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    Fuse
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    Fuse
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    Fuse
    Audiobook16 hours

    Fuse

    Written by Julianna Baggott

    Narrated by Pierce Cravens, Casey Holloway, Khristine Hvam and Kevin T. Collins

    4/5

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    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Book 2 of the Pure Trilogy

    We want our son returned.

    This girl is proof that we can save you all. If you ignore our plea, we will kill our hostages one at a time.

    To be a Pure is to be perfect, untouched by Detonations that scarred the earth, and sheltered inside the paradise that is the Dome. But Partridge escaped to the outside world, where Wretches struggle to survive amid smoke and ash. Now, at the command of Partridge's father, the Dome is unleashing nightmare after nightmare upon the Wretches in an effort to get him back.

    At Partridge's side is a small band of those united against the Dome: Lyda, the warrior; Bradwell, the revolutionary; El Capitan, the guard; and Pressia, the young woman whose mysterious past ties her to Partridge in ways she never could have imagined. Long ago a plan was hatched that could mean the earth's ultimate doom. Now only Partridge and Pressia can set things right.

    To save millions of innocent lives, Partridge must risk his own by returning to the Dome and facing his most terrifying challenge. And Pressia, armed only with a mysterious Black Box containing a set of cryptic clues, must travel to the very ends of the earth, to a place where no map can guide her. If they succeed, the world will be saved. But should they fail, humankind will pay a terrible price . . .
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHachette Audio
    Release dateFeb 19, 2013
    ISBN9781619693098
    Unavailable
    Fuse
    Author

    Julianna Baggott

    Julianna Baggott's work has appeared in such publications as The Southern Review, Ms. magazine, Poetry, Best American Poetry 2000, and read on NPR's Talk of the Nation. The nationally bestselling author of The Miss America Family and Girl Talk, as well a book of poems entitled This Country of Mothers, she teaches at Florida State University and lives in Tallahassee with her husband and three children. Visit her website at www.juliannabaggott.com.

