Title/Author: Partials by Dan Wells.
Genre: Dystopian/Apocalyptic.
Publisher: Balzer and Bray.
Source: Purchased at the 2012 World Horror Convention.
Favorite character: Xiochi.
All in all: I didn't enjoy it as much as anticipated but it had a unique plot and twists. I will read the next book.
Cover: I loooove this cover. I think it is eye catching and intriguing. It also really reflects the story.
Synopsis:
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.
When sixteen-year-old Kira learns of her best friend’s pregnancy, she’s determined to find a solution. Then one rash decision forces Kira to flee her community with the unlikeliest of allies. As she tries desperately to save what is left of her race, she discovers that the survival of both humans and partials rests in her attempts to answer questions of the war’s origin that she never knew to ask.
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. ~Goodreads.com.
My Thoughts: I had some mixed feeling reading this book. The elements I did not like, I could see merit in them and understood why they were included. I think some parts and characters just did not connect to my reading experience. The main character Kira is a great heroine. She is strong, fiercely loyal and very smart. However, I didn't like her as much as I wished. I liked her boyfriend Marcus more. I enjoyed his humor in the face of peril. Also, there really wasn't one adult that I liked, except for Nandita, Kira's guardian, but she wasn't in it a lot. The other adults, the Senate and the people in charge were very narrowminded. I would have liked to have seen a bit more depth from them. (Hmmm, but maybe they *are* realistic as politicians go.) My favorite character is Xiochi, Kira's friend. She is just such a little bad ass and humorous at the same time. She is also loyal, tough and just a great side kick.
I feel a lot of the story is slow going. While I appreciated being shown Kira going through many steps of her science experiments and explaining them, it was also a bit tedious for me. However, I really like that the procedure isn't glossed over. It kind of bothers me when a plot point gets from A to Z in under a minute. Like when a character figures something out and there's nothing behind it. The other parts I felt were a bit slow was when they are travelling. Every step was shown. But again, on the other hand, it really illustrated the struggle. So see? Mixed feelings.
I have mixed feelings about the writing as well. I didn't really lose myself in the world and at times I was actually taken out of the story. However, I could envision a lot of the setting and being familiar with the area, I enjoyed seeing the post-apocalyptic version of it. The style is consice with no over belaboring of feelings. It wasn't overly flowerly and I feel this lended itself to the pacing and flow of the book.
What I like most about this book is the plot itself. It is intriguing, interesting and unique. I like the questions it brings up about humanity, loyalty and civil rights. There were a few things I suspected but others that I had no idea were in the works. The last several chapters are VERY intriguing and I will probably read the follow up.
Afterthoughts: After I read this, I checked out the reviews. They are overwhelmingly positive, so I suggest you check them out.
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4 comments:
I loved this book and despite not completly connecting i am glad to hear you will read book two. I enjoyed reading your thoughts on it.
I love the author's John Wayne Cleaver series, but Partials was a much slower read for me. The second half went much better, and it's enough for me to continue with the series. But Kira is no John Wayne Cleaver!
@Kimba-A lot of people loved this book and I am happy for the author because of that. The story *is* very good.
@Kate-I didn't read his other series but I have them. Hopefully I'll get to it one day.
I have heard some great things about this book, but for some reason it just wasn't catching my attention. I've read a few "mixed feelings" books in the last little while, I don't need/want another one.
Thanks for the review!
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