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Fragments (Partials Sequence #2)

by Dan Wells (Goodreads Author)

4.21 of 5 stars 4.21 · rating details · 2,107 ratings · 403 reviews

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...more

Hardcover, 564 pages

Published February 26th 2013 by Balzer + Bray

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Feb 25, 2013 Wendy Darling rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: february, 2013-publication, harpercollins, young-adult, dystopian-post-apocalyptic-utopian, asian, poc, 2013-favorites, action-packed, read-2013, survivalist

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 t...more

46 likes · like · see review

Jul 02, 2012 deanneluvbooks marked it as to-read

I can't wait for more of Kira & Samm. Partials was amazing!!! This book can't come soon enough!!!

Wow!!! Look at that cover:) I wonder who that guy is? Anyone?

22 likes · like · see review

Feb 10, 2013 Renu rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: netgalley

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...more

13 likes · like · see review

May 06, 2013 Jamie rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed, reviewed-less-than-4-stars

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...more

5 likes · like · see review

May 03, 2013 Emma Adams rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: post-apocalyptic, young-adult, science-fiction

Original review on my blog:
http://throughthegateway.blogspot.co....

They may have found a cure for the RM virus, but the surviving members of the human race have another battle to fight before they can hope to rebuild society as we once knew it. Firstly, the cure is dependent on the Partials, the race of cyborgs created to win human wars and turned rogue. But the Partials are dying out themselves as their lifespans expire, and the survivors fear they plan to instigate another war – one that huma...more Original review on my blog:
http://throughthegateway.blogspot.co....

They may have found a cure for the RM virus, but the surviving members of the human race have another battle to fight before they can hope to rebuild society as we once knew it. Firstly, the cure is dependent on the Partials, the race of cyborgs created to win human wars and turned rogue. But the Partials are dying out themselves as their lifespans expire, and the survivors fear they plan to instigate another war – one that humanity may not survive. Meanwhile, Kira searches for the truth about her own identity – only to find that she’s part of a bigger plan which began when the Partial War and the RM virus first started.

Kira meets Afa, a former employee of ParaGen, who has been living alone in the city since the Break and studying the events that led up to the war – at the cost of his sanity. Through him, Kira learns about ParaGen – the organisation that created the Partials – and their involvement in the war. Meanwhile, the other survivors prepare to confront another Partial attack, as a group of their enemies believe that Kira holds the key to stopping their species from expiring.

I liked this more than the first book as it had more action from the outset, whilst it took me until halfway to really get into the first book. The switching between perspectives helps keep the story engaging, although there are still a lot of slower sections and exposition. But this helps to make this post-apocalyptic world completely convincing, and we get to see both the humans’ and the Partials’ perspectives. It’s a novel about survival and the lengths to which people will go to preserve their own species. Again, Dan Wells does an excellent job of telling a complex story with underlying ethical issues that don’t detract from the main storyline, and the characters and their relationships are developed further. The depiction of Kira’s internal struggle is especially compelling.

This is an engaging sci-fi post-apocalyptic adventure, and one I’d recommend to anyone looking for an absorbing new dystopian world. The cliffhanger ending will have you impatiently awaiting the final book in the trilogy!(less)

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May 12, 2013 Ferdy rated it 3 of 5 stars

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, sh...more

7 likes · like · see review

Feb 28, 2013 Eric Allen rated it 5 of 5 stars

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 ch...more

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Apr 04, 2013 Jenny rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: dystopian-plot

Before reading this book, here are questions Left unanswered since the first book.

First, Who is Nandita? What connections does she have to the ParaGen? Is she working for the ParaGen? Had Kira's father one of them?
Second, Is Kira a result some lab experiment? A Prototype maybe?
Third, Kira had lived with Nandita for 12 years, if she did know Kira is a Partial all along, why did she hid it? What was Nandita's motives?
Fourth, Nandita was staying with Kira for a reason, what could it be?
And last,...more Before reading this book, here are questions Left unanswered since the first book.

First, Who is Nandita? What connections does she have to the ParaGen? Is she working for the ParaGen? Had Kira's father one of them?
Second, Is Kira a result some lab experiment? A Prototype maybe?
Third, Kira had lived with Nandita for 12 years, if she did know Kira is a Partial all along, why did she hid it? What was Nandita's motives?
Fourth, Nandita was staying with Kira for a reason, what could it be?
And last, Why was Dr. Morgan terrified when she found out what Kira was?

There are still a lot of questions left hanging at this book, although the above questions where all answered, I was still hoping for a much more detailed explanation of the past war. About Kira as well. This book was practically about Kira's journey to Denver. And there are moments that I was having a bored time finishing it myself. But I think, I was glad to stick with it til' the end.

Okay, so this is what practically what happens based on my understanding.

