Fragile Remedy is a fresh young adult dystopian that tackles the separation of rich and poor in a very sci-fi-like way. This is a gripping, fast-paced read, and it doesn’t slow down a bit, so it will definitely make you forget the real world as you read it!
Although I first found it hard to get my head around the world-building, I thoroughly enjoyed learning the mechanics of the world as the story progresses. Gathos City sounds like a terrible place to live with police patrolling everywhere you look, and people getting hurt (or worse) over this drug-like substance called chem, and living in this city means that either you fend for yourself, or you have to find a gang to survive. We also learn about what a GEM is, why they are only meant to live until about 14 years of age, and how they are used for organ transplants and other super nefarious things.
For our GEM (genetically engineered medi-tissue) protagonist, Nate, he’s lucky to have a gang, who’s able to hide him for a while as GEMs are supposed to be somewhat government-monitored. However, as the police start hunting down Nate’s gang to find a missing GEM (Nate), he’s forced to run, but he needs a dose of a medicine-like substance by the name of Remedy to keep him alive. Nate is forced to go hide at Alden’s, who acts like a parental figure. Alden knows that Nate is a GEM, so feeds him very rationed Remedy, as there’s not enough to go around to keep him healthy for very long otherwise.
In this book, we see some of the characters heavily addicted to chem, such as Alden; which can be compared to our world, where there are people and communities that have access to and/or use dangerous drugs. Drawing that comparison is super scary, as this could happen in real life too! I feel like this made the book more relatable in a way, as this doesn’t seem in any way too far-fetched and unlikely to occur.
The character relationship dynamics and morals are super intriguing in this book, and I was totally invested in learning more about the characters. I particularly liked the character relationships between Nate and Alden, as well as Agatha and Ivy, as both of these sets of characters are morally grey and their actions show for it. I also enjoyed how Nate also acts as a foster big brother to Pixel, in a super protective way. Whilst there were only a few characters that really drew my attention, I definitely enjoyed the diversity of the cast of characters within the story, I only wish I had more time on Ivy or Pixel, as I felt that I didn’t have enough of them and I want to know more about them! I also enjoyed seeing the male-male romantic relationship (I won’t say who, that’s for me to know and for you to read about) in this book grow over the entirety of the story, as it was super cute! The character cast and portrayal of each character left me feeling as satisfied as I could.
Overall, this is an exciting read with a little bit of sciencey jargon and a lot of action-packed dystopian, which is super satisfying to sink my teeth into! I feel this is one of the many new, refreshing books on the YA dystopian market, and I’m excited to see more of these ingenious ideas to come from Maria in the future!
Fragile Remedy is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers as of June 16th 2020.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
Sixteen-year-old Nate is a GEM—Genetically Engineered Medi-tissue created by the scientists of Gathos City as a cure for the elite from the fatal lung rot ravaging the population. As a child, he was smuggled out of the laboratory where he was held captive and into the Withers—a quarantined, lawless region. Nate manages to survive by using his engineering skills to become a Tinker, fixing broken tech in exchange for food or a safe place to sleep. When he meets Reed, a kind and fiercely protective boy that makes his heart race, and his misfit gang of scavengers, Nate finds the family he’s always longed for—even if he can’t risk telling them what he is.
But Gathos created a genetic failsafe in their GEMs—a flaw that causes their health to rapidly deteriorate as they age unless they are regularly dosed with medication controlled by Gathos City. As Nate’s health declines, his hard-won freedom is put in jeopardy. Violence erupts across the Withers, his illegal supply of medicine is cut off, and a vicious attack on Reed threatens to expose his secret. With time running out, Nate is left with only two options: work for a shadowy terrorist organization that has the means to keep him alive, or stay — and die — with the boy he loves.
