By: Dan Wells
Published by: Balzer & Bray / Harper Teen
Released on: February 28th, 2012
Source: ARC/Book from publisher to review
4.5 stars: I Really Enjoyed It
Purchase from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound
Humanity is all but extinguished after a war with partials--engineered organic beings identical to humans--has decimated the world’s population. Reduced to only tens of thousands by a weaponized virus to which only a fraction of humanity is immune, the survivors in North America have huddled together on Long Island. The threat of the partials is still imminent, but, worse, no baby has been born immune to the disease in over a decade. Humanity’s time is running out.
Combining the fast-paced action of The Hunger Games with the provocative themes of Battlestar Galactica, Partials is a pulse-pounding journey into a world where the very concept of what it means to be human is in question--one where our sense of humanity is both our greatest liability, and our only hope for survival - quoted from Goodreads
This book was nothing I was excepting it to be and everything I had hoped it would be. It's a thrilling, intense roller coaster ride with a little bit of everything in this book. There's an incredibly engaging blend of science, medicine, and survival all mixed into this book. Not to mention the army like staggery that is present in parts of the book which makes up for the storyline's action. I hope that doesn't scare anyone off, because when you read Partials you'll know what I'm talking about. Dan Wells has created a truly fascinating story that left me wanting much more.
What would you do if the world you lived in was dying? Not the world, but the race. In Kira's world the youngest human is a young teen. Babies are dying as quickly as they're born, and girls at a certain age are required to get pregnant to help grow the race to compensate for those who are dying. With only a fixed number of humans alive they're now faced with the fear of extinction. Or are they. Not one to give up, the story's main character Kira is a young med student who isn't about to give up on finding a cure, no matter how risky finding it will be.
Kira is a character I loved. She has all the things I look for in a well written protagonist. She's a strong independent girl who's incredibly intelligent, isn't afraid to speak her mind, and she thinks things out. She's also driven, determined and completely dedicated to her cause. How can I not admire someone like Kira. She's someone you could deem insane at times, but that's only, because she risks her life to find a cure for mankind. One of the things I really admired about her, is she follows her heart. She doesn't let her relationship get in the way of doing what she thinks is right. She sacrifices a lot to get what she needs, and to find the answers she's looking for.
Huge props to Dan Wells for creating a dystopian that is truly that. This isn't a dystopian that is fueled by romance, and though I love a good romance, this story's romance sits on the back burner. It's a story that is made up of a society living in chaos and on the brink of extinction. While there's a relationship between Kira and her boyfriend Marcus, it's not one that sees a lot of action. In fact, Marcus for me was a complex character to get to know. I understood his fears for Kira and I got that he loved her, but he didn't step up to the plate enough for me. That's okay, because it made sense for the society they live in. There's a lot that's going on and emotions and fears are running high. While Marcus wanted more from Kira, I liked that Kira was open and honest with him did what she felt was right and what she wanted to do. Had Marcus written in a different way I think it would have changed a bit of who Kira was and the things she does.
This book is full of fabulous secondary characters who all contribute something to this story. They're the kind of people who fit in perfectly with the world in which they live in. I liked that some of them accept what's happening around them, others what to aid Kira in her desire to save the human race, some want to strike fear into the people and keep things the way they are and others are just doing the best they can to adjust to their own way of life. Collectively each of these characters adds something to this exciting story line, and has a purpose for being in it. If the incredible world building, and well written characters don't pull you in than the intense, fast paced story line will.
Partials is full of secrets, betrayals, and plot twists that keep the action coming and the excitement level high. Much like Kira I kept trying to figure out who I could trust, and who the real enemy was. Was it the Partials, the rebellion known as the Voice of the government. As Kira's story unfolds and she digs deeper into what's really happening I thought I had it figured out and then just as I had my "I knew it" moment, Dan threw another surprising twist into his plot line. The kind that makes you realize you clearly have no idea what's really going on any more and you desperately want to get the next book in your hands so you can figure it out. If you're a fan of dystopians I highly recommend picking this book up. It definitely stands out among the recent YA dystopians I've read.
Be sure to go like the PARTIALS facebook page & read an excerpt of Dan's book HERE
