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celjla212's review against another edition
4.0
The Earth has been laid to waste by a nuclear event. The only place that remains whole and pristine is the Dome, a controlled environment where the lucky got to stay.
Nine years after the Detonations, Pressia Belze lives out in the ruined land, where survivors of the Detonations are forever fused to whatever they happened to be near at the time of the explosions--glass, metal, even other people. Pressia has one hand fused with a doll's head. She lives with her grandfather, who is getting sicker by the day. The worst thing of all is that Pressia knows it's only a matter of time before she has to leave him all alone. It's two weeks before her sixteenth birthday--at which time she will be forced to join the OSR, a sort of guerilla regime intent on taking down the Dome.
In a completely opposite world, Partridge Willux lives inside the Dome, and feels like a constant disappointment to his father--the man who designed the Dome. Those who live inside the dome are called Pures. Partridge is a student at the Academy, when one day he takes a field trip and finds out that the mother he believed died in the Detonations may be alive on the outside. So he decides he must escape. When Pressia and Partridge's worlds collide, they bond together and come to discover truths that will turn both of their worlds upside down.
I really liked this book a lot. The world the author created is so despondent, you can feel it coming through the pages of the book. The characters are likable and you can identify with their struggles. I especially liked Partridge, because even though he had no idea what he was looking for or even where to begin his search, he never faltered in the fact that he needed to go out there and find it. Any other Pure who had been in the safety of the Dome for the past nine years would have been terrified to leave it, but not Partridge.
That's not to say that I didn't have a couple of problems with this book. First of all, the author is asking you to suspend your disbelief by quite a bit. It's hard to believe that people could be fused with other people. or even animals, and both being would still be able to live. This takes a bit of imagination, but the rest of the book was so good that I got used to the idea after a bit. Secondly, the author writes in the present tense, which was not quite noticeable at first. I could tell as I was reading that something was different, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. One I saw what it was though, it didn't bother me too much--it was just a different style than what I am used to.
Julianna Baggott has a graceful, descriptive writing style, and really knows how to give a good sense of urgency and danger. The first bit of the book was a bit slow, but once it picked up, it never let me go.
Pure is a great addition to the dystopian genre, and I cannot wait to see what happens to Pressia and Partridge in the next book.
Nine years after the Detonations, Pressia Belze lives out in the ruined land, where survivors of the Detonations are forever fused to whatever they happened to be near at the time of the explosions--glass, metal, even other people. Pressia has one hand fused with a doll's head. She lives with her grandfather, who is getting sicker by the day. The worst thing of all is that Pressia knows it's only a matter of time before she has to leave him all alone. It's two weeks before her sixteenth birthday--at which time she will be forced to join the OSR, a sort of guerilla regime intent on taking down the Dome.
In a completely opposite world, Partridge Willux lives inside the Dome, and feels like a constant disappointment to his father--the man who designed the Dome. Those who live inside the dome are called Pures. Partridge is a student at the Academy, when one day he takes a field trip and finds out that the mother he believed died in the Detonations may be alive on the outside. So he decides he must escape. When Pressia and Partridge's worlds collide, they bond together and come to discover truths that will turn both of their worlds upside down.
I really liked this book a lot. The world the author created is so despondent, you can feel it coming through the pages of the book. The characters are likable and you can identify with their struggles. I especially liked Partridge, because even though he had no idea what he was looking for or even where to begin his search, he never faltered in the fact that he needed to go out there and find it. Any other Pure who had been in the safety of the Dome for the past nine years would have been terrified to leave it, but not Partridge.
That's not to say that I didn't have a couple of problems with this book. First of all, the author is asking you to suspend your disbelief by quite a bit. It's hard to believe that people could be fused with other people. or even animals, and both being would still be able to live. This takes a bit of imagination, but the rest of the book was so good that I got used to the idea after a bit. Secondly, the author writes in the present tense, which was not quite noticeable at first. I could tell as I was reading that something was different, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. One I saw what it was though, it didn't bother me too much--it was just a different style than what I am used to.
Julianna Baggott has a graceful, descriptive writing style, and really knows how to give a good sense of urgency and danger. The first bit of the book was a bit slow, but once it picked up, it never let me go.