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    Reviews for Fuse

    4/5

    102 ratings16 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Wonderful sequel to Baggott's first book, Pure. Life is bleak in this post-apocalyptic world, but there is always hope. To be honest, the book is darker than other YA books on the same subject, but it shouldn't stop anyone from reading it. If you do decide to read this series, start with the first book! Fuse is the first sequel I've read where the author spends almost no time rehashing events from the previous book.
    • 4/5
      I really enjoyed the first book in this trilogy, Pure (you can read my review here ), but I found myself constantly struggling to remember what happened in the previous installment. The story is told through alternating points of view of numerous characters: Pressia, Partridge, Lyda, El Captain, and Bradwell. The characters and their roles started to come back to me, but there were always some grey areas where I knew that there was something I was forgetting, but I never really got clued into what it was. This was hard for me because I really wanted to love this novel. I love the descriptive nature of Baggott's writing and the world she created, I just wish there was a little bit more recapping or refreshing on what happened in the previous novel. Other than that factor, I really liked getting to explore the post detonation world again. Whereas the first installment was more dealing with the immediate struggle and finding out information that starts Pressia and Partridge on their quest, this installment allows the action and suspense to build heavily and includes much more romance than the previous. One of my favorite aspects of this novel, in opposition to the first, was that the reader really gets a feel for the complexity of each character. El Captain was portrayed as tough and brutal, but there is a much softer and vulnerable side to him as well. Same goes for Lyda; she was portrayed as being a snotty product of the Dome, but she is damaged too. This novel really delves deeper into all of the characters and the setting to show that nothing is exactly what it seems. My biggest criticism with the novel (other than the factor mentioned above since that can really be considered my own fault) is that everything comes a little to easily. The characters are living in a brutal, dangerous world, so I do not mean that the setting makes it easy for them, but there are tools that he author employs to move the characters from one idea to the next that seem to good to be true. There is a piece of technology in Bradwell's possession that basically holds the answers to their quest and an infinite amount of knowledge. It spits out definitions, coordinates, and other information with more ease than typing it into google. I tried to let go of these thoughts and enjoy the story - because I did enjoy the story. I tried to ignore the fact that in the reality of the world they are living in, it is unlikely something so perfectly helpful would be there for them. When it comes down to it, I do not have a suggestion on how the plot would have moved with out it, I just wish it was a little bit more difficult to use or narrow in its knowledge. However, in the end, this was a story that I really enjoyed. I have read many a dystopian or post apocalyptic story, but nothing quite compares to the world that Baggott has created. This is a cross over title, so the writing is just different than YA stories - this is something that I really like, but also something many people have had trouble with. All in all, I really enjoyed it and I cannot wait to see how the series finishes with Burn . PS: The film rights to Pure have been acquired by Fox 2000.
    • 5/5
      Fact: Pure was one of the best books I read last year. Fact: Pure has amazing world-building and character development, you won't read anything else quite like it. Fact: Fuse is much, much better than Pure: it's mindblowing-ly awesome.You probably want to pick up Fuse right after reading Pure, or re-read Pure if you haven't immersed yourself in the world for a while. I struggled a little in the beginning because it took me a few chapters to re-acquaint myself with everyone, where they were, what they were doing. Baggott does a wonderful job of orienting her readers into her sequel, but I feel that I would have benefitted from a re-read of Pure.The action starts from the get-go: a wretch has been made Pure by the Dome, and a second message is distributed amongst those outside - a terrifying message giving hope even while it strikes fear into the hearts of the innocent. What follows is an adventure told in four view-points (Pressia, Partridge, El Capitan and Lyda), merged together beautifully to create a riveting narrative. Fuse is as well executed and written as Pure, and it was a pleasure to sink into this familiar, albeit, grotesque and sometimes horrifying, world again.Top notch world-building is one of the amazing aspects of Pure, made even more so because it was a début. Fuse has more of this: the characters venture outside the well-known area around the Dome and into new territory, and we are introduced (briefly, tantalizingly) to new groups of survivors. Readers are also shown the inner working of the Dome, with Partridge playing a much less passive role than he had in Pure. We are reminded, and it's somewhat jarring, of how he previously skated by, content in the knowledge and power he has as the son of the Dome's Leader. I think Baggott has cleverly shown that it's not only those on the Outside that have to fight for survival: those inside the Dome are beset by different, but no less deadly, dangers.I had a more difficult time with the characters in this book that I had with Pure - the bravery, tenacity and determination I saw in them before has somewhat diminished, replaced with concerns about their love lives, their lovesickness. I'm not saying I don't want romance in the books, in fact, I think the romances are realistic and cute. But my personal feeling is that the characters were sometimes concerned about their relationships with they should have been worrying about - I don't know - surviving? Pressia and Bradwell, in particular, have stilted, terribly awkward interactions for the first half, maybe three-quarters of the book; they tip-toe around one another, one of them is always unconscious, and it gets tedious.If you enjoyed Pure, if you liked the gritty world building and well-developed characters, then you will love Fuse. Fans of other adult Dystopian and Post Apocalyptic novels, like those of Justin Cronin, will enjoy this hard-hitting series. I can't wait for the next book!!A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for review.You can read more of my reviews at Speculating on SpecFic.
    • 5/5
      Fuse is a book not to be missed. The pure trilogy is a must read for anyone from YA readers to the ones who read between the lines.

      A look about love, determination, greed, and finding the truth, the real Truth. Does being perfect back you pure or does being true to yourself and your believes make you pure? Find your answers in Fuse.

