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lorilaws's review against another edition
4.0
Pure was nothing like what I was expecting. Nothing. It’s dark and twisty and crazy imaginative. It took me a little while to fall into the world, but once I did there was no looking back.
This is a very different dystopian. There are aspects that most books in the genre have, but Julianna Baggott takes everything just a few steps farther. Some of it, like the people fusing with objects or even animals parts, are horrifying and completely unimaginable. But that was what made me sit down and take notice of this story. Then there is the other aspect of corrupt, evil government turning on its own people. This is something that doesn’t seem too far fetched and that makes the story even more powerful.
The world in which Pure takes place was really my favorite part of the book. It’s a little on the disturbing side and if there’s anything out there like it I haven’t saw it. The book is told from alternating points of view. I found that I liked Pressia, she was strong and capable. I didn’t connect with Partridge as much, but once I found the rhythm of there voices I enjoyed the story much more. That took a little while, but it was worth it in the end. Oddly enough I really enjoyed El Capitan’s perspectives. He was very well developed and I just found him fascinating.
Overall I enjoyed Pure. It might not be a book for everyone since it’s on the darker side of dystopian, but it was a fantastic and richly detailed world.
This is a very different dystopian. There are aspects that most books in the genre have, but Julianna Baggott takes everything just a few steps farther. Some of it, like the people fusing with objects or even animals parts, are horrifying and completely unimaginable. But that was what made me sit down and take notice of this story. Then there is the other aspect of corrupt, evil government turning on its own people. This is something that doesn’t seem too far fetched and that makes the story even more powerful.
The world in which Pure takes place was really my favorite part of the book. It’s a little on the disturbing side and if there’s anything out there like it I haven’t saw it. The book is told from alternating points of view. I found that I liked Pressia, she was strong and capable. I didn’t connect with Partridge as much, but once I found the rhythm of there voices I enjoyed the story much more. That took a little while, but it was worth it in the end. Oddly enough I really enjoyed El Capitan’s perspectives. He was very well developed and I just found him fascinating.
Overall I enjoyed Pure. It might not be a book for everyone since it’s on the darker side of dystopian, but it was a fantastic and richly detailed world.
sharonsm_28's review against another edition
4.0
Actual Rating: 3.5
This was an interesting read. There were parts when the book was disturbing; however, this is a dystopian, and that's what they are supposed to do. The story is about teens trying to get out of the militia within the dome. The ones that do not get caught by the militia are called the 'Pure.'
This was a great story. The characters are interesting and different. I thought the book was slow paced, but then it picked up around the half-way point. The ending was good, but I thought the book needed more power. Overall, a great read.
This was an interesting read. There were parts when the book was disturbing; however, this is a dystopian, and that's what they are supposed to do. The story is about teens trying to get out of the militia within the dome. The ones that do not get caught by the militia are called the 'Pure.'
This was a great story. The characters are interesting and different. I thought the book was slow paced, but then it picked up around the half-way point. The ending was good, but I thought the book needed more power. Overall, a great read.
natashazaleski's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
abbey_s02's review against another edition
4.0
I love the dystopian future this book is set in, mainly because the lines occasionally blur between this one and our own. I love all the characters and the relationships aren't ridiculously predictable. There are cliffhangers in every chapter, and prepare for the last few chapters! The storyline is complex and exciting. Can't wait to read the second book in the series, Fuse.
wiebemedia's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
3.0
Stopped halfway. It's too boring for me.
emleemay's review against another edition
3.0
3 generous stars for excellent world-building and interesting ideas but no more because of the novel's density and lack of actual plot.
When I recieved this ARC, I immediately discovered some very interesting facts from the back of the book. This is taken directly from the back cover:
• Won by GCP during a heated two-day auction
• International language rights sold overnight in nine countries
• Film rights sold to Fox 2000 Pictures with Karen Rosenfelt, lead producer of the Twilight saga
You'd think this must be something pretty special, right? Well, yeah. I can see this making a really good film with lots of CGI opportunities and action scenes... but as a novel it was dull. The author definitely spent a lot of time on this dystopia and it wasn't a simple I-didn't-think-this-through idea like, say, [b:Wither|8525590|Wither (The Chemical Garden, #1)|Lauren DeStefano|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327878510s/8525590.jpg|13392566]. But the novel contained too many lenghty scientific explanations and often went off on random tangents in order to create some small and unnecessary subplots that almost sent me to sleep.
