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lauraew333's review
4.0
Thank you to the author, Jo Schneider, and Olivia (who organizes the Review Chain) for gifting me with a copy of Fractured Memories in exchange for an honest review!
I really liked this book, contrary to what you might think as you see my star rating. It has lots of fighting and mystery and a dystopian feel which I love. There was just one big sticking point for me.
1. The plot. The plot is set up very nicely and alternates between intense fight scenes and funny exchanges between characters. I read this all in one sitting! There was also plenty of mystery embedded into the plot and it kept me interested to see what would happen. Wendy starts out in her home compound, struggling to survive. Skinnies attack and she survives because of her trainer, Pelton. She's discovered and taken to another compound and is accepted into the new community. The destruction of her home weighs on her, however, and she just can't seem to put it behind her. As you can see it, has the classic mentally injured but physically strong MC which completely worked with the plot.
2. The characters. As I mentioned above, the MC is that typical strong hero with a dark past. I loved being inside of Wendy's mind and seeing how she reacted to different events. She experiences new things in the new compound and her reactions are wonderful. I also loved her interactions with the other characters as she struggles to warm up to all these new people who may or may not have caused the destruction of her old home. The one thing I wish there was more of in this entire book is enemy contemplation and development. While Wendy is in the compound, I feel like there isn't much focus placed on her trying to figure out what happened and if the new people are responsible or not. It just comes up near the end, sort of by chance. I also wish there would have been more development on why the person who caused everything did it in the first place. It felt kind of like a cop-out and wasn't really convincing. It kept me from understanding the other side and their motivations which is essential.
3. The settings. I loved the concept of this book. The Skinnies are the 'enemies' of this world and they're regular people who ate contaminated food which makes them crave meat and nothing else. The imagery of the world is described brilliantly and I loved the macro-world in general. I do wish there was more conversation on what happened to cause the Starvation (the whole catalyst event) and, just in general, a little more backstory. The micro-worlds, on the other hand, were set on very well which, when there's a lot of fighting scenes, can be difficult to maintain. The author kept every room stable as the characters moved within it.
4. The writing. I like the author's writing style quite a bit. They make sure to keep it consistent and know when and how to speed up the pace when there's a need. The writing flowed wonderfully from one scene to the next and there weren't many, if any, awkward bumps in the road.
The Final Verdict:
Overall, a very well executed post apocalyptic novel with positively stellar fight scenes. There could have been much more development on the enemy side to build up the divide, however.
3.5 stars
I really liked this book, contrary to what you might think as you see my star rating. It has lots of fighting and mystery and a dystopian feel which I love. There was just one big sticking point for me.
1. The plot. The plot is set up very nicely and alternates between intense fight scenes and funny exchanges between characters. I read this all in one sitting! There was also plenty of mystery embedded into the plot and it kept me interested to see what would happen. Wendy starts out in her home compound, struggling to survive. Skinnies attack and she survives because of her trainer, Pelton. She's discovered and taken to another compound and is accepted into the new community. The destruction of her home weighs on her, however, and she just can't seem to put it behind her. As you can see it, has the classic mentally injured but physically strong MC which completely worked with the plot.
2. The characters. As I mentioned above, the MC is that typical strong hero with a dark past. I loved being inside of Wendy's mind and seeing how she reacted to different events. She experiences new things in the new compound and her reactions are wonderful. I also loved her interactions with the other characters as she struggles to warm up to all these new people who may or may not have caused the destruction of her old home. The one thing I wish there was more of in this entire book is enemy contemplation and development. While Wendy is in the compound, I feel like there isn't much focus placed on her trying to figure out what happened and if the new people are responsible or not. It just comes up near the end, sort of by chance. I also wish there would have been more development on why the person who caused everything did it in the first place. It felt kind of like a cop-out and wasn't really convincing. It kept me from understanding the other side and their motivations which is essential.
3. The settings. I loved the concept of this book. The Skinnies are the 'enemies' of this world and they're regular people who ate contaminated food which makes them crave meat and nothing else. The imagery of the world is described brilliantly and I loved the macro-world in general. I do wish there was more conversation on what happened to cause the Starvation (the whole catalyst event) and, just in general, a little more backstory. The micro-worlds, on the other hand, were set on very well which, when there's a lot of fighting scenes, can be difficult to maintain. The author kept every room stable as the characters moved within it.
4. The writing. I like the author's writing style quite a bit. They make sure to keep it consistent and know when and how to speed up the pace when there's a need. The writing flowed wonderfully from one scene to the next and there weren't many, if any, awkward bumps in the road.
The Final Verdict:
Overall, a very well executed post apocalyptic novel with positively stellar fight scenes. There could have been much more development on the enemy side to build up the divide, however.