ParaGen created BioSynths-- creatures every bit of Human as ourselves. But what happened is the ParaGen and U.S Government saw Partials as mere mechanics. Regarded them as only weapon, a mannequin created just for sole benefit for war. A soldiers who doesn't have their own free will. A link that makes them obey their Superior no matter what. And treating them as inferior to Human, made the Partials rebel against Humans who creates them. Thus, left the Government no choice but to annihilate them. So, the other scientist who thought this action as inhumane, created the RM itself where the cure was embedded with the Partials. Giving an option solely to human if they will continue destroying the Partials. The Logic? The only way for Humans to survive is to keep the Partials alive. Because disenfranchising the Partials would also cost their lives. In this way, they where hoping both species survive and work together to live.

So that's it! It was like how something explains why the Partials have the cure. But, how about the Partials? How about their expirations? I really pity the Partials, why create them made them just like us, voided with emotions and freedom of choice and in the end, annihilate them just when they are done? So cruel right? I was really staring to think that maybe on this story the people who was behind this just deserved what happened to them. Yet, there are still a lot of innocent people who suffered as well.

Anyway, I still loved the book. It was actually good. Can't wait for the next sequel..(less)

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May 10, 2013 Jenny rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: new-sparkly-reads-challenge

This was the kind of story that had me glued to the page, much like the first book in the series! This was a fantastic sequel, and Wells really outdid himself with it! It will be hard to review this one without giving away spoilers, but I'll try!

First of all, the story is split up between Kira, Marcus, and Haru's POV. I was glossing over Haru's chapters a bit, but then had to go back and reread, because his stuff is very important! I loved getting Marcus's side to things. We actually get one cha...more

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Mar 13, 2013 Maja rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: alternating-povs, arc-2013, are-you-kidding-me, failed-to-impress, i-have-superpowers, netgalley, ya, post-apocalyptic, reviewed-in-2013, cliffhanger-ending

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...more 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.

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Apr 28, 2013 Rich in Color rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: dystopia-post-apocalyptic, hard-science-fiction, science-fiction

Second books in a trilogy are always complicated. They’re rarely satisfactory on their own since their primary purpose seems to be setting everything up for the final book. Even if you do get answers to questions, you’re immediately peppered with more questions.

My feelings about Fragments are equally complicated. On the one hand, yes, Kira finds out who and what she is in this book and what the Trust is—that is awesome. (And this is the point where I highly recommend that you re-read Partials be...more Second books in a trilogy are always complicated. They’re rarely satisfactory on their own since their primary purpose seems to be setting everything up for the final book. Even if you do get answers to questions, you’re immediately peppered with more questions.

My feelings about Fragments are equally complicated. On the one hand, yes, Kira finds out who and what she is in this book and what the Trust is—that is awesome. (And this is the point where I highly recommend that you re-read Partials before you launch into Fragments. The science-y plotlines will be much easier to follow if you do.) On the other hand, very little else in this book gets resolved. All the other movements, particularly with the other POVs, seem specifically designed to position all the pieces for book three. As a reader, that’s frustrating, but it also has become standard for the trilogy format. (I had a higher standard for Wells as Mr. Monster was an amazing and satisfying second book, and I’d hoped that magic would extend to Fragments.)

One of the greatest weaknesses of this book is the other points of view. From a story standpoint, these POVs are crucial as they develop plotlines that Kira can’t (since she spends the entirety of the book away from Long Island). However, these other POVs weren’t as “in character” as Kira’s were—most weren’t distinctive enough for me to tell them apart easily. This was particularly disappointing with Marcus as the summary made it sound as if he would have a heftier amount of the book devoted to him. While he had more POVs than anyone other than Kira (and I enjoyed his sense of humor most of the time), I wish we had seen more from him as I felt that the events on Long Island could have merited additional screen-time.

What Wells excels at in this book is the ongoing discussion between Kira and other characters (especially Samm) about morality. What extremes do you go to for survival when the human population has been reduced to 35,000 people and there are 500,000 enemy super-soldiers still around? Fragments spends a lot of time exploring this theme, and it is done superbly. I’d talk about it more, but my favorite conversation involves major spoilers for the book.

I especially enjoyed the wider look at the ruined world. Wells clearly spent a lot of time figuring out what would happen to various cities after twelve years of neglect, and the results were stunning (and a bit terrifying and depressing, honestly). The more we got to know about ParaGen and its creations, the more fascinating (and repulsive) the world got. As a character, Afa also helped widen the scope of the world (and raise the possibility of other humans surviving outside Long Island), though he was emotionally taxing most of the time.

The romance that developed in this book was delightfully un-dramatic, and the action scenes were superb. I have a deep fondness for action scenes that rely on the character’s intelligence (and not necessarily skill) in order to win, and Kira’s smarts are often the key to her survival, especially as she learns to use the link. Give me brainy characters over brawny characters any day. (That said, there were some moments where I thought the characters needed to put the dots together sooner, like what the use of “control” meant. Come on, Marcus, you worked in the hospital. Even I figured it out, and I haven’t had a science class since 2005.)