The idea that the author has had could potentially have made a great story. Set in a dystopian future, those who live inside the Dome are guarded by strict rules and regulations, Partridge longs to escape and find out the truth about the world they all left behind. Outside the Dome, Pressia lives in constant fear of attack from all the deranged mutants that were created by the detonations from years ago. This story is about lies and radiation, friendships and conspiracies... but the real question that [b:Pure|9680114|Pure (Pure, #1)|Julianna Baggott|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1302743156s/9680114.jpg|14568028] seeks to ask is: what is more important: safety or freedom?
It could have been fantastic. It should have been fantastic.
But, like [b:Feed|7094569|Feed (Newsflesh Trilogy #1)|Mira Grant|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327883721s/7094569.jpg|7351419], it was filled with crap that bored me. There were long conversations about war and atomic bombs that were snore-worthy, rather than insightful and eye-opening. A lot of characters were brought in that didn't add anything to the story but served only to make it more confusing, and it also kept switching to a random new perspective. There were the two main POVs: Pressia and Partridge, but then every so often it would switch to someone else for a chapter and it simply wasn't needed.
Plus, I would also like to add that the only thing young adult about this book was the characters' ages. I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of the younger end of the YA genre didn't have a clue what was going on, especially in the beginning - it's mind-boggling! So, like I said, this is the kind of novel that I can see making an excellent film but the author's writing style made my head hurt so I'm not sure I'll be continuing with the series.
rakesrogues's review against another edition
3.0
What makes PURE by Julianna Baggott so different is the post-apocalyptic world that she has created. Her descriptive writing brings out the gore, mutilations, and sometimes the beauty from the pages. The writing is vivid that I can just close my eyes and see Julianna Baggott's world come to life. The survivors of the Detonations are anything but pretty. They are strong and determined and unfortunately characterized by their mutilations.
PURE by Julianna Baggott is told from the perspective of various characters, but mainly focuses on the narratives of Pressia and Partridge. Though at first I thought that the other narratives were a bit distracting, they are integral to the overall story. Julianna Baggott does not include them just because. The characters' narratives are seamlessly integrated by the end of the book.
Julianna Baggott takes the time to cultivate her characters and the world in PURE so the pacing was a bit slow. At first, PURE by Julianna Baggott was a page-turner because the world she has created is so novel and interesting, but after a while, the excitement plateaus when there is not a lot of action going on. Nothing really happens until the last third of the book. Usually, I would have Big Issues with this, but because PURE by Julianna Baggott is about a world that's just so striking, I was willing to let the issue slide. Furthermore, that last third of PURE by Julianna Baggott was absolutely gripping and full of jaw-dropping awesomeness. The slow build-up made for a much more satisfying climax.
As a note, I do think that this one is more of an adult book than a young adult book, though the characters are mid to late teens. The themes in this book are a lot heavier than your typical young adult dystopian/post-apocalyptic. I think there is certainly a lot of young adult appeal for teen readers, but keep in mind that PURE by Julianna Baggott is a heavier read because yes, she makes you think. Julianna Baggott makes readers question the consequences of atomic and nuclear weapons. Yes, PURE is a work of fiction, but in reality, the effects of these weapons are scary, too. Julianna Baggott wants readers to think about Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The extent of the damage of the nuclear weapons used in World War II are still felt to this day. Furthermore, there was always the thought of what if lurking in my head as I read the book: what if this happened to us?
The world-building is fantastic and Julianna Baggott knows how to put her readers at the edge of her seat. But because of the slow beginning, I do believe that PURE by Julianna Baggott is suited for older readers who are already established fans of the dystopian/post-apocalyptic genre. I would suggest Borrowing this book before buying it, unless you really, really love this genre.
PURE by Julianna Baggott is told from the perspective of various characters, but mainly focuses on the narratives of Pressia and Partridge. Though at first I thought that the other narratives were a bit distracting, they are integral to the overall story. Julianna Baggott does not include them just because. The characters' narratives are seamlessly integrated by the end of the book.
