Pure

Gah! Too many feels!! Book hangover for sure. Will do full review when it isn't 1 in the morning.

OK, here's my review:
I can barely explain how much I loved this book. These are big bold words, but I think I loved this more than I did The Hunger Games or Divergent. At times I put the book down to collect myself for a minute because something disturbed me so much.

Dusts, Groupies, The Meltlands, The Good Mother. These things will haunt me. Pressia, Partridge, Lyda, El Capitan, Bradwell. These characters will stay with me always.

There were just so many holy shit moments, things I never saw coming. I don't know if it was because I was so into the story that I didn't have time to look ahead or put the pieces together. I didn't stop long enough to think about it. I just read.

The story skips around to different points of view. Usually this frustrates me because it feels sometimes difficult to follow, but I didn't seem to have a problem. There were times when the story is being told from Partridges point of view, but would jump over to Bradwell for a minute and while that seemed weird I wasn't confused.

I don't know. This was different. My library actually has this in the adult fiction section instead of the YA section and while I don't think it's too mature for teens it was definitely disturbing. For me, even more so when they got to the Meltlands. When I finally got a grasp on what had happened, what the Detonations caused I thought it was terrifying.

We're left with the perfect continuing series book. There is some bit of an ending, but you know the story goes on. You know there's more, but you're not left with this awful cliffhanger. Nonetheless, I finished this book at 1:20am and ran to the library this morning to get the next book.

It was just that good.

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.

my thoughts

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.