Recommendation: Get it soon if you’re already invested in the trilogy and are willing to put up with all the frustrations inherent in second books. Wells does an amazing job of expanding the world in many ways, but in the end, the book isn’t as satisfying as Partials was. If you’re not already invested, I’d say wait until book three is out and read the series in one go. I have confidence that Wells will give us a fantastic and satisfying ending, especially now that all of the pieces are in the right place. You’ll just have to wait until next year for that to happen.(less)

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Apr 21, 2013 Jessica Snell rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction, ya

An enjoyable sequel to the post-apocalyptic YA novel "Partials", my favorite part of "Fragments" was the setting. After introducing us to the war-and-disease ravaged city of New York in the first book, Dan Wells dives even further into his world-building as we follow the heroine, Kira, on a desperate search across the abandoned and decayed United States.

I loved seeing both how consistent and how novel the world in this story was. Consistent, because all the destruction followed logically given t...more

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Apr 17, 2013 K. Bird rated it 4 of 5 stars

The story of Kira's quest to save both the Partials (who have an expiration date) and her human family/friends (who still can't have babies who survive without the Partial cure) heats up as Partials start to invade the former human refuge of Long Island and Kira finds herself trekking across crumbling cities, raging rivers, and toxic wastelands in search of the last missing puzzle pieces about who the Trust is, what her former foster mother Nandita did, and how everything ties together.

The non-s...more

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Apr 08, 2013 Ophelia Mercy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Hello! it has been a long time since I last reviewed a books so I will only jump right to it.

Pros+
+Dan Wells delivers a strong art of primary protagonists, Kira is not alone, Marcus takes a role in the drivers seat. Samm has a few chapters here and there. Noramlly this does not work. In fact I usually hate it. Each character has such a distinct voice that even I don't mind.
+The partials get a huge role in this book, they are no longer boogymen that did something bad. Now they are terrors.
+The...more

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Apr 06, 2013 Alan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: dystopian-ya-fiction

Book#2 in the Partials Sequence spoke to me more than did book one. Now that Kira knows she's a Partial, and that both her father and the lady that raised her work for the company that developed and built the Partials army, she needs to solve the questions that plague her. Why did they do it, why didn't they ever tell her the truth.
Fragments has two main story lines. Kira in her search for the truth to the offices of ParaGen. Starting out in Manhattan and not finding the answers there, she, alon...more

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Apr 06, 2013 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: r2r-complete

(Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to HarperCollins and Netgalley.)
This is the second book in the ‘Partials Sequence’ series, and kicks off 2 months after the end of book 1 ‘Partials’. **Warning – some unavoidable spoilers for book 1 – ‘Partials’**
It’s two months since the events of book 1, Kira has escaped to Manhattan, New York, in hopes of discovering more information about not only RM, but the partials expiration date.

Kira’s friends mea...more (Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to HarperCollins and Netgalley.)
This is the second book in the ‘Partials Sequence’ series, and kicks off 2 months after the end of book 1 ‘Partials’. **Warning – some unavoidable spoilers for book 1 – ‘Partials’**
It’s two months since the events of book 1, Kira has escaped to Manhattan, New York, in hopes of discovering more information about not only RM, but the partials expiration date.

Kira’s friends meanwhile are still on Long Island, and things take a turn for the worst when Dr Morgan (the woman controlling one group of partials, who trapped and tried to experiment on Kira previously) leads a partial army onto Long Island in search of Kira.

Marcus comes up with an idea that hinges on Nandita, which he puts into action, Haru has his own plans, and he goes off in search of a solution to the current war on Long Island, and the girls pretty much go into hiding to avoid being killed by the partials. Kira meanwhile makes some very significant discoveries in Manhattan that ultimately aid her in her quest for the cure to both RM and the expiration date.
Can Kira find a cure for either of these problems? What does Dr Morgan want with her? And can humans and partials ever live in peace?

I really enjoyed this book, it was full of twists and turns, and you never knew what was coming next!

Kira is alone at the beginning of this book, and has made it her personal mission to find the cures for both RM and the expiration date. Her travels lead her to not only new information, but also to people, and her quest becomes more and more complicated. Despite this she keeps pushing on, and keeps going even in the face of certain death. It seems that nothing is going to stop Kira, and I think it’s this unending faith of hers that she will find the cures that keeps her going. Kira’s journey in this book is far from easy, and it really is a wonder how she keeps going at times.

This book is certainly one that triggers emotions, but not necessarily the emotions you would expect! There were several moments that made me sad – certain deaths that I found upsetting, and probably an equal number of moments where I just couldn’t believe what was happening! The twists and turns and mysteries constantly kept me guessing, and I’m not sure if this book has made me paranoid, but I constantly worried that Kira shouldn’t be trusting certain people, or was making choices that were downright stupid and risky! This book was certainly one that kept me saying OMG, and worrying about what would happen next!

This book did take me a long time to read though! Even though I had to stop 1/3 of the way in because of a challenge I was taking part in, the pace seemed pretty slow. The thing is though, even though the pace seemed slow, so much time was taken up with what Kira was thinking, and how these thoughts led her to her next discovery, that even the slowest parts had to be read thoroughly to be understood, purely due to the detail of the story. Be warned though; at 576 pages this is not a quick read!