      Julianna has written another astonishing book that will have you thinking about it weeks after you finish it. Starting off where Pure left off Pressia and her new found friends are out to find the formula that will help save life's and it may be the answer to some of her deep seeded wishes. El Capitan, Bradwell, Lyda, Partridge and Pressia continue on their journey for the truth and to find what is left of humanity. In the land of the wrenches these friends find many setbacks and heartaches along with bits of hope. There is plenty of adventure put together with an imagination that brings you into a world of the post-apocalypics. Baggott, has brought us a trilogy that is something everyone should read. Pressia is Katniss on steroids,so if you loved the Hunger Games you will love Fuse. Fuse is darker and shows more brutality physically and mentally throughout the book than that of books in the same genre. I could not put Fuse down and the ending has left me wanting. We finally get to see a different side to El Capitan, Bradwell and Lyda experience a love they have never learned about and Pressia deals with the guilt of being alive. When you read this novel, don’t just read the written words, but what Julianna hasn’t written.

      I give this book 5 stars because it tells us a story about humanity and is packed with adventure that makes you want to keep running. I recommend this book for fans of Books like the Hunger Games and the Host. It may be labeled YA but readers of other genres will enjoy it as well.

      I received this book from the publisher through netgalley for my honest review.
    • 2/5
      There was so much anticipation for me surrounding Fuse that I basically jumped for joy when I found it. How I wish that it didn't end up like this.

      Every. Single. Character gets a point of view change. The most difficult thing about it keeping track of who is narrating. This is completely unnecessary. I feel a book shouldn't have more than three narrators, otherwise it gets clunky fast. Ten is more than enough.

      Other than that, I feel like the premise is basic. After the first book Pure, I was so enamoured with the world and the characters, but now I am sighing and rolling my eyes. What happened?!
    • 4/5
      Taking up where Pure left off, Fuse tells the continuing story of Pressia, her half-brother Partridge, Lyda, and Bradwell as they attempt to salvage the formula that could reverse the fusings caused by the Detonations (for example, Pressia's doll head as a right hand) and save the life of Willux, the evil leader of the Dome and Partridge's father. Each has his/her own role to play in the potential coming revolution: will Partridge become the leader he's been primed to be and take over from his father?My reactions to this trilogy continue to be mixed. I really like the worldbuilding and the realistic way the "fusings" seem to be a natural outcome of an apocalyptic bombing. We're following even more characters in this book, as the third-person points of view switch between Pressia, Partridge, Lyda, Bradwell, and El Capitan (the reformed leader of a military group who is now working with Pressia). There are many threads to follow and it makes the story, quite frankly, a little too long even though I still find myself interested enough to read to the end.
    • 4/5
      Spectacular! I'm glad I listened to this on audio. There is so much description that if I read the book, I probably would have skipped over a lot of it. It was better to have someone read it to me. Such imagination, just when I think things are going to go smoothly... She throws another wrench in things. I can't wait until Burn comes out.
    • 4/5
      I didn't find Fuse to be quite as interesting and engaging as Pure. Maybe it was because I plowed through three-quarters of the story until 1 a.m. and may not have been completely there for some of it, but I get the sense that it lacks something. It might be because there is a lot less world-building going on, since the reader is already supposed to understand the world after reading Pure, and that was the aspect of the story that really grabbed me in the first book. There are still hints of it, and we get a closer look at life inside the Dome, but the description of the world isn't as detailed or interesting as it was in Pure.The characters still feel oddly flat for the most part, and I can't figure out why. It might be because Pressia, Partridge, and Bradwell play specific roles and never really come out of them. Bradwell is the revolutionary warrior fighting for the truth at any cost; Partridge is the intelligent trained soldier type, who falls into traps but keeps getting out, and Pressia constantly broods about her parents, her love life, and her life in the Before, but steps up to the proverbial plate when it's time to fight. Their actions and thoughts are, therefore, pretty predictable.My two favourite characters are Lyda and El Capitan/Helmud, since they are the ones whose characters really seem to develop during the story. I could really empathize with Lyda, and I enjoyed the description of her feelings of being caught between two worlds: the safe, warm, clean, but fake Dome and the brutal, dirty, deadly, but genuine world outside. There was a nice balance between her growing understanding of real life and her lingering ignorance from the life she lived in the Dome. I love the way she begins to feel more connected to nature and the natural order of things while on her journey outside the Dome, where her life is stripped down to the barest necessities for survival. I feel that this is an important thing for young women, who are likely growing up in some variation of a safe, sheltered, industrialized society, to read. We would all do well to remember that, even though we live in a world mainly constructed with glass, plastic, and metal, we are still essentially creatures of the earth, and it isn't wrong or weird to feel that elemental connection to the natural world.El Capitan/Helmud kept me interested because we never really get to be sure of just how much Helmud knows and understands. He's an enigma. At times he seems completely tuned out, a dumb parrot, and, at others, we realize that he is entirely aware of what's going on and smart enough to make important choices. Some might interpret this as a weak plot device, something that Baggott uses to dig her characters out of seemingly impossible situations and then puts away when the storm has passed, but it doesn't read that way. You can almost see the hidden intelligence glinting in Helmud's eyes at times, and it definitely keeps you hooked.One thing I really did not like about this story was the introduction of Fignan, the magical box of answers. THAT seems like a weak plot device to me. First it was a series of vague riddles whose answers somehow survived a nuclear apocalypse and which a trio of teenagers conveniently solved with only the tiniest scraps of clues, now it's a seemingly sentient box containing everything they ever wanted to know about the world. It's post-apocalyptic Wikipedia on wheels. To me, it seemed like Baggott introduced Fignan so that she could spend more time focusing on romances and less time on the actual plot and the actual world going on around the characters, and I didn't love it.That said, I still enjoyed the story and I would still recommend giving it a try. The ending is great, and the story gets interesting when Baggott scatters her characters like pieces on a chessboard throughout Fuse. The reader wants to read the last book, if only to see how the pieces will fit together in the end and what will happen to the characters, who all wind up in pretty dramatic, complex situations by the end of this book. It's not a perfect story, and you might have a hard time getting emotionally attached to the characters, but it's still more than worth the read.
    • 5/5
      Itchy knee, sun, she go. You know, for something that was relatively nonsensical (and slightly annoying when I know the actual Japanese), Baggott managed to turn it into something meaningful. She also made the characters more relatable than they were in the previous book, which was one of the things I'd disliked about Pure.