Julianna Baggott takes the time to cultivate her characters and the world in PURE so the pacing was a bit slow. At first, PURE by Julianna Baggott was a page-turner because the world she has created is so novel and interesting, but after a while, the excitement plateaus when there is not a lot of action going on. Nothing really happens until the last third of the book. Usually, I would have Big Issues with this, but because PURE by Julianna Baggott is about a world that's just so striking, I was willing to let the issue slide. Furthermore, that last third of PURE by Julianna Baggott was absolutely gripping and full of jaw-dropping awesomeness. The slow build-up made for a much more satisfying climax.
As a note, I do think that this one is more of an adult book than a young adult book, though the characters are mid to late teens. The themes in this book are a lot heavier than your typical young adult dystopian/post-apocalyptic. I think there is certainly a lot of young adult appeal for teen readers, but keep in mind that PURE by Julianna Baggott is a heavier read because yes, she makes you think. Julianna Baggott makes readers question the consequences of atomic and nuclear weapons. Yes, PURE is a work of fiction, but in reality, the effects of these weapons are scary, too. Julianna Baggott wants readers to think about Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The extent of the damage of the nuclear weapons used in World War II are still felt to this day. Furthermore, there was always the thought of what if lurking in my head as I read the book: what if this happened to us?
The world-building is fantastic and Julianna Baggott knows how to put her readers at the edge of her seat. But because of the slow beginning, I do believe that PURE by Julianna Baggott is suited for older readers who are already established fans of the dystopian/post-apocalyptic genre. I would suggest Borrowing this book before buying it, unless you really, really love this genre.
nin_ette's review against another edition
3.0
It was a bit of a slow burner but the towards the end I was hooked, excited for the 2nd & 3rd books as the journey has just began!
liinukka's review against another edition
3.0
Pretty grotesque and at times too purposefully brutal, but an interesting nuclear apocalypse tale. Not sure I'm really rushing to read the sequel, but I might pick it up if I have extra time.
I will never understand why these sorts of YA (is it YA?) books always have to include romance. I feel like it should be the last thing on people's minds in such dire situations, but maybe authors think that it shows tenderness and humanity in the most devastating times? It feels forced, if you ask me.
I will never understand why these sorts of YA (is it YA?) books always have to include romance. I feel like it should be the last thing on people's minds in such dire situations, but maybe authors think that it shows tenderness and humanity in the most devastating times? It feels forced, if you ask me.
mollylooby's review against another edition
2.0
A Spoiler Free Bit About The Book
I was going to just post the blurb here but I couldn't be bothered to type it out. Instead I'll try and explain what Pure is about.
Pure follows Pressia, a wretch, living after the Detonations which fused people to other people and objects.
And a Pure, Partridge, who lives inside the Dome and was safe from the Detonations.
"When Pressia meets Partridge, their worlds shatter."
My Review
So you get the picture.
I was pretty excited about picking up this book because I've always been a fan of post-apocalyptic books. When society gets split down the middle in such an extreme way, it's usually a great read so I knew Pure had great possibility.
And I was right, the idea is really good, fascinating actually. Both inside and outside the Dome the characters had their issues and dreams and fears and it was really interesting to read one and then the other and absorb how different the cultures were and how little they knew about each other.
I didn't have that many issues with the plot. It wasn't perfect, sometimes I got lost, but I was on board.
Once that melted away and I was stuck with what was left, I was less than impressed.
The main problem I had was that the story seemed too big for the author. Don't get me wrong, Baggott is talented but this story seemed far too ambitious and she seemed terrified to be writing it. I could feel her fear through the words.
There was a lot of telling and not showing, especially at the beginning of the story. About 50 pages in there was a chapter that was pretty much all telling. Pressia just summed up a great big mass of information that she'd just been told. The information sounded pretty interesting but I got lost easily and I had no idea why we couldn't be part of the conversation Pressia was listening to, especially as this was so close to the beginning and I still had no idea what was going on.
The telling and not showing got extremely painful in no time at all. It's one of the first skills I try and teach people about writing. It was incredibly grating to have to read so much of it.
