I am so happy to see Science Fiction making a comeback in young adult literature. I truly loved Goddess in the Machine by Lora Beth Johnson and Fragile Remedy gave me a taste of what I was missing after I finished that novel. The science what Nate is is super interesting and immediately grabs your attention as a reader. This debut novel does a fantastic job of immersing you in the world of Withers and showcasing all of its dark corners. This author certainly knows how to set a dark, anxious mood. The people on Withers are also a product of where they live and Maria perfectly writes these characters and their lives which helps to boost our understanding of all of the dark things they have to go through. I really felt bad for Nate during this novel and I so very much wanted him to find his place in the world and be safe. However, this story has such different plans for him. Nate as a character was written very well and I found myself genuinely caring about him and what sort of ordeal he was going to get himself into next. Also, did I mention that there was queer rep in this book? The queer rep in this book fit perfectly along the found families theme that is also present here. These parts of the books definitely made me smile and it made me happy seeing this rep in this novel. Overall, I would definitely recommend picking Fragile Remedy up if you miss the young adult science fiction you used to read in middle school.

This book was really awesome and unique, I liked where it started, because I was not expecting that. I thought we were going to go through Nate's journey to finding Reed and fitting in and falling for him, but we kind of start with that all already having happened. We pick up with Nate already a member of Reed's little gang/family, and how he's keeping the secret of being a GEM from them both for their protection and because he doesn't know what he would do if these people he cared about betrayed him for the money turning him in could get them.

I really adored Nate and his relationship with Reed and these two dorks not telling each other how they feel. I loved them when they were finally honest with themselves and each other. I loved how easily and readily Reed accepted him, how he would do anything to protect his people. I adored little Pixel and how Nate was like an older brother to her, and how the two of them kept their secrets to one another and had each other's backs. I loved Brick and Sparks. And ALDEN. He was such a complicated, complex character, difficult to love, but hard to hate. I liked how he was there for Nate when he needed him. I died over him, honestly.

This book was grand and amazing and while some of the worldbuilding surrounding GEMs and what was exactly going on confused me at times, I found the part of the world where Nate and his friends lived to be really interesting. I liked watching them survive and stick together to make it through everything.

For some reason my review of this was lost somehow. (And it's been quite a while since I've read it)
I really enjoyed this book, and it's going to be one of those I'll be re-reading at some point.
The writing is great, the characters are great... every thing is just great.

This was one of my most anticipated books of the year! You could say I’m a sucker for a queer romance, but when it’s within the sci fi/fantasy realm?! I was already sold. I loved the writing style and felt the characters had a lot of depth to them. It was also a concept, that while I have seen done before,I think this book had a really unique take that kept me sucked in.

Thank you Flux for inviting me to read an advanced copy of this work! This was a really cool dystopian type novel featuring the life of a small "gang" just trying to survive the harsh world they've been thrown into. Living outside the main city means living in the wasteland of what used to be. The MC, Nate, is a Tinker who excels at creating tech and other oddities for his group, but he holds a secret...he's a GEM and worth a fortune to anyone who turns him in. Created to help cure a disease, his "type" is in high demand.

I don't want to say too much about this book because I really feel as though it would give some major points away but overall this was an interesting read! I liked the character relationships and the world-building and of course, we are all familiar with genetic modification and kind of reminded me of a Maze Runner type survival remedy, but twisted in a unique way. I hoped there would be a sequel but it looks like there won't be. Kind of a bummer as there so much more the author could explore!

So, I mostly liked this story, especially once I got into it. It's about Nate, a young man who was genetically engineered. In Nate's world, not only is he looked down upon, but he could be tortured or killed for his mere existence. And oh yeah, his existence can straight up kill him right back. So things aren't looking great, you see.

I am going to get my negative out of the way right now, and that is that I was kind of lost and overwhelmed at the start of the story. Like, I understood what was going on with Nate to some extent, but figuring out the different factions of the world while trying to keep track of who's who in Nate's friend group was... a lot. But as the story went on, I did get a handle on it- mostly. I did absolutely fall in love with Nate's friends, but I was still left a bit confused by the world. I liked what I did get, but I felt like there was a lot more going on behind the scenes, so to speak.