It’s difficult to say much about the plot of this book without revealing too much or giving away spoilers, but I have to say that it wasn’t what I was expecting, and the plot twists were tremendous. I have no doubt that the author is building up to an explosive finale following the ending of this book (quite a bit of a cliff-hanger I’m afraid), and I for one and quite happy to put in the time to find out what happens next! (I’m actually quite afraid to find out too though!)

Overall; a harrowing journey at times, a complex storyline, war, unexpected deaths, and a multitude of twist and turns. If you like dystopian stories and aren’t scared by the size of this book – go for it!
8 out of 10.
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Apr 03, 2013 Katie rated it 4 of 5 stars

I have literally just finished reading Fragments and Wells WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ME? Just like in Partials, Fragments finished on a cliffhanger after several rather large and shocking secrets had been revealed, and after we needed to know what was going to occur being of these secrets. So Wells, being the kindly gentleman he is, ended the book.

Fragments continues where Partials left off. Kira is trying to find out more about existence, the fact she is Partial (I'm sorry but if you're reading th...more I have literally just finished reading Fragments and Wells WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ME? Just like in Partials, Fragments finished on a cliffhanger after several rather large and shocking secrets had been revealed, and after we needed to know what was going to occur being of these secrets. So Wells, being the kindly gentleman he is, ended the book.

Fragments continues where Partials left off. Kira is trying to find out more about existence, the fact she is Partial (I'm sorry but if you're reading this review you should have read Partials by now) but not like the other Partials that exist. She is also trying to save the world by saving both species; the humans who still haven't managed to cure RM and the Partials, who are fighting an twenty year expiration date built within their genes. I won't go into too much detail about the book but lets face it, you need to read it to find out. And trust me, read it you should. I will tell you that Samm and Heron both make a reappearance in this book to assist Kira in her quest to save both species, a quest that, quite typically, sees them taking a cross country trek across America to various ParaGen headquarters in search of all the secrets ParaGen and the trust hold. Of course this trek isn't easy which only holds to add to the suspense within the story.

As I have all ready said the ending is another cliffhanger, although the secrets are continuously unravelled, revealed and deepened throughout the story, the biggest I think, is about Nandita. We do find out more about the new model of Partials in the book, which includes our much beloved Kira, and just throws more obstacles in the path of the story. Wells definitely knows how to make you go out and buy the next book. I for one can't wait.

I don't know about you guys but I was a Kamm (is that what we're calling this?) shipper. For all those that don't know shipping is when you feel that two characters should be together, in this case Kira and Samm. Sorry Marcus but I felt the chemistry more with those two. If you are a Kamm shipper then you will not be disappointed in this book. I won't say much more - just go and buy the book! But Kira and Samm relationship definitely grows in a way that had been begging them to just kiss already for goodness sake! I really liked Wells portrayal of Kira and Samm's relationship. It wasn't rushed and instant like in most books, it was slow growing and building which is more realistic.

Another thing I really like about the Partial series, which was more explicit in Fragments, was Wells exploration of the theme of human destruction. It's definitely something he communicates in this book and although it's a theme apparent in most post-apocalyptic and dystopian books I think Wells went to extra lengths to really make the reader consider this. The book seems to show more and more than the humans, and not the partials, are to blame for the destruction of the modern world through their greed and selfishness and lack of humanity. Personally I think Wells has done this really well and it makes you really think about the Partials, and their role in this, creating even more empathy for these machines, who first appear as monsters.

I really enjoyed this book - not as much as Partials, but it was still very good. It was a little slow to begin with but I stuck at it and it soon picked up. I literally can not wait to find out what happens in the third book. Will the humans be able to cure the RM without cruelty to Partials? Will the Partials be able to stop their expiration date ? Whats going to happen to Kira and the rest of the girls not their secrets have been revealed? Is this going to result in the destruction of both intelligent species? I need to know NOW Wells.
Over all a 4.5/5 I think!
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Mar 28, 2013 Heather rated it 4 of 5 stars

Oh my goodness, the first half of this book was so slow! I wonder if that is how Partials began. I read Fragments, but I listened to Partials as an audiobook and I loved it, but I have had friends say that Partials was kinda boring. I guess I don't seem to notice slow parts as much when I'm listening to a story rather than reading it.
Anyway, even though the first half was tough to get through I stuck with it and I'm glad I did. Dan Wells' writing is tight. And what I mean by "tight" is that he...more

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Mar 28, 2013 Ana Cat rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: r2r, reading-challenge-2013

A lot happened on the first book, but there are still unanswered questions. The second book is all bout these. Kira's journey to find out who she really is and if she would able to make a way to save the world again.

I thought everything would be ok after Kira found out the cure in the first book. But Kira only found how to cure the RM (which I still don't know what means) but no means how to get it. It's weird really, that after finding the cure, Kira seems to forget everything about it and the...more A lot happened on the first book, but there are still unanswered questions. The second book is all bout these. Kira's journey to find out who she really is and if she would able to make a way to save the world again.

I thought everything would be ok after Kira found out the cure in the first book. But Kira only found how to cure the RM (which I still don't know what means) but no means how to get it. It's weird really, that after finding the cure, Kira seems to forget everything about it and the town forgot everything about her and letting her leave alone without questions asked.

