Review: Strong second book in a unique series
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 07 15, 2014
4.5 StarsFractured Innocence begins shortly after the ending of Freak of Nature with Kaitlyn raring to go for her first live adventure. She can’t wait to be off of the compound and she is looking forward to using her enhancements to help people.Fractured Innocence is a departure from Book 1, which focused more on Kaitlyn, her transformation, and her acceptance of who she is now. The end of Freak of Nature hints at what’s to come, so the book follows naturally. The departure is more in tone and subject matter. That’s okay though as the focus of the plot shifted to something much darker.This something darker is the sex slave trade. Crane captures this issue with such a stunning harshness in such a way that is does not gloss over the heinous truths while at the same time does not come across as a public service announcement.In the third chapter of Fractured Innocence, we meet Aaliyah. Her appearance is sudden, so sudden that at first I thought there was a problem with the Kindle file, but then I remembered that Aaliyah was the name of the new character readers would be introduced to in the book. It threw me off only momentarily, as I was quickly captivated by the 17-year-old’s plight as she and her brother are kidnapped, and she finds herself held captive by Kaitlyn and Erik’s main target, Dasvoik…only she doesn’t know that anyone is out there trying to stop this madman. Aaliyah was such a well-written character and watching her personality transform time and again throughout the book as a result of what happens to her. Out of the other new characters, Ace might just be my favorite. You don’t meet him until later in the book, but I really enjoyed his interactions with Kaitlyn from beginning to end. I think Crane did a great job showing his reactions to and emotions towards Kaitlyn.I continued to like the carried over characters from Freak of Nature, although most we see a lot less in this book. Gone is much of the romantic tension and buildup between Kaitlyn and Lucas, we barely even see Lucas in much of Fractured Innocence. He’s present, but in a much more minor of a role and during Kaitlyn’s mission he sits behind a computer to monitor the action.Crane holds back nothing in this moving story about exactly what the title suggests, fractured innocence. We see despair, anger, and sadness but also strength, love, and hope. I look forward to continuing this series, and cannot wait to see what role Aaliyah will play in the next book.