      There were times when I had to put the book down because it became fairly repetitive, but as a whole, I think it highlighted the characters and showed positive development. This is a rather unique series, in that I can't think of any other series with human fusings (does anyone know of another besides that Russian book?). It's interesting to see how the world has been altered-- I for one am fascinated by the idea of how other continents might have fared after the Detonation, as well as finding out Partridge's fate and his father's.

      I liked that the female characters didn't wait to be rescued and in particular had strong personalities. Even Iralene, who seemed a bit 'off', had an inner strength and conviction, though she was self-serving and self-protective. I also liked that the military man had to rely on his brother at some point and realized that they were a team more than just two people stuck together.

      Argh...the year wait between books is going to be agonizing again. Onto more books that are part of series that aren't complete yet.
    • 2/5
      The world building is inspired, the characters are hackneyed. I won't be finishing the trilogy. Fans of Twilight will think it's great.
    • 4/5
      The second installment in the Pure trilogy was a solid middle entry. I was impressed enough by that because often middle books are a bit... well, middling. I wasn't sure exactly at the opening how much time had passed since the first book but OSR is now more of a refuge outpost than the scary, militaristic organization it was before. Pressia, Bradwell & El Capital (with Helmud, of course) are together & Partridge & Lyda are off & on the move with the Mothers. Both groups are doing what they can to figure out the madness that is Ellery Willux and there's quite a bit of good action that happens to both before the groups splinter again. We also get Fignan, a black box with quite a personality & lots of information to impart.

      Mostly, it was enjoyable to follow along as the puzzle was put together. I have to say that there was some serious repetitive romantic angst that wore on me. So much so that when a character would start veering off into it, I'd scan the next lines & engage again when they were done. I cared about how the characters were feeling but those feelings never much changed though much of the book & it ceased to be interesting. Lyda was the exception. Her feelings expressed were constantly evolving & that was awesome. El Capitan really stole the show in this book & I found myself truly worried that he wouldn't survive (spiders & vines, oh my!). Bradwell also ranked highly for me. Pressia & Partridge weren't bad but they aren't my favorites. I don't know what it was about them in this book, but I definitely liked them less than the other players.