Anyway, Nate is racing to save both himself and his friends and any other randos he stumbles upon. When we meet him, he's worried about his increasing level of sickness, he's worried about his friends getting caught by baddies, and when he stumbles upon a train accident, he's worried about those guys. Nate is a good dude, is the basic gist here. And I loved that! Like, someone who actually just wants to be a good guy, it's refreshing. As is his loyalty to his friends. Granted, he often tended to this loyalty at his own expense, which is not what his friends would want, but his intentions are good.

There were some great twists along the way, too. Some I saw coming, some I didn't, but I quite enjoyed the overall tone of the story, as well as the characters and their journeys.

Bottom Line: After a bit of a slow start, my heart was definitely captured by this group who just wanted to protect their found family, and wanted to make the world tolerable.

The worldbuilding: The first thing I noticed about this novel was how effectively its dystopian world was created and how easily I could imagine all the corresponding scenes in my head. Even the smallest details were so helpful and it made my reading experience so much better. All the different parts of this gloomy and deprived-of-resources world were on point and I loved all of it.

The characters and their development: Reed's gang was by far my favourite aspect of Fragile Remedy. It was more of a "the odd one out" to "we're all in this together" kind of situation, and reading the gradual change of Nate's acceptance warmed my heart. We also see how each member of the gang put aside their problems and learn to trust the outsider. They learn about second chances and I feel like that's a lesson a lot of us need to acknowledge. I loved how all of them were so protective and supportive towards each other. They had already lost so much in their life, that they didn't want to lose the only family they had. Each and every one of the characters went through a lot of hardship, and thinking back on it now, it was really enlightening to read about how they all dealt with it.

An artful antagonist: I know this sounds like a strange point for someone to read a book, but I still think its important. For almost half the book, we don't really see a potential villain, other than opposing rebel gangs. Soon afterwards, we're introduced to the real antagonist, who of course, is designed for readers to hate. But even though I didn't agree with their actions, I still understood where they're coming from. All they were trying to do was survive in the harsh world they lived in, and I respect that, despite the fact that they made quite a few bad decisions. It's not very often that I empathize with the antagonists, but this book did it.

The engaging plot: Although Fragile Remedy feels like more of a character-driven book, the plot definitely did itself justice. It gave me a lot of 'The Maze Runner' vibes, and I was so here for it. The story hooked me from the first chapter and I couldn't stop reading. It makes you think too, that what if we were in that situation too? It's so similar to what we're experiencing today, with the global pandemic, and everyone striving for a cure. It felt so real, and as much as I don't want to, some part of me could actually imagine our world like that one day, if we didn't care for it.

The tender romance: What I really liked about the romance, other than the fact that it was the cutest thing ever, was that it didn't overpower the main outline of the novel. A lot of the fantasy and science fiction novels I've read, start off with the romance as a sub plot, and it gradually takes over the whole story, but here it stuck to the side and it was something very new and interesting for me to experience. I think because the romance was more or less subdued, I was able to enjoy the story more, and could connect with it deeply.

So much happens in this one story that I’m having a hard time knowing where to begin.

I loved Nate’s character. He’s young and inexperienced and fierce and hopeful and a little bit self-loathing. I also loved the characters in the gang. Reese is loyal and true, always sticking to his values. Pixel is adorable. And the rest of the girls made it feel like such a little family.

Nate also has a relationship with Alden, a curio shop owner, drug addict, and man with connections. And Remedy, which Nate needs to live. It’s a complex relationship. I feel like I’d need a psychology degree to pick it apart. There are some really unhealthy elements to it, and yet somewhere in there is a protectiveness and loyalty and maybe even friendship? But it’s pretty enmeshed with the other elements, too.

