Review: Pure by Julianna Baggott

In a sentence or so: The world is broken and divided after the detonations. Two teens from opposite sides  of the conflict find themselves reluctantly relying on each other to change the future.

The detonations divided the people into the Pure and the fused. Either you were inside the dome and are living a perfectly controlled life, or you’re scarred and broken and mutated with pieces of whatever you were holding – or wherever you were – permanently fused to you.

Partridge was inside the dome. He’s not mutilated but he does have some serious emotional baggage. His dad was the one responsible for the whole detonation, his mother died in the detonations, and his brother died by suicide inside the dome. After a slip of the tongue from his father, Patridge thinks his mother might not be dead after all and decides to risk life outside the dome.

Pressia was outside the dome. She lives with her grandpa in an old barber shop where he repairs people the best he can and she trades her wire creatures for what they need to survive. She’s desperate to have memories of her parents, yet the ones her grandpa gives her don’t resonate for her. Why can’t she remember her life before the detonations?

Holy world building, Batman! Julianna Baggott creates a world filled with incredible detail, backstory, mystery, and conspiracy theories. Each of her characters had a unique history and specific purpose within the plot. Watching the characters come together throughout the read provided lots of twists and turns while also adding depth.

Ultimately, Pure by Julianna Baggott is a dystopian meets science-fiction with incredible depth and detail. The plot is always moving forward, even if you’re not always sure where you’re heading. Julianna Baggott doesn’t shy away from the horrors of war and what I imagine a dystopian society would include, which was spooky and refreshing. Lots of groundwork takes place in this one which means lots of action should follow in the series!

Does this book sound like it would be up your alley? LUCKY FOR YOU I have a copy to give away, thanks to the awesome peeps over at Grand Central Publishing.

Contest Closed.

Fave quote: "Partridge isn't so sure - to be in a cage or set loose into this world? This is a question that he should be able to answer." (Pg. 213)

Fix er up: While I enjoyed Pure, I did have some issues with the read. The chapters started with a character and a title. I assumed that the character would be the one narrating, but that was not always the case. Sometimes we would get the inner thoughts of the character and sometimes we wouldn’t. It was almost like the chapter was centered around that character…but not quite.

Title: Pure (Pure #1)
Author: Julianna Baggott
Genre: Dystopian, Sci-Fi
Publishing Info: February 2012, Grand Central Publishing

[FTC Notice: I received a finished copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thanks, Dana at Grand Central Publishing!]