      I look forward to the next book because this one ends with the cliffhanger of Pressia, Bradwell (the wings... wow.) & El Capitan in Newgrange & Partridge & Lyda in the Dome. At least all the players are back in the groups they began in but I can honestly say that I don't know what will happen next.
    • 5/5
      The second book in the Pure trilogy. Pressia and her friends try to find a formula to cure rapid cell degeneration before Willux, the leader of the dome does.Fuse is fast paced and suspenseful and has inventive futuristic technology concepts.
    • 5/5
      Continuing the story begun in Pure, Fuse opens with a former wretch child being made pure, but she can only repeat a single message: We want our son back. referring to the Pure, Partridge, who escaped the Dome in search of his mother. The Dome continues to plague the outside world with robotic spiders that attach to humans before detonating (like human seeking land mines). Partridge agrees to return to the Dome to work from the inside while El Capitan, Pressia, and Bradwell seek to solve the mysteries left behind by those who had opposed the Dome and Partridges father.
    • 4/5
      Review courtesy of Dark Faerie TalesQuick & Dirty: Neither Partridge or Pressia would have ever guessed that in a short period of time their whole worlds would change. Now they must both do everything they can to save both those inside the Dome and more importantly those who were left to die outside it.Opening Sentence: Lying on a thin coat of snow, she sees gray earth meeting gray sky, and she knows she’s back.The Review:First off, I must warn people that this is the second book in the series and is a bit hard to get into if you have not read the first one. So I recommend going and reading book one, Pure. That being said, this was a wonderful second part to the series. Partridge and Pressia have both found roles they have to play to protect the Wretches and help save the earth from Partridge’s evil father. Partridge must risk his own life and return to the dome to penetrate the defenses from the inside, while Pressia must solve a puzzle set up even before the detonations. If they fail then Partridge’s father could continue to harm the Wretches for a very long time.Julianna Baggott does a wonderful job with this second book. I like how the book is broken up so you see things from all five of the main characters points of view. It helps you understand and relate better to each of the characters. Also, it shows you just how much they have evolved and grown from the first book. All of her characters are so well developed and I wanted them to succeed and I felt for them as if I was right there with them.I love how the girl characters in this book are portrayed. Sometimes they are stronger than the men. A great example is the mothers. Women fused to their children during the Detonations. These women are so fierce that everyone is scared of them. Also, the two main character girls are both very strong in their own ways. Pressia, who finds out her whole life was a lie and that she does not know who she really is, is truly strong. Instead of giving in and breaking down when she loses everything all at once and finds out she has no idea who she really is, keeps going and is persistent to find out the truth and to stop Partridge’s dad from destroying anything or anyone else that she cares about. Then there is Lyda, a Pure who was sent out to the Wretches as bait to get Partridge back, most would have been terrified in her position and would have fainted or just given up instead when given a chance to go back to the safe world she has always known, she says no and stays on the outside to fight alongside the Wretches.The guys were really strong also. Partridge is a Pure whose father is the head of the Dome and the source of all the evil that has befallen the Wretches. It is up to Partridge to take out the only parent he has left before his father causes any more destruction. Then there is Bradwell, who as a small child found his parents after they had been murdered by Partridge’s father and has lived most of his life along with only the birds fused in his back to keep him company. He tries to help everyone around him and is thought of as a leader. Lastly, there is El Capitan and his brother Helmud who is fused to his back. In the first book they are the leaders of the OSR which forces people to become soldiers or live targets to fight the Dome. After meeting Pressia though that has all changed. El Capitan is nicer and friendlier. His brother Helmud, was thought to be dumb in the first book and could only repeat what his brother said but, it turns out he is actually very smart and very talented and when he is allowed to show it he can be very helpful.This book was a rollercoaster ride from beginning to end. One moment you were sure everything was alright and all would work out and then wham something would happen and you would be on the edge of your seat