Review: Fracture by Megan Miranda

Fracture by Megan Miranda

Pages: 272

Expected publication: January 17th, 2012 (Walker & Company)

Series or stand-alone: Stand-alone

Further info: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Find the author online: Website | Twitter

Rating: Squee-worthy

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?

For fans of best-sellers like Before I Fall and If I Stay, this is a fascinating and heart-rending story about love and friendship and the fine line between life and death.

 My Review

Debut author Megan Miranda's poignant and thrilling novel, Fracture, opens with protagonist Delaney Maxwell slipping through the ice in a local pond.  Delaney opens her eyes six days later, discovering she has been in a coma, and that she was clinically dead.  Down-to-earth, genuine Delaney takes all this information in stride, and Fracture sets a satisfying pace throughout the rest of the book.  We're introduced to Delaney, her best friend, Decker Phillips, and a strong cast of secondary characters - Delaney's parents, and friends, including twins Carson and Janna.  The characters never felt forced or stereotypical; for the most part, they all had a certain something that set them apart from the mold, and distinguished them.  

Throughout this young adult contemporary, running alongside the uneasy overtone to the novel, as Delaney recovers from her death and resurrection, that sense of genuineness remains.   These were characters that I could understand, characters that I could relate to.  Delaney is a strong voice, a reliable narrator even amidst all the turmoil in her life.  She's someone you've passed on the street, and I applaud Megan Miranda for crafting such a sympathetic and wonderful heroine. 

Fracture asks some hard questions though.  Delaney has a strange connection to death, which is explored at several different points.  Faced with confronting what she doesn't understand - from her survival, to her ability/curse of being drawn to death, Delaney has to wonder: is she meant to be a help, or a hindrance?  Does she have a gift, or is it truly a curse?  Megan Miranda deftly weaves these questions into the patterns of Fracture, leaving even the reader asking what it all means.  

I wasn't sure at first if Fracture was the sort of book  I would enjoy; after all, it was quite heavy and intense at times, but to me, the pacing was always spot-on and there were some amazing moments that added incredible depth of another kind to the novel.  Delaney's relationship with her neighbor and best friend, Decker, provided most of those moments.  Decker is probably one of the coolest and hug-worthy male characters I've come across in awhile.  Simply seeing his grief over Delaney and his relief upon her waking up endeared him to me, which he continued to do over the course of Fracture.  I absolutely adored his friendship with Delaney, and their vibe.  There were several points where I wanted to shake them both, opportunities they each did their best to destroy.  They were both so stubborn in that aspect, yet I loved them so, and was pleased with the direction Megan Miranda took them in.  

I did have a few issues with the book; mainly, that of Delaney's parents.  Her father was a really great guy, and very well-meaning, but he seemed so distracted at times, and unwilling to really take a stand in the family.  And I didn't like her mother's actions at a couple of points in the book - especially the way she pretty much gave up on Delaney.  I understand she was frustrated - they all were -  but that's never justified.  However, both characters were interestingly flawed.  And the storyline with Troy was both fascinating and creepy.  I would have enjoyed seeing it play out over more time, but for what it was, I was satisfied, yet saddened by his arc in the book.  

Overall I think Fracture is a strong debut.  Megan Miranda clearly knows how to tell a solid story that pulled me in, to the point that  I didn't want to put the book down, for fear of not getting a chance to come back to it.  I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a good YA contemporary.  It's an emotional thrill ride you won't soon forget! 

Disclaimer

In accordance with FTC guidelines, I received this book from the publisher via Debut Author ARC Tours in exchange for an honest review.  No money or compensation of any sort exchanged hands.   I review books with no intention of monetary gain; rather, I review books out of my love of reading.