ariel and Isolde were partials. I didn't expect that.
-Afa's character was awesome. I hated that he died, I knew he would as soon as he'd outlived his usefulness — his death felt very cliched.
-I was a bit confused at the claim that Isolde had the first human/partial baby… Wasn't it Ariel who had the first human/partial baby?
-It took me a while to read Fragments, it was very slow paced. There was so much description and monologuing, especially in the first half — it was a struggle to get through.
-The last 20% was actually entertaining, a lot of interesting stuff went down.
I'll be reading the next book even though this one was a disappointment. Hopefully, it'll be faster paced and more action packed.
Meh, it was okay. The writing wasn't bad, it was just really slow and really BORING… And slow and boring aren't the best of combinations.
I enjoyed Partials far more than Fragments… I disliked the slow pace, the lack of thrilling action, and the change to multiple POV's. I would have rather read Kira's POV alone - I wasn't interested in Marcus or Samm, they were positively dull. Not that Kira was exciting but she was at least somewhat mildly engaging. Okay, that's not true, she was just as uninteresting as Marcus and Samm, but at least I used to her voice.
Other thoughts:
-Kira went on a long and largely uneventful journey to find out the truth about herself/her dad/Nandita, and Paragen or whatever that morally corrupt/evil corporation was called. She also tried to look for a cure for the nonsensical RM disease. And of course, she also wanted to help those douchey partials from expiring.
-Nothing much happened for the majority of the book - Kira and co just travelled from one destination to another, and between traveling they occasionally got attacked. They never seemed to reach any headway in finding the information they needed to 1. Cure RM and 2. Help with the partial expiration problem… It just made their quest seem pointless, and it was very frustrating to read about — they kept going round and round in circles, and for the most failed to make any progress.
-I found it unbelievably cheesy that the only way for both humans and partials to survive was by working together or some shit. Humans needed the partial pheromones to cure RM and for some reason partials could only survive with help from humans. It made me sick. Am I the only one that wants the humans to kill those bastard partials? I hate them so much.
-Kira was a real Mary Sue. Worst of all, she was self righteous and sanctimonious… Also, it was irritating how Kira saw everything as black and white. I'm sure she was a more bearable character in the first book.
-Samm and Kira's romance was predictable and lame. Samm didn't even have a personality.
-I'm guessing I was meant to feel sympathy for all the partials but I didn't. I actually hope they all die, even Kira.
-I actually liked Ariel's small POV - she was the most interesting POV character. I did want more of a showdown between her and Nandita though. Also, I was kind of surprised about the revelation that both Ariel and Isolde were partials. I didn't expect that.
-Afa's character was awesome. I hated that he died, I knew he would as soon as he'd outlived his usefulness — his death felt very cliched.
-I was a bit confused at the claim that Isolde had the first human/partial baby… Wasn't it Ariel who had the first human/partial baby?
-It took me a while to read Fragments, it was very slow paced. There was so much description and monologuing, especially in the first half — it was a struggle to get through.
-The last 20% was actually entertaining, a lot of interesting stuff went down.
I'll be reading the next book even though this one was a disappointment. Hopefully, it'll be faster paced and more action packed.
May 6, 2013
This review can also be found at The Title Page
Rating: 2 Stars
So, we have a really popular book. Great reception, awesome cover, everyone seemed to love it. What do we do to boost the fame? Write a mediocre sequel, but here's the kicker..... USE THE SAME EXACT COVER! Woah! Amazing! I mean, of course, we can't use the EXACT SAME THING, so lets add another person in there, and change up the skyline a bit. WINNING!
This book was so badly thought out and researched, I want to cry out in anger... "Why, Dan Wells? Why take a great read like Partials and continue it like this?!"
I hate it when sequels ruin the first novel of a series. It happened in Rot and Ruin, it happened in Delirium, and it happened here.
This book is Boring (with a capital B). I wanted to rip my hair out reading it. The only thing that kept me going was pointing out every little inconsistency in my head. I want to make a prediciton. Dan Wells lives/lived in or near Manhattan. He has traveled to Chicago... hmm... maybe, once?