waiting to see if everything would be ok. I was never bored with this book and I had a hard time putting it down. This is saying a lot because I am not a fan of dystopian style books so the fact that I truly enjoy this series means that it is worth reading. I recommend this book to anyone who loves dystopian books, also to those people who enjoy Science Fiction. For those who like Science Fiction the different creatures and how they have mutated because of the Detonations is really something to imagine.Notable Scene:Pressia’s ear is pressed to Bradwell’s chest, her head weighty, and she hears his faint heartbeat, like a slow watch wrapped in cotton. His breaths have gone soft. His arm has lost its hold on her and now lies on the ground, limp. She pulls it close to their bodies, sees the imbricate skin of ice that’s formed over it. Her own arm is glittering with snow, a thin new skin of shining gray crystals. She has no voice. Her lashes are dusted with snowflakes, heavy. She wants to close her eyes. She wants the snow to cover the two of them in a gray blanket. She wants to be buried in this lace.FTC Advisory: Grand Central Publishing/Hachette Book Group provided me with a copy of Fuse. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
    • 4/5
      Note: There are big spoilers for the first book in this series, but none for this one.Before I started this book, I re-read the first book of the trilogy, Pure. As much as I loved the first book, I thought it was even better the second time through!As I said in my first review, Julianna Baggott’s gripping and stunningly imaginative dystopia immerses itself into world-building in a way that guarantees we understand the horrific results of the “detonations” that destroyed the world.This dark tale is full of characters who physically fused with their surroundings during the heat of the bombs. These were no ordinary bombs but nanotech-enhanced weapons that disrupted molecular structures. That means there are now people who are part bicycle, or flecked with glass, or even fused with one another. The heroine of the story, Pressia, was seven at the time of the detonations, and because she was holding a doll at the time, one of her hands now is the doll’s head.But not everyone is fused. Before the detonations, some citizens got to go inside the Dome, an experimental environment constructed to provide sustainable living in the event of nuclear or biological attacks or environmental disasters. Those inside survived intact, and are known by those outside the Dome as “Pures.” Those outside are known as “Wretches.”In Book One, Pressia, now 16, joins forces with a couple of other “Wretches” to escape the OSR – a vicious paramilitary organization that rules the outside. One of them is Bradwell, a handsome revolutionary who has birds fused to his back. El Capitan, or “Cap” is a former OSR agent who has his younger brother Helmud permanently around his back. And this motley group is improbably joined by a couple of escaped “Pures,” including Pressia’s half-brother Partridge and Lyda, the girl he loves.In Book Two, Baggott switches her focus from world-building to character-building. In addition to those we already know, another strong woman, Iralene, joins the cast. The characters are still struggling against evil, but they are also struggling with the subject of love. If you love someone, you can lose that someone. So is falling in love a sign of weakness or a sign of courage? And what about the people who are fused together? You can feel a deep love, but also a deep resentment because you can never be alone or have privacy or not have to take care of another. There is also the consideration of love as an idea - one of the characters loves the way it sounds to say “I love you” and the way it feels to think that you are someone “in love.” Two of the male characters share a different conception of love: love is what makes us become or want to become someone else for the other. Ironically, these two characters also come to love each other – it is the love of friendship, the love of having been through thick and thin together, and learning to rely on and trust one another.Partridge is in a particularly trying situation with respect to love, on all fronts. He knows that his father is the epitome of evil, and yet he is his father. At some level, he still craves parental love. And he also is unsure of who he loves romantically, or why.As far as what happens in Book Two, the characters are racing to find a way learn how to survive, in spite of growing obstacles. The surprises in this installment take the form of character developments we did not expect. They are better than they knew.Discussion: Baggott is very talented, and shows courage, I think, in writing dialogue that may not be “literary” but is so true to life you feel every squirm and wince and smile and tear that would accompany it. I love, for example, this scene between Pressia and Bradwell in Book One:"’So…,’ Pressia says.