Pure ~ Julianna Baggott (eARC) review

Pure
Grand Central Publishing
February 8, 2012
448 pages
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Nine years ago when the Detonations happened some were inside the Dome, other - most - were not. Of those who were not, of the few who managed to survive, some lost limbs or other body parts, some have someone or something fused to them. They continue living their lives the best they can, those old enough remembering a rime Before and no longer speaking of the Dome's message.

That message sent right after the Detonation called them 'brothers and sisters' and let them know the Dome knew they were they. And yet they are their living in their world of death and mutations, things that want to kill you all the time and the Dome is living it's safe clean life.

The Dome is filled with the Pures, those who were in the Dome during the Detonations and haven't had to worry about creatures or scavenging for food or an army that was to protect them but no sometimes will kill them. They live the comforted, safe existence free of scars, pain and worry.

At least, that is the idea.

Pressia a girl living outside the dorm is just turning sixteen, the age when you are to report to OSR (formerly Operation Search and Rescue, now something else entirely) or else . . . when there's word of a Pure in their world.

Partridge has lived in the Dome since the Detonations with his father, the Dome's top scientist but all it takes is one word that makes him think his mother whom he's believed died in the blasts, might really be alive and he's ready to leave. Ready to venture outside the Dome to find her.

When Partridge and Pressia meet, neither of their lives - or those around them - will ever be the same again.


Pure is crazily original. There are a ton of characters that all work themselves into this really complex plot in fantastic ways that you really don't always see coming and quite often take things in a new (or at least slightly detoured) version.

The Dome world is a great version of the future. It's not a futuristic, Jetsons' world. Instead it feels almost like a vintage future - a sort of 1950s meets dystopia future. Perhaps that's because everything is so structured and orderly but it works incredibly well - especially as more is learned as the story progresses.

The way characters outside of the Dome, the ones who aren't Pures have changed since the bombs (Pressia has a doll head for a fist, for example) was ever so slightly hard to get used to - and will make for a creepy movie but I loved the idea. It was something different and an interesting idea for what could have happened with the Detonations.

Partridge did seem to take everyone - the whole world outside the Dome, really - in incredibly well - but maybe I'm just projecting because all of the monster-y things that were trying to kill them and the other things would have given me more pause, I think.

I didn't connect with the characters a lot but this was more of a story book for me than a character book and there were definitely still instances when I did feel for certain characters and relate to them a lot.

Pure does have one killer ending and I'm really, really looking forward to seeing what happens in the next book of this trilogy. If you'd like to enter to win this book (you would, wouldn't you?) just E N T E R   H E R E  (US only, sorry -but everyone can read the interview)


Rating: 8/10


thank you to NetGalley for providing my review copy and Dana at Grand Central for it and the giveaway copy