Pure is a great addition to the dystopian genre, and I cannot wait to see what happens to Pressia and Partridge in the next book.
jenpost78's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this story. It took me a bit to get past some of the outrageous mutations described, but by the end of the story they seemed more believable for this apocalyptic future.
ladytiara's review against another edition
4.0
I sometimes avoid post-apocalyptic novels, because I have a tendency to get freaked out by them, but Pure sounded really promising, so I took a chance on it. I'm really glad I did because it's a fantastic book.
Sometime in the future, a nuclear attack decimates the United States. Some people were already living in an experimental dome designed to protect them from such attacks, and they survive the events knows as the Detonations safe and sound. Those outside the Dome weren't so lucky and most of them died in the attacks. Nine years after the Detonations, the survivors outside the Dome live a brutal life. They're all disfigured or deformed in some way, missing limbs are common, and most survivors are fused with objects or other people who were nearby at the time of the Detonations. They live in any remaining buildings or rubble, and they survive as best they can under a repressive military regime (known as the OSR) that takes all kids when they turn 16 to become soldiers or target practice. Inside the Dome, life is much safer, but the people live under a different repressive regime that controls every aspect of their lives and performs genetics enhancements on them.
The story centers around several characters. Pressia is about to turn 16. Her face is scarred, and one of her hands is the head of the doll she was holding when the bombs went off. Bradwell is an older teen who's been on his own since the attacks and has thus far escaped the notice of the OSR. He spouts a lot of elaborate conspiracy theories about the how and why of the Detonations. Partridge is the son of the Dome's leader, but he doesn't fit in and he wonders about what's outside. Lyda is another Dome dweller. She helps Partridge, to her detriment. El Capitan is an OSR soldier who finds himself questioning his orders. As these characters' paths cross, their lives intersect and they learn that nothing is as it seems.
I really enjoyed this book. It's not an easy read, in the sense that the descriptions of the horrible disfigurements the survivors suffer felt incredibly real and tragic. But the prose and the story make this book intensely readable and I couldn't put it down. Baggott's descriptions of the post-Detonation ruins are horrific and beautiful at the same time. There are some amazing scenes of the characters traveling across the battered landscape. I particularly liked a scene where some of the characters meet a group of warrior mothers whose children are fused to them. This world really came alive for me. I loved Pressia, Bradwell, and Partridge as characters, and even the minor characters felt very real to me.
I do have some minor complaints. The story is told in alternating viewpoints. Different chapters are from the viewpoints of Pressia, Patridge, Lyda, and El Capitan. I enjoyed the Pressia and Partridge chapters the most. There are fewer Lyda and El Capitan chapters, and while I understand why the author used them (they convey information the reader wouldn't know otherwise), they weren't as effective for me. My other concern is that there are a lot of rather startling revelations and twists in the last third of the book. While they're very exciting, I can't help wondering if the author has revealed too much in the first book (there will be two more books). On the other hand, the ending made me desperate to read the sequel, so perhaps the revelations worked just right.
I received an ARC from Amazon Vine.
Sometime in the future, a nuclear attack decimates the United States. Some people were already living in an experimental dome designed to protect them from such attacks, and they survive the events knows as the Detonations safe and sound. Those outside the Dome weren't so lucky and most of them died in the attacks. Nine years after the Detonations, the survivors outside the Dome live a brutal life. They're all disfigured or deformed in some way, missing limbs are common, and most survivors are fused with objects or other people who were nearby at the time of the Detonations. They live in any remaining buildings or rubble, and they survive as best they can under a repressive military regime (known as the OSR) that takes all kids when they turn 16 to become soldiers or target practice. Inside the Dome, life is much safer, but the people live under a different repressive regime that controls every aspect of their lives and performs genetics enhancements on them.
The story centers around several characters. Pressia is about to turn 16. Her face is scarred, and one of her hands is the head of the doll she was holding when the bombs went off. Bradwell is an older teen who's been on his own since the attacks and has thus far escaped the notice of the OSR. He spouts a lot of elaborate conspiracy theories about the how and why of the Detonations. Partridge is the son of the Dome's leader, but he doesn't fit in and he wonders about what's outside. Lyda is another Dome dweller. She helps Partridge, to her detriment. El Capitan is an OSR soldier who finds himself questioning his orders. As these characters' paths cross, their lives intersect and they learn that nothing is as it seems.
I really enjoyed this book. It's not an easy read, in the sense that the descriptions of the horrible disfigurements the survivors suffer felt incredibly real and tragic. But the prose and the story make this book intensely readable and I couldn't put it down. Baggott's descriptions of the post-Detonation ruins are horrific and beautiful at the same time. There are some amazing scenes of the characters traveling across the battered landscape. I particularly liked a scene where some of the characters meet a group of warrior mothers whose children are fused to them. This world really came alive for me. I loved Pressia, Bradwell, and Partridge as characters, and even the minor characters felt very real to me.
I do have some minor complaints. The story is told in alternating viewpoints. Different chapters are from the viewpoints of Pressia, Patridge, Lyda, and El Capitan. I enjoyed the Pressia and Partridge chapters the most. There are fewer Lyda and El Capitan chapters, and while I understand why the author used them (they convey information the reader wouldn't know otherwise), they weren't as effective for me. My other concern is that there are a lot of rather startling revelations and twists in the last third of the book. While they're very exciting, I can't help wondering if the author has revealed too much in the first book (there will be two more books). On the other hand, the ending made me desperate to read the sequel, so perhaps the revelations worked just right.
I received an ARC from Amazon Vine.
reesethedonut's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
rachelcdm's review against another edition
DNF.
This story has a really cool premise but something about the writing style didn't quite work for me so I didn't finish.
However, because of aforementioned cool premise and the fact that I think the writing style is probably just a me and my personal taste thing, I would say give this book a go.
This story has a really cool premise but something about the writing style didn't quite work for me so I didn't finish.
However, because of aforementioned cool premise and the fact that I think the writing style is probably just a me and my personal taste thing, I would say give this book a go.
punkassbookjockey84's review against another edition
4.0
After a series of detonations obliterated civilization, life in the aftermath has continued. Some were protected from the blasts inside a Domed city and remained unscathed--the Pures. However, those left outside were left scarred and disfigured, fused to whatever object or creature was nearest them at the time. Sixteen year old Pressia lives with her grandfather in the rubble of an old barbershop, in hiding from the resistence militia that requires all her age to join. Partridge, though the same age, has lived in privilege in the dome. But these two are about to be thrust together in a fight for the truth, as well as a fight for their lives.
Like all dystopian futures, this world is the result of our current follies being magnified into our own destruction. In this case it's imperialist religion and a desire for dominance. The Dome was created to protect the chosen few from the bombs that "the enemy" would surely send their way. But of those who were invited to join, few made it to safety in time--something that was perhaps their intention all along. In a quest to build the perfect weapon, the genetic mutation aspect of these modified atomic bombs results in an amalgamation of things, people, and animals. Some fused with things--like Pressia's baby-doll--some with animals and other people, and some with buildings and the very earth itself. These fusings become so ingrained with each other that to remove one is to kill the entire thing. This aspect of the book is what was at times the most disturbing. Baggott's descriptions of the fusings are starkly visual and often frightening. The Pure leaders' desire to essentially start over and remake the world the way they see fit is one that seems increasingly plausible. What makes a good dystopian novel is the feeling that this could all really occur and Baggott's world is one that seems all too possible. I had some trouble getting into the book at first. Each section is from the point of view of a different character, which was a little tough to follow at first; but as I got further along the switching back and forth was barely noticeable. And once I got through the first few sections, I struggled to put it down. I especially like that whatever romance there is remains far in the background; so many books focus so much on the romance aspect that the rest is merely background. And don't go in thinking that this is a stand alone book--it definitely ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, but I am looking forward to the next book!
Like all dystopian futures, this world is the result of our current follies being magnified into our own destruction. In this case it's imperialist religion and a desire for dominance. The Dome was created to protect the chosen few from the bombs that "the enemy" would surely send their way. But of those who were invited to join, few made it to safety in time--something that was perhaps their intention all along. In a quest to build the perfect weapon, the genetic mutation aspect of these modified atomic bombs results in an amalgamation of things, people, and animals. Some fused with things--like Pressia's baby-doll--some with animals and other people, and some with buildings and the very earth itself. These fusings become so ingrained with each other that to remove one is to kill the entire thing. This aspect of the book is what was at times the most disturbing. Baggott's descriptions of the fusings are starkly visual and often frightening. The Pure leaders' desire to essentially start over and remake the world the way they see fit is one that seems increasingly plausible. What makes a good dystopian novel is the feeling that this could all really occur and Baggott's world is one that seems all too possible. I had some trouble getting into the book at first. Each section is from the point of view of a different character, which was a little tough to follow at first; but as I got further along the switching back and forth was barely noticeable. And once I got through the first few sections, I struggled to put it down. I especially like that whatever romance there is remains far in the background; so many books focus so much on the romance aspect that the rest is merely background. And don't go in thinking that this is a stand alone book--it definitely ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, but I am looking forward to the next book!
foxjade's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
squirrelsohno's review against another edition
3.0
PURE has the distinction of being one of the most hyped books of early 2012. Film rights, a massive auction and a huge advance to the author, a great deal of talk from every corner of the publishing community. As a book that straddles the line between YA and traditional adult fiction, PURE has a lot going for it on paper. And the idea for the book itself is wonderful. I read the synopsis and knew immediately that I needed to read the book. But the moment I turned on my kindle and started reading, I ran into a large number of issues that damaged my reading experience.
The story of a young girl named Pressia, a victim of the Detonations left with a doll’s head fused in place of her hand, and Partridge, a boy raised in the Dome, PURE is a post-apocalyptic, science fiction-heavy adventure story. On page one I realized immediately that PURE was going to have a lot of one thing – description. Baggott is a wonderful descriptive writer, with a great attention to detail and imagery that leaps off the page. When description is not accompanied by plot, though, it becomes boring very quickly. We are treated to pages of descriptive passages of deformities and the wastelands after the Detonations, but it wasn’t until 50% in exactly for me that anything began to happen. When a book takes over 200 pages to reach a firm start to the book, it’s not a good sign.
Where PURE suffered was pacing. For me, it took 75% of the book before we get to the real chunk of the story with break-neck action, real character development, and the revelation of plenty of things I had begun to suspect. In fact, a lot of the twists were obvious and convenient while others were definitely awesome and took me by surprise. Pressia, Partridge, and their comrades are for the most part very well written, strong characters. For the most part. Secondary characters, though, often faded into the background or simply served as set dressing. Some even seemed like flat caricatures created from clichés, and others were there and gone without any real purpose. I also felt that the two additional points of view besides the important leads Pressia and Partridge – the POVs of El Capitan and Lyda – detracted from the narrative, especially since neither brought much to the table besides access to additional intrigue that the reader did not need to know.
The world building for me was standard YA-level post-apocalyptic dystopian world building. After Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the atomic blast did not create anywhere near the level of mutations caused, leaving me scratching my head, especially after Hiroshima is mentioned (also, if you ever visit Japan, Hiroshima is a very lovely city – try the okonomiyaki!). If you are a victim of a nuclear bomb, three things might happen – you’ll die a quick and painless death, you’ll die of radiation poisoning (either a few days or weeks later, or maybe even months or years thanks to cancer) and it will hurt, or you’ll be lucky and just have a lot of burns or be crushed by a building you’re in. Fun times.
(I have been told that I need to stop poking holes in this, that this is a book and not real life, but still, I think people have a right to know that a nuclear bomb isn’t going to fuse them to their cat or their beloved cardboard cutout of Edward Cullen. But in case you are curious, click HERE to learn more about surviving a nuclear bomb.)
However, this book is extremely thought provoking, particularly aspects of the culture inside the dome and the role of women in their society. It definitely drives to the heart examining gender roles, and also the way that human beings cope in the face of danger. Picturing myself in their situation, I don’t know how I’d have made it either way. Being fused to my computer would totally suck, and having to breathe through a fan in my throat? No thanks!
I will definitely be reading book 2 if only to see what Baggott can think up next, but I hope her editor helps her cut down on a lot of the random excess description. If this book had been more about plot and the progression of the story rather than about description, it would have been five very enthusiastic stars.
VERDICT: Bogged down with too much description and attention to detail, PURE’s wonderful premise and interesting characters are overshadowed by the world they live in – which is rarely a good thing.