The story itself moves forward pretty quickly. In Nate’s dystopian city, it’s dangerous to stay still too long, and that sense came through in the plot. Though it’s not a story about addiction, the story explores some of the damage that addiction causes, not just to the individual with the problem, but to the family and community. It also explores darker ideas, like using drugs to create dependent people and maintain control.

It’s been a while since I read a good dystopian story, and FRAGILE REMEDY definitely hit a lot of good notes for me. It made me uncomfortable sometimes, but usually in a way that made me think more deeply about the issues at hand. I think readers who enjoy books that explore addiction or dystopian stories will want to add this one to their shelves.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Opinions are my own.

4.5 stars!!! (out March 9th, NOW!!!)

**ARC provided by NetGalley for an honest review.**
#FragileRemedy #NetGalley

Pros:
+ setting: gritty, falling-apart, dystopian Withers (vs. walled Gathos city "utopia" which we see from afar)
+ I loved Nate (the MC). He's a misunderstood, loyal, long-suffering cinnamon roll who has a gift for Tinkering. He's also a GEM (Genetically Engineered Medi-Tissue) in hiding.
+ human-GEM(lab-born "special" humans) elements
+ I loved Reed, the leader of the scavenger gang/found family Nate joins. Reed is strong, kind, and just a good person.
+ a slow-burn m/m romance done so perfectly that my heart nearly couldn't take it
+ a beautiful found family (Reed's scavenger gang) full of diversity (there's a trans woman, POC MC, and m/m romance)
+ Mora's writing style is addictive. I couldn't stop reading.
+ Alden. Alden, Adlen, Alden. What a masterfully done morally-grey character. Drug dealer, addict, loyal friend, loving grandson. One of my fave characters.

Neutral:
/ the book doesn't wrap up because it's a series (which I didn't know going in)
/ there are many scenes with needles/drawing blood (aka my #1 fear) which freaked me out, but not everyone feels that way (and it was very necessary to the plot)

Cons:
- a few plot twists were easily guessed
- a bit of a 1-dimensional antagonist, although we do get a bit of rounding out eventually

TW: graphic depictions of needle use (drawing blood), physical violence, drug use (on and off-page), burning alive (on and off-page), train crash, prostitution (off-page), car crash (off-page), death, funeral fire, a mutually parasitic-toxic friendship

To say that I enjoyed this book would be a bit weird, because there is so much suffering and pain in this story. But I think there's something to say about books that really make you feel something while you're reading them.

I will preface this by saying that I don't read a lot of dystopian books, so take my review with a grain of salt. I really liked the premise and set up for the story. While I would have really liked more information on a lot of things and I thought the world-building was a little weak at times, I also really liked that the story focused in a small group of people who were just trying their best to survive in their circumstances. While the story is full of suffering and pain, it is also about found family and love and I really liked that.

While I liked Nate as a protagonist just fine, I enjoyed the side characters and his relationships with them even more. One character I especially enjoyed reading about was Alden. He's very morally gray and ultimately a very tragic character. Just like Nate and his group, he also tries his best to survive in this society, even if his methods might be questionable. And even though he wouldn't admit it, he cares deeply about Nate and I really liked that back and forth and all the conflicting feelings between Nate and Alden.

I liked the main conflicts of the story, but I also feel like it lost a bit of steam towards the end. A lot of the most action-packed and intense scenes were in the middle/in the second third of the book. The ending felt a bit anticlimactic to me, and I would have liked a bit more resolution. While this book focused a lot on GEMs and Remedy and technology, I still feel like there is so much about this world I still don't know. While we get a little bit of resolution when it comes to Nate's story, I feel like there's still a lot missing and a lot of things that could have been explored more.

Nevertheless, I do recommend this book. It's quite dark and at times seems almost hopeless, but it leaves you with the right amount of hope towards the future, even just in a small capacity.

I don't know why I waited so long to read this since I've had this arc for months. It was just so good with so many surprising elements I was not expecting, giving the story something maybe already heard (genetic engineered humans) with a twist of never seen before details. I enjoyed every single chapter, every interaction and every character, no matter how dumb I thought they were being. Because, as usual, I was putting myself in their shoes, instead of seeing them being themselves and acting the way they wanted to act, how they wanted to face what was thrown into their path.

