[Review] Pure by Julianna Baggott

Title: Pure
Author: Julianna Baggott
Published: Expected publication: February 8th 2012 by Grand Central Publishing
Series: Trilogy (Pure #1)
Rating: ★★★★
Goodreads summary:

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.

Emma's thoughts:

The Maze Runner meets Gone, and their baby? Meet Pure.

Dive into this world ten years after a devastating catastrophe that leaves half the population cowering in Domes, and the other half... gruesomely disfigured. Told from the perspectives of five very different characters, we see this new world as broken and totally out of it's mind.

I adored each of the characters in this novel. We're first introduced to Pressia and her doll-head hand. The whole concept of being 'fused' to objects had me really confused, but it gave each of the characters a little more quirk. I especially loved Bradwell's birds. At first, I assumed birds referred tattoos, so imagine my surprise when I found out they moved! Think about that, having to live every moment of everyday with birds in your back.

Partridge's life was a little easier to relate to. Having a father with the ultimate power ensured him a safe life within the walls of the Dome. His life is perfect. No one is suffering. No one is disfigured nor poor. They don't even realize the horrors that go on outside of the walls. Partridge wants to get out. Find the mother that hurt his father so dearly.

I think, wanting to escape is something we all can comprehend. But, what happens when you do escape? Where are you escaping to?

Prepare yourself for an exciting and riveting journey. Meet El Capitan and Helmund, Ingership, Our Good Mother, and the two masterminds, good and bad. Again, I have to say how well each characters were written. The evil ones too. The twists and turns in this book were most definitely unexpected.

Everything is weaved together with intricate detail and obviously a lot of work as been put into the process. I had a hard time keeping up, but wow. I cannot explain how intense this entire book was. I couldn't stop reading, I couldn't even stop to catch a breath. I was constantly freaking out for Pressia, or Partridge, even Bradwell.

Bradwell started off as an annoyance ('pedantic' as Pressia put it), but his passion for his beliefs really struck me. He understood so much, and took all into consideration, but he stood his ground. I admire people like him.

Also, I liked the theme of birds in this book. Partridge, Lyda's wire bird, Bradwell's back, and the story of the mother swan! I think that's all that I can think of from the top of my head.

I'm so very looking forward to the sequel of Pure! It's bound to be another gripping adventure that'll have the readers' clenching their seats in anticipation!

 

The covers above are the Australian covers. I saw these in my local bookstore a few days ago. Isn't it just striking??

I recommend this to: Anyone who loves an intense, action-packed and thrilling read!

Rating: 4 stars~ Everything a dystopian lover could ever dream of! 

First:

There was a low droning overhead a week or so after the Detonations; time was hard to track.

Favourite:

"Beautiful? It's a scar."
"It's a sign of survival."

Teaser:

"If you were smart, you'd walk away too," Bradwell says. "Generosity and charity can get you killed."

Thanks publisher for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review (via Netgalley).

Tweet