The story of a young girl named Pressia, a victim of the Detonations left with a doll’s head fused in place of her hand, and Partridge, a boy raised in the Dome, PURE is a post-apocalyptic, science fiction-heavy adventure story. On page one I realized immediately that PURE was going to have a lot of one thing – description. Baggott is a wonderful descriptive writer, with a great attention to detail and imagery that leaps off the page. When description is not accompanied by plot, though, it becomes boring very quickly. We are treated to pages of descriptive passages of deformities and the wastelands after the Detonations, but it wasn’t until 50% in exactly for me that anything began to happen. When a book takes over 200 pages to reach a firm start to the book, it’s not a good sign.
Where PURE suffered was pacing. For me, it took 75% of the book before we get to the real chunk of the story with break-neck action, real character development, and the revelation of plenty of things I had begun to suspect. In fact, a lot of the twists were obvious and convenient while others were definitely awesome and took me by surprise. Pressia, Partridge, and their comrades are for the most part very well written, strong characters. For the most part. Secondary characters, though, often faded into the background or simply served as set dressing. Some even seemed like flat caricatures created from clichés, and others were there and gone without any real purpose. I also felt that the two additional points of view besides the important leads Pressia and Partridge – the POVs of El Capitan and Lyda – detracted from the narrative, especially since neither brought much to the table besides access to additional intrigue that the reader did not need to know.
The world building for me was standard YA-level post-apocalyptic dystopian world building. After Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the atomic blast did not create anywhere near the level of mutations caused, leaving me scratching my head, especially after Hiroshima is mentioned (also, if you ever visit Japan, Hiroshima is a very lovely city – try the okonomiyaki!). If you are a victim of a nuclear bomb, three things might happen – you’ll die a quick and painless death, you’ll die of radiation poisoning (either a few days or weeks later, or maybe even months or years thanks to cancer) and it will hurt, or you’ll be lucky and just have a lot of burns or be crushed by a building you’re in. Fun times.
(I have been told that I need to stop poking holes in this, that this is a book and not real life, but still, I think people have a right to know that a nuclear bomb isn’t going to fuse them to their cat or their beloved cardboard cutout of Edward Cullen. But in case you are curious, click HERE to learn more about surviving a nuclear bomb.)
However, this book is extremely thought provoking, particularly aspects of the culture inside the dome and the role of women in their society. It definitely drives to the heart examining gender roles, and also the way that human beings cope in the face of danger. Picturing myself in their situation, I don’t know how I’d have made it either way. Being fused to my computer would totally suck, and having to breathe through a fan in my throat? No thanks!
I will definitely be reading book 2 if only to see what Baggott can think up next, but I hope her editor helps her cut down on a lot of the random excess description. If this book had been more about plot and the progression of the story rather than about description, it would have been five very enthusiastic stars.
VERDICT: Bogged down with too much description and attention to detail, PURE’s wonderful premise and interesting characters are overshadowed by the world they live in – which is rarely a good thing.
jadeeby's review against another edition
4.0
Originally posted on my blog Chasing Empty Pavements
So this book was a bit of a mystery for me... when I first saw it, the blurb was actually different than the one that is now listed on Goodreads and Amazon...but even the blurb for it before made it seem insanely interesting. But then... life happened and for some odd reason, this book got buried under a ton of other books and when I finally pulled it out to read it...I really had no idea what it was about other than the vague memory that it was an dystopian/post-apocalyptic and many people enjoyed it.
Holy. Shit.
I'm still trying to gather my thoughts about this novel as I type this and yet the interesting thing is that I didn't love ALL of it. I loved a large chunk of it but even though there were a couple places I really didn't like it...the overall effect of this book is just... whoa.