This book follows Kira and Samm and some other empty shells of people on their journey to Chicago from Manhattan, and then on to Denver. They ride horse. Yes, horses! A topic that so many YA authors and readers are super interested in and have tons of knowledge about. So maybe, Dan, maybe could you have researched the topic a bit? Too much trouble? Oh, ok. So they ride these horse (which apparently don't act or require sustenance like present day horses) and eventually end up in a flooded Chicago, looking for one single database on one single computer in one single office in one single building in one single gigantic city. And what powers computers? Go figure. There hasn't been power on the grid in 10 years, but, hey, they'll figure it out as they go. Oh, and apparently you can extend walkie-talkie distance a thousand miles just by connecting some solar panels to some radio antennae! Woe is me, that's just golly amazing!
I digress. I hated this book, because I hated what it did to the series. I don't believe it's a truly awful book, it just ruined so many things from me. Also, I have bald spots from pulling my own hair out throughout the novel.
BONUS: To all the people who disagree with my review, or claim I nitpick because I didn't give it 5 stars, this is for you.
I may be picky with my books, because that is the kind of reader I am, and the kind of reviewer I am. I am entitled to my own opinion and if you don't like it, .
Happy reading :)
Rating: 2 Stars
So, we have a really popular book. Great reception, awesome cover, everyone seemed to love it. What do we do to boost the fame? Write a mediocre sequel, but here's the kicker..... USE THE SAME EXACT COVER! Woah! Amazing! I mean, of course, we can't use the EXACT SAME THING, so lets add another person in there, and change up the skyline a bit. WINNING!
This book was so badly thought out and researched, I want to cry out in anger... "Why, Dan Wells? Why take a great read like Partials and continue it like this?!"
I hate it when sequels ruin the first novel of a series. It happened in Rot and Ruin, it happened in Delirium, and it happened here.
This book is Boring (with a capital B). I wanted to rip my hair out reading it. The only thing that kept me going was pointing out every little inconsistency in my head. I want to make a prediciton. Dan Wells lives/lived in or near Manhattan. He has traveled to Chicago... hmm... maybe, once?
This book follows Kira and Samm and some other empty shells of people on their journey to Chicago from Manhattan, and then on to Denver. They ride horse. Yes, horses! A topic that so many YA authors and readers are super interested in and have tons of knowledge about. So maybe, Dan, maybe could you have researched the topic a bit? Too much trouble? Oh, ok. So they ride these horse (which apparently don't act or require sustenance like present day horses) and eventually end up in a flooded Chicago, looking for one single database on one single computer in one single office in one single building in one single gigantic city. And what powers computers? Go figure. There hasn't been power on the grid in 10 years, but, hey, they'll figure it out as they go. Oh, and apparently you can extend walkie-talkie distance a thousand miles just by connecting some solar panels to some radio antennae! Woe is me, that's just golly amazing!
I digress. I hated this book, because I hated what it did to the series. I don't believe it's a truly awful book, it just ruined so many things from me. Also, I have bald spots from pulling my own hair out throughout the novel.
BONUS: To all the people who disagree with my review, or claim I nitpick because I didn't give it 5 stars, this is for you.
I may be picky with my books, because that is the kind of reader I am, and the kind of reviewer I am. I am entitled to my own opinion and if you don't like it, .
Happy reading :)
Want to read
July 4, 2012I like that people are saying that this needs more romance in it that Partials had... Haha. I am voting for a hike in the Kira/Samm story as well... But guys. The author is a dude. And even though guys do love and all that jazz, all the books I have read by male authors are a little lacking in the romance dept. Maybe Dan will pull a Hail Mary and surprise me with a realREAL love story in this one! Who knows!
August 12, 2017
This novel is the second book in the 'Partials' series. It is Young Adult dystopian. When it comes to Dystopian novels, I can't help myself. They are a guilty pleasure.
This second book was much better than the first one, which I only gave 3 stars to but this one gets 4. The biggest problem I had with the first one was the lack of world building. That problem was only slightly evident here, but this one was so much more gripping. I was pulled right into the story by the characters and the plot. I also liked some of the thought provoking questions it touched on regarding racisim, right to life, and basic survival over other species. There were plenty of twists and turns too, that kept me rooted to the pages.
This second book was much better than the first one, which I only gave 3 stars to but this one gets 4. The biggest problem I had with the first one was the lack of world building. That problem was only slightly evident here, but this one was so much more gripping. I was pulled right into the story by the characters and the plot. I also liked some of the thought provoking questions it touched on regarding racisim, right to life, and basic survival over other species. There were plenty of twists and turns too, that kept me rooted to the pages.
February 15, 2020
This is a solid 2nd book, and if you enjoyed Partials, you'll like Fragments.
The story picks up pretty much where the last one left off. Kira leaves Marcus behind so that she can find some answers to the can of worms that she opened up in the last book.
Of course, she ends up opening up a bigger can of worms in the process.
I still loved both Kira and Sam in this book, but I felt like some of my love for Marcus petered out.
He seems awfully eager to throw her under the bus...even if it was to save all of humanity.
You know, I had fun reading this, but I swear I just can't think of anything else to say about it.
It's a good dystopian/sci-fi kind of trilogy. So if you happen to be in the market for one, go get it.
The story picks up pretty much where the last one left off. Kira leaves Marcus behind so that she can find some answers to the can of worms that she opened up in the last book.
Of course, she ends up opening up a bigger can of worms in the process.
I still loved both Kira and Sam in this book, but I felt like some of my love for Marcus petered out.
He seems awfully eager to throw her under the bus...even if it was to save all of humanity.
You know, I had fun reading this, but I swear I just can't think of anything else to say about it.
It's a good dystopian/sci-fi kind of trilogy. So if you happen to be in the market for one, go get it.
April 1, 2020
Audio review
Eh. This isn't really my genre. I don't go in for a lot of dystopian stories and this is technically also YA, so yeah. I skipped A LOT!!! It was boring!! They didn't DO anything. Some action mixed with a lot of nothing. The end, maybe last 20% or so had a lot of action and our heroes are in trouble. Sigh, I am curious how it ends so I will finish. This better have a happy ending or someone is going to get hurt. I didn't go through all this just for things not be solved, fixed, happy, etc.
3ish stars for the story
4.5 for the narration
Eh. This isn't really my genre. I don't go in for a lot of dystopian stories and this is technically also YA, so yeah. I skipped A LOT!!! It was boring!! They didn't DO anything. Some action mixed with a lot of nothing. The end, maybe last 20% or so had a lot of action and our heroes are in trouble. Sigh, I am curious how it ends so I will finish. This better have a happy ending or someone is going to get hurt. I didn't go through all this just for things not be solved, fixed, happy, etc.
3ish stars for the story
4.5 for the narration
January 1, 2023
I will start by saying I loved it. The twist and turns, the mysteries, the brutal journey to find answers, and the dividing moralities, makes for a fantastic read.
Kira’s struggle is not a clear cut good vs. evil, in certain situations it is evil vs. lesser evil, and for her personality that’s always seeking the good in every situation, it is eating her up on the inside.
I want to see how Kira and Dr. Morgan will fare in the last book in the series. Loved it! Five stars.
Kira’s struggle is not a clear cut good vs. evil, in certain situations it is evil vs. lesser evil, and for her personality that’s always seeking the good in every situation, it is eating her up on the inside.
I want to see how Kira and Dr. Morgan will fare in the last book in the series. Loved it! Five stars.
December 26, 2015
MORE? MORE! @ P.S. I love that book!
So I read Partials and I loved it! Then I read a novella Isolation and it was alright. Obviously as I am on Partials train I got myself a copy of the second book Fragments and was right into it!
THE WORLD: The world in this book gets expanded! Besides the little island where humans live and the land where Partials live we get to see Chicago and Denver! And I just loved how it was portrait, especially Denver. It was just crazy. I do not want to talk too much about it because I just really do not want to spoil anything but trust me, if something like Partials War happened I would expect the world to be just like in Dan Wells books!
CHARACTERS: Kira is the medic/scientist. She is literary a kickass leader! I mean alright in this book she was a little bit annoying at some points but I still love her, she is fantastic and if I was in her situation I would love to be just like her. And also, for those who want diversity in the books, Kira is Indian girl who is super smart and super bad-ass and yeah I said that already but trust me, there is no end to it! Next we also get to know a little bit better are Samm and Heron. Now Samm...he is such a perfect lover boy. I just loved how he trusted Kira and helped her no matter what. I love Samm completely! Heron was also great most of the book, she is like this evilish sidekick helping the main character. Only thing I did not like about Heron is the end. She proved herself to be so incredibly intelligent and then in the end she does something so straight forward stupid I was more than disappointed. I hope it will get better in the next book. Another character we also get to know better is Marcus. So you know how I did not like him in first book because I thought he is just boring? Well that changed completely. Marcus is absolutely hilarious. I loved his chapters, he is smart and determined and his jokes...loving him right now!
LOVE: There isn't really much of it in this book and that is what I love about it. I mean it is clear that Kira and Samm are super smitten but that is so not the point in this book. Other than last few chapters they are just plain friends and damn I am loving it!
PLUS: You know how I loved the science and the virology in the first book? So in this one we get biotechnology too! And all the secrets, all the Trust things...omg I am loving such kind of books. It is like it was written for me!
MINUS: Only minus I can think about and the reason why I gave this book 4 and not 5 stars was that it was just a little bit slow. I loved all the lands and new cities but the fact that they were traveling most of the book was a little bit disappointing. And oh, I also did not like humans at all. Tho I do think it is a super good representation.
EXTRA: Team Partials!
OVERALL: I know some people complain that this series is a story driven and not characters but seriously how many books there are there where it is all about romance and love triangles and barely any story? Millions! And how many books that have a very strong story with a kick as characters but no useless romance? Few! So go and read this series if you haven't and especially if you are a scientist like Laura and I, you will love it to the bits, I promise!
MORE? MORE! @ P.S. I love that book!
So I read Partials and I loved it! Then I read a novella Isolation and it was alright. Obviously as I am on Partials train I got myself a copy of the second book Fragments and was right into it!
THE WORLD: The world in this book gets expanded! Besides the little island where humans live and the land where Partials live we get to see Chicago and Denver! And I just loved how it was portrait, especially Denver. It was just crazy. I do not want to talk too much about it because I just really do not want to spoil anything but trust me, if something like Partials War happened I would expect the world to be just like in Dan Wells books!
CHARACTERS: Kira is the medic/scientist. She is literary a kickass leader! I mean alright in this book she was a little bit annoying at some points but I still love her, she is fantastic and if I was in her situation I would love to be just like her. And also, for those who want diversity in the books, Kira is Indian girl who is super smart and super bad-ass and yeah I said that already but trust me, there is no end to it! Next we also get to know a little bit better are Samm and Heron. Now Samm...he is such a perfect lover boy. I just loved how he trusted Kira and helped her no matter what. I love Samm completely! Heron was also great most of the book, she is like this evilish sidekick helping the main character. Only thing I did not like about Heron is the end. She proved herself to be so incredibly intelligent and then in the end she does something so straight forward stupid I was more than disappointed. I hope it will get better in the next book. Another character we also get to know better is Marcus. So you know how I did not like him in first book because I thought he is just boring? Well that changed completely. Marcus is absolutely hilarious. I loved his chapters, he is smart and determined and his jokes...loving him right now!
LOVE: There isn't really much of it in this book and that is what I love about it. I mean it is clear that Kira and Samm are super smitten but that is so not the point in this book. Other than last few chapters they are just plain friends and damn I am loving it!