Nate is a flawed character and a very fragile one. He's a gem, destined to die without a medicine he can't find anymore, in a society where being a gem means you get sold because your blood and body means health. Nate had to made very brave and sometimes difficult decisions to keep the people he loved safe, and he didn't always manage that. I was so sad and wanted to see him well and happy, with the boy he loved, with his best friend and the friends he made along the way.

This is not the easiest of books because there's drug abuse and people being very ill but it's also a very beautiful book where a boy, as weak as he think he is, is strongest when it comes to save his found family, no matter the consequences and his sacrifices.

Such a great read with a wonderful cast of diverse and dynamic characters.

Mora creates a world that may not be too far past the one we know. The sci-fi and fantastic elements hit home, even if they're still a bit far beyond the reaches of the world as we know it. However, I think the closeness of it (hello, pandemic) is what made it hit so hard.

I love the found family trope in this story, and I loved getting to know these complex characters. Mora truly brings inclusivity in her work and so many people will be able to see themselves in the pages. The story is truly beautiful and touching in so many ways.

I can't wait to see what Mora writes next

Fragile Remedy took me on a whirlwind of emotions. I can't remember the last time I felt so much whilst reading a book: anxiety over the characters' situations; anger when they faced injustice; joy when the characters triumphed or fought back; sadness and grief over some of the horrible situations they found themselves in. Everything swirled together perfectly, all presented within an immersive and visceral prose that kept me hooked from the first chapter.

The various conflicts and differing power dynamics added an interesting layer to the novel. The stark contrast between the rich and the poor, alongside the brutality of how far people are willing to go to survive when they are left with barely anything, maintained a very real sense of tension and danger throughout the book. Regardless of there being a main antagonist, the levels of morality are questioned - the lines between what we consider to be 'good' and 'evil' blurred through the lens of people trying to survive in difficult situations, against a backdrop of horror and hardship. And yet despite this, there is a constant undertone of hope, the main characters creating a beautiful found family together and supporting each other through the unthinkable.

As for the characters, I fell in love with them from the start. Even the ones who teetered the line of moral ambiguity. I fell in love with Nate's bravery and realness, Reed's fierce protectiveness, Sparks' spirit and Brick's loyalty. Pixel was a particular bright spot, with her youthful lightness and determination. I ended up feeling just as protective of her (and the whole gang) as the other characters did.

The blooming relationship between Nate and Reed was really sweet and heart-warming to see, with their interactions constantly bouncing between their feelings for each other and the consistent danger they were in - soothed by the feeling of safety and comfort they both brought to the other. One of my favourite things in media in domesticity in queer couples, and this book delivered. But I also loved that their developing relationship wasn't necessarily the main plot of the book. It never felt put on the back burner, but also never overpowered the main plot points or the very present danger that threatened the characters.

My favourite relationship dynamic had to be the friendship between Nate and Alden, particularly due to the portrayal of toxicity within a friendship. With many books I've read, toxic relationships tend to focus on romantic/sexual relationships - and as someone whose main experiences of toxic relationships have come from friendships, this felt like both a breath of fresh air, and a very real theme exploration. Alden is a character of many complexities, one whom you never fully know whether you can trust in any given scene. As a reader, you feel what Nate feels, with the want to trust, but never really feeling like you can. Their relationship was so multi-layered, and I loved that it wasn't portrayed as a 'Friend A is toxic therefore Friend B hates them' scenario. Nate loves Alden, but also acknowledges that he isn't necessarily a good person. You can see that they care for each other, deeply, but the way that their love is executed isn't always the healthiest. Nate misses the beauty of their initial friendship before it became complicated, and finds himself wanting to return to Alden on multiple occasions, both by need but also because he wants to hold onto their frayed relationship. It felt relatable and complex and real, and I can only hope I find more books with similar portrayals to this one.

