Release Date: February 8, 2012
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Series: Pure, Book 1
Rated: YA 14+
Format: eGalley
Source: NetGalley
Buy: Amazon ❘ The Book Depository
Goodreads ● Website
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.
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.
❝Burn a Pure and breathe the ash.
Take his guts and make a sash.
Twist his hair and make a rope.
And use his bones to make Pure soap.❞
I was lucky enough to have laid my eyes on this one for review on NetGalley because Pure is just...wow. Honestly, there's not a more action-packed, rough on the edges dystopian that I've read so far. I was completely enraptured– I just couldn't stop reading.
I love how Pressia, the heroine of Pure, is flawed physically. I mean, it's totally a bad thing for her, but I'm tired of seeing drop-dead gorgeous models as main characters who have "no clue" how beautiful they are. She was a refreshing change, and a strong one at that. I love Partridge as well. He was the only real way in which we readers could see into the world of the Pures and I loved his perspective. It's fresh and new, and certainly deadly. BRADWELL! I didn't take to liking him at first, but boy-oh-boy, I'm head over heels now. I found the change in perspectives interesting as the book revolves around the views of Pressia, Partridge, El Capitan (who is as well an interesting one...but by talking about him, it'll give too much away) and Lyda.
I really felt that Pure is a reflection on our world. There's the whole rich vs. poor, how much more privilege some get over others; the feminist group: the fight for gender equality. I was amazed at how much this world was like ours and to be truthful, a little saddening as well.
I'm blown away. Completely. I can't wait for Fuse, the sequel to this fascinating book. The post-apocalyptic world which Julianna Baggott has created is truly capitivating: from start to finish I was obsessed with reading this book. I'm sorry I couldn't have written a longer review, but it's just so hard to express everything down. I'm still quite in awe, even though I read this a while back. I love, love, loved it, and will most likely be feeling the same about the rest of this series. Can't wait!
If you like this, try...
- The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins ◆ Goodreads
- Possession by Elana Johnson ◆ Goodreads
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