But now, Kira has different goals for leaving, and also, she's going to do it all alone. She needs to find out how she became a partial, whats Nandita's connection in all of these, and find a way to stop the expiration date of the partials. It just seem like Kira wanted to save everyone. She's a typical hero who wants to save everyone without sacrificing anyone. Hers was an ideal way, there's a problem and she'll find a way that's best for everyone, and she won't stop to get it.

Her journey was long, it came to a point that it got boring because it seems she's going nowhere. It was an endless travel, searching blindly for answers. I know, I'm starting to sound Heron, but who could blame her? Everyone is dying and they're going to something they're not sure of. But what I admired was Kira's faith that she'll find a way.

Though there's a lot of going on, I can't help but think of the love triangle that's happening between Marcus, Kira and Samm. I know the story was not that focused in this issue, but I hoped it did. It could keep the story interesting, especially when all I could read is the endless travel Kira is doing.

The story is quite "technical" with all the medical terms, paragen terms and partial and human. But I honestly had fun reading it. Though there are times that I have no idea what they're talking about, I could easily get the point where the story is going as I continue to read. The story was scattered all over Kira, Marcus, Sato and Ariel was even added to the list. It feels to big for a simple story, but it keeps me expecting how good it would end. If the series will end the same way as it ended on book 1,I don;t care how many rivers or acid rains I would read. :p(less)

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Mar 23, 2013 Holly rated it 5 of 5 stars

Despite how awkward the girl's arm looks on the cover--have you noticed? It looks emaciated, especially at armpit level, like someone had a little too much fun with Photoshop--I loved this book, more than its predecessor. I'm always partial to lots of things happening and lots of information being discovered, though, and this had lots of that, while still leaving and creating lots of questions. Basically my reaction is: I need the next book now. Period. I need to know what happens! It left off w...more

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Mar 21, 2013 Penny Naimsworth rated it 5 of 5 stars

I'll break up this review into basically 3 parts: before reading, while reading, and last impressions.

First: Before Reading

I'll admit it. I really didn't care if I actually got to read this book or not. I got this at the library on a wait list that I honestly didn't care how long it was.

The thing about Partials was that it was too obvious. It was obvious that Kira was going to find the cure, it was obvious that she would save Madison's baby, and it was obvious that somebody had to die to add so...more

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Mar 20, 2013 Step Into Fiction rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: jessica

I really enjoyed Partials, the first book but I absolutely loved Fragments. Again, it started off awfully slow for the first two hundred pages or so. Not a bad slow but just not anything where I could zip through it. The last two hundred pages, I couldn't put the book down so I didn't. . .until I was finished.

One thing I loved about this book, that was so different from Partials, was it wasn't just told from Kira's point of view. Actually, I thought it was only told from three points of views bu...more

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Mar 15, 2013 Big Book Little Book rated it 4 of 5 stars

Alison for www.bigbooklittlebook.com
Copy received from netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Please note, this book is second in the series, if you haven’t read the first there may be spoilers.

Picking up a couple of weeks after the events of ‘Partials’ ‘Fragments’ is a very strong second book in a series. It holds a hint of nostalgia for me as ‘Partials’ was the first book I was given to review by the Big Book Little Book team, as soon as the galley for ‘Fragments’ appeared I was very eager...more Alison for www.bigbooklittlebook.com
Copy received from netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Please note, this book is second in the series, if you haven’t read the first there may be spoilers.

Picking up a couple of weeks after the events of ‘Partials’ ‘Fragments’ is a very strong second book in a series. It holds a hint of nostalgia for me as ‘Partials’ was the first book I was given to review by the Big Book Little Book team, as soon as the galley for ‘Fragments’ appeared I was very eager to get my hands on it, the book didn’t disappoint.

Partials was very heavy on the sci fi, Fragments has moved away a bit from this. It’s still an incredibly strong theme in the book, it always going to be when you are writing about biologically engineered robots, but much of the science has already been established so I suppose it doesn’t need explaining in quite the same way. There is also a move away from the dystopian topics of control, this book looks at individuals and their relationships to a much greater extent. It’s almost as Dan Wells felt as though he needed a book to establish his world and then he could concentrate on his characters. That’s not to say that the characters aren’t well drawn or one dimensional in Partials, but in Fragments we did see a greater depth to them and some relationships were explored in more detail. This was fantastic, as for me it’s the characters that really make a book. Fragments also had more of a sense of adventure to it with some incredible action packed scenes. This isn’t just a book for the girls, even with a female central character this is a book that I should be able to sell to the boys too.

There is still the crucial element of Romance and the hints of that ever present YA device, the love triangle, but this doesn’t take over the book. It’s there in the background, enough to satisfy those who like a little romance in their books but not enough to overwhelm the story. Just the way I like it.

Fragments has built such a believable future world that you can’t help but be drawn into the story. It isn’t a short book, but despite the length and fairly complicated storyline it is a fairly easy read. The writing draws you in and you really start to care about the characters. I found that I needed to know more and had to carry on reading.