The casual blend of queerness within the found family aspect made me even more emotional, mainly because the theme of queer characters sticking together and loving each other when it feels like the world is against them feels very reminiscent, even if the two scenarios are different. Maria manages to craft a story where you can find comfort and security even though the setting is so dark and bleak, and this story is one I want to keep with me long after I have finished its pages.

**Thank you to Flux, North Star Editions, and NetGalley for providing me with this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

On its face, Fragile Remedy might appear to be about a pandemic - after all, the blurb does mention a horrifying lung-rot disease. Funny enough, this book isn't about a pandemic at all. It's about the extreme actions taken to combat a pandemic, and the desperation of people left behind. It's about addiction and drug abuse much, much more than it is about a pandemic. So while it is not a light read, it is also not at all a book you need to avoid if you are removing yourself from all things COVID.

Nate is a genetically modified person, made for the sole purpose of fighting the lung-rot pandemic. His society views him as less than a person, created with the purpose of keeping others in Gathos City alive. However, Nate escapes Gathos City and takes up residence in the Withers, the slums around the glittering city. He observes the impact of an incredibly addicting drug, chem, and tries to find his way as his body starts to degrade, building his own reliance on a substance and its providers. What happens when Nate is no longer able to access Remedy through his traditional channels, and when he finds himself attracted to the leader of the gang who he begins to consider his family?

This was a much more engaging read than I ever expected it to be. There were some pacing issues where the story would slow down, mostly as Nate struggled with his indecision and wrestled with how his life had placed him where he ended up. One thing I like about this book is the synopsis is almost entirely before the book even begins - it is more of a backgrounder than a preview, which means we leapt right in. Very little repetition and lots of action.

Nate's attraction to his friend and gang leader, Reed, is previewed in the synopsis so no spoiler there. It was already established before the book began, so there is no build up to it. I found that a bit jarring, but otherwise enjoyed the romance. I found some of the struggles Nate felt very believable, and while Reed was easily the most unbelievably perfect boy to fall in love with, it was overall a believable attraction and romantic tension.

All of that said, this book is NOT an easy read. Addiction and its consequences are squarely portrayed, with very little mercy. No holds barred, and violence is overtly described. It is not gratuitous - the issues covered are very, very real and could easily be pulled straight from the opioid crisis - but boy, it is hard to read at times.

I will say - there is one reveal near the end that almost threw this entire book off for me. It was so unbelievably convenient that I was floored it was included. It knocked this book down from a 4 to a 3.5 stars in an eyeblink.

This book was a surprise in a pleasant way. Mora unflinchingly describes some of the greatest challenges facing society right now and wisely challenges us to figure it out. I encourage folks to pick this up and think about how the cards are stacked against some, and what that means for our personal interactions every single day.

**my thanks to NetGalley and North Star Editions for the eARC in exchange for a fair and honest review**

Nate can't trust anyone. Created by scientists as nothing more than a medical novelty, his value to others isn't as a person, but as a commodity called GEM, short for Genetically Engineered Medi-tissue. Gathos City was ravaged by a lung rot disease, and his body contains the cure. As a cruel twist of fate, his own body contains a fatal flaw, because the scientists who created him engineered him that way, to be dependent on them as their property. Without Remedy, Nate will die. However, the only place an escaped lab rat like him can find it is in the Withers outside of Gathos, a lawless area that was quarantined from the city some time ago. Nate is able to get by on his own, but things start looking up when he joins Reed's gang. The only catch is he can't tell anyone, even Reed, who he is, for fear of being sold off to those seeking GEM. When his usual supply of Remedy dries up, Nate has to face the music and make choices he never fathomed, all in the name of life and love.

I found this dystopian, diseased world to be very sad, and very interesting. Nate is a tragic character in many respects, but also such a hopeful one. He wants to belong, because in many ways he's an outsider, and more valuable as a "thing" than as a person. Nate's relationship with his Remedy supplier, Alden, is complicated, unhealthy, and in many ways abusive, though Nate doesn't have a choice. Alden didn't have many choices in life either, otherwise why would somebody with his talents be in the Withers? Reed, leader of the gang that Nate joins, has some hard edges, but is also nice. I thought it was cute how Reed and Nate got closer over time, even though there was an air of guilt hanging over Nate, who felt he wasn't being able to come clean about his true nature. Some in Reed's gang would sooner take care of their own fortunes and future rather than see Nate, a GEM, alive and free.