PLUS: You know how I loved the science and the virology in the first book? So in this one we get biotechnology too! And all the secrets, all the Trust things...omg I am loving such kind of books. It is like it was written for me!
MINUS: Only minus I can think about and the reason why I gave this book 4 and not 5 stars was that it was just a little bit slow. I loved all the lands and new cities but the fact that they were traveling most of the book was a little bit disappointing. And oh, I also did not like humans at all. Tho I do think it is a super good representation.
EXTRA: Team Partials!
OVERALL: I know some people complain that this series is a story driven and not characters but seriously how many books there are there where it is all about romance and love triangles and barely any story? Millions! And how many books that have a very strong story with a kick as characters but no useless romance? Few! So go and read this series if you haven't and especially if you are a scientist like Laura and I, you will love it to the bits, I promise!
MORE? MORE! @ P.S. I love that book!
April 30, 2014
This book made me question my morals constantly. Insane moral quandaries are scattered throughout this book and it makes for an amazing, if frustrating read. The benefit to this style of writing however, is that there are no black and white characters. Every choice made in this novel has epic consequences and no matter who you help someone else will suffer for it.
I almost don't want to read the next book because I feel like everything is so dire that to have any hope at all would require a farfetched miracle. On the other hand Dan Wells writing is so addictive I don't think I really have a choice.
Overall great book, even better than the first which is always a treat. I can't wait to find out what happens next. 5/5
January 28, 2013
Dan Wells is a cruel jerk. Worst cliffhanger ever.
However, this book was amazing. Even better than book one. And that's saying something.
Review to come.
However, this book was amazing. Even better than book one. And that's saying something.
Review to come.
Read
April 24, 2012Oh good Lord. For people who have been so kind as to read my review for Partials... You will understand this next command:
COMMENCE SCREAMING AND RUNNING IN 3...2...1...
AAAAAAAUUUUUUUGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*breath*!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
COMMENCE SCREAMING AND RUNNING IN 3...2...1...
AAAAAAAUUUUUUUGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*breath*!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Want to read
March 28, 2012I'm hoping Fragments will have more interactions between Kira and Samm to make up for Partials being sorely lacking in the romance department.
Want to read
March 30, 2012Hopefully there will be more romance... OR ELSE I WILL HAVE A GIANT SPASTIC FREAK OUT.
August 8, 2013
I found this one a little confusing at times with so many parties and stories going on but I still liked it a lot. Although I didn't like the cliff hanger of an end...ahhh!
October 13, 2020
La primer mitad se me hizo lenta y algo aburrida, pero después ¡OMG!. Dan, lo hiciste de nuevo.
January 14, 2020
So second book. The end of the first book was exciting. They saved the baby, my fav Jayden, is dead and Kira has left east meadow. Now once again I found the beginning to be a little slow. There’s unrest in east meadow because the humans can’t synthesize the cure, Nandita is still missing, Kira is gone, and we have to follow around Marcus who is just not the most exciting narrator.
Even when Kira picks up the story, her section gets off to a slow start. She’s looking through old offices, climbing a lot of stairs, and while I realize it sets the scene the beginning of the book took every day very slowly, with lots of details, which was too much of a stark contrast to the second half of the book where Kira, Samm and Heron were traveling and we would jump days, weeks at a time. The book needed to find some kind of happy medium between how quickly time would move.
So Kira finds Afa, the crazy guy, and I did like that he was able to fill in some of the blanks for us about how the partials came to be because obviously at this point I had lots of theories but nothing concrete. I was still running with the “half human half partial” theory but it seemed at this point I was very wrong. I loved when Marcus and Haru suddenly hear Kira’s voice over the radio, that was cute, plus she saved them. I was a little shocked that Kira didn’t t go turn herself in right away since she’s always put the survival of East Meadow ahead of her own self interest (cough cough running into partial territory to get the cure book 1) finally get to see Sam again (because lets face it that’s what we were all waiting for) and it was a cute reunion.
