I didn’t really know what to expect when I first picked up this book to start reading. The cover is absolutely gorgeous and those red sprayed edges were already winning me over. I had read the blurb and was initially quite intrigued but it didn’t take long before Spare and Found Parts had my full attention!

Spare and Found Parts is set in a post-technology world and this concept really interested me from the get go. As we live in a world so embedded with and around technology, it seems impossible to think of a world without it. But the idea of a world without technology because it had gotten to a point where it was taking over and caused significant damage to the world? Talk about an idea that could potentially be written in our future!! I loved how this theme was carried throughout the book with the majority of characters truly fearing computers and internet – not even being about to talk about it. Nell, on the other hand, is fascinated by it and can’t help but wonder why others don’t want technology back to improve their lives so she embarks on a mission to make her contribution to society one that nobody will forget.

The beginning of the book was pretty slow in comparison to the last 50 or so pages where everything seemed to be revealed and all the twists and turns seemed to happen. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing as the world is really nicely set up and I definitely found it interesting. Nell doesn’t actually start to build her new companion until almost halfway into the book so be prepared for that. The book does move along really quickly towards the end and a lot happens that will have your attention completely absorbed in the story and a few twists and turns I wasn’t anticipating managed to sneak their way in too! Overall I really liked the story and concept a lot.

Nell is such a brilliant main character. She is driven, ambitious and passionate as well as trying to be a good daughter and friend, she is forced to be independent and I admired how strong-willed she was, even when people thought she was a bit bonkers! Io seemed pretty adorable and I have to admit that I wouldn’t mind having my own Io around. I didn’t really connect with Oliver Kelly’s character at all but I was actually really glad that this book didn’t have much of a romantic arc at all and that the focus was purely on Nell. Ruby felt like such a real and vibrant character and I really liked her and Nell’s friendship – they both make mistakes but manage to forgive each other, just as true friends do.

“We are all more than the sum of our parts”

Spare and Found Parts is a dark glimpse at a could-be future which is laced with themes of deceit, family, friendship and finding yourself. The girl with the bionic heart definitely captured my own heart.

Thanks to Lydia at Titan Books for my copy in exchange of a fair and honest review.