The Withers is a harsh, unforgiving place that I do not want to visit. Its people are segregated from the city, not because there is any more danger from them being part of it, but because societal and monetary strata separate them as surely as walls do. There are many good topics brought up in this story about greed, the nature of societal class, the potentially callous nature of science, and the ethics of medicine carried within a person's body tissue. I thought the ending carried a lot of hope for such a dystopian world, though of course not all is perfectly bright and rosy. Fragile Remedy is a wonderful debut novel from Maria Ingrande Mora, perfect for fans of dystopia, medical research gone wrong, or human stories of outsiders fighting for survival against the odds.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.5/5 ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣

Fragile Remedy is unlike anything I've read in quite some time. Unique. Fresh. A story involving classism, poverty, addiction, and some other heavy topics. Nate, who's a GEM, is the mc whose story is filled with sadness and hopelessness. GEMs have special properties in their blood that everyone wants. A fast paced story you'll be rooting for the mc the entire time.

FRAGILE REMEDY is a bittersweet, angsty exploration of a dystopian world, filled with fascinating characters, the warmth of found family, and an intriguing plot. I fell in love with the characters, who are well-developed and lead the story. The plot is one of my favorite types - survival against the odds of disease and societal hostility, altered humans, corrupt government, futuristic setting with obvious connections to our present (none of it's far off from reality!). I adored the concept and the characters, but I was a little disappointed with the execution - I wanted to see more of the worldbuilding, to understand more about the setting and the technical aspects of the sci-fi/fantasy elements. The ending also felt a little messy to me, though ultimately I was satisfied with the outcome. Overall, this is a fun, gritty read that I think many people will enjoy.

[ENGLISH/ESPAÑOL]

~ENGLISH~

1.5 stars
The ARC for this novel was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

This story is about Nate, a 16-year-old genetically modified boy who has spent much of his life being a prisoner in a scientific laboratory. He's one of the GEMs that were created to cure the elite of the terrible disease that plagued the population years ago and that have been the subject of experiments for years by scientists in Gathos City.
Nate barely remembers those days, but now he is a different person. After escaping from those labs, he learned to fix technology and trade it for food or a safe place. He must keep a secret that he is a GEM even from his own friends, even from the person he loves. Reed is the head of a small gang of teenagers struggling to survive and Nate is terribly in love with him but can't risk telling him the truth.
He also cannot tell him why his health worsens from time to time as he grows older. GEMs, after all, have to take Remedy regularly if they don't want his health to decline rapidly, if they don't want to die and Nate can only get it from one person.
His life is hard but Nate just wants to be with his friends. However, after a terrorist attack, chaos begins to dominate the streets, Remedy's supply suddenly runs out, putting his life in danger.
Now Nate must decide between joining the terrorist group and living a long life without his friends or staying with Reed... and die by his side.

Writing this review is difficult for me because after finishing the book I was left with mixed feelings. There are so many things I want to say, so many things that I liked and so many that I would have liked to change, but first I want to say that the world that the author created is very interesting!

I totally loved the characters, especially Alden, Nate, and Reed. I found them very adorable, interesting but also somewhat complex.
My favorite of the three, of course, was Alden. He’s an extremely complicated boy, it is not easy to understand him but I think he was one of the most human characters in history, full of defects, fears, a person who makes mistake after mistake but still tries to fix it and survive as best he can.
I LOVED HIM WITH ALL MY HEART!

As for Nate and Reed, I really liked the couple they made. There was chemistry there and I liked the interactions of both too much, especially the drama that was caused by everything that was happening in the city. However I feel that as separate characters they are very neutral, they hardly left any impression on me. I mean, I didn't love them but I didn't hate them either, I just like them.
I think that in the case of both, having talked a little more about their past would have made us understand them.