But now her Sam and Heron are going to go off on this quest and leave and I did not enjoy the traveling scenes. They were dull for me. The riding, the big time jumps that seemed to take place. It was better once we got to chicago, although there again it was a little boring with how much time was taken to describe all the flooding, sink holes, finding the boat, etc when we had just travelled a few weeks and seen almost none of it.
Finally got some quality action when Kira fought off those 2 partials. I liked how she was slowly learning to use the link, and how we see her and Sam slowly building towards a relationship and that even though the attraction and fascination was there with each other right away in book 1, the romance wasn’t (its not a true OTP unless they tried to kill each other at least once).
But then after Chicago the traveling scenes got even worse. Crossing the rivers, horses dying, acid rain, Afa dying was all just sort of thrown at us. We see them get to Colorado quickly but there was just a real lack of excitement in the lead up to it. The most exciting thing to happen to them was crossing the rivers and those scenes were not nearly as exciting or dramatic as I think they intended them to be.
But things finally got a little better when they found the settlement in Colorado. Of course it was funny to watch Kira die a little at seeing children. And I loved the way Calix was flirting with Sam. You couldn’t not laugh when they went to get the horses and she kissed him and it was just so awkward. And then I love watching Sam stumble over how to express his feeling for Kira without the link and Calix advice because he was clearly missing obvious signals from Kira.
Now everything happening back in East Meadow was important but not any more exciting that what was going on with Kira and Samm. Marcus was funny as usual but the whole trip into partial territory to meet with their general had the same sort of feel where there were definitely parts that could’ve been edited out to make the story drag less.
Then of course we had the dramatic discovery that all these people were being kept alive by comatose partials and the leader was a part of the Trust (wasn’t that shocking) and the moral dilemma of what to do, let the partials go free or the humans die. And then of course the big ending of Kira agreeing to go with Dr. Morgan (finally) and then Sam’s big shocker of agreeing to stay and be the pheromone supply for this community. We had a nice big kiss at the end which was nice but now they’ve ended the book separated AGAIN.
Overall I’d give this book 3.5 stars just because so much of the traveling was too glossed over and just not interesting to read. I still really enjoy the series and am excited to see how it’s all wrapped up.
Even when Kira picks up the story, her section gets off to a slow start. She’s looking through old offices, climbing a lot of stairs, and while I realize it sets the scene the beginning of the book took every day very slowly, with lots of details, which was too much of a stark contrast to the second half of the book where Kira, Samm and Heron were traveling and we would jump days, weeks at a time. The book needed to find some kind of happy medium between how quickly time would move.
So Kira finds Afa, the crazy guy, and I did like that he was able to fill in some of the blanks for us about how the partials came to be because obviously at this point I had lots of theories but nothing concrete. I was still running with the “half human half partial” theory but it seemed at this point I was very wrong. I loved when Marcus and Haru suddenly hear Kira’s voice over the radio, that was cute, plus she saved them. I was a little shocked that Kira didn’t t go turn herself in right away since she’s always put the survival of East Meadow ahead of her own self interest (cough cough running into partial territory to get the cure book 1) finally get to see Sam again (because lets face it that’s what we were all waiting for) and it was a cute reunion.
But now her Sam and Heron are going to go off on this quest and leave and I did not enjoy the traveling scenes. They were dull for me. The riding, the big time jumps that seemed to take place. It was better once we got to chicago, although there again it was a little boring with how much time was taken to describe all the flooding, sink holes, finding the boat, etc when we had just travelled a few weeks and seen almost none of it.
Finally got some quality action when Kira fought off those 2 partials. I liked how she was slowly learning to use the link, and how we see her and Sam slowly building towards a relationship and that even though the attraction and fascination was there with each other right away in book 1, the romance wasn’t (its not a true OTP unless they tried to kill each other at least once).
But then after Chicago the traveling scenes got even worse. Crossing the rivers, horses dying, acid rain, Afa dying was all just sort of thrown at us. We see them get to Colorado quickly but there was just a real lack of excitement in the lead up to it. The most exciting thing to happen to them was crossing the rivers and those scenes were not nearly as exciting or dramatic as I think they intended them to be.
But things finally got a little better when they found the settlement in Colorado. Of course it was funny to watch Kira die a little at seeing children. And I loved the way Calix was flirting with Sam. You couldn’t not laugh when they went to get the horses and she kissed him and it was just so awkward. And then I love watching Sam stumble over how to express his feeling for Kira without the link and Calix advice because he was clearly missing obvious signals from Kira.
Now everything happening back in East Meadow was important but not any more exciting that what was going on with Kira and Samm. Marcus was funny as usual but the whole trip into partial territory to meet with their general had the same sort of feel where there were definitely parts that could’ve been edited out to make the story drag less.
Then of course we had the dramatic discovery that all these people were being kept alive by comatose partials and the leader was a part of the Trust (wasn’t that shocking) and the moral dilemma of what to do, let the partials go free or the humans die. And then of course the big ending of Kira agreeing to go with Dr. Morgan (finally) and then Sam’s big shocker of agreeing to stay and be the pheromone supply for this community. We had a nice big kiss at the end which was nice but now they’ve ended the book separated AGAIN.
Overall I’d give this book 3.5 stars just because so much of the traveling was too glossed over and just not interesting to read. I still really enjoy the series and am excited to see how it’s all wrapped up.
May 20, 2019
You can also find this review here on my blog.
I usually go into trilogies thinking that the second book cannot supersede the first if it was a great story. Well, this is not one of those trilogies. I was absolutely blown away by everything this book had to offer. The stakes were higher, the world expanded to soaring heights, and lots of dirty secrets are uncovered. This book was incredible.
The writing style, again, is so engaging. It’s one of those books that makes you feel like you’re alongside the characters experiencing the dangers and glory together. In this book, we don’t just follow Kira, but we get a perspective from Marcus as well. I really enjoyed this because it gave a chance for Marcus to be fleshed out better, and i actually liked him a bit more. But, it also gave us the opportunity to see what was happening in two very different places, and to give us a line back to some of the characters we came to know in the first book.
I also think this dual perspective was kind of ingenious in a way because we get a lot of travelling, and information from Kira’s perspective, that gets balanced out by the action, and survival aspect in Marcus’s perspective. It never felt like the story was lagging, and we get so much more information on this crazy world, that you just wanted to read more to find out how it all connects together.
The character development in this book was fantastic. Everyone really comes into themselves and the roles they play, while battling feelings and emotions they have to come to terms with. Kira only just found out she is some kind of “other partial” and you really see her struggling to come to terms with what it means, and how to adapt to this new knowledge. We also get to experience Samm trying to understand feelings and becoming more empathetic. The character growth is just superb and you can really see it happening before your eyes.
I also want to touch on the romance elements of this book. There is a slight romance blossoming between Kira and Samm but it in no way takes precedence over the story. And i really love that the characters realise that they have more pressing issues to deal with than love. Do you know how hard it is to read a dystopian where the romance takes over, it’s like hello, the end of the world, and the human race as you know it is ending!! So i loved that Wells realized this and put it on the back burner.
This book is about the story and all the twists and turns that give you enough information to guess where you’re heading and then twist the big reveals into more questions that only just start to get answered in the end. The stakes are incredibly high, and there’s no doubt about the main goal of the characters. Find a way to save everyone, even if you have to die trying. loved it.
I usually go into trilogies thinking that the second book cannot supersede the first if it was a great story. Well, this is not one of those trilogies. I was absolutely blown away by everything this book had to offer. The stakes were higher, the world expanded to soaring heights, and lots of dirty secrets are uncovered. This book was incredible.
The writing style, again, is so engaging. It’s one of those books that makes you feel like you’re alongside the characters experiencing the dangers and glory together. In this book, we don’t just follow Kira, but we get a perspective from Marcus as well. I really enjoyed this because it gave a chance for Marcus to be fleshed out better, and i actually liked him a bit more. But, it also gave us the opportunity to see what was happening in two very different places, and to give us a line back to some of the characters we came to know in the first book.
