Pure
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Average rating4
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.
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Cover:One of the pretties out there.Thank goodness no girl in dress one.A bit symbolic if you ask me.A dainty fragile life[the butterfly] above a rough bizarre ruthless dangerous earth has become.
Book: I requested This one because of its cover[I the color scheme.]It was good but not a complete hit for me.
A normal day, normal life, normal earth.But than it happened, The Detonations and everything changed.A perilous blistered earth emerged.Pressia found safety in the Dome but not many were that lucky.Things merged,fused,humanity has altered.If you can call it human.Partrige resides there , out side and one of them.There meeting, a pure and a wretch will change everything.
the deathy houses all fell downthe deathy houses all fell downthe sick souls wander'round and ‘roundwatch out! they drag you underground.
Thanks to netgalley and to y Grand Central Publishing approving request
Okay I can't say this is one of the best dystopians of 2011 because it does not come out until 2012, but believe me, it's a winner.
All of the elements are right-the geography, the society (both in the dome and out), and the creatures, oh, the terrifying creatures. Horror fans will be pleased as well.
Pure is an adult novel that will appeal to the YA crowd. It's strengths are in the images. Holy cow, there are things in this story that I will never, ever forget. The battle scenes are really exciting too. Please, please do not make this into a movie. My favorite character is El Capitan, and there is no way Hollywood will get him right. Pressia, I am afraid, may come off as hokey too. Just, please, read this and allow your imagination to grow.
Two tiny gripes: there are many instances of coincidental savings. Too many in fact. Any time someone is truly in peril, someone miraculously shows up to help. Because of that, many of the characters did not get a chance to prove themselves as kick ass as they really are.
Another gripe is the tagline on the back of the arc (not the author's fault, of course)!
In 2008 there was the Hunger Games, in 2010 The Passage, in 2012 it will be: Pure.
To me, these books are apples and oranges. Honestly, I thought The Passage was best used as a door stop, and every book this year has been compared to the Hunger Games.
Book pairings: I was overcome with a feeling of connection between Pure and McCammon's Swan Song (which is in my top ten list of books-EVER). I would also pair it with The Stand.
It is a must read.
Where do I even start in my love for this book? Seriously. I picked up Pure on a whim, on a hunch that the cover was holding something immensely interesting, and I was dead on. Julianna Baggott doesn't just rehash the same old dystopia that is thrown around so often in young adult fiction. Far from it. What you'll find here, hidden in the pages of Pure, is a romp into the gritty and very realistic lives of those who survived the Detonations. It isn't pretty my friends, but it's fascinating.
Pressia's dystopian home is imagined and described beautifully. Baggott lures the reader into a world that has been torn apart. Whole towns leveled to the ground. People who are fused to inanimate objects, or worse yet, their own loved ones. What really comes through more than anything else here is the haunted existence that these survivors live. They've come to terms with who they are now, but so many of them cling to their remembrances of the “the Before” to stay sane. Those who survived only did so because they gave up a part of themselves. The hurt, the anguish, the spark of survival, Baggott shares it all with us through this dark and desolate world she puts her characters into.
In terms of the characters, I really enjoyed them all. From the Pressia, all the way down to the normal townspeople, each character is built lovingly and realistically. Pressia is a character who is hard not to fall for. Despite her self acknowledged flaws, she won't give up on herself or her companions. When things get tough, we meet Bradwell and Partridge. Bradwell is the epitome of what a survivor is. Never getting too close to anyone else. Until, that is, he meets Pressia. Partridge is a gorgeous mirror to the ugliness that surrounds Pressia and Bradwell. With his perfect clothes and skin, his enhanced DNA, he becomes the odd man out. However it is only by working together that these three can ultimately save themselves, and those around them.
I'm rambling I know. That's how much I enjoyed Pure. So much that I can't quite put into words how much I loved it. The action in this book is copious, the world is beautifully built, the characters are strong and lovable. Everything about Pure is new, refreshing and amazing. I've read dystopian fiction. I love dystopian fiction. It is because of this that I can say that Pure far outshines everything else I've read in this genre so far. If you are okay with a bit of grit in your reading, pick up Julianna Baggott's new book and prepare to be sucked in.