In addition, the world the author created has a lot of potential. There were too many things that interested me, many aspects of both the GEMs and Gathos City and all the history behind the main conflict that caught my attention but... This is where the review gets a bit difficult.

I think the story has those two things going for it: the characters and the world with great potential. However, there are some things that I did not like, among them the little vital information that was given to us to finish building the base of this world. There were many unresolved questions, basic things that had to be answered in at least the first hundred pages. Things like the laws of this world, the history of both the disease that attacked the population and the GEMs, for example.
Thanks to that, half the time I understood what the characters were doing at the time but did not fully understand the background, since the basis of the universe was not fully explained.

As for the characters... There were some of them that appeared and disappeared for no apparent reason, there were also others that began to be important in the story but were introduced out of nowhere, very quickly and almost in a chaotic way.
There were also some events that in the end were not fully explained and issues that are no longer touched upon and that left me unsatisfied.

I think the story has a lot of potential, I liked the characters (especially Alden) but I think it would have been better if this book had been a trilogy or a bilogy. This would have given the author time not only to explain the basis of the world completely, but also for her to develop some events more calmly.

~ESPAÑOL~
1.5 estrellas.
El ARC de esta novela fue proporcionado por la editorial a través de NetGalley a cambio de una reseña honesta.

La historia se centra en Nate, un chico de 16 años genéticamente modificado que ha pasado gran parte de su vida siendo prisionero en un laboratorio científico. Él es uno de los GEMs que fueron creados para curar a la élite de la terrible enfermedad que hace años azotó a la población y que han sido objeto de experimentos durante años por los científicos de Gathos City.
Nate apenas recuerda aquellos días, pero ahora es una persona diferente. Luego de haber escapado de esos laboratorios, aprendió a reparar tecnología y a cambiarla por comida o algún lugar seguro para pasar la noche. Él debe mantener en secreto que es un GEM incluso de su propios amigos, incluso de la persona que ama. Reed es el jefe de una pequeña banda de adolescentes que luchan sobrevivir y Nate está terriblemente enamorado de él pero no puede arriesgarse a decirle la verdad.
Tampoco puede decirle por qué su salud empeora de vez en cuando conforme va creciendo. Los GEMs, después de todo, tienen que tomar Remedy regularmente si no quieren que su salud decaiga rápidamente, si no quieren morir y Nate sólo puede conseguirlo de una sola persona.
Su vida es dura pero Nate sólo quiere estar con sus amigos. Sin embargo, luego de un atentado terrorista, el caos empieza a dominar las calles, el suministro de Remedy se acaba repentinamente poniendo su vida en peligro.
Ahora Nate debe decidir entre unirse al grupo terrorista y vivir una larga vida sin sus amigos o quedarse con Reed... y morir a su lado.

Escribir esta reseña es algo difícil para mi porque luego de terminar el libro quedé con sentimientos encontrados. Hay tantas cosas que quiero decir, tantas cosas que me gustaron y tantas que me hubiera gustado cambiar pero primero quiero decir que el mundo que creó la autora es muy interesante!

Amé por completo a los personajes, especialmente a Alden, Nate y Reed. Ellos me parecieron muy adorables, interesantes pero también algo complejos.
Mi favorito de los tres, por supuesto, fue Alden. Él es un chico sumamente complicado, no es fácil de entenderlo pero creo que fue uno de los personajes más humanos de la historia, lleno de defectos, temores, una persona que comete error tras error pero que aún así intenta remediarlo y sobrevivir como puede.
LO AMÉ CON TODO MI CORAZÓN!

En cuanto a Nate y Reed, la pareja que hacían me gustó mucho. Había ahí química y me gustaron demasiado las interacciones de ambos, especialmente el drama que se hacía por todo lo que estaba pasando en la ciudad. Sin embargo siento que como personajes por separado son muy neutros, casi no dejaron ninguna impresión en mí. Es decir, no me encantaron pero tampoco los odié, sólo les tengo cariño.
Creo que en el caso de ambos, haber hablado un poco más del pasado de ellos habría hecho que empatizaramos con ellos y pudieramos entenderlos.