I also think this dual perspective was kind of ingenious in a way because we get a lot of travelling, and information from Kira’s perspective, that gets balanced out by the action, and survival aspect in Marcus’s perspective. It never felt like the story was lagging, and we get so much more information on this crazy world, that you just wanted to read more to find out how it all connects together.
The character development in this book was fantastic. Everyone really comes into themselves and the roles they play, while battling feelings and emotions they have to come to terms with. Kira only just found out she is some kind of “other partial” and you really see her struggling to come to terms with what it means, and how to adapt to this new knowledge. We also get to experience Samm trying to understand feelings and becoming more empathetic. The character growth is just superb and you can really see it happening before your eyes.
I also want to touch on the romance elements of this book. There is a slight romance blossoming between Kira and Samm but it in no way takes precedence over the story. And i really love that the characters realise that they have more pressing issues to deal with than love. Do you know how hard it is to read a dystopian where the romance takes over, it’s like hello, the end of the world, and the human race as you know it is ending!! So i loved that Wells realized this and put it on the back burner.
This book is about the story and all the twists and turns that give you enough information to guess where you’re heading and then twist the big reveals into more questions that only just start to get answered in the end. The stakes are incredibly high, and there’s no doubt about the main goal of the characters. Find a way to save everyone, even if you have to die trying. loved it.
September 13, 2013
This and my other reviews can be found at http://amethystbookwyrm.blogspot.co.uk/
Thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, Children’s for me giving this book to review.
Kira has found a cure for RM but it is not easily accessible as it means using the partials, now she is on a search across the country with Samm, Heron and an unhinged computer expert called Afa for a cure for both the humans and partials as well as answers to who she is and who know about her. Meanwhile back on Long Island, Marcus and the rest of humanity are on the edge of war with the partials, a war which they know they cannot win, will Kira and Samm find the answers before it is too late for both races.
Fragments is the second instalment in the Partials series, which is a different but ok YA dystopia. This story does drag a bit as it focuses too much on the journey to find answers and less on the actual action.
More so in this book than the last I could not connect to any of the characters and did not really care about what happened to them. Also I did not like the love triangle developing between Kira, Samm and Marcus as I am so bored of them in YA books.
Fragments is an ok book and I hope it gets better in the next one. I would recommend this book to people who enjoyed the first book Partials.
Thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, Children’s for me giving this book to review.
Kira has found a cure for RM but it is not easily accessible as it means using the partials, now she is on a search across the country with Samm, Heron and an unhinged computer expert called Afa for a cure for both the humans and partials as well as answers to who she is and who know about her. Meanwhile back on Long Island, Marcus and the rest of humanity are on the edge of war with the partials, a war which they know they cannot win, will Kira and Samm find the answers before it is too late for both races.
Fragments is the second instalment in the Partials series, which is a different but ok YA dystopia. This story does drag a bit as it focuses too much on the journey to find answers and less on the actual action.
More so in this book than the last I could not connect to any of the characters and did not really care about what happened to them. Also I did not like the love triangle developing between Kira, Samm and Marcus as I am so bored of them in YA books.
Fragments is an ok book and I hope it gets better in the next one. I would recommend this book to people who enjoyed the first book Partials.
March 1, 2016
**3.5 stars**
**No spoilers**
The first third of this book I found to be really quite boring and it made me slump quite bad. Then however it did seriously pick up and I flew through the rest of it. A couple of Kira's choices were questionable and there were some confusing bits. The third book has the potential to be a great finale though with all the cliffhangers from this book.
**No spoilers**
The first third of this book I found to be really quite boring and it made me slump quite bad. Then however it did seriously pick up and I flew through the rest of it. A couple of Kira's choices were questionable and there were some confusing bits. The third book has the potential to be a great finale though with all the cliffhangers from this book.
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