Thursday, March 27, 2014

Pure by Julianna Baggott

Add to Goodreads
Title: Pure
Author: Julianna Baggott
Series: Pure Trilogy (Book #1)
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction
Length: 431 pages
Published: 2012
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Brief Synopsis: (Taken from Goodreads) We know you are here, our brothers and sisters . . . Pressia barely remembers the Detonations or much about life during the Before. In her sleeping cabinet behind the rubble of an old barbershop where she lives with her grandfather, she thinks about what is lost-how the world went from amusement parks, movie theaters, birthday parties, fathers and mothers . . . to ash and dust, scars, permanent burns, and fused, damaged bodies. And now, at an age when everyone is required to turn themselves over to the militia to either be trained as a soldier or, if they are too damaged and weak, to be used as live targets, Pressia can no longer pretend to be small. Pressia is on the run.

Burn a Pure and Breathe the Ash . . . 

There are those who escaped the apocalypse unmarked. Pures. They are tucked safely inside the Dome that protects their healthy, superior bodies. Yet Partridge, whose father is one of the most influential men in the Dome, feels isolated and lonely. Different. He thinks about loss-maybe just because his family is broken; his father is emotionally distant; his brother killed himself; and his mother never made it inside their shelter. Or maybe it's his claustrophobia: his feeling that this Dome has become a swaddling of intensely rigid order. So when a slipped phrase suggests his mother might still be alive, Partridge risks his life to leave the Dome to find her. 

When Pressia meets Partridge, their worlds shatter all over again.

My Review:
I give this book a 5 out of 5. 

The Young Adult genre is one of those genres where you know you can pick up a book and have it done within a day or two, because they're generally fast reads - even at 400+ pages. I especially enjoy the dystopian future sub-genre because it touches on things that could seriously go wrong with our own society. This is one of those type of trilogies. 

Ten years ago, a series of bombs went off - what survivors call the Detonations. Most of the world's population died and those that did not became twisted creatures, fusing with objects that were near them at the time of the Detonations. In Pressia's case, her hand fused with her beloved doll. Her grandfather's throat became fused with a handheld fan. Others were fused with glass, pavement, metal, animals. Yes, animals. Some fused with the earth itself or rock. These are called Dusts and they have lost most semblance of humanity. Some are called Beasts as they have lost all humanity and have been taken over by the animals side of them. 

However, some people survived in what is known as the Dome. They are called Pures. Everything about their lives is controlled: what they eat (pills formulated for optimum nutrition), what they learn in school, etc. Some day they will leave the Dome (when the world outside is safe again) and they will have the entire world at their disposal. They will rebuild. The boys who live in the Dome are sent for coding to improve their skills - speed, strength, etc. Some are picked out for Special Forces and not seen again. The girls are not coded, as they must be able to reproduce eventually and coding is not safe for them.

But what will happen to the "wretches" - those who were managing to survive in the outside? 

This first book in the trilogy doesn't completely answer that question, but, then again, that's why it's the first book in a trilogy. There are hints at what is believed to be the motive of those in the Dome. Pressia and Partridge (a Pure, who is the son of the most influential leader of the Dome) are placed in the middle between the Dome and those who oppose the Dome. Along with Bradwell, El Capitan and his brother Helmud (who are fused together), and a female Pure named Lyda, they must figure out how to stop Partridge's father and to keep themselves alive in the process. 

I really enjoyed this book and can't wait to start in on Fuse, which is book two of the trilogy.

You can purchase Pure through Amazon in hard copy or Kindle format. 

Have you read Pure? If so, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts! 

Please note: I was not compensated in any way for this review. It is strictly my opinion.

No comments:

Post a Comment