Fracture by Megan Miranda
Eleven minutes passed before Delaney Maxwell was pulled from the icy waters of a Maine lake by her best friend Decker Phillips. By then her heart had stopped beating. Her brain had stopped working. She was dead. And yet she somehow defied medical precedent to come back seemingly fine -despite the scans that showed significant brain damage. Everyone wants Delaney to be all right, but she knows she's far from normal. Pulled by strange sensations she can't control or explain, Delaney finds herself drawn to the dying. Is her altered brain now predicting death, or causing it?
Then Delaney meets Troy Varga, who recently emerged from a coma with similar abilities. At first she's reassured to find someone who understands the strangeness of her new existence, but Delaney soon discovers that Troy's motives aren't quite what she thought. Is their gift a miracle, a freak of nature-or something much more frightening?
Review:
Fracture was a unique and captivating debut that will definitely appeal to a variety of readers. The first few chapters had me gripping the book and anxious to read on. I loved the premise of the book and how Megan Miranda was obviously knowledgeable on the subject of brain damage. Delaney was also a likable character. While I did like Fracture, it, unfortunately, did not live up to my expectations. I think I went in with such high hopes, that the few complications I had with the novel made me like it less than I would have if it hadn't been compared to some of my personal favorites like Before I Fall.
Delaney Maxwell should have died after spending eleven minutes under the ice. But she doesn't die. This was such a unique idea for a book and it drew me in right away. I just had to know what was going to happen to Delaney and why she was a medical miracle. Delaney herself doesn't entirely understand what's going on and she is a seemingly new person after waking up from her coma. I did care for Delaney and she was a strong and independent protagonist. Her determination to do what was right was clear from the start and I can't imagine dealing with what she was.
As I mentioned before, the first few chapters were fantastic and gave me such a good feeling about this book- I was certain I was going to love it! The more I read though, the weirder things got. I was confused about several plot points and the introduction of Troy was a little creepy. I knew something was off about him and the more involved Delaney got with him the more I wanted to shake her shoulders! I did like Decker though, and I enjoyed seeing how Delaney and Decker's histories intertwined. They had grown up together and he was a great friend, plus a hero for saving Delaney from the ice.
I had originally thought this was a purely contemporary novel, but there was a paranormal twist, something I wish was explained a little more. Fracture had a lot of intriguing sub-plots that kept me reading and wanting to know what was going to happen. This was a spooky and unique read that will definitely hook readers from the first page.
Although Fracture didn't entirely live up to my expectations, it was a solid debut, and I definitely recommend giving it a shot. While some parts disappointed me and I wish there was more explanation in other areas, I am glad I had the chance to read Fracture! I'm certain Megan Miranda will only grow as a writer and I can't wait to see what unique concept she comes up with for her next book!
Overall: 3.5 out of 5 stars
January 17, 2012/Walker & Company/272 Pages/Young Adult
Source: Publisher (ARC)