Like any good dystopian/post-apocalyptic novel...the world has gone to hell in a hand basket and who do you think is behind it? The Government-ish people, of course! This novel follows the "rules" and yet...it's completely different. The first half of the novel where we're introduced to the world, the characters and the structure is so unbelievably addicting, my eyes were glued to every single page. I'm telling you though, some of the descriptions were so hauntingly beautiful, I almost cried. I'm not lying, there were literally a few sentences that were so incredibly beautiful that I had to speak them aloud and let them roll off my tongue to savor the sweetness. I happened to adore most of the characters in this novel....especially the main characters like Pressia, Partridge and Bradwell. To me...Pressia is a more disfigured, less self-assured version of Katniss. She is a survivor against all odds. But in some senses..I feel like she is more real than Katniss because she doesn't have that "badass-ness" throughout the entire novel...really she feels like someone I could know or be friends with. A survivor...and yet no invincible while Katniss feels more like someone I could only hope to know or be friends with. (I love me some Katniss btw). I loved Partridge's I'm-going-to-defy-you-in-spite-of-you-telling-me-not-too and his ruthlessness to achieve his goals even while throwing a friend under the bus. I love the world-building and the whole science-y aspect to this novel. It's incredibly difficult to explain to someone what this book is about in terms of the technology or fusing aspects but when you're reading it...it's like...omg... could this really happen. And I think that's what I loved most about this novel. It scared the utter shit out of me. It felt... so real in a way. I've said it many times before, and I'll say it again, I truly believe the government or any single powerful entity is completely capable and willing to destroy, harm, execute their citizens to gain control of whoever is left whether it's the people they intended to keep or not. Just like Hitler with the Nazi's....he knew what kind of people he wanted to keep and he was not above mass genocide to make it happen. That's why this book scares me. The holocaust was a complete tragedy but with today's societies...could you imagine the damage Hitler and the Nazi's could have done? Can you imagine what the government could do to us if they had the right technology, the desire and the means to do something like this? We'd never know what hit us...I digress. THAT is one of the reasons I love this book so much...it makes you think. It scares you. It brings you to your knees and makes you weep with appreciation to the writing gods that someone could craft such a perfect sentence. That, my friends, is why this book deserves to be read.
This novel is one of those oddities that actually does have some rather weak spots...things that I would attack viciously had I disliked the rest of the book. But in comparison to what I loved, I fear that I may be going easy on the weaknesses I discovered. Nevertheless, I'll discuss them. Firstly, it felt like the first half and the second half of the book were written by two different people in a way. The first half was descriptive, clear, brilliant...but the second half kind of fell apart. Once the main characters start their journey together it all get's a little confusing and the plot holes start to gape a little wider. I think my biggest complaint is that the entire first half, something (don't want to spoil it) is built up to extreme lengths. The characters are risking their lives for this, everything they've talked, thought, dreamed about culminates to finding this one thing.... but when they finally do...it falls short. There are a few twists afterwards, but it just feels like such a let down after setting our sights so high. The romance was another aspect that I thought was underdeveloped and not fully explored. Don't get me wrong, I actually enjoyed the romance between the two characters, but it sort of felt like an afterthought rather than a subplot. And in books like this....honestly the romance isn't even necessary since so much other big stuff is going on. The other big thing to note is that the "how," and "why," of entire novel is not explained. I understand this is a series and I understand maybe it will be described later, but Baggott still had a responsibility to let us in on a little bit. She tries very hard to do this with Partridge's mother and father as well as Bradwell's parents, but she doesn't execute it properly and she ran dangerously close to me not believing what she had to say...and that is the KISS OF DEATH for novels like this. Authors need readers to hang on every word and believe in this world otherwise it's not going to be genuine and they're going to lose interest.
Overall, this book exceeded all of my expectations and more and I'm actually really glad I re-discovered it and read it now since FUSE, the next book in the series is out next week! You guys, I'm serious, this is a book you just have to read. It won't take you hardly any time because it's that's addicting and that good. I promise it will be worth your time and if it isn't....umm...then...you can yell at me. Publicly. Go forth, my dear readers and read Pure today!
**I received this book free from the publisher through www.netgalley.com. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
So this book was a bit of a mystery for me... when I first saw it, the blurb was actually different than the one that is now listed on Goodreads and Amazon...but even the blurb for it before made it seem insanely interesting. But then... life happened and for some odd reason, this book got buried under a ton of other books and when I finally pulled it out to read it...I really had no idea what it was about other than the vague memory that it was an dystopian/post-apocalyptic and many people enjoyed it.
Holy. Shit.
I'm still trying to gather my thoughts about this novel as I type this and yet the interesting thing is that I didn't love ALL of it. I loved a large chunk of it but even though there were a couple places I really didn't like it...the overall effect of this book is just... whoa.
