Fractured by Teri Terry

review by Maryom

Kyla has been 'slated' - a punishment inflicted on the under-16s removing all their memories and supposedly giving them a fresh start. Kyla's problem though is that her memories haven't been quite erased; somehow they keep finding ways to leak through the block. When she recognises someone from her past she thinks he may be able to clear up some of the mysteries - but if anything he compounds them. Kyla finds herself pulled in different directions - should she go along with the suppressive Lorder regime to keep her family safe or commit herself fully to the freedom fighters who want to overthrow the regime? There aren't any easy answers.

Fractured is the continuation of Teri Terry's excellent teenage dystopian trilogy begun with Slated set in an oppressive not-too-distant future which I'd been waiting impatiently for since I finished the first book. As expected it is an engrossing unputdownable read - I picked it up one breakfast time and finished it the next! Whereas Slated was about discovering this unpleasant future England, Fractured is an uncovering of Kyla's past; following her attempts to recall who she was before slating and find out what makes her so special among the Slated in that she alone has memories from before. The reader sees things from Kyla's point of view and is caught up in her dilemma of how to act for the best; with a memory that's only reliable for the past couple of months, she doesn't know who to trust - or distrust - and I shared these doubts as I read.

Fractured is a compelling read whether taken at the surface level of non-stop thriller or the deeper, thought-provoking one, raising questions about punishment and opposing oppression with violence. The only downside is that it is necessary to have read Slated beforehand - and that, although brought to a nice rounding-off point, the story obviously hasn't reached its conclusion. I can't wait for Book 3!!

Maryom's review - 4.5 stars
Publisher - Orchard Books
Genre - Teenage Dystopian Thriller

 The story continues with book three - Shattered