Fractured

Oh, where do I even begin?

Ah yes! Amber Lynn Natusch is an evil bitch. Plain and simple.

Now, before all of you out there in the Caged fandom come at me, let me also state that I told her this to her FACE. Ok, that’s a lie. But I did tell her in an instant message with tears streaming down my cheeks.

Scarred was a painful book to read. There is an event at the end of that book that will rip your heart out, stomp on it with football cleats and doesn’t even have the decency to put it back for you. It is PAINFUL. I think part of me even held a little resentment toward ALN for making me go through that awful experience with characters I love.

Ugh!! And then what happens AFTER the horrible event!!! That’s just as bad.

Well, once Scarred was behind me, I thought I was past the pain and could move on with my life…err, the story! Move on with the STORY. *shifty eyes*

Not. So. Much.

Yeah, remember that heart left stomped on the pavement??? ALN is back and in Fractured, she pulls it BACK OUT and pours salt on your wounds.

The horrible event I speak of gets brought back up in a very RAW way. The story line proceeds from when Ruby returns and everything is going along, smooth like butta’! Then BAM!!! Sadface.

You know what happens after people die?? That’s right. You have a funeral to attend.

Oh my GAWD I cried like a big bitch! And I was too heartbroken to be ashamed. And that resulted in an instant message to the author stating “you’re an evil bitch”. Except at the time, I was upset and I didn’t use the word ‘evil’. Instead, it was an F-bomb. And she laughed and laughed.

Fractured is all about consequences and Ruby has a boatload to face when she gets back. Although, I found myself reminding the characters (out loud, mind you!) that it was SCARLET in the driver’s seat when the event in Scarred went down. I am happy to report that it becomes clear pretty quick that they understand that but it also shows how hard it can sometimes be to remember that although Scarlet and Ruby share a body, they are two very difference personalities. They may inhabit the same building but they are definitely two different souls. To the people on the outside (or in the warpath, as the case may be), it’s just one face so they have to remember to keep that distinction fresh in their mind.

Let’s take a look at the characters.

RUBY
Oh Ruby, you poor, poor thing. I just want to give her a hug. And sometimes, I want to give her a pat on the head….with a hammer. The Ruby we are presented with in Fractured is a MUCH different girl than we met 4 books ago in Caged. She’s been through a lot so far and the shit storms just keep coming. My only wish is that she’d lose the naïve streak she has sometimes. By this point, I feel like she should have a thicker skin and a harder frame of mind. HOWEVER…. At the same time, we as readers need to remember that not a lot of time has passed in Ruby’s world since Caged first began and Ruby has barely had any time to breathe between each crisis she faces. I don’t know how she doesn’t have a rockin’ case of PTSD by now.

SEAN
Mmmmm, Sean. Sean has become one of my favorites and I have a little case of Stockholm Syndrome with him. He can act like a complete and total dick and in my head, I’m all “he just needs love. I can change him!” And then, yet again, I have to remind myself that he is a FICTIONAL CHARACTER. Sigh…. I feel like Sean’s mean streak cleans up a bit in Fractured. Now that there is a clear, defined relationship between him and Ruby, he still has a slightly infuriating Man of Mystery thing going on. He wouldn’t be a good urban fantasy alpha male type if he didn’t though.

COOPER
I started getting a little snippy with Coop over the last could of books because the dynamic between him and Ruby was so weird. It felt like a constant “will they or wont they” struggle. Fractured brought some real definition to what they mean to each other. I think it clears up any confusion and gets rid of the love triangle feel that the books were starting to have a touch of. He still doesn’t really like Sean but at least they now have something in common rather than competition – Ruby.

PEYTA
Ugh…. Peyta. Sigh. What the hell are we going to do with you? There’s a BIG secret revealed about Peyta in Fractured and to be honest, I didn’t really like it. The storyline is good but felt a little too real-worldy for the Caged series. I voiced this opinion to ALN via instant message while I was in the middle of reading the book and she assured me that the Peyta thing leads to a bigger conversation that needed to be had later on in the book. Fear not, reader! ALN was right. Although the Peyta secret doesn’t feel organic for the book at first, it DOES open up a can of worms later on in a great dialog session. In regards to the secret, I am not even going to hint at what it is. I am just going to say you’ll know it when you see it. There is no missing that shit!

Fractured also brings the arrival of some newcomers to the storyline and I really like them! They’re a good addition. A little sketchy, but good.

Oh!!! And I want to punch Gavin right in his suck hole. He’s a douche and he pisses me off. He may be there to “help” Rubes but I still want to make him feel pain. Every conversation they have causes me to go into a blind rage. He’s the king of dancing around answers and it just pisses me off to no end. I was seriously ready to blow a gasket over him by the end of Fractured.

I am giving Fractured 5 solid gold stars. After the events of Scarred, I didn’t see how this storyline could possibly get any better but I loved Fractured! While reading, someone asked me which was my favorite out of the series and I can honestly say that I can’t pick now. I love each one for much different reasons. Fractured was an awesome addition to the line up!