The book also raises some interesting arguments over morality. The entire premise of the series, the creation of bioengineered robots, who think for themselves, being made for military purposes is always going to raise some interesting questions into the ethic of such a thing. What I have found incredibly interesting in both books is that Wells has decided to set the book after a virus has wiped out most of the human species, rather than the event itself. This means that both sides have had chance to evaluate their actions and how different camps have come to different conclusions is very interesting. The preconceptions of each side towards the other could be applied to so many issues that affect the human race, it becomes an interesting study of what it means to be human, even though one side technically isn’t. This really comes to the fore in Kira’s internal struggle, raised as human until she finds out that she is actually a partial as a teen, she feels that she doesn’t fit in either world. Human’s would see the robot whose kind almost destroy the human race, where as the partials just see someone is thinks like a human. I’m really looking forward to seeing how all of this can be resolved in the next book.

Verdict: A well built world, fantastic characters and some interesting moral issues, what more could you ask for?
(less)

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Mar 06, 2013 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Partials series bitch slaps all of those insta-love dystopian YA novels.

How fantastic to read a book that deals with a female protagonist who is not consumed with being with a guy in order to complete her life and/or make her dystopian world come back to order. Kira Walker is trying to save the world-- she's not sulking about some dude. And that is freaking awesome. There is some romance, but is way, way on the back burner.

Major props for the world building- convincing science. Not since T...more

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Mar 03, 2013 Penny rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: post-apocalyptic, sci-fi, we-are-all-going-to-die, ya-fiction, penny-s-favorite-books, grrrl-power, apocalyptic, adventure

I am so glad I gave this series a second look! This series is actually a lot smarter than I remember it being. Although, yeah, it's this book, Fragments, that really brings something new to the Oh-noes-we-can't-make-babiez-cuz-there-is-a-cray-cray-disease-and-now-civilization-rests-on-the-shoulders-of-a-group-of-scrappy-teenagers-with-a-can-do-attitude table.

There are a lot of dystopian books about the subject of forced procreation, and I could never force myself to read any of them. But the pr...more I am so glad I gave this series a second look! This series is actually a lot smarter than I remember it being. Although, yeah, it's this book, Fragments, that really brings something new to the Oh-noes-we-can't-make-babiez-cuz-there-is-a-cray-cray-disease-and-now-civilization-rests-on-the-shoulders-of-a-group-of-scrappy-teenagers-with-a-can-do-attitude table.

There are a lot of dystopian books about the subject of forced procreation, and I could never force myself to read any of them. But the premise of Partials, book #1, is just different enough, smart enough, that it caught my attention. I remember that while it wasn't my favorite, not even close, I did seem to like it well enough that I planned on reading the next book in the series.

Fast-forward to this past week: I was in the middle of forcing myself to finish reading Fused (Pure, book #2), thinking that YA dystopia/post-apacalyptic books are probably the soul-sucking worst. I needed something else to read so I switched to reading...another post-apocalyptic book: Fragments. Don't get me wrong, I was mentally kicking myself, thinking Dan Wells probably was going to take the few truly likable and original aspects in the first book and ruin them, because that's what writers of this genre tend to do.

All that said, I have to admit Dan Wells proved me wrong.

Not only did he keep all the good bits from the first book but he somehow improved them.

The characters? I liked them so much more this time around. The premise? So much more believable and interesting. And I absolutely love how Wells poses some very interesting, not necessarily easy to answer questions. I love when authors challenge their readers to think in-depth about important subjects.

And sure, I've got a few issues with Fragments, like the story is suddenly being told by multiple points of view instead of just the one, as it is in the first book. Though, admittedly, all of my gripes are so minor that I really cannot remember any of them now, except for the POV thing and the overuse of the word 'kudzu'.

Overall Fragments is a very satisfying read. Highly recommend. 4-stars. (less)

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Mar 02, 2013 Ranting Dragon rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: janea

http://www.rantingdragon.com/review-o...

The Hunger Games is still huge, two years after the trilogy reached completion. So it’s no surprise that dystopian fiction is all the rage in the young adult market, with a number of strong contenders for readers’ interests. Dan Well’s Partials series is one such, of which Fragments is the second installment.

In the late twenty-first century, the world is nigh unrecognizable. A war with genetically engineered soldiers, termed “Partials,” devastated the huma...more http://www.rantingdragon.com/review-o...

The Hunger Games is still huge, two years after the trilogy reached completion. So it’s no surprise that dystopian fiction is all the rage in the young adult market, with a number of strong contenders for readers’ interests. Dan Well’s Partials series is one such, of which Fragments is the second installment.

In the late twenty-first century, the world is nigh unrecognizable. A war with genetically engineered soldiers, termed “Partials,” devastated the human race at the same time a virulent new plague, RM, ravaged the population. 35,000 humans now live on Long Island; as far as they know, they are the only humans left on Earth. To make matters worse, the survivors are all still carrying the deadly virus, which has killed every single infant born for over a decade. Kira Walker was only five when the old world fell apart, and she’s dedicated her training since to finding a cure for RM. The answer lies with the Partials, who are now facing their own extinction due to a built-in expiration date. It’s up to Kira to figure out how these two problems fit together and, at the same time, answer a growing list of questions about her own origins.