‘So?’‘Why did you come after me if it wasn’t for my grandfather?’‘You know why.’‘No I don’t. You tell me.’ They’re so close that she feels the heat of his body.”Great stuff!I also like Baggott’s commentary on the state of the world. In Book One, Bradwell and Patridge are talking about the cruelty and devastation of the detonations. Bradwell says:"You know what I think sometimes, Partridge? … I think we were already dying of superdiseases. The sanatoriums were full. Prisons were being converted to house the infected. The water was already shot through with oil. And if not that, there was plenty of ammo, uprisings in the cities. There was the corn-fed grief, the unbearable weight of pie fillings. We were choking on pollutants, radiation. Dying one charred lung at a time. Left to our own devices, we were shooting ourselves with holes, burning alone. Without the Detonations, we’d have dwindled and finally clubbed each other to bright bloody death. So they speeded that up, right? That’s all.”What a brilliant commentary. Note the phrase: “the unbearable weight of pie filings.” It’s worthy of Chabon: clever and loaded with multiple meaning; expressing an essay’s worth of arguments in just six words.I should note that the females in this book are exceptional. (So are the male characters, but that is more the norm, sad to say.) Baggott’s females are intelligent, fierce, resourceful, and capable of much more than we think when we first meet them. Perhaps the author is poking us for gender expectations, and making us aware of how we project presumptions onto characters based on their sex.Butterflies are a recurrent theme. They are lovely and fragile. They don’t even seem to have much of a “function.” Yet they still exist, despite everything. They fill the need for people to believe in something beautiful again.Evaluation: I think Baggott is brilliant, and her characters rich and warm. I want to take care of them all. But I think her females would look at me defiantly and say, “we can take of ourselves!”
    • 4/5
      This is the second book in the Pure Trilogy by Baggott. The third and final book, Burn, doesn’t have a release date yet that I could find. I enjoyed this installment in the series. Baggott has created a highly imaginative and bleak world, with heartfelt characters.In the last book Partridge escaped the Dome in search of his mother, his girlfriend Lyda also ended up outside the Dome with him. Now Partridge’s father has unleashed a horrible type of explosive spider that is holding Wretches hostage unless Partridge returns to the Dome. Separately Pressia and Bradwell are trying to unlock the secret of the Cure so that they can save both the Wretches and the new young children that are showing up Purified on the streets.As with the first book this book alternates between the viewpoints of Pressia, Partridge, Lyda, and El Captino/Helmud. In the last book I had a bit of trouble engaging with the characters. In this book we grow to know and understand these characters so much better.Pressia surprisingly becomes a mental force to be reckoned with. Her and Bradwell work desperately to find the cure and it is Pressia’s quick mind that saves them time and time again. Pressia is slowly growing as a character and learning that sometimes it is okay to care about others.Lyda also grows a ton in this book. She has been living with the Mothers, and they have started to teach her how to fight and survive on her own. In this book she becomes something of a warrior and really matures a lot.Patridge is forced to face a lot of awful truths and make a lot of heartbreaking decisions in this book as well. El Captino/Helmud also become much more significant characters and have changed quite a bit.The elements of having humans fused both to inanimate and other living things is less startling in this book than the last. I still do have some trouble picturing some of the characters. For example I never have a clear picture in my mind of how Bradwell looks with those birds in his back. So that is still a bit of a problem for me.The world though it incredibly interesting and creative and well done. The majority of the plot is driven by two things; what will Partridge do if he returns to the Dome and will Pressia find the Cure before time runs out.This book is a long read but a very interesting one. It’s not a fast read by any means, you need to take your time reading it to follow everything that is going on. The POV switches slow the story down some, but are very well done and overall I think they add a lot to the story.Overall a very good continuation of this series. We really get to know and understand these characters and what drives them a lot better in this book. Things are fast-paced and engaging throughout. I love this crazy and bleak world and can’t wait to see how everything wraps up in the final book. This series is recommended to those you love YA dytopian novels that are a bit crazy :-)