Having not read any of the prior books in the series, I
struggled a bit to understand the relationships and events that led up to Fracturing
Time. Also, I imagine having been alongside the characters, living the
moments with them from the get-go, would make a reader feel more connected and invested,
and even repelled. Waters provides readers with a few good bring-to-dates and
insights along the way, which helps. But, I won't recommend it as a stand-alone
book. Instead, I recommend the series because you'll want to know all the delicious
details, start to finish.
“Stephanie McKay studied the threatening sky, bracing herself for Orlando’s daily summer ritual, those few hours when Mother Nature threw her tantrum.”
Waters’s own experiences living in Florida surely aided her
in creating such accurate and realistic situations for readers to experience (vicariously,
thank goodness). However, it’s clear the author has done copious amounts of
research into historical events, law enforcement procedures, medical conditions,
and of course, weather events. Sometimes
scenes went on a bit long and one seemed intentionally ghoulish to me, but they
definitely illustrated the deep research.
The characters in Fracturing Time are fleshed out and are written so that we hear the lilt in Steph's and Ian's voices, the seething in Jeffery's, and the time stamp of 1752 in Appleton's, to name a few. This lends an extra level of authenticity to the characters and the intriguing, even outrageous subplots in which they are involved.
I read an ARC of Fracturing Time and found some editing issues, but I assume those have been cleaned up in the final version available for sale. For this new-to-the-series reader, some re-reading of passages was required to try to grasp what was happening, which is pretty mind blowing and imaginative; but it works. Plus, having scenes told from multiple viewpoints (including one from a highly-medicated character) gives us a better understanding of the bigger picture. BONUS: if like me you love when a cover and book title tie-in to the story, you'll be pleased.
In the “A Letter to My Readers” section at the end of the book, author KJ Waters says, “I’ve wrapped up the storyline in the fourth book in the series, but I have at least two others in the works. I’m also going to write some spin-offs.” Hooray! In Fracturing Time, there are definitely some set-ups for more books. While Waters is writing, I’ll backtrack to book one and read current to be ready for more adventures. Standing by!
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