Like any good dystopian/post-apocalyptic novel...the world has gone to hell in a hand basket and who do you think is behind it? The Government-ish people, of course! This novel follows the "rules" and yet...it's completely different. The first half of the novel where we're introduced to the world, the characters and the structure is so unbelievably addicting, my eyes were glued to every single page. I'm telling you though, some of the descriptions were so hauntingly beautiful, I almost cried. I'm not lying, there were literally a few sentences that were so incredibly beautiful that I had to speak them aloud and let them roll off my tongue to savor the sweetness. I happened to adore most of the characters in this novel....especially the main characters like Pressia, Partridge and Bradwell. To me...Pressia is a more disfigured, less self-assured version of Katniss. She is a survivor against all odds. But in some senses..I feel like she is more real than Katniss because she doesn't have that "badass-ness" throughout the entire novel...really she feels like someone I could know or be friends with. A survivor...and yet no invincible while Katniss feels more like someone I could only hope to know or be friends with. (I love me some Katniss btw). I loved Partridge's I'm-going-to-defy-you-in-spite-of-you-telling-me-not-too and his ruthlessness to achieve his goals even while throwing a friend under the bus. I love the world-building and the whole science-y aspect to this novel. It's incredibly difficult to explain to someone what this book is about in terms of the technology or fusing aspects but when you're reading it...it's like...omg... could this really happen. And I think that's what I loved most about this novel. It scared the utter shit out of me. It felt... so real in a way. I've said it many times before, and I'll say it again, I truly believe the government or any single powerful entity is completely capable and willing to destroy, harm, execute their citizens to gain control of whoever is left whether it's the people they intended to keep or not. Just like Hitler with the Nazi's....he knew what kind of people he wanted to keep and he was not above mass genocide to make it happen. That's why this book scares me. The holocaust was a complete tragedy but with today's societies...could you imagine the damage Hitler and the Nazi's could have done? Can you imagine what the government could do to us if they had the right technology, the desire and the means to do something like this? We'd never know what hit us...I digress. THAT is one of the reasons I love this book so much...it makes you think. It scares you. It brings you to your knees and makes you weep with appreciation to the writing gods that someone could craft such a perfect sentence. That, my friends, is why this book deserves to be read.
This novel is one of those oddities that actually does have some rather weak spots...things that I would attack viciously had I disliked the rest of the book. But in comparison to what I loved, I fear that I may be going easy on the weaknesses I discovered. Nevertheless, I'll discuss them. Firstly, it felt like the first half and the second half of the book were written by two different people in a way. The first half was descriptive, clear, brilliant...but the second half kind of fell apart. Once the main characters start their journey together it all get's a little confusing and the plot holes start to gape a little wider. I think my biggest complaint is that the entire first half, something (don't want to spoil it) is built up to extreme lengths. The characters are risking their lives for this, everything they've talked, thought, dreamed about culminates to finding this one thing.... but when they finally do...it falls short. There are a few twists afterwards, but it just feels like such a let down after setting our sights so high. The romance was another aspect that I thought was underdeveloped and not fully explored. Don't get me wrong, I actually enjoyed the romance between the two characters, but it sort of felt like an afterthought rather than a subplot. And in books like this....honestly the romance isn't even necessary since so much other big stuff is going on. The other big thing to note is that the "how," and "why," of entire novel is not explained. I understand this is a series and I understand maybe it will be described later, but Baggott still had a responsibility to let us in on a little bit. She tries very hard to do this with Partridge's mother and father as well as Bradwell's parents, but she doesn't execute it properly and she ran dangerously close to me not believing what she had to say...and that is the KISS OF DEATH for novels like this. Authors need readers to hang on every word and believe in this world otherwise it's not going to be genuine and they're going to lose interest.
Overall, this book exceeded all of my expectations and more and I'm actually really glad I re-discovered it and read it now since FUSE, the next book in the series is out next week! You guys, I'm serious, this is a book you just have to read. It won't take you hardly any time because it's that's addicting and that good. I promise it will be worth your time and if it isn't....umm...then...you can yell at me. Publicly. Go forth, my dear readers and read Pure today!
**I received this book free from the publisher through www.netgalley.com. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.