The stakes are high
In Partials, it was clear from the beginning that humanity was in dire straights. However, the stand-off with the Partials on the mainland of North America is concluded, the Partial Dr. Morgan tearing apart Long Island in search of Kira, hoping that Kira’s genetic oddities may solve the Partials from extinction. This has exacerbated the problems of human and Partials not being able to live without each other, but not being able to live with each either. However, Kira isn’t on Long Island, having left on a quest for answers in the ruins of the world that was. Instead, it is her old friend Marcus whose point of view is used to show the conflict on Long Island as it heats up.

To me, what’s happening on Long Island is almost incidental. The real meat of the book is Kira’s journey, first to Manhattan and then cross-country to Denver. Joining her are Samm and Heron, as well as a new companion, Afa. Where Partials was a bit more dystopian than post-apocalyptic, Fragments is the opposite. Kira is outside of her society now, and traveling through a world ravaged by the sudden disappearance of humans. Wells does a fantastic job of painting what the world would look like when Mother Nature starts to take the world back from human interference, and just how detrimental some of our activities are. Overall, this is a book about consequences, and how there may not be any good choices to make.

A marked improvement
While fellow reviewer Aaron loved Partials, I found it pandering and annoying. I will grant that a large part of my issue with Partials was that I did not agree with many of the pre-industrial elements of the society on Long Island. When I was constantly being thrown out of the book by how fast horse drawn wagons were zipping around the island, it was really hard to enjoy the story. Fragments breaks away from these annoyances for the most part, if only because most of the travel is not being described in distance over exact measurements of time. Marcus spends the book desperately trying to apply bandages in a war zone, and Kira is on a long distance trek where how far she travels in a day just isn’t that interesting or important. I also found Fragments to be paced better than its predecessor. The cast is smaller, and the relationships are more sharply defined. When, at the end of the book, Kira looks back on the decisions she made at the beginning of the book with regret, it’s because she’s matured and not because she’s had sudden insight into the fact that she may not be strictly human.

Why should you read this book?
Fragments lives up to the promise that Partials made but didn’t quite fulfill. It’s a tightly written adventure with lots of grey areas and very few black-and-whites. For fans of The Hunger Games or dystopian and post-apocalyptic literature in general, this is a fantastic choice for your next read. There’s lots of lovely twists and turns to savor, and the ending left me on the edge of my seat, wanting the final book right now! However, this is a young adult book, so there is a bit of dumb teenager floating around as well as the ubiquitous love triangle.(less)

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Mar 10, 2013 Melissa Railey rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013, dystopian-challenge

It took me just a little while to get back in to this world and the series but, once I did, it was impossible to put the book down (and at 564 pages that's quite a long sitting). After hours of changing positions and turning trying to find something to prop this brick of a book on so that I could lessen the pain in my hands from holding it, I finally read that last page and instantly felt like I was missing something. I am so ready for the third book! I loved Kira and Samm in this book. I am so...more

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Feb 19, 2013 Annette rated it 5 of 5 stars

Whew! I felt like I was holding my breath through much of Fragments. I found the world and the characters just as captivating as in the first book, Partials.

Where do I begin? Kira -- she's trying to stay away from Dr. Morgan, and trying to find a cure for RM, as well as the expiration date for the partials. She wants to save everyone, and this will cause her many problems. She leaves New York and ends up on an epic quest across the desolate country with some unlikely companions.

Meanwhile, Dr. M...more Whew! I felt like I was holding my breath through much of Fragments. I found the world and the characters just as captivating as in the first book, Partials.

Where do I begin? Kira -- she's trying to stay away from Dr. Morgan, and trying to find a cure for RM, as well as the expiration date for the partials. She wants to save everyone, and this will cause her many problems. She leaves New York and ends up on an epic quest across the desolate country with some unlikely companions.

Meanwhile, Dr. Morgan is raising hell in New York trying to find Kira. Marcus is in New York trying to fight off the partials under Dr. Morgan's control. All the characters from Partials make an appearance: Haru, Isolde, Nandita, Ariel, and Xochi. And there's a beloved new character, Afa, whose quirks seemed really authentic to me, given the current status of this world.

So many secrets are uncovered about the partials, ParaGen, and the government that it's almost hard to keep track. The hardships that Kira and her crew face are unbelievably harrowing. I just cannot imagine suffering through what they did.

Just a note for you romance freaks -- you will be disappointed with that aspect -- not much happens. But a little bit -- that will need to be sorted out in the next book.

I can't really say more about the plot -- because it's just that good and you need to experience it first hand. Fragments is again, a very long book just like Partials, but I couldn't believe how fast my left had was holding a thickening stack of pages. There's no shortage of pace. I did think we visited the "other groups" (besides Kira's) a little too seldom. Kira's story was at the forefront, and when I was pulled from that point of view, I sometimes felt it took a while to remember what was going on in the new POV.

