ARC Review--Fractures by Alice Reeds

They survived a plane crash.
They survived life on a deserted island.
They survived being hunted.
Now they must survive the truth—they are not who they think they are.

One minute they’re in Poland, subjected to gruesome tests they keep failing. No friends to support them. No family to claim them. No hope of ever living a normal life again.

Then suddenly, they’re trapped on an abandoned freighter in the middle of the ocean and forced to fight for survival. No food. No drinkable water. No way to get home. And strange memories of another life they don’t understand.

But how can they be living two separate lives, trapped in two separate places, at the same time? They’ll have to find the connection and uncover secrets that someone went to great lengths to keep hidden...if they’re going to survive long enough to find out who is behind it all.

I received this ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest and voluntary review. I was in no way compensated for this review.

If you were around my blog in the summer of 2018, then you know I became positively OBSESSED with Alice Reeds’ Echoes! It was a bizarre read with a truly spine-gripping puzzle and mystery to it that I devoured that book and waited endlessly for news of a sequel and finally the day came when Fractures was announced and I pounced on the chance to read it early!

Fiona and Miles thought they escaped the island, thought they escaped a maniacal enemy with plans to control them with chips all for the “greater good.” But they soon learn, as we did at that very last page, that all was not well. The saviors they thought that were on their side, turned out to be something else entirely. Instead of returning home, they are sent to Poland where they are kept in a strange house. Told they were now Kellie and Oliver. Everyone looks at them differently, almost expectantly, but Fiona and Miles are just as clueless as we are.

This time around, Miles is our storyteller, which I found to be very apt since Fiona told the first story. I think I still might have enjoyed it a bit more if the books could’ve alternated with their points of view, but seriously, I’m not complaining over that factoid. Much like the first book, we have what feels like two storylines going on. One in which Fiona and Miles are stuck on a freighter in the middle of nowhere in the ocean with no possible means of escape, and the other is seeing them stuck in the Villa where they are prisoners surrounded by strangers and other teens.

Miles’ mysterious older brother continues to make an appearance in this one and even seems to be a part of the weirdness going on. Fiona and Miles basically only have themselves to trust because it’s clear they won’t find help inside the house.

I love that this book continued to baffle me with all its mysteries and weirdness! There’s something about a book where the storyline is meant to make it hard to discover what is and isn’t real. This book will definitely keep you guessing, just as its predecessor did. It was truly a mind-boggling experience, and yet I loved every minute of it!

The mystery element continued to run very strong throughout this one! It was just impeccable! Even if you read these books back to back, I would wager that you’d still have a difficult time keeping everything together.

The ending was just remarkable as well! I admit, I would’ve liked to known how far and deep things would’ve gone if it ended at a later point, but I was quite happy with how things wound up. I was still a little unclear as to the timeline of the differing chapters we had going, the Villa versus the freighter.  But I think the whole not knowing part was its strongest part!

The relationship between Fiona and Miles still ran rather strong too. They aren’t at that happy couple stage, because obviously the crazy is still happening all around them. Though they remain stronger together, they will still hit a few obstacles that could threaten their fragile state.

All in all, Fractures was an amazing conclusion to the duology! It was just as intense and mysterious as its predecessor and had me turning the pages at breakneck speed! It was a read that I never wanted to put down or let it end! It held me riveted from the beginning until it’s heart-stopping ending. Needless to say that this read was just perfect for me! If you’re looking for an intense and thrilling mystery series, I would immediately pick up Alice Reeds’ Echoes duology because it’s not a read you’ll want to miss!

Overall Rating 5/5 stars

Fractures releases June 2, 2020