3.5 stars
silver_valkyrie_reads's review
Not terrible, but the writing style was meh for me, and the main character irritated me. I think it was intentional character development that she didn’t trust people, but it also seemed both unreasonable and terribly plot convenient.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
lonewolf6693's review
Unfortunately I DNFed this book at 20% It did not interest me at all. I thought the set up for the book was too quick and I didn't particularly care for the main character or plot.
sagek's review
4.0
*I received a digital copy of the book from Xpresso Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.
Fractured Memories is an action packed, fast paced, dystopia. It's a world where a disease called 'starvation' (because once you eat 'bad food', you starve no matter what you eat) kills half the world's population and turns many into 'Skinnies' (they're basically zombies. They eat raw meat) until they too die. It's where said Skinnies attack Wendy's compound on the day of her 16th birthday and kill everyone she knows. At least, she thinks so. She can hardly remember the event after being rescued by people of another compound lead by a man named Mike. And from there begins Wendy's plan for revenge.
The Skinnies were downright creepy. At one point, they talk and it gets clearer that they're not in their minds. Who would be after suffering such a disease? But either way, they're much like a pack of rabid wolves, lurking in packs and attacking any food source they come across. Even if that food source stands on two legs and a had beating heart.
Which brings me to say that the action? Yeah, it was fantastic! Just from reading I've learned so much more about fighting. Mainly because the main character, Wendy, is best at fighting (since she's had to fight practically every day of her life by either training or protecting her compound when she was old enough) and so her observations and new techniques are something we really pay attention too. Mainly because we're rooting for her the entire time. We also get to see different styles of fighting though, during training and during the fights Wendy takes part in. She's skilled in thinking quickly and finding a way out of a bad situation. She can flip men thrive her size! She's strong but weak as well, breaking down at times and having all those flashes mess with her sanity. That's what makes it easier to connect with her and envoy the story.
Wendy is actually a really great character. She's practically overcome by the need for revenge when she realizes she's the only survivor. She wants whoever did this to her to pay and she ready has an idea of who did it. They won't be getting away this time. She has a fantastic hold over her emotions and control, and she can easily take five men down. How badass is that?! She's also really strong both mentally and physically. She's terrifying when angry though. Which helps her in the long run because no one sees her coming when she's angry. They hardly see her coming when she's in control.
I also really liked the other characters. Especially the group Wendy grew to call her friends. Cal, Kev, and Arie are probably the best group of friends for Wendy to be a part of. They're loyal, they care, and they even followed her in the end because they wanted to make sure she was all right. They're good for her and have helped her a lot. I'm definitely excited for the next book just to see them all together again!
Overall, I really enjoyed Fractured Memories and I definitely recommend this to you lovers of action, dystopia and post apocalyptic books.
Fractured Memories is an action packed, fast paced, dystopia. It's a world where a disease called 'starvation' (because once you eat 'bad food', you starve no matter what you eat) kills half the world's population and turns many into 'Skinnies' (they're basically zombies. They eat raw meat) until they too die. It's where said Skinnies attack Wendy's compound on the day of her 16th birthday and kill everyone she knows. At least, she thinks so. She can hardly remember the event after being rescued by people of another compound lead by a man named Mike. And from there begins Wendy's plan for revenge.
The Skinnies were downright creepy. At one point, they talk and it gets clearer that they're not in their minds. Who would be after suffering such a disease? But either way, they're much like a pack of rabid wolves, lurking in packs and attacking any food source they come across. Even if that food source stands on two legs and a had beating heart.
Which brings me to say that the action? Yeah, it was fantastic! Just from reading I've learned so much more about fighting. Mainly because the main character, Wendy, is best at fighting (since she's had to fight practically every day of her life by either training or protecting her compound when she was old enough) and so her observations and new techniques are something we really pay attention too. Mainly because we're rooting for her the entire time. We also get to see different styles of fighting though, during training and during the fights Wendy takes part in. She's skilled in thinking quickly and finding a way out of a bad situation. She can flip men thrive her size! She's strong but weak as well, breaking down at times and having all those flashes mess with her sanity. That's what makes it easier to connect with her and envoy the story.
Wendy is actually a really great character. She's practically overcome by the need for revenge when she realizes she's the only survivor. She wants whoever did this to her to pay and she ready has an idea of who did it. They won't be getting away this time. She has a fantastic hold over her emotions and control, and she can easily take five men down. How badass is that?! She's also really strong both mentally and physically. She's terrifying when angry though. Which helps her in the long run because no one sees her coming when she's angry. They hardly see her coming when she's in control.
I also really liked the other characters. Especially the group Wendy grew to call her friends. Cal, Kev, and Arie are probably the best group of friends for Wendy to be a part of. They're loyal, they care, and they even followed her in the end because they wanted to make sure she was all right. They're good for her and have helped her a lot. I'm definitely excited for the next book just to see them all together again!
Overall, I really enjoyed Fractured Memories and I definitely recommend this to you lovers of action, dystopia and post apocalyptic books.
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