The ending of Fragments is unpleasant because I'm sure Mr. Wells isn't nearly ready to give us the next installment. And, ughhh, NOW what's going to happen. It doesn't seem like anything good, but I hope I'm wrong. Surely I'm wrong!!!

For fans of Partials, of course Fragments is a must read! And, for fans of apocalyptic/sci fi stories -- you need to get started on Partials so you can read Fragments. On your mark, get set....GO!(less)

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Mar 31, 2013 Marie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

Kira ist allein in Manhatten unterwegs, um die Paragene-Gruppierung 'Trust' zu finden. Sie verspricht sich davon die Antworten auf alle Fragen:
- was sie ist und warum sie 'konstruiert' wurde
- wie man das RM-Virus heilen kann, bzw. wie man die Medizin dafür reproduzieren kann und warum die 'Partials' das Heilmittel ausstossen.
- wie man das Verfallsdatum der 'Partials' ändern kann.
Währendessen versucht Marcus das Protein zu rekonstruieren, dass RM heilt. Aber dazu würde man neue Proben benötigen....more Kira ist allein in Manhatten unterwegs, um die Paragene-Gruppierung 'Trust' zu finden. Sie verspricht sich davon die Antworten auf alle Fragen:
- was sie ist und warum sie 'konstruiert' wurde
- wie man das RM-Virus heilen kann, bzw. wie man die Medizin dafür reproduzieren kann und warum die 'Partials' das Heilmittel ausstossen.
- wie man das Verfallsdatum der 'Partials' ändern kann.
Währendessen versucht Marcus das Protein zu rekonstruieren, dass RM heilt. Aber dazu würde man neue Proben benötigen. Der Senat entschließt eine Gruppe ans Festland zu schicken, um mit einer der zerstrittenen Partial-Gruppen zu verhandeln.
Gleichzeitig wird East Meadow/Long Island von einer weiteren Partialsgruppe eingenommen.
Und dann trifft Kira auf einen alten IT-Manager von Paragene, der seit 12 Jahren die Daten zu den Hintergründen der Partials, der Epidemie und allem anderen sammelt. Aber die wirklich wichtigen daten befinden sich auf den Computern von Paragene in Chicago und Denver. Mit Samm und Heron machen Kira und Afa sich auf den Weg.

Die Geschichte wird abwechselnd aus der Sicht von Kira, Marcus und Haru vorangetrieben. Jedes Mal, wenn es zu jemand anderen als Kira wechselte, war ich erst angenervt, aber es ging trotzdem spannend weiter. Das ganze Buch wird von Anfang bis Ende immer spannender. Man erfährt eine Menge an Hintergrundwissen zu Paragene und deren Beweggründe und wie es zu dem Virus kam. Allerdings ist man am Ende nicht wirklich weiter, was die drei anfänglichen Fragen betrifft.
Und daher bin ich ziemlich angenervt, weil es mindestens 1 Jahr dauert, bis der dritte Teil nun veröffentlicht wird.

Auch wenn ich normalerweise eine Vorliebe für Geschichten mit großen integrierten Liebesgeschichten habe, ist dieses Buch genial, obwohl Kira/Samm nur ein kleiner Plot im Ganzen sind.
Mir gefallen die ethisch/moralischen Gedankenspiele, die hier immer häufiger zu Tage treten. Was ist zum Wohle aller noch verretbar? Womit kann man leben? Wo ist die Grenze, ab der man in die Grauzonen abrutscht?

Ein wirklich genialer zweiter Teil!(less)

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Mar 06, 2013 Tia Jones rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: good-books

When I review YA books I try to come from the pov of a YA reader. For the most part if it's a fun and engaging read I'm not going to judge it too harshly because if you've spent all week in class with Ehtan Frome or Othello, you deserve some mind candy yo.

(A brief Othello aside: I'm not sure exactly what the obsession with Othello is but we studied it during my last two years in high school and in two of my classes in college. While I'm a big fan of Old Willie, I'm DONE with Othello. I can only...more

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About Dan Wells

Dan 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, with the second book coming early 2013) and John Cleaver series (I Am Not a Serial Killer, Mr. Monster, and I Don't Want To Kill You). He has been nominated for both the Hugo and the Campbell Award, and has won two Parsec Awards for his p...more

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I Am Not A Serial Killer (John Cleaver, #1)

I Don't Want to Kill You (John Cleaver, #3)

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Quotes from Fragments

“It's just one thing after another. Cars that won't run. Planes that will never fly again. Computer systems we can barely use, let alone re-create. It's like...time is flowing backward. We're caveman archeologists in the ruins of the future.” — 7 people liked it

“It's not enough, is it? Just to follow; just to have faith in someone bigger and smarter and better informed. That's how we're built, that's how every Partial is wired - to follow orders and trust in our leaders - but it's not enough. It never has been. We've followed our leaders, and sometimes they win and sometimes they lose; we do what they say and we play our part. But this is our decision. Our mission. And when we're done, it will be our victory, or our defeat. I don't want to fail, but if I do, I want to be able to look back and say, 'I did that. I failed. That was all me.” — 6 people liked it

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Fragments (Partials Sequence #2)

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