Pure

Goodreads Synopsis:

 We know you are here, our brothers and sisters . . . 
Pressia barely remembers the Detonations or much about life during the Before. In her sleeping cabinet behind the rubble of an old barbershop where she lives with her grandfather, she thinks about what is lost-how the world went from amusement parks, movie theaters, birthday parties, fathers and mothers . . . to ash and dust, scars, permanent burns, and fused, damaged bodies. And now, at an age when everyone is required to turn themselves over to the militia to either be trained as a soldier or, if they are too damaged and weak, to be used as live targets, Pressia can no longer pretend to be small. Pressia is on the run.

 Burn a Pure and Breathe the Ash . . . 
There are those who escaped the apocalypse unmarked. Pures. They are tucked safely inside the Dome that protects their healthy, superior bodies. Yet Partridge, whose father is one of the most influential men in the Dome, feels isolated and lonely. Different. He thinks about loss-maybe just because his family is broken; his father is emotionally distant; his brother killed himself; and his mother never made it inside their shelter. Or maybe it’s his claustrophobia: his feeling that this Dome has become a swaddling of intensely rigid order. So when a slipped phrase suggests his mother might still be alive, Partridge risks his life to leave the Dome to find her.

 When Pressia meets Partridge, their worlds shatter all over again.


Pure by Julianna Baggott
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It took me a very long time to read this book. More time than any other book that I've ever read. Normally, it would be because I didn't like it and was dragging my way through it. This time it was because I finally burned myself out on dystopic novels. I'm taking an official break from them now that I've finally finished this.

That being said, the book was quite good. It was interesting and had something different about it that set it slightly apart from every other novel of its kind. It wasn't completely set around teen romance (which is a relief). I really cared about the characters and their well being and I was kept on my toes for the most part. There was a lot of things that I could see coming because they followed the basic form of "dystopic teen book 101", but there was also some amazing imagery and genuinely creative ideas. The writing style was easy to follow and everything was well developed. It ended in a way that made it clear that there was more to come and that it was going to be good.

The extensive time period that it took for me to read the book might be marring my judgement but I really can't think of anything that I didn't like about it. I'll definitely pick up the next one and I expect great things from Julianna Baggott in the future.

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