Además, el mundo que creó la autora tiene muchísimo potencial. Había demasiadas cosas que me interesaron, muchos aspectos tanto de los GEMs como de Gathos City y la ciudad y toda la historia que había detrás del conflicto principal que me llamaron la atención pero... Aquí es cuando la reseña se pone algo difícil.

Pienso que la historia tiene esas dos cosas a su favor: los personajes y el mundo con un gran potencial. Sin embargo, hay algunas cosas que no me gustaron, entre ellas la poca información vital que se nos dio para terminar de construir la base de este mundo. Hubo muchas preguntas sin resolver, cosas básicas que se debieron contestar en, al menos, las primeras cien páginas. Cosas como las leyes de este mundo, la historia tanto de la enfermedad que atacó a la población como de los GEMs, por ejemplo.
Gracias a eso, la mitad del tiempo entendía lo que los personajes estaban haciendo en el momento pero no comprendía del todo el trasfondo, pues la base del universo no fue explicada en su totalidad.

En cuanto a los personajes... Había algunos de ellos que aparecían y desaparecían sin razón aparente, también había otros que empezaron a ser importantes en la historia pero que fueron introducidos de la nada, de forma muy rápida y casi de forma caótica.
También hubo algunos sucesos que al final no se llegaron a explicar del todo y temas que ya no se vuelven a tocar y que me dejaron insatisfecha.

Creo que la historia tiene muchísimo potencial, los personajes me gustaron (especialmente Alden) pero creo que hubiera sido mejor si este libro hubiera sido una trilogía o bilogía. Así le hubiera dado tiempo a la autora no sólo de explicar la base del mundo por completo, sino también para que pudiera desarrollar algunos eventos con más calma.

Maria Ingrande Mora's novel Fragile Remedy is a dark and beautiful portrait of found family and queer love. The story follows Nate, a Genetically Engineered Medi-tissue (or GEM for short), who needs a steady dose of Remedy to keep him healthy. However, when his access to Remedy is cut short, he must choose between letting in those closest to him and leaving them for good in order to protect them.

The relationship between Nate and Alden in particular stood out to me as a nuanced portrait of love, family, power relationships/abuse, and addiction. The author's ability to pen multi-dimensional characters who come to life as I read made it difficult to put the book down!

CW: addiction, drug use, death and child death.

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I was instantly attracted this book. The title Fragile Remedy, paired with the beautiful artwork had my wheels turning as to what this book could possibly be about. After reading the synopsis my brain jumped to the movie The Island! Do you guys remember that movie? Am I making myself sound super old? Scarlett Johansson, Ewan McGregor.... anyway it was awesome and that parallel made me want to dive into this dystopian world right away!

Throughout this story we follow a GEM named Nate. A boy genetically engineered in Gathos City to help to the rich heal illnesses, ease pain, and escape reality. Smuggled out of the city as a child Nate falls into a gang playfully called The Alley Cats. Their tale takes you through the gritty underbelly of this world and as they fight to save Nates life you can't help but fall in love with each diverse member of this found family.

Although you are quickly thrown into the world of The Withers it is easy to follow. I would have liked to have understood the cause of society's downfall in order to better grasp the hierarchy of their world but I never felt confused by the world building. Although this story is not romance heavy I adored the strong friendships, nods to new love, and the unbreakable bond of family. I would have liked to have seen a more solid plot line in regard the stereotypical villain in order to give some structure to that portion of this story but overall I thoroughly enjoyed it!

My favorite character arc belonged wholeheartedly to Alden. He was unique and original and I found myself constantly wishing for a closer look into his mind. This dystopian world is immersive and unlike anything I have read in a long time. If you are in the mood for something like along the lines of Divergent then look no further! Maria Ingrande Mora is a fresh new voice in the YA world and I look forward to seeing what she creates in the future.

Huge thank you to North Star Editions, Flux Books and NetGalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.