Pure (Pure #1)
Author: Julianna Baggott
Publication Date: February 8th 2012
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian/Scifi
Summary | Add to TBR
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 Thoughts:
In the world of Pure, there are two kinds of people. The Pure and the wretches. The Pures are people who made it inside the Dome before the Detonations, and the wretches are those who were left behind. The Pures are unscarred, living in a very controlled environment where they are kept healthy, fit, and perfect. While the wretches, those who are outside the Dome, are living with deformed bodies, scarred--strangely fused with something--either a machine, an animal, or even another human being. Pressia lives among the wretches. She has a hand that is made up of a doll's head which became her fist, and she has a burn scar on one side of her face. Partridge, on the other hand, lives among the Pures. He used to be inside the Dome until he escaped to find her mother whom he believed is still alive and living outside the Dome. So when Pressia hit 16, the time when she needs to surrender herself to either serve or become a living bait to the OSR (Operations Sacred Revolution), she escaped and she had no choice but to find Bradwell--the leader of the Resistance who seemed to know more about the Before, the life before the Detonations. Along the way, she met Partridge and together they seek Bradwell's help.
The story was a bit slow for me in the beginning of the book and I need to reread some of the passages to understand what they were talking about. There are terms and things that were not explained fully and it made me confused most of the time during the first half of the book. Halfway through, the story became interesting and I got the answers that I was looking for. It made me even more eager to know what will happen next especially to the characters that I loved.
"I remember how the ugliness is what makes the beautiful things beautiful." - Partridge
I've read a lot of dystopian books before but nothing delivers a world as eery and as frightening as the world in Pure. The world was startling, overwhelming, and horrible. If you have a vivid imagination and a weak stomach, then you might find yourself wincing while reading this book. The writing was effective and the images were so vivid that I can actually picture them in my mind. Imagine humans fused with animals, metals or plastics. Some are fused with machines, toys, and even another human being. Everything is mutated and death is everywhere. It's a dangerous world, and it's like survival of the fittest.
I find this book a bit different from other dystopian books I've read. I can't describe how my stomach felt while I read this book, but I remember eagerly turning the page to see what will happen next. I stopped reading many times just to let the everything sink in before I continue with the next scene. There were exciting and surprising twists that made this book even more engaging. And not only that, this book is full of heart stopping actions that will keep you rooted in your seat until the last page.
But you might ask, why only 3/5? Well, it's actually 3.5/5 though. And as I've mentioned on the first part of my review, it took me halfway through before I completely pulled into the story. The first half of the book was a bit slow and confusing and I needed to reread some parts to get it. Maybe I'm a bit slow, too *wink. But anyway, I could have given it a much higher rating if not for the slow part.
So do I still recommend it? Absolutely.
Pure is blended with alive characters, intriguing story line and unexpected surprises. If you like dystopian novels then you might as well grab a copy of this one. It's good and unique on it's own way. It's very intense, breathtaking and most of all frightening. It might be a little disturbing due to the images that you'll get while reading it, but the story itself was fascinating.
I find this book a bit different from other dystopian books I've read. I can't describe how my stomach felt while I read this book, but I remember eagerly turning the page to see what will happen next. I stopped reading many times just to let the everything sink in before I continue with the next scene. There were exciting and surprising twists that made this book even more engaging. And not only that, this book is full of heart stopping actions that will keep you rooted in your seat until the last page.
But you might ask, why only 3/5? Well, it's actually 3.5/5 though. And as I've mentioned on the first part of my review, it took me halfway through before I completely pulled into the story. The first half of the book was a bit slow and confusing and I needed to reread some parts to get it. Maybe I'm a bit slow, too *wink. But anyway, I could have given it a much higher rating if not for the slow part.
So do I still recommend it? Absolutely.
Pure is blended with alive characters, intriguing story line and unexpected surprises. If you like dystopian novels then you might as well grab a copy of this one. It's good and unique on it's own way. It's very intense, breathtaking and most of all frightening. It might be a little disturbing due to the images that you'll get while reading it, but the story itself was fascinating.
"It's all a game now," El Capitan says, unlocking the trap. "You lose and you're dead. Winning means you just keep playing. Sometimes I wish I'd lose. Tired. I get tired, that's all..."
3.5 Coffee Cups!
My Rating:
