Slated was one of my favourite books last year and high up there as one of my favourite sci fi stories of all time. Granted I haven’t consumed many. But I was thrilled to get into the sequel now that questions have been answered. And more rose throughout.
Kyla now knows about the other half of her, the one that wasn’t erased by the government. And she has found an old mentor who has been hinting about it all this time and ushering her to join the freedom-fighting FreeUK. When Kyla finally has the faith to seek him out she must decide whether his instructions are faithful or not as more flashbacks contradict his words. Does she want to live in ignorance with the happy, normal life she was reprogrammed to have? Or has she the guts and the power to take down the government, whatever it takes?
I wished there was more worldbuilding exploration like in the last book. While it was subversive to stay in the same town, the locations didn’t feel fresh or further explored. This was very much a character and interpersonal centred exploration hinging around FreeUK and their goals. It doesn’t make me too mad, but it made me disappointed. With how much the world hooked me last time it failed to do so this time around. Luckily there were other things to keep it going strong.
Kyla’s character weakened ever so slightly but her arc strengthened. I’m guessing the weakness being how she flipped and flopped between decisions was understandable considering she had two personalities present in her for most of this book, but her struggle with that and with which side to play to was exemplary. It really makes her an everywoman. The struggles she faced felt very real and relatable this whole time, along with her reactions and the things she got put through.
Another character worth noting was Nico. The more you read about him, the more engaging his character gets and you really experience certain emotions about him. I won’t say what specifically due to spoilers, but him and Kyla are arguably the strongest out of a weak bunch of characters. Their interactions run the whole show and it was always entertaining when they were in scenes together.
The plot was very tense and kept me on the edge of my seat a lot. Being character driven, it always came down to how someone would react and what someone was planning, and to see that through the sometimes naive and sometimes keen perceptions that Kyla held as the first person narrator was tense. Getting in her brain during those moments were fantastic.
But with the events that came out of the end of this book, I’m keen to see how all this changes when Kyla becomes her own person in the final installment. Stay tuned for that review later this year.
Fractured gets a score of 4/5. Unlike Kyla, I’m not split on this one.
Yours in writing
Amy