I didn't have any problems with the characters personalities or decisions or back stories or anything like that but I did have a huge problem with the point of view (POV). Each chapter is given a POV character which is not uncommon in YA, in fact, I mostly expect it a book like Pure, but for some reason Baggott felt the need to head-hop. The first time I noticed it was in a Partridge chapter when it said: "she doesn't know why". Hang on, she? Is that a typo? She meant Partridge right? Oh no, actually, she's telling us what Pressia thinks even though Partridge isn't a mind reader! The book might be written in the third person but you can't set up POV characters for each chapter and then start head jumping!
As it was, the third person didn't sound natural and was pretty distracting. Not that I have anything against the third person, it's just at times it sounded like this book should've been written in the first person.
I wasn't sure whether I should put this point in but I'm going to anyway - the action sequences. Now I wasn't going to include this because I've only just started writing real action sequences myself and I know how hard and demanding they are but the ones in Pure really did leave a lot to be desired. At times there were too many words and I got confused about who was doing what and who was hurt and whatnot. Again, I don't think the third person helped here.
Pure had all the ingredients to be a book I truly loved but there was something not quite right in the execution.
Evaluation
Overall 5/10 - I feel harsh putting a 5 but there we are.
Would I recommend it? No. It was too far from perfect to recommend, though it did have some great ideas.
Would I look up the author? No. Like I said above, it was too far from what I was looking for and I won't be reading books two and three.
Pure had the set up to be amazing but there was something off about the execution.
I was going to just post the blurb here but I couldn't be bothered to type it out. Instead I'll try and explain what Pure is about.
Pure follows Pressia, a wretch, living after the Detonations which fused people to other people and objects.
And a Pure, Partridge, who lives inside the Dome and was safe from the Detonations.
"When Pressia meets Partridge, their worlds shatter."
My Review
So you get the picture.
I was pretty excited about picking up this book because I've always been a fan of post-apocalyptic books. When society gets split down the middle in such an extreme way, it's usually a great read so I knew Pure had great possibility.
And I was right, the idea is really good, fascinating actually. Both inside and outside the Dome the characters had their issues and dreams and fears and it was really interesting to read one and then the other and absorb how different the cultures were and how little they knew about each other.
I didn't have that many issues with the plot. It wasn't perfect, sometimes I got lost, but I was on board.
Once that melted away and I was stuck with what was left, I was less than impressed.
The main problem I had was that the story seemed too big for the author. Don't get me wrong, Baggott is talented but this story seemed far too ambitious and she seemed terrified to be writing it. I could feel her fear through the words.
There was a lot of telling and not showing, especially at the beginning of the story. About 50 pages in there was a chapter that was pretty much all telling. Pressia just summed up a great big mass of information that she'd just been told. The information sounded pretty interesting but I got lost easily and I had no idea why we couldn't be part of the conversation Pressia was listening to, especially as this was so close to the beginning and I still had no idea what was going on.
The telling and not showing got extremely painful in no time at all. It's one of the first skills I try and teach people about writing. It was incredibly grating to have to read so much of it.
I didn't have any problems with the characters personalities or decisions or back stories or anything like that but I did have a huge problem with the point of view (POV). Each chapter is given a POV character which is not uncommon in YA, in fact, I mostly expect it a book like Pure, but for some reason Baggott felt the need to head-hop. The first time I noticed it was in a Partridge chapter when it said: "she doesn't know why". Hang on, she? Is that a typo? She meant Partridge right? Oh no, actually, she's telling us what Pressia thinks even though Partridge isn't a mind reader! The book might be written in the third person but you can't set up POV characters for each chapter and then start head jumping!
As it was, the third person didn't sound natural and was pretty distracting. Not that I have anything against the third person, it's just at times it sounded like this book should've been written in the first person.
I wasn't sure whether I should put this point in but I'm going to anyway - the action sequences. Now I wasn't going to include this because I've only just started writing real action sequences myself and I know how hard and demanding they are but the ones in Pure really did leave a lot to be desired. At times there were too many words and I got confused about who was doing what and who was hurt and whatnot. Again, I don't think the third person helped here.
Pure had all the ingredients to be a book I truly loved but there was something not quite right in the execution.
Evaluation
Overall 5/10 - I feel harsh putting a 5 but there we are.
Would I recommend it? No. It was too far from perfect to recommend, though it did have some great ideas.
Would I look up the author? No. Like I said above, it was too far from what I was looking for and I won't be reading books two and three.
Pure had the set up to be amazing but there was something off about the execution.