Review: Julianna Baggott - Pure

Julianna Baggott - Pure

• Pub Date: February 8, 2012
• Publisher: Hachette Audio
• Format: CD 14hr 9min
• Age Range: Young Adult

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.

Good grief! I took a pretty long time for me to get into this one. I wanted to give up about 3 hours in, but I stuck with it. I was glad that I did in a way, but I'm not completely sold. Hopefully the next one turns out to be better. I'd like for it to be not as long, too.

The alternating POV was helpful, but I would have liked Bradwell's POV. He's a main character, but he's never heard from. El Capitan's character was seriously weird. So was Ingershop or Ingershell or whatever the eff his name was. A lot of things seemed to be figured out so conveniently among Pressia, Bradwell, and Partridge. And I was really disappointed with how short one character stuck around. Ugh.

The narrators were pretty decent though. I thought maybe Pressia's name was pronounced Presha, but apparently not. Anyway, this book is certainly not a must read, but it's quite imaginative and different. I was entertained for the most part.

Bottom line: Check it out if you don't have too many others on your TBR list.

Rating:

3/5 book sharks!