Fractured by Sarah Fine Series: Guards of the Shadowlands #2
Published by Skyscape (10.29.2013)
Genres: Science Fiction, Urban Fantasy, Young Adult
Format: Hardcover, 437 pages
Source: I own it
In the week since Lela returned to Rhode Island as Captain of the Guard with Malachi as her second in command, local news has been dominated by chilling sightings of human-like creatures running on all fours. Lela knows there’s only one explanation: the Mazikin have arrived in the land of the living.
Needing to maintain the appearance of a normal life for her foster mother, her probation officer, and her classmates, Lela returns to Warwick High along with Malachi. At night they secretly hunt for the Mazikin nest. To assist, two new Guards from very different parts of the Shadowlands are assigned to Lela’s unit, including the bad boy Jim, who repeatedly challenges Lela's authority. Lela struggles to keep all her Guards on the right side of the law, but their mistakes come at a terrible cost.
As one painful revelation follows another and the Mazikin start targeting those closest to her, Lela finds herself more vulnerable than she’s ever been, wanting a future more than she ever has. With an enemy determined to separate soul from body, one question remains: how much is she willing to sacrifice to protect those she loves?
My thoughts
This one wasn’t quite as awesome as the first book, but I still enjoyed it! The premise is very interesting, and the Mazikin were totally creepy! I am sad that it took place in the real world instead of in hell, like the last book. I think that’s what made it a bit less interesting, honestly. In the first book, the world was painted so vividly, and it was such a gritty and interesting setting that I couldn’t help but love it. That was missing in this book. I do have to say, though, that Sarah Fine’s prose has vastly improved since the last book! That was one of my only complaints about Sanctum: That the prose was a bit sophomoric. It wasn’t at all in this one!
The breakup kind of killed me. It made me feel sick, like I was in Lela’s shoes. I actually felt jealous for her. I wanted to punch Laney, and Malachi both!! Malachi is a freaking idiot in this book. I actually kinda wanted her to give Ian a shot.
I really enjoyed the relationship development between Lela and Tegan. They strongly dislike each other, but once they got to know each other they both realized the other wasn’t as bad as they thought. And they became friends. I loved the cathartic quality there! Tegan grew on me, too. I have to admit that I quite like her!
I hate comparing books, but this book felt exactly like Through the Zombie Glass by Gena Showalter. (Which is interesting, because they were released about a month apart!) The breakup was very similar – the stupid “I’m doing this because I need to keep my head in the game” excuse, and also fighting paranormal creatures, and I’m pretty sure there was even a dance in TtZG too (although I may be wrong…it’s been a while since I read it). It was crazy similar, and it had the same feel to it, too. Not in a bad way – not like one book was a rip-off of the other or anything. I loved TtZG, so it’s not a bad thing at all! (And the ending was certainly WAY different…) But the realistic feeling of the breakup made me just as ill in both books. It was hard to swallow.
Um, that ending?! I never saw that coming! View Spoiler » Talk about a cliffhanger! I need to hurry up and read the third book asap!
Favorite quotes
“From the moment I met you, nothing has been the same. You were a burst of color and fire after decades of gray.”
“This beats for you. It has for some time. And it always will. No matter what happens now, no matter how you feel, that’s how it is for me.”
“Because you look like exactly what you are. Wild and fierce and strong. Unstoppable and unbreakable. Beautiful and dangerous.”
Overall Assessment
Plot: 3.5/5
Premise: 4/5
Writing style: 4/5
Originality: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
Pace: 4.5/5
Feels: 4/5
Overall rating: 4/5
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